Can I Steal Your Heart? - A LawLu fanfic

(Law) Chapter 25 - Comfort

The party had taken enough out of him that he was finally almost asleep when a quiet knock sounded at his door.

"Who is it?" He called grumpily.

A familiar hiccuppy sob of relief came through the door, but no words accompanied it. Still, he found himself very awake.

"Luffy-ya, is that you?"

"... yeah.... Sorry. Just... needed to make sure you were okay.... Sorry to wake you."

At... 3:26 in the morning? Law flung open the door, seeing Luffy already retreating slowly back towards the deck of the Tang. "Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Luffy paused mid-step, then dashed back, almost knocking Law over in a violent hug as he choked out an affirmative noise.

"... Wanna talk about it?" Law wrapped his arms around the smaller man, completing an obviously much-needed hug. It felt strange, to willingly return a hug, but for Luffy, he'd handle whatever strange he needed to.

Luffy nodded against his bare chest, and Law picked him up off the ground without breaking the hug. Only when he'd sat down in his chair with the door closed and Luffy curled up on his lap did Luffy try to speak, his words muffled by his position against Law's chest. "... I was back in Marineford, in the stupid Paramount War. Only, this time, my crew was with me. You, too. And it was kinda like when Kuma split us all up at Sabaody, only it was Akainu and..." Luffy sobbed quietly, unable to continue.

"And you were helpless to do anything but watch as he killed your friends?" Law guessed quietly, rubbing Luffy's back gently. He'd had nightmares similar to that, only Doflamingo was usually the villain in his. Sometimes Vergo or the Marines or the Celestial Dragons, but Doffy was more common.

"Mhmm... Exactly like he killed Ace. A punch through their chest... One by one. I couldn't save anyone. Wasn't fast enough. Wasn't strong enough."

"And then couldn't quite shake it when you woke up?"

"... I tried not to come. I spent an hour counting my crew's heartbeats while trying not to wake anyone. It was only after I'd reassured myself that everyone else was fine that I couldn't fight the urge to come check on you..."

That almost made it sound like he hadn't needed to see his crew, just feel them. And unless Law overestimated Luffy, he should've been in haki range, too, which made this visit more baffling. But Law wasn't going to complain, not when it was him Luffy had chosen to come to in his distress. "I'm okay, Luffy-ya. We all are. It was just a dream. I'm right here." He was so out of practice with this comforting thing. His crew never seemed to have nightmares now, but Bepo had been prone to them when they'd started out.

"I hate him, Torao." Luffy sobbed, slumping into him like he was melting. "I never want to hate anyone, but I hate Akainu with everything in me. Why? Why did Ace have to die? Why'd he jump in to protect me like that?!"

"For the same reason you were there in the first place. Because you're brothers. You were protecting him. And he was protecting you from that monster." Law cleared his throat, trying to think of what to say, as his hand continued to rub gentle circles on that thin back. "I know it's ... painful, and lonely, being left behind by a sibling's death. But Luffy-ya, I'm glad you're still here. So is your crew. And I never knew him, but I think Ace must be, too."

A few more quiet sobs wracked through Luffy's chest, echoing into Law's own. They sat like that for a while before Luffy managed to quietly ask,"... Have you said something like that to me before?"

Law blinked at the change of subject. "...Yeah, I guess it was similar. When you were sleeping after the surgeries I performed on you that day. Didn't think you were awake enough to hear it."