The Stars Are Beautiful Tonight
Trafalgar D. Water Law x Strawhat!reader
Summary: The arrangement of Law sleeping in your room as long as he’s staying on the Sunny has been going pretty well, until one night he has a nightmare. The surgeon of death finds out that he doesn’t have to deal with it alone.
Notes: AAAA second Law fic of my life!! Thank you so much for all the support on the first one, I am truly speechless. I was pretty nervous to post it since english isn’t my first language and it was the first time writing for this character and only about the fourth time writing a fic in general.
This is meant to be a part 2 to my previous fic “Sharing the Room”, but can also work as a stand-alone piece. It is simply written with the same dynamics and same “reader-character” in mind. Full hurt/comfort with some fluff - my favorite genre!!
Tw: Nightmares, Panic Attacks
A few days have gone by since Law started sleeping in your room and not on the Sunny’s deck. Everything was going well between you two. He was quiet, sometimes too quiet, and he was very polite in whatever he said or did. It made your heart ache a little, he was probably still feeling guilty for taking up your space or for bothering you. That’s why you made sure to make him feel comfortable.
Law understood how much you cared about him when he had found two cups of tea instead of one waiting for him on the table. That little gesture lingered in his heart more than he liked to admit. He began noticing everything you did for him. The extra blankets you had stored in your room in case he was cold, a softer pillow than the one he was given the first night, and a couple of Sanji’s shirts, packed in a small bag. You must have asked him to give them to you, and saved Law the embarrassment of having to admit to a “weakness”. Your care was making the walls that the surgeon of death had built around his cold heart so carefully crumble right before his eyes. And it was terrifying. For if he did not care for anyone, it would have hurt less when he was abandoned once again, or when people died.
Law knew you told him it wasn’t a problem, but he dreaded the night that he would have woken up because of his nightmares. The night that you would finally realize he was a burden and did not deserve someone so kind wasting time on his comfort. At first it seemed too good to be true, that sleeping with you was actually chasing the nightmares away. Until your good luck charm stopped working on him.
It was around three in the morning when you were woken up by the sound of heavy breathing and shuffling next to you. Eyes still groggy with sleep, you immediately thought of Law. His nightmares. He had mentioned having them the first night he slept in your room, but the first few nights had been peaceful.
“Law” you mumbled softly, trying to wake up quickly to help him.
But Trafalgar Law never wanted help.
“R-Room” - you heard him whisper in a panic as soon as he heard your voice - “Shambles”
And now next to you, where Law had been laying earlier, was a little rock. He must have swapped himself with it to teleport outside with his power.
For a moment you wondered if he would prefer being alone. He didn’t seem to like opening up, so maybe you should have let him calm down on his own. But then his panicked breaths came to your mind, the urgency with which he teleported away. You couldn’t leave him, not when he could be reliving the worst moments of his life. You picked up one of the extra blankets; it was cold on the deck at this hour, and tried to find Trafalgar Law.
Finding Law on the deck felt like a squeeze to your heart. You were probably the only one who had caught even a slight glimpse of the vulnerability he hid beside his cold facade, but nothing could have prepared you to seeing him like that.
Law was slumped against the railing, head in his hands as his body shook with panicked breaths and choked cries.
“Law…” you whispered, eyes softening with sympathy at the scene before you. As soon as he heard your voice, he jumped, turning quickly to you. When his eyes met yours however, he quickly averted his gaze and looked away. You could see his flushed cheeks, streaked with tears, and his red, glassy eyes. His lips were raw, an indicator that he must have bit into them to silence his tears.
“G-Go away, Y/N-ya” he stammered, his voice strained and still panicked.
“No, Law… hey…” You couldn’t help but coo at him, feeling protective over the man in front of you. You knew he was around your age, but it was only now that you noticed how young he actually was. He carried himself like a man twice more mature than his age, but now he looked like a scared little boy.
“No… no, I’m sorry- sorry I woke you, Y/N-ya…“ he hiccuped, his voice catching in his throat. You took a small step closer.
“You have nothing to be sorry for… Law, whatever is scaring you right now is not here… it was just a dream…”
“I’m not scared!” He snapped defensively.
You sighed. You knew you had to approach this carefully.
“Alright…“ - you stepped closer once again then sat on the deck. You patted the space next to you - “Come sit down?”
Law wanted to refuse. He could have easily refused and shambled himself away from you. Maybe it was exactly this freedom of choice; you not pushing him or pressuring him into agreeing, that made him sit down on shaky legs on the deck.
As soon as he sat down, he felt a blanket being draped over his shoulders. He instinctively snuggled into it, burying his face in the fabric and inhaling the comforting scent of your soap. He looked quite adorable, but you chose not to comment on it.
“You’re safe here… I promise”
You whispered after he settled on the floor, instinctively reaching out to rest a hand on his back and scooting a little closer.
Those words. Law would usually have brushed them away. He should have been used to this. The nights in which he had nightmares were more frequent than the peaceful ones. So why did tonight’s nightmare shake him so much? Why did it feel more real than usual? Why were the gunshots still sounding in his mind?
And why, oh why were tears welling up in his eyes again after your words?
You said he was safe. Many people had said that. Maybe this was the first time he believed the words. He believed he was safe with you.
A whimper escaped his control as he held the blanket closer and began to cry again.
Why couldn’t he get it together?
You couldn’t take it anymore, watching him curled up on himself in the blanket. Scooting closer, you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a gentle hug.
“L-Leave me alone…” Law hiccuped, tensing up instinctively. But he didn’t really want to pull away, he wasn’t struggling against you; otherwise it would have been easy for him to get off.
“Shh… I’ve got you…” You cooed, finally feeling him slump against you. Law’s arms wrapping around your waist and holding you tight. His head instinctively leaned against your shoulder, burying his face in the crook of your neck. Tears were leaving a wet trail on your shirt, but you couldn’t care less. You held him closer and rubbed his back as sobs shook his frame, one hand moving to play with his hair and the other gently tracing shapes on his back.
“You’re safe… you’re on the Thousand Sunny, whatever you dreamt of is over…” - you whispered soothingly in his ear - “You’re with your friends…”
At that, a louder sob escaped him. For the first time since you knew him, Law didn’t correct you. He didn’t say you were just allies. He accepted the word; friends, and repeated it in his mind over and over as a source of comfort.
“Hey… hey, I know… I’m right here…” You kept whispering sweet nothings to him, trying to soothe his pain, wanting nothing more than to take away his suffering and give it to someone who deserved it instead. Doflamingo, maybe. He seemed to deserve it.
After a while Law started to calm down. His sobs ceased, and his crying was reduced to sniffles. You felt him tense in your arms again, this time you let him pull away from the hug and sit up next to you. He buried his face in his hands, trying to compose himself.
“I’m sorry, Y/N-ya… that was- humiliating, you were not supposed to see me like this” he muttered, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment and his eyes looking at his hands.
“Hey… stop apologizing, Torao” The nickname seemed to lighten the mood, and he looked up at you. You had been calling him Law for a while now, ditching the annoying nickname Luffy had given him.
“It’s okay to not always be strong, y’know? This changes nothing about how I see you…” - Law looked so fragile as clung from each of your words like they were putting him back together - “You’re still like… incredibly cool and mysterious” You smiled.
Law let out a soft scoff, almost like a laugh.
“Shut up…” He rolled his eyes, and finally relaxed, leaning his back against the railing. You scooted next to him.
“Hey… wanna talk about it?” You asked gently. Law froze, turning to you.
“I-I don’t know if I can…” He spoke shyly, his throat feeling tight again.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to… just, sometimes it can help…” You held out your hand to him. After a minute of hesitation, he took it. Law intertwined his fingers with yours and you instinctively traced the shape of his tattoo.
“I had someone once… he- he gave his life so I c-could live…” He forced the words out, but he couldn’t help the way his voice sounded.
“It was Doflamingo’s fault…” - He squeezed your hand to try and stop the flow of images coming back to him. He couldn’t do it. Not the whole story. Not yet - “Please, don’t ask me more than this…”
“No, of course not…” - You cooed, turning to look at him - “Thank you for telling me… this is already a lot, okay?”He nodded, wiping his cheeks to get rid of the residual tears.
“I haven’t told this to anyone in years…” - Law whispered and your heart melted - “Thank you… for making me feel safe enough to do so”
“No, don’t thank me… I’m glad you feel safe with us”
You saw Law shake his head.
“With you…” - He whispered - “I feel safe with you, not with the whole crew”
Your eyes softened, and you let your head lean on his shoulder.
“Then you can come to me, anytime…”
His breath caught in his throat for a second, but then he relaxed and leaned his head on top of yours.
“I will tell you my past after we’re done with Dressrosa… I promise…” he whispered.
He shook his head soflty.
“You deserve to hear it after everything you’ve done to help me”
“It’s not… it’s more than I deserve”
Your voice left no room for protest.
“Still so sure I’m a good man, Y/N-ya?”
Law’s voice came out soft, a little teasing around the edges to mask the vulnerability of the question.
“Even more sure than before…”
You brought up your joined hands, admiring his tattoos.
“It’s late” - he muttered, trying to distract himself from the way you were holding his hand - “I’m keeping you awake, Y/N-ya… I’m sorry”
“Stop” you spoke, but Law continued
“I told you I didn’t sleep well. You probably didn’t think it was going to be so bad, if you changed your mind I can go back to-“
“The stars are beautiful tonight”
“The stars are beautiful tonight, I would have missed them if I hadn’t woken up”
You spoke as if it was the easiest thing in the world. As if you hadn’t just been bothered at three in the morning.
“Y-You’re an idiot…” And a small laugh escaped his lips. Trafalgar Law had laughed. A real laugh, not a teasing scoff or a smirk. His smile was sincere and the sound was soft and fragile.
His free hand slapped over his mouth after he noticed what had happened.
“Cute laugh…” You smiled, winking teasingly.
“Shut up! I’ll throw you overboard!”
You laughed warmly at his words. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and you gently nudged his arm.
“You wouldn’t dare! Who would leave the extra blankets for you otherwise? You would freeze”
He rolled his eyes, his lips still curled up in a smile.
“I could do just fine without you, Y/N-ya, don’t think too highly of yourself”
Law muttered. He looked down at your hands. Still intertwined. He knew his argument had no chance of being convincing.
You smiled softly, looking at him.
“Are you feeling a little better?” You asked softly. Law looked at you, his golden eyes meeting yours. His gaze felt so warm and sincere, so different from his usual coldness.
“Yes, I think I am… thank you…”
He whispered. You smiled at him again.
“Yes but uhm… I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep…” He answered, shyly looking down at his lap.
Poor thing. The nightmare must have terribly upsetting.
You squeezed his hand again.
“That’s okay… we can just stay there, but at least we’ll be warm”
“You can go back to sleep, Y/N-ya…”
Law laid down in the bed again, his heart beating a little faster.
“Drink… you must be dehydrated…”
You handed him the glass you had prepared for him near the bed.
“Trying to do my job, Y/N-ya?”
He teased lightheartedly, but accepted the glass with a grateful look.
“Oh no, I’d be an awful doctor…” You laughed.
“Yeah, you would” He laughed again. That soft little laugh that made your heart skip a beat. You hadn’t realized you were staring at him until he called out for you.
“Nothing… you were staring at me, idiot”
“What can I say? I like when you laugh… you should do it more often”
You laid down next to him.
“Well…” - he cleared his throat, his cheeks flushing again - “I haven’t really had much to laugh about before…” Law trailed off, what he said intelligible.
“Before what?” You asked softly.
“Oh don’t make me say it” He grumbled.
“Go ahead…” You smiled warmly, understand where this was going.
“Aww Torao!! That was so sweet!!” You squealed, felt your cheeks hurt from how much you were smiling.
“Shut up! I’m never saying something nice to you again…” He hid his face pulling the blanket up to his nose.
You calmed, your laughter dying down and just relaxed on the bed.
“Can you… hold me, please?”
Your heart melted at the request. Without saying anything, you simply scooted closer and wrapped your arms around him from behind, making him the little spoon.
The two of you were just laying in the darkness, and contrary to what he was expecting, Trafalgar Law fell asleep again.
This bad night had finally passed, and from now on, you promised to yourself that Law would never have to face a nightmare alone.
