A/N: I decided to post at least the first chapter of this. I know for sure that it will not be as rapidly updated as The Klutz was, so expect greater delays (as I juggle multiple stories and update based on motivation and mood).
This is a continuation of The Klutz, so while this fic could potentially be read as a separate story, it would make a whole lot more sense if you read the other fic first. Oh, and as with the other fic, chapters will be revised in the future if need be.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece.
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Law didn't know what to do anymore.
He had tried so hard to move on with his life, but his past continued to haunt him. And it had for an entire year. Law felt as if those painful decisions that he had been forced to make over a year ago were never going to leave him in peace.
The dark haired surgeon believed that at some point during the past year he had had an idea of what to do with himself. But now, after getting a taste of harsh reality, his plans for what future he could have potentially have had had long since waned. And no matter how far away he moved and no matter how many times, the rumors still persisted.
Law had all but given up finding somewhere to live his life where he wasn't completely shunned for his actions that he had taken as the Surgeon of Death.
And now, even a year later, the details of what Law had been forced to do while working for Doflamingo had come into the light. And that had made it damn near impossible for Law to even step foot in a hospital or even a small clinic, without being driven off.
Law had recently moved to a rural town in a part of the country that experienced a nearly year round winter. It was also a good two hundred or so miles from the city he'd originally lived and worked in. Law had been in town about a week and had ideas to open a private practice out of the house, which was a ten minute walk from the town. The dark haired man figured it might be better to have patients brought to him and work alone, cutting down on the chances of someone catching wind of who he really was.
Law had tried, in the beginning of moving around the country, to work in some small clinic. But as soon as word of his identity as the Surgeon of Death was brought into the light, he had been met with nothing but hostility. No one ever drove him away; Law left all on his own due to the negative vibes and glares from those around him.
The dark haired man smiled bitterly to himself as he meandered around the rather empty house in the woods he was renting. Law knew that he should have known better than to think it would be easy. He may have given up entirely was it not for the fact that he was trying to make things easier on the people that he still had in his life.
Law was sure to keep in contact with his former roommates Shachi and Penguin. If only to let them know that he was more or less all right. The contact had dwindled to every other week because he'd noticed that his friends stood firm in trying to convince him to come home.
And then there was Rocinante.
Rocinante, who was patient and very sweet when trying to get Law to come home in his own way. And the blond haired officer did this by keeping in daily contact with him and by trying to get to him as the dark haired surgeon moved from place to place. Rocinante hadn't yet succeeded in finding him yet, but Law felt that it was only a matter of time until he did. And when the blond haired officer found him, the surgeon honesty wasn't sure what he would do.
Law pondered, in a manner that conveyed disbelief, that he and Rocinante had technically been dating for four years, even if they had been parted for the last year. But Law felt the distance was necessary, because he was under the impression that the blond haired officer was still being harassed for keeping in contact with him. As Law wanted Rocinante to get back into the good graces of his station again, the dark haired surgeon believed it would be better to keep his distance.
Because the blond haired man had covered for Law for months when the dark haired man had been forced to work for Doflamingo as the Surgeon of Death.
Law wanted so much to argue with the people who shunned and despised him for his actions as the Surgeon of Death. To say that it had gone completely against his ethics. That he had only caved in when his friends and Rocinante were threatened.
But it was no use.
Nothing that Law could say would change the image that he had been painted with.
And despite Rocinante's efforts to keep the dark haired man's face out of the media, they'd found out anyway. It didn't matter that Law had been found not guilty or that he had immunity for providing all the information he could on Doflamingo and his illegal dealings.
It still wasn't enough, and Law felt that there would never be enough reasons to have people forget about what had happened.
Unbeknown to Rocinante, Law had in fact resigned from the hospital instead of leaving and waiting to be fired. Law knew the blond haired officer would have been more upset for him otherwise. But the stares and the whispers and the mistrust in other's eyes had been too much. And then he'd left home without telling Rocinante because Law had known that the blond, sweetheart that he was, would have tried to stop him from leaving. Would have tried to reassure him that everything would be all right.
But it wouldn't be all right, no matter how much both he and Rocinante wanted it to be.
Law had left his house to his roommates because he knew that they would not mind Rocinante staying there with them. Law had almost come home a month into his self-imposed exile because Shachi had mentioned that someone had harassed all three of them for harboring a murderer.
The dark haired surgeon clenched a fist as he stared out a window. He couldn't stand the term, even if it was true that he had killed those people through Doflamingo's blackmail against him. But even so, Law couldn't stop his work as a surgeon. He had to keep doing it. It was what he had worked toward for over half his life. Even in the middle of nowhere as he was Law needed something to keep his mind occupied. Otherwise he would begin to dwell on all that had happened.
And especially dwell on his thoughts about Rocinante and just how much it actually hurt to be parted from the blond haired officer this past year. Law could have never imagined he could miss someone so much. Miss someone so badly that he was tempted, several times, to go back to the city to visit. And Law would have gone had he not switched to texting Rocinante for the past two months. Law had almost gone home after he'd seen that the blond haired officer texted him that he loved him every morning.
But the dark haired surgeon couldn't go back.
He couldn't risk it.
He wanted one of them to have a job. Law knew now, after a year for trying an failing to find a job, that his reputation as a surgeon was already damaged beyond repair. It seemed as if there was nowhere to go that someone hadn't heard of the Surgeon of Death. And Law had found out the hard way earlier on that very day that the rural town he'd just moved to had also heard of his now negative reputation
Law had merely gone into town hours ago to scope things out and had taken it a good thing that no one outwardly reacted to him.
Not until he had gotten too close to the small clinic.
The dark haired man had been immediately hounded by the townspeople, who none too subtly told him to leave. Law had argued back, refusing to be seen as some heartless bastard or murderer or whatever they chose to call him. The argument might have continued had someone not rushed into the group with a panicked expression to inform them all that an officer by the name of Dalton had been injured.
There'd been a hushed and worried discussion over the fact that their resident doctor was off for the day on whose call and that she wouldn't be back until later that night or the next day.
Law had smoothly broken in on the conversation and said that he could help and the surgeon didn't care at that point in time that he was being given mistrustful looks. It didn't matter because his instincts as a surgeon were piqued as the injured officer was brought into view. The dark haired surgeon had honestly been surprised to be ushered into the clinic to treat the wounded man, even if he was being watched very closely. Law, when he was finished, had all but been dragged out if the clinic and told that in no uncertain terms was he to leave until their doctor came back to check his work. The dark haired surgeon had been offended that his expertise was being questioned but knew by now it was useless to argue.
Which brought Law back to bring all alone in that three bedroom house in the woods, that he would likely now have to give up now that the rumors about him would be in full swing by the next day.
Law let out a soft sigh. He knew he ought to sleep but after the stress of that day he doubted he would be able to fall asleep. He could tell he was tired but after being looked at like he was some monster he couldn't stand to think what he might dream of.
Another sleepless night seemed inevitable.
Law had not been getting enough sleep as it was but it couldn't be helped. The surgeon smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed like he couldn't stay in this town either.
A shame.
The cold temperature and the snow didn't bother him at all.
There was a sound from the front of the house but Law was so wrapped up in his general misery that he didn't notice. That is, until there was the sound of a door closing very obviously.
Panic seized Law in that moment. Was someone in the house with him? A person in town, perhaps, that had come to harass him? Or someone with something more sinister in mind? The unfortunate incident in a different wooded area was not lost on Law when he had checked this house out before renting it.
The dark haired man froze in place at the sound of footsteps approaching him at a rapid pace and before Law could think to run he was seized in a crushing hug. Law flailed a moment as those arms all but squeezed the breath from him. He might have gone into a full panic had the dark haired man not registered the faint smell of stale smoke. The panic was gone as quickly as it had come as Law sagged against the person that held him. He knew who it was and Law didn't care in that moment how Rocinante had found him.
All that mattered was that he was there.
Rocinante was really there, in that all but empty house.
Law knew that for certain because he was currently having the life hugged out of him as if Rocinante would never let him go again now that he'd found him. And Law didn't want the other man to let go because the dark haired surgeon hadn't realized just how much he needed that hug. Law's eyes squeezed shut at the sound of Rocinante's soft yet rumbling voice.
"Found you."
Found him indeed.
In that moment, Law felt Rocinante step away from him to look down at him, and the surgeon couldn't help but let out a broken little laugh at the sight of that damn tacky heart shirt the other man was wearing.
And the red hood with the heart tassels that was tugged down over messy blond hair.
Law felt himself tearing up and stubbornly wiped the tears away, even if he couldn't help himself as he realized then and there just how much he loved Rocinante. The dark haired surgeon felt like a complete and utter idiot the longer he stared at the blond. Law felt terrible because he suddenly remembered that he had never once texted back or said to Rocinante that he loved him too.
And still Rocinante had searched him out, and the way the blond was looking at Law made the surgeon feel self-conscious for the first time in a while.
Law found himself suddenly drawn into a kiss as the blond haired officer's large hands slid into his hair. The surgeon leaned up on his toes automatically to get a better angle for the kiss as Rocinante murmured something softly. And as the kiss deepened into something very intimate and very sweet, only one thing went through Law's mind.
He was a fool for staying away from Rocinante for so long. And with the way the other man kept the kiss going as if he couldn't get enough of it and was reluctant to let go of him, Law really didn't believe that he deserved Rocinante in his life.
"I missed you." The blond haired officer murmured against Law's lips before he indulged in another kiss as his hands slid down to Law's shoulders, and then wrapped around his back.
Any further coherent train of thought was banished as Law lost himself in the kiss as he again cursed himself for bring such a fool. And when Rocinante spoke again, the dark haired man was speechless over how selfless and patient the other man was with him.
"I love you."
Law believed Rocinante completely, had no question in his mind that the blond meant it, due to the warmth and clear love in the other man's voice.
What had he been thinking this past year, to keep this man, who very clearly loved him to bits, out of his life as he had? How could Law have thought that he would miss Rocinante so much that he would have craved being touched? To being hugged and even being in a relationship in the first place, when before it would have been an utterly foreign concept.
"Please don't leave me alone like that again. Talking on the phone and texting is not comparable to this at all." Rocinante said as he nuzzled his cheek alongside Law's before he pecked the surgeon on the cheek. Then, with a dazzling smile, Rocinante added a little mischievously. "Not that I'll let you go anywhere without me now that I've found you."
Law felt he wouldn't have been able to leave anyway, especially not when he was being reminded about what he had been missing out on for the past year. And as Rocinante slowly encroached on the surgeon's personal space, Law welcomed the other man's touch, because the dark hared surgeon finally realized that he really was an utter fool for pushing away such a kind person out of his life.
And despite all that, Rocinante loved him anyway.
Law really didn't know what to do now, especially regarding his work situation, but at the very least, Rocinante was there with him now.
And the blond haired officer seemed intent in that moment to cheer him up as much as was possible, as he'd begun laying little kisses here and there on his neck and cheek and lips.
Law let Rocinante do as he would, because this was exactly what he needed right now, even if the surgeon could not specifically state it aloud. To be treated like a person and looked at with respect and love and not hate and mistrust was something that Law hadn't realized that he'd desperately needed this past year.
But Rocinante gave him a knowing smile, and as the blond drew Law into another kiss, the dark haired surgeon knew, as he wrapped his arms around the back of Rocinante's neck, that this felt right. Law believed right then and there as he was being kissed breathless that no matter what happened tomorrow, he would not be leaving town without Rocinante.
The other man had made that very clear in his words and actions thus far.
The dark haired surgeon couldn't even leave if he wanted to with the way Rocinante held him so tightly in the middle of the living room but that was perfectly fine with Law. He had no desire to go anywhere right that second anyway and Rocinante seemed to share the surgeon's sentiments on the matter as he steered Law toward the couch.
It seemed like neither of them were going to get sleep that night, if things continued in such a manner.
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A/N: Kind of a more informational set up chapter than anything to let people know I am going to be writing the sequel but just at a slower pace. And excuse me while I write sappy crap because I need some angst-y fluff again (and just fluff in general).