Archive of Our Own ^beta

The apartment was silent. Unlike usual.
Law was not used to that type of silent ambiance since his neighbor moved to that building a year prior. He longed for it since the day that he tried to complain next door and suddenly his life was turned upside down by a wild pack of friends.
And it wasn’t like Law didn’t know what it was like to have a dose of madness, his old group of friends were equally wild and loud, even when Law preferred to be alone, they always found a way to drag him to some stupid adventure. He was a lonely adult, those days with his old group a nice but painful memory; his friends had moved on, surely found a place to belong after the incident which they never looked back on. But it was fine, love was temporary and conditional, he learned that since he was a kid and it was a lesson that kept repeating over and over.

The silence echoed in the place, not even the big clock by the fridge was loud enough to break through it.
It was…fine. He was taking the opportunity to study for his next surgery in peace ; sitting by his coffee table with a bunch of books surrounding him, the tip of his fingers running along paragraphs and paragraphs as a support to his speed reading, mumbling to himself over and over what he needed to find.
The small living room had one big glass wall that gave him a nice view of the city but made his apartment extremely cold in exchange, exactly the reason why he kept three blankets neatly folded on the couch -too bad he couldn’t use them at that moment-. When he recently moved, back in college, Bepo used to joke it felt like a cave, up in the mountains, secluded and hard to reach, just like Law. He liked it, it was the smallest apartment on the floor but the view was worth it. Luffy liked it too.

Luffy was a very interesting omega.
In the unspoken rules of society, omegas were supposed to be the image of submission and beauty, homemakers, soft spoken and incredibly well with children. Luffy was… Luffy. He was good with children and absolutely cute, but he always made sure to be heard, taking decisions with the conviction of an army and choosing an adventure over staying home any day of the week. He was the one that included him in the antics of his neighbors and the one that looked him dead straight in his eyes and started to call Law ‘his alpha’. The weirdest part was that Luffy’s group friend, his pack, the ones that were supposed to protect the unmated omega, just shrugged and accepted that decision like a universal truth. Law tried to deny, keep his distance, do something to let the younger man know that he couldn’t just decide something like that, but it was futile, and he just resigned; he knew Luffy would get tired eventually and leave. The omega deserved someone better anyway.

He glanced at the clock, it had been two hours since his peace started but considering the hour and the fact that the straw hat pack had invited him to a christmas party that night in an unknown location, the silence would soon be over. It was more than obvious when he heard Luffy mumbling something, little by little making more and more sense in his rambling.
Law turned to witness the omega open his eyes very slowly, blinking in clear confusion, trying to fully wake up. His cheeks were rosy, adorning the scar under his left eye and brushed by the long lashes covering the dazed auburn, sleepy still; his lips were puckered in a cute pout and his arms were hugging a bear plushie but at the same time tried to hold onto the blankets covering his body. Luffy huffed and groaned and started to rub his hair and nose in the soft cushions under him, then his whole body was squirming in place and Law’s nose was hit like a phantom punch.
The omega never wore scent patches on his neck or his wrist outside of work, freely walking around leaving a trace without fear; Luffy’s scent was stronger than any other omega that Law’d ever met. He didn’t really mind, it felt warm and comforting, like basking in the sunrise on a beach, or smelling the sweet petrichor in the early morning. Luffy smelled like the sun and the sea and comfort. Law didn’t know if he really liked the scent or if he was already conditioned thanks to Luffy scenting every little corner at the apartment every time he visited; it made him think of the omega at least once a day.

“Alpha,” Luffy’s voice was groggy and lower than usual; still, Law found it cute. “ ‘s it time yet?”

Law glanced at the clock and turned his eyes to the book trying to pretend he wasn’t blatantly staring at the younger man. “No, Robin said she would call you.”

Luffy stretched and wiggled once more in his place, the surgeon didn’t turn to look at him but the man was probably rubbing his neck and wrists all over the couch.

“You feel better now?” Law asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Mhm!” Luffy didn’t sit or stand up, he just went back to hug the bear and roll to the side, getting closer to Law. “Double shifts are no fun, alpha, I can barely see my friends or eat or sleep, I dunno how you do it.”

“I’m used to it,” he mumbled his answer, fighting very hard with himself to keep his head still; the breathing close to his neck was making him shiver slightly and the idea of turning to admire the cute round face was almost unbearable. “Why are you doubling shifts?”

“Zoro took some time off, he injured his back and Sanji is very strict about it cause he hurt his back when he was younger and he was bedridden for a while so he doesn’t want Zoro to do it so Zoro is forcefully resting,” he explained in a single breath, his body wiggling again and making himself closer to Law, serving almost like a pillow to the older’s head. “I also need some extra money.”

Law was still brushing the tip of his fingers over the paragraphs, passing pages and trying very hard to remember whatever it was that he was looking for; Luffy was not helping at all. “All of a sudden?”

“Mhm, Ace is travelling again, he’s not gonna be here for a year or so, so I need to figure out if I’m moving or paying the rent by myself.”
Law could feel Luffy’s fingers running through his hair, it was a feather-like touch, almost like he didn’t want Law to know. He fought to not close his eyes or sighed, he could not give in. 

There was silence again, then the sound of a page being turned echoed in the little apartment. Law was in the wrong section of the book, but he had to keep his hands occupied. “Why don’t you move in with a friend? It’s safer.”

“Hmmmm, dunno, Nami would ask for lots of money, Robin and Franky are newlyweds, Chopper’s mom is scary, Sanji and Zoro are in a very weird mood lately, Usopp just moved in with Kaya, Jimbe practically lives at the station and Brook lives in hotel rooms because he travels a lot.”

Law tried very hard not to, but he instinctively turned to look at the omega; the man still was playing with his hair, his touch more confident since the surgeondidn’t stop him before. “Who owns the apartment next door?”

“Vivi, she’s Nami’s partner, but Nami would kill me if I ask to live there.”

Their eyes met. Law could swear Luffy’s eyes were like burning starlight sometimes, shining prettily under any stupid light. But Law shouldn’t think like that about auburn eyes telling exactly what their owner wanted. Also, he had to stop thinking like that about Luffy because he didn’t want to tangle their lives any more than necessary with him, didn’t he?

“If you’re tired you should skip this party and just sleep, you need to relax,” he said, turning back to his pages of infinite information and stomach diagrams.

“Are you worried about me, alpha?” Luffy was smiling, Law knew it even if he wasn’t looking at him. “Thank you, alpha, but I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, I’m telling you this as a doctor,” he closed the book and took another one; he was giving up on finding whatever he was looking for, but he needed something between his hands, for comfort maybe. “I’m not going.”

Luffy stopped his hand and sat quickly, Law took the opportunity to close his eyes for a second and regain his composure. “Why? You said you’d go!”

“That was before I was assigned to this surgery, I haven’t done it in a while so I need to study.”

Luffy huffed, his scent souring a bit but nothing really unpleasant… or maybe Law was already drunk in it so he couldn’t notice the difference. “We have to go!”

“Straw hat-ya, it’s me who chose not to go, however I’m in no position to tell you what to do, you can go still, i was just suggesting you take some needed rest at home for tonight,” Law glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and Luffy was pouting, frowning and crossing his arms; he looked damn cute.

“You’re a meanie, alpha! I wanted to go with you!”

“I’m sorry, not this time.”

Law was a filthy liar. Yes, he liked to study before any surgery but he knew what he had to do with his eyes closed. He needed distance, he needed ground and chains to stay away from Luffy. The omega was dangerous, pouting and his scent reeking of disappointment and sadness, contrary to the big frown on his round face. His instincts were screaming to hug and give whatever that Luffy wanted, but he kept his hands close, clutching the book. Luffy was not really his and that had to stay that way.

“Fiiiineeee,” he groaned and kicked the blankets, standing up, “but you owe me,” he grabbed his phone and the keys to his truck. “I’m leaving now then.”

”Mhm, if you drink-”

“I know! I’m not a kid.”

Law resisted the urge to smile, Luffy was not a kid, he was the captain at his firefighter station, but he threw tantrums like a kid. “As I was saying, if you drink, call me so I can take you home.”

Luffy turned to look at him, his eyes shining like a starlight and his cheeks lightly dusted in pink. The omega rolled his eyes and turned his head to the opposite direction. “You’re unfair, alpha.”

“Have fun, straw hat.”

Luffy left, he stole some chocolate kisses from the small crystal star on the kitchen counter and grabbed Law’s coat on his way out. Law put the blankets over his shoulders and made a coffee pot, his senses filled with Luffy’s scent and presence to think clearly and his alpha too alert in case Luffy called in need for him, he was definitely not sleeping that night.
Damn cute omega.

🧑‍🚒🧑‍⚕️

He heard about the commotion when he was redacting some case files. His door was unusually open and the rush on the halls was alarming. Then the chief nurse was knocking on his door. Her face was so serious it was a bit scary.

“Doctor Trafalgar, are you free to come to the ER right now?,” she looked tired, her eye bags were darker than the last time they talked. “There was a chemical leak at the Science Faculty that led to an explosion.”
Law closed his laptop and stood up.
“The injured were inside the building.”

His heart made a weird thing in his chest, it felt like it was running too fast and not going fast enough for the situation. The word firefighter was repeating over and over in the back of his head, while he mumbled what he needed to do over and over to ground himself.
“How many? Do we need to get the OR ready?”

“I already asked for it to be ready, I heard the firefighters evacuated most of the building before the explosion.”

He tried not to be angry at the absence of a concrete response. “So all the injured are firefighters? How many?”

“Ten, five unresponsive and one in critical condition; that’s why Doctor Marco sent me to get you,”

Law stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked, really looked at the older woman. “Why are you taking me there?”

She turned to look at him, her stern expression felt like a dagger instead of giving him some kind of reassurance; he preferred it anyway. “One of the firefighters has you as the emergency contact.”

Suddenly, his lungs were refusing to do their work, his stomach was twisting in a painful way, threatening to throw out the cup of coffee he had that morning and his throat dried up and closed in a knot. His brain screamed to move, to urge the nurse to take him to the ER in an instant but his legs were fused to the ground, refusing to move forward but starting to shake. Law knew he was on the verge of a panic attack, his alpha instincts demanding him to be braver and just walk to where he was needed; it was easy in theory, but the stupid trauma and PTSD was simply freezing him in place.
The older woman walked over him, slowly, and put a hand on his shoulder, like a soft attempt to bring him back from his spiraling.

“Doctor Trafalgar,” she began, her tone a little sweeter but still firm. “Please come with me,” her hand travelled to his back, by his shoulder plates, and she pushed gently, “we recognised your number from the list so we thought it was better to let you know in person than a phone call.”

He resisted the urge to push her hand away, his skin felt tight and itchy; suddenly his legs started to pace up a bit. “How bad is it?”

She hummed, glancing at her watch for a second or two. “When I left he was still unresponsive, Doctor Marco was checking his injuries-”

“Fractures? Chemical burns? Was his suit not enough? Tell me something useful.”

“Doctor, I know he’s your omega but-”

Law shook his head, stopping for a second to look at her. “I don’t need you to sugar coat anything, I’m a surgeon, I need to know the truth.”

She sighed, letting go of him to rub her nape. “The explosion sent him flying so he hit his head badly, his right leg had a metal rod coming out of it and his suit melted from the side but he only had first degree burns.”

He nodded, over and over, the weird feeling in his chest growing bigger by the second. Objectively, he knew what the procedure was, how to clean burns, how to remove foreign objects from the body, how to treat a possible concussion; in reality he just wanted to get there and hold the injured body close to his and not let go. Alpha instincts were stupid.

“Marco thinks he might have a couple of fractures too,” she crossed her arms and lowered her sight. “We need to move, there’s a lot to do, but since he’s an omega… your omega, we need your permission to do anything.”

Law had to bite his tongue before he let out a very loud scream, but they were close to the ER and he didn’t want to bother the rest of the patients and doctors. “He’s the captain of his unit, unmated and an adult.”

“I know,” her voice was softer then, the mask finally slipped out and she sounded frustrated and tired. “But it’s the procedure, and we need to follow it, you know how this is.”

They resumed their walk, Law decided to complain once all the care needed was received and the captain was moved to a private room. God, the idea of him having to call 10 people to let them know the situation was starting to weigh on his shoulders.
He pushed the doors open and followed the chief nurse to one of the beds. The entire place was filled with chaos, it smelled like blood, and smoke, and antiseptics. Nurses ran from one bed to another, to the storage and back with more bandages and bottles. It was kind of normal in the ER, the chaos he meant, not the amount of injured firefighters.

He saw Marco first, he was working next to a surgeon -that Law didn’t really like- and two other nurses. Then he saw Luffy.
The omega was lying in the bed, passed out still, his suit was cut open so his coworkers could assess accurately the situation; Law could see the metal rod coming out of the leg and the bandages on Luffy’s head trying to stop the bleeding. He noticed that everyone was touching the omega in one way or another, moving his body, cleaning wounds, checking his vitals. He had to fight his stupid alpha instincts that wanted to scream at all of them to stop touching Luffy.

“Trafalgar,” the surgeon, Doctor Hogback, walked over him, handing him a clipboard out of nowhere -or maybe Law wasn’t really paying attention to him-. “Sign here so I can take your omega to the OR before he gets an infection.”
He decided to just grab the pen and sign, if he opened his mouth his instincts would probably betray him.
“Who would've thought you had such a pretty omega,” the older surgeon said, “but you shouldn’t allow him to work anymore, he’s gonna get more ugly scars.”

Law was grateful for the scent patches on his neck and the hand of the chief nurse grabbing his arm as a subtle restraint, otherwise, he would’ve punched Hogback. “I’m only signing because I’m not allowed to do it myself,” he said, his voice harsher than what he expected, but he wasn’t complaining.

“I’ll be in the OR, Law,” Marco said from his place, stopping whatever warning Law could even plan to give. “Don’t worry.”

Hogback rolled his eyes, “alphas are so scary for no reason.”

Law wanted to growl at him so bad, but he bit his tongue and just took two steps back to let them move Luffy already. Marco gave him a quick look before they disappeared behind the doors, surely trying to reassure him. It wasn’t some life or death situation at first glance, but his brain started to throw around every little thing that could go wrong in such a simple surgery. He groaned and turned to see the chief nurse.

“Please give him a private room,” he crossed his arms and took a deep breath, it was filled with pain, blood and desperation. “I’ll be in my office making some calls.”
She nodded and he started walking back, taking out his phone to search for the contacts that he dreaded having at some point.

🧑‍🚒🧑‍⚕️

I’m hungry were Luffy’s first words after waking up. Then he groaned in pain and complained because he was sleepy and cold. He tried to move but Law was right next to him to stop any attempts. While the patient tried to make sense of his reality, the surgeon got up and got a new blanket for him from a backpack Nami had brought; the room did feel cold after all and the shock after anesthesia was a bitch.

“Torao?” Luffy’s voice came out groggy and raspy. “Where am I?”

Law took his time to adjust the blanket over Luffy’s legs, his hands handling carefully the extra weight so the injury wouldn’t hurt any more than necessary. “Flevance hospital, private room 13, it’s been… harshly 18 hours or so since you were knocked out,” he checked his clock but the numbers were blurry, he was so tired after almost two days fully awake.

The firefighter closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, Law could almost see the cogs turning inside his head. “What-”

The door opened and Zoro and Nami walked in, they looked as tired as he felt, but at least he hoped they managed to eat something. Law mumbled a ‘ he just woke up ’ at the same time Nami rushed to the bed and hugged the young man. Luffy groaned and Zoro had to peel Nami away from their friend.

“You scared us, dumbass!” Nami raised her voice but at least she wasn’t screaming; Law supposed it was the worrisome and the tiredness that kept her fierce spirit tamed. “Don’t do it again, never!”

“You know that’s impossible, witch,” Zoro crossed his arms and closed his eyes while trying to stretch his neck, very slowly.

Luffy’s auburn eyes sparkled, tired but attentive, he was looking at his friend like he was drilling a hole in his face. “Your back still hurts, you should be at home.”
Nami turned to look at Zoro and scowled, barely covering her mouth with her hand, silently making fun of the older man. Zoro frowned but he was blushing lightly.

“It’s nothing, Luf,” Zoro moved his shoulders like he was trying to prove a point. “I fell asleep on that couch and it’s not the most comfortable,” he pointed to the couch on one corner of the room, the disheveled blanket and the pillow on the floor were the proof.

Law felt awkward, standing by Luffy’s feet like a robot waiting for a command, his hands grabbing tightly the rail framing the bed. He turned to look at the window and wondered if he should call a nurse to ask for some food for the omega. His body felt heavy, most of his worries washed away the moment Luffy woke up asking for food, the adrenaline rushing through his body finally dissipating; his legs felt like jello but it was not time to let go, not yet at least.
When he turned back to the bed, Luffy was more awake, his bug eyes looking at him, like waiting to be acknowledged. Law fought the urge to smile, absolutely endeared.

“Alpha, you’re here,” Luffy smiled, barely, still weak and in pain, not remembering at all they just talked. “How long have you been here?”

“Since-”

“Doesn’t matter,” Law interrupted Nami, his fingers moving slowly on the rail, trying to keep himself busy under the other two alpha’s eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Luffy sighed and closed his eyes, pouting, “everything hurts, alpha, and my leg it’s itchy.”

Law nodded, relieved to hear those words since they didn’t know how bad Luffy’s spine was after being thrown away by the explosion. “That’s good.”
The omega frowned and pouted even more, if that was possible; Law just rolled his eyes.
“It might sound mean but it’s a good sign.”

“Torao’s right, Luffy,” Nami smiled and placed her hand on Luffy’s bandaged one. “If it hurts it means you can still feel it.”

“What happened? Can I eat something? I’m starving.”

“I’ll go get your doctor,” Law said before anyone could answer the questions. “He must check up on you before you get anything to eat, but I’ll ask for your lunch too,” Law turned to the sofa close to the bed and started to grab his things; coat, dead phone, a bunch of files of new cases and a half emptied bottle of water.
Luffy groaned, but it came out like a painful moan, something that sounded like a kicked puppy. Law felt bad but he needed to get out for a bit. 
“I have some things to do but I’ll be back later,” he said, feeling bad for running away like that.

“Fine, I’ll be here, sad and in pain,” Luffy said, still pouting, still frowning,

Law walked slowly to the door and turned once more to look at the omega. “Follow Marco’s instructions and eat well.”

Luffy’s smile was small, tired, in pain, barely there, but it was still cute. Luffy looked happy even after being thrown a big distance and getting almost all of his body hurt. “Yes, alpha.”

…

After a week, Luffy looked so much better but, obviously, was desperate to get out of the hospital bed. Still, his leg was in no condition to move -since the metal rod broke his bone in half- and his ribs would take a couple of months to heal. Law was grateful for Luffy’s incredible genes that helped him get better rather quickly.
Luffy, according to everyone, was a terrible patient; the nurses, Marco and Luffy’s pack constantly having to put him back on the bed. Law didn’t have that experience, every time he entered the room the omega was waiting patiently and saying ‘ yes,alpha ’ to anything he said. It was kinda funny, he knew Luffy and he obviously believed the rest of them but the fact that Luffy tried to play innocent was… cute, endearing.

“I’m getting discharged tomorrow, alpha, finally!” Luffy was smiling, his cheeks looked chubby and soft; it didn’t matter that he had such a lean and worked body, his cheeks would always look soft.

“That doesn’t mean you're free to do whatever you want, straw hat,” Law said, his hands inside the coat’s pockets, awkwardly standing beside the bed. “And you can’t go back to work yet.”

“Oww, but I’ve been doing everything Marco said! I’m bored here,” the omega pouted and tried to cross his arms, trying to not complain when his arm in a sling hurt.

“Now you can be bored at home,” he took a step closer and fixed the sling on Luffy’s shoulder that was crooked. “Where are you staying?”

“At the station,” his voice came out like a mumble, sweet and soft because of the proximity. “Put some things in storage, it’s cheaper.”

Luffy was close, his big auburn eyes fixated on him and a dumb smile growing by the second. Law tried to keep the touches soft to avoid hurting him in any way and his lips slightly separated so he could breathe through the mouth, Luffy’s scent too strong to risk using his nose.
When he finished, he sat on the edge of the bed, close but not enough to feel like he was invading a personal bubble; Luffy squirmed a bit in his place and grabbed the blanket covering his legs with his good hand.

“You cannot go to the station like this, you need a good bed and proper care.”

The younger man nodded, and shrugged but complained in the middle of it. “Zoro and the others said it, they are working on some kind of plan to take care of me but I feel like they’re over complicating themselves,” Luffy turned his face, weirdly enough, Law felt like the omega was ashamed or something like that. “I wanted to go back to my place but Ace is busy where he’s at and he can’t come back, Sabo’s phone isn’t working so he doesn’t know what’s going on but he has a very important job so I don’t think he’ll come back either; I think I can take care of myself because it is not the first time I do it but my friends say I can’t.”

The surgeon hummed, nodding a couple of times and he rested his hands on the bed, his eyes looking at the floor; the night before he stayed awake thinking of what would happen once Luffy was discharged. His alpha instincts suggested stupid things and in his tired mind he thought they were a great idea, but Luffy was an independent man and Law didn’t want to intrude. Still, the fact that Luffy needed help didn’t mean that Law didn’t respect him as an independent individual. Was he reading too much into it? Maybe.
He sighed, at the end of the day it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“What do you want to do?” consulting the omega’s plan first seemed like the best idea of all.

Luffy hummed, his head fell back on the pillow and looked up, while the fingers on his good hand started tapping on the blanket, a subtle nervous tick that Law noticed a while ago. After a couple of seconds, he sighed. “Dunno, I still don’t want to live with them, not because I don’t like them, they’re my friends and I love them, but because I feel like they get overprotective sometimes.”

“Cause you’re an omega?” Law asked and the other nodded, raising his head again to look at him.

“Nh, I’m strong, stronger than them even, but still, Sanji and Nami keep treating me like a child just because I’m younger,” Luffy frowned and sighed, he sounded frustrated and tired; strangely, Law was kind of happy he could see a different side of Luffy. “I’m not a kid anymore, alpha, but sometimes they make me feel like one.”

“You should say something then, darling,” Law tilted his head, looking directly at the blinding starlight; Luffy’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. “May I offer an alternative?” he asked and waited for the other’s approval; Luffy nodded, his eyes attentively following Law’s every movement. “Move in with me, for a while if you want, only until you get better… or more, like until your brothers come back if you want,” or forever he wanted to say, but it would be stupid, they weren't friends or something to be asking that.

The omega blinked quickly, twice, thrice and a lot more times, he looked dazed, like a cute frog recently captured. Law knew about dazed frogs, when he was a kid, hunting frogs and filling his mother’s pond was his favorite hobby. “Are you serious, alpha?”

“Yeah, since I’m a doctor so I know how to take care of you and if you want to do more things I can tell you exactly when you’re ready, otherwise you’d have to wait until Marco’s permission and that could take a while,” he crossed his arms again, feeling awkwardly exposed, it wasn’t like he was doing something extraordinary but it felt like it. “And you said you didn’t want to bother your friends, before.”

“Two months ago, on Christmas Eve,” Luffy smiled, he looked happy, a different kind of happy. “You remember.”

“I have a great memory, I’m a doctor.” 

Luffy cackled and complained when his ribs hurt, holding his side with his good hand. “Bullshit, you’re studying all the time because you say you don’t remember how to do things.”

“Maybe I lied,” his voice came out lower and softer than he expected, like a mumble, but the room was silent enough for Luffy to hear him; he cleared his throat and straightened his back, avoiding the burning auburn on him. “Think about it, tell me tomorrow, k?”

The door opened, Sanji and Usopp were loudly chatting about something Law didn’t hear or care to understand. He stood up, putting his hands back in the coat’s pockets and Luffy pouted, knowing Law was about to run away, again, but he didn’t stop him. Maybe that’s what he liked -as acquaintances, obviously- about Luffy, he knew when to push and when to leave him be.
Law nodded to the newly arrived, as a greeting, he was ready to go out when Luffy’s fingers grabbed his wrist, not pulling, just holding; he was still in recovery so he didn’t have the usual strength, but the grab was strong enough to make him stay… or maybe he was just making excuses for himself.

“You’re coming back later, right?” his eyes burning, the starlight shining thanks to the sun rays coming from the window, softened by the sheer curtains. Why was Luffy armed with such pretty eyes? And nose? And smile?

“Yeah,” he said in a loud exhale, noticing he held his breath for, probably, longer than he liked to admit. “I have a surgery but I’ll come back as soon as I’m done.”

“Good,” Luffy smiled, his pink chapped lips looking prettier since they had color in them again. “See you later, alpha.”

Law got out of the room, his heart lighter than when he saw Luffy unconscious in the ER.

🧑‍🚒🧑‍⚕️

“Slowly! Careful!” Sanji raised his voice to Usopp, both men helping Luffy to get comfortable in his new bed, being careful of the cast, bandages, and all the other new accessories that Luffy got.

“It’s fine, he’s fine,” Usopp was holding Luffy’s good arm and his torso, being careful of his ribs with the movement; when their friend was finally resting against the pillows, the three of them sighed out loud. “You okay there, Luf?”

“Yeah,” he groaned and let his head fall back, his entire body screaming in pain because of all of the movement, but he was glad to get out of the hospital. “I just hate that everything hurts all the time.”

“Hang in there, buddy, you always heal rather quickly,” Usopp smiled and grabbed a blanket to put on his friend’s legs.

Luffy smiled at his friends and tried to move his shoulders to alleviate a bit of tension from the sling and the way Usopp and Sanji carried him to the bed. Usopp was still talking but Luffy was not listening anymore, more occupied glancing at the door and squirming lightly on the bed to readjust, the mattress under him was really comfy but his ass was sore after so much time sitting down.
Silence followed, except for some movement outside of the room and some distant chatter, Nami and Law stayed in the kitchen putting all the food that Sanji prepared in the fridge. Usopp cleared his throat and sat down on the edge of the bed, placing one hand gently on the cast of his leg.

“Want me to put your things in the closet? Torao said you could use it,” he smiled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

Luffy nodded, still moving, trying to find a better position for his ass, and knees and back and… well, everything. “Yes, also thank you for washing my dirty clothes, Usopp, I was about to when they called us to work and now I don’t think I’ll be able to wash in a while.”

“It’s fine, living at the station makes it harder to do these things anyway,” his friend said, grabbing a little stool close to the bed to put the suitcase on it. “I was surprised you didn’t tell us you were staying there, like… we’re friends but we didn’t know you’re homeless?” Usopp was rambling, he always did that when he got nervous for something. “I mean, you could’ve crash at my place anytime, I think you know that,” he hummed, the clothes between his hands were neatly folded and Luffy wondered if Kaya or Usopp did that, “I think what I’m trying to say is-”

“Luffy, why didn’t you ask us for help?” Sanji went straight to the point, funny enough, but Luffy only had to glance at him in the middle of his squirming to know that all of Usopp’s rambling was getting on the chef’s nerves; Sanji hated lies and Luffy wasn’t the kind of person that lied to their friends, instead, he omitted some information because it was easier for him to do some things his way. They didn’t agree with him, of course, and things were worse with Sanji because he was an omega too. “Are you sure you want to stay with Trafalgar?”
Luffy stopped and turned to look at Sanji. Usopp stopped too.
“You barely know the guy, Luf, and he’s an alpha, how can you trust him?”

The young omega hummed and nodded, he knew the concern was there because they looked fidgety since the day before when Luffy announced he was going to stay with Torao. He proceeded to keep fidgeting, maybe he was uncomfortable because of the way his friends were looking at him and not because of the bed.
“Zoro is an alpha too, how can you trust him?”

Sanji scoffed and clicked his tongue, he patted down all of his pockets, probably looking for his pack of cigarettes. “Luffy, I’m serious.”

“I trust him, San, he’s a good alpha.”

“Luffy-”

A knock on the open door made them turn, Sanji was frowning but his cheeks were blushing lightly. Luffy smiled at Nami and Law that walked in the room, she gave him a smile and went with Usopp to help him unpack, mumbling something about how much it would cost him.

“You like the bed?” Law asked, leaving the bowl he had between his hands. “It’s new, I had an old mattress but you need something more comfortable,” he mumbled, his face looked serious and unimpressed as always, but his eyes screamed how nervous he really was; Luffy smiled, he loved Law’s pretty eyes, they reminded him of the moon.

“My ass is really comfy,” the young omega giggled.

Law left the bowl on the nightstand and grabbed the blanket he had hanging on his shoulder, Luffy recognised it, it was the same he used regularly on the couch. “The room is warmer than the living room so I don’t think you’ll have a problem to sleep here, not that you had it on the couch,” he said, putting the blanket over Luffy’s shoulders and moving the pillows to let him rest his lower back, also taking one to place under Luffy’s knees; suddenly the young man felt like he was floating in a cloud. “You hungry?”

“He’s always hungry,” Nami said, closing one drawer and then the suitcase; she looked far more relaxed than Sanji and Usopp.

“Right, stupid question,” the surgeon grabbed the bowl and sat on the edge of the bed, stopped for a few seconds of indecisiveness, then grabbed the spoon and blew softly on the soup before offering it to Luffy; the omega felt stupidly happy with the first bite, he would’ve jump out of his bedridden state if it weren’t for how heavy all of his body felt all of a sudden. “You can’t have any meat yet, so no protest about all the veggies you have to eat.”

“I won’t complain, Sanji made it for me,” Luffy smiled, wide, before glancing at his friend that was frozen by the door, pale but blushing somehow at the same time; Law blew again on the chicken soup and fed the injured one looking unfaced, but Luffy knew the storm that was going on inside the man’s mind. “Thank you, alpha.”

“ ‘s fine,” he mumbled, focused on his task, his movements careful and slow, not pressuring Luffy into eating faster or anything, not like he would mind eating as fast as he used to.

Sanji groaned something like ‘got it’ from his place, Law looked confused but didn’t ask.

🧑‍⚕️🧑‍🚒

Reducing hours of work was, surprisingly, easy. Law decided he needed to work less if he wanted to take care of Luffy properly like his alpha wanted so much. Still, he gave a key to his apartment to Nami and, for the first month, Luffy’s friends started to rotate the day they would stay with him during Law’s shift, at least until the omega could move for himself. They fell into a routine and days started to pass, slowly, in a welcome rhythm that Law never expected he would’ve liked. When the 1st of May came around, Law realised Luffy and him had lived together for almost three months. Time flies when you’re happy, his mom used to say; what he was happy about would be a great question that he wasn’t going to ask.

Luffy was better, stronger, healthier. He had a pretty glow in his persona that Law couldn’t exactly explain what was causing it but it made his alpha instinct proud. Once the cast and the sling were out, the firefighter started to become restless and begged for time out of the apartment; he couldn’t work yet but Jinbe decided to let him be at the station during the morning shift. His brothers still couldn’t go back, or maybe they didn’t want to. Law could understand to some extent, at least they were in touch via phone calls and emails; Luffy always saying they were giving him space.
In any case, Law and Luffy had spent so much time together that Law was surprised the young omega wasn’t done with him or asked to move in with one of his friends. Instead, Luffy started to demand more quality time without saying a word. Why was Law going along with Luffy’s desires? Hell, not even he could answer that question. He only knew that when the pretty starlight looked in his eyes, asking for something -ANYTHING-, he was physically incapable of saying no.
Luffy was… dangerous.

“You have to use the cane, Luffy,” Marco was sitting on a stool next to the examining table, he was checking on the burn marks on Luffy’s side, or what was left of them; Law had his arms crossed, his jaw sealed tight and his whole body completely still, he couldn’t believe he was getting angry about Marco touching Luffy.

“I can walk on my own now, I feel better,” the firefighter protested, tired of all the things that he had to do in order to finish his rehabilitation steps. He had his arms crossed awkwardly over the folded t shirt, frowning and fighting with his doctor without a word. Law, standing next to them, just rolled his eyes.

“Your bones need more time, mister, if you push it I’m putting you on a cast again,” the doctor rolled the t shirt back once he finished applying the medicine and covering it.

“Maaaaarcooooo!” Luffy whined, he kicked the air with his two legs, showing how good he felt, probably. “The cane is boring, I can’t walk like I want.”

“Sorry kid, this is not negotiable, like the clutches before.”

The omega groaned, turning his face to Law and pouting like pleading for some support, Law turned his face and pretended to cough, if he didn’t look at Luffy he could pretend he didn’t know anything. After hearing them fight for what felt like an hour, Marco sent them on their merry way, reaffirming the importance of Luffy’s cane. The omega couldn’t play stupid on his way to the car, because Law had his eyes on him almost all the way to the parking lot. He was sulking, but every complaint he could’ve made was forgotten the moment they set foot on the Baratie, he then became too busy ordering a bunch of dishes that were gonna hurt Sanji’s wallet.

“Thanks for taking me with Marco on your day off, alpha,” Luffy smiled, he was playing with his fingers, occasionally with the string of his straw hat; Law wouldn’t say anything but the moment that Luffy was allowed to reunite with his beloved straw hat was one of the cutest Law had ever witness.

“It’s fine, you needed to hear from him that you need the cane,” he said, placing his arms on the table, turning the phone between his hands over and over.

“I get it, but I’m tired of being careful,” he pouted and let his chin rest on the table. “Being a patient is booooring.”

“Being careful is what’s helping you to get better, be grateful you can eat all you want now.”

“My tummy‘s still a bit angry sometimes,” Luffy admitted, grabbing a napkin and starting to fold it. “And my leg hurts when I walk too much, sometimes breathing is tiring too.”
Law nodded once, leaving the phone on the table and let his face rest on his palm.
“It’s annoying, I feel better but don’t, I want to do so many things but I’m tired, it wasn’t like this the other times,” he sighed, loudly, still folding the napkin. “Except for the accident I had three years ago, but I don’t really remember anything from that time.”

The surgeon hummed and nodded, he opened his mouth but was interrupted by the waiter that came, left some plates and the drinks, and practically ran away.
“The scar on your chest,” he grabbed the straw and started to stir the soda, “ ‘s that from that time?”

“Nhn, the motorbike’s exhaust exploded on my chest,” Luffy left the napkin on the side, now folded in a tiny frog. “My friends said I had a very good surgeon but we never met them, we only ever spoke with Marco.”
Law nodded again, grabbing his fork and starting to fill Luffy’s plate with chunks of meat, chicken and some potatoes.
“That’s when I decided to become a firefighter, yunno? Jinbe saved my brother and I,” Luffy smiled, nostalgic, then he grabbed the first bite and his entire face shone in delight; Law grabbed his curry bowl in a useless attempt to keep it to himself, knowing full well that Luffy would try to put more food on his plate in the middle of his eating rampage.

The omega brushed off the topic two seconds later like it was nothing, eating and mumbling things that felt like random thoughts. Law, after knowing Luffy for a year and three months, could recognise the way that the younger man was avoiding something; playing dumb worked for him most of the time. Maybe that was exactly why Law kept looking for the starlight, because he could see the man’s sensitive heart on those auburn eyes. He didn’t say anything else because he could recognise how much it still hurt; could it be that he remembered more than he said? Or maybe that his brothers -for what Law knew- were never around?
Omega’s needed the comfort of a pack, to be constantly scented, touched, hugged, comforted; most importantly of all, they needed to feel cared for. He was glad Luffy had his friends otherwise he would’ve probably wither, like a sunflower trying to survive during winter. Law had never met Luffy’s brothers before, all that he knew came from things that the pack told him, but he didn’t really like them as an alpha and a former older brother; was he projecting? Maybe, but still, Luffy’s scent always had a sour undertone whenever he talked about them and his alpha instincts made him feel unhappy about it.

Thinking of the omega all alone in his apartment made him uncomfortable, the overwhelming feeling of fulfilling all of Luffy’s needs trying to intoxicate his mind; he was glad for the scent patches, also because both of his hands were busy holding the bowl and spoon firmly. He probably looked like a maniac for the way he was holding the utensil but he didn't care, keeping himself in check was much better than to suddenly jump over the table and start scenting Luffy like a goddamn savage. Instead, he asked for the dessert menu and let the younger man choose whatever he wanted to eat, because Luffy was the happiest when he was eating.

When the food was finally over, Law decided to pay for the bill -because he felt bad for Sanji’s pockets, not because he wanted to feel like he provided for Luffy-, and they walked back to the old yellow Volvo that Law drove around lately, he usually just moved around the city by bus or sub, but since Luffy lived with him he took the Tang out. Who would've thought Law would drive again?
Luffy huffed, tired, and let his head fall back when he sat down; Law took the time to put the cane on the back and buckled the omega’s seat belt. Luffy simply smiled with his eyes closed and his chin up. Then he kissed Law's cheek and the surgeon felt weird tingles in his gut.
What the hell?

…

On May 5th Law had a free day, forced by Kureha to stay home without any explanation. Luffy was taking a nap and Law was quietly reading on the couch when Nami kicked his door down -not really, she used the key he gave her- and invaded the little apartment with all of her friends. He glanced at the room and then to the group that had bags and bags filled to the brim.

“He’s sleeping,” he mumbled, his eyes going back to the book, not understanding the reason for their presence but so used to them that he wouldn’t complain. “He will for another hour or so but he had a headache so try to not make too much noise.”

Usopp and Nami exchanged a look and giggled for something that only they understood. Zoro -designated carrier since his back was better- huffed and put all the bags on the kitchen table, helping Sanji and Franky to get everything out. Food, balloons, a big homemade banner, booze, soda. It took a while for Law to understand that they were quickly prepping a party, in his little apartment. He dreaded the situation, but wouldn’t say a thing because one, Luffy would probably cheer up with it and two, maybe he could sneak out and let them be.
When Sanji finished decorating the already baked cake, Luffy came out of the room and his pretty face lit up the moment everyone started shouting happy birthday.

It was magical, the way the starlight ignited and started burning up with pure happiness. His cheeks looked round thanks to the bright bright smile and his hair looked messy but still framed the pretty face in a cute way. The sweet scent intensified and it filled the apartment, making Law start to share the happiness that the omega felt; it was ridiculous but he wouldn’t complain, there was no point in bringing attention to it.

They ate, drank, and Law listened to all of the crazy stories everyone had about the time they met Luffy, and all of them felt absolutely real even if they sounded like an action movie script. The omega was determined, fierce, not letting anything stop him from getting what he wanted and he was sure as hell what he needed and wanted. In Law’s opinion, Luffy was… kind of the same, but not as wild as before the accident at least. The group seemed not to notice it, or maybe Law was reading too much into it, but Luffy changed, just a bit. It was obvious that it would happen, after such a traumatic incident he needed to mature and understand that wild decisions bring wild consequences. The surgeon kinda realised that he loved the way Luffy stayed gentle and kind; contrary to Law, he felt bitter and withdrawn with time. He hoped Luffy’s future partner would love him as much as his friends.

When Franky turned on the karaoke machine, they got as loud as he was used to. Luffy finished singing with Usopp and gave the mic to Chopper, limping his way to the couch where Law enjoyed the show that all the straw hats gave. Luffy stopped right in front of the surgeon and smiled at him, his round adorable face had a satisfied expression. Then, the omega let himself fall on Law’s lap, the surgeon froze and his fingers held the cushion under him.

“Hi, alpha,” he said, letting his head lean on Law’s shoulder.

“Are you having fun?”

“Ye! It was a nice surprise, I thought everyone forgot because they weren’t answering my texts.”
Law felt the young man smile against his neck, he also felt the cold nose rubbing against his exposed skin.
“But I’m tired already.”

“You’re still in recovery, it’s normal,” his fingers hurt and his hands were shaking lightly; he wanted to touch Luffy so badly but he couldn’t, he shouldn’t. “You want to sleep already?”

The young man nodded, getting comfortable in his place. After a couple of songs with Sanji’s slurring voice, Zoro declared it was time to go and carried his roommate over his shoulder. They left one by one, saying bye to Luffy and Law, some ruffling the omega’s hair, Zoro and Jinbe -Sanji tried but he was too drunk to do it properly- gave Law a look of warning, like Luffy and Law weren’t living together already; he didn’t care or felt threatened, but he appreciated the intention.

“Straw hat,” he called Luffy when they were alone, his body tired of staying in the same spot for god knows how long. “C’mon, you have to go to bed.”

“No,” Luffy snuggled close to his neck and hugged Law’s torso, “ ‘m comfy,” he said, slurring his words.

“You can’t sleep here, darling, your back and legs need a proper rest,” his hands hurt, fingertips burning and in the back of his mind the desire to touch him was like a haunting chant.

Luffy whined and tightened the hug, denying with his head, rubbing his forehead on Law’s neck, close to his scent gland. “Noooooooo, you take me.”

“Straw hat.”

“No!” Luffy was pouting, Law knew it even if he couldn’t see his face.

The surgeon sighed and let his head fall back, Luffy’s scent lingering in every little corner of his house could easily cloud his right mind, but having the omega close to his nose was intoxicating him. An impulsive thought urged him to grab the omega, trap him under his body, to bury his nose in Luffy’s scent gland and bite down to keep him to–
Shook his head hard, getting out of the stupid fantasy, annoyed with himself for even considering it for a second or two. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of the sun and the sea breeze, convincing himself that he was used to it and he could take the omega and just help him to get to bed.

“Fine,” he said while exhaling, defeated. “C’mon baby, let’s get you to bed.”

The omega giggled the moment Law stood up with him in his arms, bridal style, the giggle filled with the joy of getting what he wanted. He grabbed Law’s chin and kissed his cheek, once, twice, then rubbed his forehead again on his neck. God, Luffy really liked to play with fire.

“You have to go to the station tomorrow?,” he asked, kneeling on the bed and gently placing Luffy on top of the blankets.

“Nope,” he said, moving slowly to the side of the bed; Law helped him to move the pillows and put another blanket on his body. “Jinbe gave me the day because of my birthday.”

“You’re too spoiled by everyone,” Law wanted to caress his hair, it had grown a lot since they met; why did Luffy look good all the time?

Luffy squirmed until lying face up, his hair was all over the pillow, his hands resting on the pillow too next to each side of his head. The starlight looked up, intense auburn gazed at Law's face and he felt like all the air was punched out of his lungs. Law was burning, was it the alcohol or just the way that Luffy was looking at him?
“Even by you?” he asked, his voice soft but demanding, somehow.

Law needed to get out, his mind too dizzy, his alpha instinct too close to the surface. “I think you know the answer, baby,” he mumbled, his fingertips caressing the scar that framed the starlight.

“Stay with me,” Luffy said, it wasn’t a pleading but a demand.

Law sighed, avoiding the gaze, not really remembering clearly why he had to say no. “Luffy… ”

“Alpha, please,” his voice came out softer, the whine at the end of the word made Law’s heart hurt. “Just tonight.”

The groan that left his throat was louder, full of frustration, absolutely not what Law wanted to let out. “You’re dangerous, omega,” he said once he laid next to Luffy, on top of the only blanket that covered the younger man. He grabbed a pillow and laid his head realizing he was still under the starlight’s stare. Luffy’s smile was especially beautiful up close, he noticed. “Happy now?”

The omega nodded a couple of times, his scarred hand on top of the pillow and the other under his head. “You stayed, alpha, and it’s the first time you called me by my name,” Luffy looked excited and tired; he opened and closed his mouth like he wanted to say much more but couldn’t decide what first.
Law felt the subtle heat of the blush on his cheeks and he avoided the auburn, looking everywhere in search for some external reassurance of some kind.
“I like when you spoil me,” Luffy said, finally, his eyes tired but still shining pretty.

Law huffed and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling, just a bit, the softest of smiles. He raised a hand and grabbed Luffy’s right one, brought it close to his lips and kissed the new scars, a feather light touch, something that could be easily missed; but Luffy didn’t, his big deer eyes attentive to Law’s every movement.

“Happy birthday, baby,” he heard himself say, not letting the hand go.

Luffy’s smile glowed beautifully, adorned with a bright blush and embarrassment igniting the starlight.

🧑‍🚒🧑‍⚕️

It was a rainy July afternoon, when they were watching a very bad movie. Luffy was resting his head against his shoulder, giggling at the absurd things happening on the screen. They recently changed the couch, the new one was big enough for most of the straw hat pack to fit in, and bigger for Jinbe, Franky and Brook’s benefit; also, because Luffy insisted that Law needed a better place to sleep.

It was a rainy July afternoon. when Luffy’s injuries were finally healed and he could do whatever he wanted, by himself and with the restless energy slowly going back to him. Freedom looked beautiful in the omega.

It was a rainy July afternoon, when the sun was setting and the dying rays were sneaking through the closed curtains. The water drops were hitting the glass in a calming rhythm and Law felt lazy, like never before.

It was a rainy July afternoon, with dim lights and Luffy’s sweet scent in the air. With the omega wearing Law’s favorite hoodie and Law covering his legs with Luffy’s new blanket.

It was a rainy July afternoon, when the apartment felt more like home than a mountain cave. Warm, comfortable and… perfect.

It was a rainy July afternoon, when Law realized he was in love.

In love with the way black messy long hair fell down.
In love with the way a mischievous bell-like giggle vanished his bad mood.
In love with the way a wide smile constantly bit on the soda straw.
In love with the way a cute pout combined with direct words could get what they wanted.
In love with the way a sweet scent lingered in every piece of clothing he owned.
In love with the way auburn burnt like the prettiest of starlights.
In love with the way the sun could fit in his apartment, shining bright every morning or clouding with storms on long sad days.
In love with the way Luffy was Luffy.

It was a rainy July afternoon when Law felt like an alpha for the first time in a very long time. Greedy, possessive, desperate to make the omega beside him stay there for the rest of their lives.

It was a rainy July afternoon when he wished Luffy could belong with him.

He closed his eyes, his heart hurt and his mind was jumping from one reason to another on why it would never happen. And after so many years, he felt like crying, overwhelmed by his own discovery, and because he knew he had to let Luffy find someone better than him.

🧑‍⚕️🧑‍🚒

By the end of August, Luffy was out with his friends regularly. Law would never complain because he couldn’t be the one restricting Luffy’s freedom. Also, because he was trying even harder than before to keep his distance. The omega noticed, of course, he looked confused most of the time during their interactions but didn’t mention anything, weirdly enough, Luffy preferred direct confrontation most of the time so Law concluded that Luffy was giving him space.

They both left to work early and, by the end of his shift, Law would pick Luffy up and drive back home. They would eat together, take out or the easiest thing Law could cook. Luffy would leave the apartment by then, going to one of his friends’ houses or just to walk around. Law would stay home and pretend to sleep by the time Luffy got home.
It was awful at best, dreadful at worst.
They barely chat anymore and it was all Law’s fault.

He felt terrible, but knew it was needed. Luffy would completely forget about him when he found someone worthy of him.
Law on the other hand, didn’t know how to go back to his lonely life before Luffy.

🧑‍⚕️🧑‍🚒

September that year was unusually colder. Autumn that early wasn’t too harsh.
Law didn’t mind the cold any other day, but it was late and Luffy was not home.

The omega went out in the afternoon, Zoro came into the apartment, gave him a small nod of recognition and they both left with no explanation. Not that Law was expecting one, he and Luffy were on freezing terms but at least the omega would tell him if he was staying at a friend's house.
He felt uncomfortable with every minute passing, trying very hard to understand if it was the uncertainty or the idea that Luffy could be vulnerable. Not that he thought the omega was weak but people could be very stupid and go to limits beyond the sound mind to get what they wanted by force. Luffy was still an omega at the end of the day. An omega that a lot of people could think of as an object to claim.

He was tossing and turning on the couch, missing Luffy’s scent in it, in his clothes, in his blankets and pillow, in–
Law groaned, kicking the blankets off and turned once more to drown a scream on a cushion, knowing full well that he could call Luffy and check on him but how could he? After the last two months he would just casually call and say he was worried? The omega wouldn’t even pick up for starters, and rightfully so.

While he was rolling in his misery, having fun thoughts of all of the bad things Luffy could encounter and some other scenarios that had to do with Luffy’s willingness to participate, his own phone rang. The ringtone was familiar but felt incredibly distant since he wasn’t expecting to hear it ever again.
It was Bepo’s ringtone, recorded by Bepo himself. 
His hands froze and he stared at his phone like waiting to wake up from a dream, a nightmare. His heart felt heavy in his chest and his entire body started to shake; confused and scared, he managed to grab the phone and answered before it stopped ringing.

“Hello?” he managed to say, trying to keep his voice steady.

There was a long pause, the silence heavy with uncertainty.

“Hi,” said the soft voice on the other side. “It’s um… Hi Law, it’s Bepo,” he sounded shy.

“Yeah, I know,” he nodded, even if the other man couldn’t see him. Law’s entire body began to shake uncontrollably, was it the cold? The uneasiness for Luffy? The fear of whatever the man that used to be his best friend might say?
The silence felt longer that time, he had to check the screen to see if the phone call was still active.

“Are you okay?”
“Are you busy?”

They talked at the same time, Law would have smiled in the past, finding the situation funny. At that moment however, he felt like throwing up.

“No, it’s… well it’s 3 am Bepo, I was try– umm sleeping,” he said, rubbing his nape with his free hand.

“Right, yeah, of course, sorry,” his ex best friend sounded nervous; Law could understand it, talking with him after so long was definitely weird. “It’s just that I– we found–”

There was some weird sound in the background, Law could recognise noise that resembled music, somewhat of a struggle or fight of some kind. He couldn’t avoid getting worried, was Bepo in such a trouble that he couldn't call his friends?

“Bepo?”

“Torao!” said a new voice that he could recognise anywhere.

“Luffy?!” he heard himself almost yelling, like hearing Luffy on the phone was the confirmation to his every anxious thought and the omega needed desperate help. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I… lost Zoro and Sanji,” he was slurring his words, surely drunk, but sounded fine, maybe just a bit confused.

“It’s okay, have you tried calling them?” he asked, managing his voice as best as he could, already up, deciding if getting dressed was a good idea.

“I lost my phone too,” Luffy’s voice trembled a little, he could’ve missed it if he didn’t know Luffy like he did; he could even hear the pout that the omega probably had. “They left and said we’ll be back but it’s been so long and maybe they forgot.”

“Don’t worry, maybe they’re just kissing in some dark corner,” he tried to joke, pants already on and a hoodie on hand.

“Alpha,” Luffy lowered his voice, he sounded tired and sad and drunk out of his mind. “Come, pick me up,” it was definitely a demand, not a request or a favor, and Law was already in the elevator on his way to the car. 

“I’m on my way, okay baby?” he said, impatience growing with each floor the little screen showed. “Stay close to Bepo, tell him to send me the location and I’ll be there.”

“Yeah, okay,” Luffy sighed; Law hoped it was relief in his voice.

After some muffled conversation on the other side of the line, his phone dinged with a new message from Bepo. Thankfully the place was not that far, so he could have Luffy at home in less than half an hour. While he drove, he tried very hard to not think of the possibility of seeing his ex friend -or friends- again.

…

“Are you okay?”

Luffy heard the voice behind him but he wanted to keep his head down, the nausea too overpowering for him to even turn around. He threw up again, one hand holding his tummy, the other holding the porcelain.

“What a stupid question, Shachi, he’s obviously not,” said another person behind him, they got closer than the first one and kneeled next to him.
Luffy felt shivers down his spine when the stranger started rubbing circles in his back; it could’ve been comforting but at that moment he felt exactly the opposite. He threw up again.
“Hey kid, too much alcohol?”

Luffy raised his head a bit and saw the other person in a quick glance. He had a funny hat that said Penguin with a pompom on top, a gentle smile and, for some reason, his face felt familiar. The omega denied, his senses too messed up to recognise him by smell.

“Maybe the food then?” the guy raised his head and looked at the other person behind them. “Shach, get some water and the aspirin from Bepo’s purse.”

Quick footsteps jogged outside of the room, the door slammed closed letting him know he was alone with the stranger. His mind wanted to run but his body was too weak to do so.
“My friends… I have to go,” he said, huffing and trying very hard to stand up.

“Okay, I get it, but first let’s get you a bit sober,” Penguin guy grabbed his arm, Luffy pushed him and tried by himself again. “Sorry!” he raised his hands, he smiled trying to look apologetic. “I should’ve asked, I just want to help you get up.”

The door opened, the music was loud for just a second and then muffled again; the other guy was back, a water bottle in one hand and a small box on the other. He passed the things to Penguin guy, however his eyes were fixed on Luffy.
Penguin showed him the bottle was new and passed him the box. Everything looked fine, and it probably was, but the omega didn’t feel completely sure.

“I’m Penguin and he’s Shachi, we’re with our friend Bepo but he stayed at the table,” he smiled, he looked kind. “Rinse your mouth, take two and come sit in a less smelly place, when you feel better we can help you find your friends,” it was a suggestion that sounded like a demand.

Luffy looked at the box, it was like the one that Sanji carried around in his car, and the water bottle’s cap had clicked when he opened it, so it was new. He had to take the pills and trust in the strangers, but it was better than the dizziness and nausea. He decided to take the pills, and when he noticed he was sitting at a table next to Shachi and a guy in a wheelchair, he assumed he was the other one Penguin mentioned. He felt better, still kinda drunk but with his stomach less angry and the world finally back on its place.
The friends were talking among themselves, something Luffy didn’t really care to pay attention to, because he was busy patting every pocket on him to find his phone.

“You lost something?” Bepo had a soft smile, comprehensive and sweet.

“I think… my phone, did I have it with me in the toilet?” he asked Penguin and Shachi, but they both shook their heads.

“No, kiddo, unless you flushed it before we got there,” Shachi said, his arms crossed over the table, his eyes fixed on Penguin over the bar; he had said something about soda before standing up.

Luffy sighed and looked everywhere around the bar, hoping to find bright green or blond, but all the blond he could see from his spot was not his blond. He was annoyed at his stupid body after strong medication and recovery, and couldn't handle anything anymore.
How was he going back home? He felt like Sanji had turned a million times when Zoro and him picked him up earlier, how far was he? Should he call a cab? Did he even have money for it?
Great, no friends, no money and no phone.

“You want to call a friend?” Bepo offered his phone, sensing his distress probably because of his scent, or maybe just his face, was he still wearing the scent patch?

“Thank you,” he grabbed the phone and without missing a beat he typed a number, a contact appeared on the screen related to the number and Luffy felt something weird in his tummy.

The contact simply said ‘Law’, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary but he didn’t like it. Why this stranger had Torao’s number saved? Were they friends? Something else? His mind was cloudy enough to make sense of it all.
He decided to give the phone back, annoyed all of a sudden, unsure then if he should call the alpha, maybe Bepo and the surgeon were dating and that’s why Law started ignoring him.

Bepo looked at Luffy, confused, then to the screen and his already pale face went almost translucent. He blinked, completely froze with the phone in hand. Luffy wasn’t sure how to interpret that reaction. Bepo finally called and put the phone to his ear.
Suddenly the music was not as loud anymore, and Bepo and Luffy were the only ones in the whole bar.

“Hi,” Bepo said after a long, long silence. “It’s um… Hi Law, it’s Bepo,” he sounded shy, his voice slightly shaky.

There was another long pause before the man talked again, Luffy wanted to know, wanted to hear how Law’s voice sounded on the other side. Maybe it was the same soft tone that the alpha used when Luffy was hurt.

“Are you busy?” Bepo chuckled and lowered his face, his free hand playing with the hem of his shirt. “Right, yeah, of course, sorry!.”
Oh god, were they exes? Could that be the reason for the awkward reaction?
“It’s just that I– we found–” 

Luffy couldn’t hold it anymore, his hands moving before he could react and he was fighting for the phone with the guy that was very sweet with him a couple of minutes before; ‘ Law is mine, mine, mine ’ the only thought in his mind.

“Torao!” he said, not even caring if he was screaming; Shachi’s eyes were on him and he looked angry and confused.

“Luffy?!” the alpha sounded surprised, was he not expecting Luffy to call? Well, it was Bepo’s phone so maybe not, but he always said to call if Luffy wanted a ride home, was it a lie? “Are you okay? Where are you?”

“I… ” a knot formed in his throat at the questions, and he felt stupidly vulnerable all of a sudden. “Lost Zoro and Sanji.”

“It’s okay, have you tried calling them?” the surgeon’s voice was soft, Luffy wondered if he was doing that thing with his eyes where he looked at him like Luffy was a puppy or something.

“I lost my phone,” he pouted, completely forgetting he was absolutely jealous two minutes prior, and how he fought with a stranger for said stranger’s phone. “They left and said we’ll be back but it’s been so long and maybe they forgot,” he purposely omitted that he drank something a stranger offered and how he emptied his stomach four, maybe five times.

There was some rustling on the other side of the line, “don’t worry, maybe they’re just kissing in some dark corner,” Law tried to joke, Luffy didn’t laugh because he was too mad about being left behind.

Did Zoro and Sanji really leave him behind? Maybe they did. Maybe they were trying to go out by themselves but Luffy kept intruding on their alone time. So they left him, like Ace and Sabo.

“Alpha,” he lowered his face, the urge to cry was back, “Come, pick me up.”

“I’m on my way, okay baby?”
Luffy nodded, even if Law couldn’t see him.
“Stay close to Bepo, tell him to send me the location and I’ll be there.”

Hearing those words made him feel less restless, a bit comforted. “Okay,” he mumbled and lowered the phone to give it to Bepo. “He wants the location.”

“Yeah,” the owner of the phone sighed and nodded, he didn’t look mad thankfully.

“Who wants the location?” Penguin asked, leaving four glasses of soda on the table. “Did you call a friend?”

Shachi was about to say something, he still looked annoyed, but Bepo answered first.

“He called Law,” his voice came out flat, no emotion behind, but Luffy noticed his hands were shaking.
Shachi stopped mid drinking and started coughing aggressively, Penguin was completely still in his place, the fingers holding the glass turned white; Luffy thought the glass could break.
“He called him alpha and he’s coming here,” Bepo added.

“Great, fucking great,” Shachi sounded frustrated, maybe a bit angry.

Luffy wondered if his first instinct of uncomfortableness was right after all.

…

The bar was not as packed as Law expected, there were still enough people to make it hard to find Luffy at first glance. When he scanned the place for the third time he could recognise the messy hair and the black hoodie with yellow spots in the crowd. He walked with big ass steps to get next to the omega as soon as possible. His tunnel vision only let him focus on Luffy to recognise the environment and the people next to his… roommate.

“Luf–” before he could finish the word, the omega was already on him, hugging him with all of his strength; Law didn’t care if he got a rib or two broken.

“You’re here!”

“I told you I’d come for you,” Law couldn’t contain himself, hugging the omega back, placing a hand on his back and the other on his hair, curling over the younger man.
Luffy rubbed his nose and forehead on Law’s chest, he looked like a kitten searching for reassurance, security, comfort.
“Did you find your phone?”

“No,” the omega’s voice was muffled by the surgeon’s hoodie, but they were close enough so Law could hear him just fine. “Alpha, I want to go.”

“Yeah, okay,” he raised his head, ready to let Luffy go or carry him if he asked for it, when his eyes met three familiar faces. Then he wished to disappear or just pretend he didn’t know them, but he couldn’t, not when he had spoken to Bepo directly already.

He nodded in recognition of the other three, feeling awkward all of a sudden, Luffy refused to let him go, and he was stuck mid hug and under the scrutiny of his ex friends. Fun.

“Law,” Shachi nodded too, his hands holding an empty glass.

“Hello,” what was he supposed to say? Thank you for calling? For taking care of his omega? Luffy wasn’t even his to begin with.

“I found him on the toilet, he was puking,” Penguin said, his voice stern and his eyes fixed on the drink he had.
Luffy protested something like ‘don’t tell him that’ against Law’s chest, he just caressed the soft black hair.
“I gave him some aspirin, water, and a soda.”

He nodded, feeling Luffy’s arms tighten around his body. “Thank you, for taking care of him… I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t worry, cap– Law, it’s cool,” Bepo smiled, he looked the same, just as Law remembered, before the accident of course. The wheelchair was new. He was fucking grateful for it but also extremely guilty; he’d put Bepo in that chair.

He tightened the hug. Luffy made a strangled noise, maybe protesting, but didn’t let go. Law wanted to leave, maybe as much as his omega. He nodded, his stomach tied in a knot and his chest heavy; he quickly turned in his place and started walking, Luffy still in his arms and waving one hand to the group sitting in silence.

🧑‍⚕️🧑‍🚒

The next couple of days were… normal.

The morning after, Luffy and him got back to the dynamic they had, before the barely talking phase. The younger man always seemed to linger in the livin finding something to do. Law appreciated the company a lot, going back to easy and mindless conversations, but the absence of questioning from Luffy was pushing him to the edge. He felt like he was in a cauldron, slowly simmering until Luffy finally decided to ask for explanations. 

“How do you know Bepo?” asked Luffy one day, finally.

Luffy got home after a long shift, and placed two containers of take out on the table. They shared the meal with the omega rambling about his day, and when Law stood up to wash the utensils, Luffy stayed; his arms crossed over the table and playing with the string tied to the strawhat he recently recovered from Sanji and Zoro -apparently he lost it the night they got separated, and Law was annoyed at how easily they were forgiven-.

The surgeon turned to look at the younger man and dried his hands with the kitchen towel, a bit surprised by the question, it wasn’t the one he expected. He hummed, like he was thinking about his answer but he didn’t really feel like talking about it.

“We used to be friends, the four of us,” he said simply, leaning back on the kitchen sink and crossing his arms too, not really knowing what to do.

“But not anymore?”

“Three years ago we stopped talking, I-,” got busy , he wanted to say but the words got stuck in his throat and he felt his pulse going faster and faster; he felt incapable of lying right then, not to the big hopeful deer eyes.

What was worse? Luffy finding out about how much of a selfish prick he could be for desiring to keep him? Or Luffy knowing about his irresponsibility that put Bepo on a wheelchair? Both ideas sounded like a nightmare. But, maybe, it was better that way; the omega would then take his appropriate distance and go find someone worth it.
Was he taking big steps ahead of the conversation already? Yes, but he always did that.

He rubbed his nape with one hand, feeling even more anxious under the scrutiny; he missed the warm sun scent that Luffy used to leave behind him, he was still wearing scent patches.

“Three years ago I was working as a surgeon in the ER,” he said exhaling, his voice sounding foreign to him. “It was November, Bepo’s birthday, but I couldn’t go to the celebration because I got two surgeries back to back that day; I promised I would pick them up.”

“Did ya?” Luffy asked, his head slightly tilted to a side and his eyes following his every movement.

“Yeah, I did,” he nervously chewed his lower lip, his eyes lowering and his leg jumping slightly. “It was raining, they were drunk, and I was tired.”
He stopped, closing his eyes and shaking his head; he could hear his tires screeching and the panic when the world was suddenly upside down.
“I was– we were fine, and a second later a truck was on my lane, I couldn’t– I knew I should’ve called a cab,” he blinked quickly feeling the burn in his eyes before the first tears, but nothing got out; most of his memories from that time were flashes of pain, angry screams condemning him and guilt. “Shachi said that if I felt remorse I had to apologize and stay away, so I did.”

The silence that followed his condensed confession was heavier than the one they had the last month or so. Luffy was frowning, auburn clouded with a brewing storm. He didn’t look happy with the new information and Law could understand why. So he waited, for a very clear rejection, for Luffy to tell him he was uncomfortable with such a bad person, a bad alpha. An alpha was supposed to take care of his pack, Law couldn’t do that clearly so any hope he could have about Luffy being his… partner, was out of the window.

The surgeon tried to remember how living before Luffy was.
Lonely, quiet, sad, painful.

The omega stood up, his hands planted on the table and the chair made an awful dragging noise. Luffy walked back to his room and Law took it as the response. He was expecting some indignation, an accusation, anger, but the quietness felt worse than all of them.
The surgeon sighed, chewing his lip again, turning to the sink again to dry the dishes.
‘It’s fine,’ he told himself, over and over, ‘I’ll be fine’ .

After some loud movement coming from the room, of what Law assumed was Luffy packing, the omega got back with quick steps behind the older man. He hit the table with his hand, startling the surgeon, making him turn around. There was a yellow sheet of paper that he recognised as a discharge document from his hospital. Luffy pointed to the end of the paper.

“Is that your name and signature?” he said, his tone demanding and his face angry.

Law got closer, a plate and towel in hand and he recognised the awful handwriting before even reading the name. He nodded and gave the document a quick reading, trying to understand. Then, he read the date. November 20th.

“That day, you saved my brother’s and my life.”

Law felt his hands tightening the grip on the plate, he thought it would’ve broken, realizing how relieved he was. Happy to know it was him who had saved Luffy, who had given the omega the opportunity to become the best firefighter that city had seen; at the same time he felt wrong, like he had traded Luffy’s and his brother’s life for his friends.
Bepo was bound to a wheelchair, Shachi had lost the sight on one eye, and Penguin had the godawful memory of the truck going straight to them while screaming for Law to do something.

The kitchen's clock kept ticking, his emotions all over the place getting messier with each second passing. Luffy, surprisingly, was still standing there.
'Everything in life is a transaction, Law’ his godfather's words soured whatever good thought he had ‘Nothing is a coincidence’ .

“Did you know?” Law asked, frowning a bit; his legs were shaking, he noticed, “when we first met.”

“No, I just realised when you said November,” Luffy’s voice was unusually stern, but truthful; Law usually wouldn’t believe it so easily coming from anyone else, but it was different when it was the omega in front of him. “We got hit by a truck too,” he added after a while.

Law stayed quiet, his eyes pricked under a crying threat and he pressed his lips in a thin line.

“You were tired and you should've called a cab, yes, but it was an accident,” Luffy said, his tone lower with every word, until he was whispering. “The truck hit you .”

Law denied, shaking his head and closing his eyes, wanting to refute, to list all the reasons why he was the only responsible that night; his voice however didn't seem to work. His knees buckled and his ass hit the tiled floor before he could do something but he didn't let go of the plate; it felt unnecessarily dramatic but, for some reason, he'd lost control of his body.
He felt Luffy kneeling beside him and then his arms surrounding him, hugging him firmly; it felt like Luffy was trying to hold all of the little pieces of Law's broken heart at the same time.

The hug was like desperate gasping for air after drowning in a storm. He huffed, letting his lungs empty with one open mouthed exhale and then he heard himself moan in pain, warm tears rolled down wetting his face and Luffy’s uniform.

“I'm sorry,” he said between sobs, over and over, like he hadn't said it to his ex-friends before, like Luffy could forgive his mistake. “I'm so fucking sorry.”

He cried his heart out, after years containing himself, and Luffy stayed there, holding him close.

🧑‍⚕️🧑‍🚒

There wasn't much he could hide after crying like a baby for what felt like hours in Luffy’s embrace. So, when his birthday arrived, the only secret he could keep was how much his love for the omega grew. It was embarrassing, Law turned 30 but he was still fantasising about his crush like a teenager.
He was pathetic. An absolute loser.
A loser with a birthday party he was forced to attend.

Robin and Franky's house was big enough to get lost easily. Roronoa had actually already done that thrice, complaining each time that the halls were confusing. He would've agreed out loud but he was still annoyed at him for leaving Luffy behind almost a month before, so he kept quiet. 

The party was actually just a little reunion between the straw hat pack -he met Kaya and Vivi- and Law; along the reunion he could feel Luffy’s intense gaze on him and when their eyes casually met, the omega would smile with something he could only describe as sadness, maybe disappointment. It was weird, and inevitably he got worried, had he done something to upset him? Was it his confession the thing that made Luffy realise the kind of bad person Law was?
The suspense was unnerving and he wanted to ask but doing it in front of everyone was definitely not an option. Then, when the sun was setting, Luffy walked to him with a scary decision fixed on his face. He took the white fluffy hat that Law always wore outside of work from Law’s head and pushed the straw hat in its place; he proceeded to spend the rest of the event wearing the spotted fluffy hat, the sadness replaced with contentment. It was funny, and absolutely endearing, he didn’t even think of protesting -he was a weak man-.

The party was over when everyone, or most of them, were at their drunkest; Robin assigned the shared rooms and left shortly after pulling Roronoa by the arm, who was carrying Blackleg over his shoulder like a sack of flour. One by one said their goodbyes and left too, some unable to walk in a straight line by themselves, the straw hats really liked to party hard for any fucking reason.

Luffy was playing on the edge of the heated inside pool, sitting with his legs inside the water, kicking with them and splashing a bit. Law was finishing his beer, the second one he had the entire length of the party, leaning against the wall next to a long picnic table. Usopp gasped and raised his head from where he was sleeping, the texture of the wooden floor imprinted on his cheek; he yawned and rubbed his eyes looking everywhere around. Took him a couple of minutes but he seemed to understand it was late and stood up slowly.

“Is…?”

“Kaya left not so long ago, she said she preferred the bed to the floor,” Luffy chuckled looking at his friend.

“Aww she must’ve waited for too long before I woke up,” he yawned again and stretched his back and arms. “I better go with her, goodnight,” he ruffled Luffy’s hair on his way out and nodded to Law. “Happy birthday, Torao.”

“Thank you, goodnight,” he mumbled, tilting his head a bit; it felt so surreal the ease with which he accepted the nickname.

The only sound in the big room after the engineer left was the muted hum of the pool’s filter or heater or whatever the hell it was.
Luffy sighed out loud, taking him by surprise.

“Did you have fun?” He asked, walking over to the omega after leaving the empty can on the trash can.

“Yeah, I guess,” Luffy mumbled and pouted. “Did you? It was your party.”

“Mmhmm, thank you,” he was awkward most of the time, dedicating to just listening to the others and answering when spoken, but it was actually nice, the straw hat pack always knew how to make him feel included.

Luffy, however, sighed again, looking disappointed… again.

“What is it? You’re hungry?” He asked, looking behind him at the tables, the leftover cake was still there so he stood up and went for a piece.

The omega hummed while kicking the water once more, the splashes getting further and further. Law came back and gave him the disposable plate with the big piece of chocolate cake, Luffy took it with a sad smile. The surgeon sat down beside Luffy, rolling the pant’s legs up until his knees to dip his feet in the water.

“No… well, just a bit, it’s just… ” Luffy’s sad puppy eyes hurt, and his pout was not helping at all. “I invited Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

Law froze in his place and opened his mouth to say something that’d make Luffy feel better, but nothing got out, his mind blank and his thoughts an incoherent mess.
He had so many questions, how did Luffy manage to get their phones? Did they even answer at all? Were they mad at the idea or just indifferent? Their absence was a clear sign that they didn’t want anything to do with him still. Sadly.
Maybe it shouldn’t, because almost 4 years had passed, but the silent rejection hurt.

“It’s fine, baby,” he said after what felt like an hour lost inside his head, he realized it sounded like reassurance for both of them. “It was a nice evening, right?” he slapped himself mentally at the stupid sentence that came out of his mouth, Luffy, however, giggled in a breathy tone.

“Yeah,” he mumbled and nodded, eating the cake slower than his usual pace, but after the February explosion, the omega tended to take a bit more than 5 minutes with a plate.

Law stared at the younger man, the way he played with the last pieces of cake with his fork, his feet still playing in the water, the white fluffy hat resting on his head. The pout adorning his lips, the button nose scrunched in annoyance and auburn shining thanks to the pool lights. He closed his eyes and turned his head to the water, being in love with Luffy was too hard most of the time.

“I’ve been thinking of moving out, find a place closer to the hospital,” he said, trying to ease the ambiance, he couldn’t resist the way that the younger man seemed to wither down when he couldn’t get what he wanted.

Luffy raised his head and turned to look at him, starlight shining with curiosity and uncertainty. “Why now?”

“I’d like a bigger place, something with heated floors maybe, and a warmer living room, a bigger fridge,” he listed everything he had thought about, counting with his fingers.
Luffy hummed and ate another piece of the cake, his feet rubbing each other with a nervous movement.
“A bedroom where I could fit a King size bed too,” he leaned back, placing his hands on the wooden floor. “I already made an appointment with a real estate agent,” he sighed, tired already of the idea of visiting a million places in one afternoon.

“Oh,” Luffy licked the fork after the last bite and pouted again, frowning in a deep thinking expression.

“So, I was wondering, are you free next friday?”

“What?” Luffy turned his head so fast that it looked a bit comical.

“We– we’re living together, so I need your opinion, and the heated floors are for you, who apparently hate to wear socks unless it's needed,” he smiled lightly. “The bigger fridge is also for you, and Blackleg that loves to overstuff our kitchen.”

The omega opened and closed his mouth, looking like a fish out of water, he blushed and smiled; his feet kicking again splashing the water, the plate and fork went flying and suddenly Law had his arms full of Luffy. They fell back, the alpha couldn’t stop the pure muscle body that fell on him and then they were in the water; when he stood up he felt the water dripping on his face and a loud giggle in front of him.

“I thought you wanted me out!” Luffy said, flapping in the water and splashing him in the process, his voice so loud that echoed in the whole room.
Law walked slowly to the younger man, using a hand to remove the excess water from his face, while Luffy tried to flap away, a mischievous smile on his face.
“I was already thinking about how to ask Sanji and Zoro for their couch.”

The alpha smiled too, shaking his head to sprinkle the omega with all the water from his hair and started splashing back, Luffy laughed so hard that made Law giggle too. They began a war, splashing water so hard that the omega couldn’t even open his eyes. The surgeon was surprised at himself for the sudden desire of competitiveness, for not wanting to let go of the childish game and make the younger one give up.
Law swore he didn’t have that much fun on his birthday in years.

Luffy turned and started to swim further, to the other corner of the pool.

“Why them and not here? Robin and Franky have more than enough space,” he asked, when he began chasing again, trying to grab the younger man.

“This house is too big for me, it's fun when we’re all together but not to live forever.”

Law could understand, he liked his current apartment because it was small, easy to manage, easy to clean, and harder to feel small in a big empty place.

“I like their house tho,” Luffy added when he turned to look at him, his back against the edge of the pool; he looked small since he only had his head out of the water. “It’s pretty, Franky built it specially for Robin.”

“Yeah, it's nice,” whatever mischievous intention he could have was quickly forgotten when he had Luffy between his arms, his hands resting on the edge of the pool and Luffy standing straight without taking his eyes apart from him. 
They were close, as close as they used to be before Law realized how much he loved the omega; Luffy was looking up to him, his damp hair sticking to his face, the hat floating somewhere already forgotten. Law’s heart was beating so hard in his chest that he could feel it in his ears and in the back of his throat.
God, he wanted to kiss Luffy so bad.
“But I was thinking of another apartment for us,” he said, knocking Luffy’s head with his own, making the younger man complain and laugh.

“Can it still be high up? I like the view we already have.”

“Hn, think what else you want so we can tell the agent on friday.”

Luffy nodded, energetic, happy and not a trace of the gloominess he had when thinking about Law’s ex-friend group.
They played in the pool for an hour or so, until Luffy was unable to open his eyes properly and Law decided to take them to their room.

🧑‍⚕️🧑‍🚒

Luffy and him had an entire adventure in November going around the surrounding area between the hospital and the firefighting station, then, they found the perfect place with three bedrooms and a living area big enough to house Luffy’s best friends. It was warm, spacious and the sunlight hit just right through the big windows.

The view was Luffy’s favorite part, they could see clearly the sky and the small buildings, the nearby businesses with their neon signs, the bridge and the river.
When Luffy saw it and gasped excitedly, running to the big glass window and pointing to everything he could see, Law knew that they were living right there. It was closer to the fire station than the hospital but he didn’t care.
All he wanted was to see the omega happy. 
For the same reason, when Luffy announced that the Christmas PartyTM was happening in their apartment, he immediately agreed.

Law was stuck then, the 24th of December, with a drink in his hand and sitting in the middle of their big couch, watching people exchange gifts and laughing, drinking. He didn’t know most of them, all were Luffy and the straw hat pack’s close friends and family. It wasn’t unpleasant, most of them were very polite and introduced themselves along with the origin story of their friendship.
Like Koby. The young stuttering mess of an omega that got pale when Law told him his name wasn’t Torao. He was saved by Luffy back in highschool from his bully, and, since then, he followed the man around like a lost puppy. Koby had something going on with Luffy’s brother, the blond that was more interested in analysing Law’s every movement than paying attention to the poor pink haired omega. Law decided he liked Koby, because he was cute like a bunny and he liked cute things. Also, Koby would need somewhere to hide when Sabo eventually breaks his heart, he decided.

Surprisingly, Law was having a good time, listening to people talk and getting himself carried away by the alcohol.
Close to midnight he heard the doorbell over the loud music and searched for Luffy around the place. Las time he saw the omega, he was having an eating competition with his brother Ace and a girl called Bonney, but at that moment he was nowhere on sight; he sighed, deciding he could open the door and be with complete strangers for five seconds, it wouldn’t be the last time he introduced himself that night, maybe not ever if he stayed being roommates with Luffy for a long time.

He got up from the couch excusing himself in a low murmur to not interrupt Jinbei and walked out of the room. Law let out a big sigh when he closed the living room door behind him and took a second or two to recover some energy; he was enjoying himself,strangely enough.
The doorbell was louder in the entrance hall, he hurried to the door, not wanting to give a bad impression to Luffy’s friends for some reason.
However, when he opened the door his body froze and he felt a cold shiver running down his spine.

There, in the cold hallway of his building, were Bepo and Penguin.

His breath hitched in his lungs, his mind running into the million things he could say and all the possibilities and reasons that got them to be at his door.

“Hi.”
"Can we come in?”

Penguin and Bepo talked at the same time, the youngest smiled and the other sighed, scratching his nape.

“Luffy invited us,” Penguin added, lowering his face.

“Yeah,” it was all he could say and he felt like a complete idiot while stepping aside to let them in.

Penguin was holding the wheelchair’s handles but Bepo was the one that moved it, making himself get in the tiny entrance before his friend helped him to settle on the wooden floors. Law closed the door while Penguin took off his shoes, and suddenly the three of them were in the entrance hall looking everywhere, the muffled sound of the Christmas music coming from the other room and multiple indistinct chatters made Law feel even more awkward. There was chaos inside his mind and chest. He was happy to see them, but felt guilty looking at Bepo, and sad because Shachi wasn’t there, nervous to have to see them directly and kind of disappointed thinking they were there for Luffy, not him.
He bit the inside of his cheek and took to steps closer to the door leading to the party, deciding he would let them in and sneak to his room to not make them uncomfortable.

“Law.”

Bepo’s voice was soft, stopping him when he already had his hand on the handle. Law turned slowly, his heart was beating so fast that he felt it on his throat, he hoped he didn’t look as scared as he was.

“You look tired.”

“We just finished moving yesterday,” he said, his hand still in the handle and his eyes avoiding his ex friends. “Not that I mind the party, Luffy knows all kinds of people so it’s been interesting,” he didn’t know why he was justifying himself, or he did.

“Congrats, it’s a nice apartment,” Penguin put his hands on his pockets and hummed, like trying to think of something else. “Must be nice to settle with your omega, how long have you been dating?”

Law let out a weird breathy cackle, feeling fidgety all of a sudden, he didn’t know what was worse, the fact that they were in front of him because of Luffy or the fact that they thought Luffy was his omega. His ex friends were Luffy’s friends and the omega he loved was never going to be his. What a loser.

“I’m– We’re not–”

“Law, I’m sorry,” Bepo blurted out, he was frowning but his fidgeting hands showed how nervous he was. “I said hurtful, terrible things about you when I woke up, and even if I never said them to you directly I have to apologise.”

The alpha stood there, his mouth hung half opened and his brain could only process the muffled sound coming from the other room. What?

Penguin frowned, pressing his lips tighter against each other forming a thin line. “I made you responsible, ever since I called you knowing you were tired, it was unfair.”
Law stood there, his arms hanging to each side of his body, his eyes burning from tears that he tried to fight hard and his jaw shut tight then.
“Fuck, I wanted to say so many things but I can’t think properly,” the older man sighed.

“Why are you apologising? It was my fault,” he asked, and it felt like his mouth had spoken by itself; he was completely detached from his mind, from the situation. “I was driving, I had the responsibility.”

“No! It was mine,” Penguin took his hands out of the pockets fast, shaking them while denying Law’s words. “I decided to call you, I put the responsibility on you when I could’ve left you to rest that night and take care of everything.”

“It was my birthday and I knew we could have waited for the weekend, it’s my fault too.”

Law denied, shaking his head with a little too much force.

“Personally, I think you’re all silly and should hug right now,” said a new voice, and the three of them turned to look at the door opposite to the living room one. Luffy was there, leaning on the wooden frame, his arms crossed and a small smile on his face. When did the omega get there? Law was so used to Luffy’s scent hanging around his personal space that he didn’t feel a change. “Stop trying to find excuses to get the blame on you and accept that the guy that hit you is the problem.”

Law sighed, running a hand through his hair, conflicted. He knew Luffy was right, but knowing and accepting were different concepts, the later harder than the other. He was also happy for his presence, the distraction helping him to calm down before he broke down crying like a baby.

“Is not that simple, Lu,” he said, his tone soft and shy.

“But it is,” the omega smiled and walked over them, confident steps turning Law’s legs in jello. “Hug it out, you’ll feel better, trust me.”

Luffy was next to him in a second and the next he was pushed into Penguin’s arms, it felt weirdly comfortable the way his mind remembered exactly how good Penguin’s hugs were, tight and warm and secure and soft. Law was taller than his friend but he still found a way to fit in there; apart from Lami, Law never had other blood related siblings, but his little group of friends felt like the family he wished to have. Penguin was always a great older brother, and that was the exact reason why Law could never blame him for anything.

His legs gave out, taking Penguin with him to the ground because he refused to let go, and, thankfully, the older omega felt the salem hugging him as tightly as Law. The alpha looked up when Bepo caressed his head, a timid touch, silently asking for permission.
He pouted, frowning a little and, without letting go of Penguin, he let his head rest on Bepo’s lap; when Law looked up to the younger alpha, he was smiling as sweetly as Law remembered.

“I’m sorry, Bepo,” he mumbled, avoiding the cute eyes that could look into his soul. “I put you there.”

The young alpha denied, shaking his head, his hands caressing both of his friends' heads. “I’m alive, that’s all that matters for me.”

Law raised his hand to grab Bepo’s and held it close to his head, basking in the warmth that his friends irradiated. He wanted to ask so many things, but he decided to stay there, at least until they grew tired and said it was enough, reminding himself that making peace with something didn’t exactly mean it was over forever.
He didn’t even realize when he’d fallen asleep or went to his room, but when he woke up in the middle of the night, he was squished in the middle of his friends. His heart beated happy for the first time in years.

…

“You slept well?” asked Luffy when they both were seated for breakfast. 
Almost everyone was still sleeping, scattered around between the two spare bedrooms and the living room, Luffy and Law opted for cereal to not wake anyone with loud noise and maybe burning smells; a bit of mercy for the hangovers.

“Yeah, did you take us to my room?” he asked, his voice a bit breathy while whispering. He was still tired but he felt well rested.

“Mmhmm, Penguin and you fell asleep on Bepo’s lap, how unconse– unconsident? unconscious?”

“Inconsiderate?”

Luffy nodded so many times that he looked like one of those bubbled head figures. Cute.

“I know, poor Bepo,” he mumbled and started munching on his cereal, slowly, trying to not wake up the people still sleeping on the couches.

“He said Shachi needs some time,” Luffy said, using his spoon to mix the two different types of cereal in the bowl.

“He’s probably still mad.”

“No, he’s ashamed, he told you horrible things,” the omega sighed and rested his head on Law’s arm, taking advantage of the proximity the kitchen bar gave them.
They were standing side to side, close enough so they could whisper and let their guests sleep some more, the bowls on the bar and the first sun rays peeking through the curtains. Felt nice, homey. Law hadn’t had a home in such a long time.
“Maybe you should reach out to him first, show him you’re not mad.”

“I don’t wanna pressure him,” he let his head fall on Luffy’s, enjoying his warm scent. “Thank you for calling them.”

“I’m happy for you, alpha.”

Luffy rubbed his head on Law’s chin, like a kitten, and turned to hug him tight, humming happily; Law returned the hug because he couldn’t stop his body and his heart from gravitating to his starlight, his sun, his everything. The moment he got Luffy between his arms and hid him in his chest he could swear that the omega started purring. That could only happen when an omega was extremely happy, feeling secure and all needs covered. Law blushed at the idea of being the reason for Luffy’s happiness.

“I love you, Law,” Luffy mumbled, his voice muffled against his chest but Law could hear it clearly.

The alpha froze in the embrace, like he just got pushed into a pile of snow and he was naked? It was a stupid idea but he couldn’t explain everything that was happening inside him. Luffy must’ve caught on because he raised his head, letting his chin rest on Law’s chest, not letting go, maybe because he knew that Law would try to run away.

“I’m not–,” he twisted his mouth in a frown and his cheeks turned pink, he seemed to be looking for the correct words; auburn shining like the pretty soul that Luffy had. “I don’t want you to think that I want to hear it too, but I’ve been thinking about it for soooo long that I can’t keep it a secret any longer because I feel like my chest is gonna burst every time I look at your pretty face,” he smiled, his lips softly curved upwards; they were chapped, and pink, and Law wanted to kiss that smile so bad. “Sanji said you could get scared and that I shouldn’t say anything, because you don’t look like you want a relationship, something about a wolf being alone? I dunno I didn’t really listen to everything he said, but after everything that happened this year I just wanted you to know.”

“Are you sure?” Law asked, his voice soft, just for the perfect omega that fitted perfectly between his arms.

“I've never been more sure about something in my– hmpf.”

Law shut him up with a kiss that was probably a bit more aggressive than what he intended, but Luffy smiled against his lips and grabbed him by the collar in an attempt to keep him close. The first peck was quick, their noses clashed thanks to the rush and the omega giggled while trying to give him more and more.

“I love you too,” Law mumbled between kisses, because he felt like he would suffocate with the words stuck in his throat, he needed to say it or he would burst. “I can’t remember life before you now,” he kissed Luffy’s button nose and his eyelids, the crease between his eyebrows and his forehead; god, he wanted so badly to do it for so long.

“Don’t lie, Torao.”

He smiled, lost in the pool of auburn filled with happiness and something Law would start to recognise as love. “You are my sun, Luffy, you gave light to the stars in my dead sky.”

Luffy opened his mouth to say something, his face turned red and he started to stumble with his words incapable of forming any coherent sentence. Law felt happy that for the first time since they met he could shut Luffy’s zippy mouth.
He caressed Luffy’s cheek with the tip of his fingers, a feather light touch that allowed him to outline the big scar under his eye. Having the freedom to touch him like that felt surreal, but he was loving every second of it.

“Don’t say stuff like that! It’s embarrassing,” Luffy pouted and snuggled in his chest again, but purring still, clearly happy.

“Why not, starlight? I’m just telling the truth.”

“Alpha, shuddup,” the omega said, his voice like a pleading and Law would never get tired of that pretty sound.

Law kissed his cheek, the scar and the corner of his lips, realising how annoying he was going to be then with the permission to touch as much as he wanted. Someone groaned, probably waking up or just complaining about whatever noise Luffy and him could be doing. He picked the omega up, causing him to suck in a breath full of surprise and a giggle that he tried to drown on Law’s shoulder.

“Omega, should we go to the coffee shop across the street?” he asked when they crossed the door to the entrance hallway.

Luffy rested his arms on Law’s shoulders and looked down, his eternal smile plastered on his face. “Yes~ I’m hungry and Sanji is still sleeping.”

“You’re always hungry, starlight.”
His answer was a giggle and a kiss. It tasted like the promise of forever, and Luffy always fulfilled his promises.