~
"Sabo if you start crying..." Luffy warned with a roll of his eyes.
Ace and Sabo were leaving for work and the blond brother looked like he would cry, again. Thankfully, it was Ace who dragged Sabo out before he could make a scene.
"Remember to eat your meals and sleep for at least ten hours!" Sabo called.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Food and sleep are two things that Luffy never forgets." Ace sighed.
"Just go! I'll be fine! See ya later!" Luffy yelled from inside the house and shut the door before any of his brothers had the time to be dramatic and embarrass him in front of the whole neighborhood.
Luffy looked at the empty living room and took a deep breath, he could get through this and prove to his brothers that he wasn't a little kid anymore. Speaking of little kids, the young man brought his phone out and spammed Law's chat with at least fifty texts reminding him to take his medicines for the afternoon.
Torao
I thought you said you weren't talking to me until I went to the doctor :P
You
This is texting Torao
Take your medicines and eat your meal, your brain is regressing
Torao
What the...
Where the fuck did you learn to speak like that from?
Luffy put his phone aside to go to his room and pack his bag for his stay with Law, he would be making sure his boyfriend was ok. Sure he said he wouldn't talk to him but that didn't mean he would abandon Law altogether.
Torao
Did your brothers leave?
???
Luffy saw the text but didn't answer it and grinned in mischief.
Torao
Answer me!
You
I'm coming over
Torao
Oh now you speak -.-
Door's locked :P
Good luck monkey
Who does he think I am? Luffy rolled his eyes and stuffed his phone in his bag, swinging the strap across his chest before marching out of his house and to Law's. The door was indeed locked, but that didn't deter the young man. Shaking his head, Luffy walked around the house to check for any windows, and if such were not available, open them. Luffy already had a key to the main door but climbing in through the windows and scaring Law was fun to him.
Luffy found a window, not open but not locked either, at the back of the house and it was Law's room. The young man shook his head in disbelief that his smart and intelligent boyfriend could be that stupid, it only meant that Law was too preoccupied to care or pay attention to these things and that was why, Luffy was there.
Luffy climbed in through the bedroom window and first took off his shoes to avoid mud on the carpet, it was a trigger for Law so the younger wanted to make sure he wasn't making the situation worse by being there. Putting his bag in his own room, Luffy walked casually to the living room where he saw Law burning his eyes on the laptop screen. All too casually still, the younger sat beside the doctor.
"What the fuck!" Law jumped in his seat, too focused on the task in front of him to have noticed an intrusion in his surroundings, so obviously, he was surprised to find his boyfriend suddenly beside him. "How the hell did you get in?"
Luffy shrugged and pointed to Law's room, thinking it would be enough to let the older know.
"Not speaking huh." The doctor noticed and got back to work.
Luffy brought out his flashcards and showed one to Law. It said 'Food?'
"Is this really how you're going to converse with me from now?"
Luffy switched the card to 'Doctor then?'
"No. How many of these do you have?" Law took the cards in his hands and went through the cardboard pieces, Luffy had pretty much everything covered. "Listen, I don't trust new people, least of all new doctors, so that's a no. I'm eating as much as I can and when I remember to eat. I don't need medicines anymore. And I absolutely have to get this report done by the end of next week so I can't afford to slack."
The younger stared at Law for a few seconds before bringing out a new card from his pocket. It read, 'Still not talking until you go to a doctor.'
"Suit yourself."
~
'Sleep.'
Luffy pushed that card in Law's line of vision, in front of his laptop. The younger was tired and wanted to sleep, and that meant that Law should be going to bed too. Luffy had somehow managed to make the older eat two meals in front of him, but Law still hadn't rested himself one bit.
"I'm fine." Law mumbled and heard Luffy sigh before the younger left the couch. Law wondered where his boyfriend had gone but didn't have to think for too long because in a minute, Luffy was back with two quilts, one he draped around Law's shoulders and the other over himself and laid down with his head on the older's thigh, to sleep.
Law felt warm inside and not from the blanket around him, but from the affection in Luffy's actions. The doctor knew how annoyed Luffy was with him for being careless with his health but he still wasn't leaving him to his own devices. Distractedly, Law rubbed the head on his leg and that earned him a purr, something he thought he had imagined all those years ago.
~
Peace. Law thought with a sigh escaping his lips. The doctor sat down on the living room couch and opened his laptop to resume his work, he had left momentarily to put his glasses on and take a pill for migraine because his eyes had started to ache.
A disapproving grunt came from beside Law and he closed his eyes to breathe through his nose, to calm himself. Luffy had been silent, like he had said, he wasn't talking to Law, only making sounds and pouts to let the older know when he didn't like what Law was doing to himself. The first two days, Luffy had stayed stuck by Law's side, then he stopped doing that and kept his actions to only reminding the older of his meals by putting the food in front of him. Luffy had, a few times, dragged Law to bed and taken out the battery from his laptop so the doctor would have no choice but to sleep. Slowly, he withdrew that though and Law was glad that Luffy had finally realized that the older needed to do his work.
When Law remained stoic to the current sounds, Luffy got up and left to somewhere the older didn't bother to check. Law went through his multiple handwritten reports and felt a wave of vertigo pass over him again. The doctor was glad Luffy had left or he wouldn't have heard the end of it. When he could see without feeling like his eyes were vibrating, Law took the mug of tea Luffy had prepared for him earlier and walked around to relax his muscles a little. Law eventually went into his room.
The doctor could tell it was a full moon by the small amount of moonlight coming in through the closed curtains. With the warm mug of tea in his hand, Law kind of wanted to see the moon so he got up and pulled the curtains aside but instead of the sight of moon, he got a near heart attack.
"AAAHH- FUCKING HELL-! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Law yelled, half embarrassed that he got scared so bad and half angry that he spilled his tea on himself. Luffy was standing stuck to the window and staring unblinkingly.
'Sleep.' Luffy held up the card and Law pulled the curtains back on the windows.
Law looked at the tea staining his shirt and felt angrier than he should but he controlled himself before he ended up smashing the mug in a wall. The doctor took a deep breath and went to his bathroom to get the tub filled with hot water while he took a shower to clean himself off the sticky liquid.
Cursing all the while scrubbing his skin clean, Law turned the shower off and went to sit in the tub, maybe he would be able to relax like that for a little while at least. The hot water did wonders on the doctor's muscles and opened a window of mental clarity that Law hadn't had for a few weeks, it made him curse himself more realizing that Luffy was only acting on what was best for the older and he was being a brat about it.
Luffy peeked in the bathroom and walked in seeing Law in the tub with his eyes closed. The younger felt bad for scaring his boyfriend and getting tea spilled on him. Luffy knew Law didn't like baths and had to go through a mental battle to make himself go through the watery assault.
Law opened an eye when he heard footsteps and saw Luffy holding up a 'sorry.' The doctor sighed closing his eye and slid more in the water. "If you're not going to use your voice to talk to me, I'm also going to be petty and not respond to those cards." Law thought it only fair to be like that.
The younger debated on his next actions for a little while, standing in the bathroom with his feet bare against the cold tiles. When Luffy's eyes went to the scar tissue on Law's shoulder from the time he got shot, the young man knew what he had to do.
"I love you." Luffy said taking a deep breath and found himself being stared at by surprised golden eyes. "You may be ok with not caring about yourself, but I'm not. You're acting as if you're running out of time for something and it's scary to watch and I'm trying not to worry so much- I just can't help it. Torao you are already not perfectly healthy and I feel like if I also let you be, I'd lose you and I don't want that. I want us to be together and happy for a long time. Why won't you help me with it..."
Law felt ashamed of himself, his actions were scaring the younger and he hadn't thought about it like that at all. It was true that he was running out of time, Law was surprised Luffy picked on that. But what really struck Law in his pieced-together heart, and broke it, then mended it in the same second, were the first few words. Luffy had always told Law he liked the doctor and that he was amazing and the best, but to hear the younger say that he loved him, Law bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from tearing up.
"Get in." Law said gesturing to the water with his eyes. When he saw Luffy starting to run, he quickly added, "take your clothes off first, dammit!"
"Oh yeah." Luffy grinned like he had forgotten that he was wearing clothes at all. The few layers the younger was wearing were off in seconds and the boy was soon in the hot water, sitting between Law's long legs, back to the other's chest.
Law brought his arms around his boyfriend and hugged him close, burying his nose in the crook of the younger's neck, taking a deep inhale. "I will go to the hospital." Law said after thinking a little, he could give in to his boyfriend's last few requests.
"Good." Luffy said instantly. "But I'm coming with you to make sure you actually went."
"And to make sure I don't murder the technician's incompetent ass." The doctor chuckled in the warm skin of the younger.
"That too. Not everybody is bad at their job though Torao."
Law took a breath and sat back against the tub again, he took little water in his palms and poured it over Luffy's shoulders, repeating the movements until he could speak again. "Most of the medical professionals I know, are."
Luffy moved back so he was leaning on the older's chest again. "The real mystery is, how you know so many medical people when you don't work in a hospital."
"Oh you're getting cheeky on me." Law bit the ear closest to him, which caused the young man in his arms to giggle. Law loved him, and he wouldn't tell Luffy that but hearing his voice made the older feel peace for the first time in a few days. "Thank you."
~
"Who the hell is it?!" Law stomped his foot and put his laptop aside to check who wanted their ass to murdered, ringing his doorbell like there was no tomorrow.
"I'll go." Luffy said and went to get the door. The two had come to a middle ground that Law would go to a doctor and eat his meals with Luffy, however much he could eat, and the younger would let him work for at least eight hours a day, with breaks of course. Luffy also told Law that if he found the older swaying or squinting his eyes, that was the signal for a break, during which, they could either go out or sleep. Law agreed to the terms when Luffy threw in something a little extra, that when Law would have his work-hours, the younger would leave him completely alone to focus on it. So there Law was, sitting in the living room, working, till he had to go to the hospital.
"He looks thin." Law heard a familiar voice of a woman and rolled his eyes. "Yap, he's ok."
"How are you doing, Law?" Smoker asked after Law had completely ignored Hina.
"Heard you fainted, Hina was worried." Hina said.
"That was a week ago!" The doctor said and closed his laptop, he wasn't going to get anything done till his appointment now. "And you." Law turned to Luffy who sat beside him. "You told them on me?"
"You were being weird, I had to tell everyone to be on the ready for anything." Luffy shrugged.
"He means well, Law." Smoker interrupted.
"You're ok now?" Hina asked.
"I'd be better if you both sat down." Law said with a sigh.
"I'm making eggs, you guys want something?" Luffy asked leaving the couch. "Torao hasn't had his second breakfast yet."
"What am I, a hobbit?"
Smoker and Hina looked at each other and tried to understand what was happening before them. They had seen Luffy kick ass, be kind, be strong, be brave, but never in their long years of knowing the young man, had they thought that Luffy could cook.
"Oh I know that face. Torao did that all the time too." Luffy laughed. "I learned how to cook."
"And you haven't burned the house down even once?" Smoker narrowed his eyes.
"That's Ace's thing, Smokey."
"And you haven't been poisoned accidentally too?" Hina asked Law.
"Not once." Law shrugged.
"Huh, what do you know." Smoker started.
"Love changes people, huh." Hina added.
"So? Eggs?" Luffy brought the attention away from his slowly-turning-red-as-a-tomato boyfriend.
"Sure why not." The marines agreed.
"Not much for me." Law called.
"You don't need a fast for an echo, Torao. So you're eating at least two eggs." Luffy answered back and went in the kitchen.
"Why do you need an echo?" Smoker asked and took off his jacket.
"Something's not right in there, gotta get it checked before it gets worse." Law answered truthfully, itching at the site on his chest again.
"What do you think it might be?" Hina got up and sat beside Law, concerned.
"I don't know, a clogged vessel at the most? I'll get my guys to operate once I find out." Law lied through his teeth.
"Your friends in Flevance? Are they any good?"
"I trust them with my life."
"That says something." Smoker smiled.
~
"This might be the first time I see you use a real ID." Luffy pointed when the two arrived at the reception desk of the Goa General to get Law sorted in for his echo appointment.
"I'm not using my real ID." Law countered immediately.
"Ok. Antonio." Luffy laughed when the older handed his fake ID to the woman at the desk and she started making a patient's file for the doctor.
"Please wait in the lobby and the technician will call you shortly." The lady said and the boys went to sit in the waiting area. It wasn't long before they were called. Law knew the protocol so he unzipped his shirt and laid down on the bed with his arm under his head.
"Have you done this before, sir?" The technician asked for record purposes.
"I'm a doctor myself." Law said and let the man work. Luffy sat close by the bed, on the trademark hospital metal stool. Once the man put the echo probe on his chest, Law knew he would need to control himself, the man had especially hard hands for the job.
"Ok let's see..."
Law bit his lip, he felt pain his chest, the guy was pushing the probe too hard in his ribs. "Fuck. I'll do it myself." Law got up from the bed and snatched the probe from the man's hand. Luffy left his stool so he could intervene if need be. "Go sit in a corner."
"Sir-"
"Fuck off."
"Torao, be nice." Luffy scolded.
"I've done an echo on you, did it hurt?" Law asked his boyfriend.
"No."
"This guys is gliding the machine too hard on my bones, that bruises them for a week."
"Ok." Luffy agreed and turned to the technician. "Torao's gonna do it, so just sit there and let him."
Under Luffy's supervision, the echo technician didn't say a word while Law checked his heart and the surrounding area. The doctor couldn't find anything on the echo, which was worse, because that meant that he needed to get a camera in his vessels, an angiography to tell what was wrong. But Law was not going to tell Luffy that.
"You saw the entire thing, what do you think is wrong?" Law asked the technician, tapping the button on the console to move between the various images he had saved from the process.
"I can't see anything wrong." The man said and left his place in the corner and came to stand beside Law. Luffy looked between the two in confusion.
"Exactly. I'm fine."
"If you're experiencing symptoms and there is nothing in an echo, you might need-"
"It is anxiety then." Law cut the man off, glaring at him to stop talking.
"Y-yes, it's anxiety." The man agreed, nervously.
"Let's go." The older told Luffy and the two were out of the hospital.
"Torao you gotta do something about your anxiety." Luffy said with a pout, walking beside Law back home.
"That's the worst thing about anxiety Luffy, you can't do anything about it."
"Why not?"
"Because it happens from faults in the brain, faults that nobody can cure."
"That sucks." Luffy kicked a stone in his path.
"So it does."
~