A/N: Hello and welcome to the drabble/tumblr prompt/request collection for Akatsuki Celeste & Mithril Lace! All of these chapters will be stand-alone prompts and one-shots (some will be very small drabbles) based on the messages we received through our joint tumblr account, Synchrosin. We may take requests via reviews too, but for the most part we're going through pre-made prompts. Any nsfw chapters will be exclusively posted on tumblr and AO3.
From Shishiswordsman's request: "Who the hell did this to you?" with Lawlu
Ripples in the Sea
Who the Hell Did This To You? (Lawlu)
The clinic was mostly silent. After all, the front desk had closed down over an hour ago, and almost every practitioner had already gone home for the night.
So of course, despite the fact that he was only a part time volunteer, moonlighting from his main job as a surgeon at a prestigious hospital across town, Law was still in his office.
It wasn't that he had any work to catch up on or anyone he was trying to avoid. In fact, he knew he was pushing it. Lami was expecting him home soon, and even though there was nothing wrong with his car, Rocinante had texted him three times to make sure he didn't need a ride. Still, it had been almost three weeks since the last time his after-hours visitor had climbed in through his window, and damn it all if he wasn't worried.
Maybe it was a good sign. Law couldn't keep treating the little delinquent - for free, at that - every time he got into a fight. The more Law validated his habits, the more he'd keep thinking there was nothing wrong with them.
No sooner than he'd had that thought did he hear the telltale scraping and bumping of the clumsy teenager climbing in through the window. They were on the ground floor, but his delinquent visitor happened to be on the short side.
"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble, Luffy," he spoke the words in a neutral tone.
The answering giggle made his expression soften, even as he kept his back to the window and pretended to be organizing files. No matter what state the boy showed up in, he was always smiling or laughing it off. It was a struggle to keep from smiling back these days.
"Sorry, sorry! But I didn't start it this time. Can you patch me up before I go home? My brothers'll worry if they see me like this."
Law sighed. He was tempted to say no - after all, he was trying to encourage Luffy to give up his delinquent behavior, and he wondered if his willingness to treat him so easily was simply enabling him. But he knew he wouldn't. Law never turned him away. Wasn't that the entire reason he was still there, because earlier that day he'd wondered if maybe he wasn't leaving a little too early, if maybe Luffy had been showing up needing help and all he'd been finding was a dark room and a locked window? So he'd stayed, coming up with excuses and trying to convince himself that he wasn't staying just because of one teenage boy with a penchant for getting into more trouble than any single person rightfully should.
And here Luffy was.
"Have a seat," Law said, keeping his eyes on the charts as he shifted them around in the file cabinet, trying to sound nonchalant. "I'll take a look as soon as I finish this up."
"Okay!" The sound of crinkling paper indicated Luffy had taken his seat, but no sooner than he'd settled on the examination table did he hiss softly. "Please hurry, though. It hurts a lot, and I'm making a mess."
Law paused, holding the files over the drawer as he processed what Luffy had just said. Making a mess? He usually only made a mess when there was… blood. He gave another sigh. If Luffy was bleeding, then he probably shouldn't keep him waiting. So far Luffy had avoided any hospital-worthy injuries - and surely he'd actually go to the hospital if he needed that kind of treatment, wouldn't he? - but it went against everything Law stood for as a doctor to put off treating any sort of bleeding wound. He slipped the file into the drawer and closed it, turning towards Luffy. "All right," he said. "Let's see what…" He trailed off as he looked at the boy now sitting impatiently on the exam table.
Luffy lifted his head to smile, his signature straw hat dangling from a cord around his neck. The front of his hoodie was completely soaked with blood, obvious bruises and scrapes on his face. He was slightly hunched over, hugging his stomach.
It was beyond any injury he'd ever come in with before - and the path from the window to where he now sat was smeared with blood.
Law's eyes widened, staring at Luffy in shock and horror. This was the first time he'd ever seen Luffy injured to this extent, and it was worse than he'd expected when he'd first turned around. He cursed under his breath and hurried over to the exam table, grabbing the cart of first aid materials and pulling it over with him.
"Take your hoodie and shirt off," Law instructed, though he was already reaching out to help him. He wasn't going to be able to treat him without seeing the actual injury.
Luffy grimaced, but he didn't argue. He had, after all, agreed to do whatever Law told him if he wanted Law to treat his injuries back when they'd first come to their little arrangement. It took some time to remove the hoodie because he kept trying to do it without removing his hat, but once both garments were out of the way, he plopped his hat back onto his head and looked at Law. His chest had several scrapes as well, bruises forming down his left side and abs, but the worst injury was a series of three gashes on his stomach, all bleeding profusely.
Law drew in a sharp breath, his eyes going to the gashes. The rest of the injuries could wait - he had salve for the bruises and he'd have to disinfect the scrapes - but the gashes were deep enough that they might require more than just stitches. He wouldn't know until he cleaned them and took a closer look.
"Lie back," Law instructed, placing his hand on Luffy's shoulder and putting pressure on it to emphasize his point. His gaze remained on the gashes, and a surge of anger rose up inside of him. Delinquent behavior or not, Luffy was always trying to help people. That was how he got into the majority of his fights - standing up for others. And even after the fights were over, and he was coming for treatment, he was always smiling. The fact that someone had dared to injure him to this extent…
"Who the hell did this to you?" Law demanded, his eyes flashing with anger.
Luffy had allowed Law to push him back, wincing and gripping the fragile tissue on the examination table. He was clearly trying not to voice his pain. "Oh, don't worry about it. I won. I just need to get fixed up before I go home."
"Don't worry about it?" Law repeated. "You're bleeding enough that I can't just fix this with bandages - I'm going to have to give you stitches, Luffy." He pulled a clean cloth out of the supplies and began to gently dab at Luffy's stomach, soaking up the blood around the gashes so he could examine them. Once he was satisfied that the wounds weren't bad enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, he set the gauze aside and moved to get Luffy something for the pain. He turned back to him, syringe in hand. "What did they use, a knife?"
"Three knives," Luffy boasted, grinning through the pain. "But it's okay. He didn't hurt my friend."
"No, he just hurt you," Law muttered, but he knew that wouldn't bother Luffy. It never bothered Luffy, as long as the person he was helping or defending was unharmed. "Hold still." He pressed the syringe against Luffy's arm, administering the painkiller without hesitation. He only needed to warn Luffy because the teen had a habit of moving around when Law was treating him; other than that he never flinched.
Luffy made a face at the initial shot, but once it started working, he relaxed and smiled, eyes glazing over. "I'm strong," he informed Law. "I don't like it when other people get hurt."
Law's expression softened. "I know you don't," he said, setting the syringe to the side and picking up his stitching equipment instead. "So what happened this time? How did you end up fighting someone with three knives?"
Luffy's smile widened - due in part to the painkillers - and he immediately launched into detail about his latest exploits. He squirmed a little from enthusiasm, but Law was firm in holding him down to finish his work.
Law didn't interrupt Luffy's ramblings - it kept him occupied while he did his work, and all Law really needed to do was listen. And as he listened he found his anger calming; it was still there, but diminished, pushed back so that he could focus on Luffy himself. He worked steadily, deftly stitching up one gash, then the other two. Finally he tied off the last stitch. "All set," he said. "But don't sit up - I still need to put the bandages on." He kept one hand on Luffy's chest to make sure that he didn't abruptly sit up - knowing Luffy, he'd try to jump right to his feet.
"Okay. But then I have to go home," Luffy informed him with a big smile, eyes fluttering shut. "Sabo's cooking dinner, and Ace doesn't have to work tonight…"
"Then I'll make this quick," Law promised, his lips curving up into a small smile of his own. He took the bandages and affixed them into place, making sure that they were secure because he knew they were the only thing that would keep Luffy from messing with the stitches. It didn't take him long to deal with the minor injuries after that - applying the salves, disinfecting the scrapes and bandaging the wounds that needed it - and Luffy never once protested or tried to get up.
Finally, Law finished and stepped back. "All right. How does that feel - is it uncomfortable?"
"Nope!" Luffy opened his eyes again. "You always make me feel better. Chopper said the stitches you did on my arm last month were really good. And Chopper's gonna be a doctor, too! So I know he's right." He lightly pat his stomach, over the bandage. "I can always count on you, Torao. Thanks!"
Law felt a rush of warmth at Luffy's thanks, which he quickly tried to cover up by turning to arrange his supplies, setting aside the used ones for sterilization or disposal. "Just try to avoid getting sliced up by another knife next time, alright?" he said, knowing full well that Luffy would do what Luffy would do, and that included getting more fights if that was what was needed to protect people. And Law knew that he would continue to keep his window open for Luffy to come to him when he needed help.
"Come on," Law said, turning back to him. He reached out and brushed Luffy's hair back from his face. "Let's get you home."
Luffy's grin lit up his entire face. "Shishishi! Okay!" He leaned towards Law's hand for a moment, which caused Law's fingers to brush his cheek, too.
Law's fingers stilled, and he looked down at Luffy for a minute before drawing his hand away. He needed to grab his keys, after all. "You know," he said, glancing at Luffy again as he did so, "the next time you're hurt that badly, you don't need to climb through the window to find me. Call me - I'll come to you."
"Call you?" Luffy echoed. "I checked my phone, but your name's not in it." His response was so earnest and bright, there was no way he was messing with Law - he sincerely could not figure out how to call Law if he couldn't find his name.
Law chuckled at that. "Let me see your phone," he said, holding out his hand for it. "I'll make sure that my name is in it - then you can get a hold of me whenever you need me."
"Torao really is the best," Luffy decided, reaching into his pocket to find his phone and hand it to Law. "You should call me too, if you ever need help. I protect my friends."
"I know you do," Law replied, and the smile that he gave Luffy was sincere and warm. It might be the primary reason that Luffy got hurt, but it was part of what made Luffy who he was. He picked his own phone up from his desk, and after a few pushed buttons, he had his number in Luffy's phone, and Luffy's in his. He slipped his own into his pocket and then handed Luffy's back to him. "There. Take a look - my name's there now."
Luffy scrolled through the numbers, eyes lighting up when he saw Law's name listed under 'Torao'. He wouldn't have known to look in the L section of his contacts. "Now I can call you whenever I need to!" He pocketed his phone, then tried to jump up off the table.
"Wait!" Law reached out, grasping Luffy's shoulder with one hand and placing the other on his chest to keep him from completing that jump. "Careful. You don't want to pull the stitches."
"Oh," Luffy lifted his head, looking up at Law with an unreadable look. His hand came up to cover the one on his chest, holding onto it. "Thanks. I wouldn't want to ruin the stitches you did for me."
Law looked down at Luffy, at their hands against Luffy's chest. He didn't pull his away. "Let me give you a ride home now," he said. "Your brothers are probably wondering where you are."
"Okay," Luffy agreed - but he made no move to try and get up on his own. He was being mindful of his stitches now, after all.
Law released Luffy's hand, then turned, crouched and leaned forward. He didn't say anything - he figured his intention was self-explanatory.
Luffy wasted no time in climbing onto Law's back and wrapping his legs around Law's waist. He seemed to be supporting most of his weight with his legs instead of his arms, letting his head rest on Law's shoulder. Almost immediately, he lifted his head and frowned. "My hoodie and shirt are still dirty…"
"I'll have them cleaned for you," Law said, straightening up once Luffy had a secure grip. "I have a clean shirt in my car that you can borrow in the meantime. It'll be a little big on you, but it'll fit otherwise."
Luffy settled down at those words, closing his eyes. "Can I sleep now, Torao? I'm sleepy. I trust you to get me home."
Law knew that he could find Luffy's address in his phone, so he nodded. "Go ahead," he said. "Leave everything else to me, Luffy."
Satisfied with that answer, Luffy fell asleep in an instant. His hat slid off his head, resting by the cord around his throat again. He mumbled Law's name - or at least his nickname - and smiled in his sleep.
Once he was certain that Luffy was settled, Law carried him from the room to the car, somehow managing to turn out the lights and lock up even with Luffy on his back. Then he headed for the car - after all, he'd promised to deliver Luffy safely to his brothers. There'd be plenty of time afterwards for him to track down whoever it was that had attacked Luffy and make sure that he never thought about going near him again.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
