Can I Steal Your Heart? - A LawLu fanfic

(Luffy) Chapter 14 - Dealing

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has voted, commented, followed, etc.! Not going to list everyone, but know that you're all super appreciated!!

Luffy couldn't quite shake the funk he was in, even with a huge trayful of meat in front of him and a banquet beginning around him. It didn't matter what he tried, his mind kept going back to that stern 'no' that Law had given him. Not for his own sake, not really, even though it had stung a little. But he couldn't shake the feeling that there'd been something he'd missed. Something about the way Law had said it that didn't quite make sense to him. If he'd been paying attention with his haki, maybe he would've caught it faster, but he hadn't.

Usopp flopped down onto the deck beside him, sloshing the cup of booze in his hand as he did. "Luffy~. Whatsa matter? You're being quiet over here. It's a party! You should be partying!"

Luffy cringed a little at the strong stench of alcohol coming off his friend. "I'm just not really feeling like partying any more."

"What, you tired bro?"

'Bro?' So Usopp really was drunk, then. He only started taking on the mannerisms of other crewmates when he was drunk. Luffy really wasn't sure he wanted to deal with a drunk Usopp. Not tonight. "I mean, I guess."

Usopp squinted at him. "You're hiding something again. Pushing us away. Stop that."

"I'm not pushing anyone away?"

"Yes, you are." The sniper angrily took a huge gulp from his cup, nearly draining it before he flopped down. "You did it when Kuma split us all up and you did it again before Zoro left and you're doing it now!"

Luffy tilted his head in confusion, knowing he was stuck in the conversation now. "When Kuma split us up? You mean the training period? I didn't push anyone away, I just... gave us all time to get stronger. Made it so no one felt they needed to rush back."

"While you were physically and emotionally wounded. We're friends, moron. We all WANTED to rush back. Your stupid little message made me feel like I couldn't. Like you didn't need me for that time," Usopp sighed. "And yeah, I got stronger and in some ways I appreciated it, but... not being able to be there for you sucked. You're always there for us, but none of us could be there for you when you needed us the most."

"Geez. You've been hanging onto that all this time?" Luffy asked him. Usopp was just silent for a moment, so Luffy continued. "It wasn't... that I didn't need you guys. I just... needed to get stronger. We all did. So that all that pain didn't happen again more... permanently." He took another chomp of meat, trying to give himself room to express the emotions.

"You have no idea how relieved I was when I realized that if Kuma's little bubble thing had left me alive, that everyone else was probably still alive, too. I was the last, Usopp. I'd watched everyone disappear in front of me. It was... bad. And I was dead-set on reuniting, too, until I found out that Ace was captured. Then there was that war and I lost him and still somehow I was alive, but... I didn't want you all to see me like that, honestly."

Usopp's eyes were closed, but Luffy saw a tear leak out of one. "So what about today? Why are you shutting me out today?"

Luffy flopped down next to his drunk friend. "I made a joke that I then realized I didn't want to be a joke and someone took it too hard and snapped at me."

"Torao?"

"How'd you know?"

Usopp scoffed lightly. "He's the only one who really doesn't get your sense of humor. It may annoy the rest of us sometimes, but we understand it." He finally turned to Luffy and opened his eyes. "Don't take his snapping too hard. He'll get over it. He may not understand you but he respects you."

"You think?"

"Absolutely."

Luffy sat up, grabbing another cut of meat and beginning to eat with gusto again. "Ok. Thanks, Usopp."

—--

The next morning, Luffy scarfed down some eggs and bacon, then found himself begging a distracted Sanji for pancakes, too. Sanji obliged, although not without some grumbling. Still, Luffy watched from the corner of his eye as Zoro came into the kitchen, helped for a few minutes, and then just stood next to Sanji, talking quietly.

They were good for each other. The thought made him grin. He didn't particularly like the thought of romance for himself, but he was always happy to see others happy, and romance seemed to make lots of people happy. If there was a romance that didn't tie me down.... Well, maybe that wouldn't be too bad, to have someone look at him as gently as Zoro looked at Sanji.

Then Zoro and Chopper disappeared in a flash of a blue bubble, and Sanji ran out to the deck, yelling at Torao. Luffy followed curiously, just in time to hear Torao order Sanji to be around him 'at that time'. Zoro gave a smile, and Luffy waved at them as they disappeared below the deck of the other ship. Then he darted back into the galley for a couple more pancakes.

The next two hours were... rough. Sanji was antsy, barely letting Luffy go to the bathroom in peace. But finally, a blue bubble encompassed both ships and Sanji disappeared, replaced by the tall captain of the other ship. He looked a little more tired even than usual, and had a few spots of blood on his long white coat. His hands were sweaty, as if he'd just taken off the rubbery surgery gloves.

Luffy spun to face him directly. "Torao! Everything go okay?"

Law gave a half-smirk. "Yeah. Better than I'd expected. Now it's just a matter of if he keeps his memory." Law must've seen the panic on Luffy's face, and his own began to match. "You... didn't know? I thought Chopper said he'd told you everything to possibly expect after this?" Law took his hat off to run his hands through messy hair. "Fuck. I assumed...."

"Torao? What do you mean?" What was Zoro in danger of forgetting? His time with the crew? His sword skills? His entire life?

"I told you before, there's an unusual side-effect to this procedure, right?" Law straightened up out of his slouch, clearly trying to regain a sense of professionalism. "It's... a form of amnesia. Sometimes, not always but sometimes, the patient... loses all memory of the person they felt the affection for. I'm sorry, Mugiwara-ya. I assumed Chopper knew and had told you."

Luffy thought for a few seconds. "It's okay. Zoro won't forget."

"But this isn't his first surgery, right? The odds of getting through two of them unscathed..."

"Zoro will do it. He won't forget Sanji. He wouldn't let himself. He cares too much." Even Luffy was a little surprised at the confidence in his voice. But Law's face seemed to say that he wasn't really sure what the odds were, and if there was one thing Luffy's crew had in common, it was the ability and desire to beat the odds, no matter what they might be. "Other than the memory-thing, he'll be okay?"

"... Yeah. Should have minimal scarring, and I was able to clean up some damage to his lungs and some of his other organs while I was in there, I think caused by whatever slash he took that gave him that long scar." Law's hand went from his own shoulder to opposite hip to indicate which one he meant.

"Hmm? You mean the one from Mihawk?"

Law's eyes widened. "He fought Dracule Mihawk... and lived?" He slumped down against the railing.

Luffy laughed at that. "Yeah, early on! Before Sanji joined up. He lost though. Then he trained with him while we were all split up."

"... then it seems you're right. If he can survive a fight against and training under Mihawk, then there's probably no need to worry about him losing his memories." Law started laughing, almost hysterically. "What the crap is with your crew, man?! You're all ridiculous! You broke into and out of the highest security prison, your first mate fought the strongest swordsman in the known world, your shipwright managed to survive a literal train wreck. And those are just the stories I know! What the hell kinda devil's-deal did you make to get so damn lucky?"