Your gaze flickered open into the dark room. Law's room. It was still strange to you waking up there.

Not another dream?

That's a first.

You rolled over onto your side, to see the bed empty.

You felt a tinge of disappointment but quickly internally scolded yourself for it.

What right do I have to be upset?

He's a fucking captain of a ship- not like he can lay in bed all day.

You let out an exhale, sitting up, feeling the sheets drop off your exposed skin.

That was also an adjustment.

You could instantly feel your stomach knot up- thinking about what you said.

And what you did.

Not once.

But twice.

Yeesh.

You sighed, running a hand through your long, tangled hair, head spinning. Racing. With unwanted anxiety and thoughts.

Has he done this before?

Obviously. He definitely knew what he was doing.

But... how many times before had he done that?

And the whole 'I love you' conversation.

Has he said that to anyone else?

Why does that make me pissed off-

You groaned as you brought your knees to your chest, burying your face in your arms. You had no right to ask or think about those things, right?

It wasn't like he was yours- or vice versa.

Though I wouldn't mind that.

Jesus, I'm an idiot.

You let out another heavy sigh as you got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom, and started the shower, waiting for it to warm up.

You did your best not let your thoughts spiral too much as you washed yourself, and dried off.

You walked lazily back into the bedroom, looking around.

Where the hell are my clothes?

Although you didn't mind wearing Law's clothes, you felt awkward going through his stuff- and on top of that didn't want the crew seeing you like that.

But at that moment what choice did you have?

Once you had rummaged through his closet you looked down at yourself- you had dressed yourself in a t-shirt of his, and a pair of boxers- both of which were obviously too big for you.

But it got the job done. At least enough to scurry back to the infirmary to change.

You carefully opened the door, peaking out before stepping into the hallway. You quickly headed toward the infirmary until something stopped you.

Law's office door was shut- meaning he had to be in there.

I don't want to bug him but-

You found yourself immediately walking toward the door, twisting the handle and walking in without a second thought.

You froze in your tracks, as you were now suddenly looking at Shachi, and Penguin who were both staring at you that you had burst in.

And then Law sitting at his desk, papers scattered across it, wearing his typical stoic expression.

Shachi spoke first, gaze clearly looking your outfit up and down,

"Oh... hey."

Shit.

"Do you not know how to knock Shiina-ya?"

Double shit.

Your gaze flickered to Law's now unamused expression fixed on you- and your outfit.

You don't know what came over you- but your eyes narrowed as you let out a "tch." before you started,

"I do thank you, but I didn't because it's urgent."

Your tone came out annoyed- despite feeling nothing but anxious.

"It can wait." he immediately said firmly.

"No it can't."

"Shiina-ya."

You heard Shachi holding back a laugh, but Penguin just looked scared.

Probably desperate for you to shut up.

"I told you it's important-"

He slammed his hands down on the desk standing from his seat.

Oh, fuck.

If looks could kill, Law's gaze would have shot you dead in an instant.

What the hell am I even trying to accomplish here?

Why can't I just shut up and walk out.

"Shachi, Penguin, please excuse us for a moment."

Those words finally registered when you realized Shachi and Penguin were heading toward the door.

"Wha-"

You blinked in surprise when the door clicked shut behind them, shocked Law had actually kicked them out.

"Sorry I-"

But you were cut off when you were tugged forward into him, his grip tight on your wrist as he looked down at you,

"What is it?"

Surprisingly he didn't sound as angry, despite his gaze, his voice sounded...

...concerned?

You looked up at him unsure what to say for a moment, your lips parted as you tried to form sentences, thoughts, ideas in your brain of how to articulate how you felt.

"I don't know, I'm just confused after..."

You trailed off.

He let out a heavy sigh, his annoyed tone quickly returning as he spoke,

"You came in here... said it was 'urgent'... for that?"

Bitch.

"You were rude the second I came in-"

"Shiina-ya."

You bit your lip to get yourself to shut up and not say something smart back.

He sighed,

"I don't want you in here while I'm working is why."

"Why the hell does it matter?"

His eyes narrowed at your still sassy tone, jaw clenching in annoyance as he said,

"Can't think with you here."

You could feel your face heat up slightly when you understood what he meant.

Your lips parted but you didn't get a chance to get words out before he spoke again,

"But since you're here..."

You could suddenly feel your heartbeat in your ears as he pulled you against him, and leaned down so his lips were hovering above yours.

Fuck.

Every part of you was already screaming for him.

You felt like you could melt into a puddle under his intense gaze.

But he didn't lean closer- stayed lips hovering above yours. So close you could feel his breaths on your skin.

It was like he was testing you- to see if you would close the gap.

And you did.

You closed the gap between you immediately pressing your lips to his and were met with an equally hungry kiss, a soft noise escaping his throat as he pulled your body tightly against his.

Your breath caught in your throat when you could instantly feel how hard he was, and god you wanted nothing more then to-

Your heart nearly stopped when you heard a knock on the door- and then the door knob turning.

The two of you instantly separated, as Bepo walked into the office,

"Captain-"

He stopped when he saw you standing there like a deer in the headlights, face flushed, obviously caught off guard.

You glanced at Law who had somehow managed to look completely composed- and pissed.

"Oh is it a bad time...?" the mink asked sheepishly, glancing between the two of you.

It was obvious from the way Law's eye twitched it was, but he just simply said in a low tone,

"Shiina... just..."

"Out."

You quickly came to your senses giving a nod, quickly scurrying out of the room, a mixture of disappointment but also relief to get out of there and not give an explanation.

You could feel your hear pounding in your chest as the door shut behind you.

God. Dammit.

—

You found yourself back in the infirmary, desperate to get out of Laws clothes.

You rummaged through the pile of clothes you had never bothered to organize and go through, hoping to find something un worn and not too wrinkled.

You found a plain long sleeve shirt, and a pair of shorts that looked to be just fine.

Good enough.

You spent the rest of the day doing chores, around the ship, most of your time spent cleaning clothes, and uniforms.

Soon it was later- you had lost track of time as you sat on the laundry room floor scrubbing a particularly stubborn stain from a uniform.

"Hey."

The voice startled you, your movements halting as you glanced back to see Penguin standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey..."

In all honesty you couldn't stop thinking about what he had told you.

Every time you saw him you thought about it.

Not to get too close with Law- that he was still their captain.

Obviously I know that.

And well... too late for that.

You paused before you said,

"I meant to ask, are there any other things I could help out with?"

He shrugged,

"You look like you're handling the laundry nicely... looks like you need it yourself."

You smiled slightly as he motioned down to your wrinkly clothing,

"Hey you guys bought me so many clothes I haven't had to do any this whole time until now."

You paused, a moment,

"That feels like so long ago."

He nodded slowly,

"Yeah... it does. I can't believe you've been here for over a month."

You stared at him a moment, his words sinking in.

It had been over 30 days.

The past month of your life here.

The scariest part was, you had gotten used to it.

"I like it that way."

You blinked in surprise when those words left his mouth, as he quickly added,

"I just mean I hope you'll stay."

"Y'know... for good."

You exhaled softly looking down at the floor for a moment.

The truth was that you had grown to love this crew.

All of them.

When you weren't having those flashback dreams- everything else seemed so distant. Your life before seemed so far away. The crew, the people- the hope and the pain.

You felt at home where you were now, yet still you felt an ache in your chest when you thought of the past. Because although most of it had been hell- one person had managed to make it okay. 

Sora. 

You thought of his soft brown eyes, and kind smile. He was part of the reason you were here on this ship, safe. He swam to the bottom of the sea to save you from drowning. Had handed you over to Law, as long as he promised to save you.

Yet still.

There was one person, one thing that kept you from leaving this ship.

Law.

He had picked up pieces your mind had wiped from your memories, and helped you put back together the things your brain tried to erase.

You knew you were supposed to feel scared of his demeanor, who he was- yet all you truly wanted to do was understand.

And you felt like you were getting there.

He told you so much about him.

Flevance, Corazon.

You were too proud to admit it, but you were drawn to him, like some invisible string had been attached to you, that you were meant to find him- meant to end up here.

You weren't just too proud, you were scared.

Terrified.

Terrified to trust again.

Terrified to admire.

Terrified to love.

To give someone those parts of you.

All the broken ones.

And the parts you had never given to any one else.

Your body, your mind, and your heart.

You let out a shaky exhale, coming back to reality that Penguin was standing in front of you.

"I want to stay."

You said quietly. As if scared, saying the words out loud made it more real.

"I'm just scared."

He nodded his head slowly as he approached you.

"Scared of what?"

"Of losing everything."

You hesitated before you said.

"...again."

You felt as he grasped your wrists and pulled you up, into an embrace. Arms wrapped around your smaller frame.

You shut your eyes, wrapping your arms around him.

How did I get so lucky?

I could have ended up on any ship.

Big mom pirates.

Kid pirates.

God only knows what torture I would've had to endure.

And here you were being held.

Comforted.

Taken care of.

Here you were laughing, somehow managing to forget temporarily about all the terrible things in life that you had endured.

You could feel your lip trembling as you muttered,

"Thank you..." against his chest.

"Don't have to thank me. Or any of us."

You could feel him smile slightly against the top of your head,

"I think I speak for everyone that we all like having you here."

He held you tightly for a long moment. And you didn't mind. The silence was comfortable.

After a few moments, the two of you pulled away slowly.

You let out a soft exhale, glancing up at him.

And he was looking back at you, a slight smile on his face.

Although something in his eyes was almost... somber as he quietly said,

"I've never seen him look at anyone like that."

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but the moment your lips parted you stopped yourself.

You understood what he meant.

He studied you a moment before he said,

"You're incredible."

"And beautiful."

You could feel your face heat up, surprised by those words. But it felt so genuine coming from him.

"You're special- and he sees that."

There was a moment of silence, you weren't sure how to respond.

He smiled slightly before he said,

"But anyway it's late and I just came to tell you to get some rest before you collapse on the job."

You let out a slight laugh,

"Yeah, whatever..."

He chuckled before turning over his shoulder and waving a hand,

"Goodnight, Shiina."

You sighed softly, sitting back down on the ground, to continue with your work as you replied,

"Goodnight," with a smile.

You watched him turn and walk out, but heard his footsteps stop just outside the cracked door.

You then heard the mumble loud and clear on the other side of the door,

"I see it too."

"I see it too, Shiina."

You then heard the footsteps recede.

As you sat, eyes wide, dumbfounded.

Mind stuck on those words.

You're incredible.

Beautiful.

And special and he sees it.

And I do too.

You let out a soft exhale, forcing yourself to continue scrubbing the fabric of the uniform.

Although despite that, your mind still seemed to wander.

Wondering what the hell he meant.

—

You let out a quiet mumble of discontentment being awoken from your slumber. Eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of the hallway as your head rested against a shoulder.

A shoulder.

What the-

You lifted your head to realize you were being carried by Law down the hallway. You could feel one hand on your back, one on your ass, holding you with your legs wrapped lazily around his waist.

"Where are we..."

He smiled slightly as he brought a hand to your face, thumb gently wiping below your bottom lip.

"You were drooling."

Your eyebrows furrowed, face flushing with embarrassment as you immediately replied,

"No I wasn't."

He let out a "tch" as he pushed the door open to his quarters, the door shutting behind him, as he gently laid you down on the bed, the soft mattress beneath your body.

He remained where he was, body hovering above yours, hands planted on either side of your head as you lay beneath him.

He wanted you- hell he had been waiting all day for you, but he could tell you were still exhausted the way you looked so drowsy and out of it, eyes half lidded.

He exhaled softly as he stood up and tugged off his shirt, and undid his pants, climbing into bed tugging you into his arms.

You could feel the heat of his body against your own. The way your smaller form fit perfectly with his.

You wanted to stay like this forever.

Someone you should've been afraid of.

Ran from.

Escaped from.

Made you feel like this.

Your eyes remained open for a moment, as you mumbled into the darkness of the room,

"I want to stay, Law."

There was a moment of silence.

You could feel his grip tighten on you slightly, like he was scared you were lying, or you'd disappear if he didn't as he asked,

"For good?"

Yes.

I do.

You shut your eyes as you softly replied,

"Yes."

"For good."

Hi Readers!

More chapters to come I've been writing lots since being back at school.

Crazy to think this book will be wrapping up in just a few chapters... 

Hope you enjoyed this chapter >.< !

xoxo,

       B <3