Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It’s another busy day at the hospital.

Coffee in hand, Trafalgar Law walks past the visitor's entrance quietly humming the song he was listening to on the radio and nodding at the girl at the reception who welcomes him with a broad smile.

Too many people are waiting for the elevator, so he takes the stairs, undoing the buttons of his coat as he walks.

Nurses, doctors, and medical personnel greet him as he makes his way into his office, to which he responds with polite greetings and nods. He's been Chief of Surgery for the past five years, but he’ll never get used to everyone in the hospital knowing his name and face.

He stops by his office to leave his small suitcase next to his desk, take off his jacket, and pick up his white coat.

Sipping at his coffee, he quietly strolls to the first floor and stops only in front of the board with the surgeries scheduled for the day,

He watches carefully as the Chief Resident fills the little squares with all the details of the surgeries that are gonna take place in the next hours, the sound of the felt tip pen almost covered by the chitchat of some students approaching.

Law holds back a smile when he feels a familiar presence stopping right next to him and takes the cup to his mouth.

“I thought you said no more coffee in the morning,” Bepo comments with a glint of amusement in his voice. “Because you are old and it’s bad for your stomach.”

Law sighs and rolls his eyes. “It’s decaf,” he justifies himself. “And today is a big day, I need a coffee.”

“Why is it a big day?” Shachi asks approaching them, followed by Penguin who just yawns.

Law nods at the surgery board and his excitement is quite evident now. 

Shachi whistles appreciatively as he understands what Law is implying. “The Chief is gonna do his magic today,” he says with a chuckle. “You need a hand?”

Law shakes his head. “You three are busy and it’s not that big of a deal, I can handle it.”

Bepo is about to say something, but a shriek from the small group of students gathered in front of the surgery board gets their attention.

“Chief Trafalgar is gonna replace a bicuspid valve with a synthetic one?” A young woman yells excitedly while shaking her friend. “Oh, my God! Who do I have to kill to watch him do that?”

The group of students around the girl gets silent and at that exact moment, the poor woman realizes that Law is nearby. She turns crimson when their gazes meet.

“Please don’t kill anyone in my hospital,” Law comments, raising an eyebrow. “Besides, you are all invited to assist me,” he says, and the students all smile enthusiastically. “But keep in mind that I like to ask questions when I operate and if you can’t answer, you are out,” he continues firmly. “Of my surgery room and my hospital,” he adds, and all the students stop smiling.

He takes a sip of his coffee and gives the group one last glance. “You better go review some of your textbooks if you still wanna have a job tomorrow,” he comments and the group of young surgeons vanishes in a blink of an eye.

Beside him, Shachi and Penguin chuckle amused. “I’ll never get tired of watching you scare the ducklings,” Penguin says.

“I like to give them the right motivation,” Law shrugs.

“Oh, c’mon, they are harmless,” Bepo offers with a pout. “We were just like them!”

“Dunno about that,” Law comments before drinking the last drops of his coffee.

He throws away the paper cup and stretches his back, giving the board and his friends one last glance.

“Gotta talk to the family, see you guys later,” he says, grabbing a tablet from the nurse’s desk. 

“You sure you don’t need help, Chief?” Bepo asks before he’s too far.

“Positive,” Law replies absentmindedly while logging in with his credentials on the tablet and looking for his patient's chart.

Nico Anya, room 2456, second floor.

*

Nico Anya was born sixteen years ago with a severe heart condition. Her bicuspid valve didn’t fully develop while she was in her mother’s belly and she was operated on for the first time a couple of minutes after birth.

Law was in that surgery room sixteen years ago. He was already a permanent doctor of the hospital, but not the main surgeon. At that time he was doing his internship in cardiac surgery, therefore he simply assisted the Chief of Cardiac Surgery and the neonatal surgeon doing a superb job on one of the tiniest babies he had ever seen.

Anya’s first surgery was not her last. Over the past sixteen years, she had been operated on six times and Law had always been there, through every stage of his career: firstly as cardiothoracic surgeon, then as Chief of Cardiac Surgery, and lastly as Chief of Surgery.

But this time should be the last one, at least Law hopes so. He spent months studying a permanent remedy to solve Anya’s problem and he is quite confident that this time it’s going to work.

This is why he enters Anya’s room with one of his rare comforting smiles to greet the family. He’s known them for years and he is not surprised to see Nico Robin sitting next to her daughter’s bed reading a book and Anya underlining something on a big textbook resting on her thighs, big blue glasses on the tip of her nose.

“Good morning,” he says, getting their attention and eliciting two soft smiles.

“Law,” Robin says, closing her book and standing up to walk toward him. “I was wondering if we would get to see you before the surgery.”

Law hugs her briefly. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Mom says that you are too busy,” Anya replies, rolling her eyes. “I told her that you were coming to say hi.”

Robin shrugs. “Well, you are the Chief.”

“I am also Anya’s doctor,” he replies, stroking her arm. He notices dark bags under her eyes and a worried frown on her forehead.

“Wrong,” the girl says. “You are by far my favorite doctor!”

Law puts the tablet on the small table at the end of Anya’s bed and crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Since when?” He asks with curiosity. “May I remind you that when you were eight you cried every time you saw me?” 

“That was then, Traf!” She scoffs. “This is now, and now you promised to fix my heart for good! You won the favorite doctor trophy!”

Law chuckles amused. “Hate the nickname but love the attitude.”

“Is it going to work?” Robin asks, her big blue eyes filled with worry.

Law rests his hand on her arm. “I came here to tell you everything you want to know about the surgery,” he explains looking around the room and out of the door. “Do you want me to wait for Frankie? Shall I come later?”

She shakes her head. “He’s out of town for work and can be here only in a couple of days,” she says with a sigh. “We weren’t expecting your call but we also cannot wait any longer.”

Law nods and furrows his brows. “Are you dealing with this alone?”

She smiles. “Of course not, my family is coming to fill in for my husband, don’t worry.”

“That’s good,” he agrees, before picking up the tablet and showing a 3D picture of a heart. “So, basically I-“

“You are gonna replace my bicuspid valve with a fake one that you printed by scratch, which is gonna adapt to my body better than my defective one and will keep me out of a surgery room forever,” Anya interrupts him with an excited voice, fixing the glasses on her nose.

Law looks impressed. “Yes,” he replies. “Did one of the students show up before me and explain the procedure?”

Robin chuckles. “She has been studying,” she explains. “She wants to become a doctor.”

“Mom!” Anya rolls her eyes and shows Law the old surgery textbook she was studying earlier. “I’m gonna be a surgeon !”

Robin smiles softly and turns to Law. “I wonder why.”

Law raises an eyebrow and tries not to look too smug. “Call me when you finish med school, I can teach you a thing or two.”

“If you are not retired yet,” she jokes with a grin and Law gives her a shocked look.

“Watch it, young lady,” he scolds her affectionately. “How old do you think I am?”

Robin laughs softly and Anya shrugs. “I don’t know, seventy?”

He fakes outrage. “I’m not even fifty-five!”

“For real?” She asks with a grin. “The gray hair betrays you, Traf.”

Law runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair and rolls his eyes. “Ugh, teenagers,” he says with a sigh.

“Tell me about it,” Robin comments, shouldering him.

“Well,” Law resumes his explanation. “In a couple of hours, some students are coming in to prepare you and take some blood samples. Do you have any questions?”

“Nope, Traf, we trust you!” Anya says with a grin and Law turns to Robin.

She nods. “We do,” she says, agreeing with her daughter.

“Ok, but in case you come up with some questions, you have my number,” he tells Robin before walking by Anya’s side.

“I’ll see you in the surgery room, ok?” 

She smiles. “Okey dokey, Traf.”

“And drop the nickname.”

Anya chuckles. “The more you hate it, the more I’ll use it.”

“You are a menace.”

“So I’ve been told,” she replies joyfully, but Law can’t get mad at her. He has seen her grow, she’ll always be special to him.

So he strokes her arm reassuringly and walks toward the door while looking at Robin.

“I’ll come see you as soon as-“

He can’t finish his sentence because he bumps into something sturdy and hard and, a second later, a hot liquid wets his legs.

It’s unexpected and painful, so Law takes a couple of steps back hissing and swearing.

As he looks down at his wet trousers -by the smell, the liquid is coffee-, and counts down the seconds for the burn to fade away, a man’s voice catches his attention.

“Shit, I’m sorry, are you okay?”

Law looks up and realizes only at that moment that the sturdy thing he bumped into is a well-built man who has the dumbest face ever. 

“Watch where you are going!” He scolds him, angry and irritated.

“Are you hurt?” Robin asks behind him, but Law shakes his head, tentatively moving his legs. The skin under his wet trousers hurts a little, but there shouldn’t be any kind of permanent damage. 

“I didn’t see you, I’m sorry!” The man apologizes again.

Law scoffs and takes a step toward him, giving him the side eye. “Then buy a pair of glasses,” he says bitterly. “You could have hurt someone, be more careful,” he reprimands him, before walking past him.

He hears the man shouting “I’m sorry!” and he gets even more annoyed. If he weren’t drenched and quite busy he would have gone back to that rude guy and scolded him for yelling in his hospital.

He looks at his reflection in the mirror of the empty elevator and sighs. 

Ugh, people.

*

Anya’s surgery goes well.

There are no complications, the artificial valve fits perfectly, the students answer all the questions Law asks and the surgeon who assists him is precise and meticulous.

As soon as he cuts the final thread and announces that the surgery is over, he notices that a lot of people came to watch him operate and a loud applause fills the room.

He nods and bows, his smile hidden under the mask, but doesn’t stay long in the spotlight.

He takes off the disposable scrub, washes, and without even removing his scrub cap he goes to Anya’s room to inform Robin.

As he walks closer he notices that she’s not alone and only once he’s knocking at the open door he recognizes the man that showered him with coffee earlier.

He is sitting next to Nico Robin on the small couch, arm rested over her shoulder in a comforting hug. They look close and Law wonders if he’s her brother even if they don’t look alike.

Robin looks up and stands on his feet as soon as she sees Law. “Well?” She asks, worried.

The man stands up too, with a similar expression on his face.

“Everything went well,” Law says with a reassuring smile. “There were no complications and she’s a strong young lady. We still have to wait for a couple of days to call it a success, but I’m pretty positive about it.”

Robin brings both hands to cover her mouth and her eyes get wet by what Law believes are relief tears. The man immediately hugs her and holds her against his chest as she cries. “See, I told you she was gonna be okay!” He says with a giggle. “Anya is just as strong as her mama!”

Robin laughs mid-cry and breaks the hug to dry her eyes and turn to Law. “Thank you,” she says, moving closer to hug him briefly. 

“Don’t even mention it,” Law replies, smiling as he leans back. “They’ll bring her up in a few and I’ll have someone to check on her all night, if you need anything you tell me, alright?”

She nods and picks up her phone from the pocket of her jeans. “Gonna call Frankie right away,” she says before turning to her friend. “Can you tell the others?”

He nods and she immediately leaves the room, phone to her ear to call his husband, leaving Law and her friend alone.

Law nods politely at him and is about to leave when the stranger speaks.

“Sorry again about earlier,” he says, bringing a hand to scratch the back of his head. “I was worried about Anya and didn’t watch where I was going,” he adds with an apologetic smile. “Did I hurt you?”

Law looks at him. He’s probably younger than him, with dark hair with rare white locks here and there, tanned, athletic, and shorter than him. His apology sounds sincere.

“No, but let’s just say that getting showered in hot coffee is not a pleasant experience,” he comments.

“I bet it’s not,” the man says with a giggle. “I can have your trousers dry cleaned or something to make it up to you.”

“There’s no need for that,” Law replies quite surprised about the offer. He had been rude to him. “But thank you,” he adds.

“You sure?” The man asks with a hopeful grin. “Can I at least buy you a coffee?”

Law raises an eyebrow because this doesn’t sound like an apology for the incident but something else.

He doesn’t know how to read the offer and he’s also quite tired, so he replies in the safest way possible.

“I don’t drink coffee,” he says flatly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

The man nods but looks a little disappointed by his refusal. 

Law dismisses the thought quite immediately and leaves the room without thinking too much about it, but a loud voice catches his attention.

“Nice cap, by the way!”

Law stops, takes off his yellow cap with the polar bears -Bepo’s gift-  and turns to the man, who is leaning against the doorframe with a grin.

“Are you making fun of me?” He asks, frowning.

“Nope,” the stranger says and then smiles. “It’s funny, I like fun things.”

Law looks at him for a very long moment but doesn’t grin back. Scrub cap in hand, he just resumes walking, even if he feels the eyes of the stranger on him. He doesn’t know what to make of that insistent stare, but he decides not to dwell on it too much.

It has been a long day, he’s tired.

*

It’s late when Law leaves the hospital.

He exits the main entrance buttoning up his coat and daydreaming about his king-size comfortable bed. It’s cold tonight and the air smells like snow.

He’s strolling on the walkway that leads to the parking lot when he hears a male voice calling someone.

“Ehi, wait!”

He turns and is quite surprised to see Nico Robin’s friend hastily approaching with a cup in his hand. He stops right in front of him and grins, but Law just looks annoyed. 

“You need something from me?” He asks, bothered. He just wants to go home.

The man giggles. “I just wanted to give you this, as an apology for this morning,” he says, handing him the fuming cup.

“Thank you, but I don’t drink coffee,” Law replies without moving a muscle.

“It’s tea,” the stranger corrects him. “Green tea, with a spoonful of honey.”

Law furrows his brows. “How did you-“

“I asked around,” the man interrupts him, satisfied. “I just wanted to say sorry,” he says, taking a step forward and smiling. “And also thank you.”

Law takes the cup from the stranger’s hands and sips his favorite hot beverage (after coffee, at least). “What for?”

“For what you did for Anya,” he says simply and with deep affection.

Law shrugs. “It’s my job.”

The man chuckles. “Don’t be modest, your surgery was on everyone’s lips today!”

Law takes a sip of his tea and raises an eyebrow. “How would you know that?”

The man shrugs. “I like to talk to people,” he explains. “And today everybody was eager to tell me how incredible the Chief was in the surgery room,” he continues, before giggling. “Imagine how stupid I felt when I realized that I poured hot coffee onto the Chief!”

Law sips at his tee and smiles briefly. “That was quite a stupid thing to do, yes.”

“Oh, so you do smile,” the man comments with a sharp grin. “Robin and Anya told me you do, but I had yet to see you smiling,” the stranger states, putting his hands into the pockets of his jacket probably because of the cold.

Law is taken aback by the bold statement of the stranger but before he can say something, the man continues his train of thoughts.

“They are not quite trustworthy, you know, they never mentioned that the surgeon who has been following Anya’s health forever is very handsome.”

Law blinks twice in astonishment and raises both eyebrows.

“Are you for real?” He asks, finding it hard to believe the stranger’s words. 

He just chuckles. “Yeah,” he replies, without a hint of embarrassment in his features.

“Does this frankness usually work?” Law asks jokingly. “I’m curious.”

“Work for what?” The man inquires with a sly grin

“For whatever you are trying to accomplish here,” Law replies, sipping his tea.

The stranger crosses both arms behind his head. “I just wanted to offer you something hot to drink to make up for the incident,” he explains with a giggle. “I also think you are very handsome and it would be a pity to keep such a thought for myself.”

Law lets out an amused chuckle. “What a pity indeed.”

He meets the stranger’s eyes for a very long moment before a gust of wind makes them shiver.

“Thanks for the tea, but I really want to go home,” Law says, holding his hot paper cup.

“Yeah, sure,” the man replies, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket again. “Have a nice evening.”

“You too,” Law replies before turning his back to him and resuming walking, the sweet taste of the tea on the tip of his tongue.

He has barely made a couple of steps toward the parking lot when a loud chuckle makes him turn.

“I’m Luffy, by the way,” the man yells with an amused smile on his lips. “It was nice meeting you, Chief!”

Law doesn’t reply, he glances at him, nods, and keeps on walking.

He lets out a sigh as he is inside his car, drinking the last drops of his tea and thinking about what happened a couple of moments prior.

He shakes his head as he turns on his car.

What a strange man, that Luffy.

*

Anya’s first night after the surgery goes well, Law is informed as soon as he gets to the hospital the following morning.

He’s got his best and most meticulous doctors taking care of her, so he doesn’t stress about visiting, since he’s quite busy with his usual bureaucratic mansions.

He loves being the Chief of Surgery, but he’d love it more if he could delegate the paperwork to someone else and spend most of his days in the surgery room.

He finally has some time late afternoon, when the meetings are over and the documents are all signed, so he makes his way to Anya’s room to personally check on her.

He is not surprised to find the girl awake, nor to spot Nico Robin cuddled against her on the big hospital bed. They are talking and chuckling when he enters the room and can’t help but notice how relaxed Nico Robin’s face is right now.

“Good evening,” he greets them as soon as they notice him. “Am I interrupting something?”

Nico Robin sits straight on the bed and shakes her head with a soft smile. “Not at all,” she says, stroking her daughter’s arm. “We were just gossiping.”

Anya chuckles weakly but Law is not worried. He gets to her side to check the monitors. “How are you doing?”

“I am tired and I feel like sleeping,” she replies.

“Those are the meds we are giving you to boost your recovery,” Law explains. “You will feel more active in a couple of days.”

Anya nods. “I know they already told me this but I  want to hear it from you,” she says. “Did it go well?”

Law strokes her arm and smiles. “It went very well.”

She grins enthusiastically. “Thank you Traf, you are the best.”

“Only if you drop the nickname.”

“Not a chance,” she says laughing, before making a face.

“Keep still,” Law scolds her affectionately. “The stitches still need to heal.”

“Those hurt a little bit, yeah,” Anya says.

“As I said, they need to heal,” Law insists. “Give yourself time and patience and you will be as good as new quite soon.”

“Better than new,” Robin suggests caressing her daughter’s cheek. “No offense, Law, but I would be glad to stop meeting you here.”

Law raises an eyebrow. “None taken,” he says, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I do hope to see you again over coffee rather than here.”

Robin smiles pleasantly and Anya chuckles. 

“Speaking of coffee,” the girl says with a suggestive smile. “We heard you met Uncle Luffy.”

The women exchange a glance Law doesn’t understand.

“Yeah, he wanted to apologize about the unfortunate accident of yesterday morning,” Law says, rolling his eyes, turning then toward Robin. “Is he your brother?

“No,” Robin chuckles softly. “He’s a friend but he’s just like family to us.”

“He came here this morning too,” Anya says suggestively. “He kept asking when you would show up.”

Law furrows his brows. “What? Why?”

Anya makes a face. “Oh, c’mon Traf, you can’t be this daft!” She giggles. “He likes you!”

The conversation of the previous evening with Luffy makes its way into his brain and suddenly Anya’s statement doesn’t sound weird at all. Not that he’ll never admit it out loud, though.

"Nonsense," Law replies with a scoff.

“Oh, please, Traf,” Anya chuckles knowingly. “He spent the morning begging Mom to give him your phone number!”

Law turns to Robin with his eyebrows raised and a bewildered expression.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Robin says, wrinkling her nose. “I didn’t give him anything.”

“That’s…” he pauses, looking at Robin’s neutral expression and her daughter's excited one. “Good,” he says. “I’m not interested.”

“Why?” Anya asks, pouting. “Do you already have a boyfriend or a husband?” She inquiries. “But you don’t wear a wedding band!”

Law runs a hand through his hair and blinks a couple of times. “Why would you assume that I like men?” He is honestly quite shocked. He keeps his life very private and very few trusted people at the hospital know the little details about his persona.

Anya shrugs and winces because of the pain. “My gay radar is rarely wrong,” she replies nonchalantly.

“Either way, I’m not-“

“You know, Uncle Luffy is quite strong, like, he trains a lot!” The girl interrupts him with a gleeful voice. 

“This doesn’t change-“

Law tries to make the girl listen to him, but she keeps talking.

“He’s an entomologist and works at the Natural History Museum downtown!” She adds. “He knows so many interesting facts about all kinds of insects!”

“Okay, but-“

Law doesn’t get to finish his sentence and Anya just continues speaking.

“And he’s funny! He’s so damn funny, you’d laugh a lot and also-“

“Anya, enough.”

Thankfully, Nico Robin’s firm voice interrupts the endless monologue of the girl. The serious expression on her face convinces Anya to close her mouth.

“Law’s private life is none of your business, stop pestering him,” she says, caressing her short dark hair. “You are being rude.”

Anya chews on her bottom lip and wrinkles her nose. “Sorry, Traf.”

Law sighs and makes a small smile. “No problem, I’ll come check on you first thing tomorrow morning, okay?”

She nods. “Sure, thank you, Traf.”

“You really like the silly nickname, don’t you?” He jokes, trying to lighten up the mood.

“You have no idea,” she smiles, before yawning.

“Rest now, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, patting her legs and nodding at her mother.

He walks out of the small hospital room feeling uneasy,  Anya’s words about a man liking him repeating non-stop in his brain. 

He doesn’t know what to think or how to feel, he doesn’t know if he should be excited or bothered. He’s pretty confused and can’t process what just happened.

It has been so long since he let himself be vulnerable to another person. What if he gets hurt again? He honestly thought he was done in that department, never thought he’d have another shot at dating or whatever this could lead to. And he’s fine with being alone.

He barely spoke with Luffy, he doesn’t even know if they are compatible, or if he will be able to understand his crazy hours at the hospital and how important his career is to him.

Maybe he should just forget what Anya told him and pretend that nothing happened.

Who knows if they are gonna meet again, Law should definitely focus on more important matters.

After all, he promised himself that he would never let another man rule his life.

He is better on his own.

*

Law walks out of the elevator juggling two wrapped boxes in one hand and a grocery bag in the other. He stops in front of his sister’s apartment and rings the doorbell with his elbow.

He can hear his nephews rapidly approaching by the noise that follows and chuckles when the loud thud of them slamming against the hard wooden door reaches his ears.

“Who’s there?” Charlie, the older one, asks.

“The cookie monster,” Law replies jokingly.

A brief moment of silence follows.

“We don’t know you, go away!” Charlie shouts, but Law can hear his little brother protesting.

“But he said he has cookies! I want cookies!”

Law chuckles amused. “I’m Uncle Law!”

The door opens immediately and two big smiles greet him. 

“Uncle Law, did you bring us presents?” Charlie asks, without even saying hello.

Next to him, David jumps excitedly. “Presents!” He yells, smiling excitedly.

Law kneels and shows them the wrapped boxes. “Have you been good with mom?”

They nod and Law knows they are lying.

“I have these for you, but you have to promise you’ll eat your dinner without making any fuss,” he says with a serious expression.

“We promise!” They say in unison and Law melts in a chuckle.

“You better,” he says, giving them the presents and enjoying their excited shrieks when they realize Law bought them a remote-controlled car each.

“Thank you, Uncle Law!” David says as they destroy the paper boxes to get their hands on the toy car. 

“You are the bestest uncle ever,” Charlie adds while putting the car on the floor.

“You are very welcome,” Law says as he hangs his coat on the hanger. He then oversteps a pile of dirty clothes, picks up some books from the floor to put them in their right spot on the bookshelf, and makes his way to the kitchen with his grocery bag in hand.

Lami is chopping some carrots and smiles wide when he enters the kitchen.

“Are you really gonna buy their love with expensive gifts?” She asks, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.

“I thought it was clear by now,” Law replies matter-of-factly, opening the fridge to put away the groceries. “Dunno what you are cooking, but I brought you some food and the ice creams the boys love,” he says, stacking things in the fridge and rearranging the food already inside.

“But you didn’t have to!” Lami protests while putting the carrots in a pan on the stove.

Law inspects an expired jar of jam and makes a face, turning to his sister. “I clearly had to,” he comments, throwing the jar into the trash.

“Well, thank you,” she says with a tired smile. 

“Don’t mention it,” Law replies, closing the fridge and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. “What can I help you with?”

“Oh, there is no need for that, sit down and relax, you must be exhausted, Chief!” She suggests while taking out a bag of frozen potatoes from the refrigerator and turning on the oven.

Law spots a basket with what presumes are clean clothes under the cabinet and without asking for permission he starts folding it, gaining a thankful look from his sister.

Lami has been a single mom of eight-year-old Charlie and five-year-old David for almost three years now. Her poor excuse of a husband left her when David was only two and never showed up again.

It was not such a big loss, in Law’s opinion. The guy is an idiot and he firmly believes that his sister is better without him, even if being a single mom is hard and challenging.

He helps her in any way he can and even if kids are not his cup of tea, he learned to cherish his nephews and love them to pieces. Lami and the boys are the only family he has left and he wants to be an active part of their lives.

Law folds the laundry and sets the table as Lami finishes preparing dinner, the four of them eat the delicious food Lami cooked while the boys tell the exciting things they did in school and, thankfully, they clean their plate just as they promised Law.

After dinner, Law helps Lami wash the dishes as the boys quietly play in the other room. As the water runs, Law is silent. He has been for most of the night, mind busy overthinking the same thing he has been thinking about for the past two days.

Just as expected, Luffy never showed up again at the hospital. So it’s safe to say that Anya’s words were not true and that Luffy was not interested in him.

Which is a relief. Law is too busy with his job and his family, he doesn’t need the stress of dating or letting another person into his life. 

Moreover, he’s definitely too old for this shit, for dating and relationships. He’s fine with being on his own, after all, even if he’s alone, it doesn’t mean that he’s lonely.

A relief, isn’t it?

“Are you gonna spill the beans or do you want to spend the rest of the evening sulking?”

Law gets startled by his sister’s question and turns to her with an annoyed expression while closing the faucet.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Lami sighs. “Listen, honey, you can keep to yourself whatever is bugging you so much, or,” she opens the fridge and grabs two bottles of cold beer. “You can talk to me.”

Law scoffs and dries his hands with a towel. “I can’t drink that.”

“It’s non-alcoholic,” she explains while opening the bottles. “Check the boys?”

Law nods and peeks into the other room, only to see his nephews drawing on the coffee table.

“They are quiet,” he says, sitting at the table. “I don’t understand why you complain so much, they are little angels.”

Lami laughs at him. “Sure,” she says, sipping at her bottle. “You should try spending twenty-four hours with them, then you tell me if they are angels.”

Law chuckles and drinks a couple of sips of his cold beverage, then remains silent, watching his hands on the table.

Lami lets him take his time without rushing it until he sighs.

“Do you think I’m old?” He asks.

“Oh, love, you’ve always been old.”

“No, I mean old old.”

Lami makes a confused face. “How old are you now?”

“Fifty-four.”

“Well, you are definitely too old to believe in Santa Claus, but I don’t see why you should be too old for something else,” she says with a shrug. “Age is just a number.”

“You sound like a fortune cookie,” Law sighs, sipping at his beer.

Lami rolls her eyes. “Why are you worried about being old all of a sudden?” She asks. “Did something happen at work? Do they want you to retire?”

Law shakes his head. “No, it’s not like that…” he sips at his beer and takes a deep breath. “I was thinking about stuff and life and…” he pauses and scratches the wet beer label off the glass. “It’s stupid.”

“I have two young boys,” Lami says with a comforting smile. “Let me decide what is stupid.”

Law sighs, defeated. “Too old for dating,” he explains without looking at his sister.

Lami remains silent for a couple of seconds then she rests her hand on Law’s to gain his attention. “I don’t think you are too old for that,” she says. “And in case you forgot, I have been telling you to find yourself some hot young twink for years!” She points out with fond laughter and Law rolls his eyes. 

“You want me to go dancing and bring home twenty-somethings who can’t even tie their shoes,” Law scoffs. “And that is not gonna happen.”

“But you don’t have to date those guys,” Lami says with a chuckle. “You just bang them and forget their names,” she suggests while sipping her beer. “I bet that some of them can’t wait to end up in bed with someone who looks like their dad!”

“Lami!” Law reprimands her with an annoyed face. “That’s gross!”

“Why?” She shrugs. “When I was in my twenties I had a thing for charming older guys just like you.”

Law sighs, exasperated. “I’m not banging a guy half my age, and this is the end of it.”

“Too bad,” she says with a pout. “Sex with younger guys is just-“ she brings the tip of her fingers to her lips and plants a kiss on them.

Law rolls his eyes. “Sex is definitely not a priority right now, that is not what I’m worried about.”

Lami leans back on her chair. “Then what are you worried about?”

Law shrugs. “I don’t know. The intimacy, the changes another person brings, the compromises, the fights, and, ultimately, the breaking up?” He runs a hand through his hair. “And I don’t even remember what it's like to flirt or court someone!” He sighs. “See, this is a bad idea.”

Lami takes a deep breath and grabs both his hands over the table.

“I know what this is really about and let me just get to the point,” she says with a gentle smile. “It doesn’t matter if all your past relationships were terrible, you are worthy of finding someone who will cherish you for the amazing person you are.”

Law feels a lump in his throat and blames his sister’s kindness for it. Damn Lami and her unconditional love for him.

He smiles appreciatively. “Now you sound exactly like a fortune cookie.”

Lami bursts into a fond laughter and flips the finger at him. “You are a moron, I was trying to be lovely and sweet!”

Law laughs too, feeling a little bit lighter. “I know, thank you,” he says honestly.

Lami chuckles and stands up to put the empty bottles of beer in the trash. “So, if you are this worried about getting back into dating,” she says leaning against the counter with her back. “Does it mean that there is already someone you fancy?”

“What? No,” Law lies. “It was just a thought.”

“Too bad,” she sighs, yawning. “It would be nice seeing you with someone.”

“But I’m fine on my own,” Law comments, crossing one leg over the other. “This is why I think getting back into dating could be a stupid idea.”

“Oh, honey, of course you are fine,” Lami says with a smile. “But I don’t see how sharing nice and bad things with another person could be bad,” she explains. “Having someone by your side who loves to take care of you is not the worst thing ever, you know?” She lets out a deep melancholic breath. “I miss that.”

“How about me?” Law asks, trying to lighten up the mood. “I take care of you.”

Lami smiles. “Of course you do, but it’s not the same.”

Law hums. “I know,” he says, reaching out for his sister’s hand and squeezing her fingers.

“Besides,” he says. “Why don’t you go clubbing and bring home a twenty-something with a mommy issue?”

Lami bursts into a fond laughter. “When the boys are older, maybe, but that’s not a bad idea,” she jokes. “Young men love milfs, don’t they?”

“They sure do,” Law replies, standing up and stretching his back. “You want help to put the boys to sleep?”

Lami shakes her head. “No, but I do have a favor to ask if you are not busy.”

Law washes his hands in the sink and hums. “When?”

“Friday afternoon.”

Law thinks about it for a couple of seconds. “Nothing major that I can think of, what do you need?”

Lami’s face lightens up. “The school organized this field trip for the boys but the teachers want an adult to accompany them and I can’t change my shift at the clinic.”

Law nods. “No problem, I can take them.”

“Thank you,” Lami hugs him briefly. “You are a lifesaver!”

“I know,” Law says with a chuckle. “Where am I taking the boys?”

“To the Natural History Museum,” Lami replies. “They organize this cute interactive exhibition about bugs and insects to teach the kids about them. Isn’t it nice?”

Law blinks twice and it takes him a couple of seconds to connect the dots.

“The… Natural History Museum? The one downtown?”

Lami hums and then furrows her brows. “Something wrong with that? I promise the boys will behave!”

Law is not one of those who believe in signs from the universe or whatsoever, but this is clear proof that someone is rooting for him from above.

“No problem at all,” Law reassures her with a grin. “Actually, I can’t wait to take them.”

*

Friday arrives sooner than expected and as Law parks his car in front of the Natural History Museum he feels nervous. What a foreign sensation.

“Uncle Laaaaw,” David calls him from the backseat. “Have we arrived?” He asks for the nth time since they got into the car.

Law sighs. “Yes,” he finally says, unfastening his seatbelt and turning to face his nephews.

The kids shriek excitedly and Law wonders how can his sister put up with this on her own every single day.

“But before we go in,” he says seriously, interrupting their celebrations. “You must listen to me.”

Charlie and David both nod obediently.

“You don’t scream, you don’t pick up fights with other kids, you don’t touch anything unless someone tells you that you can and you always stay where I can see you, are we clear?”

David doesn’t seem convinced. “But what if I really really really really want to touch something?”

Charlie nods, agreeing with his little brother.

“You come to me and stay away from it.”

David wrinkles his tiny nose. “That doesn’t seem funny.”

Law sighs. “Listen, if you behave and follow my rules you can choose whatever you want from the gift shop.”

The boys’ eyes lighten up. “Whatever we want?” Charlie asks. 

“One thing each,” Law corrects himself. “And you have to be able to carry it on your own.”

The boys look at each other and then smile like little angels.

“We are gonna be good, Uncle Law,” Charlie promises.

“Super good!” David adds with a lovely smile.

Law looks at them for a brief moment and sighs, defeated. He has to gift Lami a day or two at the spa, she definitely needs a vacation.

After reminding them one more time to behave at the exhibition, Law gets his nephews out of the car and inside the museum.

He can spot other kids around and, since they are a little bit early for the exhibition, they take a small tour in the dinosaurs section.

Against all odds, Charlie and David behave and don’t do any major damage. Law doesn’t lose sight of them while they run around the various skeletons and tries to suppress the nervousness he feels in the back of his throat.

When it’s almost four o’clock they gather with the other children at the entrance of the exhibition to get in.

Never losing sight of the boys, who quickly mingle with other kids and schoolmates, Law stays quietly in the back, avoiding the other parents doing some small talk, while they walk through a half-lit corridor with posters of any kind of bugs on the walls. 

They cross a heavy red curtain and end up in a very big lightened room filled with glass cabinets filled with every kind of living insect. He hears some disgusted noises from a couple of adults and a girl starting to cry, but his attention gets caught by the man standing in the middle of the room.

Law bites his lower lip when he sees Luffy welcoming the kids with a warm excited smile, but doesn’t move forward, he stays in the back and tries not to draw attention.

It takes Luffy a couple of seconds to notice him. When their eyes meet, Luffy’s grin widens for just a moment and Law can’t help but mirror him, letting his lips curve upward.

Their exchange lasts for only a moment, and then Luffy gives his full attention to the kids gathered around him.

He makes them sit on the ground and starts explaining what an entomologist does and very interesting facts about bugs and insects.

His way of speaking is funny and entertaining, he makes jokes, jumps here and there while talking, interacts with the kids, and makes them laugh a lot. 

Law listens to him carefully and can’t help but think that Luffy is excellent at his job and that he is kinda interesting and very charming. And attractive, he must admit.

As the exhibition continues, Luffy entertains the kids with various interactive games: he explains how ants build their nests, how bees produce honey, how spiders build their nets, and how cicadas sing. The kids are enraptured by his explanations, especially because he shows them the bugs inside the cabinets while telling them fun and interesting facts about them.

He keeps the best for last: he shows the kids two giant beetles and a hairy tarantula and asks them who wants to hold them.

Some girls make disgusted noises and only David raises his arm excitedly. Not that Law had any doubts about it.

When Luffy calls him to hold the beetles, though, David turns to his uncle and Law understands immediately that the boy is silently asking for permission.

So he nods approvingly, eliciting an excited smile from David. “Take a picture for Mom!” He yells as he runs to Luffy with excitement.

The exchange between Law and his nephew doesn’t go unnoticed by Luffy, who looks slightly disappointed. At least, that is what Law notices as he draws his phone from the pocket of his jeans to take a picture for Lami.

David is the bravest kid in the bunch, he lets both beetles walk over his arm and laughs excitedly when Luffy puts the tarantula on his head.

Law makes sure to take tons of pictures for his sister and if in some of them there is also Luffy it is just a mere coincidence. He’s not a good photographer, after all.

After David, a few more kids take courage and ask to hold the beetles, making Luffy quite happy.

The bugs exhibition ends with a small interactive drawing laboratory: the kids are given pencils and felt-tip pens and Luffy asks them to create a new bug, based on what they learned during their time together.

The kids sit down at some small tables and start drawing their imaginary insects, while the adults scatter around the room to help their children or look at the insects inside the cabinets.

David and Charlie are quite independent and strangely quiet, so Law remains where he is. He leans against the wall, crosses his arms in front of his chest, and waits. 

Luffy has been stealing glances for the past ten minutes and Law is quite confident that he’ll do something soon.

As expected, after checking the kids one more time, Luffy starts walking toward him and Law tries his best to remain calm and chill. 

Luffy stops by his side with a confident grin on his lips.

“This is crazy,” he comments, without even saying hello.

Law raises an eyebrow. “What’s crazy?”

Luffy giggles and puts his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

“I showed up at your hospital every single morning since Anya got admitted for surgery and I never saw you,” he explains.

Law looks surprised. He knew Luffy had come to the hospital a few times, but every morning? This changes a couple of things.

“Well,” Law shrugs. “My shifts are not very predictable.”

“I figured,” he replies. “This is why I kept coming, I really hoped to see you again,” Luffy says without a hint of embarrassment in his voice. “But then,” he continues. “You show up here and I can’t miss this opportunity.”

“To do what?” Law asks, amused by the situation. He thought he’d be nervous talking with Luffy, but in reality, he’s not.

“To speak with you,” Luffy replies, glancing at the table where the children are drawing. “Your kids are lovely, by the way.”

Law grins because he knows exactly what Luffy is doing.

“Yeah,” he says. “My nephews are not that bad.”

Luffy turns to him with a surprised look. “ Nephews ?” He asks, as a confirmation.

Law hums. “My sister’s sons. She was busy today and couldn’t take them, that’s why I’m here.”

“Oh, I see,” Luffy comments with a chuckle. “You are the cool uncle.”

Law shrugs. “I promised them a gift from the shop, whatever they wanted if they behaved.”

Luffy giggles. “Dangerous move, don’t you know they sell big dinosaur plushies? I mean, as big as a seven-year-old kid.”

Law sighs. “I know now,” he replies, glancing at Luffy. “As long as they don’t sell giant living tarantulas, everything's fine.”

Luffy lets out a laugh. “Oh, no, don’t worry, Regina comes home with me.”

“Regina?” Law says jokingly. “You called her Regina?”

Luffy hums. “Of course, she’s a queen! You want to pet her?”

Law shakes his head. “No, thank you.”

Luffy raises an eyebrow. “You afraid of spiders?”

“May I point out that you are talking about a giant hairy spider as big as my hand?”

Giggling, Luffy shrugs. “Your nephews are braver than you.”

“Or more stupid,” Law points out, glancing at Luffy and smiling when meeting his gaze.

“So,” Luffy prompts, trying way too hard to sound casual. “Did you bring your nephews here all by yourself or with a partner?”

Law has to hold back a chuckle. “Subtle,” he comments instead.

“I know,” Luffy replies with a grin. “You learn a lot of things about subtlety when you are single.”

“You don’t say,” Law says, looking amused.

“Playing for the men’s team helps too, you know,” he continues. “Women have always been a mystery to me.”

Law raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s the correct analogy.”

Luffy chuckles. “Oh, it doesn’t matter.”

“Actually, it-“

“You understood what I was implying, didn’t you?” Luffy interrupts him with a knowing smirk.

Law bites his lower lip. “Yeah.”

“See, it doesn’t matter!”

Law can’t help but let a small smile form on his lips. Luffy is ridiculous.

“Sooooo,” the man continues, shouldering him. “Are you gonna answer my question and finally put me out of my misery or am I going to die before knowing if you are with someone?”

“Misery?” Law asks, amused. “That is a little bit dramatic.”

Luffy scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Dramatic my ass, I’ve been waiting to ask you out for a whole week, I think I deserve an answer!”

Law feels a lump of anxiousness in his throat, but it’s not unpleasant. It’s exciting.

They look at each other for a few seconds, and then Law smiles briefly and looks away from Luffy’s expectant eyes.

“I finish my shift around seven tomorrow evening,” he says, trying to exude confidence. “Pick somewhere nice.”

Even without looking at him, Law can feel Luffy beaming.

“I can’t wait,” he says with an excited giggle, brushing at his arm to get his attention.

Their gazes meet again and Luffy looks like a kid in a candy store. It makes Law’s heart flip in his chest.

“It was nice speaking with you, Torao, gonna get back to the kids,” he says, taking a few steps away from him. “See you tomorrow!”

Law furrows his brows. “Wait, that is not my-“

He doesn’t finish his sentence because Luffy has already joined the kids at their tables laughing and making faces.

Law remains where he is, mind busy processing what just happened and the surreal conversation he just had. It looks like Anya was right, after all, Luffy does fancy him.

And from the small exchange they had, it’s safe to say that Law fancies him too.

He feels as if a very heavy burden was lifted from his chest and the nervousness and anxiety get replaced with excitement and curiosity. He too can’t wait to go out with the most ridiculous man he has ever met.

His good mood won’t leave him even when he leaves the gift shop of the museum followed by his nephews carrying two gigantic dinosaurus-shaped plushies.

He’s just that happy.

*

It’s snowing when Law leaves his office on Saturday night. He glances at the window and notices small snowflakes dancing in the wind before switching off the light and closing the door behind his back.

He’s nervous and excited about the night ahead, but he doesn’t rush outside of the building. He says his goodbyes, takes the elevator to the ground floor, and makes sure to wear his scarf, his black leather gloves, his fluffy and warm hat, and button up his coat. 

Thankfully, it’s not windy, so even if it’s snowing, it is quite nice. 

The fresh snow cracks under Law’s boots as he walks and he doesn’t even have time to wonder where he should go, because not far from the entrance of the hospital and under a big red umbrella he spots Luffy waiting for him.

He walks closer and stops only when they are facing each other. Luffy’s cheeks are red because of the cold and Law notices that he’s not even wearing a pair of gloves.

“Hi, Torao,” he greets him with a grin.

Law cocks his head to the side and makes a small smile.

“Are you aware that that’s not my name?”

Luffy giggles. “Of course.”

“Then why are you using it?”

“Because you have a funny surname and I like giving people nicknames,” Luffy replies matter-of-factly. “Why? You don’t like it?”

Law shrugs. “I’m way too old for silly nicknames.”

“Old? What?” Luffy scoffs. “You don’t look a day past twenty!”

Law raises an eyebrow. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

A knowing grin appears on Luffy’s lips. “Let me be the judge of that,” he says, offering his arm and nodding at his umbrella. “Shall we?”

Law puts his gloved hands inside the pockets of his coat but doesn’t move. “The snow is not that thick, there’s no need for an umbrella.”

Luffy smirks. “You're afraid I’ll bite you?”

The provocation works just fine because Law gets under the umbrella without saying anything.

They are close now and Law doesn’t miss the look Luffy gives him, eyeing him up from head to toe.

“What?” Law asks, feeling slightly vulnerable under that stare.

“You are tall,” Luffy says, meeting his gaze.

“Yeah, and?”

“Nothing,” Luffy shakes his head and starts walking. “I’m doomed.”

“What? Why?” Law insists out of curiosity. 

Luffy looks up and his doomed expression turns into an amused one. “Tall men are my weakness.”

Law didn’t expect such an answer, so it takes him a couple of seconds to reply.

“That’s…” he looks down at Luffy. “Good.”

A light chuckle reaches his ears and he’s about to ask where they are going for dinner when Luffy indicates a restaurant just across the street called The Oyster.

They enter and are taken to a cozy table in the back. The place is nice, discreet, and quiet, it’s perfect for first dates and such.

They sit one in front of the other once they’ve taken their coats off, and Law can’t help but notice how light Luffy’s clothes are. He’s wearing a warm wool sweater but the man in front of him looks unaffected by the cold and is wearing only a light shirt.

“Aren’t you cold?” Law asks bluntly as Luffy gets comfortable in his seat.

Luffy makes a confused face and then shrugs. “Not really,” he replies, unbuttoning the first button of his shirt and running a hand through his dark hair. “You, on the other hand,” he says jokingly. “It looks like you are freezing.”

“Of course I am freezing,” Law comments, rubbing his cold hands one against the other. “It’s snowing outside!”

Luffy looks at him with a chuckle and without asking for permission, reaches forward and grabs Law’s hands.

The first impulse is to shove him away, but after a few seconds Law realizes that Luffy’s hands are burning and that gesture was meant to warm him up. So he says nothing as Luffy rubs his hot and surprisingly soft hands against his.

“Gee,” he comments after a couple of seconds. “You are as cold as a block of ice,” Luffy comments.

Law rolls his eyes. “Well, it’s snowing,” Law repeats. “You are the freak who is not cold.”

Luffy chuckles and glances at him with something that resembles malice. 

“You are welcome, by the way.”

Law bites his lower lip and pulls back his now warmish hands. “Yeah… Thank you,” he says, grabbing the menu.

“Well, I’m available whenever you need to warm up,” Luffy states, winking at him.

“Easy, tiger,” Law snarls back without thinking too much about it. “Let me have dinner first,” he says looking at the menu.

He feels Luffy’s stare on him because of his joke, so he looks up and smirks.

Luffy snickers amused when their gazes meet, and mutters something that sounds like “ Man, I’m doomed ”. Law pretends not to hear him but a pleasant feeling spreads in his chest.

“The sea bass here is delicious if you like it,” Law suggests while reading the menu.

“You’ve already been here?” Luffy asks.

“Yeah, a couple of times,” Law replies, looking around and noticing more people taking their seats. “It’s cozy in here and the food is good,” he smiles. “You chose well.”

Luffy chuckles. “It looked like the place a man like you would appreciate.”

“A man like me?” Law asks, putting down the menu. “What would you think a man like me would appreciate?”

“I guess,” Luffy grabs the napkin and puts it on his thighs. “Somewhere quiet and not too fancy.”

“That is correct,” Law replies, quite surprised. “How did you guess?”

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” Luffy jokes with a shrug and a knowing smirk, but Law is stubborn and doesn’t give up, he keeps staring at Luffy expectantly until the man in front of him sighs.

“Ok, fine, I asked Robin.”

“Ah, I knew it,” Law comments, picking up his napkin.

“She’s known you for a lot of time!” Luffy insists. “After meeting you I got so intrigued that I asked her about you and what kind of man you were,” he says. “Also because I wanted to take her mind off the surgery!”

Law nods, amused. “So, let me get this straight,” he states, resting his arms on the table. “You poured a cup of hot coffee onto me, heard me swear and reprimand you, and your first thought after witnessing that was to hit on me?”

Luffy smiles. “Yes.”

Law looks at him for a long moment before chuckling. “You are ridiculous.”

Luffy laughs with him. “I’m okay with that if ridiculous men are your type.”

Law shrugs. “Who knows, you did your research about me, but I don’t know a single thing about you.”

Luffy is about to say something but the waiter comes to take their orders and they are forced to put the conversation on hold.

Law orders the seared scallops with some grilled vegetables on the side while Luffy gets the sea bass. Luffy asks him if he wants a glass of wine, but Law politely declines using the excuse that he’s gonna have to wake up early the following morning. It’s still a little bit too soon to tell his date how his stupid old body doesn’t like it when he drinks alcohol.

After the waiter brings them a bottle of water, Luffy rests both elbows on the table and smiles enthusiastically.

“I’m ready,” he says, nodding.

“For what?” Law asks, not remembering what they were talking about before the waiter interrupted them.

“For you to ask me questions,” he replies matter-of-factly. “I’m an open book!”

Law hums and gets comfortable.

“How old are you?”

“Forty-eight,” he replies. “Turning forty-nine in May!”

Law is surprised. “You look younger. I would have said around forty.”

Luffy shrugs. “It is just a lot of exercise and good complexion,” he says, making a face. “Whatever that is, my friend Nami hates me for my skin ‘cause I have very few wrinkles and she claims it’s not fair,” he sighs. “But I have no idea of what she means.”

Law looks at his face and must admit that the friend is right. Luffy does have quite nice skin, slightly tanned, with no spots and almost zero creases. He notices a faint scar under his left eye, but it must be quite old. He’s pretty handsome, to be fair, but Law is not gonna tell him that.

“Why the bugs?”

Luffy’s eyes lighten up. “Because they are awesome! My favorites are the beetles, but I’ve always been fond of them since I was a kid.”

“Do you own many of them?” Law asks, afraid of what the answer is going to be.

“Not really, I just have Regina, and the two giant beetles you saw at the museum, a Rhinoceros beetle called Bruce and a Hercules beetle called Lee!”

Law chuckles. “Bruce and Lee?”

Luffy smiles proudly. “Yeah, they kick ass, so the names were perfect!”

“That’s…” Law can’t help but smile. “Ridiculous.”

Luffy giggles at the compliment. “They are my babies.”

It’s his comment that makes Law wonder about a certain subject, so he asks away without beating about the bush.

“Do you have kids?”

Luffy shakes his head.

“Are you married or engaged to someone?”

“You mean,” Luffy looks confused. “Right now?”

“Yeah.”

Luffy makes a face. “God, no, I would never ask you out if I were married.”

Law clears his throat. “You’d be the first.”

“Ouch,” Luffy comments with a serious expression. “Shitty ex?”

Law hums. “Not something I would want to talk about on a first date, though,” he explains. “But I had to ask.”

“Sure,” Luffy agrees. “What about you? Are you married?”

“Nope,” Law replies, picking up his glass of water. “I’ve been on my own for quite a while.”

“Lucky me,” Luffy comments, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

Law takes a sip of water and raises an eyebrow. “You feel lucky?”

“Very,” Luffy replies with a smirk. “I’m having dinner with a very handsome doctor who is not in a relationship and is flirting back to my stupid jokes,” he chuckles. “I’m on fire tonight!”

Law doesn’t know what to answer but thankfully he doesn’t have to because their food arrives and they can change the subject.

They eat, they talk, they laugh, and it turns out that Luffy is a very pleasant company. He’s funny and tells crazy stories about himself and his friends, he is blunt, sometimes embarrassing, and very honest. He is charming yet ridiculous, Law can’t decide on what percentage, but it doesn’t matter. He’s so different from him, carefree and enthusiastic about everything. He laughs at his silly jokes, smiles constantly, and tries his best to make Law burst into laughter. 

Law likes him, more than he thought he would.

The evening passes smoothly, at least until Law notices the weather out of the window.

“Look over there,” he tells Luffy. “It’s snowing like crazy.”

“You are right,” Luffy agrees with him before chuckling. “I’m afraid we’ll have to stay very close under my umbrella.”

“Why? You wanna walk me home?” Law jokes.

“Is that an option? Because I would do that in a heartbeat.”

Law rolls his eyes and smiles. “You would freeze your ass for-“

He gets interrupted by the ringtone of his phone, the one that rings only for emergencies.

He draws it out in a second and doesn’t even apologize, he answers the call with a cold “Yes, Chief Trafalgar.”

“Chief, there has been a huge car crash, at least six vehicles involved,” Bepo says in a hurried voice. “We are expecting a lot of ambulances because some streets are closed for the snow and our ER is the closest one to the place of the crash. Many surgeons on call are blocked by the snow, this is why I called you and-“

“I’m on my way,” Law replies bluntly. “Gimme ten minutes.”

He closes the call and looks up to meet Luffy’s eyes. He expects a disappointed reaction, but the man in front of him only looks worried.

“Everything ok?”

Law shakes his head and stands up. “Huge car crash with a lot of injured people, I have to go, I’m sorry.”

Luffy opens his eyes wide. “What? Why are you apologizing? Go!” He says, pointing at the door.

Law hastily wears his coat. “Thank you,” he says, picking up his wallet. “I’m gonna pay for us while I go out and-“

“Don’t you dare!” Luffy interrupts him. “Go save lives and don’t worry, I’ll think about the check.”

“You sure?”

“Of course, Torao, go!” Luffy insists before smiling. “You’ll make it up to me next time.”

Law likes the suggestion.

“Next time,” he repeats as he wears his gloves.

Luffy just smirks and licks his lips, before pointing at the door. “Go now!”

Law just nods, before quickly heading out of the restaurant and toward the hospital.

It’s snowing like crazy and he’ll probably see terrible injuries in the next few hours, but right now Law allows himself to smile while thinking about Luffy and how much he wants to see him again.

*

It’s six in the morning when Law exits the hospital.

It was one of those crazy fast-paced nights during which time stops and surgeons like him are what makes the difference.

He spent seven hours standing on his feet overlooking four different surgeries while coordinating surgeons during the various procedures, and teaching students how to deal with emergencies.

His back hurts like crazy and he can’t wait to lie down and swallow a handful of painkillers.

It’s still dark and it’s still snowing, but thankfully the storm calmed down. The sun has yet to rise but the sky is slowly turning light blue. 

The fresh snow cracks under his boots as he walks toward the parking lot. Law loves the fact that the city is still sleeping and that everything around him is silent. 

As he walks, he can’t help but think about the previous evening, the way Luffy looked at him, his blunt statements, and his charming yet ridiculous smile. 

He huddles up in his warm coat and, despite the tiredness, he feels good.

“Torao, wait!”

Law stops abruptly as soon as he hears Luffy’s voice. He turns toward the hospital presuming it’s just his mind playing him some kind of joke, but it’s not a prank. Luffy is hastily approaching with his light coat, his red cheeks, a fuming paper cup in one hand, and a happy smile on his lips.

Law can’t believe his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Law asks, as soon as Luffy is right in front of him.

“I wanted to bring you this, you must be exhausted!” Luffy replies, handing him the paper cup. “It’s tea, the one you like.”

Law is flabbergasted and looks first at the hot tea in his hand and then at Luffy. “How?” He asks because words are quite hard right now.

Luffy shrugs and scratches his nose. “Anya and I text a lot, especially when she can’t sleep and doesn’t want to wake Robin up,” he explains. “And when she told me she saw you leaving the hospital I couldn’t resist,” Luffy continues. “I live nearby and there is this coffee shop that stays open all night and I thought that you could use something warm.”

Law is dumbfounded by Luffy’s kindness and doesn’t really know how to express how grateful he feels right now for such a thoughtful gesture. No one had ever done such a simple yet meaningful thing for him as bringing him hot tea after a very long night.

So he shuts down his useless brain and does what looks like the best way to show his appreciation.

He takes one step toward Luffy, gently grabs his face, and bows down to kiss his lips, boldly and without asking for permission. Luffy gasps at Law’s unexpected act, but melts in the kiss immediately, parting his mouth to deepen the contact and reaching out for Law’s side.

They kiss under the snow while the sun rises and Law thinks that this is without any doubt the best first kiss of his entire life. Even if it’s quick, surprising, and not quite intense.

They part before it gets too wet and intimate, but Law doesn’t mind. He presses his forehead against Luffy’s and then pecks the corner of his mouth one more time before standing straight.

“Thank you,” he says. “For the tea and dinner last night.”

Luffy smiles a hundred teeth smile. “I’m gonna bring you tea every morning if this is how you show gratitude.”

Law chuckles. “I could get used to that.”

If it’s even possible, Luffy’s smile gets bigger. “When can I see you again?” He asks, his voice low and longing while reaching for his gloved hand to entwine their fingers together.

Law looks down at their hands and nods. “Let me get some sleep first,” he says jokingly. “But soon,” he reassures him.

“Okay,” Luffy agrees, letting go of his hand to caress his cheek. His fingers burn pleasantly over his skin. “Go have some sleep Torao, you look like you could faint any minute.”
Law nods but doesn’t like it when Luffy stops stroking his face and lowers his hand. If only he weren’t so damn tired.

“Call me,” he says with a faint smile taking a few steps back. “And have a nice day.”

Luffy smirks. “Believe me, I will.”

He looks at that contagious smile one more time before turning and heading to his car, sipping his delicious hot tea.

It’s sweet, but Luffy’s lips tasted better.