The Stars Are Beautiful Tonight
Trafalgar D. Water Law x Strawhat!reader
Summary: The arrangement of Law sleeping in your room as long as heâs staying on the Sunny has been going pretty well, until one night he has a nightmare. The surgeon of death finds out that he doesnât have to deal with it alone.
Notes: AAAA second Law fic of my life!! Thank you so much for all the support on the first one, I am truly speechless. I was pretty nervous to post it since english isnât my first language and it was the first time writing for this character and only about the fourth time writing a fic in general.
This is meant to be a part 2 to my previous fic âSharing the Roomâ, but can also work as a stand-alone piece. It is simply written with the same dynamics and same âreader-characterâ in mind. Full hurt/comfort with some fluff - my favorite genre!!
Tw: Nightmares, Panic Attacks
A few days have gone by since Law started sleeping in your room and not on the Sunnyâs deck. Everything was going well between you two. He was quiet, sometimes too quiet, and he was very polite in whatever he said or did. It made your heart ache a little, he was probably still feeling guilty for taking up your space or for bothering you. Thatâs why you made sure to make him feel comfortable.
Law understood how much you cared about him when he had found two cups of tea instead of one waiting for him on the table. That little gesture lingered in his heart more than he liked to admit. He began noticing everything you did for him. The extra blankets you had stored in your room in case he was cold, a softer pillow than the one he was given the first night, and a couple of Sanjiâs shirts, packed in a small bag. You must have asked him to give them to you, and saved Law the embarrassment of having to admit to a âweaknessâ. Your care was making the walls that the surgeon of death had built around his cold heart so carefully crumble right before his eyes. And it was terrifying. For if he did not care for anyone, it would have hurt less when he was abandoned once again, or when people died.
Law knew you told him it wasnât a problem, but he dreaded the night that he would have woken up because of his nightmares. The night that you would finally realize he was a burden and did not deserve someone so kind wasting time on his comfort. At first it seemed too good to be true, that sleeping with you was actually chasing the nightmares away. Until your good luck charm stopped working on him.
It was around three in the morning when you were woken up by the sound of heavy breathing and shuffling next to you. Eyes still groggy with sleep, you immediately thought of Law. His nightmares. He had mentioned having them the first night he slept in your room, but the first few nights had been peaceful.
âLawâ you mumbled softly, trying to wake up quickly to help him.
But Trafalgar Law never wanted help.
âR-Roomâ - you heard him whisper in a panic as soon as he heard your voice - âShamblesâ
And now next to you, where Law had been laying earlier, was a little rock. He must have swapped himself with it to teleport outside with his power.
For a moment you wondered if he would prefer being alone. He didnât seem to like opening up, so maybe you should have let him calm down on his own. But then his panicked breaths came to your mind, the urgency with which he teleported away. You couldnât leave him, not when he could be reliving the worst moments of his life. You picked up one of the extra blankets; it was cold on the deck at this hour, and tried to find Trafalgar Law.
Finding Law on the deck felt like a squeeze to your heart. You were probably the only one who had caught even a slight glimpse of the vulnerability he hid beside his cold facade, but nothing could have prepared you to seeing him like that.
Law was slumped against the railing, head in his hands as his body shook with panicked breaths and choked cries.
âLawâŚâ you whispered, eyes softening with sympathy at the scene before you. As soon as he heard your voice, he jumped, turning quickly to you. When his eyes met yours however, he quickly averted his gaze and looked away. You could see his flushed cheeks, streaked with tears, and his red, glassy eyes. His lips were raw, an indicator that he must have bit into them to silence his tears.
âG-Go away, Y/N-yaâ he stammered, his voice strained and still panicked.
âNo, Law⌠heyâŚâ You couldnât help but coo at him, feeling protective over the man in front of you. You knew he was around your age, but it was only now that you noticed how young he actually was. He carried himself like a man twice more mature than his age, but now he looked like a scared little boy.
âNo⌠no, Iâm sorry- sorry I woke you, Y/N-yaâŚâ he hiccuped, his voice catching in his throat. You took a small step closer.
âYou have nothing to be sorry for⌠Law, whatever is scaring you right now is not here⌠it was just a dreamâŚâ
âIâm not scared!â He snapped defensively.
You sighed. You knew you had to approach this carefully.
âAlrightâŚâ - you stepped closer once again then sat on the deck. You patted the space next to you - âCome sit down?â
Law wanted to refuse. He could have easily refused and shambled himself away from you. Maybe it was exactly this freedom of choice; you not pushing him or pressuring him into agreeing, that made him sit down on shaky legs on the deck.
As soon as he sat down, he felt a blanket being draped over his shoulders. He instinctively snuggled into it, burying his face in the fabric and inhaling the comforting scent of your soap. He looked quite adorable, but you chose not to comment on it.
âYouâre safe here⌠I promiseâ
You whispered after he settled on the floor, instinctively reaching out to rest a hand on his back and scooting a little closer.
Those words. Law would usually have brushed them away. He should have been used to this. The nights in which he had nightmares were more frequent than the peaceful ones. So why did tonightâs nightmare shake him so much? Why did it feel more real than usual? Why were the gunshots still sounding in his mind?
And why, oh why were tears welling up in his eyes again after your words?
You said he was safe. Many people had said that. Maybe this was the first time he believed the words. He believed he was safe with you.
A whimper escaped his control as he held the blanket closer and began to cry again.
Why couldnât he get it together?
You couldnât take it anymore, watching him curled up on himself in the blanket. Scooting closer, you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a gentle hug.
âL-Leave me aloneâŚâ Law hiccuped, tensing up instinctively. But he didnât really want to pull away, he wasnât struggling against you; otherwise it would have been easy for him to get off.
âShh⌠Iâve got youâŚâ You cooed, finally feeling him slump against you. Lawâs arms wrapping around your waist and holding you tight. His head instinctively leaned against your shoulder, burying his face in the crook of your neck. Tears were leaving a wet trail on your shirt, but you couldnât care less. You held him closer and rubbed his back as sobs shook his frame, one hand moving to play with his hair and the other gently tracing shapes on his back.
âYouâre safe⌠youâre on the Thousand Sunny, whatever you dreamt of is overâŚâ - you whispered soothingly in his ear - âYouâre with your friendsâŚâ
At that, a louder sob escaped him. For the first time since you knew him, Law didnât correct you. He didnât say you were just allies. He accepted the word; friends, and repeated it in his mind over and over as a source of comfort.
âHey⌠hey, I know⌠Iâm right hereâŚâ You kept whispering sweet nothings to him, trying to soothe his pain, wanting nothing more than to take away his suffering and give it to someone who deserved it instead. Doflamingo, maybe. He seemed to deserve it.
After a while Law started to calm down. His sobs ceased, and his crying was reduced to sniffles. You felt him tense in your arms again, this time you let him pull away from the hug and sit up next to you. He buried his face in his hands, trying to compose himself.
âIâm sorry, Y/N-ya⌠that was- humiliating, you were not supposed to see me like thisâ he muttered, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment and his eyes looking at his hands.
âHey⌠stop apologizing, Toraoâ The nickname seemed to lighten the mood, and he looked up at you. You had been calling him Law for a while now, ditching the annoying nickname Luffy had given him.
âItâs okay to not always be strong, yâknow? This changes nothing about how I see youâŚâ - Law looked so fragile as clung from each of your words like they were putting him back together - âYouâre still like⌠incredibly cool and mysteriousâ You smiled.
Law let out a soft scoff, almost like a laugh.
âShut upâŚâ He rolled his eyes, and finally relaxed, leaning his back against the railing. You scooted next to him.
âHey⌠wanna talk about it?â You asked gently. Law froze, turning to you.
âI-I donât know if I canâŚâ He spoke shyly, his throat feeling tight again.
âItâs okay, you donât have to⌠just, sometimes it can helpâŚâ You held out your hand to him. After a minute of hesitation, he took it. Law intertwined his fingers with yours and you instinctively traced the shape of his tattoo.
âI had someone once⌠he- he gave his life so I c-could liveâŚâ He forced the words out, but he couldnât help the way his voice sounded.
âIt was Doflamingoâs faultâŚâ - He squeezed your hand to try and stop the flow of images coming back to him. He couldnât do it. Not the whole story. Not yet - âPlease, donât ask me more than thisâŚâ
âNo, of course notâŚâ - You cooed, turning to look at him - âThank you for telling me⌠this is already a lot, okay?âHe nodded, wiping his cheeks to get rid of the residual tears.
âI havenât told this to anyone in yearsâŚâ - Law whispered and your heart melted - âThank you⌠for making me feel safe enough to do soâ
âNo, donât thank me⌠Iâm glad you feel safe with usâ
You saw Law shake his head.
âWith youâŚâ - He whispered - âI feel safe with you, not with the whole crewâ
Your eyes softened, and you let your head lean on his shoulder.
âThen you can come to me, anytimeâŚâ
His breath caught in his throat for a second, but then he relaxed and leaned his head on top of yours.
âI will tell you my past after weâre done with Dressrosa⌠I promiseâŚâ he whispered.
âYou donât have to-â
He shook his head soflty.
âYou deserve to hear it after everything youâve done to help meâ
âItâs not⌠itâs more than I deserveâ
Your voice left no room for protest.
âStill so sure Iâm a good man, Y/N-ya?â
Lawâs voice came out soft, a little teasing around the edges to mask the vulnerability of the question.
âEven more sure than beforeâŚâ
You brought up your joined hands, admiring his tattoos.
âItâs lateâ - he muttered, trying to distract himself from the way you were holding his hand - âIâm keeping you awake, Y/N-ya⌠Iâm sorryâ
âStopâ you spoke, but Law continued
âI told you I didnât sleep well. You probably didnât think it was going to be so bad, if you changed your mind I can go back to-â
âThe stars are beautiful tonightâ
âThe stars are beautiful tonight, I would have missed them if I hadnât woken upâ
You spoke as if it was the easiest thing in the world. As if you hadnât just been bothered at three in the morning.
âY-Youâre an idiotâŚâ And a small laugh escaped his lips. Trafalgar Law had laughed. A real laugh, not a teasing scoff or a smirk. His smile was sincere and the sound was soft and fragile.
His free hand slapped over his mouth after he noticed what had happened.
âCute laughâŚâ You smiled, winking teasingly.
âShut up! Iâll throw you overboard!â
You laughed warmly at his words. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and you gently nudged his arm.
âYou wouldnât dare! Who would leave the extra blankets for you otherwise? You would freezeâ
He rolled his eyes, his lips still curled up in a smile.
âI could do just fine without you, Y/N-ya, donât think too highly of yourselfâ
Law muttered. He looked down at your hands. Still intertwined. He knew his argument had no chance of being convincing.
You smiled softly, looking at him.
âAre you feeling a little better?â You asked softly. Law looked at you, his golden eyes meeting yours. His gaze felt so warm and sincere, so different from his usual coldness.
âYes, I think I am⌠thank youâŚâ
He whispered. You smiled at him again.
âWanna go back to bed?â
âYes but uhm⌠I donât know if Iâll be able to sleepâŚâ He answered, shyly looking down at his lap.
Poor thing. The nightmare must have terribly upsetting.
You squeezed his hand again.
âThatâs okay⌠we can just stay there, but at least weâll be warmâ
âYou can go back to sleep, Y/N-yaâŚâ
Law laid down in the bed again, his heart beating a little faster.
âDrink⌠you must be dehydratedâŚâ
You handed him the glass you had prepared for him near the bed.
âTrying to do my job, Y/N-ya?â
He teased lightheartedly, but accepted the glass with a grateful look.
âOh no, Iâd be an awful doctorâŚâ You laughed.
âYeah, you wouldâ He laughed again. That soft little laugh that made your heart skip a beat. You hadnât realized you were staring at him until he called out for you.
âNothing⌠you were staring at me, idiotâ
âWhat can I say? I like when you laugh⌠you should do it more oftenâ
You laid down next to him.
âWellâŚâ - he cleared his throat, his cheeks flushing again - âI havenât really had much to laugh about beforeâŚâ Law trailed off, what he said intelligible.
âBefore what?â You asked softly.
âOh donât make me say itâ He grumbled.
âGo aheadâŚâ You smiled warmly, understand where this was going.
âAww Torao!! That was so sweet!!â You squealed, felt your cheeks hurt from how much you were smiling.
âShut up! Iâm never saying something nice to you againâŚâ He hid his face pulling the blanket up to his nose.
You calmed, your laughter dying down and just relaxed on the bed.
âCan you⌠hold me, please?â
Your heart melted at the request. Without saying anything, you simply scooted closer and wrapped your arms around him from behind, making him the little spoon.
The two of you were just laying in the darkness, and contrary to what he was expecting, Trafalgar Law fell asleep again.
This bad night had finally passed, and from now on, you promised to yourself that Law would never have to face a nightmare alone.
