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But he couldn't stop thinking about Dressrosa and everything that had happened. He had spent all these years waiting, longing for the moment he would overthrow Doflamingo, fulfilling Corazon's will. And now... what would he do now? After they defeat Kaido.

Law had never stopped to think about what came after, because, to be honest, he never believed there would be an "after." But Luffy had changed everything. Law knew he might never have succeeded without his help, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. In fact, Law didn’t know how to feel about anything involving him. Luffy was supposed to be just another part of his plan, a means to an end, but now Law couldn't get him out of his head—the way his voice sounded, the way his brown eyes sparkled with excitement, how his laughter echoed and carved itself into his hollow chest, and the black hair that Law often found himself imagining what it would feel like between his fingers.

A few days earlier, when they were on the Thousand Sunny on their way to Dressrosa, Law had been sitting on the deck, his back against the wood of the ship, head tilted back, eyes closed. He was trying to take advantage of the rare moment of silence to organize his thoughts and calm his nerves when Luffy threw himself beside him.

"Oi, Torao."

"What?"

Law didn't bother opening his eyes.

"What's your favorite color?"

The question made him frown, glancing sideways at Luffy with one eye open.

"Why?"

Luffy shrugged. "Because I want to know."

Law rolled his eyes slightly in defeat before looking forward and starting to think about it. He’d never considered it before. There were a few colors he liked... black, maybe dark blue.

"Oh, I know!" Luffy said loudly, excitement in his voice. Law was slightly startled, pulled out of his thoughts. He looked at the boy, confused. If Luffy knew, why did he bother asking?

"Yellow."

"Yellow?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said, full of conviction. "It was the color of your sweatshirt when we met at Sabaody."

He remembered that?

"And it’s the color of the Polar Tang, and your earrings." Luffy pointed at Law’s ears. "Well, actually, they’re gold, but gold remember the color yellow, so… I got it, right?"

To be honest, Law never had a favorite color until Luffy shouted "yellow." Luffy was so excited, smiling like a kid, that Law couldn’t say otherwise.

"Hm, yeah, I think you're right."

He closed his eyes again, hearing Luffy chuckle softly and proudly say that he knew it. In that moment, Law didn’t want to admit it, but he felt something shift in his heart. From then on, he knew he would never see the color the same way again.

That day, Law ignored the thing in his chest. He knew something was happening, but if he didn’t think about it, maybe it would go away. Maybe it wouldn’t be real. But when he saw Luffy fight Doflamingo with everything he had and realized that he was ready to die alongside him, Law knew there was no point in trying to deny it anymore. He had gone too far. He was lost.

He was in love. So in love, and he had no idea what the hell to do about it. But how could he not be? Luffy was... everything. He was the sun, light, freedom, faith, and hope. He was life. And Law was...

Death had chased him all his life, taking everything and everyone he knew and loved, her letters tattooed on his fingers.

How foolish of Death to fall in love with Life.

The thought drew a weak and bitter laugh out of him.

Law never imagined he could feel something like this for anyone, that he could ever desire and crave someone the way he did now. He was so tired of trying to bury his feelings deep down, he was already lost, so what was the point anyway? Defeated, Law sighed and closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel, to get lost in the thoughts he had been trying so hard to ignore.

Luffy's face filled his mind—the bright smile, the brown eyes, the dark and messy hair, the way his voice sounded when he shouted that stupid nickname Law had gradually stopped hating, the scar under his eye and the large one on his chest. Remembering Luffy unconscious on his operating table, his chest wide open, was enough to make Law feel sick. He hoped, from the bottom of his heart, that Luffy would never have to go through something like that again. He wished, somehow, to ensure that even the possibility of such a thing happening again would never exist. He was already caring too much, and that was the fucking problem.

Losing his family, everyone he knew, and then Corazon, had left a hole in his chest. When he started his crew, he told himself that it would be completely professional, just a means to an end. The fear of forming bonds, only to have them ripped away without any mercy, made him never want to let anyone in again, never allow himself to care again. But then Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi slowly made their way into his heart, becoming his found family, and it was difficult at first to handle, but over time he got used to it, even though the fear still haunted him. But now, that fear was returning, stronger than ever. He had never felt love like this before, and just the thought of losing Luffy scared him to death. And how was he supposed to deal with it? How, when Luffy was the most reckless person he had ever met?

Law wished he could be with him, to live all the adventures that awaited after they left Wano. He wished he could fight by his side in all the battles to come. He wanted to spend those rare, quiet afternoons sitting next to him, listening to him chatter about anything. He wanted Luffy to lay his head on his shoulder when he wanted to nap on the deck, to hold his hand, to sleep next to him and wake up beside him the next morning. Law wanted Luffy to be the first thing he saw when he woke up and the last thing before he went to sleep. He wanted to touch his face and watch him sleep, to run his fingers through his hair. He wished he could kiss his soft lips, touch his skin, and make him lose his mind, to hold and hide him from the rest of the world.

And how selfish of him, to want to keep the sunlight all to himself.