The boy of sea and storm

Chapter 12: The Heart

He opened his eyes startled. He was sweaty and his heart was beating very fast. A nightmare had awakened him early again. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and saw that it was five in the morning.

He had to get up at six, but now he couldn't sleep again. It was always like this when he woke up from nightmares. That night had been the memory of his days in drug treatment, when he had just moved in with Corazon.

He remembered being in someone else's bed, with those arms, always too hot, hugging him tightly. He shook his head and got up. He didn't like it when his memories of that time came back as a nightmare.

He took a quick shower and made himself a black coffee to stay awake enough and remedy the lack of sleep. He turned on the television and left Grey's Anatomy in the background. It was still dark and it was almost an hour until he had to go to North Blue.

He thought back to his eighteen years, the hours he spent in the rehab group, the long sleepless nights —that hadn't changed much— and the even worse days of abstinence, with nausea, vomiting, and anxiety.

It was a hard time, but he managed to survive because of two people. Corazón was one. And the other ... well, he didn't remember him that much, despite having been important to him at that time. But Law hadn't been in the right mindset to face a human connection that required so much commitment at the time.

He squeezed the mug in his hands and snuggled up on the couch. Why did he remember this now? It had been a long time since he had thought or dreamed about it. Did it have to do with what was happening with Luffy, who stirred his feelings about the past? He had no idea, but he wanted to stop feeling so helpless in the face of something that had happened so many years ago and couldn't control.

He spent the hour there, feeling small on the sofa, covered with a blanket and with his eyes lost, unable to concentrate on that episode he had seen so many times. When his cell phone rang with the alarm at six, he flinched. He still had a while until he had to leave, but he was surprised that he had been engrossed for so long.

He rubbed his face hard and put the mug down on the counter. He finished dressing and grooming himself in front of the bathroom mirror. As he went down in the elevator he looked at his cell phone and was surprised to see a message from Luffy. Two days had passed since the beach party and they didn't talk again. Luffy didn't write to him and Law, who was not the one who usually started the conversations, did not do it either.

[09/22 03:04 am] Luffy: Torao, look at this photo Nami took of us

📷 Photo

When he saw it he was horrified. They were both in the sand, it was night and they were alone on the shore. He knew when it had been, when they clasped hands and he shuddered at the thought. Why had Nami taken that photo? Luckily their hands couldn't really be seen, only that they were side by side looking at the sea.

[09/22 03:04 am] Luffy: I thought it was cute

She also got some from Usopp and Kaya

And some funny ones from Zoro.

📷 Photos

He checked the images and smiled when he saw Usopp's gaze that seemed absolutely delighted to have his girlfriend there. He imagined that a long distance relationship would be difficult, but what did he know about relationships?

Seriously, what did he know about it? His only relationship had been short and strange, at his worst moment of emotional stability, probably. He had nothing to compare it to. Was Luffy perhaps a relationship? What was that thing he had with that restless boy who texted him at three in the morning?