Taking Care of You
AN: My deepest apologies for this late update. I'm really, really apologise for those who have been waiting, if there's any. *bowing 90 degree* :')
Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece originality.
Ch 4: Siblings
Strange, it was very sunny a while ago. The blue not-so-morning sky was now clogged with dark clouds, grey and black fuse together, making them looked weightier and weightier as seconds passed. Water vapors eventually visible themselves as tiny droplets and forming rain, pouring down onto the earth with gentle drizzle, as if comforting the current crying young man in a certain house of a neighbourhood.
Law was so embarrassed, letting out the tears like that in front of other people, particularly the one he barely knew for a day. His emotion got the better on him more once he tried to conceal it, brushed it over his eyes with his one forearm, head fall downward as much as possible to hide his messed up face.
This was out of his character, and he hated it.
"Um…L…Law…" the doctor felt a bit guilty, telling his patient such dreadful fate, he might be over the edge stated it all out loud. "But it's only, I mean, MOSTLY still a hasty theory so…umm…"
Gesturing his hand as a sign of stop towards Chopper, Law assured the youth without looking at him. "No, my life had been a hell after all, it's not a big deal". Glad he managed to find his voice at the moment.
Hearing it from Law had made Chopper relaxed a little, though Smoker seemed to be uneasy, still. The inspector was just about to open his mouth when suddenly there was a loud thump of his entrance door, followed by a shaky laughter in the living room that so well-known to both Smoker and Chopper but startled Law with the rapid intrusion.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SMOKEYYYY! I'M DRIPPING WET!...Achoooo! Urgh…Shishishi!"
Smoker could only grunt in disapproval, while Chopper took a sneak peak to his dear nakama outside of the room.
"Luffy! Why are you playing in the rain? Take a shower now! You'll catch cold like that!"
Happy to meet his young friend, the drenched Luffy quickly hugged Chopper. "Ah? Oh hey, Chopper! I miss you! How've you been?"
Chopper's cheek turned to pink, feeling very pleased with Luffy missing him already since their last meeting a week ago. Luffy was the kind of person that could never lie, full with honesty, and straightforward. The genius youth could not help but wiggled slightly in their embrace. "~Even though you said that, I'm not very happy, you bastard~! Now go to the bathroom!"
"Wait, where's Smokey? I heard he finally had his holiday! Let's go somewhere together!"
A whack sound was heard, clearly had hit the black raven's head with generous amount, probably.
"Stop yelling and take your bath."
Letting go Chopper from the tight clasp, Luffy caressed his poor head and pouted, locking his eyes with the other man's who was responsible of the early abuse.
"Smokey is meanie!...huh? Who's that?"
All three of them had their looks fell onto a figure stood straight right outside one of the rooms. A little bit disheveled, but Law was getting too wary to care of his appearance, as slowly one by one person had accidentally met him, which he disliked of being known to many people. In a matter of time, his secret would be exposed. His pregnancy and his past.
"You look…familiar."
It was a tad late for lunch treat, but the oh-so-kind-hearted Chief Inspector Smoker gave in to cook some meals for his acquai – nakama, perhaps, plus a dark haired stranger. Law surprised him when the younger man helped him as well. So this mysterious brat sure knew how to cook. The food he made was more mouthwatering than Smoker at the very least, enough to make food-eating monster Luffy drooled non-stop.
"Not ash gret ash Shanji but thish ish dhelichious, Torao! Shishishi!"
A few minutes earlier, they had a minor ice-breaking tick. Thing about Law's carrying was kept in silent to the strawhatted boy for safe side. Maybe now was not the accurate time to reveal it. As expected, Law did not know Luffy, nor met him somewhere. Luffy still insisted he had seen someone like Law previously, but failed to remember such vague memory.
Before he hurt his own head and got a fever by overthinking, Luffy dropped the topic and resumed to eat the hot lunch, so did Law, it might be a trivial matter he thought. Old folks used to say each individual had other three or seven persons with same face all over the world, related by blood or not.
"You should meet our nakama; Sanji. He's the best cook I've ever encounter! His food is a good example of nutritious and balanced diet. The minute you eat it, your body feel revive instantly. It'll be good for you, Law!" Chopper proclaimed with glitters in his brown eyes.
"…I don't think it's pleasurable to meet any other people after this."
"Why, Torao? Isn't that the more friends, the merrier?"
"That's not the case. I've my reason. I don't wanna know them –"
"Awwwwwwwwwww maaaaaaan~~~~~~~~~~~~ Torao doubts us! We're friends by this time~~ Ne, Torao! Come on, come on, let's meet everyone!"
Twitched in annoyance, Law was holding himself to not lash out on the pestered Luffy over the dining table. Law liked the guy, but sometimes his hyper enthusiasm bothered him at some points.
The grey haired policeman beside the scowled Law piped in before anything got worse… "If we get the chance, we'll meet all of them so soon, Mugiwara. Stop whining and finish your food." …Or on second thought, adding an oil into the fire was not a bad idea, he guessed.
Law had almost broke his neck when he snapped his sight towards Smoker in a swift motion, completely distressed with the sentence. Smoker on the other hand obviously understood Law's dissatisfaction, threw a knowing glance for a few seconds and smirked faintly. Law's expression at the moment nearly made Smoker to actually roll on the floor laughing, not that he would have done it at the first place for real.
"Smokey, you should've call me Luffy by now! Shishishi! Can't wait for it, Torao!" Luffy had grinned widely to the assurance, fully dense to the tension air around the newcomer form in front.
Chopper let out an insecure sigh, "Smokey, you're not being helpful."
Empathy got the best of him, thus the doctor asked something else to free the teased guy, "I'm really wanting you to have your regular check-up at the hospital, Law. It has everything that vitals for your treatment there. Seeing that you've refused it too much, I'll take the liberty to come here every weekend." Law nodded at this, relief displayed over his feature. To his luck, he had come across a trustworthy doctor there, despite being washed away from a far place. He hoped he was.
"And Smokey, I'll leave some of my medical equipment here. Sorry for disturbing you like that."
"If you were troubling me, I wouldn't have giving you my spare key, Chopper."
Beaming brightly to his first friend, Chopper then gave a hand to Law by collecting and washing the dishes with efforts, he was the shortest one among them anyway.
"Eh? Torao is sick? I'm sorry for forcing you just now!" Luffy wore a frightful mien, finally realising his misbehave. His apology was so sincere, and since Law was not keeping it to heart, he just smiled in return.
The rain had stopped, gloomy sky was overwhelming the atmosphere with heavy moisture surrounded. Chopper decided to get back to his workplace. "Well, off we go, call me anytime okay? Even if it's only a small problem to you, you must inform me regardless of it. Keep that in mind."
"See ya guys later, Torao! Smokey! Shishishishi! Thanks for the meal! And shower!" Luffy quickened his pace following Chopper in tow, after several waves of goodbye to the said residents.
Smoker closed the door and groaned in tiredness while leaning against it. Chopper aside, having an energetic Luffy alone as a visitor always draining him for the day, however he had to admit he felt ease watching the cheerful boy bounced around. Someway or another, his aura affected Smoker's mood in a good way.
"Getting old, Smoker-ya?"
Tch. He forgot there was another problematic guy entering his life recently. That smug look on the black raven-haired man, if only he had a physical will to wipe it off…In various means…
"Watch your words, brat. Or I'll leave you alone on the street."
Horror on Law's façade had Smoker shut his laser mouth, he had threatened the pregnant male without knowing, which in fact he only intended it as a mockery. Law did not say any word, afraid he might excessively pissed the only savior he had for the time being, or forever. He still had his ego to not allow himself asking forgiveness from the other man nonetheless.
An awkward silence was getting thicker, Smoker absently put on his cigarette to inhale a tranquil sensation smoke when a freshly vivid image popped up in his mind, a conversation between him and Chopper.
Listen, Smokey. For these nine months, can you hold back your smoking habit near Law? The toxic fume endangers both parent and the unborn baby inside. As Law's condition is highly delicate to protect two of them, what's more, he's a special occasion, thus he need an extra harmless environment. Please do some researches on your own a bit for how to take care of a carrying person. Will you endure it?
Putting away his cancer stick and rubbing the back of his head, Smoker spoke, "I didn't mean it."
"…I know," Apparently, Law took a seat on a sofa in the living room with a television remote control in his hand, attempted to distract himself by watching any channel available. He felt frightened just a moment ago, albeit he would deny it till death.
Feeling nothing he could do, Smoker sat on the other sofa, prying chances to lift up Law's obscure anxiety. He decently did not know what to say, if Chopper found out about this, he would have a bloody earful from the chibi doctor. Brushing his soft grey hair, the inspector cleared his throat.
"Luffy's not a normal teenager."
"…"
"He's from an exceptional agency, together with his brothers."
Siblings? So Luffy-ya had them too. Law wanted to ask what was about it made Luffy not some common civilian, or what kind of agency and jobs they involved in? In spite of those, Law chose to stay quiet. It must have been nice, living with his much alive brothers. So what was up? Why Smoker-ya blurted out such info? It looked like the subject matter was regarding to sibling.
"I don't have one though."
The sound of television accompanied them, and Law had a feeling Smoker was mustering his determinations to talk to him at the very second. Being coward was not an option. He should not be.
"I've a twin sister; Dely-ya."
Astonished, the older male stared the man next to him. Smoker constantly assuming Law as a single child in a family. Who would have thought he had a sister? A twin in addition to that?
"She must have been concerned about you, as you're at this instant."
Law closed his eyes, head resting comfortably on the sofa. "She used to be. She didn't have to anymore." His pair of dark orbs gazed to Smoker's, "I took her life."
He caused Dely-ya's death.
That one fact would remain unchanged.
I'm sorry.
AN: My University's schedule is killing me, really. Me and my friends accept our fate and trying our best to hold on, although we don't really have a life in these few months. A few more months until our graduation, and I'll be free to write any story to my heart content. AHHHHHHHH! Thank you for reading, dear reviewers and readers. Oh and I love One Piece manga & anime. They're getting better, dude!
