Blind

Characters: Penguin, Shachi, Law. Rating: K+. Warnings: None

Penguin clutched Shachi tightly, nudging the younger to bury his face in his chest as best he could with their height difference. He didn't have any spare shades on him, and the unforgiving dessert they'd found themselves in had nowhere to hide from the sun. Returning to the Polar Tang was their only option, but with Shachi blinded the journey faced complications Penguin was in no position to overcome by himself.

He'd called Law on a baby den den mushi, giving him as much information as he dared, conscious of the risks of a Marine's black den den mushi potentially in the area. The thugs that had attacked them and smashed Shachi's shades were all dealt with, but facing more enemies was not high on his to-do list. In his current state Shachi couldn't defend himself, and Penguin refused to let go of him when he knew their current position was the best way to ease his pain.

It reminded him of their childhood years, when the ginger repeatedly ran out to play without his glasses, only to later hide his tears at the pain as the light bouncing from the snow damaged his eyes yet again. Back on Swallow Island, treatment was easily obtained, but at their current location – a summer island – snow blindness didn't exist, and subsequently nor did any treatment.

"We can head back," Shachi mumbled, voice muffled against Penguin's chest. "I can walk."

"No," Penguin said firmly, the hand pressing against the back of his head fiddling with the ginger strands poking out from underneath Shachi's hat. "Captain's coming to get us. If we move, he might miss us."

"You shouldn't have called him," the younger grumbled. "The Tang's not that far away." Penguin sighed, surveying the horizon once more to check for enemies, or their own captain's approach.

"I refuse to let you add to the permanent damage," he retorted, tightening his grip when Shachi started to wriggle away. "You can refuse to let Law repair your eyes all you want, but I won't let you make it worse." Physically the two of them were evenly matched, but with Shachi already pinned, keeping hold of him wasn't too much of an issue. It helped that he knew the ginger was in agony, regardless of how much he tried to hide it. His front was slowly getting damp from the involuntary tears.

He caught sight of a lone figure approaching them from the direction he knew the Tang was moored, and narrowed his eyes, trying to discern if it was their captain, or someone to worry about. They were certainly tall and lean enough to be Law, but Penguin hadn't survived ten years of piracy by being complacent.

"I take it you lost your first aid kit somewhere along the way?" The familiar drawl allowed Penguin to finally relax, looking up at his captain with a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar box in one hand. He nodded to the slashed packet on the sand a short distance away. A lucky swipe of a dagger had taken it out, and with so much sand around Penguin didn't trust anything in it near Shachi's eyes, the reason he'd called Law rather than administering his own initial treatment. "I see." Law handed him Kikoku, which Penguin held awkwardly, pressed to Shachi's back. The ginger had gone still at the arrival of their captain.

Both hands free, Law carefully opened the box, keeping it close to his chest to shield it from the risk of sand particles getting in, and withdrew thin bandages before resting a hand on Shachi's shoulder. Penguin helped coax him to shift back slightly so Law could gently place them over the weeping eyes, shifting Shachi's hat out of the way for easier access.

"How's that?" Law asked once it was secured, carefully turning Shachi to face him. Depending on the severity, sometimes the ginger needed more layers than others and they could never tell until they started.

Shachi's flinch betrayed him even before he opened his mouth, but he dutifully answered nonetheless.

"Gonna need another layer, captain," he admitted, raising a hand to cast shade over his bandaged eyes. Law made a noise of acknowledgement before fishing out a second strip to place over the first. Shachi nodded once it was fastened, and both Law and Penguin let out a sigh of relief. Two layers wasn't so bad. With the sun glancing off the dessert around them they'd half-expected it to need more.

Penguin placed the hat back on his head for him, and Shachi grinned up at him. He'd told them before that with only two layers of the thin material, he could still see vague shapes, and the fact always reassured Penguin, who hated it when Shachi was totally blinded.

"Now we can go back," he said, slipping an arm around Shachi's shoulders semi-casually, holding him close enough to guide him without seeming like he was supporting him. As Shachi had said earlier, he was perfectly capable of walking. Law reclaimed Kikoku from Penguin's grip before positioning himself by Shachi's other side although he didn't touch the ginger, knowing that Penguin's hold was all Shachi needed and unwilling to treat him like an invalid.

Once they were back in the safety of the Polar Tang, Law could do more for him, amid curses that Shachi wouldn't let him cure him once and for all. Until then he'd act as an extra lookout, allowing Penguin to concentrate on making sure he didn't accidentally lead Shachi somewhere he'd lose his footing.

Thanks for reading!

Tsari