You've Made Your Bed, Now Cry In It (discontinued on here until further notice)

三: Chapter three

(Some Lawlu—)

"I hate this country." Luffy yawned, nuzzling his head into his boyfriend's neck. It was the Saturday and the crew were at Sera's house watching a movie.

"You said it wasn't that bad?" Law chuckled lightly and kissed the top of his hair.

Kassandra groaned, throwing a pillow at her brother and his boyfriend, "both of you shut up!" she ordered, annoyed. She was curled up against Sera, her head nestled on the Serbian's shoulder as they played an otome game together.

Luffy just stuck out his tongue, "it's boring," he whined. He flopped sideways, resting against the armrest of the sofa. "And we're bored," he added after a moment.

"No shit." Zack said— kicking his feet up as he, Asher and Jun watched the movie. A soft hum rung from Luffy's phone; when he checked, he rose his brows and a bitter look appeared on his face said it all. "Akagami?" Zack asked.

"Akagami."

"Oof," Jun winced, before flicking his head downstairs, "can i give you a ride, Captain?"

"Sure." Luffy yawned, "Torao, you won't mind, would you?"

"Not at all."

"Take him to my house— drop him at least 3 feet away from the driveway on the curb." Kassandra said, "my parents won't notice since they'll be alseep at 9 and Mr. Akagami won't come outside when he sees the car, thinking it's the neighbours."

"Stalker behaviour, Kassa." Asher whistled as he picked apart the pieces of popcorn and kernals from the bowl.

"Shush." She hissed, her face flushing from embarrassment.

Asher eyed her left foot before grinning at her.

"Nuh-uh." She retracted her foot before he could grab and trace over the nth years old scar she had— it was habit he'd done when he realised how much she disliked the scars she gained over the years.

Jun stood up, offering his hand to his captain, who took it as they ran downstairs and out the front door.

"Those two." Law sighed, smiling as he heard the faint footsteps fade away and the sound of the engine.

***

"It's kinda creepy here," Luffy commented, staring at the dark forest around them, "you know what would make it even creepier? A zombie apocalypse." He muttered.

Jun snorted and tossed a handful of popcorn in his mouth, "there isn't going to be any zombie apocalypse anytime soon. There hasn't been one for the last few millennia," he assured.

"How do you know?" Luffy frowned. His nose wrinkled in distaste, "they don't eat humans anymore, do they?"

The Vietnamese rolled his eyes and pulled out a cigarette, taking a drag, "if anyone eats zombies, it would probably be a serial killer like your sister, Lu. No way are you getting any sleep if you have nightmares about zombies, though."

"That doesn't answer my question." He said, "it's just a thought, Jun."

"Doesn't matter, Luffy— now stop thinking about zombies." Jun laughed, parking the car outside, "now shoo." Pressing a kiss on Luffy's forehead before driving off into the night.

"Thanks, June!" Luffy shouted after him, waving before slamming the door. "Now where am I supposed to go," he mused to himself, running his hands through his black locks.

He took a look at the dark street before glancing at the mansion next door. "crap, do i still have the keys?" He wondered aloud, before jogging towards the front door of the Akagami estate. He slipped inside before closing the door softly behind him and tiptoeing up the stairs, passing through a few rooms. He looked back once, making sure no one was awake.

"Fuck! why does this place have so many rooms?!" He hissed before running off to find his room. When he finally found it, the lights were all off and there was no sound coming from it.

With a sigh, Luffy sat on his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He stared up at the ceiling, mind wandering to different places and trying to think of anything that might cheer him up. All that came to mind was the unfinished art piece with seven different people in it.

His art studio was in the room beside his bedroom. It held a bunch of easels and canvases, along with a large glass window which let in plenty of light from the moon. Sitting up straight (he didn't want to risk falling off of his bed), Luffy shuffled forward until he was leaning against the wall and looking at the windowsill. He reached over and grabbed his journal  from its spot before opening it to the first page he wrote about last week.

He sighed softly as he read over the entry, his fingers twitching unconsciously.

A lot has happened lately... I guess this is my new normal then... he thought bitterly.

"So much for being normal..." he laughed without humour as he got up and went to studio, staring at one of the unfinished art piece on the easel.

Ok. He told himself, picking up the brush as he swiped the canvas across the canvas with careful deliberation. We can make this work.

The brush was cold and heavy in his hand as Luffy continued to paint. He painted everything that came to his mind— the sky, the trees, the water, and most importantly— his crew. He drew his sworn family and himself.  It made him feel better, almost. More like a part of them rather than another person. Like he'd found a place he belonged. And he liked that feeling because for so long, it wasn't the case...

But, of course, it wasn't meant to last forever...

He shook his head. Not this time. He felt a burst of energy s he swipped random swatches of paint on the painting ; red, blue, orange, yellow, green, purple and even pink. He didn't bother using colors other than those that he'd painted himself, and it seemed to work perfectly. The only thing missing was his signature.

Painted onto the side of his painting was the word 'Luffy', in bold strokes. He smiled to himself as he finished.

The piece had seven people, two girls and five boys, in a place that had cherry blossoms trees, the petals scattered across the ground in colorful patches. They were kneeling on some tall, thick grasses, the sunlight gleaming off their clothes. They looked happy, relaxed. He smiled as he stretched his joints, hearing the satisfying cracks and pops. He opened the studio's door as he texted Law

***

"Luffy, why do still stay at the Akagami house?" his boyfriend asked, a stoic expression on his face but a concerned tone in his voice, "i mean, they don't even remember that you live there? Why stay?"

"you don't understand, Torao; I'm still under their care, meaning even if i left, they'll still be my legal family."

Law sighed, damn, Luffy got him there. He placed a comforting kiss on his partner's forehead, "just...try not to stress too much, ok? If there is something wrong, you can tell me."

"ok...thanks," Luffy grinned, snuggling up close to his boyfriend, "I love you."

It was a common thing to say 'i love you' in the crew, especially after they've shared a bond like theirs. Most of the time it's true, though some words weren't necessary to say or do. But every once in awhile they needed it, so they'd use them in a heartbeat. Just like now.

Law's eyes softened and he stroked his cheek with a thumb, "I love you more."

***

"Hangover?" Kassandra asked, as Law prepared the food.

"Nah." Luffy replied, tapping on the wooden table.

"Exhaustion?"

"Yeah, pretty bad too."

"You alright?"

"No. My head hurts. My stomach's empty. My bones ache. It feels like someone just stabbed me in the stomach with a knife."

Law eyed the knife beside him before tucking it away in a drawer, "Hm..." he hummed thoughtfully, "you should
probably try and take another painkiller."

"No thanks."

"Do you want a hot cup of tea?" His sister asked, opening the cabinet where they kept the tea bags.

"Yes. Please."