A/N: This is in continuation with Day 04: Injured from 10 Days of LawLu 2022, but you can read it as a standalone too if you want!

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Law could hear a chorus of hushed voices from behind the closed door of the infirmary, Tony-ya had recommended him complete bed rest until the fever was gone for good. Complete bed rest and complete silence which the fools outside the door were ignoring. Law buried his head beneath the pillow Luffy had vacated a few hours ago, hoping the noise would die down and he would be able to get some rest. But the sounds persisted so Law threw the pillow at the glass panel on the infirmary door, pulling a muscle as a consequence, pain shooting from his injured shoulder.

The surgeon was trying to calm himself down when the door opened and closed, and Law heard two pairs of footsteps.

"Law, are you awake?" It was Chopper.

"Can't really sleep with all the fucking noise out there." Law grumbled and made to sit up, the reindeer was probably there for a checkup.

"Your nakama are worried." Luffy said taking his hat off and putting it beside Law's.

"It would do them good to be quiet or I'm cutting out their voice boxes."

"I'm going to check on your injuries now, ok?" Chopper informed and began undoing the bandages around Law's torso and shoulder.

"I'm going out after this, so pad it too."

"You're not strong enough to walk for long."

"I've handled worse and my idiots would continue to crowd your ship unless they see me scowling at them." Law reasoned.

"Fine, but no exertions."

"I'll set up a seat on deck!" Luffy said and bounded off calling for Franky.

"How well can you handle pain?" Chopper asked when Luffy was out of earshot.

"Am I exceeding the recommended dose?" Law asked reading through the patient sheets Chopper had put on the bed earlier. "I am."

"Yes but your infection isn't going away quick enough so there is going to be pain and fever for at least another day."

"Cut off the painkillers then I'll deal with it somehow."

"I'm still rubbing the ointment so it will help at least dull it down a little." The small doctor said rubbing the said medicine then wrapped Law's wounds and padded as per his request. "Don't do something stupid."

"I'm not your captain." Law said back to Chopper and walked out of the infirmary before him, keeping Kikoku close in case he had to take support. The twenty Heart pirates were gathered outside the door, in the Sunny's kitchen, Law wondered what change of heart Sanji had to allow such a crowd. "Stop crying, I'm fine."

"Captainnnnnn!" Law's entire crew screamed and bawled.

"GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!" Ah, there it was.

Law led his crew to the deck and sat down on the chair Luffy was saving for him. The crew all sat down in front of their captain completely aware that he was still injured and they weren't supposed to crowd him. Luffy dragged another chair to sit beside Law.

"How long are we sailing together?" Penguin asked.

"A few days I guess." Law answered truthfully.

"I'll rope the Tang to the ship then." Shachi said and got up with a few others to accomplish that task.

"Might be a good time to air it out too." Ikkaku suggested.

"Busy yourselves then." Law waved his hand. "And I'm supposed to be resting in complete silence so don't make any noises again."

"You got it cap!"

"You wanna come to the captain quarters?" Luffy offered. Law looked at Luffy curiously, trying to make out his motives, the captain quarters was a place Luffy made especially so Law could stay over. The younger captain apparently mistook Law's stare for something else. "I promise the sheets are clean and the room's dusted!"

Law chuckled lightly. "Alright."

"Yay!" Luffy hopped off his chair and extended his hand for Law to take, the older didn't waste a second and put his hand in his boyfriend's, getting led to their room.

"Tony-ya is cutting off my pain meds so don't push me if I seem irritated." Law warned putting Kikoku aside and sitting on the bed, eventually laying down. Luffy pulled the curtains over the windows and sat down beside Law, playing with his hair again. "Pretty sure you'll miss the cue for that though."

Luffy wasn't listening though, he was absorbed in thought, looking at Law, remembering that if he hadn't taken a look at the vivre card that day, he wouldn't have known Law was in trouble, or maybe wouldn't have known fast enough.

"Luffy?" Law called when the younger kept staring, an odd emotion cast over his eyes.

"Make me a promise." Luffy said and made eye contact with his boyfriend, ready to elaborate on his statement but he was immediately shut down.

"I don't make promises anymore, Mugiwara-ya." Law turned his face away to end the conversation. Luffy didn't push, just stroked Law's hair until he felt the older doze off.

The next time Law was awake, he was burning with fever. Chopper had immediately given the surgeon cooling devices that Usopp made and ice packs for his forehead and stomach but the effects were much too slow. Luffy was fanning Law with a hand-fan to the best of his ability, not liking how irritated and angry his boyfriend looked.

"Torao, are you sure you don't want anything else?" Luffy asked when Law breathed through pursed lips, the younger recalled Law said it made him breathe easier.

"Talk to me. Anything." Law said and bit his bottom lip, the pain was getting worse but he knew it was going to be over soon and he needed a distraction to pull through it without decapitating anybody.

"Why don't you make promises?" Luffy asked in a small voice, it was the first thing he could think of, had been thinking about it ever since Law said he didn't make promises. Granted his boyfriend allowed him to ask anything, Luffy still felt like shit for doing this but Law was vulnerable right now from the back to back fevers from the infection and it felt like he had taken advantage of the situation by asking him such a question.

"I can't keep them," came Law's equally quick response. Luffy looked over at the agonized surgeon's face and found him looking back, not angry or hateful, but calmer than before.

"Why not Torao?"

"The last promise I made was to Lami..." Law started. "She was already so sick with amber lead, there were gunshots outside, she wasn't going to make it, I knew that but I hid her in a cupboard, promised her I'd be back, I had already lied to her about the sounds outside, told her it was fireworks from the festival... I couldn't do anything for her that time, I went to get my parents... they were already dead, I was chased around and by the time I got back to the hospital for Lami... the building was on fire... she died alone, suffering and scared, maybe still believing in the promise I had made her..."

Luffy could see the tears Law was trying to hide by putting an arm over his eyes. Losing a sibling was not something trivial or easy, Luffy knew that firsthand, the younger's heart ached for the long years Law had lived dealing with the pain and guilt of not being able to keep a promise that was outside his power.

"I can't do any of that again..." Law continued. "I don't want to make any pacts that I can't keep... especially in these times..."

"Ace broke his promise too..." Luffy started, talking about his brother, probably for the first time like this since his passing. "He said he would never die... but he did. I forgive him though, he couldn't have kept such a promise to begin with. I'm sure Lami must have forgiven you too." The younger tried smiling but he couldn't, not when Law looked like he wanted to die, not when Luffy himself felt like there were bricks in his lungs.

"...then don't ask me to make promises with you."

~

"I'm not wearing that." Law scowled at his boyfriend. It was exactly four days after receiving treatment from Chopper that Law's wounds were well enough to discharge him from the young reindeer's care. The Heart pirates were preparing to part ways with the Strawhats, only the captains were still in the captain's quarters on the Thousand Sunny because Luffy said he wanted to give something to Law.

"Why not!" Luffy pouted looking from the rings in his hands to his lover, then at the rings again, wondering if something was wrong with them.

"Do you even know what this entails, what the news is going to make out of it when they spot these on our hands? Did you think this through, what actually were you even thinking!" Needless to say, Law was annoyed at the idea of having to wear matching rings.

"They are not wedding rings if you're thinking about that, those would be much fancier."

"I- what!" Law's thoughts were racing and not fast enough at the words he was hearing.

"Yeah, these are just matching rings, so everyone knows and we know that we come back to each other."

"What the fuck are you on about?" Law grabbed his head and sat down, he was sure he would fall if Luffy kept talking in the same themes.

"You said you didn't wanna make promises, so take this ring instead, it's not a promise, just a reminder that you have a home with me and that you can always come back and that you will come back."

"Sounds like a promise to me." Law argued.

"It's not Torao." Luffy pouted again and pushed the rings towards Law a little more.

The surgeon eyed the silver rings for a good minute before looking at his boyfriend again. "What if you change your mind?" Law's voice came out smaller than he had expected and that caught Luffy off guard but he bounced back soon enough.

"I'll put it in the news then that we are divorced, not that it will happen."

"It's not a divorce if you're not married." Law shook his head but smiled despite himself.

"It's not?" Luffy titled his head in confusion then grinned. "Anyway! I won't change my mind, I love Torao!"

Law sighed and acted on his first thought, he moved and captured Luffy's lips in an easy kiss, parting with a small peck. "Fine. It's a promise."

"Nishishi!" Luffy grinned and grabbed Law's sword. "Since we are not wearing these..."

Law watched as Luffy undid the red rope a little to tie the ring close to the sheath, handing the older captain his sword back.

"Works, won't get in the way during battles."

"Where do you want mine?" Luffy asked excitedly.

Law took the ring from the box and first admired that it really was a plain and simple thing, too big for either of their fingers on closer inspection. Law smiled upon the realization that Luffy didn't want to burden him into wearing a ring to begin with. Luffy's grin widened when the older took the precious strawhat off his head and started working on unravelling the red ribbon, looping the ring in it and sewing the ribbon back in place. Law kissed the ring after finishing his work and placed the hat back on his boyfriend's head. "You won't lose it this way."

"You're quite mushy for someone who didn't want these in the first place." Luffy laughed and ran out of the room knowing Law would be on his tail.

"Mugiwara-ya! Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can mushy-Torao! Nyahahahahaha!!"

Law ran after Luffy, his eyes mostly fixed on the ring on the strawhat, how nice it looked on it. Law's attention then went back to his own ring, threaded onto his sword and then he realized something.

Red threaded promise, huh.

~