A/N: Okay, so the format over here is a little bit different because of the way FF doesn't let us link fics together. So this is both Stay With Me and Never Surrender in one fic, as it was going to be originally. I hope it doesn't get too confusing for you guys. Lemme know if it does, I'll try to sort it out.
Once again Zoro is voiced by my wonderful mate, Silva, and Beta'd by my amazing kouhai, Harley.
3 October - Part 3
"You're a shitty bastard and you fucking suck." Sanji grumbled, shifting the ice pack slightly to rest a little more comfortably on his eye.
He hurt. His ribs, his head, his arms, his legs, everywhere! He was pretty sure his entire body was one solid bruise. The shiner developing under the ice pack was threatening to cut off his vision, and worst of all he wasn't allowed to smoke. Yeah, yeah, that would only have made things worse, but it was the principle of the thing. He wasn't allowed. And not just because he and the shitty mossbrain were seated in one of the exam rooms at Four Blues Community General either! The nurse—the beautiful, stunning, articulate, immaculate, angelic, nurse—who'd taken his x-rays said that until he spoke with Dr. Trafalgar he wouldn't even be allowed to go outside and smoke. He needed to make sure the bones weren't actually broken.
And thank God for binders that only had metal on the zipper.
He hadn't had to take it off to get his x-rays done, which meant he hadn't had to try and wiggle back into it so that the marimo wouldn't notice. The last thing he needed was that idiot douchebag thinking of him as a girl! He wasn't a girl goddamnit! Anyone who thought so deserved the whatever-it-was he'd done to the asshole's thick skull. He was perfectly justified, as far as he was concerned.
His good eye slid over to the bastard, leaned back in his chair, neither one of them willing to get up on the bed, and on opposite sides of the room. They were just far enough apart that he could shove at Zoro's foot with his own.
So he did, with a tired growl.
Zoro shoved back, equally tired and growling in return, as he gave himself yet another pinch on the arm. His head felt fit to split at the temples and the nurse was positive he had a concussion, so he was under strict 'no napping' orders until he'd been given a once over. And an MRI, which they hadn't done yet because someone else was in it. She had also tentatively suggested his eye socket might be busted, which would be a bitch because they couldn't even splint that. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and try to escape the throbbing with a nice nap… and he wasn't allowed.
When the door opened, Zoro's eyes snapped up—and then he winced.
Law had had the day from Hell. Uncooperative patients, a constant stream of threatening injuries that needed IMMEDIATE attendance, he'd been kicked in the chest—twice!—by a brat of a child who didn't want the crayon broken off in his nose touched, and the icing on this ten-hour shift out of the bowels of Satan's digestive tract was the fucking coffee machine was broken and the others were out of stock.
He was about ready to kill someone and LOOKED like it as he stomped over to the green-haired idiot—who was in here for the third time this week—and yanked him up by his pierced ear to march him over to the door and the waiting, snickering, orderly.
"MRI room, concussion symptoms and possible broken facial bones, make sure there's no internal bleeding or intracranial pressure, if he needs a bore hole I want to fucking know BEFORE he loses half of his precious pair of brain cells," he said as he handed him over none too kindly and spun to glower at his other patient.
"You, on the table, ditch the shirt, if your ribs are broken or cracked I have to be sure your lungs are alright and I need to put this stethoscope directly on your skin, anything on your torso take it off unless it's imbedded in your skin."
He didn't look like someone to argue with; there were circles so dark they could have been black makeup under his eyes, his hair was in ragged disarray, his expression was haggard and worn, and his mostly dark skin seemed to have a pallor underneath that came part and parcel with aches and aggravation. His gaze was sharp, focused like an eagle or a hawk. The set of his mouth, downturned at the corners and bitten raw where it was clear he used his teeth to stop his words, spoke to his no-nonsense demeanor. His scrubs were immaculate bright yellow, painting him a member of the ER staff, though he wore a standard physician's coat over them. The snakebites and tattooed DEATH across the fingers of both hands was a little rebellious, but in a good way as far as Sanji was concerned, and having both ears pierced with rainbow-hued plugs just the size of the pad of his index finger made him wonder if the doctor's earlobes were sensitive. But what really caught the cook's attention, what drew him in like a moth to a flame, was the pattern of pearly spots splashed across one cheek and part of his nose. Often vitiligo could make a person look unnaturally painted, like someone had smacked the person with a paintbrush. But this… even under the heavy glower, was breath-taking. A mottling of color that looked no different than patterns of spots on a well-bred Great Dane or a wild snow leopard.
It made Sanji want to know how far the spots went, and whether he could taste the different colors of skin.
Then he realized the doctor had caught him staring!
He blanched, nearly dropping the ice pack. "You... uh... must be Law?"
Climbing to his feet with barely a look at the departing Zoro, he set the blessed bag of frozen water on the table next to the bed. Tie and jacket already on the arm of the chair behind him, he was quick to bring his hands to his buttons. But he hesitated for a moment. Doctors weren't supposed to be judgmental, and there were laws protecting his private information from being spread around, but that was little comfort when such knowledge could affect his employment opportunities, regardless of the consequences he could bring down on the physician.
"Um..." He winced again when the glower only deepened at his pause. "I just... could you shut the door?"
The doctor paused in his glowering scowl. "Oh. Right. Sorry."
He turned to it and shut it quietly, gratified to see Zoro already being bundled down the hallway, and locked it. Patient privacy was not something he meant to let lapse, but it had been a long shift and he still had a few hours to go. And lack of coffee. Oh gods what he would give for coffee right now. He let his forehead lean against the door for a minute like it would somehow help his headache and then straightened up to get a proper look at the x-rays, or at least get them up on the board while his patient finished disrobing so he could double check for cracks or breaks.
"And yes," he realized belatedly he'd never answered the first question, "I'm Law. Trafalgar D. Water Law. I would say it's a pleasure but you caught me on a bad night, Mr. Noir."
"Sanji. If it's all the same." He finished unbuttoning his shirt and laid it across the arm of the chair with his jacket and tie, and almost started to pull his binder off when the movement caught and he hissed loudly. "Merde!"
Law was there in just seconds, shoving his hand away and taking the zipper's tab himself. "Don't strain yourself; I swear to God I get the stubborn ones on my shift! No, no I'll do it, Jesus Christ if you have a broken rib that could puncture something! Don't TWIST for the love of every fucking deity!"
"You said to take it off! You look exhausted! I'm not being stubborn, I'm doing what you told me to—oh fine!" The blond huffed, letting the doctor manhandle him. "And it's not broken. I know broken. At worst I've bruised the bones, which is a bitch, but it won't kill me."
He got the binder off and winced at the red-raw skin beneath as he put it on top of his shirt.
"I sincerely hope it's not bruised, but I'm going to listen to your lungs anyway," the brunet said as he pulled the stethoscope up to his ears. "There's always a chance of fluid buildup, especially in smokers. And... I'm sorry to be short and testy. I'm meaner than hell when I haven't had coffee, and our break room pot is broken and all the machines for patients' families are being restocked. There's not a drop of caffeine in the entire hospital."
Sanji deliberately didn't look down at what Law was doing with his chest. Though that was more psychological than anything else. The shape clearly betrayed just how long he'd been binding and discolorations around both sides of his ribcage spoke of years where he hadn't been doing it safely. He wasn't entirely sure where to put his hands, so when the brunet moved around to the back, he crossed his arms over the offensive sacks of fat.
"Is your night at least almost over?"
"Yes, in... an hour and a half," Law replied absently around listening the other's breathing—clear of fluid, but definitely a smoker's lungs, which on principle he hated to hear.
The breast tissue had no damage or even bruising aside from that which came from binding, so he didn't pay that much attention as he came around and picked the x-rays back up to put on the board. Both showed what he'd hoped not to see, dark spots within the borders of the bone, and he winced.
"Yeah, it's cracked and bruised. No marrow leakage," he traced the bone's outline, "which is great, it'll heal much faster, but the pain is going to really be nasty for a while. I'll write you a mild prescription for Tramadol, that'll make it easier to function, but I can't recommend anything constrict your ribs or this could easily turn into a full-fledged break."
He glanced at the binder and turned to Sanji.
"Do you have any looser binders? Putting that much pressure on this rib is a bad idea with how tight that one is."
"I... think I know where I can borrow one."
The cook flipped his hair to the other side of his face to cover the bruise around his eye and cringed at the x-rays. His brother was going to beat his head in for this; he could hear the older chef's rant now. So, instead of following that line of thought, he tilted his head coyly to the side and smiled.
"I know it's probably unethical, but when you get off, would you wanna grab a drink? I know a great little cafe not too far from here, there's a street musician too, always sets up right in front of the tables. Next to my own, it's the best coffee in the city."
Law paused in taking down the x-rays, glancing over at him questioningly. "They'll be open this late?"
He finished putting them back in the folder and leaned on the counter, honestly considering it. After all, it wasn't like he was unavailable.
"...I will agree, but only on the condition that by the time you come back here to meet me for the walk to the cafe you have already gotten into the looser binder. As a doctor I cannot in good conscience let you take me out in that one," he pointed to the offensive binder lying innocently on the chair.
Sanji chuckled ruefully. "I don't think I could get back into that one. Not until some of the swelling goes down at least. But it's a deal. And yeah. Koala's open nearly twenty fours. I think Old Man Hack only closes the shop for like two hours around four a.m. Didn't much think of the time though. Guess it is kinda late for some folks."
He rubbed the back of his neck, the swelling in his bruised cheek making his smile lopsided.
"Growing up in a restaurant messes with your sense of 'late' and 'early'."
The brunet put the ice pack back in his hand and gently pulled it up to his swollen cheek. "So does being an ER doc. I'll have nights I walk out of here at three in the morning and I'm surprised there are no cabs or buses or diners open. Your eye, by the way, will have a spectacular shiner in the next twenty four hours, but the swelling will go down and there's only bruising as far as the damage runs. And it's a deal then."
"You have talented hands, doc. I feel better already." Oh, what his father would say if he could hear him now! Shameless flirt! And the blond was loving every minute of it. "See you in an hour and half."
Law shook his head and clicked his tongue, but he also cracked a smile for the first time since clocking in. "Yeah, yeah, see you in an hour and a half. Now excuse me while I tend to Luffy's regular idiot. He hasn't even got his stitches out and he's already back, I swear to god I'll chain him to a hospital bed if he keeps on like this. I'm sick of him in my ER!"
Sanji couldn't help it, the curl of disdain for the green-haired man cut through his good mood, "He asked for it."
He hopped off the bed and started pulling his shirt back on. He couldn't exactly make everything look right per say, but he could at least cover up with the layers if he left the jacket unbuttoned and used a bigger tie knot than his standard half-Windsor. The binder he folded up and tucked into the small of his back where the shirt and jacket both covered it. Out of the way, protected, invisible, and safe should anyone try anything between here and his brother's apartment. Hopefully the man would be there at least long enough for him to get what he needed and leave without too many questions being asked.
"He's always asking for it. Idiot can't help it, I suppose. I mean really. Most people when they see a knife in somebody's hand move either away or to get rid of the weapon. Who fucking THROWS themselves onto the knife to keep it away from the person he's protecting?! I'd call him suicidal if I didn't know he has goals he's determined to reach," the other complained grumpily, and sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "Then again he knows how Nami gets about extortionists."
"Hmm. How's she feel about misogynists?" The cook muttered, pulling his jacket a little harder than necessary to straighten it.
"She usually puts them in my ER," Law replied blandly. "That is if Zoro doesn't throw them out first. Which he tries to, because Nami is one frightening woman when she is angry."
"Most females are." There was more to that sentence but he left it hanging in the air, the blond's choice of words specific. Then he flashed another winning smile. "I'd gather if you know her well, she undoubtedly trusts you to help instill the message that they're wrong, ne?"
The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Oh no. She trusts me to stitch them back up so they live to learn their lesson about thinking of women as lesser. And she also trusts me not to tell where they needed to get stitches or perhaps how many valuables seem to have gone missing from their persons." He smiled a bit wickedly as his black eyes gleamed. "However, we need to put that aside a moment; as I understand it, from the way it sounds in the notes," he picked up the clipboard to flip to them, "it seems you were provoked into a fight by Zoro? I'm required to ask if you'd like to press charges and if you'd like the documentation of your injuries in case you'd like to take him to court. Would you?"
"Yes, I was, and no, the stupid, mossbrain," Sanji deleted several expletives from that description, "should've learned his lesson. And if he's in jail, I can't make sure he has. Besides," he fiddled with his tie a little, a shadow crossing his face as he looked away for a minute, "police tend not to want to help people like me."
The same shadow crossed Law's face before he shook his head. "Yes, I'm aware, and it's bullshit, but I am required to ask. Though I'm not sure what lesson he was supposed to learn by having his skull kicked in. He's barely got two brain cells to rub together, you know. Fight and sleep."
The blond laughed, chasing away the darkness, "Oh I'd gathered that much. He didn't even ask how I fight before jumping into it. Of course, even if he had I wouldn't have held back, but it's a really stupid move to challenge a Gold Glove Savate practitioner."
He didn't like bragging but... well, if it made him look better to the doc, what was the harm? And if Law knew Luffy, then Law knew about Luffy, and as such Sanji was banking on him knowing the fact that a busted eye socket and a concussion was the least of what the cook could have done to the muscleheaded idiot. He'd like to say he'd been holding back, but he could say that the last strike was unplanned and a reaction to his own injury instead of a deliberate move. It actually worried him a little, not much because he was confident in his skills, but a little. He hadn't been holding back. He'd been going all out. Granted the mossball was mostly defending himself, but still. He'd been able to take everything Sanji had thrown at him until the cheap shots at the end, where the bastard had tricked him into going down because of the one part of his body where he was weakest.
"Oh he'll be so proud to know he went against someone the best in their style. That's his favorite pastime after all." The doc said dryly, then stopped and blinked. Then, he amended, "Actually don't tell him, he'll be after you to spar with him constantly. And I'll have to keep patching you two up. Anyway, you're all good, here are your discharge papers, and now I have to see to the mossball idiot's prescription. God, I hate having to give him pain meds. Something in his system... ah, that's—well, I'm sure that's not something you care about anyway," he gave Sanji a little hand flutter, shooing him. "You go on and get that looser binder and get comfortable again, Mr. Sanji. I'll meet you after my shift."
"Count on it." The blond took his papers and gave the doctor a wink on his way to the front desk to sign out.
In another room, Zoro held the ice against his face, scowling at the images on the desk waiting for Law. Broken eye socket and a definite concussion! None of his other bones seemed to be bruised, cracked, or broken though, which he was glad for… taking injuries out of a simple block would have been humiliating on a personal level. Still, constant monitoring and—he winced when moving his bad eye, which was already dim and a pain in the ass, made the whole side of his head throb. Fucking. Peachy.
The laughter of his best friend and technical boss was not helping, especially because the bouncy brat kept shifting from sitting to leaning on the desk to pacing. "You know, you should've seen your face right before Sanji clocked you in the jaw! Priceless! Better than that time Usopp got you in the groin! Remember? With the mock AK he suped up! It was AWESOME! You and Sanji should spar more often. You're a good match!"
"Luffy…" he gritted his teeth with his eyes closed, ice pressed a little too hard against his face, "why are you here again? Other than to poke at me and keep me awake because we both know that's not the real reason?"
"Ace went down on Sabo when he woke up from his nap." The position the younger man was currently in had him hanging off of the chair upside down, his feet on the wall, and attempting to balance a tongue depressor between his lips and his nose. "I don't mind, I just didn't wanna be there and not involved. Messes with my concentration and I was in the middle of trying to beat OP Red Unlimited. Y'know that one fighting game where you can beat up the marines and stuff?"
"I've heard of it. I guess there's even a villain that lets you kick people when they're down, which sounds like a pretty fun game, and I can see why you'd bounce if you weren't involved. Those two usually do go at it like rabbits after all," Zoro sighed, leaning his good cheek in his hand and wincing again. "Did you get far on it?"
"About to beat up some asshole named Kurohige. Reminds me of that guy from POTC, the one with the government that branded Jack for saving the slaves. But he's tough as hell! Gonna take at least another round to kick his ass." Luffy dropped the tongue depressor and he looked up at the other man, "So how long were you guys out there anyway? I went up to Sabo after dinner, and it was like... two hours or something when Ace crashed out. Finally." The last word had a dark growl under it, betraying his worry over his brother's sleeping habits. "When I came back down was right before Nami opened the door. Should'a told me you were sparring. I'd've joined in! He's like wicked strong!"
"To be honest, I think I pushed him too hard and got a real fight instead of a spar," the bouncer said ruefully, with a gesture to his eye. "He came at me like I was a training dummy or punching bag, didn't hold back at ALL. But it was great," he smirked, "I can hardly wait to do it again!"
The captain laughed again, somersaulting onto his feet with a small bounce, "That's awesome! I wanna get a chance at him. If he can throw you across the lot like that, I wanna feel it!"
"I'm sure he will if you ask him to," Zoro replied dryly, wincing again and rubbing his temples. Ugh, he'd give his left nipple to make this headache go away!
Just then the door flew open, not quite banging off of the wall behind it, but certainly loud enough to convey the message the man in front of it wanted to get across. He spared the enthusiastic brunet a long-suffering, but slightly grateful, look, and the Rubberman bounced his way out.
"Catch ya later, Zoro!"
Undoubtedly, he'd find someone to pester until Law could meet him after his shift was over. The doctor made a mental note to inform the youngest of his boyfriends he was going on a date. He knew it wouldn't be a problem, but announcing to a potential partner that they had to share him with three other men was a little much to take in on the first date. It wasn't that he was particularly secretive about it. He was just wise enough to know that polyamory was something that needed to be discussed at a time when he wasn't severely caffeine deprived and Sanji wasn't hopped up on pain killers. And it was just coffee. No matter how pretty the blond was, there was no guarantee there would be anything after this.
As such he turned to his patient, "You had better not have popped your stitches, Mr. Roronoa. I'm not fixing you up a third time this week for the same injury all because you let a pair of gorgeous legs and a smart mouth get the better of your temper."
Zoro coughed. "I... don't think any popped?" he offered with a half-smile, voice nervous. "And I don't even know what I said to piss him off so much, but HE started on ME when I was badgering Nami about the pay grade, I was hoping she'd be able to find SOME loophole. Fucking landlord raised the rent again."
"The way Chopper told it makes me wonder if he has a history with sexism." The dark doctor carefully protected his first patient's confidentiality, while advancing on the other one. "Now off with the shirt, I know you better than to believe you let anyone check your laceration before I got here."
Mouth curling out in a pout as he pulled his shirt over his head, the green-haired man grumbled. "Dammit. Fiiine..."
Yep. Two stitches popped, right in the vent where he'd taken a hit.
Law tsk'd, once for each stitch, and poked the blossoming bruise next to it under the guise of checking for infection drainage. "I'll have to redo them both. Up on the bed. You know I hate working bent over."
Zoro groaned, but climbed up to plant his ass on that hard seating, wincing at the poking and glaring. He had an assorted collection of bruises steadily darkening all over his torso. He looked like a purple leopard.
The brunet gave an appreciatively drawn out whistle.
"You look almost as spotty as I do. Good job." His tone dripped with entertained sarcasm as he moved over to the cabinet on the wall to gather his materials. "And your landlord is a dick. You need to move. I believe I make the fourth person to say that to you." He turned back to the bouncer with an expression that was as close to sympathy as he got after a day like today, "Why do you not take Luffy up on his offer?"
Zoro winced. "I really don't think it could... uhm, I don't think getting drawn into your guys' relationship would be something I'd do well at, and you know Luffy, Ace and Sabo. If I moved in with them, something would start up with someone, and all for one and one for all, y'know... and I'm okay with that part, really I am, I just... I don't think I'd include everyone as much as I'd want to, I'd get frustrated, and I really don't want bad feelings. Not to mention I'd go nuts with Luffy bouncing around the house all the time and wind up stomping off to look for a new apartment with everyone fuming. I wanna move, I'm looking for a place, but I just can't move in with Luffy and them."
As much as he was loath to admit it about his beloveds, the other had a point, which Law conceded with a nod, "True. As attractive as you are, Zoro, I have to say that you and I would be a poor match. All for one and one for all, and all that. There. Now let me see your eye."
The doctor sat back, wrapping the whole bundle of gauze, used needle, snipped thread, and paper drape into the ball of his gloves to be disposed of in the sharps/biohazard container on the wall. A new pair of gloves and he was pulling his pen light out of his pocket to check the reflection on the back of Zoro's retina. His other hand steadied his patient's chin with a firm but gentle grip, carefully avoiding the discoloration of the skin where Sanji's shoe had left its imprint.
"So, why not Usopp or Franky? I know they might not be the best of long-term roommates, but it would be something closer to the Sunny and away from your landlord. Until you found a new permanent place."
"They're inventing at all hours of the night, when would I sleep? No, they're out, especially since I intimidate Usopp and sometimes Franky has Robin back to his place. I'm a pretty persnickity assholish roommate. I couldn't stand the grease and oil stains," Zoro admitted with a sheepish smile that was only on his good side.
"I know personally better than to suggest Chopper or myself. Or any of the girls." Law snickered at him, clicking the pen light off, and sitting back. "What about Brook?"
"I... maybe. Aren't all his rooms rented? I know he and I get along most of the time..."
"Last I heard his basement was open." With a pop of his spine, the brunet's eyes darted to the clock on the wall, and pulled his script-pad from his pocket. "I'm guessing we have to go with Dilaudid again if we're gonna get any pain relief at all for you, aren't we?" His tone carried the weight of how much paperwork that would entail, but the certainty that nothing less would work for his friend. "The Vicoden did nothing last time, right?"
The bouncer winced again, he hated being trouble for his friend. "Ah... yeah. I really wish it did, Law, I really do, but... it did about what an aspirin does: nothing. I'm sorry, man. I'll look into Brook's basement," he promised.
"Yeah," Law waved him off, already writing out the prescription. "You're better than trying to dose the Pink Bastard." He tore the sheet off the pad and held it out, but didn't let go right away. "Standard bone procedure. Let Franky handle tossing assholes for at least two weeks. No punches to the face. Call me or Chopper if you get spots, blurred edges, stars, dizziness not connected to the meds, or memory loss. Don't sleep until after you talk to Brook tonight. You got a way to get there, or do you need my cell?"
"I can walk, I know my way from here," Zoro asserted, pouting again. Throwing them out the door was his favorite part dammit!
"Uh huh, last time I let you tell me that you wound up back here a couple of hours later with a busted nose." The doctor was laughing at him, quietly, while he dug his cell phone out of his back pocket. "Here, call Usopp. He'll be done with the show by now, and Nami's gonna want to make sure you don't get lost again."
Though Zoro's infamous sense of no-direction was usually the butt of all of their nakama's jokes, he really did have a point. Technically, no matter how fast the bushido bouncer healed, he was still concussed and risked passing out if left entirely on his own. At the same time though, the brunet knew he wouldn't take kindly to the industry standard approach for such situations, and he certainly wouldn't appreciate more of the mothering attitude all of the ER nurses and orderlies tended to take with concussion patients. Which was why the long-nosed jack-of-all-trades was the best choice. Zoro could intimidate him into shutting up and Usopp's sharp eye for detail would still be able to keep close watch on him for trouble. His accuracy with a rifle wasn't the only thing the dark man could zero in on.
The green-head sighed, but took the phone and dialed him up. "Thanks. One day, when I've been there long enough to earn actual money, I'll pay you back for all the bullshit you go through for us. I swear, Law—Usopp, yeah, can you pick me up from the ER? I got a concussion again, m'not allowed to walk to your place. Yeah, stitches too. No, he hasn't clouted me; he didn't have to, had a blond bastard kick me in the face for him and break my eye socket. No, no, the bad side. Yes, the bruising is all over, yes I'll let you sketch it. Fine. Just come get me, sniperboy," he growled, hanging up.
Law snickered a bit louder, moving over to pull the discharge papers from the file, and jotting down a few notes for the medical assistant that was going to be organizing everything for him. He kept one eye on his patient, the other kept drawing his attention to the clock. He'd spent a good forty-five minutes with Zoro. Ordinarily, no, that was a long time to spend on one ER patient, but frankly, the hospital board could suck his dick for all he cared at the moment. His official shift was supposed to have been over four hours ago! And that was just because he'd agreed to cover for Drake! He hadn't originally been scheduled at all! AND WITH NO COFFEE! So, less than two hours away from the end of second shift period, he could spend as much time as he felt was necessary with his patients and everyone else could just piss off.
It surprised him a little how much he was looking forward to the date, and without his knowledge a certain smile pulled up the corners of his mouth as he wondered if that 'street musician' would be there too. That would be entertaining to say the very least. And at that, the image of the two blonds in the same bed at the same time shot straight through his spine. Oh that was pretty!
Zoro recognized it.
"Meetin' Luffy after work, Law?" He gently bumped shoulders with him, grinning a little bit lopsidedly as he tried to distract himself valiantly from the throb in his head.
"No, actually." The other resolutely did not jump when the silent bouncer appeared next to him the same way his father always did. Therefore the breath he took to school his features was born of exhaustion, not to calm his thumping heart! Still, he glared sarcastically down at him, "NRE if you must know, and the possibility that coffee may become something more. One for all, as you said."
The bouncer nodded and gave him a friendly squeeze to the shoulder, careful to moderate his strength. "Best of luck to ya, then. You guys could use at least one more level head."
"Why thank you, Zoro, but I fear even if all of the level heads in our nakama got together, we still wouldn't out weigh Luffy alone, nevermind adding Ace into the mix." His dark eyes sparkled with the affection he held for his partners, no matter how irritating they could be. He offered the discharge papers, "Here you are, check in with Vivi at the desk, and I'll take a look at you again tomorrow at the Sunny. Chopper will want to know what you did."
Zoro wilted and sighed. "Do we have to tell him? Again? But alright, I'll check in with Vivi..."
Law didn't answer, he merely smiled with the promise that if the green-haired man didn't tell their friend, he was going to, and they both knew that wouldn't end well for anyone. They didn't know where he got it, but when it came to his nakama's health the little seventeen-year-old could suplex even Franky into submission. With the right motivation, Chopper appeared to be physically stronger than literally any of them put together. Though whether that was because nobody could stand to hurt the kid or because he was just as strange and weird as the rest of them was uncertain. All that mattered was that if he didn't get told about the outcome of what had happened between Zoro and Sanji, the soon-to-be doctor would make sure both cook and bouncer remembered it.
"Nghaaaaa... oh alright. I'll tell him," the patient grumped, collecting his jacket and his bag of ice, since that was all he could use until his prescription was filled. "Enjoy your date. And do I hope that 'street performer' does 'just happen' to be playing right when your shift gets off. Maybe he'll even have a coffee too hot for him to drink he's willing to share," he teased good-naturedly.
The doctor let himself be glad of that, especially as the discharge had taken another fifteen minutes. He gave an honest smile about it, and waved his goodbye over his shoulder as they parted ways; Zoro heading for the front desk, Law for his office to burn the last thirty minutes on paperwork. He had a hot blond he didn't want to keep waiting.
