Chapter 21: A Moment of Calm Before the Storm - Part 3
About five minutes later, Kidd fell through the barrier of Law's Room to land on the floor with a groan. His hand came up to hold his head as he cursed in about five different languages native to the Grand Line. Who the fuck had dropped the freezer on his head again?
By then, Law was a bit better, though he still hadn't moved from the mess on the floor. It was no good him sitting somewhere else thanks to the stains on his jeans, and he didn't yet have the energy to clean up the now dry blood. So, he simply had his knees drawn up to his chest, and draped his coat carefully around his shoulders so as to not drag in the crimson filth, but still cover his torso.
"Back among the living again, are we, Eustass-ya?"
Managing to force himself into a sitting position against the wall, and snarling curses all the way, the larger man's head was throbbing, forcing him to keep his eyes closed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, owwww, oh fucking Red Line. I feel just like the time the ship's engine broke the moorings and fell on top of me, what the fuck happened?"
"You Reset... again."
The surgeon carefully ignored the 'engine incident' comment because logically, if he didn't mention that, he hoped his lover wouldn't notice that they were sitting inside his Room. Though it was permeable again, for the most part, he couldn't cancel it. The trauma of what had just happened had thrown his Devil Fruit ability into defensive mode. In here, he was God, and therefore, nothing could harm the growing life within him. All expecting mothers craved the ability to be able to hold all potential threats at enough of a distance that they were safe. Law just happened to be able to actually do it. Thus, he had determined that unless he felt completely safe wherever he was, his Room would be forcibly manifested to guarantee it. All in all it wasn't a bad idea, but chances were, Kidd would not approve.
The master of magnetism tried to pry his eyes open, and found that for the moment, he couldn't. "Fuck. I hate it when I Reset, I always forget important shit when I Reset—" He cut off abruptly, nose going up as though he was sniffing the air as his power reported to him what his surroundings 'looked' like because he seemed to be blind for the moment. "...Law? Why is the kitchen in... Shambles? And…what are those staples doing ringing your chest and hips?"
"..." The smaller male bit his lip. "It was the result of an experiment that has since gone awry. I hope you will not be disturbed by them, as they're permanent now."
A side effect of swapping out that much flesh with another meant that certain things had to be disconnected and then reconnected again. At least, as long as he wanted to be able to continue sailing with his crew, and not drag her along. There was a limit to how far a living being could go from its parts and remain living. Staples kept his internal organs connected the way they needed to be, thanks to Chopper. It was possible that he might be able to remove them, now that the abdomen was his permanently, but it wasn't a risk he was willing to take, given that the midsection he'd been born with was deceased.
Kidd subsided against the wall a bit, a bemused expression on his face. "Well, I guess it's okay. If they're permanent, hey, they're permanent. And at least I'll always be able to tell where you are now."
"You could do that anyway. I have my magnet in my hat." Law sighed quietly, still quite drained. "We should clean the kitchen before Bepo comes in and sees the mess I've made of it."
Kidd rolled his head on his neck, which made several disturbing crackles and popping noises followed by his face screwing up in pain. "Urgh. Fuck. I don't think I can move just yet, babe. Sorry. And you'll have to get me up to speed on what I don't remember, because... because I have this horrible feeling... that it was really fuckin' important. Nngh."
"That is problematic." Though the surgeon said nothing else, there was an obvious undercurrent of shared exhaustion between them.
Law tilted his head up and closed his eyes. He knew he should eat something. It would be the fastest way to regain what he'd lost in the assimilation of the Kuja woman's parts, but the mere idea of getting up and cleaning off, even if his loyal Nakama would raise a fuss over the mess, it just left him with a certain irritated humor that had him chuckling mirthlessly. Worse yet, the dried stain smelled of pickles to his nose. Why it should smell of fermented cucumbers, he could only chalk up to the wonders and mysteries of his situation, but it was adding to the shying away from food that had settled in his stomach.
"I'll call the boys. I'm sure whatever the fuck sent me into a Reset will be more than enough to placate them so they carry us to the infirmary. And maybe Sanji's kitchen. Heat and Killer can carry me... Wire and Penguin can handle you. Bepo will wanna put his kitchen back ta rights."
Immediately the brunet's head snapped up and anger flashed through his eyes, as he spoke, clipped words. "I will be fine."
"Law, I fucking Reset. Therefore you are not fine. And I know very well neither am I." The redhead had never had a Reset in his lifetime until he'd met his lover. Except when... when he'd lost them all. His first 'crew', just a bunch of kids, but—he pushed that from his mind. Bottom line was, he wasn't fine, which meant Law couldn't possibly be fine.
"I do not now, nor will I in the future need you to have someone carry me. If I need to wait until I'm capable of doing it myself, then I will do so. In the meantime, I. Am. Fine." The smaller male growled, unconsciously clutching his coat closer to his body at the idea of someone touching him, discovering that his waist was the wrong shape, that his hips were too wide, or worse, feeling the scars that would forever mark him as a hybrid between the two genders.
"Don't make me call Strawhat in here, Law. You know damn good and well we both answer to him. I hate to pull the 'higher power' card, but fuck it all, you're being too goddamn stubborn." Kidd was able to pry open one eye part-way, but it was blurry and sent pain stabbing into his skull. So he slammed it shut again and threw his arm across his face to further block the light. "Nngh fuckfuckfuckfuck. Like a migraine but so much fuckin' worse."
Silence reigned between them for a bit and Law frowned off to the side and tried not to think about the implications of having Luffy, of all people, be brought into this. It was the last thing the Pirate King needed, what with his own marital issues and the nonsense regarding his own son. He slipped his hand under his coat to rub gently at the place below his navel where he knew the zygote rested.
"No... don't call Luffy." He closed his eyes again, sounding defeated, and something else. Something hollow and wistful, like there was something he longed to say without saying it.
Under any other circumstances, Kidd would probably have picked up on it. But he'd just undergone a Total Reset and his brain was fuzzed from the overload. And every muscle was screaming. So, what perception he had of the outside world, wasn't much.
"...okay. But I want you checked over by a doc. One that isn't you," he added quickly because if Law was allowed to give himself a check-up, he'd clear himself no matter what his actual condition was.
"NO!" The word was blurted from the surgeon's mouth before he could even think for a moment. "Eh... I mean... I'll wait for Chopper. The Puffing Frank is up and running again so Chopper-ya should be back soon, ne? He knows better than any of our students how my Devil Fruit works, and can easily tell if this last experiment has done anything to harm me."
Kidd 'eyed' him, more like contorted his face so Law would know he wasn't pleased, but grunted an agreement. That, he'd managed to notice, and it made him suspicious. And worried. He meant it, he'd fucking Reset. That wasn't good.
Once again the galley was quiet, and after a few moments, Law gathered his legs under him to stand. He stumbled a little, cramped and slightly numb from having been sitting on the cold floor, and grabbed the counter as a wave of nausea hit him. But he managed to get to his feet. He breathed slowly, in through his nose and out through his mouth, glaring at the sink nozzle as though it had been the root cause of the whole issue because focusing on something was better than focusing on nothing. He shuddered, gripping his coat with his other hand and took a few hesitant steps towards his lover, and incidentally, the door. His Room was shrinking, as he began to concentrate on it a bit better. The shock to his system was wearing off, the adrenaline was gone, and the fight or flight response has beginning to calm again. Thus, his unconscious mind determined that he didn't need the barrier anymore. Yet another reason why he couldn't allow Kidd to call the others. Chances were that until he was able to dismiss the shield completely, they wouldn't be able to reach him anyway. So, he slowly made his way over to where the redhead was collapsed against the wall.
"I will get Killer and Roronoa. Between the two of them, you should be able to walk to the Marineford galley. Sanji-ya will have at least food, and a warm place to rest until your Reset is finished."
Kidd grunt-whined, but didn't argue. He was keeping a close 'eye' on Law... or rather his staples. "They'll be able t'do it... I guess... fuck. I hate Resetting. Takes so long, hurts so much... makes me forget important shit that comes back to bite me in the ass at the worst possible time..."
"Yes, well, this time all you forgot was my experiment. So, don't worry about it. Just concentrate on resting for now, so that you can get back to fixing that blasted shoulder mount of yours. The fight with Bellamy is soon, and we need you in prime condition when we finally move against him." The brunet's hidden words resonated through his midsection like the strike of a tuning fork.
Something niggled at the engineer's mind. It was extremely important. His power spread out much further, 'looking' at what was around. "...mount is finished. I feel it in my workroom. Maybe you can put it in tonight... erg, no, in the morning. I won't be finished Resetting 'til tomorrow. Fuck..."
Something else was still niggling, still bothering him. Fuck, what was it? It was really important if it kept trying to get through to his head after his Reset.
The dusting of pink across the smaller man's cheeks was audible. "No... I... I don't know if the after effects of my experiment will allow me to have that sort of fine control of my Room that soon. You haven't noticed it but we've been sitting in it this whole time. An instinctual fluctuation that I had not anticipated, but it will take some time and meditation to assuage the symptom."
Kidd frowned a little, "...Oh. Ok, babe, don't worry about it. Nevermind. Fair enough, whatever made me Reset making your Room freak out makes sense. Erm... I'll just wait here then."
And he'd install the mount on his own... just like he had the first time. But even in this state he knew much, much better than to say that out loud. Law would skin him.
The surgeon nodded and took his first independent steps, shrinking his Room to a six-inch bubble around himself, "Then I will go and find you some assistance."