Chapter Text
Law got off from work and was walking down the main street in downtown Grand Line City to get to his apartment. Walking past the multiple stores, he turned his attention to a particular store and saw some people come out happily with bags. Law closed his eyes, ignoring the temptation of entering the store himself. He continued on his path and sighed when passing the store. He saw multiple people hand in hand and couldn’t help but sigh softly. It was a little chilly this time of night, but nothing was as chilly as walking into the empty apartment knowing no one would be there to greet him. Law hated this, every single day he had to endure this.
He walked into his apartment and set his keys and work ID on the entryway table while he kicked his shoes off and put on his slippers. He walked further into the darkened apartment and got to the living room, which was connected to the kitchen by an island countertop. He looked to the bare wall behind his black leather sofa. The white was screaming at him, urging him to hang something. Law reached out to touch the wall
You’re such an embarrassment.
Law had tears form and he brought back his hand. “I have to be normal…” Law muttered to himself and sighed as a tear fell. He wrapped his arms around himself as he looked down. After a few seconds, Law shook off the tears and walked to the kitchen to make dinner. After eating, he went straight to bed and did nothing else.
Getting up, drinking coffee, getting ready for and leaving for his normal 12 hour shift at work, going home, eating and sleeping. This has been his routine for the last 5 years. It’s incredibly boring but it’s normal. Normal, like how Law needed to be just to be accepted. Law wasn’t happy, by no stretch of the imagination, but… that’s normal.
One day, one faithful day, Law woke up to realize he was out of coffee. His stash has been depleted… he thought he had at least one more bag. Law didn’t let that get to him as he calmly took out a list to write what he needed from the grocery store tonight.
He continued on his normal routine but decided to leave early to get some coffee at a local café on his way into work. The one directly to the left of… that store. Law shook his head and continued to get ready for his day. Law, leaving early, took a shortcut down an alleyway. Walking, he can hear the sound of the wind which was normal for alleys like this, no wind could escape except from the other side. However, he heard some commotion on the room of the building next to him. Law didn’t have enough time to process what he heard when, all of the sudden, a man jumped from the building’s roof and landed next to a dumpster around 10 feet from him.
“OW, SHIT!”
Law was in shock for all but 5 seconds when his doctor mode wanted to kick in and go and see if he was ok. His legs didn’t move since his rational mode was making a probability that this man was probably, literally, attempting to jump him
“Oh no! Sir, are you ok!?” a little kid ran from the opposite side of the alleyway to the man
“I’m fine” he said sitting up and the little boy gasped
“No you’re not! You’re bleeding!” the boy yelled
“I’m used to it, here” he said, giving the boy a toy, a toy that Law recognizes as the protagonist to the Sora, Warrior of the Sea comics.
“Thanks so much” he said and was on verge of ears
“Hey, don’t let those guys get to you. Remember that your soulmate will accept who you are” the teenager said and the boy nodded
“Thanks so much mister! Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yep”
Law, with a heavy heart due to the teenager’s words, watched the kid thank him and leave. “You really ok?”
The guy jumped and turned to see Law, “Shit you scared me! Wait.. you saw the whole thing didn’t you?”
“5 more steps, you would have landed on me” Law said
“... I’m sorry” he said but laughed a cute ‘shi shi shi’, “I aimed for the trash, but the wind knocked me to the right”
“Ah. Well you are bleeding pretty badly, you should get that checked out at the hospital before you bleed out. From here, it looks like you might need some stitches”
Luffy instantly shot up to his feet, “Sure thing!” he said in a weird tone mixture of happy and fear as he bolted down the alleyway
Law watched as the boy turned as he left the alleyway and had furrowed eyebrows. ‘Well, that was weird.’ Law thought continuing on his way to get his much needed coffee. Getting to work with his cup of coffee, he clocked in. An hour into his shift, his department had been pretty slow in the morning, so he was given another job in another department that was busy. That’s how he could actually maintain a 48 hour a week schedule as a surgeon, by helping out with the busiest sections. He was well rounded as a doctor. He does have quite a few surgeries during the day usually though. The amount of morons hurting themselves is ridiculously high in this city. He took his job’s file and looked in it before smirking. No way.
He walked into the room, “Hello, M-”
“Hey! It’s you! What are you doing here!?”
Law looked from the file to the teenager from earlier, who was cutely kicking his feet while sitting on the doctor’s chair. Another person was standing next to him
“I’m a surgeon. There is nothing going on in my department so I’m filling in this department at the moment.” Law said and the other guy looked confused and then a look of realization fell on his face
“Oh, you’re the one who told him to come here”
“...An hour earlier. By the looks of it, he didn’t” Law said, seeing Luffy’s bloody arm and face. As this department was swamped, they would have taken in an emergency case like this the second they come in.
“I made him come here. I woke up to him sitting on the couch bleeding away while playing video games. Made him come straight here.”
“You soulmates?”
“No, I think I’m the only one of us that haven’t met them yet” the friend said he said sighing, “I’m Usopp and this is one of my best friends Luffy”
“Ah, sorry for assuming. I’m Dr. Trafalgar Law” he said and Luffy tried to say his name a few times but happily landed on ‘Traffy’
“...Er… Luffy has a hard time with long names so he makes nicknames for him to remember, please don’t mind him” Usopp said rubbing the back of his head, “But that’s a lot better than the nickname he gave to Bartolomeo”
“Rooster head!” Luffy exclaimed happily making Law break out in a small smile
“Well, anyways I need to do my job so can I please ask for you to step out as I check my patient?” Law asked and Usopp as he is not really comfortable with people lingering when he works on patients
“Oh sure, I just stayed to make sure Luffy actually stayed here” Usopp said before leaving and what he said caught Law’s attention
“Do you hate doctors?” Law asked
“Kind of”
“Ah”
“But I think I like you, so you’re good” Luffy said giving a toothy grin. Law smiled feeling his heart skip a beat before he went into professional doctor mode. He looked through the medical records before checking on Luffy’s vitals before moving to the cuts on his upper right cheek and left forearm
“It looks like you will be needing stitches after all, you wouldn’t mind that will you?”
“... Just get it over with” he said in a tone of ‘I hate this so much’
“Ok” he said setting up the little table before washing his hands and putting on surgical gloves. He got out some local antiseptic, “This is to be used to numb the area, so you won’t feel a thing”
“Ok” Luffy said in a tone that made Law stop his task of getting the local anasthasia onto a cotton ball and looked to him. Luffy looked like he was antsy in anxiety
“Hey, would you mind telling me why you jumped in the alleyway like that?” Law asked and Luffy happily talked about his morning not even realizing Law began to stitch after applying local anasthasia. He had met a boy who was crying because a group of bullies threw his newly bought toy on the roof saying ‘men with that is an embarrassment’. Law stopped a flinch from that word and continued to do his job as he was listening to the story. Luffy talked about saying he would help him get the toy and soon, realized that getting up on top of the building was a lot easier than it was to get down, so he jumped
“So you told him his Soulmate would accept him?”
“I mean whose soulmate wouldn’t?” Luffy asked and Law couldn’t help but think of his, he shook the thought away
“So what happened when you went home?”
“Apparently I scared the shit out of Usopp. He freaked out. It was hilarious even though he made me lose the game I was playing”
“Ah, well” Law said backing up starting to take off his gloves, “All finished”
“What, really!?” Luffy asked, looking at his wrist and face in a mirror, “How did you do that so fast!?”
“I didn’t. You were just distracted by that story of yours”
Luffy thought about it and smiled, “You did that on purpose”
“Maybe” Law said smirking
“Thanks” he said, “Wait, will this scar!?”
“Uh… most likely” Law said hoping it’s not going to be like that last patient he had in this department a few days ago… the person freaking out over having an ungodly looking scar on their body. Better than bleeding out if you ask a rational person.
“COOL!!”
Law was taken back at the outburst but smiled when he continued
“Look! It’s going to turn into an X shape! Awesome! Wait until I tell Ace!”
“Hold still, I need to wrap them” Law said and Luffy held still when the doctor did just that. Law let back in his friend and gave them instructions on what to do with the wounds, “Ok, so keep these wrapped up like this for the next 24 hours. After that, wash them daily. Then come back in a week later for the stitches to be removed”
Law gave them a note that had the instructions he gave and Usopp took it, “I’ll make sure Luffy does just that, thank you so much”
“Thanks Traffy!”
Law smiled, “It’s my job.” he said before getting a page on his beeper, “Well speaking of my job, I’m called in for surgery, You two know the way out”
“Yep!”
Law and Luffy went on their merry ways, neither of them knowing that this was the stepping stones of them both being more directly involved in each other’s lives.
TBC