Progress

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

It wasn't like Law to hesitate, but he couldn't summon his usual confidence this time as he stood outside the closed doors to the infirmary. Shachi was inside, still recovering from his ordeal, and while Law knew well the side effects of the various medication he was on, that didn't stop the words from hurting.

He didn't think Shachi had truly meant any of it, not when the side effects included increased paranoia, irritability and depression – all of which could have easily led to the previous day's outburst – but that didn't mean that they weren't true. He had, to some extent, abandoned Shachi. If he'd reacted faster, then he wouldn't have been anywhere near as badly injured, likely would have just been shaken.

His nakama had told him and Penguin, when they'd left the infirmary with tears stubbornly refusing to stop, that there had been nothing more they could have done. Everyone had moments like that, even so-called genius captains. Shachi was alive, would heal up just fine, so it was okay. They'd pulled through in time.

Still, Law hadn't gone back into the room since Shachi had demanded he leave. He'd seen others go in, re-emerging later with varying degrees of a smile on their face although they all claimed he was sleeping, but Shachi had needed space, so Law had given it to him. Now, though, a day after the surgery, he needed to assess Shachi's condition personally, to make sure that everything was indeed healing up correctly.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked once – just in case Shachi wasn't using his haki and hadn't been able to sense him and his emotional quandary for the last ten minutes – before pushing the door open and slipping inside. Shachi didn't stir; the ginger was lying exactly where he had been the last time Law had seen him, head turned away from the door but otherwise on his back, kept immobile by the painkillers.

As Law approached, it became painfully obvious that Shachi was faking. Having spent thirteen years with the other man, sleeping in the same room – the same bed – a large minority of the time, Law knew all the little shuffles and noises he made when he was asleep. There was none of that here, his breathing a little too carefully even and regulated to be genuine. Clearly, Shachi was not interested in any interaction.

"Shachi," he greeted, walking around until the ginger was facing him and perching on the side of the bed, carefully avoiding all the equipment. No response, of course, so Law reached out and ran his fingers through his nakama's hair a couple of times. "I know you're awake," he said, forcing fond amusement to take prevalence over the churning worry inside him. "You don't need to do anything," he reassured him, "it's time to check on your progress, that's all."

"Get rid of these painkillers messing with my head," Shachi grumbled, abandoning the deception and rolling his head back to face the ceiling. Law didn't expect him to open his eyes, but retrieved his shades for him so he had the option.

"I'll see if I can lessen the dose," he promised, summoning his Room. "Scan." The improvement was obvious, Law's own powers once again proving their effectiveness as things that would ordinarily take weeks to heal had already begun to knit together properly. Shachi still wouldn't be able to move his arms for some time, but the minor damage from the neurogenic shock had almost healed entirely. He judged that it was, in fact, possible to reduce the pain killers, and told Shachi as such.

"Good," the ginger grunted, and Law couldn't help a small smile.

"Before that, I need to immobilise your arms properly," he admitted, surveying the healing muscles and determining the best way to move them.

"Can't you do that after?" Shachi complained, and Law fixed him with a hard look that he wasn't sure Shachi could see.

"It will hurt," he said bluntly. "Not in your current condition." Shachi whined loudly, but Law wouldn't relent, ignoring the protests as he retrieved a sturdy immobilising sling and cautiously manipulated the healing arms into it, watching carefully for any signs of additional damage caused by the movement. There were none, and to Shachi's clear delight he switched out the current pain medication for something lighter.

The changeover wasn't instantaneous but Law waited with Shachi, disentangling his hair for him and watching as lines of pain began to cross his face as the effects slowly shifted.

"Law..?" Shachi asked hesitantly, wincing slightly at the discomfort. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise," Law replied, slipping off of the bed and seating himself in a chair instead. "I know the side effects of the medication, and you weren't wrong about us not reacting. I'm sorry it took so long."

Shachi chuckled, groaning slightly and Law worried that he'd reduced the medication too much.

"You saved me in time," he grinned weakly, and Law realised that he had opened his eyes. "And now you're going to spoil me rotten until I'm healed, so it's all fair."

"Spoil?" Law asked, frowning, and Shachi laughed again.

"Don't even try to deny it," he chuckled. "We both know you will. You always do." Well, that depended on Shachi's definition of 'spoiling', but Law saw no need in arguing the point. Certainly, Shachi wouldn't be capable of doing much of anything for himself for the next several days, and Law had every intention of keeping the recovery a bearable experience, so if Shachi called that being spoilt then yes, Law would be spoiling him rotten.

He'd do whatever it took to keep Shachi smiling. As long as he was smiling, it was difficult to associate him with the flushed and dying body Law had held in his arms only yesterday.

"Get some sleep if you can," he said, finding his feet. "If you're up for it, you can have some solid food later." Shachi's grin widened.

"Awesome!" he said, before turning slightly more sombre. "Hey, Law?"

"Yes?" Law asked, taking note of the change in atmosphere and preparing to summon another Room if Shachi needed something.

"Could you get Penguin? I want to talk to him."

Law didn't ask questions, ruffling Shachi's hair lightly instead.

"Make sure you sleep afterwards," he said firmly before leaving the room to find the requested nakama. Penguin was with Clione in the engine room, but dropped everything – literally, to Law's disapproval – the moment he heard the summons, darting off like a shot.

All Law could do was shake his head, amused and glad that everything was returning to the way it should be.

Final installment of this plotline (at least for the time being), because the angst is fun but I still like the happy endings.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari