#fnlyroe

Saying you’re floored would be an understatement. 

It’s logical, he thinks with clenched fists, fingernails piercing his shaking palms. I was the one who decided to break up all those months ago, after all.

You graciously moved on since then, burying the hurt you felt to joke with him again, tease him with your Captain, finally able to meet his eyes without that sorrowful, pity-filled look that told him you understood why he decided to break your heart like a coward.

He couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to grow so close to you, to share tender, intimate moments in the middle of the night, where he could drop the indifferent mask he wore around everyone else.

To fall in love with you. 

You, who he first met all those years ago during a supply run at a sleepy little island. You weren’t a pirate back then, but a doctor-in-training that thrilled him with your vast amount of medical knowledge, caring nature, and wit. It was clear to him even then that there was more for you out there than what the island could ever give you.

His crew had teased him mercilessly about the person he was attached to even weeks after they’d departed. It wasn’t until you had parted ways, promising to meet up if he ever stopped by the island again that he regretted not listening to his frail, dimly beating heart that had urged him to beg you to join his crew, the smell of your coconut-scented shampoo haunting him.

When he spotted your sweet, gentle smile on a Bounty Poster years later, he couldn’t hide the proud grin that lit up his face. Crossing paths with you seemed more feasible now that you too were on the Grand Line, and he refused miss an opportunity like this again.

And later on, the rare, public smile he displayed upon seeing you again in person promptly dropped the moment your captain slingshotted into him and started calling him ‘Traffy.’ 

Were you so desperate to leave your island that you joined the first crew who asked? He couldn’t help but think so after that initial meeting with the Straw Hats, who bickered with all the closeness of a dysfunctional family and utterly baffled him with their antics, wondering all the while how they managed to charm someone so talented and perfect like you.

It was because of you that he agreed to the alliance in the first place, ever so motivated to get revenge for Cora-san and win your heart in one fell swoop.

And when you kissed him for the first time since he had left your island in the crow’s nest of the Sunny, Law would never admit that he had gone to sleep that night smiling like that love-sick cook of yours, heart soaring at the idea that a happy ending for him was feasible.

It wasn’t until he watched your interactions with your crew over your time spent together that he realized the silly fantasy he had was never going to happen. You were too close, too bonded with the Straw Hats, to ever leave for someone like him. 

So when you confessed in the privacy of his room after months of dating that you loved him, tucked in his arms in the way that he had grown so fond of, he panicked and did what he did best to salvage the pieces of his heart that would surely shatter when you would inevitably rejected him after the alliance was over. 

He hurt you.

It was for the best, he told himself as he spewed horrible, untrue, nasty things to you that he was certain you wouldn’t excuse, even for someone you loved, refusing to acknowledge that deep down, he knew you never expected him to say the three words back anytime soon.

He accepted the harsh words and fists of your crew and moved on as much as he could, retreating back to the role of a spectator just grateful enough to bask in your orbit for a little while longer before you would part ways.

He’s drawn back to the present when you scoff in disbelief.

“Why now?” you demand, unshed tears blurring the rage in your eyes at his audacity, the wide smile you had been wearing all night nowhere to be seen. “I’m with Zoro now, Law, I’m happy,” your voice cracks.

He closes his eyes, swallowing the bile that rises at the thought of the swordsman he inadvertently pushed you towards, who looks at you like he would crawl through hell if you asked him to. “I know.”

“So why then?” You ask harshly, your arms crossed as if you’re trying to hold yourself together. “Are you trying to mess with me? To get back at me for moving on?” 

“No.” Law feels a pain splintering throughout his chest when a tear finally falls. “I just… couldn’t leave without telling you,” he mumbles.

You angrily wipe it away. “I’ve been nothing but kind and gracious to you,” you spit. “Hell, I’ve tried to act like what you said, what we had, never happened. For this alliance, for my crew, and for you so you could finally get closure for... you know.”

He can’t help but shudder at the memory of his mentor, the movement catching your eye. 

You take a deep breath and dig your fingers into your arms, forcing yourself to keep talking and not give in to the innate urge to wrap him in a hug. Law thinks he can hear a wood plank creak from where your boyfriend is no doubt eavesdropping around the corner, ready to step in if you need it. “Luffy wanted to end the alliance the minute he found out, did you know that?”

He didn’t but it isn’t surprising; the Straw Hat had given him a look so carefully blank the day after the two of you broke up that Law finally understood why the rubber man had such a dangerous reputation. 

“I know you were scared, Law, I was too,” you whisper, eyebrows furrowed. “Being loved after so much heartbreak is terrifying. But you made a decision on how our relationship would end without giving me the chance to say anything about it. And those things you said to me,” Law feels his lungs strain at the way your lip quivers in a bitter smile. “We could have made it work, you know, after the alliance was over,” your tone falls soft. “All you had to do was ask.”

It’s then with your admission that Law is utterly aware he’s made a mistake confessing to you. He thought it would give him closure, to finally admit what he didn't want to believe since he first caught your eye back on your island years ago.

Instead it was a slap in the face for you, a taunt that all of the suffering he put you through could have been avoided if he’d only been less of a coward.

You sigh, scrubbing at your eyes before looking at him with a pained expression, turning towards Zoro, who had quietly stepped forward to guide you away from him. “I hope you can find someone in the future that you can give your heart to entirely, Law,” you tell him sincerely. 

Your eyes were fixated on a rather tall guy who just screamed pirate. He stood at the bar, loudly sharing stories with a group of older, weathered-looking men. They weren’t subtle with their irritation, taking long pulls of rum in between eye rolls as he regaled them about the time he had fought a Devil Fruit user and lived. 

Moonbeam Kingdom had seas on all sides, open for passing ships to stop for supplies or to take an extended vacation; the tropical landscape and friendly people made for an excellent place to rest. 

It was monitored by visiting Marines only occasionally due to their deal with the King, making it a prime stopping point for pirates as well. 

Taking a long pull from your bottle, you nonchalantly looked around the raucous room, recognizing several pirates from their wanted papers that were plastered on the Marine-mandatory bulletin outside. Not that anyone paid attention to it, of course. 

You squinted at the man again, recalling the exact words your father had used to describe him.

Tall. Check.

Blue hair. You could see the slight shimmer of the hue reflecting off of the lanterns on the bar.  

A large tattoo on the right arm; a hissing black cat. Bared teeth peeked out from his tattered shirt. Bingo.

He was leaning towards the bartender, a withered old lady you’d known your entire life, bragging about his most recent conquest. The low light of the tavern made it hard to be certain, but she spared a glance to you in between polishing glasses, offering a sly nod to you that he was, indeed, the one who you had been waiting for. The hard set of her jaw made it clear what she thought of the story he was telling. 

You allowed the hint of a smile to grace your face, raising your bottle to finish the drink. 

“You want me to bring him back here…alive?” you had asked in disbelief when your father first told you of your mission over breakfast.  “He’s just a low-level pirate. Why bother?” 

“He is not welcome in this kingdom,” your father spat. It wasn’t often a person like him caught his attention, let alone someone that far down in the ranks of a pirate crew. “I’ve received word that the Black Cat Pirates attacked someone very dear to your mother.”

You raised your eyebrows.  Not many people alive were left whom she cared for, only your family and what remained of hers back in her home village. And considering you hadn’t heard of any Black Cat Pirates arriving in Moonbeam before now…  “Not in the kingdom, then?” 

“No,” a spoon smacked against the table, his hand curling into a fist. “They visited the Gecko Islands.”

An exhale was all you could reply, knowing it was a sore spot. You hadn’t heard anything about them in years since her sister had passed.

“He’s been bragging about killing a girl,” your father continued with a growl, making your heart lurch. There was only one person who that could be. “Saying his crew could do it here too, if they wanted.” 

All at once your eyes darkened. “I’m surprised he hasn’t already been killed, then.” Moonbeam might be known for its peaceful citizens, but no one who made threats like that left the kingdom alive. 

“I know.” He looked up from the table, taking a careful bite of his oats. The smile he wore made a shiver go down your spine. “Aren’t we lucky?” 

You knew how deeply your father’s devotion to your mother ran. He would burn entire kingdoms to the ground if she asked for it. 

If it weren’t for what he just said, you would’ve pitied the night the pirate was about to have. 

“Make sure you keep that mask on this time,” he nagged in an almost affectionate tone. “And your gloves. Calcifer tells me the Marines are scrambling to put a bounty on your head ever since that lovely little meeting you had with those officers last week,” he gave you a sharp glance. “Luckily, they were too drunk to remember what you looked like,” you rolled your eyes. “Or what you did.”

You scoffed, fingers twitching at the memory. “I should’ve just killed them.”

He waved you off. “Too many Marines, it would have been suspicious.” Another look was thrown your way as you stood up to leave. “Keep everything on,” he added. “We don’t need anyone recognizing you.”

Your exit was deterred by a final call of your name. “Do try your best not to break any nails when retrieving him,” he drawled with a smirk. “Your sister’s ball is tomorrow. I’d like there to be no inquiries on what the oldest princess of Moonbeam does in her free time if I can help it.”

You set the bottle back on the table, tugging the mask down and making your way towards the bar with a stifled groan, hoping you’d at least be able to sleep in tomorrow.

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“I’m pretty sure that’s a biohazard,” Max called to them from her spot next to you, a faint look of disgust crossing her face at the squelching noises you could hear. 

“That’s what I said!” Steve’s muffled voice yelled back, cursing when something fell out of the fridge and crashed onto the floor. 

“Like you even know what a biohazard is Hair-ington,” Dustin yelled back.

“Sticking a monster corpse in the fridge next to Joyce’s casserole,” Lucas snarked from where he sat against the living room wall. “Definitely the best way to preserve your ‘scientific discovery,’” you rolled your eyes, unable to fight a smile. He snickered when he saw you and Max were both amused, the slingshot on his leg bouncing with every move. 

The soft jostling of the fridge rang out every now and then as the boys continued to push the monster inside. “Get the door, man!”

“What do you think I’m doing!”

Your eyes shot to the ceiling. This is what Hopper would rather have you do than kick monster ass.

“Ew, Jesus,” You heard Steve finally breathe as the slam of the door echoed through the house. 

“I wanted to make another sandwich,” you lamented dryly when they strolled back into the living room, Dustin looking pleased as punch, Steve… not so much.

He sent you a worried look before glaring at the kid, perching on the edge of the couch arm. “Your ‘scientific discovery’ is gonna be the reason we die if our superhero here has no energy, dipshit.” 

“Then go make her a sandwich!” Dustin bit back, crossing his arms. “You can still reach most of the stuff in the fridge.”

Mike groaned, interrupting Steve’s insistence that Upside Down germs surely would have contaminated everything inside the fridge by now. Mini-Wheeler had been pacing anxiously nearly the whole time they were preserving the dog. “This is so stupid!”

“Mike, would you just stop already?” Lucas said, letting his head fall back against the wall.

“You weren't in there, okay, Lucas?” the lanky boy shook his head. “That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs.”

“Demodogs!” 

“She’ll be fine,” you ignored Dustin, entirely unconvinced of the whole situation but steadfast in trusting the girl. “El’s strong.”

“See!” Lucas nodded, pointing at you. “Nightcrawler killed a ton of them anyway, El will be fine. The chief will take care of her.” 

You squinted at the nickname and were just about to respond when Mike scoffed loudly. 

“Like El needs protection. But it should’ve been you to go instead of her,” he spat towards you. “It's too dangerous.”

You hardly reacted to the boy apart from your eyebrows raising, a sharp contrast to the other occupants in the room, who held their breath at his aggression. 

It did nothing but make you pity him, however. You pitied all of them, really, for having to deal with this. 

Outwardly, however, you refrained from showing it, choosing instead to appear wholly unfazed by his tantrum. “First of all, take the bass out of your voice, Baby Wheeler,” you said sweetly with a deadly smile, crossing your arms. “You said it yourself, she doesn’t need protection. It’s not like I wanted to stay here, but I wouldn’t have agreed if I didn’t believe in her.” 

He turned bright red, unable to mask the fear that was still in his eyes. You felt your heart sting in sympathy. “Yeah right,” he seethed, arms flailing around dramatically. “You barely even argued to go!” He continued after clocking the way your left eye just barely twitched. “It’s not like you care about them. You’d probably rather have them die than you, you… you cowardly—”

The air was still all of a sudden, with your hand gripping his collar from where you had teleported (unnecessarily) the few feet in front of you, choosing to lean down in his face while the rest of the group gasped at what he had said. 

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