•With Law being… well, Law, he was obviously uncertain and scared at first when you came to him that day, telling him of your “symptoms”. Those feelings were only amplified when he did verify that you were, in fact, pregnant.

•For the first few weeks, he was stressed. Unsure of what to do. But with your help, he was able to overcome that.

•After that, he had a new stress… being worried about you and the child within you. But; Law, being the doctor he is, would go simply above and beyond to help you through the pregnancy. I mean, really, it doesn’t get better than that.

•He would go week by week with you, informing you of how the infant is growing, how big they are, what parts they’re currently developing, everything.

•Although Law technically has a short temper (sort of?), he wouldn’t be the kind of guy to be mad at his wife for being hormonal, emotional, etc. The man is a doctor!!! He knows what’s going on!!

•Then, the delivery. He would know the early signs of going into labor, and would do everything in his power to make it comfortable for you in advance.

•He’ll never forget the day your daughter was born. ‘Course, he was the one delivering her, so there was nothing he didn’t see. Very unforgettable.

•Would call her “my love”. Or maybe something dumb… like, you know… “baby-ya”…

•Honestly? He’d probably cry. Either he’d walk away to do so alone, or right then and there while holding the child. But never if anyone else but you were around.

•Law would absolutely be the kind of father to take over all the work for the first few months. He barely sleeps anyway, so he’d be the one to stay up all night to take care of her. He’d probably panic and force you to lay back down if you tried getting up at night to help, telling you repeatedly “you need to rest!”.

•But of course, don’t take that in a “he denies you any time to really take care of/bond with the baby” way, He just wants you to rest at night. During the day, he’d be more than happy to let you take over. He’s also a captain of a pirate crew, after all.

•Again, being a doctor, he knows everything about how a child should be growing, what can go wrong, everything. So really, you’d probably have the healthiest child ever. If she even dare gets a cough he’s immediately worried, trying to figure out what the issue is.

•Your daughter would end up having his hair color, but your eyes and a mixture of his sharp facial features and your own features.

•Bepo is now her personal pet polar bear, I don’t make the rules, sorry Law (but of course… he still cuddles with Bepo, just now with your daughter joining).

•As she grows into a toddler, Law would let her play with the crew more. Mostly Bepo, because what child wouldn’t want to cuddle the cute, friendly polar bear?!

•The submarine would 100% always be filled with the adorable laughter of the little girl, with the goofy crewmates always making her laugh.

•Although Law would normally find a kid scream-laughing and giggling annoying, your daughter’s laughs would soon become one of his favorite sounds.

•And as she grows more adventurous with her little legs now allowing her to run, Law would become very protective over the girl.

• Would probably send her (with you, of course) down to the bottom of the submarine to hide if there was ever a battle/fight. Even though she insists she’s strong like her mommy and daddy.

•And more on that note, she wouldn’t be scared of much. I mean, her daddy’s a tall guy with lots of tattoos and piercings who carries a sword around with him everywhere. This little girl fears nothing.

•Now onto more random things:

•Keeps photos of her in your arms throughout her life on his desk.

•She would absolutely pick up on her daddy’s language… even the bad words.

•He lets her steal his hat. Before she existed, that was your job, but you decided she was too cute in it to continue. Now, you steal it for her (as in, picking her up so she can reach it).

• I always like to imagine that reader knows Law from pre time-skip, because let’s be honest: it would take this man quite some time to get comfortable, convincing himself he won’t lose you just because he loves you, and that it’s okay.

• So once he is comfortable, I think pre time- skip Law would like to show you off almost. Less in a doing suggestive things in public way, more in a “that’s MY girlfriend and she’s fucking hot. Nobody can have her but me.” way, like you could just be standing there looking menacing, and he’d be like “that’s my girl.” with a little smirk on his face.

• Post time skip Law would maybe take a similar approach, but keep it more private at the same time. It would be something more subtle, like maybe you have a matching tattoo or something like that, and if anyone asks he’d just say “yeah, it’s for me ‘cause she’s mine. What about it?” And leave it at that.

• But as far as special privileges go, he’d totally let you cuddle with him when you’re alone in bed together. He probably wouldn’t initiate it, but he wouldn’t complain if you curled up against him, with your arms around him.

• When you’re just around the crew and no strangers, he may be open to you holding his hand, or at least just having it resting on top of his. He’d also allow small kisses on his cheeks but no lip kissing, it’s too intimate to do in front of anyone for him. (If he’s a little drunk he’d totally let you sit on his lap and put a hand on your thigh). But he knows his crew wouldn’t judge him and would probably be very happy that he found you, ‘cause otherwise he’d be in a bad mood more often.

• On a more “funny” note, pre time-skip Law would 100% smack your ass randomly just to catch you off guard and make you mad and/or yell. It’s cute to him. Post skip Law may do this, but not quite as often.

• Honestly, I feel like as long as the two of you are alone, Law would be pretty open to many things. Now he wouldn’t baby-talk you, be overly romantic or anything like that. But he’d still kiss you, hug you, talk in a much more kind tone, etc.

• When Law initially meets you, it’s probably during the Saboady arc. And if I remember correctly, Law doesn’t have much interaction with any of the Straw Hats besides Luffy.

• So when he first lays his eyes on you, he sees a shy, timid looking woman. You didn’t really say much at all, but he did notice your soft face becoming one of anger and frustration when you see Camie in the slave auction.

• The next time he sees you is during Punk Hazard. You’re there running with Nami and Chopper, trying to find an exit with the children. Your appearance has changed, but you still resemble that sweet-looking girl from two years ago.

• But his mind is changed when you’re all on the Sunny, leaving the snowy/hot island.

• When Sanji announces pizza for dinner, your face lights up and you jump out of your spot, bee lining for the kitchen.

• That was the first “odd” thing. Law would expect that behavior from Luffy, not somebody like you.

• But then you trip on your way in, letting out a loud “FUCK! God Dammit, motherfucking floor!” Cursing and kicking at the wood underneath you as though it had purposefully tripped you.

• When you’re all in the kitchen eating, Law watches curiously as you practically inhale the pizza. Were you related to Luffy or something?! He didn’t think so based off appearance, but here you were acting just like him (minus the excessive swearing).

• After dinner, you’re all sitting out on the grassy deck enjoying random activities. You and the other two girls are playing some card game while drinking some sort of wine. Law notes how you down it all in seconds without flinching, and then demand Zoro bring you something stronger.

• Caesar makes some annoying comment directed to you, and without even hesitating you throw your cards down, grabbing your choice of weapon from beside you and launching yourself to attack the gas man, who begins screaming in fear.

• In fact, you’re so relentless that Franky has to pull you away, fearing you’ll somehow kill the guy.

• Once you’re cooled off and back to your card game with the girls, Law continues to study you. He can’t tell if he’s scared or fascinated by you.

• When you win the game, you jump up and let out a happy squeal, bragging about how you’ve never been beaten in this particular game.

• Eventually Law decides that he’s indeed fascinated by you and your personality, and maybe… he’s even in love.

You’d been ambushed, this time. Most of the crew had been out on the deck, enjoying the sunshine. It was then that another pirate group attacked, presumably to take any poneglyphs or something of that nature. But, you’d all fought them off, winning the battle. So things seemed alright, until you realized Law wasn’t ordering everyone to go over injuries.

You caught sight of his spotted hat, quickly realizing he was injured, laid on the wooden planks of the deck. “Law!”

You ran over to him, the others gasping as they watched, all wondering aloud if their captain was okay.

Reaching his side, you found that he was clutching a hand to his left arm, and appeared pretty banged up from the fight. You gently grabbed his shoulders, looking your boyfriend over. “Law? Are you okay-“

“I’m fine. Go help the others,” he muttered, trying to act as though he was fine. He always got like this; not liking to accept help or admit that he’d been injured. Law was used to taking care of and healing others, not the reverse situation.

“No, you’re hurt,” you snapped, trying to pull him off the ground. “And I’m going to help you, whether you like it or not.”

He sighed, but decided to stand up for you and allow you to guide him down to the operation room.

—

Other than some bruising, the only concerning injury was the cut on his left arm. Apparently the enemy pirate’s captain had sliced him pretty well. It was nothing that wouldn’t heal, though. So you cleaned the wound before wrapping it up.

As Law grumpily sat on your bed after finishing up in the operation room, you held a warm cloth in your hand, wiping off any dirt or dried blood from his skin. “I can do this myself, y/n,” he grumbled, pouting as he spoke.

“I don’t doubt that,” you lightly chuckled, holding his wrist as you wiped around the tattoo of his right arm. “But you fought so hard, I wanna take care of you. Give you a break, y’know?”

“I’ll be fine,” he tried protesting, but you shook your head.

“Nope, just relax and let me take care of you, baby.”

Law finally sighed, letting his head fall back against his pillows. But he only got to rest for a couple seconds, as you quickly snatched his hat off of him.

“Oi! Y/n, what are you doing?”

“This needs to be cleaned,” you huffed, tossing it to the laundry basket kept in your room. “I don’t want it getting our bed dirty.”

Law rolled his eyes, now leaning on his arms rather than against the pillows. You took the opportunity to get closer to him, running a hand through his messy, raven locks.

“You look so cute like this,” you giggled.

You pushed his dark hair back and away from his forehead, lowering your head down so you could place a kiss on his skin. You smiled, continuing to play with his hair.

“Thank you,” Law suddenly mumbled, and you pulled your face back to look him in the eyes.

“What for?”

“For taking care of me,” he sighed, seeming like he didn’t want to admit it. It was endearing, honestly.

“You don’t have to thank me, baby,” you smiled sweetly, giving him another kiss. “I love taking care of you… actually.”

“Why?” Law asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Uh well you just… seem to overwork yourself, so I… y’know, feel happy seeing you so relaxed…”

“I see,” he whispered against your skin, his hot breath fanning onto it. Carefully, Law raised his hand to pull you down so that your lips could meet his. “I love you, y/n.”

His back would always be hunched over, right arm folded underneath his head which was halfway smushed into the desk. Law’s left arm would hang loosely by his side, lightly swaying as his chest rose and fell with every breath he took. Honestly, the sight was endearing, almost cute, but it always upset you to see he’d overworked himself yet again. 

Walking to his side quietly, you gently placed a hand onto your husband’s shoulder, slowly rubbing your palm against the skin to gradually wake him.

“Law,” you whispered, giving him an expectant look as you waited for him to awaken. 

He grumbled something incoherent, turning his head in the opposite direction of where you stood beside him.

“Law,” you tried again, gently shaking him this time. “Wake up. You fell asleep at your desk again.”

Law groaned this time, slowly raising his head up before rubbing his face with his left hand. “What time is it?” He asked you, voice hoarse and rough.

“Eleven.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, then?” He further questioned, slowly blinking as he tried waking himself up more.

“Eleven in the morning, Law,” you clarified with the rolling of your eyes. “You’ve been in here since… what, ten last night?”

“Ah, shit,” he cursed, voice clearing as he seemed fully conscious now. “M’sorry, y/n.”

“No, Law,” you shook your head. “Don’t apologize, okay? You’re stressed, baby.”

“No I’m not,” he denied, pouting his lips as soon as he was done speaking.

You giggled, “mhm. Still, I want you to relax for once.”

“I’m clearly relaxed right now,” Law argued, gesturing to how he was half-laying at his desk.

“No, if anything you’re straining your back too much and ruining your posture. Come on, Law. You’re the doctor here. You should know this better than anyone,” you lectured, placing your hands on your hips and raising an eyebrow at your lover.

“As a doctor, it’s my job to take care of others,” he replied, finally standing up and stretching. 

Law raised his arms above his head, hands forming into fists as his limbs seemingly trembled, a yawn escaping his lips as he stretched. The sight was a pleasing one to you, and if it hadn’t been for your concerned behavior over your husband, you would’ve been shamelessly admiring the view before you.

“So you’ll take care of others but not yourself?” You questioned, in reference to his comment before you’d nearly become distracted.

“Who says I have to?” 

Sighing, you crossed your arms and gave the raven-haired man a deadpanned look, “you’re so childish, Law.”

“Could be worse,” he hummed, giving you a lazy smirk. “You could’ve married that idiot Euastass. Or even Mugiwara-ya.”

Amused, you scoffed with a smile playing on your lips. “Luffy is hardly an adult, even if he technically is one. Kidd… creeps me out, so…”

“So you picked the right one?” Law tried finishing your sentence, a smile forming on his face.

“Sure,” you giggled. “Because at least you shower.” 

Law let out a loud, genuine laugh at your statement. His laughter caused you to go from quiet giggles to joining in on the more audible amusement. 

“Speaking of which, maybe you should take a bath?”

“Why? We never do that, waste’s too much time-“

“Because I want you to relax,” you explained, already shoving Law out of his office and back toward your bedroom. 

He let out an annoyed groan, but really, you could tell Law was looking forward to the princess treatment, at the way he simply let you drag him into the bathroom. 

—

Once he was in the bath, you sat up on the ledge behind him, working shampoo into his messy black hair. Law leaned into your touch, drumming his tattooed fingers against the edge of the tub as you massaged his scalp.

Gently, you used your nails to scratch at his hair, and you could’ve sworn your husband was a cat, at the way he leaned further into you and practically purred with satisfaction.

After Law’s hair was clean, you massaged his back and shoulders with some body soap in your hands. The black tattoos on his tanned body seemingly disappeared underneath the foamy substance, the room filling with a sweet scent as you worked away.

Once the bath was done, you finally got Law into bed, making sure he had plenty of pillows and would be nice and warm underneath the blankets. 

“I’m not leaving until I know you’re asleep,” you said, with a teasing tone. “Then I’ll go ahead and make you some breakfa-“ your eyes flicked to the clock, which read twelve-forty five. “-lunch, rather. ‘Kay?”

“Okay,” Law agreed, playfully raising an eyebrow at you before closing his eyes. And honestly, you were surprised at how quickly he fell asleep. He must’ve been really tired.

Smiling, you hopped off the bed and made your way to the kitchen, figuring you should make something Law would especially enjoy waking up to. 

The party was tonight, so naturally you were stressing over what to wear. You’d found a sparkly red dress that reached your mid-thigh. As well as a dark green velvet dress that was nearly ankle length, but with a slit down the side. You had both laid out on the bed, staring and contemplating for what felt like hours over which one you should wear.

You were broken out of your hectic train of thought when Law suddenly entered the room, who then scoffed and rolled his eyes at the sight before him.

“You still haven’t decided which dress?”

“No! And it’s driving me insane!” You cried, throwing your head into your palms.

“Just wear the red one,” he answered for you, “it’ll match me.”

You lifted your head in surprise, “match you?”

Law nodded, taking the green dress off the bed and bringing it back to your shared closet. “You’ll see.”

—

An hour and a half later, you were ready for the party, red dress on and your hair/makeup all done as you liked. You’d also picked out a pair of black heels to wear.

You’d been trying to figure out how you would be matching with Law when 90% of his wardrobe was black clothing with the same jeans. That was, until you saw him as you went to leave the ship.

He had black pants on, with just the jacket of a suit, but there was a small red flower in the pocket of his jacket. You smiled at the sight.

You didn’t have a chance to comment on it as Luffy began screaming from the Sunny for you all to get over. So, you did exactly that. Once on the other crew’s ship, you could feel your skin burn in shyness. It wasn’t that you were overdressed or anything, but you suddenly felt bashful with all these men who weren’t Law seeing you look so… dressed up.

And this would prove to be a problem when a certain cook wouldn’t shut up about how hot you looked.

Feeling flustered, you decided to head off to a quieter area underneath one of the trees on the ship’s deck. Of course, Law noticed you and followed promptly.

As you stepped into the shadows of the tree, you ran a hand through your hair and crossed your arms over your chest.

“You alright?” Law asked, concerned.

“Yes, just…um,” you stammered, unsure of how to word it. Law raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Just not used to having people see me look so…” you gestured to yourself. “I feel kinda… exposed?”

“I see,” Law said, looking you over. “You look perfectly fine to me. Besides, anyone who looks at you creepily gets their head cut off.”

You giggled, face growing warm at Law’s words. You then remembered the red flower on his jacket.

“That’s what you meant by us matching?” You asked, nodding your head toward it.

“Yeah,” Law answered with a smile.

Then, your moment alone was interrupted by somebody.

“Haha! Look! Traffy’s under the mistletoe!” Luffy shouted, pointing in your direction.

You looked above where you were standing to see that, sure enough, there was a mistletoe dangling from the tree.

“Ah! And so is y/n-san! Dammit! Switch with me, Trafalgar!” Sanji yelled, throwing his arms up in frustration.

“No, Sanji!” Luffy interrupted the cook’s tantrum, “they have to kiss! Right now! Do it, do it!”

Then more people gathered to see it… and you felt yourself becoming more flustered and overwhelmed.

“Um… maybe not here?” You mumbled shyly, trying to hide your burning face.

“Nope! Right here!” Luffy laughed.

You looked to Law, unsure of what to do.

“It’s fine,” he reassured you. “I don’t care if they see.”

But that only made your face grow hotter. You were completely frozen now, embarrassed and wishing Law would just teleport the two of you off this damn ship. You watched in (somewhat) horror as Law pulled you closer to him, his face nearing yours.

“L-Law, they’re-“

“Shh,” was all that he said before connecting his lips with your own. As he did so, there was whistling and shouting coming from the crowd that had gathered around.

As Law parted from you, you couldn’t help but grab his jacket and shove your face into his neck in a pathetic attempt to hide from everyone. And of course that only made them laugh more. “Hey! She’s clearly embarrassed, let’s leave them alone, idiots!” Nami suddenly shouted, shooing the crowd away.

Finally, it was just you and Law.

So, despite Law’s worries of staying in one place for too long, he decided to let the crew have their way at least this year. But next year? Absolutely not, he’d said.

He’d found a winter island that had many cabins for rent, and docked the Polar Tang at the island’s port. It was a small hike up to the mountains where the cabins were located, and then you all got situated in the largest cabin with multiple rooms for everyone to sleep in.

During the first day, the crew was mostly messing around, having multiple snowball fights a day and snowmen building contests. Law, naturally, refused to participate. But you did catch him watching you, only you specifically, through the window. You’d smiled, thinking it was cute that he wished to be with you.

Then the second day was a shopping day. Most of the crew headed down to the town and gathered food items, any other necessities, and also shopped for presents. You’d gone off separately with Law, just to get away from everyone for a bit.

The two of you had gone to a few stores but found nothing much. Until Law figured out there was an antique shop that sold those odd special coins he collected. He’d spent nearly thirty minutes in there, trying to find something.

When he’d returned to your side empty handed, you were confused. “Couldn’t find anything?”

“Nah. There was one I’ve been looking for, but the guy said he wasn’t selling it.”

“Damn, that sucks,” you said, taking his hand in yours as you two headed off.

You walked for a bit longer before stopping in a liquor shop, where Law spent another good half-hour looking for something nice. You’d managed to sneak off and run back to the antique shop, determined to get that coin for Law.

—

That evening the crew was sitting around the living area, drinking and telling stupid stories and playing dumb games. Law sat next to you on the couch closest to the fireplace, arms crossed as he watched the chaos before him.

You figured with the crew goofing off and distracted, now would be a good time to give Law his gift. The alcohol in your system must’ve made you forget that Christmas wasn’t for another two days, so you had no reason to give it to him right away.

“Law, I want to show you something.”

He turned his head to look your way, curious about what it was. His gray eyes lit up once you pulled the coin out of your pocket.

“What? How’d you get it?” He questioned, seemingly confused yet still excited.

“Persuasion,” you winked, pulling your dagger out from your jacket and waving it in the air.

“Damn you, you’re such a filthy criminal. I love it- er, you,” he stammered.

Then your eyes lit up and your face grew hot, blush appearing on your cheeks. Blush that wasn’t from the cold.

Law, saying such an intimate thing, in front of the whole crew? Was it the fact that he was tipsy, or just the emotions from the sentimental gift? Whatever it was, you didn’t care.

You wrapped your arms around him, holding him close and placing a kiss on his cheek. “I love you too… but more,” you giggled.

“No, I love you more, obviously,” he argued, rolling his eyes.

“Hey! Can you two just get a room if you’re gonna act like that?” Penguin suddenly yelled out, pointing at you and Law.

“Yeah, you’re the one who insisted on having a room for just you and y/n!” Shachi added.

“If you’re all unhappy sharing this one space, you can leave. You’re all the ones who insisted on coming to this place,” Law stated.

“Captain’s right,” Bepo said, scratching his head, “besides, they’re having a nice moment… and we just interrupted them…”

“Just forget about it,” Law sighed.

You couldn’t understand why. You’d certainly never done anything to warrant this reaction from him, and couldn’t recall ever saying something that would set Law off like this. To tell the truth, you almost felt heartbroken. Law had basically been your best friend for years now; you’d been the fifth member to join the Heart Pirates, only a year after the boys had set sail. You became adults together, trained together and learned to fight alongside each other, established a name for yourselves as you traveled throughout the North Blue and, now- as you make your way toward the Red Line. 

To make things worse, your feelings toward him had become complicated lately. You didn’t even know when it happened, but all of a sudden you were infatuated with Law. One day out of nowhere, you realized your best friend was no longer an awkward lanky teen, but now a handsome man. And his creepy mannerisms that were endearing to you, suddenly had you feeling flustered. Law hadn’t even done anything differently, it was just that one day you woke up and your heart longed for him. 

But you’d decided to not act on your feelings. You’d be forever angry with yourself if confessing to him ruined your friendship. Possibly make it bad enough that you’d have to leave the crew altogether. The thought of that alone had you feeling terrible. 

So now, it was like your fears were coming true. Had Law somehow figured out that you liked him? Was he upset that now instead of being a friend, you were just romantically interested in him? 

It had become evident to your crewmates that something was wrong between you and the captain. You could see their odd looks, the confused faces they made whenever Law became short with you or awkwardly left the room when you walked in. And they could clearly see the effect it was having on you. 

It was late, definitely past midnight at this point. Unable to sleep, you dragged yourself up to the kitchen to have a late night snack and try to distract yourself from the fact that things were looking terrible for you. Your Captain didn’t wish to be around you anymore. Your best friend of five years didn’t consider you his friend any longer.

You don’t know what gave away that you were up in the kitchen this late, but two visitors came to sit with you as you sat at the dining table, twiddling your thumbs out of boredom. Shachi and Penguin sat down on either side of you. 

“Y/n, somethings not right,” Shachi started to say, but he trailed off as if he didn’t know how to word things.

“You and Captain… Did something happen?” Penguin asked, sounding a bit nervous as he spoke.

All you could do was shake your head, already feeling the tears threatening to spill.

“No?!” They both nearly shouted, sounding just as shocked as the other. 

“Nothing happened. He just doesn’t… wanna be around me anymore, I guess.”

Leaning forward to look around you, your two friends gave each other a weird look and now you were the one who was confused. “What’s with that look? Is there something I don’t know?”

“Did you ever… consider how the captain feels about this?” Shachi questioned.

“W-well, I’m sure he thinks I did something wrong. I just don’t know what-“

“No, no,” Penguin interrupted you, “did it occur to you that maybe the captain… is hiding something different from you?”

You scoffed, folding your arms in front of your chest. “And what would that be? His disdain for me is quite obvious.”

Both men shook their heads. “You’ve got the wrong idea, y/n,” Penguin continued, “hang tight, we’ll be right back.”

“Huh?” You were seriously confused, completely clueless to what they were scheming.

But they didn’t answer you, and left the room. A heavy sigh left your lips, and you slumped backward into your seat. It was obvious they knew something that you weren’t aware of.

You expected them to return by themselves, maybe with some sort of message from Law or information about how he’d reacted to the same question they’d asked you. But what you hadn’t expected was this.

“What could be so important that I need to go in the kitchen at one in the morning?!” Law’s voice shouted at them. 

“Just go in! You two need to work this out, Captain!”

Before Law could protest, Penguin swung the door open while Shachi shoved Law inside, and they slammed the door shut as soon as the raven haired man was completely in the kitchen with you. Alone.

“Dammit! You two, open this door- ugh,” Law cursed before turning to face you. “I see what this is about now…”

You stared at Law with a confused but almost scared look on your face. “I don’t understand…”

“I was wondering why Bepo came into my office to interrogate me this late at night. It seems like those two had done the same to you, yeah?”

You nodded, confirming Law’s suspicions. As you did, he put a hand to his face before sliding it backwards into his messy hair, an annoyed groan escaping his lips.

“Y/n. I, fuck. I’ve been a shitty friend lately-“

“You’re just now realizing that?!” You shouted, anger suddenly consuming you. “I’ve been wondering what went wrong for weeks, Law! I thought you wanted me gone!”

“Y/n-“

“What did I do? Why won’t you even look at me anymore?” You cried to him, begging to know why Law seemingly hated you now.

“Because I’m- dammit, I’ve been so scared of losing you that I never said it- Y/n I…

“I think I’m in love with you.” The words left him hastily, like he’d been terrified of saying them. 

Any doubts you had were then destroyed, as you now stared at Law with wide eyes, shocked that this was the real reason behind everything. He… was in love with you?!

“Please say something, so I know I didn’t just fuck everything up,” he pleaded, voice incredibly silent and nearly broken.

“Law, I…” you started to cry, “I’ve been in love with you this whole time… and I was terrified of telling you because I thought- …I thought you’d hate me.”

You hadn’t even realized that he’d moved to stand by where you sat. As you wiped your puffy eyes and started to look upwards, you noticed this. Standing up, you threw your arms around Law without a second thought, wanting nothing more than to feel his comforting embrace.

Law returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around you and keeping you close. You lay your head on his shoulder, hands fisting up bunches of his hoodie as they lay against his back.

 “I’d never hate you, Y/n,” Law whispered, placing a kiss onto your head. “I want you with me, forever,” another kiss was placed on you, but Law didn’t pull away this time.

While your crewmates and close friends stayed at the front of the ship, drinking and having fun with each other, you and your lover found a quiet place to go; something you knew he’d enjoy much more. 

Law’s back was pressed against the yellow walls of the ship’s entryway, his legs spread on the floor so that you could sit between them. One of his hands was wrapped around to gently hold you, his thumb occasionally rubbing comfortingly against the soft skin of your lower abdomen. His right hand was laid out on the wooden deck’s floor, with your hand right on top, fingers halfway interlaced. 

You leaned back into him, quietly watching the stars above you as his chin rested on your head, doing the same as you. The moment was too perfect; you and Law relaxing under the stars, spending your evening as two lovers sneaking away from the others to simply cuddle while stargazing. And as you were doing so, something appeared before you that prompted you to turn to Law with delight.

“Did you see that?!” You asked, eyes twinkling as you grinned. “A shooting star, Law!”

“I did,” he replied, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “why don’t you make a wish?”

“Hmm. Okay, I wish to be your-“

“Shh- Y/n, you know you’re not supposed to say it out loud,” he scolded you, and you laughed at his occasional childish behavior. A side of him you loved to see.

You nodded, relaxing against him once again before laying your head on his shoulder, arms wrapped around his lean frame. “I think you knew what I was gonna say anyway,” you giggled, breath warm against his neck.

His breath hitched, and you weren’t sure if it was from your statement or the feeling of your breathing tickling him. Either way, it prompted you to lightly giggle again.

“Y-yeah,” he started to say. But then he paused, and his tone indicated that he was hesitant.

“Yeah what?” You pry, wanting to know what was on your lover’s mind.

“I- I knew what you were gonna say,” he answered, leaning his head into yours. He kept still for a moment, before moving away. As you slipped out of his lap, Law stood up behind you, so you turned to look up at him.

There was a look on his face that meant he wanted to say something, but was unsure about how to go about saying it. You raised an eyebrow, curious about what he was thinking. Law reached downward and held his hands out for you, which you gladly grabbed onto. As he took your hands into his tattooed ones, he raised you up from the ground slowly, like the way a prince would do so for his princess in a fairytale. 

He continued to hold onto your hands when you finally stood up against him, smiling at him to try and let him know you wanted to hear more. His eyes couldn’t meet yours, but you knew he was just nervous. 

“Y/n, I-“ he hesitated again, swallowing thickly, “will you- uh,” he trailed off, biting his lip.

“Hm? What is it, Law?”

“Stay with me forever?” He finally got the words out, quickly spilling from his lips as he stumbled through them. But he sounded sincere.

“Of course I’ll stay with you forever,” you raised your head to meet his, placing a firm kiss against his lips. “Is that all?”

“N-no, y/n. What I mean is… uh, forever as in, getting married.”

Your eyes then widened, a gasp falling from your lips as you stared at him in shock. “Are you sure? I thought you didn’t-“

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently,” he began to explain, looking directly at you now, “I really want you to be my wife. At first I was afraid because it’d put you in more danger, and I didn’t want to lose you like I lost my family. But I’ve changed my mind. I wanted to ask you now, before it’s too late.”

Tears began to well up in your eyes, and all you could do was press your face into his chest, overcome with so much joy you didn’t know what to do. “Law…”

“You’re the only woman I’ll ever want, there’s so many things I thought I’d never experience or long for until I met you. I just want a life with you, forever.” He finished, his words being slightly muffled as he talked into your hair. “Also, I uh- I don’t have a ring yet,” he added, voice awkward now.

“Yes, Law,” you cried, hugging him tighter than you ever had before. “Fuck, I’ve been waiting so long for you to ask. Please marry me, make me your wife.”

Law smiled into your hair as you continued to cling onto him, and he held you for what felt like hours. 

But then things that contradicted the hints would happen. Random days where Law avoids you like the plague, only speaking to you by sending someone with a message from him. Or the way he could never seem to look you in the eyes. 

It was a constant argument within your head, fighting over if your captain simply disliked you or if it was something else… 

You’d tried dropping hints to him, things like, saying “I’m glad you’re letting me assist you so much, Captain.” When he’d request you to help him with random things in the operating room, or telling him “I like spending time like this… just us,” when you’d help him in his office or within the library. You’d tried looking at him in a way that indicated you were infatuated with him, having purposefully loud conversations with Ikkaku, who knew of your little situationship, telling her “I just have a thing for guys with dark, messy hair, or even tattoos”, and you’d even tried straight up complimenting Law at least once a day, and still, he didn’t seem to be aware of what you felt.

Tonight you were all docked at an island to refuel the submarine. And since you guys couldn’t leave for quite some time, most of your crewmates had gone up to the nearest town, searching for a bar to pass time in.

Even as you walked alongside Ikkaku, watching as Law was dragged by Shachi, Penguin and Bepo a good twenty feet ahead, you had no idea that everything you’d been dealing with would come to a halt within a couple hours.

You chose to dress simply as you knew you’d be tired before everyone else, and didn’t want to have to deal with walking back to the submarine in an uncomfortable over-the-top outfit or shoes. Jean shorts, and a cute cropped shirt. Another thing you had no clue about having significance later on.

The bar was your average one that welcomed pirates, so it wasn’t exactly the nicest place. But it would do for what your crewmates wanted. You sat with your fellow female crewmate at a bar table, a bit further into a corner and away from where he was. Ikkaku had encouraged you to have some liquid courage, and then try flirting with Law. However you just… weren’t feeling it.

You barely took sips from your drink, a hand holding up your head as you lazily watched your surroundings. It was loud, your male crewmates were being obnoxious, and you were tired. The last thing you needed was to aimlessly flirt with Law, who seemingly would never pick up on your antics.

It had been a good hour into sitting around when Ikkaku left you to go drunkenly dance. Of course, you had no interest, and it seemed like somebody else also wanted no part in it.

Law now sat alone at the bar, barely touching his own drink. His arms were crossed in front of him, and he was a bit slouched over as though he were pouting. You figured this was due to him, like you, not wanting to be here. The moment seemed so perfect, it was a good chance to talk to him; “seems like you don’t wanna hang around here either. You wanna ditch this party, Captain?”

But before you could finally work up the courage to go talk to him, a few girls walked in from the front door. It seemed like they were locals, who’d probably caught wind of the pirate party and wanted to join in on the fun. Expecting them to go dance and fool around with the others, you began to watch in shock as three of them headed straight for your captain. One girl, a blonde, sat on the stool to Law’s left. The other two were standing, though one was leaning on the counter beside the blonde. You could see their mouths moving, and you could also see that Law’s mouth opened ever so slightly, and he stared at them, perhaps in surprise? They’d taken him aback, for sure, but how was he feeling about it?

You could only pray that he wanted nothing to do with them.

Growing increasingly more frustrated, you too, crossed your arms and stared at the group, eyebrows furrowed together. Your mind was screaming at your to control yourself, to not look so damn angry, but it was impossible. They were even touching him! Running a hand down his arm and playing it off as an accident, while laughing in their annoying high-pitched voices. What made it worse was that you knew Law hated physical affection, and he was doing nothing to stop these girls.

While your blood was boiling with anger, apparently the girls took notice of you watching with daggers in your eyes. They’d commented on it, which prompted Law to turn his head in your direction, where he raised an eyebrow in surprise. Was he genuinely not expecting you to be so mad? After you’d been putting all your effort into trying to subtly tell him you liked him, and yet he never seemed to respond?!

You hadn’t even noticed, but tears were threatening to spill from your eyes. Those girls were obviously gorgeous, and dressed exactly how you’d decided not to for tonight. Did Law think they were prettier than you, and that’s why he didn’t seem to mind them touching him or being so close? You couldn’t even look anymore, repulsed at the thought of your Law being like that; another sleazy pirate who didn’t mind the company of random women throwing themselves at him. 

Your face was in your hands, your mind racing as you tried to get that image out of your head. Law sleeping around. It bothered you so much, and you didn’t even have a reason to rightfully be upset. Because he wasn’t yours, and it seemed like now, he didn’t want you at all.

“Y/n,” his deep voice shook you aware from your thoughts, startling you as you quickly looked up at him, recomposing yourself. “Y-yes, Captain?”

“You don’t look like you’re feeling well,” he said, and you couldn’t tell if he was lying or not, “as your captain and doctor, I wanna make sure you’re okay.” Was this some poor excuse or was he genuinely clueless?

“N-no, I’m okay,” you lied, biting your lip. An action that all but gave you away. 

You could hear Law sigh, and he shook his head, “y/n, if you want, we can go outside to discuss it-“

“I said I’m fine, I don’t need any sort of medical attention,” you snapped, rolling your eyes with a pout.

“I’m not asking,” Law stated in a more firm tone. “We’re going outside. Now.”

Sighing, you hopped off the barstool and followed Law outside. He led you away from the noisy bar, way down the path closer to the dock. He stopped halfway down, stepping off the path to go sit near a cliff. You copied his actions, reluctantly sitting down beside him.

The spot he’d picked was actually quite nice, it had a beautiful view of the night sky overlooking the calm sea. You’d got so caught up in looking at it that you nearly forgot about how upset you were moments ago.

Law’s heavy sigh tore you out of that, though, and you discreetly glanced at him. “Thank fucking god,” he said, taking his hat off and running a hand through his raven locks. “I thought they’d never go away.”

“Hm?” You hummed, confused at what Law meant.

“Those girls. No matter how uninterested or bored I looked, they wouldn’t shut the fuck up,” Law explained. 

Then it all clicked in your head.

“You- what? So you weren’t interested?” You questioned, eyes widening with realization.

“Of course not,” Law answered, “what? You jealous or something?”

You couldn’t reply to that, because… yeah. You had been jealous. 

“Y/n. I wanna ask you something,” he then said, clearing his throat. He didn’t speak for a moment, which prompted you to look at him again. He was looking right at you, and for once, your eyes met Law’s.

“Have you uh… been dropping, um, hints to me?” He nervously asked, eyes looking downward and away from yours.

Your breathing hitched as it all hit you; Law was finally noticing that this entire time, you’d been in love with him. “Holy fuck, Law. Yes, you finally noticed?”

He chuckled, nodding and looking back at you. Your heart began to race as he looked at you with a smirk, one that wasn’t cocky or rude in nature. He was being genuine.

“I just- you seemed to not care that they were touching you, and they’re just… um,” your voice grew more quiet as you continued, “they’re so much prettier than I am, so-“

“What?” Law cut you off. “Y/n, they aren’t anything compared to you. You’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever met.”

Your eyes widened as you stared at Law in surprise, face suddenly burning hot with blush. Law… thought of you like that? This whole time?

“Y/n,” he continued, sucking in a deep breath first, “I want only you. Not some random girl who thinks they can just flirt their way into sleeping with me.”

“You- you do? Just me?” You repeated, stomach doing backflips as he confessed to you. “Law, I- fuck…” you couldn’t help the tears that slipped past your lashes. 

Before you could collapse into the palms of your hands, Law moved to pull you into a hug, his arms wrapping around you snugly. His body seemed stiff, though, making it evident he was still nervous. You supposed he really was never one to have any interest in love.

“I’m sorry I took so damn long to pick up on your signals,” Law whispered into your ear, a tattooed hand now running through your hair soothingly. “But I’ve loved you, only you, this whole time.” 

Feeling bold, you giggled as you thought of what Ikkaku would think of this after you’d refused to approach him back in the bar. Wrapping your arms around Law’s neck, you smiled at him, glancing between his gold eyes and pretty lips. He seemed to get your message this time, wasting no time in cupping your face, bringing it to his and connecting your lips with his. 

And of course, to nobody’s surprise, when Cat Viper had suggested having a banquet, your captain jumped at the chance to have one. You could only hope that nobody would drag you off to dance or get drunk with them, though. That thought replayed in your mind, as you watched the Minks, your crew and Law’s crew all interact. Please nobody bother me… was the wishful thought you kept thinking. 

Nami briefly came over to where you sat under a tree, tilting her head to the side with a semi-sour look on her face. “What’s the matter y/n? Normally you like banquets.”

You brought a hand to your forehead, rubbing it as though that could help the headache all the noise was giving you. “I just feel like shit since Dressrosa… sorry,” you explained, giving Nami an apologetic look. She was your best friend, therefore you two always had the most fun together during banquets.

“I swear, those boys,” she scoffed, blaming your exhaustion on them. It was partially true, anyway. “Always getting so rowdy… I’ll tell them to leave you alone. Maybe you should go rest?” Nami suggested.

“Yeah, I think I will. Not now, though.” You agreed, pausing after the latter half of your sentence.

“Why’s that?” Nami asked.

“The banquet started barely an hour ago. Don’t wanna leave too early, haha,” you added a lighthearted laugh so that Nami would know you’re not in too much pain.

“I see. Well, I’ll talk to you later, k?” She smiled down at you.

“Mhm. Bye,” you waved her off as Nami skipped away, going to bother Usopp next.

You continued to sit alone underneath the tree for what felt like hours. But realistically, you guessed that only thirty minutes had passed. You watched as Luffy and Chopper did their usual chopsticks ‘trick’ for all the minks, who were hysterically laughing at the scene. A quiet giggle escaped you, and you shook your head. 

“It’s no wonder you’ve got a headache with crewmates like that,” a deep voice came from beside you, startling you. You looked to your left to see Law, whom you’d actually become pretty good friends with since the alliance started. You often wondered if you were the one and only exception to the “alliance does not equal friendship” rule.

“Jeez, you scared me,” you laughed, smiling as the other captain sat down beside you, knees bent upward so that his arms could rest on them. 

“Just checking on you,” he hummed, but then you noticed his ears turning red as he quickly looked away from you. “S-since I heard you tell Nami about… y’know.”

You giggled in response, thinking about how cute Law looked like this. He was certainly flustered, but was that because he was just awkward or did he have… other feelings for you?

“Yeah, it’s gotten better though,” you said, in reference to the headache. “But I’m still tired,” you yawned.

“Same here,” Law added, seeming stoic once again. 

The two of you continued to sit together underneath the tree, not really making much conversation. It’s not like you needed to, anyway. You’d learned that Law, much like yourself, preferred to be more laid back and quietly watch rather than party. So the two of you spending time together like this was really nice, actually. Every now and then, one of you would say something just to make sure that the other hadn’t fallen asleep. This continued on for another hour or so, before you accidentally started something;

You raised your arms up to stretch as you yawned, repositioning yourself against the tree. However, when you lowered your hands, you accidentally placed your left one directly on top of Law’s tattooed hand.

He quietly gasped, and you quickly snatched your hand away, face turning red. “S-sorry,” you squeaked out, trying to avoid eye contact with the surgeon.

Law’s face was equally as red, though, “no I don’t mi- I mean, uh, don’t worry about it,” he managed to say, stammering and stuttering his words. That was unusual for him. 

After that interaction, you both gradually scooted closer and closer to each other, and before you knew it, you were pressed up against Law, the skin of your arms brushing against each other. You hesitantly laid your head onto his shoulder, feeling bold.

He jumped just a little, but didn’t verbally protest or make any movements that indicated he wanted you to stop. You smiled at that. I’m definitely the exception to the alliance rule. Possibly even more… I hope.

Your face once again flushed red as you thought about that. You and Law, together? What would your crew have to say about that? 

“Y/n-ya,” he suddenly spoke up, turning his head to look at you.

“Yeah?” You breathed, looking up at him from where you rested your head on his shoulder.

“Wanna sneak out of here?” He asked, a smirk on his lips. A smirk that had your heart beating faster and faster, as you thought about wiping said smirk off his lips. With your lips.

You could only nod, the butterflies in your stomach making your mind race with thoughts about what Law intended on doing once you snuck away. 

He stood up first, holding a hand out for you to grab onto. Gently, you placed your hand into his and he pulled you up. A bit too fast, though, as you stumbled forward once on your feet. Directly into his chest.

For a second, you were pressed against his body, head lightly landing underneath his chin. You pulled back, though, biting your lip as you felt your face flush with embarrassment, again.

“Sorry. Seems like I’m being very clumsy tonight,” you giggled, willing yourself to look back at Law. 

He still looked down at you with a slight smile, and gosh, was he so charming right now. Your little crush on the Heart Pirate’s captain seemed to be turning into you being in love with him, now.

Law guided you back to one of the many tree-houses, the one he’d been staying in, specifically. There were a couple dimly lit candles illuminating the room, and you looked around as you stepped further inside. He certainly kept his space very neat, which only made you love him more. You were so used to the boys trashing everything and not caring enough to clean up.

He sat down on the bed, patting the spot to his right with his hand. You sat next to him, eyes still wandering around the room as you waited for him to break the silence. 

“Y/n, I wanna tell you something,” Law then quietly said. You were a bit taken aback that he hadn’t added the usual “-ya” to your name. He must’ve been serious.

You simply looked at him, waiting for Law to continue with hopeful eyes. 

“I know when the alliance started, I said this was strictly a no friendliness thing. But- I. Um,” he scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly. “I’ve changed my mind. For you, at least.”

“That’s nice to know,” you said, trying to not look disappointed that he hadn’t confessed his love for you. “I'm glad we can be friends.”

“That’s not all,” he then added, sparking hope within you once again. “I… want to go further than ‘just friends’. Y/n… I, fuck, this is so awkward,” he cursed, placing a hand over his face as though he was disappointed with himself. “I- I love you, okay?”

With the words now out, Law turned his head away, fearing that you’d reject him. But how could you? He was the most handsome man you’d ever met, and was nothing like the rowdy, filthy boys on your crew. Smiling, you placed your hands on each side of his face, turning him to face you. 

“I'm glad you feel that way, too,” you whispered, before doing something you’d never thought you’d ever do;

You’d felt his breath on your lips for just a second, and decided you had  to do it now before you changed your mind. Leaning your head up and forward, you swiftly connected your lips with Law’s, slowly easing the two of you into the kiss as it seemed you were both inexperienced. It took a couple moments of stiff, awkward kissing before you finally figured out how to fit your lips against his. Feeling weak in the knees despite sitting down, you swooned and deepened the kiss, loving the way his lips felt against your own.

Before you knew it, you were practically shoving your tongues down each other’s throats, your hands still firmly holding onto Law with his arms now wrapped around your body, holding you close to him. 

When you finally parted a few inches away to get some air into your lungs, your body flushed with hotness as your mixed saliva strung together between your lips. Was that how heavy your make out had been? It was thrilling, honestly.

You licked your lips and went in for another kiss, but before you could fully connect your mouth with Law’s, the door burst open as your captain rushed inside the room. “Oi! Torao! You need to come down and- hey! Why’s y/n in here?!” 

You stared with wide eyes and a reddened face at your captain, realizing you and Law were still holding each other, faces not even an inch apart. “Get out of here! Now!” Law yelled, causing your captain to laugh as he retreated with a “sorry, sorry.”

As the door shut again, you could hear Luffy say one more thing; “Torao can’t come right now! He’s too busy shoving his face into y/n’s. Hey, why are they doing that?”

The last bit of Luffy’s statement sounded quite confused, but you couldn’t hear anybody’s response as their voices faded away, and it was just you and Law again.

“Sorry about that, he doesn’t understand-“

“You don’t need to keep apologizing to me, you know? Though it’s cute to see you get embarrassed,” Law cut you off, kissing you again as he finished speaking. He ran a tattooed hand through your hair as he did so, making your heart skip a few beats.

“Right. Sorry- I mean, um. So, now what? Are we dating?” You asked, a playful smile on your lips.

“Yeah, we’ll just have to see what your captain says about that,” Law answered with a light chuckle. “I don’t think I’ll be able to part from you after all this.”

“I wouldn’t dare dream of it,” you whispered, looking into his gray eyes. “I wanna be with you, always, Law…”

Currently, the crew had a very somber goodbye party going for their captain. You couldn’t bring yourself to join them, however, as the dreadful thought of being separated from Law replayed in your mind. You were in his room, laying on his side of the bed, crying. You couldn’t even remember how long ago you’d gone in there. All you could think of was being away from him, all alone and how your anxiety would only amplify as soon as he stepped foot off the submarine. How could you not worry, being away from him for months and months, with absolutely no way to contact him? 

The sheets were balled up in your fists, and you laid on your side, nose buried in the pillow that smelled of your lover. It was pathetic, honestly. That you already missed him so much that you wanted to only be surrounded by his scent. 

At this point, your tears were drying up as you started calming down. With your mouth hung open as you softly breathed, you stared ahead at the wall, desperately clinging onto hope that he’d change his mind. But you knew he wouldn’t.

It was then that the door to the bedroom opened, startling you. You raised your head up, and the tears came flooding back, stronger than ever, as you saw Law standing in the doorway, looking heartbroken at the sight of you.

“Y/n… have you been down here the entire time?” He asked, voice heavy as though he was going to break at any second.

You could only nod, confirming Law’s suspicions. Not wasting anymore time, he kicked off his shoes and pulled his shirt off, climbing into the bed to hold you.

Your breathing heightened as you felt his warm arms wrap around your cold body, his breaths falling hot against the skin of your neck.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come down here sooner,” he whispered directly into your ear, sending shivers down your spine. God, you’d miss his voice. 

“It’s okay,” you mumbled, closing your eyes before more tears came running down. “You should’ve spent time with the crew anyway, since you won’t be seeing them after tomorrow.”

“By that logic, I should be spending more time with you then.” He responded, one of his thumbs rubbing comforting circles into your arm. 

“You spend every night with me, already. And then whenever we see each other during the day, so what’s it matter?”

Law sighed, understanding that you were simply distraught over his departure and not at all trying to upset him. He hugged you closer, gently squeezing your body against his own. 

He hadn’t realized it for a moment, but you’d started crying again, which developed into your body trembling in his warm hold, quiet, broken sobs leaving your reddened lips.

“Y/n…” he whispered your name, turning you over so that you’d face him now. As Law pressed small kisses to your forehead, you could feel his goatee brushing against your nose. Another feeling you’d miss.

“Law,” you cried, biting down on your lip as you clawed at his skin, wanting to hold onto him forever so he couldn’t leave you.

“Don’t go without me. Please,” you begged, voice weak and hurt as you spoke through your tears. “I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I can’t be away from you for that long.”

Law seemed a bit taken aback at your words, but he considered them. To tell the truth, he’d been hurting just as much as you were. Though he was better at hiding it. Law thought about it, thinking that you could be helpful on his journey, but ultimately, he was scared about your safety. That he wouldn’t be able to protect you.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he finally said, breaking the silence. 

“I won’t.” You said, a bit more harsh than you’d intended to. “I… trust you. I know you’d do anything to protect me, and I’ll do the same for you. I’d rather fight alongside you and even die together than be far away on Zou, having no idea if you’re even alive or not.”

Law kissed you again, and you shifted your head backward to be able to look into his gray eyes. The sight devastated you. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, eyes darkened and glossy as tears threatened to spill. He was barely holding it together. For Law, this was extreme. 

You nearly cried again, but you didn’t, forcing your puffy eyes shut before looking at him again, determined. “I’m going with you. Whether you like it or not, Law.”

He then nodded, as much as he could being laid against you and the bed, though. “You’re coming with me,” he repeated, a small smile forming on his face.

Most of the medical students you’d seen up until then had fit stereotypes; “normal” girls that had certainly fallen into the popular group of high schoolers, your average “good values” family men who were certain to become the most average, do the bare minimum husbands. They all had that specific look about them, but there were still the “nerds” amongst the students. But then there was him.

You’d figured out his name was Law, through some low-stooping investigating (you really wanted to know, okay?!). He was in his final year of studying to become a surgeon, though he was the same age as you. That alone was impressive, but physically, he was entirely stunning.

His dark, unruly hair, the many tattoos you’d caught glimpses of, the double piercings on each ear, down to the goatee. He looked like a bad boy, but from what you could tell, he was nothing short of your dream man- a quiet, nice guy… with a good fashion sense.

Months went by before you’d ever spoken to him. You’d been studying in the library, very late into the night. There was an exam early the next day, and you started to panic as the hours grew later and you still felt stuck. That was until your emo Prince Charming had come to save you.

Law was in the library, searching for some sort of comic book, which you’d figured out based on how he’d emerged from that section with a few volumes in hand. He’d noticed you, approaching you to presumably help out. You must’ve seemed incredibly stressed out.

You’d noticed how he poorly hid the comics behind him, before standing beside where you sat. “You appear stressed,” he stated. “Need help?”

Honestly, it had taken you rather too long to respond to him, as you were utterly infatuated, frozen in place, staring at him. “H-huh? Oh, yeah…” 

Law took a seat beside you, sliding your notebook away from you and looking it over. He asked you a few questions before helping you with the particular issue you were having, and before you knew it…. That had become a weekly thing.

— 

It progressed into Law coming over to your apartment or you going to his, which happened less often, due to his… obnoxious roommates. The first couple times he’d hung out with you, they had tortured him all evening afterwards, interrogating him to no end over what exactly their “nerdy virgin” Law was doing with a “girl like that” so late into the day. 

And of course they quickly figured out that even if the two of you were just studying together, Law indeed had feelings for you. He knew he’d choke on his words and his ears would go red whenever they’d tease him. It was especially bad when they tried to suggest more sexual things, throwing many innuendos at Law just so that his face would become flushed and then he’d be their joke of the evening. 

As time progressed, Law found it harder and harder to be around you without thinking about all those things his friends had said, and tonight, it was particularly difficult… 

After all, who would be able to face their crush so easily after having a wet dream about them?

—

It was eight-o’-clock at night, and you were currently leaving Law’s apartment building, him by your side, actually. The two of you had attempted to study there, but his friends, Shachi and Penguin, simply couldn’t leave the two of you alone, dropping in his room randomly to bother you two about when you’d finally get together, or say things like “so when’s the wedding, Law?!”. Law had yelled at them for a moment before asking to go to your apartment. 

He opened the door to his car for you before walking around to the driver’s side and getting in. “I’m sorry about them,” he apologized. “They just can’t get over me having a girlfrie-  friend who happens to be a girl!” He hastily added the last part, his face becoming red. 

You found it adorable, but couldn’t speak on it. The last thing you wanted was for Law to figure out you had feelings for him, when he clearly wanted to focus on nothing but becoming a surgeon. You’d only get in his way.

“It’s alright,” you decided to say, “my friends are the same way, they just don’t live with me and don’t get as many chances to be asses about it.”

Law let out a chuckle before starting to drive out of the parking lot, starting the short journey over to your apartment. You lived within walking distance of him, but Law really didn’t feel like walking after a long day. 

“I just wanna see you be successful, y/n-ya. I don’t need any weirdos getting in your way.” He told you, referring to Shachi and Penguin.

The two of you quickly arrived at your apartment complex, getting inside with haste as it had started to rain during the ride over. 

As you locked the door behind you, you let out a groan of annoyance as now all your papers were wet. “Dammit,” you cursed, before turning to Law, who was soaked. “Sorry… you can dry off in the bathroom, there’s extra towels… though I don’t have any clothes for you…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Law brushed off your concerns. “I’ll figure it out.”

You nodded, turning to go set your things down. “I guess we’ll have to leave pairs of clothing at each other’s place in the future, huh?”

Law nervously chuckled at that, but you assumed you’d misheard it that way. There was no way he was flustered by that.

—

Studying with you became even more difficult now, given the circumstances. Due to the rain, Law had to toss his tee shirt into your bathtub and blow dry his jeans before coming out of your bathroom. You’d changed into a cropped tank top and sweatpants, hair up in a ponytail as you sat at the table. 

You’d been rewriting your notes when Law sat beside you. Your eyes flashed over to him for a second, before you froze in spot, side-eyeing his shirtless upper body not-so-discreetly. 

That only made Law’s circumstances worse. First the dream about you, now the way you could keep your damn eyes off of him? You had him feeling sick, making him entirely too nervous as it dawned on him that you were bothered by his halfway unclothed body. 

“Uh, so… I rewrote everything… I think we were… here?” You asked, pointing at the spot in your textbook with your pen.

Law nodded, biting down on his lip as he looked over at you. Your tank top was thin and didn’t hide much. He couldn’t look at the notes sitting in front of you without looking at your chest, too.  “Mhm… so, what I was saying earlier, was…”

He began trying to explain whatever it had been to you, but things weren’t going his way, or your way either. The both of you were becoming too distracted by each other, making this study session quickly fail.

Law hadn’t even noticed his hand gripping his thigh underneath the table, how he suddenly felt hot and feverish, or how there was a certain tightness in his jeans…

You kept stuttering, forgetting things he’d told you minutes prior, and just overall not paying attention as your mind clearly went elsewhere. You’d been biting on the pen, a habit Law found terrible except for when you did it. It only drove him crazy further, intensifying his need for you.

Eventually… you both gave up on studying altogether. You’d tried reciting things to Law, but he wasn’t listening. He was too focused on the way your lips moved, or how you anxiously shifted in your seat, still taking (not so) secret glances as his toned and tattooed chest.

“And, th-then, there’s the,” you gulped, desperately trying to remember the next part. But you couldn’t. All you could do was think about Law. “The… Law, fuck, I need you…” you desperately whined, letting your head fall into your notes on the table. You hadn’t meant to say it, but you couldn’t do or think of anything else at the moment. Just your body’s overwhelming need for him.

Law let out a hitched breath, tensing up beside you. You felt his hand on the side of your head, as it started rubbing through your ponytail. “Shit, y/n. Should’ve just said so two hours ago,” he breathed out.  

At his sign of reciprocating your feelings, your head shot away from the table and your hands flew to his bare shoulders, holding onto him. 

In an unspoken request, Law accepted it and brought you closer to him, letting his lips connect with yours. He let the hand that had been on his leg move to hold your waist, the other one still on your head. The kiss was awkward at first, clearly something neither of you had done before. But it was intoxicating, both of your bodies silently begging for more. You deepened the kiss, letting one of your hands move into Law’s messy black hair, gently tugging at it as you whimpered into his mouth. 

As soon as it had started, Law pulled away for air, the saliva exchanged between you two stringing together as your mouths hang open, panting in sync. 

“What… do you think about,” Law huffed, licking his lips. “We continue studying… tomorrow?” He suggested.

Normally, the crew will stick together as much as possible. You’d go in typically groups of seven, all staying within one area while each group collected the supplies they’d been tasked with getting. But today, you craved something else.

As you all got off the Polar Tang and headed onto the dock, an idea sprang to your mind. You left the group you’d initially been in to catch up with Law. You jogged past everyone and reached his side within seconds, walking alongside him while looking up at him.

“Law,” you called his name in a sweet tone, “can we go off on our own this time? Kinda like a date?”

You heard a few gasps and chuckles behind you, the crew always being so strange about your relationship with the captain. You chalked it up to them having no idea for a long time, as you and Law were usually pretty private about things. But, they never failed to tease the both of you endlessly.

“If you consider getting supplies a date, then yeah,” Law answered, not taking his eyes off the road ahead. “We don’t have time for any… normal date… things.”

There was some snickering behind you after Law’s reply, but you paid it no mind. “Fine with me!” You cheered, taking Law’s hand into your own. An action that seemed to have him flustered.

—

After putting Bepo in unofficial charge, you and Law strayed away from the crew to get whatever it was that Law wanted. He led you down an alley with many vendors and shops, and you curiously looked around at everything.

“So what are we getting?” You asked, cozying up to his side as a way to stay close, or rather, stay safe.

“Coins,” Law cooly replied, moving his hand to your lower back.

“Coins?! Law, those aren’t supplies! That’s just for your nerdy shit!”

“I-it isn’t nerdy shit,” he huffed, a slight pout forming on his lips. “It’s just a normal collection…”

You giggled, leaning your head on his shoulder. “I’m only joking. I find your nerdy side quite endearing, actually.”

“Do you now?”

“Mhmm! It’s cute,” you added, another giggle slipping past your lips.

“Shush,” he said, and you assumed Law was rolling his eyes right now. Only, he wasn’t joking.

“Law, why can’t I call you cute? You embarrassed or somethin-“

“Y/n, shush,” he snapped, his voice lower and more serious now. His gray eyes finally met yours, and he looked concerned, as well as on edge.

“What’s wrong?” You whispered, your eyes dodging around as you looked for any hint of trouble.

“It’s gotten way too quiet down this way… hardly anyone’s around,” he noted, repositioning kikoku so that his right hand was on the handle, left holding the sheath slightly open so he’d be ready to attack.

The street seemed void of normal people, only a few oddly placed men standing around. It was then that it dawned on you, these were marines in disguise.

A group of about a dozen men then jumped out at you, weapons drawn and charged. Law quickly created a room, drawing the blade of kikoku from its sheath as he started slicing a couple of the men’s bodies. Cursing yourself for not bringing your weapon, you opted for taking a fighting stance, fists raised in front of you as you prepared yourself to take on the men running your way.

You swung your right leg out, successfully kicking one in his stomach. The man groaned in pain, falling to his knees. The second man attempted to grab you, but you hastily dodged his attack and grabbed his arm, twisting it around you as you threw him over yourself, his body slamming into the dirt beneath you.

But the third marine was faster, and grabbed both of your arms, pulling them behind your back and putting you in a lock.

“Law!” You screeched, kicking your legs and twisting your body to try and escape the man’s hold. “Get off of me, you asshole!”

Your boyfriend’s head whipped around to face you, and he watched in horror as the man suddenly gripped at your throat with one hand, choking you to freeze any movement on your end. Your eyes were wide with fear, face quickly becoming red from the lack of air. Law acted quickly though, and the marine’s arms were then displaced from the rest of his body. With you now free, Law quickly put his katana away and scooped you up, carrying you in his arms as he began to flee.

“Why are we running?! We can take them,” you protested, wrapping your arms around Law’s neck as a means to not fall.

“This whole port’s filled with them. They must’ve spotted us before we arrived and set up a trap,” Law informed you, “I just hope the crew’s figured that out.”

Apparently the crew had figured that out, as when you and Law reached the dock, seeing them all on the deck of the submarine, kicking off any marines who attempted to get on. Seeing the road ahead blocked, Law shouted room again, creating another one before quickly following up with a “shambles”, swapping yourselves with a marine who’d already climbed up.

You all quickly got inside and headed underwater, escaping the clutch of the marine trap set up. Instead of assisting the crew, though, Law brought you straight to the operation room, before setting you on a table.

Sitting up, you moved a hand up to your neck, feeling a pain from when the marine had choked you earlier. Law took notice, taking your chin between two tattooed fingers, tilting your head up so he could clearly view your neck.

“You’re bruised,” he said, angrily. “I’ll fucking kill that bastard if I ever see him again… for laying his hands on you like that.”

“I’m fine, Law,” you reasoned, shaking his fingers off your chin so you could freely move your head. Grabbing his face with one hand, you brought it close to yours and connected your lips with Law’s. “I’m safe with you, after all.”

Law relaxed into your touch, wrapping his arms around your frame as he continued the kiss.

He pulled away after a moment, gently placing a hand onto your neck again. “Still… I’m gonna put ice on it to help. I can’t just look at you with bruises like that and do nothing.”

Everyone who hadn’t gone to bed yet was either passed out in the spot they’d been sitting in up on the deck, or they’ve retreated to the kitchen for late night snacks, or have gone elsewhere.

On the deck, the only two who remained conscious were you and Law.

He hadn’t talked much during the mini celebration, but nobody really paid any mind to that. He wasn’t one for parties, and you knew your boyfriend was stressed from the load of work he currently had.

But now that it was only the two of you, perhaps it would be easier to get him to loosen up… “Law,” you quietly called, turning your head to look up at where he sat beside you.

His eyes met yours as he repeated your actions, turning to face you. He raised an eyebrow, nonverbally responding that he was listening to whatever you had to say.

“Can we dance? Please?” You asked, looking at him with the sweetest look you could muster.

His gray eyes widened, and the slightest tint of red appeared on his cheeks. “Wh-what?”

“Dance! Together, you and me? Come on, it’ll be fun,” you pleaded, standing up and holding your arms out for him.

“Th-there’s no music,” he excused, looking away, raising a tattooed hand to scratch the back of his neck.

“We can put some on,” you suggested, rolling your eyes.

Law didn’t respond this time, clearly not interested in dancing with you.

So, you decided you needed to try harder to convince him. Rolling your eyes with a heavy sigh, you then moved from your spot in front of him to plant yourself in his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck. You began planting little kisses on his face, before looking into his eyes. “Law,” you called him again, with a slight singing tone. “I wanna dance, baby. Please?”

He huffed, lowering his head and averting his eyes from yours. “Why? You know I can’t.”

“Sure you can,” you smiled. “Everybody can dance if they try.”

“Tch,” his body started relaxing, seemingly giving into your tipsy antics. “Fine.”

With a light cheer, you jumped up from his lap and held a hand out for him to take.

Law took it, and you heaved him up from his seat on the deck. “If any of them wake up… I swear-“

“They won’t,” you brushed his worries off, “they’re all wasted and wouldn’t remember if they did anyway.”

With that, Law awkwardly stood in position, waiting for you to guide him. You took his left hand into your right one, grabbing his right hand with your free one to guide it around yourself. After getting it settled into holding your lower back, you moved your hand away and gently placed it onto his shoulder.

“No music?” He questioned, reminding you that you’d said you would put some on moments ago.

“Nah,” you shrugged in his hold. “Don’t need it. Especially since the snail radio’s inside.”

Law shook his head, and a small chuckle fell from his lips. “So what? Am I just supposed to imagine it?”

“Mhm! What kind should we imagine?” You asked with a cheeky grin.

“Er- I don’t know,” he mumbled.

“Whatever, then. We don’t have to imagine it,” you announced, suddenly moving your feet and guiding Law along with you.

You began to sway in his arms, laying your head against his chest as Law stood firmly, unsure of what to do.

“How the hell do I dance, y/n?”

“Just move your hips or something,” you suggested, lips brushing against his skin. “Can’t be harder than when you use your hips for other things, hm?”

“Y-y/n! Jeez,” he stammered, taken aback by your insinuation.

You giggled, body feeling warm from the close proximity to Law. Even if you’d been dating for years, the two of you hadn’t danced like this as far as you could remember. This was a particularly special moment, you decided.

“Okay… um, how about you spin me around?” You threw the idea out, lifting your head to look at him.

Law nodded, seeming nervous now. You pulled not even a foot away from him, waiting for him to twirl you. He let go of your waist, as did you with his shoulder, lifting his other arm so you could spin underneath him.

Holding onto his hand, you lightly kicked off and twirled beneath Law, giggling and feeling yourself blushing. He was adorable, seeming so flustered from something as simple as dancing.

Law then brought you back close, grabbing onto your waist again as he got the hang of things, beginning to sway in time with you.

You laid your head against him again, closing your eyes and letting the entire world disappear. There was nothing but you and Law, spending this intimate moment together. Nothing could ruin it.

Except for maybe the flash of a snail camera.

As the click of it went off, your head snapped up, and you realized at that moment that Law’s head had been resting on yours. Both of your heads shot around to face the door to the interior of the sub, and in the door stood two giggling idiots.

Shachi and Penguin were looking at the photo now in the former’s hands, laughing and wiping tears from under their hats. “Oh, they’re too cute,” Penguin cackled, holding the camera tight to keep it from falling.

“What the hell are you two doing?!” Law shouted, effectively waking up everyone else who’d been out on the deck.

Looking away from the photograph, Shachi and Penguin jumped with fear and ran into the submarine, dropping the photo as they did so. With the harsh slamming of the door, the photo flew up into the air with the gust of air it created from being shut.

Slowly, the photo fluttered toward where you and Law stood, and you quickly swiped it up before it could hit the floor.

It was cute, you and Law had been mostly still when it was taken, so it wasn’t blurry. Your face couldn’t be seen, but Law’s eyes were closed as his chin rested on top of your hair.

“Aw, it actually is kinda cute,” you smiled, turning to show Law the photograph.