#anadiangelo

“I take back everything I’ve ever said about your hangovers,” Benn whispers, sprawled out over their bed with a cool cloth over his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve felt pain this bad in my life.”

“Not even when we both ended up getting run through?” Shanks mutters, wincing when he shifts too far and his head throbs harder. “Because I remember falling unconscious that time.”

Benn laughs, groaning when it jars his head and the sound makes everything hurt worse, “It stopped hurting once we were unconscious. What the fuck is causing this because this is the third time this week.”

“Maybe they got a concussion?”

“Sounds like a migraine,” Yassop states, just too loud. He doesn’t even sound guilty when he continues. “I remember my soulmate getting them when her siblings were too much to handle. She moved to a whole new island to escape the insanity.”

“She did?” Shanks asks curiously, hissing when the light seems to stab his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Both of you getting taken out by a wittle migwaine,” Roo teases, laughing loudly, even when Benn threatens him with a slow and painful death. “I’ll worry about that when you’re feeling well enough to sit up on your own, Beckman.”

Benn sighs softly, “fair enough, I couldn’t shoot you without curling up and crying afterwards. How is our soulmate coping with this? Doesn’t she get cramps too?”

“Next week,” Shanks moans, turning to bury his face into a pillow.

Benn ignored him, knowing that if he was planning to suffocate himself with a pillow, this way wouldn’t work. Not when Shanks normally woke up like that. 

“Just wait until she gets cramps and a migraine at the same time,” Yassop teases, laughing brightly when Shanks whimpers into his pillow. “Big bad Emperor taken out by some cramps and a migraine.”

My cat decided to follow me to the kitchen and the dog is on my brother’s bed, otherwise I would be suffering the same fate. And my cat is huge, like, he’s as long as my thigh and he weights 15 pounds so it’s not like anyone can move him if he wants to stay put

“Dad, wake up!” Luffy whines, one of his knees digging into Marco’s stomach as he all but bounces in excitement. “Dad!”

“Your son’s awake,” Marco mutters, turning to hide his face in Ace’s hair.

Ace huffs, almost a laugh, “Before dawn, he’s your son.”

“I don’t remember that arrangement. Do you have the paperwork on it still so that I can see the fine print?” Marco groans as Luffy pinches his arm. “Luffy, we talked about this.”

“Dad, it’s time to get up!” Luffy insists, ignoring him. As he was wont to do from time to time. “You promised that when I got up that you’d take me to the zoo!”

Marco sighs, turning onto his side and pulling Luffy closer, “I love you, Luffy, but the zoo doesn’t open until nine in the morning and it’s only four. That’s five whole hours until we can go to the zoo.”

“Papa help!” Luffy shouts, wiggling as Marco tries to get comfortable with a foot digging into his stomach. “Papa, Dad is squishing me!”

“Squish quietly,” Ace murmurs, already dozing back off, his face buried in his pillow. “Sleepin’.”

Luffy stops wiggling to pout at Marco, like it’s his fault, “Papa is being mean, dad.”

“I know, what a horrible papa,” Marco yawns, grinning when Luffy copies him and rubs his eyes. “How about, we take a minute to close our eyes and think up a plan to make papa pay?”

“Yeah,” Luffy closes his eyes, blinking them open slowly twice before he grumbles softly, just like Ace does when he’s trying to stay awake. “Should give,” he yawns. “Give papa worms for breakfast.”

“You don’t even like coffee,” Law says leaning his head on his hand as he watches Luffy steal his mug and frown at it. “You think it tastes too bitter.”

“But this is Traffy’s coffee,” Luffy says like it means something, still staring at it like it’s going to jump out the mug and bite him.

“That doesn’t mean it will taste better, it just means that I’m drinking it instead of it coming directly from a carafe.”

Luffy doesn’t listen, not that Law had expected him to, taking as sip and pulling a face before he even finishes swallowing his mouthful. Law smiles, watching Luffy whine and grab for the jug of juice to clear the taste.

“Better?”

“Coffee is disgusting,” Luffy whines, pouting until Law pushes the plate of bacon closer to him. “Thank you, Traffy!”

“You’re welcome. Did you just have Black Leg-ya make only bacon?”

“No, there’s pancakes too. And,” Luffy frowns, looking for a word. “The rice things that you like.”

“Onigiri, Luffy-ya.”

“Yeah that,” Luffy agrees smiling too wide. Law would like to research how Luffy does that, it’s one of the things he keeps in the back of his mind when he watches Luffy do things. “Sanji made your favorite ones, cause I asked him.”

Law nods, “Thank you.”

“Traffy has his scary face,” Luffy warns him, grinning still.

“Does it scare you? I’m a doctor, you know. Most people start to worry when I smile in a scary way,” Law pulls the plate of onigiri closer, watching Luffy to see what he would say.

Luffy hums, before shaking his head, “Traffy is Traffy. And!” he grins. “If I’m going to be the King of the Pirates, scary is good.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah!”

Law is sure there’s more to that comment, Luffy always thinks that people know everything when he speaks. Even if he only says part of the comment, and maybe if he was Zoro, Law would. But Law isn’t.

“Why is scary good?”

“Because.”

“Luffy-ya. Scary would be good, why?”

Luffy laughs, “Traffy’s smart, Traffy will figure it out.”

“Ace,” Luffy whines, his nose stuffed up and his throat aching as he tries to pull his blanket further around him. It feels like there’s ice sliding underneath the edges of the blanket tucked under his sides.

“I thought idiots couldn’t catch colds,” Ace sighs, but Luffy can see him coming closer, slightly blurry, and tucking another blanket in around him. “Still cold?”

Luffy shakes his head, whining when it makes him feel dizzy, burying his face into his pillow to avoid the way everything starts spinning. It’s cold and everything is gross and clammy, which is even worse then his throat’s ache and his how he can’t breath out of his nose.

“You’re still too warm,” Ace mutters, pushing Luffy’s hair back. Luffy pouts when Ace takes his hand back, because he’s warm and Luffy wants to be warm too. “Can you stay here for a minute? I’ll get something for you to drink.”

“You’ll come back?”

Ace smiles, it’s not happy, but it’s a real smile, “I’ll be back. You need to stay hydrated. Shitty Gramps said so and Dadan did too.”

“Not here?”

“Nah, I was sick once when Shitty Gramps came to visit. I remember him saying that much,” Ace moves away and Luffy wishes he hadn’t. “I’ll be back soon, do you want another blanket?”

“No, I’m okay,” Luffy coughs, curling up tighter as his throat burns. “Sleepy.”

“I’ll be right back, promise.”

Ace sighs when he climbs back into the tree house to find Luffy asleep, his face half buried in his pillow and shivering, even under three of the thickest blankets that they had. He digs another out and tucks it in around him too, pushing Luffy’s hair back from where it’s sticking to his forehead and frowning.

“Still too hot,” Ace mutters, wetting a washcloth and pressing it to his forehead. “You’re not allowed to get more sick, you got that?”

Luffy doesn’t answer, breathing slow and steady.

“You’re not this stupid,” Zoro states, leaning against the railing beside Luffy as he swirls his bottle. “I know you’re not this stupid, not when you put together Nami and Vivi so quickly.”

Luffy laughs, grin too wide as his hat falls forward and hides the way his eyes move to where Law is talking quietly with Chopper, just like Zoro knew he would, “He doesn’t.”

“No, I don’t think he does. But you’re letting him and you haven’t told me why. I think that I deserve that much, since you told my soulmate without asking me. Don’t you?”

“I guess,” Luffy says slowly before sighing. “Ace met his, you know? Did you see the pictures from when we saved him from Marineford? The bird man?”

“You mean Marco the Phoenix? Hard to miss him since he grabbed your brother and got out of there without a second glance. What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Ace said that he didn’t tell his bird, but his bird still liked him. Was gonna ask him on a date,” Luffy’s nose wrinkles at the word. “Before finding out. Which meant that his bird liked him first and didn’t force it because they were soulmates.”

Zoro pauses before smirking slowly, “Aren’t you a romantic, Captain. And do you think that he likes you?”

“He’s cheating, he already knows, but!” Luffy lowers his voice, smirking in a way that makes him look just a touch more dangerous than Zoro think he should. “He doesn’t know that I know.”

“Oh,” Zoro laughs. “And how does this end, captain? Some day he’s going to know about that. Are you willing for him to be upset that you played him?”

“Traffy will think it’s attractive,” Luffy sounds certain. “Traffy likes smart people and I’m tricking him, which means that I’m smart enough to do it,” he stops. “But Zoro will tell me if he hears about Traffy liking me?”

Zoro raises his bottle in agreement, “I’ll keep my ears open. I hope you win.”

Luffy smiles, “I’m already winning.” he pushes off the railing and hurries across the deck, slamming into Law’s side. “Traffy!”

“Straw hat-ya,” Law sounds exasperated, but there’s something soft about his face. Zoro is pretty sure that Luffy isn’t wrong about Law. “I have asked you to stop doing that.”

“But Traffy,” Luffy pouts. “You’re being boring!”

“Boring, am I?”

“Mhm, come on Traffy!”

“You know,” Law says tiredly, feeling his body aching too much to really move and stop Luffy if he wanted to. “You’re not suppose to touch someone else’s soulmarks.”

“But you’re mine,” Luffy states with more certainty than Law would have expected, continuing to trace the marks on Law’s skin, switching to his tattoos when there were no more. “I can trace them because Traffy is mine,” he pauses. “If that’s okay with Traffy.”

Law stares at him, “You know.”

“Mhm, Traffy is silly, but since Traffy was silly, I got to know Traffy!” Luffy grins brighter for a moment. “Ace says that you should know your soulmate first instead of making them love you.”

“Didn’t I do that?”

“No, Traffy is stupid. It’s,” Luffy’s mouth twists in annoyance. “It’s like making someone love you? Traffy got to know me and I got to know Traffy, instead of making stupid choices.”

Law stares at him for a long moment before laughing, “You got that from Ace-ya?”

“Ace says that he and his bird,” Luffy smiles wider when Law laughs. “Liked each other first. Ace knew that his bird was his soulmate, but his bird liked him before he knew. Just like Traffy and I knew we were soulmates, but I didn’t tell that I knew!”

“And when did you figure it out?” Law asks curiously. “I thought you were fooled.

Luffy doesn’t move for a moment before reaching for Law’s wrists and smiling sadly at his palms, “This is Ace, he’s got the hat still, see?” Law does, it’s obvious now that he knows. “This one is Sabo.”

“Sabo?”

“Sabo,” Luffy traces it softly and it almost tickles. “He died when I was seven. He was my other big brother. That’s how I knew. How did Traffy know?”

Law takes one of his hands back, the one that Luffy’s not holding as tightly, to press to his side, the ferris wheel, “This was my sister’s favorite before she died. It was hard to mistake. And the submarine.”

“That’s still my favorite,” Luffy says firmly. “But I like this one too.”

“My jolly roger is nice, is it?” Law sighs, slow and tired. “You wanted to see if I liked you?”

Luffy nods, “I like Traffy. Traffy is nice and smart and good.”

“I’ve been called a lot of things and those are not what I’m normally called. Nice and good are for people who aren’t considered monsters.”

“Not a monster,” Luffy yawns. “Traffy isn’t a monster. Ace isn’t a monster. I’m not a monster,” he pouts. “Can I sleep here?”

“If you like,” Law agrees, smiling when Luffy hides his face in the other pillow on the bed. “I do like you.”

“Good, I like Traffy too,” Luffy looks like he could be smiling when he peeks up from the pillow. “Night, Traffy.”

“Good night Luffy,” Law says closing his eyes, only opening them when he hears Luffy’s breathing even out, regretting the injuries that Doflamingo left him with. “Tricky, huh?”

“I’m starting to think you don’t sleep,” Penguin states, not bothering to keep a safe distance away, not when Law could throw up a room that easily covered the entire ship and scramble him “Bepo says that you’re normally up when he checks that we’re staying on course and Sachi says that you’re up when he gets up to start breakfast.”

“Is there a point to this conversation?” Law asks, eyebrow raised, but his focus still on the medical text that they had raided from a supply ship two weeks back. Penguin thinks that this is the fifth or sixth time that he’s read it through. “Or is this pointless chatter?”

“This is an ‘you and Bepo are our heavy hitters and we don’t want to die just yet” talk,” Sachi calls from the doorway, trying to open it with his foot, drinks balanced on his arms as Bepo follows him into the room looking confused. “Now put down your book, we’re going to talk like adults.”

Law sighs, closing his book and tapping the cover, “We’re not adults.”

“And we killed at least twenty five people in our last raid,” Penguin says, trying to go for blase and failing if the looks that are shot at him mean anything. “I think if we’re running around killing people, we can be adults.”

“And we’re not going to argue it,” Sachi adds when both Law and Bepo open their mouths to argue the point. “This is an intervention, Trafalgar.”

“Law,” he looks even more tired when he leans forward and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Can you at least call me Law if you’re going to lecture me about sleeping habits.”

“Law,” Bepo says looking like he’s finally caught up on what is happening. “You need to sleep. Why can you not sleep normally?”

“Trauma,” Law answers succinctly.

There’s a long moment of silence before Bepo sighs heavily and stands to reach the small board that Penguin had purchased as a joke several islands back, calmly erasing the number and rewriting zero.

“You even set back you trauma board,” Sachi says shaking his head. “You were on a twelve day streak!”

“I’m so sorry that I spent most of my youth jumping from one traumatic event to another and it is now inconveniencing you.”

“You know that isn’t what we meant,” Bepo states sitting down again, his eyes wide and terrifyingly close to tears. “We just want you to take care of yourself, Law.”

Law narrows his eyes, the way he does when Bepo’s sad face is starting to get to him and he’s starting to feel real human emotions, “I am.”

“You haven’t slept in days. Sleeping is part of a healthy person’s routine,” Bepo is a guilt trip. They have all started to realize this, except perhaps Law, but Sachi and Penguin will use it to their advantage. “We can’t allow you to kill yourself like that.”

“I’m not going to come out of this conversation as the winner,” Law says slowly, thoughtfully before a room appears. “I think I will see my way out.”