Nothing to your Everything

Better off Markless

Law was dazed.

This in nature was somewhat of an absurd thought. Normally it was completely natural to be amazed about an event or object, simple human emotions that everyone had no matter what they did. But, you see, Law wasn't so normal. It took quite a lot to get him to even appear the slightest bit surprised. He seemed somewhat numb to the world, as others would say. But for once, he couldn't help but be amazed.

He was in awe of 'Luffy'.

Although he had just met the boy he can't help but begin to already obsess over every little thing he says, listening with acute attention to each word spoken from his lips like they were prayers unto the world. Even here, in the middle of a coffee store with the two workers on either side of him (one of which hadn't stopped glaring at him since the cashier had run away) and no other information on the boy besides his name.

His eyes picked up on every single detail they could find. How his fingers fidgeted with his apron, grazing over the seems and pulling at it a bit. How his eyes flickered around the store as if they couldn't rest on one thing for more than a second. How he bit at his bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth.

He hardly noticed the blond man talking to Luffy until the man's eyes closed in what looked something like pain, snapping out of the trance he'd fallen into at his soulmates appearance.

"Um, sorry if I frightened you earlier. Was...was it something I said?" Law asks, and then curses in his mind at how timid he sounds. Not the time to let his social anxiety take over.

Law watched big eyes flicker up and stare at him through lashes, barely holding back a blush at the sight. He hadn't even known this man for twenty minutes and he was already head over heels for him. So, this was what it was like to have a soulmate.

He watched the cashier gulp, hands clenching in the fabric of his clothes before he spoke to him in a soft voice, so quiet you wouldn't even be able to hear it if you weren't listening.

"N-no... um. Sorry. I just-"

He paused for a moment.

"...it was just really unexpected, that's all."

Law instantly sagged in relief. He had been so worried he'd accidentally offended him in some way. That would be terrifying, making such a horrible first impression on your soulmate. So he was glad it wasn't something of the sort.

Still, that was a bit of an extreme reaction if it was just unexpected. But who was he to judge? He was just thankful he'd finally met his soulmate, nothing else really mattered at the moment. The world could be ending and he wouldn't care. Being here with Luffy was all he ever really wanted.

Law gave the cashier the warmest smile he could, cursing himself in his mind for not being able to do so without looking like a serial killer because of his lack of practice.

"That's good... so um. I guess you're my soulmate?" God, why did he have to sound so awkward?!

The two other workers turned towards him and looked at him strangely. They gave Law confused looks as they seemed to prepare to tell him something.

"...yeah."

But then they were staring at them with disbelief, mouths gapping open like fish. Law stared at them in confusion, wondering what it was all about before he winced and had to cover his ears to protect them from further damage as he heard the red headed woman screech.

"YOU TWO ARE WHAT?!"

She was looking between the two with wide eyes and shocked features, the other man smoking with a resigned look on his face.
Law was about to say it again (now that he had said it he felt as if he could never stop. He wanted to shout it to the heavens, to scream it at the top of his lungs over and over again till his throat bled and couldn't ever speak again.) But Luffy looked at her and gave a small gentle smile and a soft chuckle that lit his heart on fire, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um...well. I may or may not of sort of lied about being markless."

Law's head snapped to the man, desperately bewildered at the events unfolding in front of him. Luffy had said he'd been markless? Why would someone do that? Who would ever want to be markless? (...No offense)

But now the woman is marching over to Luffy, standing right in front of him as she hit him over the head, the strike sending him to the floor from the force of it. Law took a step forward, concerned for his soulmate before the blonde held out his arm, blocking him, looking into his eyes with a command to stay back that Law hesitantly obeyed.

The red head was fuming, looming over the boy, now on the floor, who was rubbing his head with a childish pout resting on his lips.

"YOU IDIOT! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

Luffy suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable, eyes flashing to the side as he stood back up. He shrunk under the woman's glare, making Law want to run towards him and comfort him despite how strange that might sound for two who were practically strangers.

The boy coughed awkwardly, swallowing and shuffling his feet on the floor.

"Well, you see...I um...I just think I might of been better off markless..."

His voice started off strong, but by the end it was but a whisper in the wind. His eyes were glossy as he gave a sad smile, looking so utterly wrong on his face that it left Law with an ache in his heart.

What could possibly be worse than being markless? What could ever make one wish to be left loveless? Was there even such a thing that existed? It seemed impossible to him. Though that might just be him as someone who'd lived his entire life relying on his soulmark, the thought of wishing your one true love away left him perplexed and stupefied.

Law swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"What do you mean?"

The man looked into his eyes with emotions raging behind his maroon orbs. And in that moment, he looked so small. So beaten down. Like he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders, like he was ten seconds away from crumbling to dust. Like he was broken.

"...Soulmates aren't always a good thing."

A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to update! I've been really busy lately, but I'll try to get a consistent schedule for my updates. I'm extremely grateful for all your support, thank you to all those who have stayed with me for this far! I'll try to update within a week, so till then I guess!