A/N: Phew. Let's do this.
21. His Boyfriend
There's absolute chaos in the burn unit.
Law followed Bepo into the thick of it with his heart pounding. He ducked and weaved around the throngs of frantic medical personnel, trying to get to the end of the hallway on the seventh floor. So many bodies filled the space that they're pushed to the background, forgotten. Bepo grits his teeth, rolls up his sleeves, and brutally shoves his way through the doctors and nurses. Told Law to wait. So he did.
The surgeon watches on as doctors frantically dash to and fro, fiddling with machines and filling out documents. Orders are barked to other staff members above the cacophonous noise, and Law is able to catch key phrases despite his ears practically ringing- hospital mortuary, personal belongings, organ donations, funeral homes.
Informing family.
Law's insides curl at that.
The task is delegated to Shirahoshi, poor girl. But she was one of the most qualified to do so- her personality could break the news in a gentle, considerate way. But just thinking of how Luffy would react to this made everything within Law collapse. He was so scared for him, sorry for him, worried for him.
Bepo pushed back through the crowd, breathing hard in front of Law. "Come here," he orders, jerking his head away from the madness. Law swallows hard and complies.
Once they are a good distance away, Bepo runs his hands through his hair shakily. "Shit."
"Yeah," the surgeon mutters, shaking his head sadly. "Shit."
"What the fuck am I supposed to tell Luffy?" the blonde stares hard at the ground, defeated. He turns up to Law, face a mess of emotions. "What the fuck are you going to tell him?"
"I have no idea..." Law chews on his lip, deep in thought. "Luffy's known him pretty much all his life. There's nothing I could possibly do..."
Bepo grits his teeth and Law puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Bepo...are you alright?"
"No I'm not fucking alright!" he snaps sharply, snarling. He smacks Law's hand away, but the sting is nothing compared to the sting of watching his friend begin to break down. "I was his fucking doctor and he died on my watch!"
Law felt his heart breaking for the man. "No, that's not true. It's messed up, but Ace was...he was dying ever since he woke up. Long before he even met us."
"I know!" Bepo blinks rapidly, trying not to tear up. "I know but I liked him, Law. We got along so well, and I felt like...like we could've been friends if I had only met him earlier."
Law knew the feeling, because he had thought the exact same thing when he talked to the man. Ace had that indescribable charm of pulling others in, and both he and Bepo were caught up in that pace far too late.
When Law doesn't respond right away, Bepo sniffles a little. "You know what the doctor on duty said he looked like in his final moments? Said he had a smile on his face!" The blonde shakes his head and laughs somberly. "A fucking smile."
Bepo hastily wipes away his tears. Law steps closer to give him a hug, but the man scoots back. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I'm not supposed to be getting so attached to patients, anyway-"
"I liked him too," Law interrupts softly. "It's perfectly healthy to feel after someone passed away. Especially since you were his doctor."
"But Law..." Bepo's tears are silent, but powerful. It makes Law's heart ache. "Why did he have to die?"
It's the million dollar question. And Law doesn't have the answer. He would never have the answer.
He tries to hug the blonde once more, and Bepo lets him. He cries softly into his shoulder as his arms come around Law.
"I tried to help him," the blonde croaks. "I tried so hard."
Law nods against the blonde hair. "You did your best, Bepo."
"But it was all for nothing."
"No," Law states firmly. He pulls away from his friend to look him in the eye. "You helped him. So many things could've gone much, much worse. But you and the others are here, making a difference. Don't you ever forget that."
When Bepo doesn't look convinced, Law sighs. Of course, this would take some time. Nothing he said would alleviate his pain any sooner. "You got to know him. We got to know him. All of us...we were able to experience the selfless person known as Portgas D. Ace. Doesn't that count as something?"
The blonde sniffles for a moment, but nods numbly. Law takes his shoulders and squeezes. "I'm here for you. It'll be okay. We'll get through this together."
Bepo nods again, wiping at the wetness on his cheeks. "Okay," he says quietly. Law lets go of a breath and smiles grimly.
"Dr. Bepo! We need you over here."
Law gives the doctor a pointed glare, but Bepo shakes his head. "It's okay. I need to be there anyway. I was one of his doctors. If anything, I'm holding the others back from getting all the paperwork done. They knew better than to get attached to a patient. I didn't. And now I'm slowing everyone down."
The surgeon is shocked at the response. He'd never heard the man sound so dejected. He isn't given a chance to respond. Suddenly there's nurses, dragging the blonde away to a meeting with the other staff members who worked with the deceased. The surgeon watches him go, and his heart twists with sadness.
Law thought talking to patients was the hard part. No. Talking to patients' friends and families was something else entirely. As much as he wanted everything he just said to be true, he tasted the lies before they came out of his mouth. 'It'll be okay.' No, it wouldn't. Who knows if Bepo would be okay? Who knows if Law could be there for him when he's trying to come to grips with reality himself? Who knows if Bepo or the doctors really helped? Just as many things could go wrong as they could go right. Who knows if they really made a difference? Maybe Ace was fated to die regardless, and no matter what they did, it was inevitable. Or maybe they just weren't knowledgeable enough, and failed to save him.
No one knew. No one would ever know.
These are the risks of a doctor. They could only work so many miracles. But in the eyes of others, Law is supposed to save people without doubt or hesitation. So the lies tumble out of his mouth. Reassurances, encouragements, consolidations. Words of relief to distract from reality, to shy away from the pain. Law had no idea how much truth his words held, but if Bepo felt even a little better because of it, then it would be worth it. No matter how difficult the situation was, he would shoulder the guilt and tell the lies because it brought his friends closer to happiness. He could do it.
Or so he thought.
When Luffy appears in the elevator, remorse crashes into Law like a tsunami. He looked like he had just woken up, his hair a mess, in a wrinkled tee and some pajamas. The younger's face is a mask of emotions. Law gulps down his unease.
He couldn't lie to Luffy, saying everything would be fine when it wasn't. Not to him. Things would need to be even a little bit okay before he could utter the words, but they're not, not at all, so he keeps his mouth glued shut.
As the teen approached, the silence stretched between them pulled tighter and tighter until the air was strained taunt enough to snap. All Law felt was insistent guilt wrapping around his throat, robbing him of his words of comfort. He just couldn't say them. Luffy walks up to him eerily, calm and controlled. His body language is slack with indifference, and when he rises to meet Law's gaze, his eyes are dark, empty.
"You work here." His voice is even, much more so than Bepo's. It terrified the shit out of Law.
Law blinks slowly. "...I do."
"You never told me."
The surgeon pauses. Had he not? The thought never came to his mind.
"I...thought I did."
Luffy doesn't respond and moves past the man, to the room behind him. Some doctors recognize Luffy and quiet as he comes closer. They part like the Red Sea for him, and when Luffy looks into the room, he freezes. Law is unsure of what to do, what to say, so he just watches the teen steadily, waiting for some type of reaction. But he stands there silently, peering into the room.
Luffy felt numb.
A biting cold numbness froze him to the spot, right in front of the open door of Room 702. No wonder the morning was so dark and chilly. It was preparing him for this. But nothing could prepare him for this, and it wasn't time yet, this was happening too fast, too soon. But it was too late.
The room is empty.
The doctors around him seem to hold their breath, waiting for his next actions. It reminded him of the incident from two years ago. It's the same pity that rolled off those around him in waves, feeling nothing but sorry for him as it was back then. 'How could he lose his brother?' they seemed to say, holding a hand to their heart, to their mouth. 'Poor thing. I feel so bad for him.'
He hated it. He hated them.
Luffy felt his brain short circuit at the emptiness of the room. There's no bed, no machines, no nothing. The curtain on the window is closed against the night, and the lights inside are dimmed, painting the scene in a dreary gray. The silence roared in his head and he tried desperately to come up with reasons as to why, why the fuck Ace wasn't there.
He turns to the nearest doctor for answers.
The blonde man closest to him flinches, and Luffy swears he's seen him before. Maybe if the water in his eyes would go away, he'd be able to see the man more clearly.
"Excuse me," Luffy stares up with a strange mix of defiance and nonchalance. "Where is the patient in this room?"
The doctor exchanged worried glances with his colleagues. Luffy could feel his blood starting to boil. He widens his eyes so big that the white completely surrounds his irises. He's on his tip toes, bouncing, eager for the reply.
"C'mon. This game isn't funny anymore. I want to see my brother, where the fuck is he?" His voice came out more rushed and urgent and pleading by the word, and soon enough he was yelling in the middle of the hallway. The doctor makes no move to speak, shook to his core.
"What the fuck kind of bullshit is this?" Luffy screams frantically, hands buried in his hair. "Where the fuck is Ace?!"
Before him, the blonde starts to tremble. A doctor eases him away and takes a deep breath. "You're his brother, correct?"
Luffy didn't have time for this. "Where is Ace?"
The doctor adjusts his glasses. "Your brother, Portgas D. Ace. He...has passed away-"
Luffy moves before he could think, and his fist connects with the side of the man's cheek. Adrenaline pumps through him hard and fast, erasing all rational thought as the doctor flies backward, landing with a grunt on his side. He looks down at the man on the floor, dark flames lighting his glower. The man is immediately surrounded by other staff members, fussing over his injury. They're more concerned for the doctor than they were for him, and it only made anger, thick and suffocating, creep up his veins. Why? Why the hell were they more worried for him when here Luffy was, being force fed bullshit? Weren't they ashamed of their lies? Why does everyone continue to make a fool out of him? Luffy wasn't having it, nope, none.
"Call security," one of them calls out frantically, and scalding fury rips through Luffy.
"Call security? Call security?!" the teen screams at them wildly, towering over their crouched forms. Blackness nipped at the edges of his vision from sheer rage. "What the hell kind of game are you sick fucks playing? Toying with my emotions, fucking with my brain! I hate all of you, I fucking hate you to death!" At the word Luffy cringes, shaking his head. "You all are wrong! Stupid fucking-"
A rough hand shakes around his middle, and another covers his mouth. "I'll take care of him," a velvet voice above him tells the group of doctors huddled on the ground. "Don't have him taken away. Please, let me handle him."
"But he punched a staff member!" a doctor argues, and there's disbelief and worry in her voice. Stupid ass fucking liar. She needed to be more worried about what would happen if they didn't start telling him the truth. Luffy's vision starts to swim, and he blinks the blur away. God, now he needed glasses? Nothing was going well for him. As his vision clears and wetness trickles down his face, he sees the blonde from earlier place a hand on the female doctor's shoulder.
"He just lost his brother. Let Law take care of him."
Luffy's eyes flash darkly at the words. He shakes himself out of the grip on his mouth and glares hard at the blonde. "You piece of shit I've lost nothing!"
A different doctor speaks up, addressing the person behind him. "Who are you to this man, anyway?"
The grip around his waist tightens. "His boyfriend."
There's silence at the words. Luffy twists in the grip, and finally recognizes his captor. "Law! Oh thank god you're here. Let them know that they're lying." Luffy smiles up, but it's empty and his heart isn't behind it.
The surgeon wears evident pain on his face as he meets Luffy's eyes. The younger blinks a few times at the older's lack of words. What...what was he doing? He was supposed to be letting them know they were lying. He was taking too long to say something. Law wasn't refuting anything, he just kept giving him this look-
Luffy was starting to panic. Law wasn't one to play games. He usually wouldn't play them, and if he did, he wouldn't take it this far.
"Law," Luffy laughs, punching Law in the arm. "What gives, what is this? Why aren't...why aren't you saying anything?" His voice started to rise again to a fervent pitch. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
He could feel the surgeon tense, and that was all Luffy needed. It was the final push he needed. All he felt, saw, heard, smelled, and tasted, everything fell to a swirling, endless, incomprehensible black.
Whatever happened next, if one were to ask Luffy, he would say he didn't remember. The teen would simply claim he blacked out, because that's the best way to describe the feeling. Except it wasn't, because he could still very well feel his body and limbs working, moving, but his eyes saw nothing but blackness. His mind...it wanted to skip the events that truly occurred and go straight for when he was sane again. Because in the moments before he blacked out, he certainly wasn't sane. He was filled to the brim with a blinding madness that damn near bordered on mania. He was completely beside himself, consumed with and drunk on unfiltered, pure anger.
Wood buckled under his bruised knuckles as he ferociously punched the walls of the hospital. God help whoever tried to get in the way of that, because they were knocked down, too. Everything and everyone was fair game. He gave no fucks anymore. Luffy felt sharp pains from his head, and it was him, tearing out his own hair. There was a time that he slipped on his own tears and fell on something sharp, right under his left eye. He remembers screaming from the pain, but then getting up and wiping the blood off, because there were more important things to spend his pent up energy on. He hurled chairs with a heave of his shoulder and laughed maniacally as they crashed into walls, into humans. He flung plant pots to the floor where they exploded in a splatter of dirt and debris, relishing in the feeling of the destruction. Finally, something else was falling apart just like he was. The glass and artwork in the halls were a little too polished, so he brought his fists down upon them with the fury of what seemed like years of sadness and resentment upon the surfaces. His knuckles were bruised and bloodied, stinging sharp with the force of his strikes. He knew he had to stop, because his brain was begging him to calm down before he hurt himself any more, but his heart, his heart knew better. It screamed at him to continue, because if he stopped, reality would kick in, and he couldn't have that happening. He tastes blood in his mouth, diluted with tears and sweat, and he laughs so hard that for some reason it sounded like crying.
Then. Luffy gains weight.
At least, that's what he thinks is happening. His body suddenly felt sluggish and thicker and wider than normal. Not that he minded, of course- more ass was always a plus in his line of work. But when he looks down to the uniformed officers pinning him to the floor, he frowns. This was not the kind of weight he wanted.
"Luffy! Good god...there's blood everywhere. I thought- Jesus, your eye."
When the teen looks up to Law, to his beautiful face twisted in so much pain and concern, Luffy feels the fragile haven he tried to trap himself in shatter into millions of pieces. He chokes on a sob and lets go of all of his rage as a broken sadness washes over his body. Luffy feels the weight on him alleviate, and then Law's there, cradling him in his arms, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. The teen grabs onto Law as if he was a lifeline and he was drowning, but that's exactly what Law was, and even though the older was there holding him, he was still going under. The waves of grief slapped him senseless and barely left him with any room to breathe. Luffy screams soundlessly into Law's scrubs, fisting the thin fabric with shaking fists. His head pounded like a motherfucker, and everything, everything span.
"I'm sorry," he croaks out with a hoarse throat. He leans his head right below Law's chin, looking into his lap. "I'm so sorry...sorry..."
The surgeon's hands are feather light on his back. "Luffy, I-"
"I'm sorry, so can you please tell me it's a lie..."
The last thing he sees before the darkness is Law's face. He looked so stricken with sympathy that Luffy feels himself tearing up. His heart begged Law to make another expression, anything other than the one he was making now. It would reassure him that everything was actually okay. Please, please. For Luffy, anything would do. Because if he keeps looking like that, it would only confirm Luffy's worst nightmares. If he had to sell his soul to stop that from happening, he would in a heartbeat. Just to stop those nightmares from coming into fruition. So please, make another face...
The older man's expression doesn't change. If anything, the concern rapidly gives way to alarm as the blackness finally lowers his lids for him.
"Where's Luffy?"
Zoro and Sanji exchange looks and Corazon looks between the two of them with a confused frown. He blows out a puff of smoke from his cigarette and studies the trees that line the parking lot. "I know he's usually around here somewhere at this time."
The three stood in the entrance to the Going Merry about an hour and a half before the doors opened. Nami, Robin, and Vivi were still en route- they usually arrived as a trio, and at the absolute last minute. Usually, Sanji and Zoro would arrive just as late, but something within them compelled them to come early. It was quite a coincidence that they ran into each other at the same time, and no, it wasn't planned. They didn't need words to understand the severity of the situation, so they kept all usual snide remarks to themselves. When Corazon arrived soon after, the tense air was finally broken with the question that weighed heavily on both their hearts.
Sanji swallows thickly. "Did...you hear the news?"
The older blonde scratches his head. "Nope. Is it someone's birthday?"
"...Not even close." Zoro scrutinizes the older man carefully. "Haven't you heard anything from that son of yours?"
"My phone's been dead for hours," he admits, holding the light away from his face to laugh. When neither of the strippers join him, the smile slips from his face. "...What happened? Did something…is Law okay?"
"It's not about Law. It's about Luffy."
Corazon turns to the blonde, about to drill him for more information, but stops. His eyes go wide, and his limbs go slack to the point where he drops his cigarette. Zoro moves to put it out with his foot lethargically, sympathy slowing his movements. He had reacted the same way to the news. He's sure that Sanji did as well.
"Oh my god," Corazon breathes, bringing a hand to his mouth. "Is Luffy okay?"
Sanji lifts his shoulders lightly, he had no idea. He watches the smoke from under Zoro's foot waft up through the air, avoiding Corazon's face. When he begins to speak, his voice is tepid, sad. "We don't know. All Law told us was that he has him. Apparently, he's been sleeping for most of the day."
The green haired's face hardens. "I wish I knew where the guy lived. I want to go see Luffy."
"He said he would tell us when Luffy woke up," Sanji explains to Corazon. "Law's been through a lot too...Ace passed away at the end of Law's sixteen hour shift. He was exhausted on top of being there for Luffy."
The older man gathers his wits about him. "I'll go."
Zoro brightens at that. "Oh that's right, you probably know where he lives!"
"Wait." Sanji reaches out to the two men. "I think it'd be better to wait for Law to tell us whenever he's ready. I love and care for Luffy just like you guys, but right now...I don't want to overwhelm him."
The green haired faces Sanji with narrowed eyes. "Luffy needs support right now. I want to be that for him."
"I hear you! Loud and clear...crystal even," Sanji chews his lips worriedly. "But I mean...Law's a doctor. He's probably been in situations like this before, telling people bad news and working them through it."
"Yeah, sure, with people he doesn't know. But with a lover?"
Sanji stills.
Zoro crosses his arms. "Because that's completely different."
Corazon claps them both on the shoulders, and the men jump at the touch. The man watches them seriously, body seeped in sympathy. "Listen, you two. I trust my son with all my heart. If he wants us to wait until he contacts us...then I will wait."
Sanji and Zoro quiet at his words. The blonde above them sighs and lowers his head to whisper in their ears. "To be honest, I'm just as worried for Luffy you all are. That poor boy's been worried sick about his brother. I'm sure he'll need our support, but for the moment, let's let him rest. Okay?"
The two mumble agreements, one of them more reluctant than the other, and Corazon stands, clapping. "Okay! Let's focus on the performance as much as we can tonight, yeah? We'll put on a show so grand that Luffy will be jealous when he comes back~"
The blonde glides through the front doors, leaving the two men in thought behind him. He felt sorry for Luffy, especially after everything he's been through. He didn't deserve to be going through even more pain. Despite his son's desires, Corazon really wanted to go and visit the straw hat boy. But he doesn't, and Law's request is only a part of why. There's a reason why he wanted to be here at the Going Merry so early.
He thinks that drugs really are the culprit. And that there could be a stash there in the club.
Corazon had done some digging, some asking around, some investigations. That woman passing out was absolutely not the first, nowhere even close. Many people had passed out without his knowing. And it's been happening for at least weeks.
Doflamingo had lied to his face.
The thought of drugs interfering with his business makes him sick to his stomach, and the fact that his brother was condoning this type of behavior, no matter what the reason, was even worse. Corazon passes by the bar near the front door and looks out over the empty club. Somewhere here was a stash or few of the drug. He had no idea what he was supposed to find- a pill, a liquid, a powder. But he needed to find it. He had a feeling something awful would happen if he didn't.
Well. It was time to start searching.
Law wakes up to the sound of shit breaking.
Then he drifts back off to sleep, because that was normal.
When more objects get thrown around, his eyes fly open. He was no longer ten, he was twenty-six. Shit breaking in the middle of the night was most definitely not normal. He blinks lazily to the patio, where bright sunlight shone through the closed curtains. Okay, maybe it wasn't the middle of the night, but still. Not okay.
The man groans as he sits up from his loveseat groggily. His entire side screamed for mercy as he peeled up himself from the fabric, stiff from being still for so long. When he gets situated in a seated position, he hears a roar of frustration from the kitchen, then Law's up, running.
The red stools from under his island are strewn about on the floor. Pots and pans litter the ground with it, along with various office supplies and random household items. When Law rounds the island he sees Luffy, sitting on his heels in the middle of the mess. The wound under his eye has opened up under the bandage, and it's been bleeding long enough for the red to tattoo his face. Dried tears run pale rivers through the blood on his left cheek, down the olive skin on the other. When Law appears, he looks up, and the eyes are not Luffy's.
Those haunted, sullen, sunken eyes couldn't possibly be Luffy's.
Law watches him for breathless moments before he finds it within him to speak. His voice is airy, mellow. "Luffy, let's get you up."
The teen turns to the mess on his left, on his right. Looks up to Law and seems to see through him. "Where am I?"
The surgeon takes in a shaky breath. Oh god no.
Luffy wipes at his tears. "Was it a dream after all?"
Law lets out a breath. At the very least, it wasn't amnesia. It was the only good news he would probably be getting for a while.
When the teen's hand comes back with dried blood, that seemed to trigger something within the younger. He grimaced and ground his teeth ruthlessly, holding back a piercing shriek. He covers his ears as pain takes hold of his body once again. Law rushes to his side, holding his shoulders. The surgeon had never seen the expression on his lover's face before. He was suffering, and quickly losing an internal battle. It was terrifying watching the fight unfold on the outside.
Luffy falls back on his back, away from Law, kicking and screaming nonsensical words. The sounds are so garbled, so strangled, but the evident hurt Luffy was going through was crystal clear. He was trapped in his torture chamber of a mind, locked into the memories of his brother.
"Disappear, disappear! Stop it!" Luffy begged through broken sobs, clawing at the sides of his face. He was starting to draw blood with how fiercely he tore at his own skin. "Disappear, disappear!"
Law felt his heart ache and shatter. Color started to drain from his face. This was too cruel for someone like Luffy to be going through. The teen didn't deserve this torment. He couldn't take watching the younger rip himself to shreds anymore.
Suddenly, the words of Ace rang through his mind.
"I want you to take care of Luffy for me."
Law takes a deep breath, and lets it go. His next actions would be imperative to how Luffy heals from this. "Luffy, please listen-"
"Don't say it! Don't say another word!" Luffy rolls forward, out of Law's grip, so he's on his hands and knees, and pounds the floor with shaking fists. Law jumps back at the loud sound as his stomach sinks.
Luffy pants through his teeth harshly, watching Law with venom so poisonous he's surprised he didn't drop dead right then. "I've already...pinched my cheeks so hard that they've started to bleed. If this were a dream, I would've already woken up by now!"
The teen coughs up more sobs and starts to curl in on himself. "It's not a dream, is it?" His voice is dry, cracking, raw from all his screaming. His energy has been spent, and he brings himself up, heart brutally ripped open and pouring all over the floor. "Ace...died didn't he?"
Law's breath catches as Luffy's eyes fill with tears and overflow. His face was contorted in pain so profound it seemed tangible, and defeat carved itself deep into every limb of his body. Depression rolled off the teen in waves as he sobbed giant, crippling breathless sobs. The sound bounced off the surfaces of the apartment and violently assaulted Law's ears. He watches the teen silently, just a ways away from him, struggling to find the best way to address this. Then. He stops.
He needed to stop worrying about how to do this, and just do it. Luffy was here suffering in front of him. Law had to face this, and even if Luffy would hate him for it now, his mental health would thank him later. The truth would hurt like a bitch, but it's better than the lies he was used to.
"Yes...he passed away."
Luffy makes a strained, high pitched sound, not unlike the whine of a caged animal, and sits up on his heels, wiping at his eyes. He tilts his head back and lets out the sonic equivalent of howls from hell's most anguished demons. Law was going to get an earful from his neighbors from the noise, but he didn't give a singular fuck about any of them now. He knew what he needed to do.
Law scoots closer to kneel before Luffy, holding him in a gentle hug. The teen shakes and trembles against his body, crying his poor heart out. "Ace..." he hears the younger cry out, broken and weak. Law buries a hand in his hair, pressing him closer to his warmth. He says nothing, letting his presence do the talking. There was nothing to be said.
Law stays like this for an immeasurable amount of time, listening to the screams of the grieving. The surgeon isn't sure when he carried Luffy back to his bed, but he did. The floor was not the most comfortable place to be for an extended period of time, and the couch he just got up from, so his bed was the next best bet. He laid with Luffy curled up against him, sobbing endlessly into his chest. Law rubs his back slowly, letting the teen know that he would be here, would always be here. After what seems like years pass, Law takes a shot at the words he's been rehearsing in his mind. The last thing he needed to do was lie to Luffy about how things would turn out like he did for patients at the hospital. So he goes with what his heart wanted to say.
"Can you...see things a bit more clearly?" Law begins in a voice just above a whisper. "I believe that you can overcome anything. You've proved that countless times...I've never doubted your strength."
Luffy's weeping quiets a bit, listening to his words, but it doesn't stop. Not for a second does the teen stop his tears.
"But now, you've lost your confidence. Your brother was your guide...I know that you've lost a lot." He hopes he sounds as sure of himself as he wanted to.
Law turns to murmur into his hair. "I know it's painful now, Luffy, but don't let these feelings consume you."
The younger grips his shirt harder and presses closer. A silent indication that he's hearing the words. "Don't just think about who you've lost," Law continues, voice low. "What is it that you still have?"
Luffy stills. Law panics for a split second, because fuck, what if that was the wrong thing to say?
To his astonishment, Luffy pulls away from him and looks down into his upturned palms, regarding them as if he forgot they were attached to his arm. He sniffles for a long moment, watching the tears drip drop down onto his hands. Slowly, he starts curling the fingers.
"Zoro..."
Law's eyes widen. It's the first thing out of Luffy's mouth that wasn't a scream or a sob.
"Nami..." Luffy rubs his eyes as he starts tearing up again. "Usopp..."
Usopp? Oh right, the bouncer. Law wondered when he got close to the man.
"Sanji…" His voice still shook with uncertainty, with sadness, but it was much clearer than before. "Vivi..."
Luffy curls a sixth finger. "Robin..." A seventh. "Brook..."
An eighth. "...Corazon."
The surgeon's heart warms at the mention of the man. He must be important to Luffy just as he was important to him.
Luffy opens all his fingers, then closes them, bracing himself for the next wave of tears. "My friends," he croaks out, voice cracking. "I still have my friends."
Law nods, smiling softly against his hair. "They're always here for you."
Luffy's hands weakly feel around Law's middle. "...And I still have you."
To say the surgeon was touched would be an understatement. He felt his heart soar into the heavens at the words, and he gently wrapped his arms back around Luffy, squeezing back.
"Always."
It was like this that Law felt Luffy fall back into the lull of sleep. Law didn't blame the teen. After expending all his energy at the hospital in the middle of the night, then coming to his place to wreck more shit, screaming and crying while at it, Luffy was no doubt in need of a solid night or two of sleep.
But to be fair, Law did too. His sixteen was pushing eighteen when the crisis hit. His body craved sleep every bit as much as Luffy's did. It asked him politely for it, and Law easily granted the wish.
It's not long before he follows the teen into the land of the dreams.
A/N: Thank you all for reading! Well then, until the next :)
P.S. I'm sure you all could tell, but the Luffy + Law interaction in his apartment is based on the scene with Jimbei + Luffy on Amazon Lily. I changed it from 'bottle up your feelings' to 'don't let your emotions consume you' bc I think holding things in does more harm than good. So yeah.