Professor Romance (Trafalgar Law x Reader)

17 : The Dream

It was cold.

The floor was metal, the air going stale. Law turned his eyes away from his papers and to a porthole, dark and sunless. Devoid and deep navy blue. He breathed deeply, the scent of salt and disinfectants under his nose.

"We're surfacing soon." You smiled warmly, looking down from your place lent in the doorway. You weren't dressed in your normal hoodie and jeans, but instead a loose white shirt overlayed by an open leather vest. The sleeves were rolled up to your biceps, your mangled arm folded over your chest- free of inhibitions. "Don't look so surprised, did you just wake up?"

"Surfacing?" Law floundered for a moment. The Polar Tang, that's right. "Already?"

"You know, if you ever left your quarters, I wouldn't have to come tell you." Your hummed laugh was free, honest, proud. Everything about you lacked the timidness your normally carried, this you was confident and sound in herself. "Satchi is up my ass about stars, he wants to watch the eclipse."

"That's tonight, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and, as per usual, we don't have enough supplies for a party." It was a chide in all manners, but you spoke it with a teasing nature. "Because somebody likes to overextend into his playtime."

"It's not playtime." Law chuckled, leaning back fully into his chair. "And even if it was, that playtime saved your life- more than once I might add."

"All I'm saying is that you'd rather sit in here, reading your books and scribbling down notes," you advanced, a swagger in your hips and a clink of bronze on your belt. You knees spread and placed themselves on either side of his hips, settling yourself down comfortably in his lap. "Than you would spend time with your crew."

"Since when did my crew become so damn needy?" Law was smiling, and his hands trailed up your thighs to grip your hips firmly. With this hold he pulled you forward, forcing your proximity closer, more intimate.

You didn't answer, instead closing the small gap to press your lips together for a gentle, mesmerizing kiss. Your hands found his sideburns to caress them gently, holding him in such a careful way. Soft kisses were exchanged for a while, along with touches and gropes. Nothing extensive, nothing too lewd.

"Mmm..." Law hummed contently when you finally pulled yourself away. He reveled in your warmth, the smell of linen and coffee. Perfume, as well, one he didn't readily notice. "I'm sorry. I will...."

Your cocked a brow as he trialed off.

"...make a definite change to be more... present."

"Attentive." You corrected with a coy glare. "Be more attentive."

"Okay, attentive."

"Not to just me. You forget sometimes that these men, they're your friends." You face turned solemn, the pad of your finger running over his brow. "Idiots they may be, they'd lay down their lives for you, Captain. Your absence hurts not just me, all of us."

"I know, but ____, I'm close." His fingers dug into the ruffles of your waistline, begging you to understand. "Once we have all the hearts, our next steps must be planned carefully. This cure, it can be a disease."

"Law," you called his name with caution, anxiety. "Cure or disease, nothing is going to be enough for you unless you let it."

"I don't understand." He frowned with a curious scrunch of his brows. "What do you mean?"