Can I Steal Your Heart? - A LawLu fanfic

(Law) Chapter 9 - Laughter

A/N: Just want to give you a heads-up that I may go on a three-week hiatus. I'm going to be on vacation and not have my computer, and while I have enough buffer chapters, it's enough harder to edit on just my phone that I do not make any guarantees about posting between Sept 4th-24th. I will, at least, promise one more chapter this week and one no later than Sept. 26th. Cross my heart!

Law waited for the call to connect as he stared out the porthole at the fading twilight on the horizon. He'd been fighting with himself for nearly two days about whether or not he should share Rune's vision with the Strawhats. On the one hand, it offered hope — as long as it was true. On the other hand, the potential implications were... petrifying. But he'd finally decided to tell them at least some of it, though he'd be leaving out some of the finer details.

Finally there was an answer. "This is Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

The younger captain's voice was bright and happy, unlike how it'd been through the last few calls, and Law would adamantly deny that that happiness made his own heart soar. "Is that so, Mugiwara-ya? What if I get there first?" He teased a little.

"Shishishishi. Not gonna happen, Torao! I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates, no matter what! I'll make you — and anyone else — step aside if I have to."

"You sound... better. Something good happen?" Law's topic of discussion could wait a little longer.

The voice on the other end seemed to brighten further. "You're never gonna believe it~! Sanji went after Zoro, and brought him back and he's alive and Chopper just confirmed that he seems to be healing!"

The hunter returned to the king's side, after all, then... Law thought. "I'm glad to hear that, Mugiwara-ya. Means our alliance will be strong as ever and still be able to beat Kaido."

"Psh. You and your alliance. We're friends now, you admitted it! And our friend is back!"

Law snorted. "What, did you want me to do a happy dance? That's not my style. And you can't prove I said we were friends.... But I am glad for you. I know you were going to miss him."

"Why don't you at least sound surprised?" Law could hear the confusion, could perfectly envision the head tilt that the younger man was probably doing. "I thought he was dead. I told you Chopper's diagnosis, and you yourself said there wasn't a lot of hope. But you don't even sound surprised to hear that he's not only alive but back."

Law rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, to be honest... That's kind of why I was calling..."

"What do you mean?"

"Mugiwara-ya, I met a lady who could tell the future. She told me that Zoro would come back to you." Among other things, but Law needed to psych himself up more before he was willing to share those.

Luffy went quiet for a minute. "How long ago was this?"

"Two days ago, the day you said you'd be telling your crew. Sorry to not say something sooner. She dropped a few other bombs on me that day that I needed to... work through. Including more about your crew's future."

"Well, don't tell me. I don't wanna know the future. I'm gonna make my own future! ...Though, I am a little bothered that you knew Zoro would be coming back... But, knowing would've made today less fun because I wouldn't have gotten to be surprised!"

And just like that, the anxiety that Law had been feeling evacuated his body so fast he was surprised his knees still held him up. "You... don't want to know? What if it was something bad that you could prevent by knowing?" How could anyone who'd been through tragedy before not want to know if a repeat occurrence could be prevented?