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Under a blazing sun, Luffy readjusted the cap on his head, and checked a last time that the club’s wallet was well secured inside of his cross-body bag. Nami threatened him with the worst tortures imaginable (most of them related to food deprivation) if he was to lose the money. All of that because it happened once – or maybe twice – and now she acted as if he was the most untrustworthy person walking on Earth.
To be fair, he knew the only reason he ended up in charge of the food provision's mission was only for a lack of better options; definitely not because they wanted him to go.
At the end of June, afternoons were already hot enough for most of the team members to be at risk of a sunstroke if they were to move too much after an already exhausting practice session. So, when the coach decided it would be a good idea to give them a little reward in the form of fresh drinks and snacks during their break, only the team captain and vice-captain – not particularly affected by the heat – were reliable candidates to send on the errand.
They could make Luffy swear – once again under heavy threats – that he wouldn’t eat everything on his own during the way back, though they couldn’t make Zoro do the same about not getting lost. Especially when the vice-captain denied the utter disaster his sense of direction was, and for that exact same reason, always rejected any assistance.
Hence Luffy departing on his own, carrying a little bag dotted to him in the same way a kindergarten child would have his school bag packed by a lovingly worried parent.
He didn’t mind, though. Even on a weekday after practice, he was still full of energy and the sun didn’t give him the impression of being cooked alive, but rather warmed his skin in a way that made him feel all sunny inside out.
He loved how endless and full of possibilities were the summer days, even more now, as a university student, when most exams were already over, and thus, with a lot of free time on his hands.
He loved how it made things easier to meet up with his group of friends when they weren’t forced anymore to mingle conflicting schedules because of their various majors.
He loved to take random naps outside, and wake up later only to discover the weirdest tan lines on his body.
He loved evenings shared with his brothers on the balcony of their cramped apartment, the smell of meat coming from their and their neighbours’ barbecues all at once, the sound of raised voices bickering over a juicy piece of food slipping through shared laughter from time to time.
He loved to hear the loud noise made by cicadas, the happy racket from children free – or almost free – from school, and the splashing echoes of people trying to cool down.
He loved getting ice cream as a midnight snack, often met by one, or both, of his brothers in front of the old electric fan, dreaming about the day their landlord would finally fix the air conditioner.
All in all, Luffy loved summertime.
Lighthearted, he sang as he went, a silly song that earned a few amused smiles from bystanders. Following the path leading to the nearest konbini, he trusted his feet while his mind wandered in different directions. Anticipation of a fuzzy cold drink making his steps faster.
Actually, his throat was parched and, tempting him on the way, were many vending machines bordering the pavement. A promise of freshness behind refrigerated windows.
For sure since he was the one going, nobody would mind if he took an extra beverage for himself to drink on the go.
That’s why he stopped in front of one of the machines, face glued to the glass, stealing a bit of freshness while he was making his choice.
Unable to decide what he wanted among everything, Luffy ended up pressing all at once on as many buttons as physically possible for him.
Then, he waited, all jittery about the surprise bottle that would fall inside of the delivery pocket, ready for him to pick it up. A swift hand grabbed it as soon as the heavy thump resonated from inside the machine.
Strawberry lemonade.
Luffy happily hummed, satisfied as he uncapped the bottle, hands already refreshed by the cool mist on it.
Head tilted back to drink, some movement caught his attention through the lashes of his half lidded eyelids. Probably attracted by the artificial light from the vending machine, a butterfly perched itself on top of it. Bright yellow wings crossed by deep black stripes snatched Luffy’s focus away from his current course of action.
These kinds of butterflies were rather big compared to the ones more commonly seen in town, and Luffy remembered part of its name because it had the word tiger in it, it always sounded funny to him to name a harmless butterfly after a dangerous carnivore.
Without giving it a second thought, he decided right here and then to follow the tiger swallowtail when it started to fly away.
Clueless about the place the creature would lead him to, Luffy chased after fluttering wings, not letting it escape out of his sight even once. Even when that meant to abandon the main road and take the opposite direction of the konbini he was heading to in the first place.
At some point, Luffy could almost swear they crossed a private property, but he was far too adamant about his new goal to have any concern about it.
From time to time, the butterfly paused, rarely though, as if aware of the pursuer on its tail. It never discouraged Luffy who accepted every turn and new pathway as they came.
Eventually, he realized he was lost when they entered a clearing he didn’t remember ever seeing in his life. However, what really caught his eyes wasn’t his surroundings, but the fact someone was laying down on the grass, basking in the sun.
Sprawled out on his back, head resting on his hands, seemingly endless legs half folded, an unmoving figure apart for a faint rise and fall of a visibly tattooed chest.
From this initial glance only, Luffy wasn’t sure if the guy was awake, and didn’t intend to disturb him at first.
However, in an instant, the butterfly ended its course perched on the nose of the most beautiful face Luffy ever landed his eyes on. Sunlight reflected on raven hair, a bright halo of golden light around, and a pretty butterfly adorning his features; Luffy believed he just met an angel.
An angel who probably crawled his way out from hell based on his ominous tattoos and the nasty glare, heavily underlined by dark circles, he sent Luffy as soon as he opened his golden eyes.
“What do you want?” the stranger asked in an unfriendly tone.
From how his heart already missed a few beats right before it thumped so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, Luffy already knew he was done for. But when he heard this voice, not only he decided he wouldn’t leave this place without the man’s number, but if the golden-eyed stranger was to be his undoing, he would still jump in head first.
Never in his life he felt such a powerful attraction towards anyone. Something in his guts told him it was a once in a lifetime chance he couldn’t miss.
“You have a butterfly on your face,” Luffy said as he approached. He squatted down on the floor next to his beautiful stranger, who, in turn, sat up, ending up level-eyed with him.
The ephemeral creature took the sudden gesture as its clue to leave, only to land on a flower a little further.
Even though he could still go after it, Luffy didn’t care anymore for the new object of his attention seemed way more fascinating than a bug, no matter how uncommon.
For a moment they looked at each other, before Luffy broke the silence with his sunny voice “Hi!” he started as he flashed a smile. “I’m Luffy. And apart from pretty, you are?”
“Law,” the now only half-stranger skeptically answered before the rest of the sentence reached his brain. “Wait,” he said with eyebrows comically furrowed and raised at the same time, “did you just…try to hit on me with a cheap pick-up line?!”
“Yup! Did it work?”
“Of course not!” In the face of Luffy’s laugh, Law’s expression softened a bit despite his harsh tone. “With how random your standards seem to be, I’m not even sure I should be flattered.”
Offended, Luffy playfully nudged Law’s shoulder. “I don’t have standards,” he started as he picked up one of the textbooks he noticed on the ground. It looked like a boring schoolbook, but Luffy was happy anyway to see the owner’s name at the beginning. Trafalgar D. Water Law. Something inside of him already revolved around Law’s existence, as if bewitched by an invisible spell he neither could – nor wanted – to resist. “I just decided I want to date you,” he stated, matter of factly while discarding the book on the floor to give back his full attention to Law.
He seemed closed off and expressionless at first, which thrilled Luffy, since it meant he was one of the most expressful kind of person; it was just necessary to look out for the tiniest details. And to pay close attention to such a face? Definitely something he already planned on doing so.
The silence stretched on for a while, Law evaluating Luffy to determine if this was all just a big joke, or if that unhinged boy was seriously flirting with him.
Ultimately, he seemed to opt in favor of the latest. “That simple, huh?” he questioned in a low voice that sent a few shivers to Luffy’s skin.
“I don’t know. Isn’t it supposed to be simple?” Luffy asked, head tilted on the side, piercing gaze all over Law before his face morphed in a dazzling smile, all seeds of doubt already far away from his mind. “I’m attracted to you so let’s date!”
He witnessed from the front row the endless dance his brother had going on for years with his actual girlfriend. Losing so much time they could have spent together instead of torturing themselves. And everybody around for that matter, with how painful it was to watch them so blindly insecure when it was obvious something was going on. Luffy didn’t like to complicate things, and he never feared the leap of faith to reach for something he wanted.
He licked his lips, still having a hint of strawberry lemonade’s taste on it, eager to hear again the velvet voice.
“And what do I get out of it?”
Not an acceptance. But neither a rejection. Besides, if the man was really bothered, he could walk out of that conversation at any given time. So, that was enough for Luffy to confidently point at himself with a thumb in his chest and a bright smile on his face “Me!”
In the middle of that meadow, Law finally seemed to be way more amused than bothered, and answered with a playful undertone making Luffy’s heart derail once more. “So a sweaty bug-eyed little freak…”
Even the cicadas’ symphony coming from the trees got overpowered by Luffy’s loud laugh, making him lose his balance in the process and fall flat sitting in the grass. He didn’t miss the smirk on the other’s face, and after pondering for a brief moment, he stood up and outstretched his hand for Law to grab. “Then let’s say ice cream for now.”
Law refused the offer at first. Both the treat and the hand, under the excuse of having to study. A gesture towards the textbooks on the ground to prove his point. When Luffy found him he was simply resting his eyes for a short moment, medicine studies being tough and exhausting. It wasn’t hard to believe judging by the heavy dark tones circling his eyes.
Luffy didn’t give up, though.
Eventually, they ended up in front of an ice cream truck, after Luffy protested Law was already taking a break in the first place, so a longer one wouldn’t kill him.
When they walked side by side and he discovered their height difference, Luffy got some weird tingles in his stomach.
And now, he wasn’t sure if he didn’t swallow a swarm of bugs who were partying inside of his stomach. Although, he couldn’t decide if the feeling was coming from the person standing next to him, or from the copious display of ice cream flavours in front of him.
When it was their turn to order, Law made fun of him because of his starry eyes over the food, and the obvious struggle to decide what to pick.
A cone with two scoops of coffee and vanilla ice cream was already in tattooed hands while Luffy was still reading out loud all the tastes he wanted to try like a mantra.
At some point, Law lost a bit of his patience and challenged Luffy to do it when he whined about wanting everything. “I’ll consider dating you if you do” was the unnecessary thing to add for a boy who already decided to accept the challenge without the extra motivation. Now there was no way he would back up.
The seller seemed rather confused about the order and had to get creative with the serving to fit a dozen ice cream scoops. He still managed nonetheless, under one curious, and one eager look.
As they settled down on a nearby bench partly shaded by a big tree shielding them from the sun, Law watched in morbid fascination the ice cream disappear inside Luffy’s mouth in its entirety. Not only did he eat everything, but even did it at a record speed, visibly rushed only by his drive for food and not bothered at all by the phone, regularly vibrating inside his pocket. Every notification, Law could also feel through their legs touching, was ignored until the food completely vanished.
Visibly not the smartest idea judging from the exclamation Luffy made when he finally read the texts and, by a certain degree of shameless sheepiness, informed Law that he completely forgot he was supposed to be somewhere else right now.
When they left the bench, Luffy yelped, assaulted by a not very surprising headache after wolfing down such a quantity of cold ice cream. He over-dramatically whimpered about wanting Law to carry him. And when his request got rejected, he was ready to roll on the floor, despite the pain worsening at every movement.
“It’s just a headache Luffy-ya, you’re not dying!” Either Law saw clear through Luffy’s act, or compassion wasn’t his forte. Either way, it just had the effect of accentuating Luffy’s pout. “But we’re dating now!” In front of widening golden eyes, Luffy reminded, “I ate everything!”
Law closed and opened his mouth a few times, and in the end, for lack of anything to say in the face of the current out-of-control situation, simply tutted through gritted teeth.
Luffy could swear he caught the hint of a creeping blush before Law abruptly turned his back on him.
“Walk on your own!” he barked, extending his hand for Luffy to grab in spite of his words.
Now, Luffy was definitely sure nobody in his team would entrust him to run errands anymore. And even Zoro, with his priceless sense of direction, would be considered a better choice than him.
Still, tattooed fingers intertwined with his, he couldn’t care less.