Stopdropanroll: It is my duty inform you that I do not own ONE PIECE.
I tried my best, we'll see how this goes I guess.
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It began as a simple headache: annoying, but hardly crippling.
Of course, it certainly didn't make Carrying an exceptionally grumpy Law through the pouring rain any more enjoyable. Corazon had tried his best to shield him from the deluge, and for a time his feathered coat had protected them admirably, but after an hour in the storm it and the supplies were soaked through, leaving them both miserable.
When his coat failed he had hunched over Law to keep the worst of the wet off him, but it had hardly done any good. He was slightly dryer for his efforts, but that was the extent he had accomplished. Law was shivering slightly in his arms, and his little body was freezing.
Corazon could barely see through the icy torrents that fell in sheets, but he knew they needed a place to warm up and dry off their clothes. The pain in his head was steadily increasing, and he wanted a place where he could sleep it off. Law could use some rest as well; the kid hated it, but the disease was beginning to take its toll, leaving him weak and tired. Corazon had insisted on carrying him after Law had begun to tire keeping up with his long strides.
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They had only been walking for a few hours when Corazon noticed that Law was lagging behind. He watched the way he staggered slightly, and the air of exhaustion that clung to his body like lead weights. He made his decision and stopped, waiting for Law to catch up. Quick as a flash Corazon scooped him up and pulled him over his large feathered shoulder. Law immediately protested.
"Oi! Cora-san! Put me down, I can walk on my own! If you trip you'll crush me to death under your huge clumsy ass!" He was practically frothing with indignation, his fatigue momentarily forgotten in his anguish.
"So I won't trip." He replied, arm swinging nonchalantly as an angry ball of fluff squirmed on his shoulder.
Tiny hands beat ineffectually into his back, but he kept walking.
Ten minutes later he ended up tripping over nothing for the umpteenth time, but to his credit he'd used his head to catch himself while his arm still cradled the reluctantly sleepy brat, resulting in a sort of rainbow shape with his face pushed into the dirt and his butt in the air.
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Now they were both cold and exhausted. They were at their limit.
After about a half an hour of searching Corazon managed to find a small cave in the cliffside. There were signs of previous inhabitants, but the tracks looked to be quite old. A large pile of thankfully dry sticks in the back of the cave would be very useful if they proved to be alone. After further inspection of the interior he concluded that they would not be disturbed for the night and gently swung Law to the floor of the cave. His head was pounding, but before he could attempt to rest he had to make sure Law wouldn't catch a cold.
He checked his pocket. The cigarettes it contained were ruined, but when he clicked his lighter it sparked and a tiny flame appeared. Still usable, then. He dragged the wood into the center of the cave and began building a fire.
Now slightly thankful for his dripping coat when he did not instantly set himself aflame he lit some kindling and coaxed the pile of sticks into warmth. Only then did he turn to Law. The poor kid was still shivering like a leaf, even while he had dozed off. He needed to get those clothes off the brat or he'd probably never get warm.
Corazon dragged himself over the sleeping boy and gently shook him.
"Hey Law, you need to wake up now." Law stiffened slightly, and his eyes flickered open.
"Mmn…" he grumbled, "Cora-san?" He blinked when he caught sight of Corazon's haggard face.
Corazon smiled, noticing the well hidden concern that blossomed on Laws face. "I got a fire going, so take off those wet clothes and get warm."
Law didn't hesitate, eagerly shrugging out of his shirt and setting his hat near the fire to dry, leaving him in shorts. He glanced at Corazon, who had settled himself against the cave wall, still in his usual feathered coat. His eyes were already beginning to close.
"Cora-san, you should take off your clothes too, so they can dry." Law spoke determinedly. The man already looked like shit– there was no telling what would happen if the dumbass fell asleep with his clothes still sopping wet. Most likely he'd get some crazy and completely preventable illness.
Corazon cracked open an eye, staring down at Law with a put upon frown.
Law refused to submit, and gestured with a glare at the puddle growing underneath the clumsy man. "Off! Now!" He commanded.
With a sigh Corazon rose to his feet and let his coat and shirt fall to the ground. He was comfortable enough around Law that he didn't bother trying to cover his scars. The kid had seen worse, and he was too tired to make the effort. He stripped down to his boxers and flopped down again, this time a little closer to the fire. Law nodded, satisfied. Corazon finally let the pain from his aching head and the coldness of his damp body seep away as he welcomely succumbed to sleep.
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Law was awoken by a particularly enthusiastic bird. Little shit! He'd been enjoying sleeping, dammit! He ran a hand through his hair, noting that it was early morning still. It sounded quiet, other than those goddamn birds, so the storm must have stopped sometime during the night.
A soft moan drew his him from his musing. Law peered over at Cora-san, who seemed to still be asleep. The man's face was tense with pain, and he was curled in on himself, shivering slightly. The fire had probably died before he'd warmed up; the man's temperature tended to run cold.
Quickly, Law rose and noiselessly closed the distance between them. The man hadn't looked very well last night; Cora-san had tried not to show it, but every so often he had winced and swayed slightly on his feet. Law frowned. Maybe the man really did get some crazy but preventable disease. He should probably get some fluids and food in him just in case. He rummaged through their packs for something light to eat that had managed to escape a soaking. They didn't have much to work with; leftover rice would have to do, at least until Cora-san was well enough to get more supplies. He set it to warm over the fire and went to check on the executive.
"Cora-san," he said aloud, shaking his arm, "wake up." The man was usually quite a light sleeper, so it didn't take much to get him awake. Sure enough, he stirred, bringing his hand inadvertently to his temples to assuage the vicious pounding he was disappointed to find had not eased with sleep. At least he was finally dry. Mostly.
"What's wrong, Cora-san? Does your head hurt?" Law asked, worried. The man set himself on fire almost daily without batting an eye. Anything that had him wincing like that must be pretty painful.
The man nodded shakily, grunting an affirmative.
"I'll get you some water then." Law said in a tone that shut down any arguments. Corazon nodded again, hand still resting over his eyes. The world was swirling on its axis, as if his meagre sense of balance had betrayed him. The shivering wasn't helping any.
Law returned with a tin of water from the pack, and Corazon drained it in small sips. He allowed Law to palm his forehead, concentrating on fighting off the dizziness that afflicted him. The corners of his mouth quirked up at the easy care the kid displayed. They'd certainly come a long way.
"You're a little warm." He noted.
Law caught the man smirking and scowled. "Shut up."
"Heh. So cute." He mumbled. Law bristled, but refrained from yelling.
"If you think you can manage it you should eat some rice." He harrumphed, still pouting (rather cutely).
Corazon turned his face away and sighed. Law made a muffled noise of exasperation and displeasure.
"Cora-san…" he threatened.
"Fine, fine, i'll have a little. Just give me a minute."
Eating wasn't something he wanted to contemplate just then. If only he could say no to Law's adorably concerned face.
He sighed again.
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Within a few minutes Law had placed a small bowl of steaming, if slightly burnt, rice in his lap and sat to his left, watching him.
Corazon gazed reluctantly at the remains of their last meal. A quick glance at Law's stern face assured him he would not be getting out of this. He grimaced. Well, at least it wasn't bread.
After three tentative spoonfuls he paused, his hand rising once again to rest on his head with a quiet grunt of pain. Ugh. It just wouldn't quit. He heard Law shuffling closer. "Where does it hurt, Cora-San?"
"Mmngh. Here and here," he gestured to his temples and the base of his neck, "it's pretty persistent."
Law hummed in response. "You've had it for a while, haven't you? You seemed off yesterday. Probably caused by the extended time we spent in the rain. Finish as much rice as you can and then go back to sleep."
Ah, sleep. That sounded heavenly. He closed his eyes against a particularly intense round of throbbing, and grimaced. A bowl of rice stood between him and glorious sleep. Who knew that the right circumstances could make something so mundane into such an insurmountable obstacle?
The swirling had intensified somewhat, rising with the beat of his pounding head.
Law watched, slightly alarmed, as Corazon's face rapidly paled. Suddenly, the man slammed the bowl of rice to the ground, one hand pressed to his mouth, the other slung across his stomach.
"Cora-san? Are you going to throw up?" Law asked, readying himself.
The man remained rigid, swallowing harshly, and did not reply.
After a minute he relaxed minutely, feeling secure enough to remove his hand from his mouth, bringing it down to join his other one cradling his abdomen. He was shaking slightly from the unexpected nausea, but the possibility that he would be sick seemed to have passed for the moment.
When he was certain he could move without consequence, Corazon leaned back heavily against the wall of the cave. He heard Law approaching from the side, and his eyes blinked blearily open. The kid's eyes were wide, but his jaw was set with determination and purpose.
"Let me know if you think you can stomach something later on, or if you feel sick again, okay?"
Corazon, who had yet to move from his position, let out a small grunt of confirmation and let his eyes fall closed once more, a look of pained concentration of his face. He soon fell into a restless slumber.
Law gathered up the rice and set it aside for later consumption, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the obviously ill Cora-san. He seemed exhausted. Law saw with some worry that the man's cheeks were now noticeably flushed. He checked the large feather coat for dampness with his hands. It was important to keep him warm now that the man had undoubtedly developed a fever in addition to his headache, but if the coat was not sufficiently dry he would have to make due with the heat from the fire and blankets.
The coat remained damper than Law would have liked, but Cora-san's clothes had dried through completely during the night. Although any layer would be beneficial at that point, the problem now lay in getting the formerly soaked clothes back onto the tall man with what Law estimated would be minimal help from Corazon himself.
"Stupid coat," he muttered to himself, "why couldn't you have just been dry?"
He considered the somewhat daunting task of clothing a man several times his own height without assistance while said man was nearly entirely incapacitated.
He scowled.
Cora-san would pay dearly for this once he was well enough for his revenge to be taken.
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I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this, but I adore Rosinante and young Law, so I couldn't help myself. Lemme know if you spot any issues so I can work on making them disappear.