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Characters: Penguin, Shachi, Law. Rating: K+. Warnings: mentions of injury, mentions of torture

When Law announced a compulsory check up for all members of the Heart Pirates once they were back safely underwater, the Polar Tang taking them away from Zou and towards Wano, Penguin and Shachi shared a single glance. No way.

Law's face, back when he'd first laid eyes on them and spotted the bandaging, had been full of concern. Then there had been the shock as the truth set in, followed by the self-loathing as he blamed himself for sending them to what had become a battleground. If he learnt the truth behind their injuries, it would just get worse.

Spending the entire day avoiding their captain was easy. He had situated himself firmly in the infirmary, dealing with nakama one after the other as they trickled through the door to reassure him that they were okay. He never left the room, and if he'd asked anyone to send either of them his way, no-one passed on the message.

Everyone agreed that Law didn't need to know. Bepo and Jean Bart went through with their own health checks, but somehow Law didn't see what their wounds meant. Jean Bart lied to his face, saying that some of his old wounds from his time as a slave had become agitated in the fight. Bepo simply relied on his thick fur to hide the worst of it. With Law unable to use his Room, such measured proved to be surprisingly effective.

Penguin and Shachi had no such measures, so they chose to hide, which served them well until the morning, when Law invaded their room without so much as a 'by your leave' and caught them, rather literally, with their trousers down. They probably should have expected it.

Law had never been good at dealing with skittish animals, and it was that awkwardness they were faced with. He'd worked out that they were the centre of the unsettled atmosphere amongst the crew and tried to reassure them. For Law, it wasn't a bad attempt. They knew Law respected secrets, and his admission that they didn't have to tell him anything was welcome. It was just a shame that the one thing he did ask for they couldn't give.

It was a lost cause. Their captain was stubborn and wouldn't cave until he'd reassured himself that they weren't seriously injured. He was also shrewd and calculating, and regardless of whether or not he meant to do it, he began to piece the puzzle back together all by himself.

Shachi gave in first, realising the eventuality fast approaching as Law pressed in the wrong places and gleaned answers each time. Besides, he reasoned, his own eyes on Law's bandaged arm, the concern went both ways. Hearing that their captain's arm had been cut off (but don't worry because it's all repaired now) was not reassuring in the slightest, and he saw a way to even things out for all of them. Penguin was harder to convince, his fear over Law's reactions greater than his own concern. Physical wounds were easier to heal than mental ones.

Shachi got his way in the end, but it was Penguin who was right. Law's arm really was healing well, even without the additional support of the Ope Ope no Mi (the use of which was strictly banned until further notice), although they insisted on a sling so it felt like they could do something for him.

Then it was their turn, and Law reacted as badly as they'd expected, losing control of his fingers in ways they'd previously seen only when he was ill or recovering from a dunking. Law's fingers were always steady, the hands of a surgeon, and to watch them lose that was startling.

They hugged him, mindful of all the injuries but more determined to save him from the demons rearing inside his head. It helped them, too, even though Law hadn't wrapped his arms back around them – couldn't, now his right arm was securely tucked in a sling. Deceiving Law had been emotionally draining; even though they'd known that he wouldn't take it well, all but lying to his face was something they had never done, and never wanted to do again.

Besides, it was over now. They were no longer tied to wooden crosses, screaming as they prepared to defy Jack to the last. Law was no longer bound to vengeance, free from the eternal nightmare that had been Doflamingo. They were hurt, but it was over and the floodgates broke until all three of them – Shachi, then Penguin, then finally Law – began to sob.

They ended up a tangled mess on the floor of the infirmary, but that didn't matter. They were together, they were alive, they were free.

Ages ago, I was asked for Penguin and Shachi's PoV to Worry (chapter 18), and it was pretty tough to write, but I got there in the end!

Thanks for reading!
Tsari