Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The night that changed Law’s life forever happened by chance.

The convention center bustled with people as they moved to get to their respective venues. Law never felt more claustrophobic, hyper aware of the breathing and heat of the people around him. Every touch or brush of a shoulder pushed him closer to losing all patience. 

Shachi and Penguin had an interesting idea of ‘fun’ for their day off. Attending a convention for male and female pop groups was definitely not high on Law’s list of things to do. 

Sure, some of the bands and groups Law had heard before and had a passing interest in. Some particular singers were performing later that Law occasionally listened too. But it wasn’t so much of an interest that Law had to go and spend a ridiculous amount on merchandise or spend most of the day feeling rather gross from the sweat accumulating in the hot building. 

He needed to find a place to sit down and cool off fast. 

Shachi and Penguin were on a mission almost the instant they got through security. 

“We need you Bepo! You can push through the crowds!” Shachi begged, dragging Bepo by his large hand. 

“I don’t wanna push people!” Bepo complained. 

“If you do, we can get to the signing faster and then we can get to your Uta announcement!” Penguin said, straining as he pulled on Bepo’s arm. 

“Yeah! She’s not even actually here! You have time.”

“Law, you coming too?” Bepo asked, desperate to have an excuse to avoid practically being their bodyguard. 

Law barely looked up from his phone, tapping away a reply to Perona. “I’m going to get some food. I have time before the solo artists go on.” 

“Oh, what kind of food? I’m kinda hungry too–”

“There’s no time Bepo!” Shachi said, starting to run with Penguin, pulling the larger man against his will. 

Law rolled his eyes, watching the three men disappear into the large crowd. Law went back to looking at his phone, searching up the online directory of the convention center. He adjusted his cropped jacket, wondering why he brought it when it was incredibly hot inside the venue.

He went searching through crowds to find some place that was selling decent food. His eye twitched seeing the ridiculous price of the food. He bought it anyway.

It was more practical than leaving the area and having to go through the process to reenter the venue. After standing and eating his food, he wandered around, seeing people excitedly run to the next showing or new group that was performing. Perona texted him while he walked. 

Perona: This better not hurt

Law: The only tattoo that was rough to get through was my chest one. 

Law: And back.

Perona: Right. Then a little one on my arm shouldn’t be too bad

Perona: Thanks again for the recommendation

Law: Of course, but avoid the red head guy.

Perona: Is that guy u have beef with ???

Law: I guess.

Perona: U always skip out on details ! 

Perona: For that, I’m asking him myself 

Perona: Text ya later ! Enjoy the convention <3

Law: Perona.

Groaning, Law thought about sending another message to his nosey neighbor, but figured she’d blocked his notifications. The last thing he needed was Kid and Perona conspiring and plotting against him. However, she had been insistent on his recommendation for tattoo shops. Heat and Wire just so happened to be very skilled at it, with Kid sometimes dropping by their shop. 

Law just hoped Kid didn’t show up today while Perona was there. 

In one of the halls, Law found a smaller stage that appeared to have an idol group performing soon. He ignored the announcer on the small stage, some lady with orange hair, when he spotted an empty table near the back of the semi-large crowd. 

Finally. This must be a newer group. They don’t need a big area for all their fans.  

Law plopped down at the table, stretching his back that began to ache from how long he was standing up. He barely got the chance to take a nap after his long shift at the hospital. 

The temptation to take a nap right behind the excited crowd was tempting. 

He looked back to his phone, seeing Perona had replied. The announcer was spewing the names of the group in the background as he tried to open her message. But a notification from Doffy popped up. Law quickly slid the notification away, pressing on Persona’s message instead.

A photo popped up of Perona taking a mirror picture of herself on the chair. She was wearing her usual gothic lolita outfit, but sleeveless with lace covering her bodice and flaring out into a puffy black skirt, covered in pink accents. Law spotted Heat in the chair next to her, preparing his tools. The next photo popped up of Perona posing cutely for a selfie next to Kid who was sticking out his tongue with an unflattering expression. 

Perona: Ugh

Perona: He was so rude >:V

Huffing a small laugh, Law texted back. 

Law: And here I thought you two would get along. 

Perona: Ew! No way!

Perona: He’s not cute

The performance on stage appeared to have begun. Law’s fingers paused, switching to open his group chat with Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin to text them where he was, when he glanced over to the stage. He leaned closer to get a better look at the three-man idol group. 

The moment he saw that smile, he wondered if he’d be truly alive up until that point. 

The man’s grin and presence on stage boosted the screams from the crowd. Law felt it in his chest, the power exuding out of the dark haired man with a straw hat as he chuckled into the microphone. The other two men had disappeared completely from Law’s sight, his eyes were trained on the cute, alluring idol. 

“You ready, Minion City!?” 

The wave of shock slammed into Law. The doctor could no longer breathe, staring intensely at his figure, his face, his mouth. 

The idol’s voice commanded all the attention in the room, not one person was able to look away. With just a simple call, the idol had everyone’s energy all the way up. 

The music boomed behind the group. But the music did not take away from the idol’s high energy, who got the crowd on their feet and clapped along for the next song.

Law blinked and realized he was also now standing. 

The realization disappeared as his eyes trailed back to that idol again. All the other members of the group were a blur, but the one with the straw hat’s presence drew Law in closer like a siren. 

The idol mostly danced during his performance. Law’s eyes focused on each movement, the idol had amazing control over his limbs, seemingly highly flexible as he did moves the other dancers could not. Each time Law got a glimpse of the idol’s shirt riding up, exposing the tiniest bit more of skin, Law’s mouth would dry up. The idol seemed to be on the shorter side, Law briefly wondered how tall he would be compared to himself.

The straw hat idol occasionally sang a few lines, hyping up the crowd in a way none of the other members could. Despite not being the main singer, he was certainly very popular by his aura alone. 

Law stood there, watching the idol’s performance drag him into another reality. A reality where everything, his worries, his stress, all was replaced with an addictive dose of euphoria. Law considered walking closer, to get a better look at the man who was currently the center of his whole world. It wouldn’t hurt, would it? How would it feel to get closer to the sun itself? He felt so warm already—

“Oh, there you are Law!” 

“Hey Laaaawwww.” 

Tearing his eyes away from the stage, Law looked back to see his friends had finally caught up. 

“Dude, we’ve been looking for you for hours .” Penguin said, dumping his bags on the table Law had been sitting at. 

“No, we were waiting in that line for hours.” Bepo whined, slumping into the chair. 

“It was worth it!” Shachi said. “I’m making a fortune on these signed albums!” 

“Law.” 

Law jumped a little, startled as he feared he was being caught staring again at the stage. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to miss a single thing, but there was no way in hell he was admitting to the three of them how infatuated Law had become with a particular member. The teasing would be cruel. 

“You didn’t answer your phone.” Penguin said. “Is it off or something?” 

“It’s too loud in this place.” Law reasoned, pulling it out to see at least ten missed calls. “Sorry.” 

“It’s cool, it’s cool. Got any food for us?” Shachi asked, rubbing his hands together. 

“Uh no, not really.” Law said, continuously glancing back between them and the stage. 

“Aw come on—” 

“This group is called ‘Dreamin On?’ Kinda feels a bit on the nose.” Penguin said, glancing from his phone back to the stage. He typed away on his phone to search for the group on the convention’s schedule. “Oh! Two of the members are brothers? That’s not something you see everyday.” 

“What are the member’s names?” Law asked, trying to sound casual about it. 

“Sanji, the main singer, the blond one. Ace is the one without a shirt?” Penguin said, narrowing his eyes with confusion at his screen. “Wow, he’s shirtless that often?” 

Not those two. The cute one. 

“And Luffy, he wears a straw hat at each show. What a strange group.” Penguin commented. 

“Hey, but that guy’s a great dancer.” Shachi said, watching the performance with Law. 

He’s perfect. 

“They’re okay.” Law said, his voice strained. His throat felt parched while watching Luffy jump around on the stage. The idol’s loose knee-length shorts moving fluidly up and down. 

“Let’s go get something to eat.” Bepo said, holding his stomach dramatically. “I’ve been starving for hours.” 

“Yeah, the food places are way too overpriced here.” Shaichi said, beginning to stand up with his things. 

Leaving? Already? 

“There’s a great KBBQ place nearby!” Penguin offered. 

Grasping for excuses to stay, Law said, “Isn’t Bepo waiting on the announcement? That’s still an hour from now.” 

“They had to cancel.” Bepo said with dejection. 

“Oh they’re finishing up here too.” Shachi said, standing from his seat. 

The three idols stood at the front of the stage, waving to all their excited fans. The blond one, Sanji, had the mic and was speaking about his gratefulness to be able to attend the event. Luffy next to him happily gave some fans high fives. 

Law’s stomach twisted at the sight, jealousy clawing at him. 

“Let’s go before the crowd makes it to the exit.” Penguin said, stretching his back.

“Right.” Law tore his eyes away, following after his friends. 

Every muscle in Law’s body fought against him, begging to stay long and take in every curve of Luffy’s body. He stared as though he could memorize each strand of hair on Luffy’s head. The man drew him in further, sinking his mind until he lacked reason—

Law slammed into Bepo’s back. 

“Woah, Law! You okay?” Bepo asked, worriedly. 

“It’s fine, Bepo.” Law tried to assure him but the larger man was already tugging Law by the arm to leave. 

“You’re dehydrated again, aren’t you?” Bepo said, dragging him to the exit. 

“Oh my god, someone call a doctor.” Shachi said in a joking manner. 

“But if someone actually did call for a doctor, you’d be the first to stay silent.” Penguin pointed out. 

“I’d get sued in a heartbeat!” 

“Thank you for coming out, everyone!” Luffy’s voice on the mic nearly stopped Law in his tracks. Luffy’s voice held the same high energy, drawing the whole room to his attention. Law could listen to it for ages. But as Luffy’s speech began, Bepo was already pulling him out of the room and into the crowded halls. 

Reluctantly, Law followed after them. 

At the dinner, Law attempted to distract himself with Perona’s rambling and his friend’s sharing stories about what they had to go through in the line. He ate his food slowly, unable to have much of an appetite when his stomach was all twisted up with nerves. 

“Woah, Perona got a tattoo?” Bepo asked, looking at her social media through his phone. “The pink fits her so well.” 

“Law, when are you going to introduce us?” Shachi asked, taking a look at the photo as well. 

“You didn’t even know who she was until Bepo told you about her.” Law said pointedly. 

Perona ran a semi-popular account of all her gothic lolita outfits, as well as her giant collection of plushies. Plushies were the reason Perona even started talking to him, as she spotted him taking a large polar bear plushie into his house once, and told him he had good taste. 

“It’s crazy how you ended up being her neighbor.” Bepo said with awe. “I figured she lived directly in the downtown area with the fashion district.” 

“It’s not that crazy they live next to each other. Have you seen that Victorian style house—” 

They continued the conversation without him. Law looked through the Dreamin On idol group’s social media pages. Whoever did their social media seemed to be very dedicated as there were many photos and posts about upcoming shows. 

Law caught himself zooming in on a picture of Luffy with the stage lights on him. 

The idol was glowing . 

Groaning, Law forced himself to exit out of the app, placing his phone far away from himself. 

It was just a simple curiosity. His emotions would fade with time, and he could go on with his normal routine. Maybe he’d listen to a song or two of theirs, watch them again whenever they have a show close by. 

A passing interest never hurt anybody. 

Luffy never did leave his mind. 

His voice, his lips, his body, it kept Law laying awake at night like a madman. 

Luffy. 

Luffy. 

Luffy.

Nearly two days later, Law had learned absolutely everything he could get off the internet about the young man. 

Luffy’s age was twenty one. He got expelled from his high school for releasing beetles in the classroom and fighting with teachers. He actually had three brothers, not just Ace but that was all Law could find on him. He started working as an idol six months ago. Most of his photos online were of the sea, food, or of his friends that made up most of his manager team. 

Despite all Law had managed to find, it wasn’t enough to subdue his urge to know more. 

On his way to work, he would play the group’s songs over and over again. Each lyric Luffy sang boosted his mood. He had all of Luffy’s lines memorized. 

At first, Law considered this was a simple fixation that would last a week once his brain could not take in anymore information. He was bound to get bored with the lack of content. The eruption of emotions he had while watching Luffy must have been a one time thing, a fluke.

He did not account for the new shows the group would be performing, so close by to his area of town as well. 

One concert couldn’t hurt. 

He told himself. 

Law did not bring his friends with him. He told himself they wouldn’t care for this kind of band anyway. And when Perona pressed him about why he ditched one of their outings, he lied about it having to do with his uncle. 

Law almost reconsidered the lengths he was going to attend the concert, ridiculously showing up in a black hat, black mask just to see one person. As he waited for the show to begin in the very small venue, Law was prepared to leave half way. His obsession might have disappeared faster than he thought, especially when it came to having to go so out of his way for it. 

The idol stepped onto the stage. 

All Law’s doubts vanished. His breath was taken away along with his soul. 

The cute smile, the flashes of confidence, and endless energy nearly brought Law to his knees at only the beginning of the show. He wanted to scream along with the other fans, let out all the pent up feelings and let them burst. 

Law had a closer view this time of Luffy. His idol’s facial features struck him in the heart, sculpted by the gods themselves to present a masterpiece. The perfect, warm smile rested on his idol’s face as he performed. 

Law stood the entire time, unmoving from his spot, his eyes never leaving Luffy. 

When the concert ended, Law’s high emotions crashed, leaving him exhausted from the adrenaline rush of being in Luffy’s presence. His high fell low once the venue began to clear out and Luffy disappeared behind the curtain. 

The walk back to his car was a blur. 

Law sat in his car for at least half an hour that night. The only thing on his mind was the fluid movements of Luffy’s body, yearning to feel that rush again. He sat against his car seat, signing into his hand. He sounded like a drug addict. 

He needed another fix. 

Ticket after ticket, Law went to every show he possibly could. He changed his work schedule around the performances. Each hour that passed at his job suddenly felt painstaking, something he was not used to because of how much he used to love his job. That was before Luffy entered his life. 

Luckily, Luffy’s group was not very big in popularity, meaning they rarely performed outside of a certain area. He didn’t have to drive or take the train very far to make it to each and every one of their shows.

It had not been easy scheduling his work entirely around going to the concerts, it was a rather exhausting yet rewarding process. Each ticket was money well spent. 

Before Luffy, Law spent much of his money on his coin collection or just dumping it all into his savings. He typically never cared for much material items besides higher quality, durable clothes. 

But one photo card led to another. 

Light sticks, merchandise, photos upon photos upon photos stacked up rather quickly. With each new show, Law found himself waiting and watching for new posters to come out and be sold. 

No longer could he hide his new obsession within one drawer. He moved it all to his officer, hiding the merchandise away in its closet that he had used for storage. 

Law saved everything he possibly could. 

And when he wasn’t able to buy his way into getting a certain photo, he looked into other means of doing so. Eventually, he decided to invest in a high quality, expensive camera to bring to shows in order to save every moment he had as he stood in the same room, breathing the same air as Luffy.

It took little to no time before Law had opened accounts on different social media platforms to get in contact with other fans of the group. Unfortunately, the following of the band was rather small when Law first joined. 

However, there were a few bigger accounts that tended to follow the band very closely. One in particular was the biggest, and just so happened to also be a big fan over Luffy. 

The account went by the name “empressforluffy”

Law would never admit how insanely jealous he was of this account. 

The account had many candid, up close and personal pictures of Luffy that were posted every week by them. Any and all fan accounts of the Dreamin On would follow them for more exclusive Luffy photos, even the fan accounts that were more focused on the other members. 

Law would scroll and print out every single photo with his high quality printer and then laminate each one to preserve it in case all his files were to disappear. 

He had all notifications on for the account. 

Although on some days, he was insanely tempted to track down the owner of the fan account. 

How were they able to get so close with Luffy and be able to post all the pictures they wanted of him? Law would analyze the posts for weeks, realizing how the owner sometimes referred to Luffy as though they did personally know him. 

These thoughts would send him into a spiral at times, anxiously thinking of all the possible scenarios until the next concert or show was announced. 

Over time, Law realized he needed to get more creative with his disguises. He couldn’t stand the thought of being recognized at one of their concerts or being caught for his staring.

The guards around Luffy would for sure begin to notice the pattern of him wearing a black hat and sunglasses to every event. He opted for fake breads or even wigs if he didn’t have his hat in order to become another face. 

It was safer this way. 

After one of the group’s concerts, Law had found the bus their group specifically used. The green haired bodyguard unfortunately was rather vigilant. But with each show, Law’s temptation to follow after Luffy, find where he slept, find out how he was like off the stage, festered inside of him. 

Law had to focus on what he could get. His greed for Luffy could consume him. 

Yet, it wasn’t long before Law reached a point of no return.

He came across a certain photo on the fan account ‘empressforluffy.’

The photo was of Luffy smirking. The expression on the idol’s face from his body language to his face read as smug and confident. He laid back on a leather couch, legs wide open, his hand under his shirt in a nonchalant but sexy way. The exposure of skin and slight title of Luffy’s head practically beckoned Law. 

He instantly saved the photo. He printed the picture out as quickly as possible, unable to properly breath. 

From his bedroom, Law grabbed his hand held vibrator, bringing it back just as the photo was freshly printed. Law grabbed the photo with shaky hands. 

He could not stop himself, he couldn’t help himself. 

The doctor was stuck imagining the wishful possibilities of Luffy in this position. His mind was flooded with dirty thoughts, imagining what Luffy looked like under those clothes. 

Law turned the vibrator on, staring at the photo. He got on his knees in the middle of the room covered in Luffy’s face. 

But Law imagined himself on his knees for Luffy, between his legs. Luffy would beckon him to sit on his lap. 

Law unbuttoned and pulled down his sweats just enough to shove the vibrator underneath his underwear. He couldn’t wait any longer. 

The image of himself on Luffy’s lap, Luffy’s hand holding his waist, telling Law to be useful. Law would do anything Luffy wanted, if he ordered him to suck him off, Law would. If Luffy ordered him to bounce on his cock, Law would. 

Law moaned, shivering at the thought. 

Luffy’s cock entering him. He’s hole would be stretched and full. 

Law rocked his hips against the toy. 

Luffy grabbing him. 

Law moaned, turning up the frequency of the toy, pressing it against his clit. 

The thought of Luffy telling Law to ride him, and him squeezing around the idol’s cock drove Law insane. 

Law lost himself in the motion of thrusting against the vibrator, wishing it was Luffy he was pushing himself against over and over again. A bit of drool left the side of his mouth, chasing the thought of Luffy grabbing his hips and pounding into him without a shred of mercy. 

Law would take it. Again and again. 

Groaning, Law bent over on the floor, his ass raised higher as if he could offer himself up to anyone. He kept one hand on the photo, gazing into it as he pathetically humped the vibrator in his other hand. His face pressed into his carpet, wishing it was Luffy pushing his face between his legs. 

The images he conjured almost felt real, as if he could feel every thrust inside of him. His legs would squeeze together, awaiting Luffy’s hot cum to fill him. Law’s legs shook, his reality warping as his mind grew hazier with pleasure. 

Coming against the toy, Law shook on the floor of the room. He heavily breathed in and out, his hand crushing the picture of Luffy. He turned off the vibrator to prevent himself from being overstimulated. He laid on the carpet, surrounded by the pictures of Luffy. 

Slowly regaining his composure, Law picked himself up from the ground. He could not put his underwear back on after he stained them. 

Looking around the room, Law was aware of how utterly alone he was. The closest Law could get to the presence of Luffy was stuck in his own mind. His computer’s screen was the only light in the room, displaying the image of Luffy he had crushed in his hand. 

It wasn’t enough.

Law needed to get closer. 

As close as humanly possible until they truly were one. 

Chapter Text

Luffy had a knack for attracting very ‘dedicated’ fans. 

Nami first pointed out Coby as being one of his biggest fans despite being a close friend from high school. He would attend the shows he could to show support and sometimes would practice with Luffy on his dance routines and vocal lessons. 

Ace and Sanji were much better with singing, and maybe Luffy had to do more vocal lessons because he started off incredibly tone-deaf. Luffy and Ace had repeatedly told Shanks this fact when he first offered them to join his company as a new group. 

They accepted on a complete whim, and definitely not because they both didn’t meet the qualifications for firefighting training. Just like that, they were both locked into a contract that turned out to be more fun than Luffy thought it’d be. They met Sanji at an audition for Shank’s company, adding him along to form a real group. Each performance was another opportunity in Luffy’s eyes to excite and bring joy to his fans. 

And after only a few performances, Luffy received his most dedicated fan, famous actress, model, and fashion designer Boa Hancock. 

Her acting career recently appeared to be on the back burner as she pursued other business ventures, including activism for women’s rights globally. Hancock’s ‘controversial’ statements about men would be swept under the rug instantly because of her ethereal beauty. 

It had been a great surprise to all of Luffy’s team when Hancock approached them after one of their shows. But their surprise couldn’t compare to the shock of the first words Hancock spoke to them. 

“I wish to buy your group.” 

“Hey, the group isn’t up for sale.” Nami stepped in first, as she always tended to do with conflicts. “We are under company contract with Red Hair Entertain—” 

“Six million. Per member.” 

Needless to say, their team had to drag Nami out of the negotiation to allow Jinbe and Robin to handle it. The rest of their team all stayed in their break/make-up room trying to hear what they could possibly be discussing. 

“Zoro, are Luffy, Ace, and Sanji getting sold to that lady?” Chopper asked, nervously. Despite his young age, Chopper acted as their emergency medic and intern. 

“Maybe.” Zoro said, more invested in the game Luffy was playing on his phone. “It’d be a pain. I really don’t want to look for other security guard gigs.” 

“Oh, that would be lovely if she bought us.” Sanji said wistfully staring into the mirror. 

“No, not ‘lovely.’ Shank’s is going to kill me and Luffy specifically if we drop now.” Ace reminded him. 

“Ugh, Robin should have let me back out there.” Nami said, pacing around the room while biting her thumb. “I could have gotten us to seven figures per member at least!” 

“Stop! I don’t want them to go with her!” Chopper said frantically. “Where’s Yamato? We should have both bodyguards in case they try to steal them.” 

“He’s with Usopp. They’ve been waiting outside the venue for us to get in the car already.” Luffy complained as his screen gave him a ‘Game Over’ screen. 

“Sh!” Nami scolded, pressing her ear against the wall. “I think they’re coming.” 

The door to their break room opened, and Robin stepped inside, she gave a reassuring smile to them. She had to inform them of Hancock being their newest investor, and that she would in fact not be buying out the group (much to Chopper’s relief and Nami’s dismay). However, Hancock did have a request to personally meet the group. 

The trio stepped outside and Sanji was the first to reach out and greet her. Ace had even put on a shirt to meet her properly and gave his best smile, but that did not matter. The two were instantly shoved to the side as the model rushed to Luffy, who was picking at his ear. 

“Luffy! It is so wonderful to finally meet you!” Hancock’s eyes sparkled as she clutched her hands together with excitement. 

“Uhhhh.”

“You are such an inspiration. I—Oh, what is that on your cheek?” Hancock asked, worriedly. 

She pointed under his left eye. 

“A scar.” Luffy shrugged. 

He often forgot how everyone else never noticed it thanks to the make up he’d put on every show. It was rather hard to see unless the make up sweated off or you were as close as Hancock was to him. The erasure, even in photos posted online, never bothered him. 

“Oh, I never noticed.” Hancock said, with concern but her excited mood bounced back. “That is not an issue of course. I have so many clothing designs made just for you. I can make you the ambassador of the Amazon Lily brand as soon as today, and I’m sure with a fitting or two I can gather the proper measurements for all the clothes you could possibly wish for. I haven’t been able to—” 

“Woah, slow down.” Luffy said, putting up his hands. “Ambassador? Is that like…. Military? Cause I’m not doing that. Gramps tried for ages.” 

“No, no, no it’s nothing of the—” 

Robin cleared her throat behind Hancock. “I don’t believe that was part of the negotiation.” 

Hancock offered Luffy a position with her company at least three more times during their conversation. Sanji attempted to get a word in once, only to be immediately shut down. 

Eventually, Hancock would give up on asking Luffy, although she made it clear it would be available if he happened to change his mind. But there was one part of the negotiation they made that Luffy couldn’t get out of. In exchange for her investment in their group, Hancock was permitted to visit the group any time there was a performance. 

At first the deal sounded a bit confusing to everyone, including Robin and Jinbe. 

Until her commitment to getting Luffy’s attention became a constant occurrence. Jinbe thankfully stepped in to allow Luffy some breathing room and space, saying how Hancock could not interfere with the group's (but mainly Luffy’s) focus. 

Luffy got used to her presence, on good days considering her a fan and nothing more. He didn’t mind the constant photos she took of him, although Usopp had to ask Luffy to ask Hancock to send some of those photos to Usopp. She did so rather reluctantly. 

But there was one fan that puzzled Luffy.

The one that once he noticed, he continued to look out for.  

All Luffy truly knew about the tall individual was that they seemed to be really silly with all the ridiculous disguises. 

But the man was also incredibly difficult to catch at first. In the sea of people, and as their crowds grew in size, Luffy went from being able to spot the man easily to having to search a little harder. It turned into a sort of game for Luffy to see how good his observation skills were with the crowds.

After a while, Ace and Sanji began to notice how the fan truly was at every show. 

“You think that guy has a favorite between us? Just saying it could be me.” Ace said with a grin. They had been driving back to their apartment in the dead of night, with Yamato, Zoro, and Sanji. 

“I think you need an ego check.” Sanji said, from the right backseat.  

“Yeah Ace, that guy is one of my fans.” Luffy said it like it was obvious, sitting between them. 

“What? You have enough weirdly obsessed fans already.” Ace said. “Leave some for the rest of us.” 

“But that guy’s head is always turned in my direction.” Luffy pointed out. 

“He’s not wrong.” Zoro said from the passenger front seat. “I’ve noticed that too. He’s completely locked on wherever Luffy is on stage. Guy seems off.” 

“Yeah, but it’s not like he’s done anything.” Yamato jumped in. “I mentioned it to Jinbe. But he said there’s nothing we can do about someone just attending a show.” 

“Never seen their face either.” Zoro added. 

“That guy doesn’t bother me.” Luffy shrugged. 

“He’s at every single show Luffy? It’s been a couple of months of this.” Sanji said with a furrowed brow. “What if the guy starts breaking boundaries?” 

Luffy understood Sanji’s concern. However, his gut instinct overruled all of his friend’s overthinking. In Luffy’s mind, the overly dedicated fan didn’t appear as a threat to him in the slightest. 

“The guy has to have a ton of money or something.” Ace commented then looked over to Sanji. “When are we getting our super rich fans?”

“Or they’re horrible with their money.” Sanji pointed out. 

Although they had all established the fact that the disguised person was a fan of Luffy, they often behaved strangely. They would enter the line for the meet and greet for Ace and Sanji, but never Luffy. According to them, the man never spoke but would greet politely and leave. But behind the sunglasses the man wore every time, Luffy knew the man was staring in his direction. 

There had been a couple of times where Luffy wanted to call out to the person, jokingly saying ‘Hey you’re in the wrong line!’ but never did. 

Luffy concluded the man was shy. 

The rest of his team concluded the man was weird. 

But ultimately the dedicated fan was harmless, right?

Luffy often stayed at the dance studio late. 

He had a blast incorporating his own moves into the choreography, especially show-stopping moves that had their fans screaming. Ace tried a couple of times to match Luffy, but proved to be not nearly as flexible to pull off the tricks he could. 

Although he needed approval from Robin and the dance director first, he was working on landing a perfect one-handed handstand. He finally had worked out enough with Zoro, Ace, and Yamato to make it somewhat possible. Sanji wasn’t big on heavy lifting. 

Luffy warmed himself up in the middle of his mat. 

“Luffy, come on. You have vocal lessons again in the morning.” Usopp said, sitting against the large wall mirror and tapping away at his phone. Usopp rubbed his eyes, straining them the longer he sat in the brightly lit dance room. Yamato laid spread out next to him, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open. 

“One more time!” Luffy said, shaking off his sweaty hands. His loose black shirt was sticking to his skin. 

The door to the studio opened, Zoro walked in with a cold water bottle in his hand. 

“Oh thank god. Zoro, tell him it’s time to head back.” Usopp yawned. 

“Ugh, just go on without me.” Luffy said, losing his focus. 

“Come on, you heard him.” Zoro said, nudged Yamato with his foot. 

Usopp grumbled and rubbed his eyes as he got up. Yamato snapped out of his sleep and jumped up immediately, seemingly refreshed with energy again. The two walked out the door Zoro held open. The green-haired man tossed the water bottle to Luffy, who caught it with his left hand. 

“Text us when you're on your way back.” Zoro said. 

“Don’t forget to lock up!” Usopp called out before Zoro closed the door behind him. 

Luffy nodded before taking a swig from the bottle, placing it far out of his way. 

Luffy took a breath, intimating the moves of one of their other dances. The beat played in his head, and when the drop hit Luffy twisted his body and landed on the mat with his right hand. He spread his legs out in the air, holding his left leg with his left arm. He huffed out a laugh, accomplishing the position he wanted, but five seconds into holding it his right arm began to shake. 

Gritting his teeth, Luffy furrowed his eyebrows, pushing his burning muscles each agonizing second. He only really needed to be able to do it for around fifteen seconds to get the crowd going, but he strived for more. 

His arm began to buckle and Luffy made a surprised noise right before he smacked his shoulder into the mat. 

Panting, Luffy laid on the floor in a starfish position. 

Pulling himself back up, Luffy began to repeat the same moves. He tried the one handed handstand at least three more times with small breaks in between. 

The only issue was that he wasn’t exactly timing himself with each handstand or trying to count it out in his head. He kept trying again and again despite not knowing if he was actually improving. 

Once his arm could no longer hold his body up, Luffy decided to pack up and call it a night. He figured he’d shower at the apartment, grabbing his towel, water bottle, phone, and the keys before heading out to catch the last train. 

The cool air fell over Luffy like a blanket. He turned and locked up the main door to the studio behind him. He checked the lock of the door, before turning to head down the dimly lit street. 

A chill went over Luffy. 

Something was watching him. 

Something familiar. 

He took a step forward and the person made a noise at the same time. The weight of the stare had a familiar sensation, Luffy wondered if he was simply used to being watched or if it was from the same person he thought it was. 

Despite his curiosity, there was no doubt that he was being followed. The person wasn’t moving to attack him, nor did Luffy sense any real threat of danger. That only piqued his interest further. 

Who were they? A fan? A creep? And why now?

Someone was taking every step he took. Inching closer and closer, closing in on him. Luffy kept walking, wondering how quickly he’d need to turn to catch sight of the person staring at him from behind. He wanted to see who it was, and it was better to find out who sooner than later. Luffy would rather catched them before they catch him first. 

But there was no point in turning around to look. There was barely any light from the street. He wouldn’t see his face. Luffy knew his best bet was to make it to the train station. The lights on the outside of the building would give him a better glimpse. 

As Luffy casually strolled down the sidewalk, his ears perked up at every sound the stranger made. 

They likely weren't a professional at following people. And normally Luffy would have been unbothered by the person, if not for the fact they were doing this when he was sore from the workout. He adjusted the bag, walking at a casual pace. The stranger continued to follow every turn he made in the city’s streets. The stranger was patient at the very least.

The moment the train station’s building’s lights came into view, Luffy’s heart rate began to pick up. He had one chance to get the timing right. He walked towards the station, waiting until he was nearly in the middle of the wide courtyard where there were few areas to hide behind. 

Mid step, Luffy jerked around. His eyes caught movement of a shadow in the corner of a building. 

Luffy’s heart pounded in his ears. He was locked on to the building, staring intensely and second guessing himself if he truly saw someone there. 

They’re fast.  

Luffy couldn’t help but wonder if he was faster. 

With the quietest of footsteps (thankfully he wasn’t wearing his usual sandals), Luffy got closer to the building and moved to the person’s blind spot. He pressed his back to the building, wincing any time he made a noise. Luffy practically held his breath once he was a foot away from rounding the corner to catch the stranger following him. His muscles tensed up, preparing himself for a possible fight once he confronted the person. 

Luffy dashed around the corner, shocked to find the person far down the alley peeking out from another corner. The person had already anticipated his movement, and disappeared once again from his sight. 

Gritting his teeth, Luffy was determined to get at least a look at their face and not just the black clothes they wore. Without further thinking, Luffy sneakers hit the ground running. He sprinted down the alley, rounding the corner, avoiding the large dumpster, chasing after them. 

Luffy’s feet stomped on the trash and fallen leaves as he ran. He focused entirely on what small glimpses of the stranger he could get. They were tall, the coat covered most of their figure. The person turned their head to see how close Luffy was. 

Luffy’s heart raced at the sight. The anticipation of catching them in the act had a chokehold on him.

The rest of the person’s face was covered with a mask. 

Is it… that fan?

Luffy saw the person turn back and hastily turn into another corner. The turn slowed them down, but as Luffy approached it, he angled his footing to give himself the maximum amount of thrust forward. He was close, he just needed another push and he’d catch them.

“What?”

The next corner came into view, but the man vanished. 

Gone, completely out of sight. 

Luffy jogged forward, scanning between the buildings for any sign of movement. He breathed heavily, his hands slightly shaking from the adrenaline rush. He took slow steps until he stepped back out from the buildings, occasionally watching his back. The train station came back into view, calming his nerves. 

A rustle snatched his attention, whipping his head in the direction of the sound. 

The figure was much farther away now, watching from the other side of the street next to a closed ice cream shop. 

When did they… 

It was as if the person teleported themselves farther away. The figure disappeared once again from sight after a few seconds of each other staring. 

Luffy stepped forward, his curiosity nearly taking control of his actions until he remembered the last train would be arriving soon. He did not have time to go searching for the stalker. No matter how curious he was about them. 

Luffy made it onto the last train, staring out the window as the night sky disappeared from sight. 

He thought back to the figure of the person that followed him. The man was tall, but like the other fan, he couldn’t get a good look at the person’s face. 

The idol frowned, thinking long and hard about the features. He wouldn’t be able to confirm whether it or they were the same person until he saw both of them up close. Luffy sighed, rejecting his original conclusion, and leaned his head on the window. 

Luffy wouldn’t tell the others about his stalker, not wanting to make them paranoid. 

He could handle himself just fine.

Thanks to Hancock’s investments in their group, they were able to travel farther and reach more people. The small increase in exposure got a ton more eyes on them. Hancock barely lifted a finger and their team was already seeing the impact.

Luffy and his team watched as their daily listeners trended upward. Their group’s sold tickets slowly began to increase, gaining more momentum as the months passed. Their meet and greet lines got longer. Usopp was excitedly telling them about their social media posts getting more traction. Their collective group was finally earning some profit. 

To Luffy, the money was a nice bonus. After all he couldn’t possibly ask for a better team to work with. On top of that, he got to perform to hundreds of fans that loved the work they put in. But it also meant additional work, like interviews, filming themselves for more content, longer and longer meet and greet lines. 

Typically Luffy didn’t have an issue with meet and greets.

Typically. 

“Luffy, you need to stop being rude to your fans!” Nami scolded. 

“Rude?! Since when?” Luffy said, huffing before taking a big swig from his water bottle. He had a towel in his other hand, dabbing all the sweat running down his forehead. 

He had put more effort in his dance than usual that night, Luffy was always up for pushing himself. It riled up the fans every single time he pulled off a tough trick. Also because he spotted that one fan in the disguises again. It’s always easy to pick the tall guy out from the crowd. 

Who else goes to a concert with big sunglasses so often? 

“Since last night! People do meet and greet for a reason.” Nami explained. “You can’t start telling someone they’re being annoying. It’s not good for the group’s image.” 

“But that girl was annoying! She couldn’t say anything and started crying all over me!” Luffy said, tossing the towel on the couch before plopping down on it. 

“Hey, someone shouldn’t have even let a fan get that close to Luffy in the first place.” Ace said, throwing a glance to Yamato.

“My bad!” Yamato called out. 

“Oh, Hancock is outside the venue.” Robin said, looking up from her phone. 

“Again?” 

“You’re so ungrateful Luffy!” Sanji scolded before gushing. “If I had a woman like her waiting for me, I’d give her all my attention.”

“You can have her.” 

“Luffy!” 

“Hey, remember the meet and greet is in fifteen minutes.” Jinbe announced. “If Hancock wants to meet him, it’ll be after his obligations.” 

Robin was already nodding and texting Hancock back. 

“Remember what I said.” Nami said, crossing her arms as Luffy got up from his spot on the couch. 

“I’ll do fine this time. Don’t worry about me!” Luffy assured her as he followed after refreshed Ace and Sanji. 

The lines to their meet and greets got longer each time they hosted one. 

Each fan that went up to Luffy greeted him with so much excitement fueled Luffy to match their energy. He happily posed for photos, teasingly asking for their phone to take more silly photos, asking if they enjoyed the show. Each of his fans left a million times happier once their turn was up. 

To Luffy, talking to new people briefly was a walk in the park, that was until they invaded his space. He had no issue telling a fan directly if they went too far, even if he wasn’t supposed to speak out on that. 

And then the man in bad disguise came to him. 

He spotted him in the line a while ago. This time around he wore a black mask with a black hat, a large, oversized hoodie and skinny jeans. The tall man always always stuck out like a sore thumb because of his comically large sunglasses that he wore to each event. That, and his height gave him away rather quickly, not many of their group’s fans were men over six feet tall. 

Luffy hadn’t had an incident again with the stalker, so he assumed it was likely more of a one time thing from a different person. After all, there were some dangerous people out at night. He likely was targeted just for his stature and being alone. 

When the man walked up from the line, he kept his head down, almost like he was embarrassed. He didn’t even answer to Luffy's very enthusiastic greeting. 

Then the disguised man glanced up, saying a small greeting before beginning to pull out a photo card to be signed. 

“Whoa, your eyes.” Luffy spoke out loud. 

Gold. 

The piercing, breathtaking eyes caught Luffy off guard, despite the mere second thanks to the sunglasses. The shade almost matched the gold on the man’s earrings. Luffy didn’t quite see the shape of his eyes, leaning over the table closer as if he could see past the dark shades to make it out. 

Meanwhile the man seemed to freeze, staring back through the shades. He did not reply to Luffy's comment, and went back to pulling out the photo cards. 

“You just want these signed?” Luffy asked, somewhat disappointed. 

He didn’t know exactly what he was expecting when meeting this particular fan for the first time. Luffy thought it would have been more eventful, or that he would at least get to hear his voice. Ace and Sanji hadn’t been able to hear it yet. 

Luffy tapped the pen in his hand against the table. 

He opened his mouth to ask the man to say something. 

Be more mindful! Nami’s voice screeched in his mind once more, stopping Luffy in his tracks. 

“You had fun at the concert tonight, right?” Luffy asked, hoping to drag out a conversation as he signed the many photo cards. 

The man nodded. 

Luffy tried to keep his smile but the man was certainly making it difficult. He only had a few moments left with him and it was going to be wasted on just signing some–

A bit of the man’s phone peeked out in the black hoodie pocket. Luffy had an idea. 

“Hey! Why don’t we also take a photo?” Luffy asked. “Can I see your phone?” 

The man froze for a moment, not responding fast enough for Luffy’s liking. 

So Luffy reached over and snatched the phone from his pocket. He tapped it to go to the camera. However, the first thing he saw on the man’s phone was a picture of a cartoon straw hat next to a cartoon heart. The sight of the photo got a smile out of Luffy. 

The man weakly reached his hand out to grab his phone back but it was too late. Luffy lifted the camera up to take a picture of himself, and then angled it to include the dark haired man in it as well. The fan did not pose for the photo. 

Luffy took the phone down and handed it back to the fan along with the photocards. 

“There you go! You can’t wait that long in line and just only want photocards signed right?” Luffy joked. 

Hesitantly, the man reached out and grabbed his phone with the photocards with both hands. Their fingers touched for the briefest of moments, sending a small jolt though Luffy. 

“Thank you.” 

The simple words struck Luffy. 

The fan turned and left immediately after, not giving Luffy a second to react to the man’s deep voice. Luffy felt unable to speak for the first in forever, wanting desperately to yell something back to the fan. Instead he eyed the man as he walked out of the area. 

Luffy made eye contact with Zoro, who gave him an expression that read ‘Are you fine?’ Luffy nodded happily, turning back to greet the next fan. 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the memory of the interaction. 

It lingered in his mind the rest of the night, even when Hancock was with him or when they finally went back to the apartment. 

Luffy sat on the couch of the large living room, sitting on the opposite side of Zoro. Zoro was already fast asleep on the couch with his arms crossed, still in his work clothes. Luffy on the other hand was thankful to finally change into some comfortable sweats and a loose shirt after the long night they had. Typically they’d all be asleep, but none of them could sleep after the news Robin gave them. 

“Yes! Yes! We’re finally starting to sell out venues!” Nami said, pumping her fist into the air with excitement. 

“We can probably start selling shows for bigger venues soon.” Usopp said, reading over the text sent by Robin while sitting at the dining table.

Nami sighed dreamily. “I knew one day my hard work would pay off.” 

“Wait… your hard work?” Zoro asked pointed from his spot on the couch. 

“Yes, my hard work. Do you understand how hard it is trying to keep two black holes on a budget for food and snacks all the damn time?” 

“Gotta give some of that credit to Usopp here Nami.” Ace said, putting his arm around Usopp’s shoulders, nearly putting him in a headlock. “That video he posted is gaining so much traction.” 

“I told you, you have an angle everyone likes.” Usopp said, before cheekily adding. “Although, I am a pretty good photographer and filmmaker.” 

“Hey, all my angles look great.” Ace said, giving him a slight glare. 

“Well—” 

“Hey!” 

“Sanji, when is the food gonna be finished?” Yamato asked, hovering over the blonde as he cooked over the stove. 

“Yamato, go sit down. And this is just supposed to be a small snack.” Sanji scolded, slightly pushing the whining taller man away. “You can’t eat right before going to bed, you’ll—” 

“Nuh uh! That gastric reflux stuff is a myth!” Yamato complained. 

“I would get Chopper on the phone but he needs his rest!” Sanji yelled back. 

“Just because the reflux hasn’t happened to you yet, doesn’t mean it can’t happen at all.” Usopp said, leaning over the counter as he typed away. 

“Woah are those the stats for our streams?” Ace asked, poking his nose into Usopp’s personal space again. Nami always walked over to get a glimpse of the phone screen.

“Yeah, we’ve passed two hundred thousand listeners.” Usopp said. 

“We need to celebrate for real.” Ace said, snatching and waving Usopp’s phone. “With everyone!”

“Oo! Another all you can eat place?” Yamato asked excitedly, leaning over the table. Usopp had to reach over and grab the phone back from Ace. 

“All you guys think about is food!” Nami scolded, and placed her hand on her chin. “We can afford some nicer places to go now, ya know. And besides, you three will get us all banned from another restaurant.” 

Luffy, Ace, and Yamato gave her a confused look. 

“What kind of place do you have in mind, Nami?” Usopp asked excitedly. 

“One of the best restaurants in Sabaody City.” Nami said, matching his energy. “The Flamingo. One of the most famous places owned by the Donquixote group.”

“Oh! I’ve heard good things about that place. It’s known for living up to expectations.” Sanji added, as he was standing at the stove. “Only the best cut of meat is served and the wagyu dishes—” 

“All I heard was meat. Let’s go!” Luffy jumped up from the couch. 

Zoro woke up from his sleep. “We’re going out again?” 

“What?” Usopp said, putting his phone down on the marble countertop. “But doesn’t it take forever to get a reservation? I heard the wait list is rather long.” 

“Well I got us a reservation!” Nami said, proud of herself. 

The rest of them cheered loudly for Nami’s quick work. Sanji was practically singing his praises for her. 

“In a month.” Nami muttered. 

The cheers shifted to the disappointed groans and far less enthusiastic sounds. Luffy grumbled and sat back down on the couch, opening his phone. 

“Hey! You try getting a sooner reservation!” Nami challenged them. “I got us access to a hotel room, the bar on the rooftop, and the restaurant. Three in one!” 

“Oh woah.” Ace said. “Sounds like we’re gonna have a fun night in a month!” 

“You invited Brook too, right?” Luffy asked, remembering their talented and hilarious music producer. 

“Of course! We’ve all earned this night.” Nami said. “And you all need to find something nice to wear.” She glanced at Ace. “And a shirt that is closed up all the way.”  

“I’m just too lazy to button it up!” Ace defended himself with his opened shirt. 

Luffy chuckled at his friends continuing to banter in the kitchen about the way most of them dressed. He looked back at his phone with anticipation. He had received a message from Coby about how happy he was over Luffy’s group becoming more popular. 

He couldn’t wait for the night where they all got together to celebrate their achievement. Fancy flamingo restaurant or not, Luffy knew no matter what he was going to have an amazing time with his friends at his side.

Chapter Text

One foot in front of the other. 

Law ran through the night air, turning around corner after corner. The buildings all appeared the exact same under the dim lighting, blurring all together. The sound of footsteps closing in, pushing himself to keep going. His clothes felt searing hot, weighing him down as he tried to evade the grasp of the man behind him. 

Why is he chasing me? 

His lungs were burning.

What did he want?  

Law hit a brick wall, face first. He did not feel the pain of the hit, even when he fell back onto the ground.

Wait… did? 

A hand grabbed Law’s shoulder. 

He turned to see Luffy’s smiling face directed at him. 

Law jolted awake, opening his eyes and breathing somewhat quickly. His head was laying on his arms on top of a cold table. One eye was able to see the break room of the hospital, relaxing his nerves, but his heart still raced in his chest. 

He fell asleep while at work again. 

The doctor groaned as he slowly brought himself to sit up, the uncomfortable position made his back ache as he did. Law rolled his head, stretching his neck to get rid of the stiffness. The fluorescent lights strained his heavy eyes. 

That dream again. 

Ever since Law decided to follow after Luffy that one time, the same images of being chased appeared over and over again. He’d only gotten away by pure luck, confusing the other into believing he went a different direction that thankfully worked. Yet, he hadn’t recovered from the fear instilled in him the moment Luffy sprinted at him. 

Why did he do it? What kind of person chooses to run towards a stranger?  

Granted Law knew that Luffy likely figured out he was following him. The idol hadn’t been exactly sublet with randomly stopping or hesitating to look behind himself. 

But Law never expected Luffy to turn around and chase him. 

The mystery of Luffy’s reasoning allured him. He longed to know what went on in Luffy’s head. Picking it apart and knowing every aspect of the idol he could. 

Law learned two valuable lessons that night. 

One, stalking Luffy from that close was completely out of the question. 

And two, Luffy did not react like most people. 

That last point further intrigued Law. What kind of a person is Luffy? He couldn’t help imagining how a conversation would go with the younger man. How much energy he would have. How his smile lights up the room and takes all of Law’s attention away to focus on just him. 

An easy smile formed on his face at the thought of hearing Luffy just talking. He hadn’t forgotten the meet and greet event at all, saving the photo of himself and Luffy a hundred times. 

Once he had left the meet and greet, Law held onto his phone shakily. It felt as if he was holding hands with Luffy, as if Law could trace the slightest hint of warmth from Luffy’s hand left on his device. Law must have held on to his phone all night before finally looking at and printing the photo Luffy took of them. 

He must have stared at the photo for an hour after the concert.

Law was incredibly lucky that the picture was saved as a live photo. He’d press on the photo over and over to see the slight shake of the camera and the briefest of expression changes on Luffy’s face during the moment of the photo. 

Law felt as though a piece of that moment in time was now saved forever. 

All for him to have. 

Law sighed, resting his head down on his arms again. 

It completely beat out any of his other favorite photos of Luffy. He was tempted to take out his phone right that second just to see—

“Dude. Did you fall asleep again?”

Law’s smile dropped. He looked behind to see Shaichi and Penguin standing at the door, staring at him with immense disappointment. 

“You’ve got to be kidding, Law.” Penguin said, walking over to the breakroom’s fridge and opened it. “At least sleep on one of the extra beds.” 

“I’m on break.” Law defended himself. 

The door to the break room opened again.

“Ah, Law? I thought you were supposed to be clocked out by now.” Bepo said. 

Shachi and Penguin gave him another look, as they grabbed their bags in the fridge for some food.

Law checked his phone for the time and Bepo had been right. He was supposed to be out of work thirty minutes ago.

“That’s it.” Shachi said, closing the fridge door. “Thursday night, we’re all off. We’ll pick you up and we’re going out to Vic’s.” 

Law groaned loudly, glaring at him. 

“Maybe that’s not the best idea.” Bepo said worriedly. 

“No, that’s a great idea.” Penguin butted in, pulling up a chair to sit at Law’s table. Just as he sat down, Penguin’s pager began to loudly ring. 

“God, I think I forgot to put in an order.” Penguin sighed, quickly getting right back up to take the call outside. 

“That reminds me.” Shachi said, taking his seat and shoving Penguin’s food to the other side. “There’s a nurse in the PICU that kinda scares me. Or I think she’s into me.” 

“How?” Bepo asked, also taking his seat next to Law. 

“She calls all the time. She keeps leaving those messages, ‘Provider notified. No current orders at this time.’ She—” 

“She’s telling you to do your job?” Law said, unimpressed. 

“Come on, Law. It’s order after order, and I’m running back and forth between units to make sure the kid actually needs it!” Shachi defended himself. “You two wouldn’t get it. Surgeons…” 

“But Law, are you really doing alright?” Bepo asked, concerned. “You really should get home to get some rest.” 

“I am well rested.” 

A lie. He spent his entire time before work figuring out how to track the idol’s group location better. He had been looking into some easy to use trackers. And that account posted another Luffy photo, directly after the night of the last performance. 

In Law’s eyes, he still had the best picture of Luffy. 

The one Luffy took on his very own phone. 

“Hello?” Shachi said, snapping Law back to their conversation. “You definitely need a night out.” 

Bepo appeared more worried than before. “Is there something bothering you? You’ve been more exhausted this past month, Law. It’s really concerning.” 

This past month I’ve been losing my mind over him. 

Law sighed internally. 

They’re gonna find out one way or another.  

Knowing his luck, one of these days Penguin and Shachi will end up walking into the room that’s covered in Luffy’s posters on complete accident. He might as well get it over with. Save himself the embarrassment. 

Law sat back in his chair. “There has been… something. But does it really have to be at Vic’s?” 

Law rather go anywhere else than Killer’s bar, the Victoria Punk. Although Killer himself was alright, his best friend however…

“Yes. Penguin has been dying for another excuse to go back there.” Shachi said, pointedly. “And you need to quit being so hostile towards Kid.” 

“That guy always starts shit and you know that.”

“And you let him get to you. You know he’s joking half the time!” 

“Half.” Law clarified, pushing the chair back to stand up. “I’ll be going.” 

“You can’t get out of this, Law.” Shachi called after him as Law grabbed his things to leave. “We will drag you out of your house and you know that.” 

“You can’t take a shift that night either.” Bepo added. “...Please. Unless you want to tell us what’s wrong now—” 

“Nope.” Law said, slinging his black bag on his shoulder. “Definitely not.”

Law needed to figure out how to properly word what was going on with him to them without causing some major concern. He could already hear the lectures if they found out he was attending every single show of Luffy’s group. 

“See you Thursday then!” Shachi called after him as Law went to open the door to the hall. 

Just as he reached for it, Penguin opened it first. 

“What did I miss?” 

Law, unfortunately, was quick to run out of content he had yet to see of Luffy. 

After getting a three hour nap after work, Law went straight back to his computer in his ‘Luffy’ room. He could always sleep later, and had time before the next day came around. Law wanted to use all the time he had before Shachi came and dragged him out of the house. 

Thanks to a slight increase in popularity, Law was able to access fancams along with videos of their performances. But watching the videos over and over again could only last him so long. He tried out editing for a bit, in order to get only the clips of Luffy he loved all in one place, but wasn’t very interested in it. 

That’s when he decided to go about a different method of following Luffy around. 

Tracking down Luffy’s team was surprisingly very simple. 

Their social media manager, Usopp, hadn’t placed his own personal social media account on private. A lot of the members of their team kept their personal account public still. 

Law spent his time using his monitors to cross reference locations of the photos of the team members that took pictures with Luffy. He had a decent idea of where Luffy currently lived thanks to Usopp’s constant posting on his personal account. 

For any more hints, Law would casually scroll through the followings of the team members. He couldn’t possibly leave any stone uncovered. People tended to be so careless with who and what accounts they followed on their personal account. 

Luffy followed a lot of video game creators, some bug pages surprisingly enough, and a mix of different funny clip accounts. Out of the three members, he followed the most accounts, mostly at random it appeared. 

Ace followed a lot of the same accounts as Luffy, minus the bugs. There were additional traveling accounts on his profile. But Law could not access their brother’s account, which was private. The blonde man had little trace of a presence online in general. But the man didn’t appear to be involved in their team, so Law didn’t look further into him. 

Sanji followed a lot of restaurants, recipe accounts, anything that was related to food in general. Law had been mindlessly scrolling through the following once again, when one account on Sanji’s following caught his eye. 

The Flamingo restaurant’s official account. 

Law rolled his eyes, clicking on the account out of simple curiosity before he froze. 

The restaurant’s account was also followed by Usopp and Nami, another person on their team who’s role Law couldn’t exactly figure out yet. 

Not one, but three of them were following the account? 

He quickly skimmed through Usopp’s and Nami’s followings. Neither of them tended to follow food places, following their own interests instead. 

Law sat in his chair, pondering. 

It was somewhat of a long shot, but if there was even the smallest possibility that some of their team had booked the restaurant… 

Law’s heart rate picked up. 

But it was nearly impossible for them to get a reservation unless they knew someone. 

Law, once again, combed meticulously through their followings for any kind of notable person that followed their account back. Someone with a connection to Doflamingo. 

And there it was. 

Right in Nami’s following, she was mutuals with a woman by the name of Chiffon.

He should have noticed it earlier. 

Bege and his fiance were regulars at the establishment. He had only met Bege a few times years before he left for university. They were one of the few people that could get a reservation whenever they wanted. 

So there was in fact a way some of Luffy’s team could get on the long reservation list. 

Law glanced over at his phone. He picked it up, swiping and clicking the phone app. His thumb hovered over Doflamingo’s contact. 

Law sighed, resting his head against the palm of his hand. 

Was he really about to willingly contact his uncle over a hunch? 

It’s not just a hunch anymore. There’s solid pieces of evidence now. All you need is that reservation list. 

Law weighed his options. 

Talking to Doflamingo wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but trying to sneak around his back and get the list would be insanely tricky to do. He would have no other option but to ask Doflamingo directly about the list. 

But even if one of the people on Luffy’s team had a reservation on The Flamingo, it did not guarantee that Luffy would go as well. It might only be Nami attending. He would be getting his hopes up for nothing. 

Law placed his phone on the desk, staring intensely at the call button. 

There’s a chance.

That single hint of a chance brought Law enough strength to hit the call button. 

The phone only rang once. The screen’s words ‘calling’ were replaced with the timer, dropping Law’s stomach. 

“Law.” Doflamingo’s amused voice spoke on the other line. 

“Doffy.” 

The older man chuckled.

“Finally decided to call back.” 

Law sat in the bar, trying to look as if he wasn’t planning how to reach the nearest exit. 

They were covered by the yellow and red ambient lighting. The bar had a rustic feel, with many miscellaneous signs covering the walls, and the only clear light hanging above the bar and the pool tables. 

He did not hate the place of course, but he was impatiently waiting for the night to be over. Law had scheduled a ‘meeting’ with Doflamingo in the morning. He couldn’t possibly miss it, not after what he had to go through on that call. 

But his friends were dead set on him having a good time.

And from the moment they walked in, Law saw Killer perk up at the sight of their group. The three of them were completely unsurprised as Penguin immediately went up to the bar to chat with the muscular blonde. 

“Do you think we’re ever getting our order?” Shachi asked, sitting in front of Law and Bepo in their booth. The red cushions were actually not too bad to sit in. 

“I give it ten minutes before one of them embarrasses themselves.” Law said, eyeing the two’s conversation at the bar. 

“I wonder if Killer is aware Penguin likes him back.” Bepo said. 

“He doesn’t have a clue.” Shachi said, sighing heavily into his hands. “This back and forth will go on for years I fear. 

Law spotted Killer putting a couple of familiar drinks on a plate. “They’re coming back.”

“Oh quick, act natural.” Shachi said, before pulling the most unnatural pose he could have done. 

Penguin gave him a strange look as he moved to sit next to him. “Why do you look constipated?” 

Shachi gave him a look, opening his mouth to say something snarky when Killer walked up to their table, setting down their respective drinks. The group thanked Killer before he left them to their conversation. 

“What’s this big thing you got, Law?” Penguin asked, getting straight to the point. 

“Yeah, we discussed and it’s either you have a hopeless romantic crush, or you're moving out of the country for your weird uncle.” Shachi said. 

“I’d rather work a week straight than go anywhere with Doffy.” Law said, ignoring the first assumption. 

“You do that anyways man.” Penguin said. 

“Wait, do you like someone?” Bepo asked suddenly. 

Despite his best efforts to conceal a reaction, Law’s facial expression must have given something away as the large man covered his mouth with his hands in shock. Penguin and Shachi were already grinning and leaning over the table. 

“Woah, you do like someone!” Shachi said, excitedly. 

“Say it louder for Killer to hear.” Law glanced to the bar where the long haired blonde waved at him. 

Law spotted Penguin's red face as he waved back. 

“When are you asking him out already?” Law asked, bringing his drink to face. 

“Shut up.” Penguin whispered. “I need him to ask me out, obviously.” 

“Afraid of the rejection?” Shachi asked cheekily. 

“He would not reject you.” Bepo reassured him. 

“He might if you wait too long.” Law said. 

“Wait… really? Hey, wait he’s deflecting!” Penguin gestured his hands to Law accusingly, clearly not wanting their attention on him anymore. 

Law narrowed his eyes at him as Shachi elbowed him. “Oh yeah, who’s the lucky guy that’s got your eye, Law?” 

“You’re wrong. I do not like someone right now.” 

“Yeah whatever.” Shachi teased. 

“Well, then what’s going on Law?” Bepo asked, encouraging him to speak up. 

Law mentally reviewed the script he gave to himself one more time. 

“Remember the idol group we saw at the convention?” Law asked. 

The question caught all three of them off guard. They obviously hadn’t expected him to bring up that event.

“Uh, which one?” Penguin asked. 

“The last one. Right before we left.” 

“I do not remember. It’s been months since then. Like half a year?” Shachi said, looking to Bepo for any ideas. 

“Oh! The group ‘Dreamin On’ right?” Bepo asked. “I think I heard they’re getting popular.” 

“Yes.” Law said. “That group.” 

“Wait… is this like your Sora obsession?” Bepo asked gravely. 

Back when Law was a child, he had an extreme phase when it came to that particular comic book series. Collecting everything he could get his hands on and rewatching the cartoon at least a few dozen times. 

Cora was heavily concerned when Law could start reciting the episodes line by line at the dinner table. But eventually he switched to obsessing over medical textbooks and was praised for his ‘genius.’

Looking back, Law realized he shouldn’t have been surprised in his sudden fixation of Luffy. 

Law’s lack of quick response clued in his friends almost immediately. 

“So, you’re into this idol group now?” Shachi asked. 

“That explains why you turned off your public playlists.” Penguin remarked, pulling out his phone and typed away. 

“How did you even notice that?” Law asked incredulously. 

“I like looking for new songs! And it’s fun stalking the type of music everyone listens to.” 

“Dude, that’s weird.” Shachi said. 

“It is not!” 

“You’ve been losing sleep over an idol group?” Bepo asked in an unsure tone.

“I’ve been going to their concerts a lot. Whenever they’re in town—”

“Oh my god, you’ve been attending every show huh?” Penguin said, his mouth open in shock while staring at his screen. 

“What is that?” Shachi asked, leaning over his shoulder. “Tour dates?” 

“And Law’s past schedule.” Penguin said in shock. “Why do your days off line up exactly?” 

“This is why you’ve been blowing us off!” Shachi said, standing up in the booth. 

Law felt himself shrinking into his seat, withdrawing from them. He stared intensely at the wooden table, feeling Bepo concern stare weigh on him. 

“Wait, let me guess your favorite member.” Shachi said, quickly typing the ‘Dreamin On’ group into his phone. Within seconds, Shachi put his phone in front of Law’s face showing a picture of Luffy that Law had seen a thousand times before. “This guy has to be your favorite huh.” 

“Nah, maybe it’s the shirtless guy, Ace.” Penguin said. 

“No, Law likes cute things and this guy is the cutest of the group.” 

“He’s not a thing.” 

“I’m counting it.” Shachi said and then gestured to Law. “Look at him! He’s avoiding eye contact. It has to be him!” 

“Is it?” Penguin pressed, but before Law could answer, Bepo spoke up. 

“Oh, that must be why your wallpaper has a straw hat.” Bepo said, looking at the photo of Luffy. 

Both Shachi’s and Penguin’s jaws dropped at his realization. 

“Bepo you just cracked the case.” 

“I guess that counts as liking someone.” Bepo said sheepishly. “Even if it is just an idol crush.” 

Way more than just a crush, but sure. Law kept his thoughts to himself. They really did not need to know the extent he’s gone just to get close to Luffy. Especially not what he was about to do tomorrow. 

Law realized how ridiculous it would be to even explain his plan outloud to them. They certainly would tell him he was reaching for a nearly impossible scenario. 

“Oh poor, Law.” Shachi said dramatically. “Out of all the people you could have chosen and you picked someone incredibly unattainable, even for you.” 

Law kicked at Shachi’s leg under the table. 

“Ow! I’m just saying! You could practically have anyone.” Shachi said, and then put his hands on the table. “Do you know the amount of coworkers and patients that I’ve had come up to ask me if you’re single?” 

“Twenty-on—” 

“Twenty-two times now after yesterday!” Shachi held up two fingers to Law’s face. 

“As long as it’s just a fun hobby, I think it’s fine Law. It’s good that you’re going out!” Bepo reassured him. “Nothing to worry about us judging you for.” 

“Thanks, Bepo.” Law said, trying to shove down the guilt of not giving him the whole truth. 

It was bad enough that those two smart-idiots figured out he was attending all of their shows. Law didn’t need them getting on his case about stalking Luffy’s every move. 

“Yeah, you do get hooked on certain things easily.” Penguin shrugged and laughed. “Just don’t blow all your savings on merch.”

“Maybe you should eventually be hooked on someone you can actually date.” Shachi suggested. “I’m sure we’d find someone for you immediately.” 

I don’t care about anyone else.

“I’m not delusional. I know he is unattainable.” Law said. “And I don’t need a partner to fill some ‘void.’”

Although Law knew he had realistically no chance with ever getting to be even friends with Luffy, he much rather stay completely single. Especially since he was certain that no one else could make him feel the way Luffy made him feel. 

“Come on, a blind date couldn’t hurt.” Shachi said, waving his hand. 

“Oh, would you look at that.” Penguin said, looking somewhere behind Law and Bepo. 

Bepo frowned, “Look at wha—?” 

“Trafalgar!” 

“Oh god.” Law said, his shoulders stiffening as he heard Kid’s voice and his footsteps leading up to their table. 

“How have you been doing?” Kid asked, leaning over their booth. 

“Eustass-ya.” Law said, uncaringly. 

Somehow, Law’s mind shot right back to the image of Luffy when looking at Kid. 

They truly couldn’t have been more different. Both of them had muscle of course, but Kid’s smile was more gnarly and smuggish. While Luffy’s smile radiated warmth and soothed all Law’s worries and stresses. Kid’s presence alone had the tendency to tick Law off, with his blunt comments and brutish attitude towards everyone. But Luffy was so welcoming, and straight forward in a way that wouldn’t set Law off. Luffy was perfect in every way possible and Kid—

“Woah! Have your eye bags gotten worse?” Kid laughed at him. “Becoming an old man already huh?” 

“I’m two years older than you.” Law sneered. “You know that.” 

“Still act like an old man. Ya know, I saw that pink haired girl at Heat and Wire’s shop. She mentioned your name surprisingly. Didn’t know you had other friends.” Kid said, sarcastically. 

“Now, I know you’re not talking.” Shachi muttered. 

“Yeah, you can count your friends on one hand.” Penguin laughed. 

“Don’t be so generous with him. Five is a big number for him.” Law said, smiling at Kid’s disgruntled expression. 

“What would you know about being generous?” Kid said. “Why haven’t you put me on with her? She’s pretty cute.” 

Law rolled his eyes. “I respect Perona enough to not disrupt her peace with your presence.” 

“Damn, you gotta be desperate if you’re trying to use Law to pick up girls.” Shachi commented. 

“Yeah, and I bet you already tried your shot with her too.” Kid snapped back. 

Shachi went silent, picking up his drink to sip. Penguin had to put his hand over his mouth to cover his smile, clearly forcing his laugh back. 

“And besides, you’ve been single for how long Traf?” Kid said. 

“By choice.” Law said.

“Yeah, cause you never shoot your shot.” Kid said before reminding him. “Just like how you can’t at darts.” 

The memory of him losing to Kid came back to his mind. The last time they played at the bar, Killer had to take the darts away from both of them. Law’s eye twitched, but he refused to give in to the bait. 

“I have better things to do than participate in your pissing contests.” Law said. 

“Yeah, because you’d lose. Again.” 

Standing up from the booth, Law gave the red head a challenging look. Bepo weakly attempted to grab Law’s arm. Shachi was already pulling out his phone and Penguin was waving to get Killer’s attention. 

“I didn’t lose. You cheated.” 

“Oh, because a small inch closer to the board is going to make a difference.” Kid grinned, stepping forward to size Law up. Law hated how he had to look slightly up to him. The feeling reminded him of Doflamingo. 

“Imagine needing an extra inch.” Law shot back. “Crazy isn’t it? One whole inch.” 

The two continued to bricker back and forth, until Penguin and Shachi had enough, leaving to go to set up the dart board for them. Killer quickly reminded them to aim at the board and not at each other. A game of darts turned into a few rounds of pool which turned into a drinking contest. By the end of the night, they were tied.

Law severely would regret the last contest when he woke up the next morning. The splitting headache made him curse over and over again as he got ready. 

Bepo must have been the one to leave an electrolyte pack next to a water bottle by his bed. He grabbed it to drink on the way to the building. Absolutely nothing was going to make Law miss this meeting.

Law had considered the possibility of sneaking into Doflamingo’s office and finding the list himself. But not only was it next to the possible to find where that list would be located quick enough, if he got caught, the consequences would be… severe. 

Since it was on such short notice, Law had to meet Doflamingo in one of his main buildings in the middle of his work hours. 

Thanks to Doflamingo’s busy schedule, Law knew the appointment would be quick. But that also meant that he could not beat around the bush about what he wanted. 

Even though Doflamingo had the tendency to turn everything into a game. 

Law stepped into Doflamingo’s office, feeling the soft, scarlet carpet against his heeled boots. He’d nearly forgotten how the man had an interesting taste for dramatic decor, covering the walls in a deep red pattern and a dark brown drape that hung over the floor to ceiling window behind Doflamingo’s desk. 

The blonde man slowly closed his laptop as Law got closer to his desk. 

“You’re still so punctual, Law.” Doflamingo remarked, the sunlight reflected off his wide grin and sunglasses. 

“I thought you would appreciate me not wasting a moment of your precious time.” Law said, taking the seat in front of his desk. He noticed the tacky, gold plated ashtray at the front of Doflamingo’s desk. Unused.

Law made sure to sit straight, looking his uncle directly into his sunglasses. 

“Yet, you continue to ‘miss’ my calls.” 

Law held his tongue. Doflamingo never called him for an actual emergency or for anything important since he left the house.

Law only visited if Cora was around. Which she currently was not around. 

“I have.” Law replied, not wanting to beat around the bush. “Is there something that you need from me?” 

“Oh, just wanted to remind you that the Sabaody Valley Hospital still has that position open.” Doflamingo said, enticingly. The light in his sunglasses gleamed. “As well as your old position in the company. If you’ve happened to change your mind.” 

“I have not.” 

Doflamingo sighed. “Tell me then Law. Why have you so generously decided to meet me in person after ignoring me for so long?” 

“I’ve been busy, I'm afraid.” 

Law didn’t know why he bothered trying to hide the truth. 

Doflamingo always saw right through him. His uncle always gave the impression that he knew Law better than he knew himself. 

The blonde man leaned closer. 

“Too busy to visit the Family once and a while?” 

Here we go.

“You can at least answer a phone call once and a while. Or show up to dinner. You know, for a free meal.” Doflamingo rambled, all the tension in the air dissipating in seconds. 

“Maybe I would if you all wouldn’t pester me about leaving the family business. Only Cora-san supports me.” Law said, having repeated these words a thousand times over. 

Doflamingo scoffed. “I don’t know why she does. Your eye bags have only gotten worse thanks to that hospital of yours. So underfunded, you could at least choose somewhere not so… poor.” 

Law bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from arguing back. He knew it was a pointless argument, nothing he said ever got into Doflamingo’s thick skull. What’s worse was that Cora wasn’t around to break them up if they started fighting. 

Sighing, Law remembered why he was here. 

To see if there was a chance to see Luffy for even a moment outside of his performances. 

“This is not what I came here to discuss with you about.” Law said, his demeanor changing from irritated to calm and steady. 

He needed Doflamingo’s cooperation more than anything. 

“Out with it.” Doflamingo said, smiling. 

The sight made Law suspicious. 

“I need the reservation list for The Flamingo.” 

“What for?” 

“I need to see who’s on it.” 

Doflamingo hummed. “Playing dumb will only prolong this, Law.” 

Law sighed, hating the fact he knew Doflamingo was right. 

“I need to see if there’s a specific name on the list. It’s important. You know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.” 

“I’ll see how important it really is to you.” Doflamingo said, sitting back in his chair. 

Law narrowed his eyes, knowing what was coming. “Me becoming your second in command again is not on the table.” He clarified. 

“Now you know I would give you more than a reservation list for that.” Doflamingo scoffed. “No, I simply need two favors.” 

“Two? What kind of favors?” Law asked, dreading the answer. 

Doflamingo grinned and hummed. “I haven’t decided yet.” 

“Then I refuse.” Law said, beginning to stand from his chair. 

Doflamingo put up his hand for Law to stop. 

“Hold.” 

Law reluctantly sat back down.

“Fine, I’ll give you an idea of what I could ask for. Some quality time would be nice for instance. I could ask you to attend a quick, three day ‘business’ trip with me. Or a dinner with the family, how long has it been since you’ve done that?” 

Law stared at the man, unimpressed. 

Is he really this desperate for attention? How depressing. 

Doflamingo must have sensed his judgemental attitude (or glanced at Law’s facial expression) as he pouted, “A normal family wouldn’t have to bribe someone into spending time with them, you know?” 

“I would have never guessed.” 

“Oh you’ll live.” Doflamingo waved him off. The blonde reached his hand out. “Deal?” 

For seeing Luffy in person, Law would attend a hundred family meetings. 

Law took his hand.

“Deal.” 

Once they let go, Law sat impatiently in his chair as Doflamingo slowly opened his laptop to pull up the list. Law briefly considered again how impossible it would have been attempting to take his device out of Doflamingo’s grasp for even a minute. 

His uncle turned the laptop to face Law. The pages and pages of names stared right back at Law, but he leaned in to get a better look. His eyes scanned through the reservation list, clicking through page after page, his heart racing as each name blurred together. He recalled the other member’s names and people on Luffy’s team to see if any of them put their name. 

“What’s the name you are looking for?” Doflamingo asked, with his shit-eating grin. 

“It wouldn’t interest you.” Law said, clearly not willing to give Doflamingo the name. 

“You know you still have to ask for access to my building.” Doflamingo said. “You gave me back your key card.” 

Shit.  

Law should have made sure to include his access into the building as part of their deal. He was too focused on finding the name, he’d completely forgotten all about actually accessing the building. 

“I know the fast way to find the name.” Doflamingo said in a teasing tone. 

Law paused for a moment. He knew it was most likely Nami had put her name on the list. But what if Chiffon put down her own name for her? What if it was Usopp or another member of their team that put their name down. And how was he going to explain his situation if he kept throwing random names at Doflamingo to look for? 

Acting fast, Law went with his gut instinct. 

“I need to know if there’s a reservation under the name Nami.” Law said, turning back the laptop to Doflamingo. 

“Nami?” Doflamingo hummed curiously. 

Law anxiously touched his seat. “Is that a problem?” 

“No, I’m just surprised you’re interested in a woman.” 

Law made a face. “I am not interested in her.” 

“You’re not?” Doflamingo asked, titling his head. “Because I have just found her name—”

Law stood up from his chair to look over Doflamingo’s shoulder in record time. His eyes frantically scanned the document, spotting the blue highlighted name. 

Nami.

The listing showed she booked a Friday night for ten people. In exactly two weeks. 

Law’s heart leaped. 

His chances of seeing Luffy in person, without the backdrop of a fan meet up or a performance, but out in public just rose exponentially. Law had to seize the opportunity. 

“I wish to have access to the building during this night.” Law said, turning to Doflamingo. His tone was almost demanding rather than asking. 

Doflamingo gave him a feigned look of pondering, “Well, I may need another favor…” 

Law grimaced, but was prepared to offer Doflamingo almost anything for this chance. 

“But, since I’m your favorite uncle ever, I’ll give you this one free of charge.” Doflamingo said, generously. 

Law nearly smiled at Doflamingo. Nearly. 

“I would very much appreciate that.” Law said, nodding his head in agreement. 

Law would leave the office building with a new key card in his pocket, giving him access to any part of the hotel in Sabaody, including the restaurant and rooftop area. The entire drive back to his home, Law couldn’t help but think of what camera he could take with him to sneak more photos of Luffy in a more casual setting. 

He knew he would have to wear something inconspicuous. But he still wanted to look good. 

Pulling out his phone, he opened Perona’s contact.