~

"Luffy you've been in there for half an hour now! I'm coming in!" Law banged on the bathroom door with a groan, he needed to brush his teeth, wash his face and start his day but since bathrooms in Bellemere's house were scarce, it was survival of the fittest.

"Ok!" Luffy said from inside the bathroom. Law didn't waste any time and opened the door with his essentials, occupying space at the sink. "You don't look like you slept well."

Law looked in the mirror and found out that Luffy hadn't bothered with the shower curtain again so the older did it for him. "I didn't. Why're you even taking a shower early in the morning?"

"Water always smells like oranges here, I love it!" The younger giggled.

"I guess it does." Law agreed taking a sniff from the tap water. The doctor quickly brushed his teeth and was contemplating whether to shave his face and prime his goatee or not. "It can go another few days." Law shrugged.

"Morning." Cora greeted, walking sleepily in the bathroom.

"Good morning." Law said back and began gathering his things to make room for his father.

"Oh." The blond said, his eyes now open and stuck on Law's shoulders, since the doctor had opted to wear a tanktop. "So those are the heart tattoos."

"They are."

"How do you like them Corao?" Luffy asked from the shower, startling Corazon.

"They're beautiful, and suit Law." Rosinante answered, then frowned. "Unlike the beard, it makes him look older than he is."

"No it doesn't!" Law protested.

"Let me shave it!"

"No- stop it, it's a reminder of my blood father."

Rosinante stopped in his tracks. "Oh. Do you have pictures?"

"No. But he couldn't grow a beard if his life depended on it. His hairline was in trouble even....at least that's what I remember. I remember one time mother telling him to shave it off and he was fighting for his life saying that it won't even grow beyond that, to let him have that one thing." Law smiled at the suddenly vivid memory.

"Alright." Cora-san surrendered but grabbed Law's face and a razor. "But if it turns into a hobo beard, I am shaving the whole thing off."

"Like hell I'll let your clumsy hands near me with a blade! You'll chop my entire head off!" Law fought back.

"Fair point. I'll ask Luffy then."

"He likes it. So bleh!" Law stuck his tongue out at Cora childishly, pulling at his eye. "How about I grow my hair out too...?" Law thought out loud.

"YES!" Luffy said pulling the shower curtain aside, stars in his eyes.

"Please do! I will braid it for you! Bellemere would love that!" The blond agreed, equally jumpy.

"Fuck offfff. I don't have time for keeping long hair." Law shot his own idea down.

"Torao I'll wash them and style them for you every day!" Luffy tried negotiating.

"You can't even remember to cover yourself." The doctor shook his head wrapping a towel around his boyfriend's waist and below.

"You remember for me, nishishi."

"You're both so cute." Corazon cooed.

"I'm leaving." Law walked out of the bathroom with a red face and encountered Zoro at the back porch looking lost. "What're you doing here?"

"I was looking for the bathroom, man this place is a maze." Zoro said, scratching his head.

"It's only ground level and not even more than five rooms, how the hell... nevermind, come on." Law took a hold of the swordsman's haramaki and pulled him in the direction of the bathroom.

Law went to the kitchen to help Bellemere with the breakfast, as much as he could, the woman wasn't letting him near the flames and only let the doctor handle the cups and plates. Nojiko was assisting in the cooking and laughing at Law's face every time he tried helping with the job on the stove and got a slap on his hand.

"HE'S ON FIRE! CORAO'S ON FIRE!" Came Luffy's distant call for help along with Godfather's barks. Bellemere automatically pointed to the shelf where she kept the fire extinguisher for Law to take and go help his father.

"How the hell did you catch fire?!" Law screamed spraying the fire with the foam.

"I wanted to smoke." Rosinante said, ashamed, dusting himself.

"I'll take these." Nami quickly snatched the cigarettes and lighter from Corazon' hands before the situation repeated.

"Nobody's hurt?" Law asked looking around at everyone present and sighed in relief when they all shook their heads.

"Very lively here so early in the morning." Smoker said walking in the house.

"Anyone wants a smoke?" Hina asked shaking her cigarette packet.

"No!" Nami and Law yelled at the same time.

Hina and Smoker looked at Nami and Law at the quick response, then at the fire extinguisher in the doctor's hands, then at the wetness of the floor and connected the dots. "Oh." Both the marines said.

"Breakfast everyone!" Nojiko called and everyone shuffled to the kitchen, settling down for food.

"Why did you keep shooing me away from the stove?" Law asked Bellemere. "I can cook, I don't burn things."

"Oh my baby." Bellemere chuckled. "You're a good doctor Law, but a shitty cook."

"Down boy, she's not talking about Sanji-kun." Nami smacked Zoro at the way his ears perked up at 'shitty cook.'

"But Torao makes good tea." Luffy pointed, confused.

"That's just about all he can make." Bellemere said.

"Hmm... hmmm???" The youngest titled his head from side to side, thinking of other things he had seen Law cook. "Mmmmm???"

"I swear to..." Law cursed.

"No but she's right Torao, you don't cook." Luffy realized.

"Who keeps you fed then?" Nojiko asked.

"Sanji sends us food, sometimes we order in, sometimes we go out, then sometimes we eat at my house with my brothers, then sometimes at the Sunny." Luffy counted on his hands.

"Doctor high and mighty is an incompetent cook." Nami joked. "Luffy can cook more than Law."

"Why are you all ganging up on me? What did I ever do to any of you?" Law pouted.

"Tis ok Torao, I can cook for the both of us." Luffy said proudly.

"You lit your stove on fire just learning onigiri, Luffy I think its best if you both found another option." Nami intervened recalling when she had to douse the stove at the three brothers' house in water to stop the fire.

"I'm not eating anything you make unless it's been tried and tested by at least ten people." Law added.

"You guys can become a throuple then, the third one can be the poison tester." Nojiko laughed.

"Kidd can be that!" Luffy suggested immediately, without really thinking about the implications.

"Please stop talking." The doctor said. Everyone laughed at Law's expense and the object of their laughter hid his face in mortification but he was secretly grateful for everyone for being normal around him.

After breakfast, Nami, Nojiko, Hina, Bellemere and Smoker had gone out to check on the tangerines after Bellemere had handed Rosinante a few photo albums that the blond had requested earlier. Corazon sat down on the big sofa and patted the spaces next to him for Luffy and Law to occupy.

"Please don't embarrass me any further." Law pleaded before Cora opened the first album.

"I wanna see Torao as a kid!" Luffy folded his legs under him in excitement.

"It's only fair I guess, since I got to see you as a kid." The doctor shrugged and let his father open the album.

"TORAO'S SO CUTE!" Luffy squealed at the first picture and Law shielded his ears. "How old are you here?"

"Twelve I think."

"Already so grumpy." The younger laughed with Cora in tow, his eyes moving back and forth among the pictures on the first page. All the pictures in all the albums were taken right in the house they were currently at. "What's this about?" Luffy pointed to the picture in the last album where Corazon was screaming with joy and Law looked like what he did when he was embarrassed.

"This was when the adoption became final." Rosinante answered with a big smile on his face.

"How long did that take?"

"Not long, dad was in a powerful position then too, so he pulled some strings."

"Then why's this picture near the end?" Luffy noticed.

Corazon looked at Law before answering. "Law didn't want me to adopt him unless he had cured himself."

"Why?" The younger asked Law.

"I didn't want him to bury me as a son in case I couldn't make a cure." Law answered easily but the feeling in his chest was heavy. "I was at the final stages of amber lead when I got the marine facility to make the cure and I knew it was going to take time, so I just put that condition up to save him the hurt."

"Stupid, you were still a son to me even before this adoption." Cora said flicking Law's forehead, his eyes watery.

"Why's Torao frowning in all the photos then?" Luffy asked next, wanting to spare Law and Corazon some heartache.

"He was just so much grumpier than he is now, I'm really surprised he doesn't frown all that much now." Rosinante flipped the first album to the first page and tore the paper covering aside. "I have a secret compartment here of the one photo where Law's smiling."

"What the fuck?" Law cursed.

"Here." Cora handed the photo to Luffy.

"Tobao's so cute." Luffy said through tears and Law snuck a peek at the picture.

The photo was of Law, bundled in sheets, smiling widely at a butterfly that had stopped on one of oranges at the orchard. The doctor remembered it being the time when he was gaining his strength back after curing himself of amber lead.

"I took this picture in secret because Law would have started frowning if he had found out." Cora said with a shake of his head.

"Oh come on I wasn't that bad." Law said rolling his eyes.

"Yes you were. You were always glaring at things when you were not frowning." Cora reminded him.

"I was sick, what did you expect?" Cora didn't say anything and Law fell quiet too. Luffy looked between them, confused, and Law caught that. "Cora-san doesn't like being reminded of my sick days as much as I do myself."

And Luffy understood.

A few more rotations of the pictures later, they put the albums aside and Corazon was telling Luffy about the incident where little Law had rolled his eyes at a crying child.

"That happened with us too!" Luffy laughed.

"Why should I bat an eye when no one's injured???" Law pointed.

"So Corao, what're your happiest moments with Torao so far?" Luffy asked.

"I don't even have to think about it." Rosinante answered quickly and put up three fingers. "First when he called me Cora-san, second when he was cured of amber lead, and third when he was finally mine."

"That sounds creepy." Law commented at the phrasing of the last one.

"But I have just one regret." Cora said sadly and that got Law's attention who had begun reading the group chat on his phone where Penguin and Shachi were fighting over who would get the last slice of pizza when they go out. "I wish I could have held Law when he was a baby."

"Oh godddddd." Law groaned putting his phone aside and hid his face behind a pillow. Cora chuckled.

"Well you can hold him now. He's still a big baby." Luffy said laughing.

"What? You're a baby." Law retorted childishly.

"Who's the one that forgets to eat, sleep and take care of himself so much that others have to remind you of it or do it for you? Even baths! You're a baby Torao!" Luffy said.

"I never asked you to do that!"

"Babies don't too but we do it anyway! Because we care and don't want them to die."

"Ok not sleeping or eating or taking a bath won't kill me." Law clarified and Cora and Luffy both raised an eyebrow. "Not soon enough anyway."

"Don't say that!" Both Corazon and Luffy screamed at him.

Law shielded his ears. "Dammit now there's two of you..."

~

"Luffy, do you have a minute?" Rosinante stopped the young man at the porch before he went inside the house for the night. Everyone else had already gone to bed.

"Sure, sup?" Luffy sat down beside Corazon.

"How do you think Law would react if I tell him that I want to stay here?" The blond whispered, not wanting to risk Law listening even though the doctor was already asleep.

Luffy looked up at Cora then burst out laughing. "You guys think the same!"

"What- stop laughing, you'll wake someone up."

"Torao was saying it would best if you stayed here." The younger said with a smile. "He doesn't want to separate you and Bellemere-san."

"My sweet boy." Rosinante cried loudly.

"So if you wanna stay, Torao's not gonna have a problem!" Luffy wasn't about to tell the older how it crushed Law to come to that decision and that Law himself would never express that feeling because he didn't want to make his father feel the guilt of leaving him again. "When're you gonna tell him though? We're leaving in the morning and he's already asleep now."

"I guess in the morning then... I just hope he won't hate me for dropping this bomb on him like that."

"Nah, Torao doesn't hate people like that."

The morning came and after breakfast it was time to leave. Luffy had already told Law about the conversation the younger had with Corazon the night before and Law was awfully relieved that he wouldn't have to tell his father to stay himself.

"Law." Rosinante called his son, awfully fidgety.

"Stop it, I know." Law said and walked back from the truck to Corazon. "It's ok that you want to stay."

"You don't hate me for this?" The blond avoided eye contact.

"I'd hate you if you wanted to stay with me, pining for Bellemere-san all the time." Law shrugged. "You're not supposed to be apart from people you love."

"I suppose that's true." Rosinante said, eyes moving to where Luffy had his head outside the truck window, looking at Law, waiting for him to come back.

"Just, come visit every now and then, I'll do that too."

"Visit you where?"

"Wherever I decide to call home from now on."

"I will." Cora hugged Law and patted his head. "You be safe and don't make any more stupid decisions."

"And you don't burn this place down." Law said back letting go of the hug. "And stop crying for fuck's sake."

"But I'll miss you and I hate it that I missed so much of your life and I'm only going to miss more of it."

"I'll tell Luffy to send you pictures all the time then, he loves doing that."

"I love you." Corazon said, grinning through the tears that were still falling from his eyes. Law heard Bellemere mutter a fond 'how lame' with a laugh.

"I love you." Law said back, probably for the first time if his memory served him right.

Law turned around and walked, biting his lower lip to stop the tears from falling, he wasn't going to look back, because if he did, he would definitely cry and end up hurting Cora-san. It was hard to be reunited with Cora-san and to leave him so soon after, but Law couldn't show how much it hurt, he would keep that feeling inside until he was at a safe enough distance to express it.

~

Luffy watched Law take another pain killer and put his Bluetooth headphones back on, walking around the house, rearranging all the furniture. It had been like that for a few days now, Law was obviously sad over parting with his father and Luffy was glad that the older wasn't taking to out by breaking things. The furniture moving task was difficult and Luffy had heard Law complain about the strain making his stent sting many a times, but the older refused to let his boyfriend help.

Luffy sighed and walked to Law's bedroom to get his sheet music for the upcoming live, he had chosen a perfect song for Law's situation to sing a cover to. When the younger picked up the papers from Law's desk, the sensor on Law's phone that was also there made the screen light up and Luffy caught a glimpse of what the older was listening to on his headphones. Luffy wasn't snooping, he was just curious when he picked the doctor's phone and went through the playlist, it had MCR, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Thousand Foot Krutch, Korn and Imagine Dragons, but no Fall Out Boy. Luffy hadn't heard most of the songs on that playlist but the ones he had, they were sad. The younger wondered how it was helping Law but he didn't say anything about it, and let Law just go through his feelings.

Law was sure Luffy had told him when he had went out but the older had his headphones on and didn't listen. The doctor cracked his knuckles and put his headphones aside, it was getting late and he felt hungry enough to want to eat, so Law texted Luffy to ask if the younger was going to spend the night with him. Law didn't have to wait for an answer because Luffy walked in through the front door.

"Sanji sent food!" Luffy announced and Law followed the voice to the kitchen, automatically taking out plates and glasses for the food.

"What happened to your hands?" Law asked looking at the multiple bandaids.

"I kept getting paper cuts today."

"All ready for the live tomorrow?"

"Yapp! Saved you your special seat in the back." Luffy said with a grin.

"Thank you." The older plated everything and the two didn't bother going to the living room, just dragged stools and began eating at the counter. "What're you singing?"

"Tis a secret." The younger grinned wider then thought he would ask Law about his playlist from earlier. "You were listening to a bunch of other stuff today."

"It's my playlist for The Big Sad." Law replied casually, not bothered by the fact that Luffy went through his phone, it was ok, Law trusted Luffy so it didn't trigger him at all. "Fall Out Boy is for another kind of sad."

"What's the big sad?"

"You know that depressive, void, empty kind of feeling you can sense coming from a mile away? The one you have no counter to and have to let it pass through you to make it out of it ok enough? That's the big sad."

"Oh, I've had that." Luffy recognized the feeling all too well, it took over him sometimes too. "I paint when that happens. Is it happening because you have to leave Corao?"

"That and because I can't decide about what to do and how to go about doing the stuff that I want to do."

"What do you wanna do?"

Law swallowed his rice and rested his chin on his hand, letting his aforementioned Big Sad take over and narrate his feelings. "I wanna be a doctor, I wanna stay with you and be a doctor, work in a hospital, help people but I know that's not possible. And I'm sad about the fact that if I want to stay with you, it means leaving my friends, I've already had to leave Cora-san and that hurts bad on its own, I don't know how I will survive without my friends too, they kept me alive for so long- it feels like if I choose to stay with you, it would mean the end of something precious, like I don't know, the Hearts have been my family for so long, I don't want to leave them but I don't to stay in Flevance too, it has too many bad memories as well, and when I think I should just fuck it all and stay as a black market doctor, I can feel my parents frowning at the thought, I feel like it's an insult to their memory- I can't decide Luffy- I'm afraid I guess and I don't know how to come to a decision."

The more Luffy heard Law talk, the more the younger realized that he had, coincidentally, chosen the right song for tomorrow's live. Luffy ruffled the older's hair. "Would it help if someone else made the decision for you?"

"Someone else who?"

"Just brainstorming." The younger shrugged. "But since you wanna be a proper doctor still, maybe there's a path you haven't yet thought of, that someone else might be able to think of?"

"Again, someone else who?" Law furrowed his eyebrows.

"Like maybe your friends." Luffy laid the road to the plan the three Hearts had come up with.

"If they can come up with something, I'm all ears. They may behave like nonsensical idiots but they have always cared in the right direction." Law smiled at his friends' memory.

"So talk to them then."

"Guess I should."

"And be honest!" Luffy reminded.

~

Law was comfortable in his seat in the very back, away from the overwhelming amount of people who showed up for the live. The Strawhats hadn't let Law meet Luffy in the makeup room like usual and that made the doctor kind of afraid because he didn't know what to expect from the live. It was a tradition now for Luffy to address a Fall Out Boy cover to Law at every live but that day, somehow felt different.

The drums were set and Zoro took his place behind them, Franky adjusted the piano on stage for Brook, Sanji took his place near the drums with his bass and surprisingly, Ace walked on stage with a guitar. Law didn't know any of the brothers could play an instrument. Then finally, Luffy stepped on, the light not following him at all, then all the lights went on and Law couldn't see from that far back without the lighting.

"It's a little different than the usual but it's still for Torao." Luffy said into the mic when the audience went quiet. Law ducked his head when he saw the crowd looking here and there at his mention, probably looking for him. Luffy picked on that from his place, he could see well in the dark. "No, Torao's not here." Luffy said quickly.

Law breathed a sigh of relief when everyone settled but his breath got caught in his throat when the spotlight shone on Luffy, standing with both his hands clutching the mic stand, eyeliner overdone around his eyes, definitely on purpose, a jacket so awfully familiar, and just when Law thought the live couldn't go any more unexpected, Brook played a single note on the piano and Law knew he was definitely going to be crying.

No fucking way in hell.

Law wasn't sure he could take it, especially coming from Luffy, especially this song but he had no choice when Brook was done playing his part and passed the floor to Luffy.

♫

When I was a young boy

My father took me into the city

To see a marching band

He said, "Son, when you grow up

Would you be the savior of the broken

The beaten and the damned?"

He said, "Will you defeat them?

Your demons, and all the non-believers

The plans that they have made?"

"Because one day, I'll leave you a phantom

To lead you in the summer

To join the black parade"

When I was a young boy

My father took me into the city

To see a marching band

He said, "Son, when you grow up

Would you be the savior of the broken

The beaten and the damned?"

Sometimes I get the feelin'

She's watchin' over me

And other times I feel like I should go

And through it all, the rise and fall

The bodies in the streets

And when you're gone, we want you all to know

We'll carry on, we'll carry on

And though you're dead and gone, believe me

Your memory will carry on

We'll carry on

And in my heart, I can't contain it

The anthem won't explain it

A world that sends you reelin'

From decimated dreams

Your misery and hate will kill us all

So paint it black and take it back

Let's shout it loud and clear

Defiant to the end, we hear the call

To carry on, we'll carry on

And though you're dead and gone, believe me

Your memory will carry on

We'll carry on

And though you're broken and defeated

Your weary widow marches

On and on, we carry through the fears

Oh, ah, ha

Disappointed faces of your peers

Oh, ah, ha

Take a look at me, 'cause I could not care at all

Do or die, you'll never make me

Because the world will never take my heart

Go and try, you'll never break me

We want it all, we wanna play this part

I won't explain or say I'm sorry

I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scars

Give a cheer for all the broken

Listen here, because it's who we are

Just a man, I'm not a hero

Just a boy, who had to sing this song

Just a man, I'm not a hero

I don't care

We'll carry on, we'll carry on

And though you're dead and gone, believe me

Your memory will carry on

You'll carry on

And though you're broken and defeated

Your weary widow marches, oh

Do or die, you'll never make me

Because the world will never take my heart

Go and try, you'll never break me

We want it all, we wanna play this part (we'll carry on)

Do or die, you'll never make me (we'll carry on)

Because the world will never take my heart (we'll carry on)

Go and try, you'll never break me (we'll carry on)

We want it all, we wanna play this part (we'll carry on!)

♫

~

When Franky came to pick Law and Luffy up for the mandatory breakfast at the Thousand Sunny, everyone could see how red Law's eyes were but nobody said a thing about it and just nodded when Law said it was from lack of sleep. The cyborg drove to the port with weird songs playing on the player and everyone was too sleepy to complain about it. The sleepiness was forced out thought when they truck neared the harbor where the Thousand Sunny was docked and everyone saw how the entire area was overflowing with flowers.

"What the hell?" Franky was the first to express, lifting his shades up, getting out of the truck followed by the rest of the Strawhats.

"Uh..." Luffy pursed his lips when touched walked to the nearest bouquet and lifted the card that was attached to it, handing it to Law after reading it. "I think that's kinda my fault."

"You think?" Nami slapped her forehead.

"With how you said that Law wasn't here and then you sung that song, what else were people going to think?" Usopp groaned reading another card.

"Yeah but I didn't mean that song like that!" Luffy defended himself.

Law sighed and picked a card for himself, not wanting to wait for someone to spell it out to him. The card was address to Luffy and mentioned the fan's condolences on... "I died?" Law asked out loud.

"All of them are pretty much the same." Sanji said from the other end of the heaps of flowers. "There's food here too!"

"Your fans think I died?" Law asked pulling Luffy before the younger ran to the food.

"The flowers are for Law-kun, most of these say." Robin said in the back.

Luffy couldn't tell if Law was mad or not, the older's face was unreadable and everyone waited with bated breath to see how Law would react to the situation. Nami and Usopp expected Law to explode in anger and yell at Luffy, Robin, Brook and Sanji thought Law would just walk away, Zoro, Franky and Chopper didn't know what to think but were at the ready for any situation. What none of them expected was for Law to burst out laughing.

"Oh god this is so funny! You switch to MCR one time, regardless of the fact that it was the emo anthem, and everyone thinks I'm dead!" Law laughed, hands on his knees. "Ok, wait, wait, I gotta send this to my guys, this is so fucking hilarious!"

Everyone relaxed and felt the change of wind around them with the lighthearted and carefree laughter that rang their ears. Nobody had expected the turnout, nobody had even thought that Law could laugh like that.

"Dibs on any sunflowers, queen of the night and jasmine." Law said making a video of the scene and sending it to the Hearts, narrating the whole story. "Oh and I want to eat the roses if they are fresh too."

"Those are yuck! There's no end to the chewing!" Luffy joined in on the crazy that Law was exhibiting, well it looked crazy from everyone else's point of view but the Strawhats all accepted it easily, they would be hypocrites if they didn't, because after all, they were crazy too.

~