Chapter 25
Luffy
"I'll kill you." Law snarled. A loud thump and a string of curses followed. "Law?" He asked, trying to get his lover's attention who now seemed more than a few feet away from the phone. He must have dropped it. "Law." He called louder, only to hear a door slam. This wasn't good.
He listened for another minute only to hear silence before hanging up the phone. It'd do him no good to stay on the call; Law wasn't in the room anymore. He turned to the T.V. watching the news, what was he supposed to do? What was going on?
Who would do this to Law? Why would somebody want to pose as the Surgeon of Death? He chewed his lip nervously, looking toward the front door. Was Law coming home? Were cops going to show up? Was this the end? Had somebody figured them out and was now framing them to be caught?
"Shit." He mumbled to himself before walking over and turning off the T.V. It'd do him no good to stress out like this.
A loud knock and the doorbell ringing caused him to jump and run to the check the cameras. Certainly the cops couldn't have found them this quick? What would Law think if he came home and he was gone? No. Worse if the cops were here waiting? He'd have to take care of them, at least to give Law a chance to run.
What a crappy time for the front gate to be giving them problems, it'd had to been left open for the last week. Law hadn't found time to fix it yet and nobody would have been able to come this far into the front yard without their knowledge if the alarm had been up.
He clicked through the cameras until the front door came into view, and then let out a breath of annoyance and relief. It was only Zoro. He debated on just ignoring the man, but the thought of Law coming home and finding Zoro waiting by the front door wasn't a welcome thought. He had to get rid of Zoro.
He walked quickly toward the front door, yanking it open and looking past Zoro's shoulder. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "What?" He snapped, continuing to watch for danger. He tapped his foot impatiently as Zoro started to speak, "Look I understand that we were in the wrong, all of this got out of hand but don't push me out. Let's talk about this." He chewed his lip, looking at Zoro's downcast face.
He really didn't have time for this. "I'm done. There's nothing left to say, and that goes for the rest of you too. Don't ever step on my property again." He spat, putting as much venom in his words as he could muster before slamming the door in Zoro's face. He took a shaky breath, and waited by the front door until he heard Zoro's retreating footsteps.
He kept a careful watch on the cameras after that, and wasn't surprised when not fifteen minutes later Law's car pulled into the driveway. He ran to open the front door, and swallowed nervously when Law entered the house. "Law." He murmured but received no response.
Law didn't even look at him, just pushed past him and headed toward the basement. A pang of uneasiness went through him at Law's strange state. He'd never been ignored before; it was as if Law hadn't even seen him. He followed nervously, watching as Law typed in the code to the basement, mumbling something he couldn't make out.
Law descended the stair quickly once the door was open and he followed slower, unsure of what to do. As he walked down the steps Law's voice was easier to make out, "You? You the Surgeon of Death?" Law mocked, and he blinked in shock when Law grabbed the neatly placed instruments next to the operating table flipping them angrily.
He flinched at the loud crash as their scalpels and various instruments flung into the wall and onto the floor. "Pathetic. Imposter. Tainted Liar." Law hissed, grabbing the operating light and smashing it against the wall as well, the light bulb bursting and sending tiny shards across the table and floor.
He took a few more steps down the stairs, debating on how to handle Law. He'd never seen this side of Law and it sent a small shiver of fear through him. Who was this guy? "I will show you the real Surgeon of Death, I'll show you who the true god is when I'm holding your beat less heart." Law's hand gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white from the applied pressure.
He had now reached the end of the stairs, and he felt his heart jump as Law raised his other fist into the air, bringing it down harshly onto the operating table that was now covered in glass. "Kill." Law growled, and then punched the table again. "Kill, kill, kill," Law continued to growl, his voice growing louder with each punch.
"Kill, kill," Law almost yelled, his fist covered in blood as glass shards punctured his skin. Law didn't seem to be in pain though, his punching only grew harder. He pushed past his uneasiness, and closed the distance between himself and Law.
He couldn't allow Law to hurt himself any further, and he grabbed Law's wrist preventing him front punching the table. "Look at me." He pleaded, and Law pulled his arm away aggressively. He reached for the wrist again, using his strength to keep hold on the arm and turn Law to face him forcefully.
"Look at me." He spoke louder, pulling Law's bloody hand against his face. He kept his hold tight and steady, only shuffling when blood started to drip down his cheek. Law stared at him, eyes dark and distant and he moved Law's hand, tracing the scar on his cheek.
He'd felt Law do this to him on multiple occasions, usually when the older man thought he was sleeping and he hoped that it'd somehow bring the Law he knew back. It was a slim chance, but he continued to guide Law's hand across his scar until Law traced it on his own.
Law's eyes filled with distress and he cupped his cheek like it was a lifeline. Law still looked out of it, eyes glazed but he knew Law wasn't in his raged state anymore. "Luffy." Law croaked, and he nodded, relieved that Law recognized him. "This is too messy, and I'm perfect." Law whispered, his face looked completely devastated and his eyes fell to the floor.
"No one can ever be you." He spoke, and Law's down cast eyes darkened once again. He knew he was on a slim line, Law was close to flipping out again and he quickly pulled the older man toward the door where their hearts were. He kept a tight hold on Law as he entered the code, and unlocked the door.
Once the door was open he released Law's hand and swept his arm out to gesture toward their hearts. "Look at this, look at all of our hearts, at the lives taken by our hands. This one won't be any different. The power is in our hands, we will fix this." He kept his voice strong, because if he didn't hold it together Law certainly wouldn't.
..
The next morning he slipped out of bed quietly, Law was fidgeting in his sleep and he frowned. He'd managed to calm Law down last night, but the older male was still on a thin line. He had no idea how to handle this problem, and was hoping Law would be in a better state of mind after sleeping.
He had work, and even though he wanted to stay home he didn't want to make anything seem suspicious. He didn't want to think of the kind of scene Law had made at work, and he knew Law would still want him to go to work if he was in his right state of mind.
As he pulled on his clothes the rustling of bed sheets made him turn around, Law had woken up and was sitting up on the bed. The dark bags under his eyes were more prominent than usual. "Where are you going?" Law asked, and he was happy to see that even though Law looked sleep deprived his eyes were clear.
"Work." He replied, waiting for Law's response. "Ah," Law mumbled, and then covered his face. "Will you hand me my phone." Law groaned. He looked around and found the phone on the floor along with Law's coat. He picked up the small object, noticing the large crack across the screen, so Law had dropped his phone. He must have come back to grab it after he'd hung up.
He handed Law the phone and watched as Law scrolled through messages, and started to listen to his voicemail. He could hear obviously angry voices as the voicemails played, and Law groaned even louder. "What's wrong?" He asked, though he had an idea of what was going on.
"I left work without saying anything yesterday." Law replied. "You can't go in now." He insisted there was no way Law would be able to perform surgeries with his injured hand and lack of sleep. "I don't plan to." Law rolled his eyes, falling back onto the bed. He wasn't worried about Law losing his job, but even if he did it wouldn't matter. He knew they'd figure this all out.
"Rest." He instructed, ignoring Law's scowl. "We can talk about what we need to do when I get home." He walked over to kiss Law before heading off to work.
..
He shook his hand in annoyance, drops of coffee splattering on the counter in front of him. This was the third time he'd spilt the same customer's coffee and he could feel the customers eyes glued onto his back. He just couldn't seem to focus today, not with everything that was going on.
He restarted the coffee, his mind once again started to drift off with thoughts of Law being arrested, both of them in prison. "Can you be any slower?" The customer's voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he bit his lip to keep from commenting. Making a scene at work wasn't going to help anything.
"Oh come on!" The customer said louder, and he turned around to throw a glare at the older man. As he was turning back around to finish the drink, debating on messing up the order on purpose his hand hit the cup knocking it over and making the decision for him. He could feel his face heat up and he hurried to clean up the coffee.
The customer really started to complain then and he was about to snap when a firm arm slid around his shoulders and ushered him into the back of the shop. The arm was removed before he could knock it off and he looked in annoyance at his red headed coworker. "I got this." Kid smiled at him before heading back out into the front to deal with the customer.
He sighed and leaned against a counter, it must be bad if his coworkers felt the need to kick him out of the front. His temple throbbed with the start of a head ache and he rubbed his forehead wishing the day could be over so he could head home.
After a few minutes Kid came into the back to stand in front of him, "You alright?" Kid asked, and he shrugged. There was no point in lying; he knew that he looked terrible. He hadn't had much sleep last night, and he felt like he was about to jump out of his skin at every person who came through the coffee shop's doors.
"You look pale, you should go home." Kid continued speaking. He rubbed his forehead again, if only it was that simple and he could go home. "I can't." He mumbled, wishing his coworker would just leave him alone. "I insist. I'll cover for you." Kid sounded sincere enough but he still narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the sudden offer.
"Okay, thanks." He finally replied, the suspicion overruled by his need to see Law.
..
He wasn't surprised to see Law up and moving around when he got home but he was surprised to see Law packing a suitcase full of clothes when he had walked into their room. "Are we going somewhere?" He asked. He held back his feeling of suspicion, but still, why was Law packing when he was supposed to be at work?
"You know where I'm going. I have to deal with this before it gets out of hand." Law replied, grabbing another shirt and neatly folding it into his suitcase. "Okay let me pack." He swallowed the knot that formed in his throat when Law grabbed his arm to stop him from moving toward their closet.
"No Luffy, I'm going, as in alone." Law stressed the last part of his sentence, and he had to pause to let his feelings play catch up with what his mind was telling him. He blinked away the angry tears that were trying to form. Law was not about to leave with him, they weren't supposed to be apart so why was Law trying to do this?
He was sure that if he hadn't come home when he had, Law would have left without him. The thought only fueled the hurt that he felt. "What do you mean alone? When did this become I not we?" He pulled his arm away from Law's hand and headed toward the closest to grab a suitcase.
Law was not leaving without him. Law chased after him, blocking his way. "This is going to get messy, really messy and I won't sacrifice you going down when this goes south because this will go south." Law's face was filled with pain and reluctance as he spoke, and he understood in a sense, why Law was trying to stop him.
"Even more of a reason for me to go. I live with you, or not at all. I can't and won't live without you. End of argument." He pushed past Law, his mind set. "Luf-." Law started and he turned around to glare at the older male. "I'm going." He dared Law to argue with him again.
..
"This will only take a second." He smiled at Law who was frowning in the driver's seat. He closed the door and hurried inside the coffee shop, looking for Koala. As he found his boss he took a breath before walking up to her, "Koala." He called and she turned around to smile at him. "I hope you are feeling better, I just finished talking to Kid about your leaving early." She crossed her arms, and he knew he had a good chance of getting fired with what he was about to do.
"Yes, well about that, I am actually heading out of town for a while. Family stuff, it's really important." He could tell by the way her lips straightened into a hard line that she wasn't going to allow him to leave that easily. "Luffy that isn't possible; there is nobody to cover your shift." Koala argued.
"I have to go." He argued back. "You are putting me in a bind here; this is your job Luffy. You can't just decide to come in and leave when you want." He could tell Koala was becoming increasingly upset, and he was ready to hear the words 'You are fired' when a hand ruffled his hair.
He flinched away from the hand and looked up at Kid. "I'll take his shifts, I need the extra hours." Kid cut in, and Koala frowned. "I can't ask that of you." She started, and Kid raised his hand in the air. "No really, it's fine. I can take all his shifts until he is back." Kid looked down at him for approval, and he looked for a reason to argue with Kid but found none. "Thanks." He smiled uncertainly, and Koala let out a loud sigh.
As he climbed back into the car Law turned to him with a scowl. "Who was the red-head?" Law's eyes darkened as he spoke, and he opened to his mouth to respond. Nothing came out; he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't really know what Kid was, not a friend, just a coworker so why wasn't he saying that?
After a few seconds Law turned away from him, "Never mind that. We have one more stop to make before we are on our way." Law didn't look at him again as they drove to a small building he'd never seen before.
..
He spit out of the window again, ignoring Law's disproving look. "Luffy enough with the spitting." Law scolded and he let his tongue hang out in exaggeration. "No that was gross; I can't believe you made me do that." He argued, still tasting the strange substance that had been put into his mouth.
"It was necessary." Law murmured, and he couldn't help but notice the way Law's lips tilted down into a frown as he spoke.
..
"Where are we going first?" He asked as they drove to Law's old town. "My parents." Law seemed annoyed by the thought, and he leaned across the console to rest his head on Law's shoulder. He hated the tension between then, and he knew it was because Law hadn't wanted him to come. It hurt, but he knew Law only wanted to protect him.
"Why?" He rubbed Law's arms as he spoke, enjoying the way Law seemed to relax under his touch. "I want them to see me before word gets out that I'm in town. We have to approach this carefully." Law spoke before turning to quickly kiss the top of his head.
"That makes sense. What are we going to tell them?" He felt Law tense at his question. "That I'm still working on." Law sighed.
..
The time passed quickly, and they still didn't have a reason of why they were in town as they pulled up to Law's parent's house. "I guess just say we are visiting." Law grumbled, obviously not liking the lack luster reasoning. "It will be okay." He promised, and Law wrapped a secure arm around his shoulders before walking them to the door.
He knocked twice before his mom opened the door with a happy smile. She didn't look surprised to see them. "We were expecting you yesterday." His mom spoke, and he felt his mouth go dry. Why would she be expecting them?
A loud thump sounded behind Law's mom before they could answer and she moved to the side to reveal a large pink coat. He blinked as Law's uncle from Christmas came into view. "How dare you leave your sickly uncle waiting for so long?! You should be coming at my beck and call." Doflamingo exclaimed, pushing Law's mom out of the way to look down at them with a knowing grin.
He looked at Law in shock, and Law who even though scowling looked at a loss. Law hadn't been expecting Doflamingo to be here, that was for sure. "Make your hello's quickly, we must be going." Doflamingo smirked, and leaned closer to Law's ear. "Isn't that right my little surgeon?" Doflamingo whispered, a little too closely for comfort.
As always thank you all for reading and reviewing, it really makes me and Chev happy to see all of your reviews and though I don't reply to a lot of them it's only because I don't want to spoil anything! Until next time~
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To Chev, who scared me last night while discussing this chap, swim up!