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‘Am I dying? Oh my god, it’s so cold, I’ve got to be dying.’ Ichiban was curled up in a little ball in bed, listening to the sound of Ikkaku snore and the usual machinery sounds of the Tang. ‘If I’m not already dead, I’m going to die. Why is it so cold?!’
The Polar Tang was always cold, but this was on another level. It felt like the tundra, the north pole, a winter island during winter. It had to have been the coldest she’s ever been, even the blankets were doing nothing to keep the little body heat she gave off contained inside. She’d never been woken by the cold before, but there was a first for everything she guessed. Annoying too because now she couldn’t get back to sleep.
‘This is it. This is how I’m gunna die. Frozen in bed and Law will find me like this in the morning and think I’m the world’s biggest idiot for not getting more blankets.’ She silently cried to herself, knowing full well at this point that the number of blankets she’d need to make a difference was far more than what was offered.
But at the thought of her captain, it did give her an idea. Ichiban got up, keeping her blankets with her and draped over her body to end up looking like a hunched over, cloaked little old lady. Appearances meant nothing when your insides felt like they were layered with ice and that was very much how she felt. Southerners were simply not built for this type of weather; she wanted to be in the sun and heat. No wonder Edeth constantly teased her.
“You’re like a little gecko.” Edeth laughed, wrinkling her nose as she bullied her friend. “Like from those stupid commercials. The uh…yano, the fuckin…uh…”
“The insurance ones?!” Ichiban offered as Edeth snapped her fingers and tried to jog her memory. “You think I’m a sarcastic LIZARD?”
“YES! THAT’S THE ONE!” Edeth exclaimed and clapped her hands in utter amusement.
Penguin hummed in confusion while Shachi laughed with the loud woman. “What’s a commercial?”
A question that seemed so blatant and yet of course he’d have no idea. “Short videos that try to tell you about something so you’ll go buy it.”
“Advertisements, then?” Shachi nodded and Ichiban nodded back.
“I knew that.” Penguin muttered and turned away with a frown, looking a little embarrassed at not knowing something so obvious.
Edeth sighed out another note of humor. “There was a commercial with a talking gecko that tried to get people to buy homeowner’s insurance. Or car insurance. All different kinds. He never liked the cold.”
“I’m not built for it!” Ichiban protested. “The three of you are made for winter, I was crafted on a summer island that was always tropical!”
“You can hardly stand anything under sixty degrees.” Edeth laughed.
It was true, Ichiban had simply no tolerance for the cold, but it seemed like tonight’s chill was even too much for Edeth too. Golden brown eyes swiveled over to her best friend’s bed and saw it was empty. Not even the heavy blankets remained laid over its surface.
‘I bet she went to go curl up with Shachi.’ Ichiban thought and smirked at the empty bed. She’d be teasing Edeth about that tomorrow for sure.
But for now, it was time for her own salvation. She snapped trembling fingers under the blankets wrapped around her and activated her Devil Fruit, making sure that her movements wouldn’t wake anyone in the ship, before scurrying to the door and slipping out into the hall.
The thing about Law that Ichiban had figured out very fast was the fact that their captain was, with no other way to look at it, very childish despite his icy exterior. A big pouting baby that was picky over what he ate, very much did not enjoy being too cold, and was just as prideful as he was reserved. For being the ‘serious’ one of the crew, Law constantly did things that depicted a child in a man’s body. His disguises, for one, were very obviously thought up by one with an immature streak running through them (Really Captain? A fake nose and mustache? A basket over your head?) and Ichiban was quick to remember how quick Law got jealous over anyone else napping on Bepo (Captain! You can’t just Shambles Shachi into the ocean for sleeping on Bepo!). Needless to say, it was little surprise that Law kept his quarters much warmer than the other rooms of the sub. He was spoiled; Ichiban absolutely knew it and that’s why she was going to take advantage of it.
With her Devil Fruit activated, the small woman had no issue sneaking into the captain’s quarters. Slipping the door closed behind her, Ichiban took her time to evaluate everything before her; eyes adjusting to the dim lighting in here. Law’s room was, as usual, fairly spotless. He was never a fan of clutter and even less of a fan of messy living spaces; something that was probably encouraged more by his need to keep everything sanitary for his medical work. His bookshelf was kept tidy and well stocked, not a spot of dust in sight on any of the surfaces there or otherwise. A small coin pile was neatly stacked at the corner of his north blue map, spread across the surface of a heavy solid wood desk with a few treasure map scrolls and quills neatly set up. On the shelf behind the desk sat a few relics; little bobbles to remember various islands or gifts given to him by the crew for whatever holiday they had decided to splurge for, along with his globe and tiny treasure chest containing his most precious items.
Ichiban turned and gazed at the bed set up against the left wall. Law had managed to fall asleep amazingly, although it looked like it had come to him after much struggle. He laid on his side, one arm twisted up over his head from where it had slipped from being propped up while the other dangled over the edge of the bed, thick book slipped from tired fingers to fall face down on the floor. The lamp sat on the headboard was still on, dappling that area of the room in a very soft glow; just bright enough to reveal the peaceful expression on her captain’s face and the dark circles under his eyes that would take weeks of deep rest to fully wash away, rest that she knew he would never acquire.
She knew how bad Law’s insomnia was, was well aware how much he had to struggle just to obtain a few hours of sleep and avoid the nightmares that often plagued him. Knowledge she wasn’t supposed to have, that Law wasn’t even aware she had, was the understanding of his past and all the turmoil he’d lived through. That his dreams were still riddled with the smell of a burning hospital and the sight of loved one’s corpses, the sensation of life slowly flickering out from Amber Lead Syndrome and the sounds of bullets ripping through the last man to show him kindness after everything seemed so bleak and lost. Peace was not something that came to Trafalgar Law easily, but when he caught just a glimmer of it through honeyed dreams and soft pillows and sheets, it always brought a feeling of warmth to Ichiban.
How careful she had been to hide her intensive pining for him. Edeth knew, oh she was well aware just how stir crazy Ichiban was for Law. But Edeth never teased her for it and certainly never brushed off her gushing about him in the confines of the Nagi Nagi no Mi’s silent bubble. How could she when Edeth was just as crazy for Shachi, the two so eager to talk about how cool their crushes were and longing sighs as if they’d gone right back to high school girls that practically held hearts in their eyes when the two men would pass by. But unlike Edeth who constantly glued herself to Shachi and flirted with him, Ichiban just couldn’t bring herself to make a move on Law. He was simply too…pretty. Pretty, intimidating, far far outside her reach; oftentimes she just found herself being happy to be part of his crew and look on after him every day.
‘I’m glad he’s getting some sleep tonight.’ Ichiban thought and smiled, pulling her gaze away to seek out a spot to curl up and rest. ‘I guess if I’m careful, he wouldn’t be too mad if I slept at the desk.’
Grateful more than ever for her Devil Fruit to avoid waking her sleep deprived captain, Ichiban crossed the room and carefully pulled the leather desk chair out. She felt awfully small in it; of course it was for a taller person with a high back to it, Law was nearly an entire foot taller than her. She just barely came up to his shoulder. There were a few times she liked to sit and imagine what it would be like to have him hug her, the way she could plant her face into his chest and be fully encompassed by strong arms and the scent of whiskey and bonfires. If he would just hug her tight and drop the sweetest candied kiss on her forehead-
Ah this was hardly the time to think of that, sitting so close to him when she wasn’t supposed to be in his room to begin with. No, she would behave herself as best as possible to keep her mind from wandering. She was here to sleep after all, not self indulge in wild fantasies and creep on her captain’s rest.
Ichiban sighed and settled into the chair, pulling the blankets up around her and resting her head on the desk. The Nagi Nagi no Mi would deactivate once she fell asleep and by then, she’d already be naturally quiet that she wouldn’t have to worry about waking Law. By all accounts and purposes, it was a win-win situation and she used this knowledge to let herself drift away, sleep taking her easily now that she was warm once again.
~~~
“Hey… Hey, wake up.”
Ichiban grumbled and her eyebrows furrowed as she was nudged awake. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but it couldn’t have been all that long with how lethargic and exhausted she felt. That or she’d slept so poorly on this desk that any length of sleep she got felt like hardly anything. Desk? What was a- Oh lord, the desk. She remembered suddenly where she was and realized with a jolt who must be nudging her awake.
Sure enough, Law towered over her with a questioning dark look in his golden eyes that shot right through her, she swore her soul was threatening to flee far faster than her legs could keep up. And yet, despite the absolute anxiety that left her sitting there, frozen to the chair and simply staring, her heart was also beating a million miles a minute. God he was so gorgeous ; raven hair messy and tousled from sleep, t-shirt rumpled and sweatpants hanging low on his hips, golden eyes narrowed in discontent but still slightly unfocused with dilated pupils from sleep. He must have just woken up and the sight of him threatened to make her nose gush blood all over his desk.
“What are you doing in here?” Law questioned tersely.
LORD. The sound of his sleepy, low octave voice was like heaven. Ichiban was forced to quickly pull her scarf up to hide her blush. How lucky she’d been to keep wearing it in a fight against the cold, now she could use it to hide the blatant emotion that screamed across her face.
“It was cold.” She answered simply. It wasn’t a lie. Law frowned and she sank a little further into her scarf. “It was really cold.”
Law tilted his head. “You couldn’t be bothered to sleep in the engine room?”
“Where it’s uncomfortable?”
“And my desk is a feather bed?”
Ichiban winced. “Well no, but at least it’s quiet.”
A tired sigh tumbled from Law, clearly at his wits end. “Well you can’t just sleep on the desk. You’ll hurt your back and neck and then complain to me about it tomorrow.”
“I can’t sleep in this cold.” Ichiban whined in protest. Tomorrow was gunna be exhausting if she didn’t get any sleep and then also had to put on her usual stubborn airs against the tasks he’d try to assign her.
Law stared down at her for a while, lips pressed into a thin line as he considered the options. Finally, another subtle sigh escaped him and he took a step back, eyeing the door.
“This stays between you and I, understood?” Ichiban stared at him in confusion, making Law huff. “The bed. Get into bed.”
“Wha-” Ichiban blinked at him owlishly and nearly faded from existence into her scarf.
“Now. Before I change my mind.” Law insisted. He caught the tail end of her scarf when she staggered to her feet and tried to scurry past him. “And leave this behind before it chokes the both of us in our sleep.”
Ichiban’s eyes widened and she felt her stomach doing flips, but she did as told and dropped her scarf on the desk before quickly hurrying to the side of Law’s bed to crawl in. Its confines were still warm and it only made the blush on her face darken while she wiggled down inbetween the sheets, Law leaning over the bed and flicking the last of the light in the room off. Her heart was racing as he slid into bed next to her, feeling their warmth pool and merge under the blankets as the first traces of sleep came knocking once more. Yet as tired as she was, she couldn’t find herself being able to calm down enough to sleep. She’d never been so close to Law before; he hated being touched by anyone other than Bepo and was always super quick to move away at even the hint of someone making contact. And yet, here she was in his bed, laying side by side with the reserved and chilly personified Surgeon of Death.
Several quiet minutes passed, each melting into the next as she tried to sleep; tried ever so hard to slip away into the world of unconscious dreams soft as the pillow under her head, but her fried nerves were preventing her. On a whim, she rolled over, finally facing him with the confidence that the darkness would hide the blush that must be burning a savage path across her face. Glowing golden eyes stared back at her and nearly sent her heart spiraling wildly into orbit, both from the beautiful sight and understanding that she'd been caught once again.
“Go to sleep.” Law clipped. Simple. Short. Demanding. Yet there was an almost invisible tone of something much softer there that Ichiban swore she’d misheard.
“Sorry, Captain…” She mumbled and shrank back.
The glowing golden gems watched her carefully and, to her shock, softened if only just a little; pupils blowing out and almost predatorial glint leaving them.
“Do I scare you?”
Ichiban froze, unsure how to answer the question. “No.” She decided to keep it simple and honest. “Just a little nervous.”
“Why?”
‘This idiot really has no idea.’ Ichiban thought and chewed the inside of her cheek.
Edeth had mentioned once that she believed Law had no idea just how good looking he was; how he seemed far too focused on other things to take in account that maybe, just maybe, he was a highly coveted man. That there was a possibility that he could be the male version of Boa, sought after for his good looks with fans that followed his every move in the newspapers. Law just seemed…so unaware of himself and the effect he had on women, seeing himself as just another person with a basic body shape. It frustrated Ichiban to no extent at times.
“I don’t want to disappoint you.” She offered and in a sense, it was the truth. How could someone so beautiful see her, his subordinate, as anything more than just that? A crewmate.
Law continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable in the dark of the room with only the pretty glowing golden jewels to go by. “I see.” He said simply. The tone of his voice grew soft then, matching the look to his eyes. “There’s no need for that. Just be yourself.”
“Okay. Sorry, Captain.”
“Law.”
“Huh?” Ichiban frowned, confused once again at his sudden veering train of thought.
Those golden gems looked out over her head, refusing to make direct contact as an air of hesitation settled over him and his voice hushed even more. “Law. Just call me Law…when it’s the two of us in my quarters.”
Butterflies flapped and chewed ravenously at the inside of her stomach from his words. If the lights had been on, he would have seen how her entire face had flushed such a deep red, the color had spread all the way up to the tips of her ears and down her neck to dapple across her shoulders. When at one point of the night she’d been freezing, now she felt boiling hot.
“O-Okay, Cap- uh Law.”
Law hummed his initial response, still refusing to make eye contact as his hand brushed the hair back behind her ear and ushered her a little closer. That same whiskey and bonfire scent rolled across her senses when her forehead pressed against his chest and the sound of his heart beating firm filled her ears. A very, very rare taste of Law’s soft side; gentle and tender in the deep embrace of night that wrapped the rest of his crew in sleep.
“Not a word of this tomorrow.” Law murmured quietly, voice rumbling in his chest and golden eyes finally falling closed. “Now go to sleep.”
“Alright… Goodnight, Law.”
“Goodnight, Ichi.”