Light Of The Sun

The fact that they’ve been dating for three years doesn’t change the fact that Law is a little surprised every morning to find that he is, actually and for real, STILL dating the king of the pirates. It’s absurd. It feels like a fantasy.

He often chalks this up to the fact that, with each of them having their own crews and ships, they don’t get to spend THAT much time with one another. Not enough for Luffy to get tired of him, at any rate. It’s a blessing in disguise.

Still, even with that thought rattling around in the back of his head, Law would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about proposing. Dreamed about marriage. Fantasised about an old fashioned Flevian ceremony.

At least, he does right up until he gets a harsh wake up call.

“So, who’s going to be the one to propose?”

Law stops in his tracks, his hand hovering over the door handle to enter the lounge in the base of the ship. He recognizes Usopp’s voice beyond the door, and he knows who else is down there.

“Propose?” Luffy asks, sounding nonplussed.

“Yeah,” Usopp says. “You’ve been dating three years now, haven’t you? Aren’t you gonna put a ring on it?”

There’s a pregnant silence. Law should announce himself, or leave. He shouldn’t stand frozen like this.

And then Luffy scoffs. “I’m not gonna MARRY Traffy,” he says.

And that, well. That hurts. A lot.

“You’re—“ Usopp stutters. “You’re not?”

“Of course not,” Luffy says, like this is an obvious thing. Like he’s not shattering Law’s heart. “Why would I MARRY him?”

“Uh,” says Usopp, sounding very much out of his depth.

“Well. You love him, right?”

There’s another pregnant silence. Law can picture Luffy’s thinking face; the one he makes when things don’t add up.

“Not like THAT,” he says, eventually.

Law backs up. There’s a rushing in his ears; he doesn’t think he could listen to more.

After ascending to the brig, he turns and flees toward his bunk— the one he uses when he’s on this ship for more than a night. His crew are off in the Tang for a week in pursuit of a golden sea beast. Law’s stuck here in the open ocean without them.

Granted, Law’s bunk is Luffy’s bunk. And that’s usually exactly what he wants. But as he crawls under the covers and tries to block out the light as if he can convince himself this is a dream, the scent of Luffy that pervades the space is suffocating.

It’s. It’s fine, though. Law scrubs at his eyes and forces himself to think rationally. Luffy doesn’t want to marry him. That’s fine. He still seems willing to date him. That’s good. Nothing about them needs to change. Nothing about them is different than it was this morning.

(Except it is, it IS, because Luffy doesn’t WANT him like that, doesn’t want him in the way Law wants LUFFY, and Law has always suspected this but to hear it said is a different sort of pain).

(And Law had grown too comfortable in his happiness).

Luffy doesn’t come looking for him until well after Law has descended into a paralysing spiral of loathing. The kind he hasn’t done in years, not since that defeat at the hands of BlackBeard.

Luffy climbs on top of him in the bunk, feet and elbows finding his more delicate organs with precision.

“Traffy,” Luffy says. “Do you have a stomachache? Did you eat that weird bird Zoro caught yesterday that Jinbei said could cause shee-jures?”

Law grunts as he gets another elbow to his solar plexus. “No,” he says, physically grappling Luffy into stillness next to him. “I’m just tired, Lu-ya.”

“Oh,” says Luffy. Then, “Why? Did you have nightmares without me noticing? I usually notice.”

And he DOES, is the thing. He always notices. And he helps. And he’s kind about it. And Law wanted to MARRY him, wanted to be able to hold that promise of staying by his side. Wanted this comfort forever.

What a fool.

“Yeah,” Law says. “Nightmares. Sorry Lu-ya, you slept like the dead last night.”

“Oh,” says Luffy. Then, “Huh.” Then, “Well you should sleep again and I’ll be here so you don’t have nightmares this time.”

This is a hellish thing to offer, because Law knows Luffy will immediately get bored and start messing with things. “It’s fine,” Law says. “You were going to do that fishing competition with Brook today, weren’t you? Go do that, I’ll just sleep some more while you do.”

It’s distressingly easy to distract him sometimes.

“Oh yeah!” Luffy says, jumping up. “I was gonna catch a whale shark!”

Law makes a shoo-ing motion with his hand. “Go on,” he says. “Kick his ass.”

Luffy laughs. “No nightmares this time, okay!” He shouts as he runs out.

Law doesn’t promise him, but he does smile a little as he watches Luffy go.

He loves him.

He just has to come to terms with the fact that Luffy doesn’t love him back the same way.

Law is with the Sunny another six days.

He does not, in this time, come to terms with this knowledge.

No, one could say he instead just gets increasingly more miserable.

It’s very obvious. Everyone notices. Even Luffy.

Law starts snapping at them (more than usual). He avoids one-on-one time with Luffy. He hides in Franky’s workshop and Robin’s library (not Nami’s map room, she’s too pushy when she’s nosy).

He gets sadder. Every time he sees Luffy again, he gets progressively more despondent.

Until, the day they’re supposed to meet up with his crew, Nami gets a call on the transponder snail.

“Traffy!” she calls, walking into the galley during breakfast. “Your crew called. They were sent off course yesterday from a nasty storm so it sounds like they’re three days out”

“Shit,” says Law.

“Aww thats okay, you’ve barely spent any time with me!” Luffy says through a mouthful of pancakes. “This just means we can have more time together!”

And Law, snappish and miserable by now, says, “You don’t WANT that!”

Luffy blinks. “Yes i do,” he says.

Law, realising what he’s said, composes himself. “Sorry, you’re right.” His fork is in a death grip in his hand. “Of course you do. Yes. Thank you, Nami.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “No problem…”

Luffy ALSO narrows his eyes at him. “You’re being weird,” he says.

“I’m a grumpy person,” Law snaps. “I’m always like this, thanks for noticing.”

Luffy frowns. “No you’re not,” he says. There’s a hush falling across the table. Everyone is here except Chopper. “You’re always grumpy but it’s usually a happy grumpy. Why aren’t you happy grumpy?”

“Happy grumpy isn’t a thing,” Law says. “Eat your pancakes.”

“NO,” shouts Luffy, eliciting quiet gasps around the table. “You’re going to tell me what’s wrong!”

“Or WHAT?” Law asks, pushing his plate away.

The feeling of security, of always having Luffy’s love to come home to, is gone. He suddenly feels unsure of the outcome of any fight. If Luffy doesn’t want to marry him, does he even want to stay with him? How hard would it be to push Luffy past his breaking point?

“Or—“ Luffy pauses, eyebrows knitted together, his laser-sharp gaze locked on Law’s face. Law HATES when he does this, when it feels like he’s being stripped bare, like Luffy can see every part of him. All the vile, disgusting parts.

The parts that, this time around, are so full to BURSTING with love for Luffy. Adoration. Admiration. Desire. Homesickness when they’re apart. He feels so sure that Luffy can see it all, can see how pathetically in love Law is, how much more love Law has to give than Luffy does.

Law suddenly wants to cry.

Luffy doesn’t finish his threat. He stands up, silently, and reaches over, grabbing the collar of Law’s shirt in his fist and hauling him out of the room.

Everyone else watches them go in abject awkward silence.

Law lets himself get pulled across the ship, dragging his feet until they end up down in the lounge where this all started. Luffy forces him to sit on the sofa and then sits HIMSELF firmly in Law’s lap.

He grabs Law’s cheeks in both (syrup-sticky) hands.

“NOW you tell me what’s wrong,” he says.

“No,” says Law, his face slightly squished. He doesn’t want to. Doesn’t want to deal with it all.

“I’m going to— punch you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” Luffy says.

“Fine,” says Law. That sounds good, actually.

And Luffy does, too. It would have had more effect if he weren’t also sitting in Law’s lap; all he managed to do is get the both of them sprawled across the sofa, Law gasping for breath after an impressively hard punch to the sternum.

“NOW tell me,” says Luffy.

“Punch me again,” says Law.

“No!”

“Why NOT?”

“Because that’s not the kind of love you get!”

Law blinks back tears. Luffy’s looming over him, looking more upset than Law thinks he has a right to.

“Then why’d you do it the first time?” Law asks, exasperated.

“Because you told me to,” Luffy says. “And I want you to have what you want.”

Law groans, throwing his head back. “Well I don’t get to HAVE what I want,” he says. “So just forget it.”

Luffy scrunches his nose. “So you WANT something.”

“We all want something, Lu-ya.”

“I don’t,” says Luffy. “I have everything I wanted.” He plants his palms firmly on Law’s chest. “But YOU want something. And I’m going to help you get it.”

“No you’re not,” Law says. The fight is going out of him. The adrenaline of the punch is leaving and he’s tired.

“Yes I am, just tell me what it is,” Luffy says. “I’m the king of the pirates, I can do it!”

“You CANT because what I want is something you DONT want,” Law snaps. “And so it won’t work! That’s fine! Forget it!”

Luffy growls. “Shut up! Just tell me what it is!”

“Fine!” Law shouts. “I want to fucking MARRY you, okay? And you don’t want me like that, so it’s FINE! You see? You can’t help me! Just forget I said it and move on!”

Law looks pointedly away, tears gathering in his eyes. He assumes this is the end of their relationship.

That was the whole point of NOT telling him, but of course Law has never been good at that.

He waits, staring resolutely at a corner of the fish tank, until Luffy says, “but that’s stupid.”

“What?” asks Law. “No it’s not!”

"Yeah it is!” Luffy says. “People don’t get married because they’re in love! Only people who hate each other get married!”

This is possibly the most insane thing Luffy has ever said.

Law, cheeks wet, turns and looks at him. “Wh—“ he squints. “WHAT?”

Luffy rolls his eyes. “Duh,” he says. “Like Pudding and Sanji. They hated each other. Or Sabo— his parents tried to make him get married to some ugly girl who didn’t want him to hang out with us. People don’t get married unless they hate each other.”

“Lu-ya,” Law says slowly. “My parents were married.”

Luffy makes a face. “So they hated each other too.”

Law remembers the dancing in the kitchen and sharing bites of chocolate cake. He remembers the look his dad would give his mom when she fell asleep on the sofa.

“No,” he says. “They loved each other. So much.”

Law pauses. He thinks. “You’re not thinking of marriage,” he says slowly. “You’re thinking of ARRANGED marriages.”

“Uh yeah, they’re all arranged, Traffy. How else would you even get one?”

“One of us would… ask the other,” Law says slowly. “Because HAPPY marriages happen when both people WANT to be married. Like— Bege and Chiffon. They’re married.”

“Who?” Luffy asks.

Yeah, that tracks.

“Like—“ Law wracks his brain. “Oden and Toki.”

Luffy gives him a blank look.

“Like MY PARENTS,” Law snaps.

Luffy blinks. “Oh,” he says.

‘He’s getting it,’ Law thinks.

“So happy marriages are a FLEVANCE thing,” Luffy says.

Law is impressed Luffy remembered the name Flevance.

“Yes,” he says. “They’re a Flevance thing.”

“Okay,” Luffy says with a nod. “We can get Flevance married, then.”

Law stares at him. “We… can?” He asks.

“Yeah,” says Luffy. “That’s your dream, isn’t it? As long as we don’t get REGULAR married. Cause we don’t hate each other.”

“…Right,” says Law.

This is not the kind of proposal Law was expecting.

But. Really. What kind of proposal WOULD he have expected? From Luffy?

“Hey Lu-ya,” Law says. “Will you Flevance Marry me?”

“Duh,” says Luffy. “I just said that.” He pauses. “Does this mean we can have a feast?”

“Yes,” says Law. “But kiss me first, before you go tell Sanji.”

(This is a trick he has learned over the years— that Luffy IS about to run off and this IS law’s last chance for a while).

(It only has a fifty percent success rate).

Luffy leans down and gives Law the most god-awful kiss that’s part peck-on-the-lips part deep-throat-rubber-tongue. He loves kissing like this. Law hates it. But he does love Luffy.

And Luffy’s going to Flevance-marry him. So he’ll put up with the godawful kissing.

Then Luffy’s weight disappears from his chest as he takes off running out of the room. “Sanji!!” he yells as he goes. “You gotta make a cake!! I’m gonna get Flevance married!!!”

Law lays on the sofa in a daze.