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mekachu04Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage Sex
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Summary: Its a light rain, warm fresh water splashing his face, the edge of a tropic storm building on the horizon. It picks at his memory, like a forgotten dream, a lullaby from the few calm points of his childhood; a point of peace where he knew he was going to die, but that was okay. He's thirteen again, and his world is ending, but it's okay, because he wasn't alone anymore.
Corazon is standing at the front of their tiny ship, staring out at the storm with a look of worry. He was just as Law remembered him, large and imposing as equal as soft and kind.
It was a nice dream to die in, Law supposed.
It's black.
As far as he can see, as far as he can feel. Nothing but numb black.
He's pretty sure he's sinking. It feels like the ocean is closing around him, but no water touches his lips yet when he gasps for air, even if it feels like nothing enters his lungs. In a panic, he summons a 'Room,' the comforting bubble encircling him even if it does nothing to save him from the dark. There's no where to go, nothing to cling too, but his mind blanks on everything else, and he flings himself though space on a prayer, hoping he can 'shamble' himself out of the void.
*
It's raining.
Its a light rain, warm fresh water splashing his face, the edge of a tropic storm building on the horizon. It picks at his memory, like a forgotten dream, a lullaby from the few calm points of his childhood; a point of peace where he knew he was going to die, but that was okay. He's thirteen again, and his world is ending, but it's okay, because he wasn't alone anymore.
Corazon is standing at the front of their tiny ship, staring out at the storm with a look of worry. He was just as Law remembered him, large and imposing as equal as soft and kind.
It was a nice dream to die in, Law supposed.
A rain drop hit him dead in the eye and he jerked upright in annoyance. He rubbed his eye fruitlessly, Corazon's soft chuckles drawing a glare from him.
"We should head for that island before the storm gets worse," Cozaron contemplated, a dark silhouette on the horizon, "it's not on my map," Cora mused, "so it's not a marine or pirate haven. We should be okay for the night."
When he'd originally sailed with Corazon in the man's one track mission to get Law to a competent doctor, they'd avoided inhabited islands as much as possible when not actually seeking out the hospitals. But this dream was changing the rules it seemed, the rough storm clouds cracking with the dark memory of Blackbeard's devil fruit. Law didn't know the rules to his dreamscape yet, but really didn't want to see if they'd both sink should the waves capsize them.
When he was little, he could fish Corazon out of the ocean. Would the dream remember that, or was he still bound by his fruit?
"This doesn't make sense" Corazon was muttering as they headed island-ward, their battered map in one had, blue sea compass in the other. Law ducked under his arm, Corazon shifting and showing him the compass. Instead of laying flat and spinning, the south end was dragging on the compass face. The north end directed them away from the storm, before occasionally dragging itself around to point at the island. Then it would drag back to the starting point.
They both looked at each other, slightly baffled. "It's almost like the island treating the compass like a log post" Law mused. Corazon gave him an odd look.
"You know about log posts?" he asked, sounding slightly surprised. Law looked back up at him, surprised that his own imagination is surprised. How was he to explain to a dream that yeah ... The man in front of him died more than a decade ago and Law's been using a log post so much he's nearly circumnavigated the globe.
"Yeah," he settles on finally, "Kinda hard to sail the Grand Line without one."
Corazon just stares at him, and Law stares back, unsure what it is his subconscious is driving at. "When..." Corazon starts, but stops himself. "I have some.. questions," the man finally settles on, "but I think I will need to wait until we've gotten settled on land."
Law nods in awkward agreement; the wind has started to pick up, and the two work in easy tandem to pull their small boat to the island.
If it could be called that. As they get closer, the water is oil slick and contaminated, dead fish floating in the trash around the shore. The shore itself is just more trash, rusty scrap metal congregating as far as the eye can see. Law isn't even sure they've *reached* the actual shore, not an island of land, but one of garbage.
Law had heard about these, had seen one from the distance long ago, before he'd tried to join the Doflamingo Family. An island the rest of the area had turned into their own personal dump. What Flevance might be, once people stopped being afraid of the fake plague said to have come from it.
And like that island of long ago - this one also shared one gut twisting realization. Despite the awful conditions - the certain death the island presented - there was always people still there. Law could see them picking though the rusty outcroppings, most heading inland under the threat of the storm, but others disappearing down under the metal, scurrying into burrows that would shelter them just as easily as crush them.
Corazon spotted one such hollow, and they pulled the dingy ashore, every step on red metal setting Law's teeth on edge. This was a tetanus nightmare. All it would take is one little stumble... "Please get back in the boat," Law said finally, looking between them and the shelter still higher above them.
"Law?"
"We shouldn't risk walking on this." Law gestured to the aging jagged metal edges around them.
"It would be worse to stay on the boat," Corazon hedged, voice failing when Law held out a hand, pulling a 'room' into existence with a devil fruit Corazon never lived long enough to originally have seen Law master.
Mindful of his timing, Law 'shambled' the dingy, with Corazon inside, with a raindrop at the impromptu shelter's entrance, and shoved the small craft under the rain shelter. Law figured as long as they staying in the boat, the need for emergency tetanus shots could be mitigated.
Between the oncoming night and the incoming storm, it would get dark fast after that. Law sat in Corazon's lap, his coat pulled around them both as they watched the storm roll in, rain and lightning keeping them company as the night began. Law wondered how much the rusty surface of the trash pile would deter the lighting if hit directly.
Corazon, chin resting on Law's head, finally broke the silence. "When did you eat a devil's fruit?"
The question caught Law by surprise, the horrible memories of Corazon death hit him full force and it took Law a moment to answer, biting back tears. "Right before you died," he whispered. He was afraid if he voiced it, if he acknowledged that Corazon couldn't really be there, then the dream would catch up and he would lose the man all over again.
Corazon was so quiet, Law was afraid he was gone, and the little boy hunched over, fist trying to push the tears back. But then Corazon tightened his hold on him, voice concerned, "Law, what do you mean?"
"It was a long time ago" Law cried, frustrated as sobs threatened him again. "Gods, Cora-san, it still hurts though," he admitted, trying to force the sob into a chuckle with little success. "It's nice though, to get to see you again though. Even though I'm pretty sure I'm dead now too."
Corazon seemed to mull over that, before prompting him again, "How.. how long ago?"
"Thir.... thirteen years." Law admitted, "half a lifetime now. I don't think I ever really got over it. And with everything after Dressrosa and talking to Sengoku. It's like it just happened."
Corazon pulled away then, turning Law around harshly to stare at him in the growing darkness, "Law, how do you know.. what.. Dressrosa?!" he sounded almost panicked, Law wasn't sure he'd ever seen Corazon look so uncertain.
Law wasn't sure what to make of the man's panic. "Vergo was Doffy's plant. He intercepted your message. I'm so sorry. I messed up, I didn't know. But Strawhat and I dealt with Dressrosa. Its.. it's okay now. Or it will be okay." Corazon still looked so distress, "I'm sorry," Law tried again.
"You.. you spoke to Sengoku?"
"After the fight, yeah. We ah.. We talked about you actually. I don't think we're gonna be friendly anytime soon, what with me being a pirate and everything, but, we parted on.. okay terms."
"Law, you are not a pirate." Corazon said, voice firm. Like this was the one universal fact in his world.
"Three way tie for the highest bounty of my generation," Law supplied with a small shrug. The tears had eased up; he felt like he could breath again. "Was a warlord for a little bit too actually, but they dismantled that system recently from what I understand."
Corazon did not look as proud as Law hoped, more dumbfounded more than anything. His head was cocked to the side, regarding Law in a new light. "Law....how.. old are you right now?"
Law slumped against him, no longer wanting to hold his gaze, "26," he admitted, "the same you were..." It was like admitting a failure. "I did actually want to live, in the end. I didn't think so a few months ago. Cora-san, I didn't want to outlive you. But then Dressrosa and Zou and Wano... I thought.. I thought it would be okay." The tears threatened again, "I got my crew back, and we helped Wano, and being with Strawhat and Eustass, I thought maybe it would be okay to outlive you. I could actually find the One Piece, for real. We really were so close. I ... I didn't want to die this time."
Corazon ran his long fingers though the short hair at the back of Law's neck and held him close. "The year then?"
"1522"
Corazon didn't pause, but Law could feel him shaking his head, "Law, it's 1509."
"It's just a dream," Law assured him, the tears and the storm and the warmth of Corazon making his thoughts heavy, "but its a good last one, yeah?"
According to various notes, the events in One Piece [preskip] are set in 1520 (Mont Blanc Noland in his logbook around 400 years ago, dated the year 1120.
This is the only time I plan on referencing any year numbers, but if anyone was curious where 1509/1522 come from - there you go.
