Taking Care of You
AN: What's up dearie? So it seems the first chapter is too short and it's actually a personal experiment for me to see how the document turns out in here. Now I know a bit so I'll try to adjust some things for incoming chapter.
Disclaimer: Many authors do this so I'll do it too, for the sake of our beloved anime'/manga'/mangaka' copyright. I own nothing of One Piece originality, I just borrow some characters to fill my *cough* satisfaction *cough* in my strange story. If I own any, I'll torture them to pieces hahaha Forgive me, please read on…*blush*
Ch2: Expecting
The unknown brunette coughed out salty sea water a few times abruptly and startled Smoker from his act. He cradled the guy from behind to let him sat up and encouraged him to cough more until he felt better. Thank God, this guy was reluctant to die just yet.
"You okay?"
Maybe it was because of his natural husky baritone voice – courtesy of his smoking habit – that he got a sharp elbow-punch from the frightened brunette as a reply, fortunately being blocked by his durable palm as a spontaneous reflex.
The mysterious man glared a dagger into Smoker's eyes with gritted teeth, somehow and another he could see those shiny charcoal pair of iris threatened to pierce him, if a look could kill, he was dead by now. However strangely enough, Smoker could not helped but being fascinated by the killing intent emitted from the man. He was crystal cleared afraid to Smoker and yet he tried not to appear being weak in front of a stranger especially someone like Smoker who had a broader shoulders with muscled packs under the jacket than his.
"Calm down, I'm a police, you're safe with me" said Smoker tried to ease the man's tension.
He got it backfired, actually. The brunette struggled in his cradled to get away from him more furious than ever while he steady his grips on the man's arms.
"Let me go, bastard!"
He would not let a hurt citizen to scram alone before received a proper medical treatment. Albeit Smoker had realised one thing in the male attempt to run away, that the said male kept one of his tattooed hand on his stomach, as if trying to protect it.
Did he have a bad wound there? Smoker absentmindedly monologue by his self-question.
"I said settle down! I'm not going to hurt you! You're wounded, we have to get you to the hospital so stop struggling!" Smoker yelled, to his dismay.
A police and now to the hospital? No. No. No way.
"No…" the brunette murmured while stopped his tussle and ducked his forehead onto his clothed knees as he curled up in his sitting position. Both of his arms hugged his stomach for security. Smoker looked at him without releasing the grips with silence, waiting for him to continue.
"No police…no hospital…no outsider…no one…"
Smoker heard another mumbling from the shivering man though it was too sluggish to be heard, it did not look like due to the surrounding temperature but it was because of something else that made the man trembling under Smoker's touches. The grips were lessen a little bit at the same time.
"You can do anything to me but please, don't kill me nor hurt me for these few months, I need to live…"
Those unforeseen sentence uttered by a shaky voice got Smoker off-guard. Did he hear it right? Smoker was sure as hell this guy was a proud person and a tough one at that, well, regardless of his weak form right now that is, his first impression never failed him but still he now believed the said guy was having a desperate moment, for some reasons.
He filed his inner discovery for future reference in his mind and ushered the injured man to stand up. He let one of his hand held the man's arm while the other brushed over his own grey hair and growled in exasperation. Law's head hanging loosely, seemed to be lost in thought while boring a hole into the sand beach with his stares downward. Smoker was not a type of person who started a tête-à-tête first with a stranger unless it was necessary in his line of work.
…Okay so this was a necessity.
"I need a name to call you"
"Law"
"Family's name?"
"…"
"Explain what had happened, briefly"
"I got drowned and stranded here"
"I can see that, thank you for stating the obvious" said Smoker as he was almost face-palmed himself over this conversation. It was certainly not going anywhere so he chose to shut his mouth for now and kept on walking to his navy-coloured jeep. The brunette was a very confident guy, no hesitation and a slight smug confrontation could be sensed by Smoker from his behaviour and talk.
His wounded hands were still on his stomach, not even once those hands left away from it.
"Please, no hospital, I'll do anything –" Law whispered firmly, breaking the silent atmosphere between them before his words were cut by Smoker's snarl and his squeezed grip on Law's arm. Yeah, positively leaving a nasty bruise in advanced.
"Just…stop saying that, damn it." He flinched whenever Law showed his desperate side, it was weird to hear nor to see such part and Smoker's confused brain cells were still stuck to process everything. Worst, he really needed a tight sleep, he felt unusually exhausted to boot.
Both of them got onto the jeep, luckily not being stolen, and headed to Smoker's house.
It was a very humble house, a little bit far from the neighbours' and coloured with pale brown and white. It was a picture-perfect simple home for a small family to live. He used to have one cheerful household, but the God love them more thus he was the only family member left to live his life till death invited him sooner, or later.
"Put your cloth into the washing machine and take a shower. I'll leave some of my attire for you on the bed. Go to the living room after you finished."
Smoker ordered with his hand gestured to a guest room for Law. It used to be his parents'…no sad memory lane tonight, he got some matters to worry about at the moment. Law just nodded and went straight to the bathroom.
Whereas his 'guest' was taking a bath, Smoker shoved off his leather jacket on a wooden coat-stand at the entrance door and put on a white artless T-shirt, a tad body-hugging one. He placed a first aid kit on his miniature round table in the living room and leisurely walked to the kitchen to make a dinner…too late for that, maybe a supper for both of them. Some hot pancakes will do the magic.
"Nobody eat pancake in the middle of a late midnight"
Smoker made his deadpanned expression to face the owner of the wonderful voice. Huh? Did he just praise a man in a sweet way? He was critically required his so-called normal sleep.
"How fast. Feeling endangered in my house?" Smoker said with a smirk while kept preparing the pancakes and two cups of warm tea, an instant tea.
Law was leaning one-sided to the fridge, hands crossed over his chest with an unreadable mien, no intention of answering the sarcastic question. He looked comfortable with Smoker's old green sweater, though it was a tad loose so Smoker could tell that Law had a very scrawny and lean body but strong. His trousers were baggy for Law as well, he could have use some breeze feeling in those creamy pants. Law's dark hair was dampened from a fresh shower and the smell emanated from him was anything to goes by – an aroma of intense lavender – Oh wait. That was Smoker's own shower cream and shampoo. Damn Law, he made the scent more alluring than his. Then, looking down to Law's reddish linings on his exposed part of body…Right, he was wounded.
"Your cuts must be bandaged –"
"Can we eat first? I'm…awfully hungry…" said Law quickly took a sit on the chair equipped and stared at their supper placed on the dining table.
Smoker noticed a hint of indecision in those brunette's eyes, probably having a hard time to trust the police fully. Law did not state it out loud but he did not favour authorities for sure.
"No additional drug, medication nor MSG in these pancakes, in case you're wondering and the tea is a cheap one if you don't mind the quality" Smoker spoke with a straight face before dined to prove his claim.
There was a slight relief from Law, judging by his tense shoulders began to slump lower at the sight of Smoker ate the food in an unwind manner. He took a bite and savoured the sugary flavour on his tongue taste bud. Not bad, he thought. The supper ended rather hurriedly and Smoker made his way to the waiting Law in the living room after he done with the dishes. The first aid kit on the table was opened to be used to treat Law as possible as he could. There were cuts and bruises as Smoker had predicted, still not included any injury in Law's clothed body parts and there was one thing he wanted to confirm from the scrawny guy before anything else.
"STRIP" ops, that was an unintended demand with a harsh voice. Too late to take it back with pride. Nice, Smoker.
"Wh –What?"
"Show me"
"What?"
"Your stomach. You kept brushing over your abdomen ever since we were at the beach, show me."
"There's nothing wrong with it." Law's hands were still on his stomach.
"…If you're hiding something illegal then be ease, 'cause I'm in off-duty, it'll be tolerable."
"I've nothing to hide…"
"Duh, how ironic, came from certain someone who refused to give his family name hours ago."
Law widened his eyes and held his sight away from Smoker. Obviously Law was hiding things, Smoker debated in his brain whether to use force or to take it easy. Law did not look like a threat, that for sure so the risk of being killed in his sentimental house was dropped down to zero. Maybe if he put a push here, cornered Law until he spit out about his secret would work a little. He was good in interrogation nonetheless he did not have that mood tonight. To be precise, Law was avoiding any contact of police and hospital including the doctors, other consultants were doubtless in the list too. He did say he only needed a few months to live. It was odd unless he was on the run and at the same time he had a particular reason to keep on living in some period length. Did he want to avenge somebody?
"I'm not a fond of keeping a stranger in my house. If I found a guy that I barely knew, it'll be a matter of time till he found himself at the outskirt of the city. I've no decent motive to keep you here, do I?"
The atmosphere air around the policeman and the conflict-looking male had been heavier than before for each passing second of tranquil aura filled in the living room. Smoker convinced that Law was initially a haughty one, unlikely to give in despite any distressed position he was currently involved. There was somewhat made this high self-pride man to break down, his pleaded to Smoker at the beach had verified it as vibrant as a sunny day. Law shut his eyes tightly, both of his tattooed hands palmed to knuckle-white, seemed to be fighting with himself inwardly.
Circumventing from being pitiful towards Law, the grey haired man rumbled more than necessary to indicate his seriousness and impatience just to tick the other off. Law clenched his teeth to hide his disconcert.
"Are you threatening me? So much of an ideal police, the protector of citizen or so the rumor goes on…"
"Huh? Now you see me as a policeman, should you drag your ass away from me? You hate them if I recall –"
"SHUT UP!"
Smoker let his sigh escaped from his mouth. This was no-good, he thought. Law was too apparent that he wanted a place to stay and be safe for only God know what the hell of the purpose was. He needed some kind of protection from Smoker, yet he could not admit it without tossing out his egotism which he detained firmly. Guess Smoker had to raise a white flag first –
"Ummp..!"
In a sudden, Law clamped his mouth with his hand, as if trying to block something that may come out from it and stood up brusquely to rush over the bathroom, leaving Smoker in confusion. Based on the sound of the echoed bathroom, his confusion had lifted up and lazily walked to it to check on Law. Meanwhile, Law was throwing up in the toilet with all his might, Shit! The foul smelled yellow-greenish liquid was not doing any good for him. It was poured out from his stomach like forever! His internal throat felt like burning and dry, the awful taste of it had successfully corrupted his pink tongue. The puking deed was too much that his eyes became watery to his disappointment.
"You really do have a stomach-ache. Should've said so, idiot. It's not that embarrassing." Smoker voiced out with a bit of playful tone to irk the vomited guy in front of him.
"…urghh…no…am…not…" It was hurt to speak when you had almost a bucket of puke pushed out from your internal body. Law's inward throat muscle must be in flame by now.
"Tell me or you'll have a free cost room overnight at hospital"
"..."
Another silence filled in, this time it was in the bathroom. Smoker truly had enough of this quiet sensation and was about to snap when Law tried his best to move his lips to state –
"I am…I'm ex…expecting…" There, that should do the trick. Damn you, Smoker-ya.
"….What?"
"What 'what'…?"
"Expecting what?" Smoker tilted his head a bit to the right side.
"…Baby"
"Huh? Whose?"
"Mine, bastard! I'm PREGNANT for goodness sake! Aren't you an idiot too?!"
…..
Yet an additional silence fell upon the surrounding air, it appeared the bathroom decided to vacuum itself for clearance. Somehow it would be an hour later that both 'idiots' could have their lungs to respire normally again.
AN: I just realised that I wrote more to Smoker side of view. Maybe it's kinda hard to do Law's POV but we'll see how it'll be later. Oh and I think Smoker and Law might be a bit OOC, I'm not very worried about Smoker but I'm sooo concern of Law. How to make a serious, genious, psychopath Law to be a person that carry a baby in his stomach? What'll be of his behaviour? I hate to make him be vulnerable like a woman, because he's a male. Haha erghh inner conflict.
Dear Reviewers~~
Frostheart D. Blaize: It'll take another or two chapters later before I write fully about Law's tragedy. Believe me, there's an OC that I forgot to mention but they…oh I'll explain later haha Thanks for the review ;-)
Puroppu: Thanks (^-^) I look forward to the continuation of this story as well. While writing this story, it's as if there's other me type these up because this is not the way I've planned hehe Thanks for reviewing!
