Law doesn't expect much from his day when he wakes up that morning. It's nothing special. It's not his birthday, or anyone in the crew's for that matter. He has nothing on the agenda, either. The island you were on held very little of interest treasure-wise, and yet you were stuck there regardless, the currents surrounding the island at this time of month too strong for even the Polar Tang to cut through.
Resigning himself to a drab and long day of mindlessly reviewing crew medical records and checking inventory and supply charts, he showers and dresses as usual, before opening his bedroom door to start the day.
What he doesn't expect is you to be waiting for him in the hallway outside.
"Y/N." He greets pleasantly enough, cocking a brow in your direction. "Was there something you needed?"
"Well, I was hoping you could accompany me to the book store this morning. No one else seems to want to go, and I figured you may find something of interest there too."
Law almost thinks about declining, because...well, he isn't sure why. There was always something that a captain had to oversee, to attend to, he figured. But given the lack of pressing matters at hand today, he figured anything was better than the alternative.
"I suppose I have time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Law idly browsed through the books, fingers trailing atop the spines of those he glanced over. When one with an interesting title caught his attention, he'd pick it from the shelf and card through it casually. And there were more than usual. This island seemed to carry many older books than one would typically see from a mainstream shop.
Occasionally, he could see your head bob along the top of the other side of the shelf as you browsed. You didn't appear to be truly looking for anything, which was odd, given you'd claimed as much on the submarine an hour ago. Hmm, well, no matter.
Since you hadn't said anything about leaving yet, he'd continue to browse, feeling like he hadn't gotten a chance to in quite a long time.
He's unsure how long you spend scanning the shelves, but eventually even he has looked through all of the sections he'd be interested in. You finally check out at the front--as he thought, you didn't appear to have found anything worth while, given your hands were empty--and make your way towards the front of the bookstore.
"Are you hungry?" You suddenly ask, smiling eagerly at him. "Penguin said that there was a little restaurant further down the road. Apparently they serve really good grilled fish."
At the mention of food, he's made aware of the hollowness in his stomach. With the promise of one of his favorite foods, how could he resist? So he gives an affirming nod.
"I could eat."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When was the last time he'd had a grilled fish that good? Ah, he couldn't truly remember. Purchasing rations in bulk didn't leave room for the the highest quality sometimes, especially if they were short on beli to spend.
Nonetheless, Law would remember the perfect saltiness and crunch for a while.
You hadn't seemed too hungry, only ordering a small meal but encouraging him to splurge. He was the captain, after all, as you'd put it. Well...that was true enough. Why not? Still, he wondered why you'd suggested getting food if you hadn't been all that hungry to begin with...
Law was in a remarkably chipper mood, though, and figured he could ask you about it tomorrow.
As you paid for your meals and began walking down the road with your bag of books, which he was eager to begin reading later on, you suddenly have a thought and turn to look at him.
"Oh, I just remembered! There's supposed to be a beautiful waterfall not far from here. Should we go see it?"
The light in your eyes is just too much to resist against, especially since Law had been having an admittedly good day spending time with you.
"We should probably put these books back on the submarine first, but I don't see why not."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The deafening rush of the waterfall as it crashed down from the high peak above is...soothing. It had taken a bit of hiking to get to where it was supposed to be, and you'd suggested taking a seat on some rocks beside it to rest and simply enjoy the beauty.
It was beautiful. And the roar of water was a nice distraction to focus on rather than anything he had waiting for him once you could manage to leave the island. For once, he stopped looking ahead to the next plan, the next fallback plan, or the worst case scenarios. For once, he just...enjoyed the scenery and the sounds of nature.
He felt like he could finally take a breath and sit down for awhile, to do nothing.
"Isn't this relaxing?" You ask, and he hums in response, too content to speak any words right then.
Time raced by, or at least it felt that way, because soon enough the light was beginning to fade, and the temperature become much milder than the heat of the day.
"Perhaps we should head back." He finally suggested, reluctantly. It had been nice to just sit there and listen to the waterfall for awhile. But alas, even a nice day like this had to end eventually.
"Yeah, probably." You agreed, standing from beside him. "But...I heard something amazing was supposed to happen tonight, down on the beach. So...maybe we could go see what it might be?"
You measure that winning smile of yours on him, and he is glad that things hadn't come to an end after all.
"Sure."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meteor showers were rare events. Many island didn't have the means to predict when they happened, and those that did were few and far between. So it was an incredibly lucky thing to be there on the island when one did happen. Law could recognize that, at least.
You lay side by side, on the grass just up from the sandy beach, eyes tracking the trails of light as they burned in the dark sky. They came at random intervals, sometimes one at a time, sometimes several. You never knew, and it kept your eyes affixed to the starry sky.
There were many on the beach, but with the two of you laying down, looking up, it felt like it was just you and Law, alone. And that was a nice feeling, he had to admit.
He slowly breathed in the fresh air, and felt a relaxed smile on his face. Today had gone...incredibly well. Suspiciously well, in fact. He'd tried not to think too much about your suggestions thus far, but many things were pointing to only one conclusion, and he finally felt the need to voice it.
"You set all this up, didn't you?"
You glance at him, and give an amused smile. "I may be amazing, but even I can't summon a meteor shower, Law."
"I mean today. You knew. You planned all this beforehand." He explained, watching your face for any sort of sign that he'd hit the mark. And when your smile widens and you glance away for a split second, it's all the reaction he needs. "I knew it."
"You deserve some rest and relaxation just as much as we do. And Penguin and Shachi keep saying how you never seem to just sit down and do something fun when the crew has downtime."
Law shakes his head. "I'm the captain."
"All the more reason why you need it."
He stares at you a moment, before rolling his head to look back up at the spectacle above. You had a point...
"I know it's only one day, maybe not much at all." You say with a little sigh. "And maybe we couldn't do everything that I thought you'd enjoy. But...I hope you still had a good time today."
"I did." He says without hesitation, letting your thoughtfulness touch him in a way that he hadn't truly recognized in a long, long time. It was tough allowing others to care for him. Law knew he struggled with it sometimes. But, he didn't want you thinking that he didn't find it endearing and something special. Because to him, it was.
He can practically hear the smile in your voice when you reply. "Good."
A long silence persists after that, the two of you just enjoying the beautiful display. And as much as he wanted to stay awake to watch the spectacular sight, he was growing sleepier the longer you stayed laying there.
While he still retained consciousness enough to do so, he moved his hand over to yours, gently linking your fingers together in a loose manner, and giving them a little squeeze.
"Thank you, Y/N."
He hears you mutter a tired 'You're welcome' in response, before sleep takes the both of you.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
