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binks-brew-co · 6 months

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Waking Up

Law takes care of his patient when Luffy wakes up after Marineford for the first time. Inspired by the fanart at the end of the post (not sure who the original artist is).

Tags: Lawlu, fluff(?), no sexual content/overtones, mostly canon-compliant, hurt and comfort, allusion to death of a loved one, medical equipment/situation/injury [~1700 words]

This is my first fanfiction (since middle school at least). Please go easy on me if I've missed things or not done things totally standard.

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“ACE!”

Law froze where he stood, but only for a second. Without thinking, he threw himself down the corridor. Of course he would wake up as soon as I left the recovery room. of course it would be when I was in the furthest part of the ship. Of course I got distracted.

At least he could be thankful he wasn’t on a supply run to the island. He and Beppo had been trading off shifts, watching his injured charge for signs of either discomfort or recovery, but he didn’t want the navigator to have to do his job for him. Or, based on the tone of the cry, for Strawhat to be seen by anyone but his doctor during this time.

He burst through the door, its yellow metal clanging hard against the connecting wall. Law felt the echo ring in his ears as he moved inside. Stepping through the submarine's hatches often felt like going through a portal - like one of those fairy stories he used to read in books - and, unfortunately, this time was no different.

Strawhat sat upright in the bed. The dim light created an illusion on the boy’s bandages - ethereal, his thin frame wrapped in gauze seemed to glow. Was it moonlight? There weren’t any windows. The ghostly light made it hard to focus his eyes. Although it shrouded Strawhat, hints of the light echoed around the room, or at least where the darkness couldn’t fully reach. Like iridescent threads in black velvet - a facsimile of being alive. Although the sub was above water, Law could have sworn they were miles beneath the sea. The air was oppressive.

Strawhat’s eyes were wide open. He was barely breathing, eyes trained on the wall like he could punch through it with only his mind. Upon seeing his patient, Law felt a profound weakness seize his muscles, like he’d met an enemy that he clearly couldn’t defeat. He remembered it from his time at the beginning of the Grand Line - simultaneous awe and helplessness. A realization that the world was much bigger than he’d imagined, as was the depth of its history. And its suffering.

Strawhat remained fixated on the wall, but his eyes did not move between the bolts and rivets. Law took a step closer, not wanting to startle him, although he realized with regret that the door would have done that anyways. He had to stop letting himself get carried away.

“Strawhat?” He asked into the air. No response. “You need rest. You need to lay back down. I’ll help you.”

Once motionless, the boy’s body began to tremble. Then, not unlike an earthen tremor becomes a quake, his hands and arms suddenly jerked into an unnatural motion, while his backbone spasmed. Law jumped into action, moving faster than he knew was possible towards the side of the bed. The momentary weakness was forgotten in favor of medical experience. Seizing Luffy’s wrists, he clasped them together in one hand while throwing the bedsheets out of the way. Becoming entangled in them was a real threat - his legs hadn’t been spared by the battle at Marineford either and were at risk for further damage. Once the arms were under control, with the precision of a surgeon, he grasped Strawhat’s back firmly. Just enough pressure to keep him still. Luffy let out a strangled cry as Law clasped his nape. Please, please calm down. This is too early for you to wake up. You have to rest. You’ll hurt yourself. As if to respond to Law’s silent pleas, Luffy sniffled. He dug his forehead and nose into Law’s shoulder like a starving dog looking for food, causing Law’s pulse to skip ever so slightly. He’d dealt with grieving patients, he’d dealt with mental breakdowns and spasms and seizures - but the way Luffy grasped his shirt, digging down into his skin, felt different somehow.

It must be the level of grief. Fire Fist’s death did seem to be particularly gruesome, even for Law’s sensibilities. As he glanced down at the matted black hair of his charge, his grip buckled ever so slightly. The expression etched on Luffy’s face when Jimbei and that crass clown delivered him - when Law emerged from the sea to care for the boy who had lost his brother - was haunting. Frozen in time, a picture of death and pain. Contorted yet blank, just like loss itself.

Law noticed a wetness gathering on his shoulder, seeping through his shirt and tickling his skin. As Strawhat heaved, it only grew, until Law could feel it dripping down his front. The tremors that had wracked the boy’s body gradually faded, though a faint tremble still remained. Law suspected it might never fully go away. Sensing resignation, he released his grip on Luffy’s wrists, letting them hang loosely on his legs.

Strawhat lifted his head, eyes fluttering among the tears. Taking a trembling arm behind Law’s body, he reached out into space, grasping at the wisps of light that were beyond reach. “Ace?” This call was little more than a whisper itself, squeaking out of a damaged throat, unlike the scream that had escaped earlier.

At this, Law squeezed his eyes closed and held Luffy a little tighter, perhaps closer than professionalism would say he should. His hairline was suddenly itchy from sweat, causing him to toss his spotted hat on the ground next to the bed. As Luffy continued to grasp at ghosts, his weakened muscles contorting under Law’s embrace, the doctor pushed back a sea of his own memories. Not now Cora. I have to see this through. This isn’t about us, this isn’t about me. Everything is about him right now. And yet the memories of his own tears spilled through regardless of what the doctor ordered.

His hand shifted back and he felt more wet droplets on the sheets. He pulled back to see Luffy’s arm dropped down, eyes still riveted to an invisible anchor. I need to break that, I need to get him to stop staring. Law reached his now free hand over and gently placed it over Strawhat’s eyes, like a calloused veil. He could feel eyelashes fluttering underneath his palm and fingers - so ticklish he almost pulled away. Instead, he leaned in pressing the tips of his fingers against Luffy’s temple and brushing his thumb against his bangs. Not exactly traditional bedside manner, but then again I am rather nontraditional. Luffy’s forehead was warm and his cheeks wet, droplets seeping through Law’s finger tips as he held his patient close.

They might have remained like that for minutes or hours, Law couldn’t be sure. Time stood still in this moment, as if the universe was reading the same sentence over and over again. What was it trying to glean from these limited words? What was it trying to see?

Despite the scream from earlier, nobody disturbed the moment. Law couldn’t decide if he was proud of his crew for trusting him or angry that they would let a situation like this be. After some time, Luffy let out a long sigh - although it sounded more like a hoarse whimper - and his contracting muscles relaxed. The boy leaned his entire body weight into Law’s chest, adrift in the storm. Law held on longer than he should have, before gently removing himself from the bed and laying Luffy down with two hands. His stabilized breathing was all the gratitude Law needed.

As Luffy settled back in the makeshift hospital bed, Law brought the covers back up to Luffy’s chest. His fingers brushed the white bandages, and he remembered how many layers and bloody cloth they went through to get him here. So long as he doesn’t exert himself too much, he’ll be okay. I’ll have to remind Jimbei and the others before he wakes up again. Especially that woman, Hancock. She’d been enough of a pain as it was, though his crew mates were happy to partake in her hospitality.

A cough from under the covers shook Law out of his ruminations. Luffy had opened his eyes, and though glassy they weren’t fixated on anything but Law himself. The doctor took a sharp breath in, though he wasn’t sure why, and suddenly felt the urge to check on all of the bedside equipment.

“You’re that guy from Sabaody right? The one who flipped me off?” Strawhat managed to croak.

Law cringed. Why did Strawhat’s one moment of lucidity have to be remembering that? “Yeah. My name is Law.”

“I thought I saw a longer name on your wanted poster.”

“Well, my full name is Trafalgar Law.” He remembers my wanted poster but not that we fought Marines together?

“That’s too long.”

Law grunted in frustration as he turned to examine Strawhat’s drip bag. “Then why did you ask?”

“I think I’ll call you Traffy.”

“What?” Law shot back. “Are you kidding me?” But by the time he whipped back around, Luffy was snoring. What an infuriating guy. First he screams and shoots out of bed and it takes all I can do to calm him down, and the second I don’t want him to rest he’s fast asleep. Does his crew have to deal with this?

The doctor remained at the bedside for some time, eventually pulling up a chair so he didn’t have to sit on the cold, metal floor. Luffy’s breathing was regular, though his face would scrunch or he would make choking sounds. The occasional spasm was to be expected, although Law wondered what demons his patient was fighting in his sleep. The next time he wakes up, it might not be as pretty. But, for this moment, the grief he knew Strawhat would be contending with for the rest of his life was sated.

The universe continued to hold its breath.