Had she not known better, Summer would have assumed a hurricane had swept through her kitchen. For as adequate of a cook she actually was, her anxiety over what she'd been making left her nerves and her brain a little scrambled. Pots, pans, and different measuring utensils filled the sink, while most of the counter was either covered with flecks of flour or the various baking pans that had been required for the recipe.
Normally things didn't get quite this hectic or messy, but today was a special day, and she wanted everything to turn out just right.
Summer was making a cake.
Sure, she'd made cakes in the past before, just for herself. The boxed mixes were fairly cheap to purchase at the store and more than self-explanatory. Probably more times than what was actually warranted, she'd caved and decided to make a cake all to herself. It was no secret she had a weakness for sweets, and her cooking skills were more than satisfactory enough to make them. But seeing as it was Law's birthday, a prepackaged mix felt too impersonal, like she hadn't taken the time to really appreciate what the occasion meant, and so the blonde had gone through the ordeal of making one from scratch.
Knowing that Law had a particular taste, some of which she still had yet to be certain of, Summer had researched various cake recipes in an effort to find one he may like. Angel food, german chocolate, carrot, red velvet, marble, ice cream, bundt, pound…The list was endless. The sheer number of choices left her confused and lost as to where to begin for a long while, before finally selecting one that sounded appetizing.
Hopefully he's partial to coconut! She thought with a resigned shrug, grabbing her keys to go buy the ingredients at the store. Thankfully it was only ten in the morning when she started, leaving plenty of time to make the cake and prepare dinner for when he came over later that night.
One sporadic shopping trip later and Summer was stumbling through her apartment door with bags of groceries, ingredients, and birthday candles. It had taken a bit longer to get through the store than she'd originally hoped, and so was now a little bit behind. So saying, she pulled her hair up in a ponytail and threw on her apron, setting to work on all of the food.
Which is where she now found herself, putting the final touches on the whipped frosting and outward appearance of the dessert until she was satisfied with the result. Standing back to get a good look, she sighed in relief, happy it had all turned out alright in the end. A spot on her nose began to itch, and she scratched it with the back of her hand, unknowingly getting frosting on her cheek in the process. Nodding to herself, she went over to the sink and washed her hands free of the white colored frosting and stray bits of coconut that stuck to her fingers.
A quick glance at the clock above her stove told her it was still only about 4 o'clock, giving her a few hours to prep what she'd planned for dinner that night. With a forlorn look at the state of the sink, Summer resigned herself to cleaning the ones she'd already dirtied before starting on anything new. It would be embarrassing to have Law see it so messy, after all.
Halfway through washing the dishes, a loud buzz on the counter drew her attention away. Her phone screen was lit up, displaying that she'd received a message from Law. Turning off the water and drying her hands with a towel, she grabbed it and unlocked the screen.
Are you sure you don't want me to grab anything on the way there? I can get us some wine. He'd said, and she shook her head with an exasperated sigh, quickly typing out her reply.
Don't you dare! It's your birthday, after all. Just relax, I've got everything covered! She didn't want to mention there was a bottle of Chardonnay in her pantry, hoping it would be a surprise, but nope, Law had to go and start trying to pay for things on his birthday. Well, not if Summer had any say about it.
Alright, alright…sorry. He replied a few moments later, and she could just imagine his eyes rolling in both amusement and frustration that she was refusing to let him help in any way. Grinning to herself in pride, she returned to the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher one by one, until the sink was mostly cleared.
Max took that moment to wander into the chaos of the kitchen, his tiny paws making prints in the spilt flour that was dusted over the floor. "Meow!" He cried from down below, drawing Summer's attention from the last few silverware she was cleaning, as his fur rubbed up against her leg.
"Oh, Max, don't go running around in that!" She cooed, placing the last few dishes to the side to air dry, since the dishwasher was too full to fit anything else. Drying her hands again, she tried picking up the adventurous cat but he ducked underneath her hands and slinked away into the living room, tiny flour-coated paws tracking paw prints wherever he went. "Max!" She tried calling again.
The cat ignored her for the most part, ducking behind the couch where he could hide. Summer sighed, shaking her head as she stared at the line of white paw print that now littered her floor. At this rate, she'd never get started on dinner.
A quick sweep took care of the cat's little mess, and finally, finally, she straightened her apron and opened her fridge to search for the chicken breasts that had been thawing all day. Placing them on the counter beside the stove, she gathered up the rest of the ingredients she would require.
Summer looked back and forth between the cook book and her chicken, hoping that she was following it properly. It wasn't often she made Italian, though the results were normally more than worth the work necessary to prepare the dishes. It was one of her favorite kinds, a fact that Law had picked up rather quickly.
There weren't many ingredients to work with, and after chopping and seasoning and sautéing and marinating, most of the preparation was complete. While she had the chicken simmering in the sauce, she scraped in the chopped mushrooms and onions, stirring it all around to evenly coat the meat.
Time must have sped by much faster than she'd originally expected, because before she'd even set the table for their dinner, there came a loud series of knocks on her door. Summer practically jumped in place, eyeing the clock as if it had betrayed her. Damn, she hadn't even put her mascara on yet. Knowing it would be infinitely more rude to simply leave him at the door while she went to apply her makeup, she put down the wooden spoon she'd been stirring with and hurried to the door.
When it opened, a casually-dressed Law smiled and stepped inside as she gestured him in. "You don't really need to knock, you know. I keep the door unlocked." She said, laughing to herself as she shut the door behind him.
He frowned slightly, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack just inside the entryway. "That's not really safe. You never know when someone may be looking to break in." Depositing his shoes by the rest of her discarded ones, he missed the amused smiled she shot at his back.
"No, I meant when I expect you to be coming over. I unlock the door so you can just come in."
"Oh." He realized, feeling a little too literal for the occasion. "I'll remember for next time."
"Well, whatever." She leaned forward on her tiptoes, placing a quick kiss against his lips as way of greeting. "Make yourself comfortable! I'm almost done with dinner." She pushed him gently to the couch, but he was resisting, grinning down at her face.
"Were you eating sweets before I got here?" He joked, pointing to a particular spot on his face, miming the spot on hers where the frosting in question was at. She looked confused a moment, before wiping away at the spot he indicated.
"Ah, I was making dessert. But you don't get to know what it is until later." She smiled coyly with a single finger wag, then turned and returned to the kitchen where dinner was still on the stove. Ignoring her implication to sit on the couch and relax, he approached behind her and lazily wrapped his arms around her waist, peering over her shoulder.
"You really didn't have to go through the trouble of cooking for me." He said quietly, softly inhaling the scent of her hair as he closed his eyes. It had been a long day, between fielding phone calls from both Shachi and Penguin, and trying to get away from Corazon, who insisted he give him a present of some sort. It was exhausting.
It was one of the reasons Law never really looked forward to his birthday, simply because his friends had a tendency to try to blow it up into this big deal, which he couldn't really get behind. It was no different than any other day, really. Just marking the passage of time in his life.
But it felt nice to simply unwind with a quiet night at home with his girlfriend. Hmm…he hadn't really referred to her as that until now. Girlfriend. It sounded immature. Nevertheless, it didn't desist that spending the rest of the evening with her would be pleasant.
In response to his question, she looked up at him incredulously, but still leaned into his embrace a little. "Well, I wanted to do something nice for you on your birthday, and I couldn't think of anything else."
"You didn't have to-" He started, but she placed a finger on his lips to sop him.
"Nah-ah. Enough of that. Now go in the pantry and break out that bottle of wine! I've been waiting all day to have some." Removing her hand, she pointed to a cupboard up top. "The glasses are in there."
Hmm. Summer used to be a lot more shy around him. Now that they were closer than they ever had been, she'd really began breaking out of her shell. While she still blushed and got all innocent at times, she had begun defending her opinions and he was more than thrilled. It seemed her confidence had risen as well. Enough to start bossing him around without fear. He grinned. "Yes, Ma'am."
Placing a chaste kiss on the side of her temple, which she giggled sweetly at, he reluctantly relinquished his hold around her waist, before wandering to get the wine and glasses. The smell of the dinner Summer had planned was heavenly, and if the sight of it was anything to go by as well, it was sure to be delicious.
"Is there anything else I can help with?" He inquired, still hell-bent on doing at least something instead of just feeling doted upon. It was unfamiliar, honestly. Then, proceeding to uncork the win bottle with an opener, and pouring a few inches of the bubbly into each glass, he looked back over at her expectantly. She glanced around, pursing her lips.
"Hmm, well all that really needs to be done is to set the table, but I can do that."
"Summer, relax." He chuckled, picking up the glasses and setting them onto the table in front of the place settings. "Just because it's my birthday doesn't mean I can't do things to help."
"Hmph, but it's your birthday.." She muttered to herself by way of explanation, obviously not agreeing with his statement, but she didn't deny him the chance to help if he so wanted to. "Silverware is in that drawer. We just need forks and knives tonight."
Law smiled, amused by her admitting defeat with the issue, and gathered all of the napkins and silverware they would need for the meal. It was quick and easy, as expected, but Summer still seemed a little mad at herself that she hadn't had time to do it before he'd gotten them. She worried about the littlest things sometimes…
"So, how was work today?" She inquired lightly, turning off the stove and stirring the chicken in the pot a few more times before breaking out the plates from the cupboard. She sent him a glance. "How different is day shift to night shift?"
Law shrugged, allowing her to dish out dinner when she gave him a stern look. It read 'Sit down, mister,' loud and clear. At least he'd helped somehow. "I've done day shift before, and it's really no different. Just not quite as busy, and different regulars."
"Luffy covered for you tonight?" It was the only reasonable answer as to why Law was here with her on his birthday. Corazon must have changed the schedule up just for the occasion.
"Yup. He's been doing just fine on his own, but normally he has me at least nearby during the night shifts. This'll be one of the first times he's left by himself for the entire shift."
"Well," Summer stated, finishing placing the dinner onto two separate plates for them, turning and carrying them to the table, "I'm really glad Corazon gave him the job. With everything that's happened to him lately, it sounds like he really needed the opportunity."
"Hmm." Law agreed with a hum, looking down in anticipation at the food she placed before him. He sent her an appreciative smile before they both tucked into the food, even going so far as to both get seconds. Summer was rather proud of how it had turned out, and Law had made sure to pay his compliments to the chef.
They ate and talked, sharing wine together over their meal. It was all so domestic, something Law found he enjoyed immensely. Compared to all of his other birthdays previously, this one was turning out to be a lot less dramatic and overhyped. Not to mention, there was a lack of drunk people surrounding him, and that was entirely a good thing. Law recounted some of the more hilarious birthday celebrations Shachi and Penguin had tried to throw for him in the past, which made the blonde laugh with enthusiasm.
"I'm serious." Law chuckled, gesturing at her with a fork full of chicken for emphasis. "Don't ever let those two convince you to drink more than a few beers in the same room as them. I've learned my lesson."
Summer giggled with mirth, swallowing a sip of her wine. "Well, what happened?" He began to notice her cheeks were tinged in red, no doubt, she was a bit of a lightweight. Seemed the wine, especially after a few glasses, got to her head.
"Somehow, and I'm still not quite sure how," he shook his head, recalling the memory, "they convinced my drunk ass that jumping off the roof and into the swimming pool was a great idea."
She cocked a brow, having expected something a bit less tame. "Is that all?"
He deadpanned, sighing and rubbing at his temple. "No. I was naked."
"What!? Oh god, did anybody see?" She managed to ask between all the laughing and giggling, not doing a very good job of holding in her amusement.
"No, luckily. But I'm sure they have some sort of evidence it happened. That's just the way those two are."
"Hehehehe, I can't imagine you being a party animal, Law." She chuckled, leaning back in her seat to take another sip of wine. "You're always so serious and…adult-like."
"I'm honestly not that much into parties. They're the ones that drag me to them, then pretty much force me to drink." Law relayed, downing the rest of the wine in his glass. He reached over to refill it, and noticed the bottle was getting close to empty. Wow, he hadn't realized they'd been sitting there so long.
"Honestly though, if they didn't make me, I probably wouldn't have celebrated many of my past birthdays anyway." He continued, shrugging without a care. The statement seemed to sober her up a bit, because she stopped laughing.
"What? Why not?"
"I've never seen them as that special." And it was true. This must have reminded her of something, because she thought long and hard for a moment.
"I can't really relate to that. Growing up, for me, it was always the complete opposite." The blonde cocked her head, leaning her head on her hand, elbow on the table. She leaned forward, and he unconsciously drew himself closer as well. "I loved birthdays! They were one of those few times of the year when you really felt included by the family, like you were the same as the other children if there were any. Granted, it wasn't like that every year."
Law cocked his head, nodding for her to continue. He was genuinely curious, now that she was talking about her past again.
"While in the foster system, you didn't really expect to stay very long at any one home. At least, I never did. The most I stayed with any one family was a year, most being only six months or so. And, well, half the time they didn't even know when my birthday was, so we never made plans."
"If you never celebrated, why did you love them so much?" He raised a brow, slightly confused.
"That's not entirely true. There were several birthday I got to celebrate. My 16th was one, and my 10th. Oh, and my 18th. And a couple less significant ones in between. But the rest, I'd celebrate in private, even if the family I was with didn't do anything for it." She smiled with a small chuckle, recalling past memories. "When I was younger, I'd wrap my own 'presents' out of some of the toys we had, and then pretend to be surprised when I opened them."
Summer glanced to the side, remembering some of her other memories from the past, and therefore didn't see the expression of sadness on Law's face. The story had been meant to be funny, but it honestly just made him sympathize with her, even if he couldn't relate to the desire to celebrate his birthdays. To hear that hers were less than what every normal child got to have was…depressing.
After a moment, she laughed to herself and returned her gaze to his. "But enough about that, today is your birthday, not mine!" She grinned, and most of the feelings of sorrow lifted for the time being. It was relieving to see that she wasn't entirely brought down by the way life had treated her. Summer was strong-willed, and wouldn't let things get to her so easily.
They continued talking about much more light-hearted topics mostly, long past after having finished their meals, until all the wine had been consumed, and the both of them were tired of sitting in Summer's wooden chairs. She stood, a little shakily, grabbing both of their plates and bringing them to the sink. He offered to help her wash them but, predictably, she waved the thought away and pushed him back into the living room. "I'll do them later!" She explained.
Dinner was all that Summer had initially planned, and so she left it up to him for what to do next. The answer didn't come immediately, but after both of them wandered her living area for something to do, he spotted the box of Monopoly shoved into the corner of the front closet, high up on the shelf. He pulled it down, blowing dust off the top.
"How about this?" He asked, holding up the box to show her.
"Are you sure? We may end up hating each other afterwards." She joked, and he chuckled as well, walking back to the living room, game in hand.
"Of course. I'm not planning on losing, after all. I promise not to win too hard against you." He replied cockily, to which she gave him a mischievous grin of her own.
"Oh, you're going down, now."
They played for several hours, the game swaying one way or the other, depending on the rolls they played. Summer had seized the Boardwalk early on, and Law seemed to be landing on it every sixth roll, much to his chagrin. Each time, she grin widely and hold out her hand for his money. "Pay up!" She'd say with delight, enjoying the way his hundred dollar bill pile was slowly dwindling.
Of course, the game quickly turned in his favor as soon as all of the railroads and yellow spaces were bought up by Law. Taking advantage of having all three, he'd began building houses on each one, causing the price to hike up immensely by comparison. All it took was a few rolls on her part to take back most of his lost cash. He smirked with amusement, only slightly guilty at the look of irritation on her face every time it happened.
They took a break half-way through to eat the dessert that Summer had made, enjoying the light taste of coconut after a slightly heavier dinner. Having their fill of dessert, they jumped right back into the game, intent on crushing the other into the ground by taking all of their money.
"God dammit…" Law muttered, landing once again on Park Lane, which had two houses now on it. That would cost him a pretty penny. Summer chuckled, holding up the title to that spot and kissing it dramatically.
"Thank you, sweet, sweet blue spaces!" She giggled, noticing the slight glare he directed at her. "What? Are you ready to give up now?"
"Hell no." He replied, cocking his head as he was counting out how much he owed her for rent. "I'm just wondering what it'll take for you to give that property to me."
"You want Park Lane?" She asked coyly, waving the little paper card in the air between them for good measure, and he nodded slowly.
"What would I have to do for you to give it to me? At this rate, I'll go broke in one more turn around the board." He cocked a brow, now noticing the devilish grin on her face. Normally it wouldn't intimidate him, but seeing as she was a little tipsy…
"Hmm…" She pondered to herself, the wine from before obviously fueling some of her actions. He doubted a sober Summer would be so suggestive and sly. He wondered if drinking the entire bottle of wine between the both of them was such a good idea. Even he was feeling a bit buzzed, though the food had helped to dampen his blood alcohol levels. Not enough to start making questionable decisions, but a little more than was probably wise.
"What do I want from you…" She trailed off quietly, eyes switching over to gaze at him teasingly. They lowered to light briefly on his lips, almost too quick for him to notice, but he had. He smirked, putting the money back in his pile as he leaned forward.
"Tell me what you went, then."
She stared confidently at him for a few more seconds, seemingly taking her time to make up her mind entirely, before closing her eyes and grinning, tapping her lips a few times. "I want a kiss."
"Is that all?" He chuckled, crawling over the floor in the feet between them to get closer.
She held up her finger in emphasis, opening her eyes to look at him again. "Ah! But it has to be a good kiss. Impress me."
Law needed no further invitation, closing the distance between the two of them and tangling one hand into her head of golden locks as he insistently brought their lips together. He started slow, intent on taking her breath away, angling her just how he wanted to he could truly enjoy the kiss. She hummed in delight, her free hand pulling gently on his shirt so he wouldn't stop, not like he planned on doing so in the first place.
Her lips were warm and soft, and she tasted faintly of the wine they'd both had, reminding him that he'd better not get too carried away with this. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't let things progress further than what she was comfortable with. And, seeing as how she was just a glass or two away from being drunk, he wasn't going to really trust what Tipsy Summer thought was ok and what wasn't. That wouldn't be fair to either of them.
Placing his concerns to the back of his mind for the moment, he focused back on her and the way she eagerly kissed him back, quiet hums and groans of pleasure escaping her mouth, and her cold hands settling themselves on his shoulders, drawing him closer. They caused an excited shiver down his spine. Gently coaxing her to lay down on the carpet beneath him, he followed close after her without breaking contact.
They broke for air, both of them with their eyes closed from the moment and breathing heavy from lack of air, before Summer caught her breath enough to continue, leaning forwards to seek his own mouth again. He eagerly complied, trailing one hand up her jean-clad legs, while the other propped himself up by the elbow beside her head.
Her fingers trailed upwards, until they clasped together behind his neck, wanting to feel him closer. He lightly bit her lip, earning him a quick gasp, which gave him just enough time to tentatively trail his tongue along her bottom lip. Her own peeked out in response, darting out only for a moment, but he took that as permission, and slipped in right after her, teasing her in her own mouth.
Her nails scraped against the back of his neck from the sensation of him exploring her, and he grunted from the pain. It was more pleasurable than anything, and pressed deeper into her, pinning her to the floor. The hand that had been trailing her legs hiked her left leg up against his hip invitingly, and she tightened it around his body, ever drawing him closer.
His mind was reeling, almost forgetting entirely why he had kissed her in the first place. Damn, he really did not want to pull away. But if it continued, at this rate, he wouldn't be able to stop himself, and, he sort of wanted to see the shock or irritation on her face if he cut things short.
The Park Place title card, which she'd dropped shortly after the kiss started, was snatched up in his hand, and he reverted back to normal kisses, getting lighter and lighter each time, before placing one last quick kiss against her lips, unable to hold back his wide smirk.
"I'll be taking this." He said proudly, sitting back up and flashing her the blue card. Her eyes widened, probably from her remembering where she was and what they'd been doing.
"Hey!" She cried, giving him quite the adorable pout face. "That wasn't fair."
"You said you wanted a kiss, and you got one." He countered, chuckling despite himself. "You never said how long it had to be."
She grumbled to herself but accepted the deal as it was. Technically he wasn't lying, she hadn't been specific or anything, though that didn't stop her from being frustrated that he'd stop. They continued the game, and it seemed his little stunt made Summer hellbent on taking him down, just as she'd first promised. However, after another hour or so of playing, it was quickly becoming clear that he'd gathered a larger stockpile of money than her, and bought many more houses on the properties than she had.
After too much longer, Law noticed that she began to yawn at a much more frequent rate, until he actually glanced at the clock on the wall with shock. It was nearly one in the morning, the time having flown by so quickly he hadn't even realized how long he'd stayed over. They were having so much fun, it hadn't felt that late at all.
"Hey, it's getting pretty late." He mentioned, only for posterity's sake, not for the desire of actually leaving. Before long, Summer would simply fall asleep where she lay, and he wouldn't really know what to do after that. "Should I get going?"
"No…stay…" She muttered into the carpet, too exhausted to open her eyes. He chuckled, reaching over to brush some of the hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear.
"It's officially no longer my birthday, though."
"So?"
"Then what exactly are you implying?" He questioned, not wanting to assume things or overstep. If she was actually asking what she was subtly asking…
"Stay here tonight. Don't go." Came her reply, cracking open an eye as she felt his hand on her face. "You can sleep here…if you want."
He stared at her for a few moments, trying to determine if she was sobering up or if the wine was still influencing most of her request. But her eyes were a bit clearer than before, glazed over only by the heavily-increasing need for sleep. "Are you sure?"
"Mhmm…" She nodded slowly, finding the energy to push up from her place laying on the carpet. She rubbed at her eyes to clear them. "It's so late, I don't want you driving around."
He was about to tell her that he often got home at times much later than this, having to drive home from work in much the same conditions, but began to feel the lull of rest beginning to affect him as well. Too tired to care explaining, he simply nodded. "Okay."
She stood, groggily dragging him up from his seat on the floor, and began walking towards her bedroom. He paused, uncertainty flashing through him, and she turned back. "What?"
"I can sleep on the couch if you want…" He trailed, eyes glancing over to the one in question, not knowing if he should really be doing this. But the confusion in her eyes made him raise a brow.
"No, you can sleep with me. My bed is comfier." She smiled tiredly, pulling him once again towards her room. "Sorry I don't have anything for you to sleep in though."
"That's alright." He replied, figuring he could just sleep in his normal clothes for a night. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but he wasn't about to strip down to his boxers like usual tonight. Especially with what they'd been doing during their game of Monopoly. He idly remembered that they had just left the board and all the pieces laying in the middle of her living room, but inwardly waved it out of mind. They could clean up tomorrow.
He entered her bedroom right after her, and she gathered a few pieces of clothing from her drawers. She entered the connecting bathroom, he assumed to change. Feeling much more nervous than he probably should be, considering they'd been dating a few months now, though that wasn't too unexpected as this would be the first time either one of them slept over at the other's place, he simply stood off to the side of the bed, hands in his pockets, waiting for her to come back. It felt weird just climbing into the bed without her directly telling him he could. Like an invasion of privacy.
She emerged wearing a pair of batman sleep shorts, a tank top, and colorful socks. He gulped, eyeing her shapely legs shown off in the shorts, which didn't go much further past her butt than was necessary. She tossed her nicer clothes from earlier into her hamper, before climbing into bed sleepily. Seeing that Law was simply standing there, she patted the bed beside her silently. He obeyed, settling in beside her once she'd gotten situated.
"That doesn't look too comfortable." She murmured, seeing he was still in his casual clothes. "If you want to, you can take something off. I don't mind."
Biting his lip, because that caused a slew of things he probably shouldn't be thinking about right at that moment, he nodded and undid his pants under the covers, tossing them to the floor once they were removed.
"Better?" She asked, snuggling closer into him. His heart was beating a little bit harder in his chest, and he had to resist the urge to push her away. Not because he necessarily wanted to, but he really was pushing his limits with not just having sex with her right then and there. Her allowance to letting him do this was not helping at all.
"Yeah." He admitted, knowing that as difficult as it was going to be sleeping next to his girlfriend in nothing but boxers and a t-shirt, the pants would have made it infinitely more uncomfortable doing so. She must have sensed his discomfort, because she scooted closer and place a kiss on his cheek with a quiet laugh.
"You don't have to be so nervous, Law. This is ok. I promise." She was aware of how reluctant he was to push things like this in the relationship, never certain of where her boundaries truly lie. It didn't help that she'd been drinking, she realized, but she was sober enough to know what she was asking, and still remember it in the morning. "Do you believe me?"
After a moment of staring at her, he nodded slowly.
"Good. Goodnight." She said, kissing his arm which was right beside her head. "And happy birthday."
He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of just laying there beside her, humming a response, not knowing quite how long it took him to fall asleep.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
