Help

Characters: Law, Penguin. Rating: K+. Warnings: none

When Law found Shachi having another breakdown in the bathroom for the second night in a row, the ginger once again clutching to him as he cried himself to sleep, he realised that things were even worse than he'd thought. How many nights had he spent like that? They were a week out of Zou, and an unpleasant churning in his gut told him that Shachi had barely spent a single night in his own bed – or in a bed at all, until the previous night.

This couldn't go on. Mental trauma aside, not even his physical wounds would heal if he didn't let himself rest. Like the previous night, Law picked him up gently and carried him from the bathroom. If Shachi needed a different room to sleep in for a while, Law had no issues sharing with him. However, he was conscious that this wasn't just a problem with Shachi.

He didn't even know what state Penguin was in. The older man almost always seemed unshakable; on the occasions he wasn't so steady he always managed to switch it to seem like he was the one comforting the others. Without Shachi in the room, therefore leaving Penguin alone, how was he coping?

Law tightened his grip on Shachi, biting his lip. He didn't want to take Shachi back to their room, because there was clearly a reason he wasn't there – a reason he suspected involved Penguin's own mental state – but nor could he bring himself to leave Shachi alone, even if he was finally sleeping.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't split himself in two and be with both of them at once; he was only one man, no matter how impressive his devil fruit. One of the two needed to be prioritised, and Law hated anything that even loosely playing favourites but as he looked at the sleeping Shachi in his arms, he made the decision.

He'd helped Shachi yesterday. He had a reasonably good idea as to the ginger's mental state and if he left him in his room, maybe he'd be able to sleep the rest of the night away. Penguin was a complete unknown, and if nothing else Law couldn't let his imagination keep running away with him. He mentally apologised to Shachi, unwilling to talk out loud in the silence in case he woke him, and rounded a corner in the corridor to come face to face with an unexpected but welcome solution.

He wasn't sure why Ikkaku was up and about, although he could probably hazard a guess, but physically she was almost fine and she wasn't crying so mentally she couldn't be that badly off right that moment either.

His heart hurt less at leaving Shachi now that the ginger wasn't alone, and part of him rebelled at the fact he'd had to ask for help looking after his crew, but logic quashed the complaint. If he'd got it right, Shachi just needed company, not specifically Law. Ikkaku would look after him just fine, now it was time for him to find out exactly how bad Penguin's mental state really was.

A large part of him hoped that he was wrong, and that he'd find the older man fast asleep, but a hope was all it was. His fears were confirmed when he finally reached the relevant door. It was firmly shut, despite Shachi having left earlier; a clear sign that he hadn't planned on returning any time soon. In the quiet of the night, a closed door wasn't enough to completely conceal the sounds of muffled screams from inside.

Law rested a hand on the door, suddenly unsure. What was he supposed to do? This wasn't like accidentally stumbling across Shachi and having to react to whatever the ginger did. Penguin didn't know he was there, didn't have to know he'd been there if Law slunk away and left him to his emotions. Law was no better at comforting people than he had been the night before, despite Jean Bart's advice.

Being himself was no good when Penguin so clearly needed something more.

Get a grip, he scolded himself mentally, his hand turning into a fist against the door and his forehead resting against the cool metal. He was both the captain and the doctor of the crew, and therefore their well-being was his responsibility. He couldn't turn tail and run the moment things left his comfort zone.

Steeling himself, he formed a Room and teleported himself the other side of the door. It was quieter than fumbling with the door, and he knew if he gave Penguin any warning at all the older man would clam up, much like Shachi had attempted to do the previous night.

The tactic paid off, Law's eyes focusing on the shaking form on the lower bunk. This side of the door, the cries were deafening, even though Penguin was clearly biting his pillow to gag himself. Law crossed the distance to the bed silently and knelt on the floor beside it.

What did he do now? Did he announce his presence or let Penguin notice in his own time? The older man seemed oblivious to his company, and it would likely be a while before he realised. Watching him suffer without telling him felt wrong and in the end Law made a move.

Turning around, so that his back was resting against the side of Penguin's bunk, he spoke.

"You're going to wreck your pillow," he said quietly, unable to ask something as mundane as are you alright when the answer was obvious, or say you don't have to suffer alone when it was clear that Penguin's intention had been to do exactly that.

The cries cut off abruptly, and Law heard Penguin shuffle around suddenly but didn't turn around, allowing him the privacy to compose himself slightly.

"L-law?" Penguin stuttered, and he made a noise of acknowledgement. "What are you doing here?" His voice was thick with tears, and Law's heart hurt to hear his nakama in such a state.

Dealing with Penguin wouldn't be like dealing with Shachi. Shachi wasn't afraid to rely on his nakama from time to time – usually Penguin, admittedly – but Penguin was always the one relied on. He would need to be convinced to let Law help him, a task made harder by the fact that Law had no idea what he was doing.

"There's nothing worse than suffering alone," he said, knowing that somewhere in his mind Penguin would know he was talking from experience. There was no sound from the bed, but he knew the other man was listening. "I don't know what I'm doing," he added, because Penguin deserved the truth, and was rewarded with a sound that under other circumstances he might have called amused. "But I'm not letting you do that to yourself."

There was more silence, and Law feared he wasn't helping – was making things worse – but waited.

"Where's Shachi?" Penguin eventually asked, his voice muffled again. Law surmised he'd buried his face back in his pillow.

"My room," he answered, unsurprised that even now, Penguin was worrying more about the ginger than himself. "Ikkaku's keeping him company." Penguin responded with another noise, this time relieved, and Law startled as a hand slid over his shoulder, the arm wrapping loosely around his neck in an embrace. Before he could say anything, a face pressed against the back of his neck.

He didn't turn around, even as the sobs started, staying still and letting Penguin take what comfort he wanted. In the dark, the passage of time was difficult to measure and Law didn't bother to try as his nakama cried. It didn't matter how long they took, as long as it helped Penguin.

The sobs died down eventually, and Law thought that, like Shachi, he'd cried himself to sleep. Effectively pinned to the side of the bed, he resigned himself to spending the rest of the night in that position, only to be caught out by a tug. Obeying the silent request, Law let himself be pulled up.

"You'll catch a cold sleeping there," Penguin murmured, and despite himself Law felt his lips tug into a small smile, because that was the sort of thing he'd say. He also recognised it for the unspoken request it was, and allowed Penguin to coax him into the bed, where strong arms wrapped around him again. Penguin's head rested on his chest, and Law loosely wrapped an arm around him, to Penguin's obvious surprise. The older man shifted closer, accepting the embrace. "You know," he mumbled, voice now muffled against Law's chest. Law considered it an improvement from the pillow. "You're not as bad at this as you think you are."

It was Law's turn to make a startled noise, and he was rewarded with a watery chuckle.

Penguin didn't fall asleep at the drop of a hat like Shachi did – Law wasn't completely certain either of them got any sleep that night – but the silence was companionable and Law dared to hope that maybe he'd helped Penguin a little.

It was probably pretty obvious where Law went last chapter, I admit. Penguin finally gets some help, because hell knows he needs it after everything I've put him through.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari