Ponder

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

Shachi thought he'd got used to Law's odd moods by now. It had been nearly a year since he and Penguin had met the grumpy kid, and during that time they'd never parted company for more than a few hours at a time. He wouldn't say he was the most observant person in the world, but he'd noticed plenty about the younger boy and thought he had him sussed. There was one day fast approaching that he expected Law to go full sulk mode for, but that was still a little way off, unless he was misremembering.

This didn't seem like a day of mourning for his captain, though. Law wasn't hiding away or sulking or any of his other tells for "really not in the mood for your nonsense today, Shachi" days. He was a little quieter than usual – an impressive feat – and seemed lost in his own head more often than not, needing Penguin to snap his fingers more than once when his attention was required.

Patience was not one of Shachi's stronger suits.

"What is it?" he demanded, crouching in front of where Law was supposedly looking through notes on the floor of their library. The younger boy jumped and looked up from his arm – a regular draw for his eyes since he'd woken up that morning. Shachi had caught him running his fingers up and down the skin more than once, like he'd done back when the white was obvious.

It wasn't obvious now; the casual eye would never see it and Shachi could only spot the faintest of decolouration because he knew it was there. Law hadn't messed with it in months.

"What is what?" Law asked, a genuine curiosity in his voice that told Shachi he hadn't realised his unusual mood was obvious. Asking the question could go one of two ways – either his captain would clam up and get sulky, or he'd answer. Whether the possible answer would be truthful was another matter entirely. Still, Shachi bit the proverbial bullet. Not asking meant a sleepless night later – he'd learnt that one that hard way.

"You've been acting off all day," he said bluntly. "What's eating you?"

"I have not!" Law protested, and there were the hackles. He was on the verge of clamming up and Shachi really didn't want that. Some sleep later would be much appreciated.

He reached out and caught Law's arm, catching the other off guard as he carefully but firmly pulled it towards him and ran his own finger lightly over the skin, mimicking Law's earlier movements.

"You haven't turned a page the entire time I've been here," he began, feeling Law stiffen. "You didn't notice me arrive, either. Penguin keeps having to make noise to get your attention at all, and I don't think you've so much as glanced at Bepo all day. I've never seen you this unaware of your surroundings."

"It's nothing," Law claimed, turning his head away, and Shachi rolled his eyes. Did Law not know that it's nothing was an admission that there was something and that it was bothering him? He tightened his hold on the arm in his hand as Law tried to pull away.

"So what is it that it's distracting you constantly?" he challenged. "I'd ask if your arm was bothering you, what with the way you can't stop looking at it, except I know full well that if it's playing up you'd have shut yourself away in the infirmary hours ago, so don't you try and pull that one on me."

"It's none of your concern," Law countered, and Shachi chuckled because every denial was getting weaker. If Law was caving that easily, then victory was already his. "Don't try," his captain added, narrowing his eyes in clear suspicion.

Shachi tugged on his arm sharply, catching him off balance so that he fell forwards, across his notes, and landed firmly against Shachi's braced body. Wrapping his arms firmly around him so that he couldn't wriggle away, he rested his cheek on the smaller boy's head.

"If it's bothering you and you haven't found a solution yet I'm making it my concern," he declared, feeling smaller hands pushing against his chest with far less strength than he knew Law was capable of, and waited for him to crack.

"There isn't a solution," Law grumbled. "There isn't a problem. Everything will be normal tomorrow."

"Well if there isn't a problem and this mysterious thing only lasts a day…" Shachi trailed off, feeling a smirk against his neck as Law seemed to sense victory. He was quick to correct him. "Then you'd better tell me today while it's active." Law started to struggle again.

"I just told you it's not a problem!" he complained, and Shachi shrugged, unconcerned.

"Problem or not, it's got you acting weird and now you're telling me it's something that just lasts a day… You seem very certain on that but you also said there isn't a solution, so that sounds like it's the date that's got you in a twist, am I right?"

Law was a good liar, but his resounding no was betrayed by the way his body stiffened in Shachi's hold. Confident he was on the right track, the ginger continued.

"Well you're not sad or shutting yourself away," unlike that day a several weeks ago when you got really angsty and refused to say a word, "so you're not grieving. But this is the anniversary of something for you, right?"

"Wrong," Law muttered, but Shachi was long past being fooled by half-muffled words with no conviction behind them.

"Well you're not sad or happy about it, but you're not quite neutral either," he carried on as if Law hadn't said anything. He noted with interest that the younger boy had stopped squirming to escape and seemed resigned to his fate. Not as bothered as he pretended about Shachi figuring him out? Shachi sat in silence for a moment, thinking things over before the puzzle slot itself together.

"Hey, Law," he started. "It's not your birthday, is it?"

Law let out a breath in clear defeat before nodding – headbutting Shachi in the chin as he did so, and the ginger was certain that wasn't wholly unintentional.

"You could have just said so," he huffed, finally loosening his grip on Law. The younger boy didn't pull away. "Did you want to celebrate?" They'd celebrated both his and Penguin's birthdays when they'd passed, after all. Law shook his head, and Shachi frowned, now confused. His deductions had got him so far, but now Law had him stumped. "Then…"

"I was supposed to die when I was thirteen," Law said suddenly, his voice still muffed in Shachi's neck. "I should never have reached my fourteenth birthday."

That explained a lot – both the obsession with his arm, or more accurately the reminder of his old disease, and his lost countenance.

"Well," he said, refusing to let Law slip back into that lost state now that he was dragging him out of it. "You have. What are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?" Law's head shot up in surprise, once again clipping Shachi's chin sharply on the way. Shachi pouted and rubbed the afflicted spot. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said," he replied. "You're fourteen. What are you going to do now?"

Law's mouth opened and closed a few times soundlessly, and Shachi shook his head before standing up, pulling the smaller boy with him.

"Well as you can't decide, I'm going to decide for you," he said firmly, cutting Law off as he opened his mouth again – this time clearly to protest. "You're coming with me into the kitchen, where I am making you a hot chocolate with all the trimmings, then tonight we're having one of those sleepovers because I know you like them more than you admit. Today is a day of celebrating that you beat whatever stupid thing decided you were gonna die a kid, got it? And tomorrow, you can go back to planning that feathered bastard's demise."

Law's open jaw shut with an audible clack and Shachi grinned victoriously when he allowed himself to be led out of the library, and straight into the kitchen.

"Oh, and Law?" he said, gaining a noise of acknowledgement. "Happy birthday."

How can I do a collection on the Heart Pirates and not do something for Law's birthday? The implied timeline here is based on my assumptions from what little we can infer from canon - Law was 10 when Flevance fell, left the Donquixote Family with Cora-san when he was 12, and met Bepo, Penguin and Shachi when he was 13. Based on that, I figure Law was only just 13 when he ate the Ope Ope no Mi (a matter of a week or two, probably), making that maybe mid-late October? November at the latest. Bepo's birthday (20th November) was missed because that was still in the early days when they barely knew each other, whereas Shachi and Penguin's birthdays are close together in April, so enough time has passed that they'd have no issues bringing it up. This also makes it almost a year after the formation of the Heart Pirates before Law has his first birthday with them.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari