~

Law walked briskly to the infirmary. The sun had just come up and with it, chaos. He could hear the distant noises of alarm from a few of his group members and hurried all the same to where it was all coming from. He stopped on his way to grab Kikoku from his room then resumed his walk.

What he saw boiled his blood and he was sure if he measured his blood pressure right now, the machine would break. Luffy had jumped on Bepo - how in the world he managed that was beyond Law at the moment - and he was biting his ear, choking him with his arms and legs, it might have been the boy gripping his neck for support but to Law it looked like choking.

"Not my bear you fucking savage! Get off Bepo!!" He yelled and made to detach the monkey from his friend. Penguin was silently sniggering in the corner but stopped when Law shot him a glare.

"Oh! Torao-"

"Do not call me that!"

"But that's your name."

"It's not!! And get off Bepo! Right! Now!" Law said pulling the back of Luffy's patient gown to get the boy to come down but he moved further upwards and Law was kind of not tall enough to reach there.

"Will you give me meat then?"

"You are in no fucking condition to digest meat!" Then he noticed there were no IVs attached to him. "And what the fuck have you done to your tubes?!" Law looked around the bed and found all the tubes and attached needles on the ground, including the urine catheter. He pulled it out. Again. "You're making me regret saving you."

"You're mean." Luffy pouted and buried his cheek in Bepo's fur. "And your bear is soft and comfy."

Something in Law snapped and it was very obvious that he was losing it. Slowly everyone who was in the infirmary started leaving until it was just Law, Bepo and Luffy.

"Mugiwara-ya, come down. Right now." Law said slowly, trying to breathe himself into being calm.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't like the needles, especially not the one you keep putting in my peepee, and I am hungry, I want to eat meat!"

"I will give you meat then. So come down." Luffy eyed Law suspiciously but did not find anything that would have told him that Law was lying so Luffy complied.

"Ok." And he jumped down. JUMPED!

Law was about to comment on the boy for jumping from Bepo's height in his condition but stopped himself, lest he wanted him to climb up and never come down.

"Bepo, get me my coffee."

"Suimasen!"

Once Bepo left, Law asked Luffy to sit on the bed so he could check him, again, because he had yanked his needles and catheter out, again. Luffy kept swinging his legs and it was disturbing Law's work but he couldn't snap as much as the kid got on his nerves.

"So when am I getting the meat?" Luffy asked when Law was cleaning the cannula sites off blood and anything else Luffy might have managed to invite there.

"Soon." Law moved his attention down south where the restless idiot had yanked the catheter from. "Don't move, I am checking for any damages."

"How soon? I am hungry."

"Let me check you in peace first."

"How long does that take? You do that every day!" When Law did not grace Luffy with an answer, the latter started swinging his legs again.

"How do your lungs feel?" Law asked taking his stethoscope and pushing it on various spots on Luffy's chest.

"Better. I still can't breathe easy though."

"That's gradual recovery. But I am really amazed that your chest cavity is already so clear." Law muttered to himself. "Inhumane healing alright."

"So does this mean I will get meat?"

"I can put you off the catheter," Law started and showed Luffy which one of the things was a catheter, "but your needles will have to stay a while longer. Just a week at most but let's not put the cannula back right away and let your arms rest a bit."

"So I can walk around now?"

"There is just one more test, if the results show nothing wrong, then you can definitely start walking and doing some light exercising for your lungs and muscles."

"Yay!" Luffy pumped his fists but titled his head in confusion when he saw the discomfort on the teenager's face. "Why are you making that face?"

"You will not like the test itself."

"Why not?"

"It's sort of invasive..."

"How come?" Law did not know why he was having such a hard time saying the entire steps of the procedure. It was maybe because of what Luffy went through and Law did not want to send the boy into panic and did not wanted to trigger the PTSD he knew was hiding somewhere in his small, underfed body. "Torao?"

Taking a deep breath, Law pulled himself together and switched to detached doctor mode. "I will have to put a tube in your body through your anus and pump up some medicine in there. It's uncomfortable and it can trigger bad memories."

Luffy smiled. "Just that? Do it then, I survived back there too, this is nothing. I can handle it." He grinned in the end.

You shouldn't have had to say something like that.

Law felt odd sympathy for the boy seeing him show so much teeth. Flevance was by no means warm but sitting in the infirmary, in front of Luffy who smiled like that, Law felt warmth flood his usually cold being.

"Ok then. I will get the kit."

"Ok!" Luffy chimed as Law got up to first lock the infirmary door then got the enema kit, pulling the curtains around the cot and pulling his gloves on.

"Lie down on your right side." Law instructed and arranged the items on a sterilized tray then sat down behind Luffy, popping the lid off the jar of petroleum jelly he smeared on his fingertips. He lifted Luffy's gown a little, adjusted him so his left leg was bent at the knee near his stomach. "I am going to lubricate the entrance now." And Law did just that, his fingertips rubbed the jelly on and around the puckered muscle. It was not reddened so that was a relief that at least there was no bristles or anything that could have been indicative of an injury.

"Warmmmmmm." Luffy hummed and Law nearly snorted.

"The tube is next. I am going to put it in slowly so do not move or it is going to poke somewhere and injure you. But if it hurts, I need you to tell me. Ok?"

"Hurry up Torao! It's going to take all day like this!" Law rolled his eyes but took the tube and took a deep breath.

"Deep breaths, Luffy-ya, and relax." Law instructed one last time and when he felt Luffy exhale, he started pushing the tube in, very slowly. He stopped when the tip went in and Luffy gasped followed by a whine. "Ok?" Luffy didn't speak but Law saw him nod. "Use words, does it hurt?"

"N-no."

Fuck. I need to hurry this up. Law thought when Luffy stuttered. His speech starting to leave him was a sign that he might start panicking soon so Law wanted to hurry this up as much as he could without causing Luffy pain or discomfort.

"I am continuing." He did just what he said. Luffy let out occasional sounds of discomfort but nothing that indicated that he was in pain and once a considerable length of the tube was inside, Law stopped. "I am going to pump the medicine now, it will definitely feel weird."

"Do it." Luffy's voice was thick and Law knew it was from the boy trying to keep himself from crying. All this was definitely taking a toll on his mind.

"Take a deep breath." Law instructed and on its exhale pumped the medicine in. "Taking it out now." He informed and slowly but steadily started removing the tube, bagged the contents and discarded it. "Good job."

"Is it done?"

"Yes." Luffy sat up and wiped his eyes. "Now starting from fifteen minutes to an hour, you will feel like rushing to the bathroom to empty your stomach. When that happens, you will do just that, go to the bathroom and empty your stomach. But, I need to see what comes out-"

"That's funny!" Luffy laughed and Law sighed. "Why do you wanna look at my poop?"

"To see if there is blood in it." That shut Luffy up and he titled his head to the right again.

"Why would there be blood?"

"If your insides are injured, then there would be blood but the medicine I sent up there would probably be enough to heal it too."

"Oh."

"Now stay here until you have to go the bathroom. It's the first right door when you get out from here." Law removed his gloves and pulled the curtains back. He was about to leave when Luffy stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"To get some much deserved coffee."

"Can I get meat then?"

"I am going to review your diet plan and start you off with some light soups, just to get your gears used to digesting and processing proper food."

"But you said I could get meat!!" Luffy protested.

"I didn't say when." Law smirked.

"You meanie!! I want meat! I am not eating anything that's not meat!!"

Luffy being so insistent on eating meat right off the bat was giving Law a huge headache, one he didn't want to deal with without his average three cups dose of morning coffee. Law sighed.

"Luffy-ya this is a step by step treatment, your body cannot handle meat right off the bat, I'd have to ease you into it." Law explained feeling stupid for even feeling the need to explain.

"No! I can difest meat! It's no biggie!"

"Digest. And no. I am the doctor here."

"You didn't go to doctor school so I won't take your word for it." Law's eyes twitched at the bullheadedness of the boy in front of him.

"Alright then, let's make a deal." Luffy looked at him, his pout tracing away. "I will give you meat but if you vomit it, you will have to follow my diet plan."

"Deal!" Luffy agreed without thinking about it further. He was getting meat, what was there to think about?

"Deal."

Law left for the kitchen with purpose and found the chef hunched a little on the counter with knives and vegetables occupying the space. He knocked on the nearby surface to get the man's attention.

"Oh cap, coffee?"

"Some other matter." When the cook raised his eyebrows, Law started. "Do we have some meat that's going bad? If not can you get some and cook it? Light roast, nothing fancy?"

"Why...do you want bad meat?" The chef asked raising his eyebrows further up, not bothering to hide his reaction at Law's weird request. The kid was a healthy eater if he ate anything which was a miracle in itself since the boy barely ate.

"To teach an idiot a lesson." Law considered this explanation enough and by the shrug of the other man's shoulders, Law gathered he got the deal.

"There is some beef that looks pretty inedible but I gotta say, anybody normal and healthy would just throw up or get some really bad stomach pains." Law smirked.

"Perfect. Roast it. I'll be back in an hour." With that Law left but not before taking the entire coffee pot with him. He went back in the infirmary and sat down in front of the computer, putting Luffy's latest developments in the system and going over the diet plan again.

He was so going to win that deal.

"What're you drinking?" Law heard Luffy ask.

"Coffee."

"What's that?"

"You have never heard of coffee?" The older asked incredulous.

How could someone not have heard of coffee?

COFFEE!!

"Nope. Is it good? Gimme some."

"Never. You're jumpy enough as it is, I do not want to find out the horror of putting you on caffeine."

"You're not making any sense. Torao are you stupid after all?" Law pinched between his eyes and sighed audibly. "Hey where's your bear, I wanna play with him."

"Bepo is not a plaything."

"I know, how does a bear talk though?"

"He is a Mink."

"What's that?"

"Dear GanFall let me die." Law mumbled.

"Who's that?" Law was about to throw the coffee pot with delicious coffee still in it at Luffy but controlled himself enough to not reply. "Torao, I'm hungry."

"After you have to go the bathroom." Luffy whined like a kicked puppy and Law assumed he would settle, he should too before he hurt himself. Luffy was fidgeting in his place and Law wondered what a handful the boy would be once he would be allowed to walk unrestricted by his IVs and catheter. "Stop fidgeting. Can't you stay still for more than a minute?"

"But I'm bored!! And hungry!!" Law looked at the coffee pot in his hand and shook his head. This will not do. He pulled out a bottle of spirit from one of the cabinets and dumped its contents in the coffee pot. Mixing it all, he chugged it without restraints. Law enjoyed the slight buzz it gave him and made it possible for him to ignore Luffy a little.

Law checked the time on his phone realizing Luffy would be needing to rush to the bathroom soon so he grabbed some water and downed it to bring his senses back. It worked a bit.

"Do you feel like going yet?" Law asked, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets and fixing Luffy a look as if that would get the boy to hurry up.

"Nope." Luffy jumped down the bed. "Ok now I feel like going!"

Law followed Luffy to the bathroom at a leisurely pace. Luffy ran but didn't bother shutting the door. Law sighed and shut it for him. All the while Luffy was occupying the bathroom, Law could hear the boy singing faintly.

"Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo~" He whistled the rest and Law couldn't help the small upward twitch of his lips. His whistling was really bad but his gusto was more than making up for it.

"Where did you learn that song from?" Law asked from the door.

"Back home. There was this guy, really awesome who gave me my hat, he used to sing it all the time!"

"It's a pirate song you know."

"Yeah! That's why I wanted to become a pirate! So I would sing it all the time with my nakama!" Law hummed a response. "Ok I'm done!"

"Stay there." Law said and pushed the door open. He peeked at the contents Luffy excreted and sighed in relief. "You're good."

"Does this mean I can have meat?!"

"Clean yourself and wash your hands then come back in the infirmary." Law said ignoring Luffy and leaving.

"Torao you're mean!"

"Never said I wasn't!" Law called back and quickly typed his notes before Luffy began interrupting him again. When Luffy got back and settled in the bed, Law faced him and beckoned the cook to enter. "As promised." Luffy's face went from normal to one million megawatts.

"MEAT!!" He all but jumped and Law had to hold the boy back so the cook had the chance to run away.

"Remember the deal Mugiwara-ya."

"I do!" Luffy yelled, distracted by the aroma of the roasted meat in front of him. He grabbed it directly by the bone and began eating, discarding the cutlery. Law cringed at the raw display and began tinkering with Luffy's IVs, stopping the nausea and vomit medicines to further make sure that Luffy would throw up or have indigestion and Law would win. It was a petty move but he needed the win. Law grinned secretly but it didn't go unnoticed by Luffy who thought something was up. Luffy stopped for a minute and smelled the meat, even if Law was a good guy, he didn't put him above pranks but the delicious smell of roasted meat was so strong in his nose that he didn't care and ate it. All of it. "Meat is the best!" Luffy remarked, satisfied and patting his belly.

"I'm sure it is. I have something to do so I will take my leave, you try to sleep. If there are any pains, push the call button." Law informed and left for his room to prepare something he had been meaning to for his group, they wouldn't like him very much for that but he was not going to let something that minor get in his way.

Law was occupied with this task for who knows how many hours so when the call button rang red, he jumped, startled. Law smirked his victory and went to the infirmary only to see Luffy making his way to the bathroom. Luffy's guts were giving him problems. He tried hiding it from Law but Law knew.

"What's wrong Luffy-ya, not feeling good?" Law asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Shut up! It's nothing-" Luffy was cut short by his stomach letting out a pained whine that made the boy run to the bathroom. Law gave Luffy time to empty his stomach and waited outside the bathroom for his victory to be declared. "You won..." Luffy admitted meekly exiting and shutting the door behind him. He was sobbing through the painful convulsions and something tugged at Law's heart seeing that sad and pained expression. He was still a doctor.

"Are you ok?" Law asked feeling slightly bad for the convulsions, not his cheating though. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He took Luffy to the infirmary and settled him under the sheets, restarting his IVs and giving him a syrup for the convulsions. Once he saw the tiredness creep onto the boy, Law made his leave.

~

"Gather up everyone." Law called and sat down on the one seater sofa with his feet up while all his group members called each other and settled down as well.

"What's up cap?" Uni asked when everyone was present.

"Pass these out." Law handed out the bunch of forms he brought with him. "Write down what you want to do with your life, I will collect these tomorrow. No criminal stuff."

"What?"

"Why?"

"Weren't we gonna help you with your goal?"

"I am doing it alone. There is no need for anyone else to go down this illegal, lawless path." Law answered.

"Captain!"

"That's not fair!"

"I didn't pick you up to turn you into a criminal." Law said over his shoulder and left for his room. He placed Kikoku by his bed and just dropped on it.

This was going to be tough. Everyone would probably just write illegal stuff but he believed they respected him enough to not do that.

Law opened his laptop and began researching for job and career opportunities the current Flevance had to offer. That particular thing led him to look at the new Flevance's laws for labor. That kid in the cafe was right... no age limits or restrictions.

Feeling a mix of frustration and relief and privilege, Law closed his laptop and got back up to go to the infirmary. He needed to hand Luffy's meal plans to the cook so they could do this without Law's constant supervision. Honestly the boy was healing so fast Law was at a loss. He wanted to start the kid on exercising his muscles and light cardio soon too but he first wanted to monitor him for a few more days. He looked fine and he walked and ran just fine too. Hell he climbed on Bepo just this morning and then jumped! That was apparently fine too...

Law finalized the meal plan and went to where he knew his cook was. He handed him the papers.

"The kid's meal plans with the schedule. No matter how much he insists, do not deviate from this."

"How did the morning meat incident turn out?" The cook asked looking through the papers.

"As planned."

"Threw up?"

"Indigestion." Law was met with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't he your patient?"

"He wasn't shutting up about meat, what else was I supposed to do?"

"So he's as stubborn as you are huh."

"What?" Law snapped, daring the man to say it again.

"Ok I will follow the meal plan, gotta go shopping though. See ya later captain."

Law shook his head and went back to the infirmary for final checkups on Luffy for the day.

"If we had known, we'd have fixed your bed in the infirmary." Law turned around to see Shachi and Penguin entering the place.

"Known what?"

"That you'd stay with your boyfriend all the time." Penguin added.

"He's a kid."

"You're a kid too but you are not denying the boyfriend part I see." Shachi said with a curious hum.

"I'm sure you both didn't come here to get scalpels plunged in your brains."

"Have you eaten anything today?" Peng said.

"At all?" Shachi repeated.

"Coffee and spirit."

"That...is not food-"

"SPIRIT?!"

"Doctor that's malpractice. Let me see your license." Penguin joked.

"Here." Law joked back putting his hand in his pocket as if to retrieve his license but coming back with a middle finger.

"Very mature." Shachi rolled his eyes.

"You two are older than me, remember that."

"Time to use some 'old people' privileges Peng." Shachi said elbowing his friend.

"Why not Shachi."

Law eyed both of them suspiciously and nearly screamed at the two when they both put their arms under his shoulders and picked him till his feet were off the ground.

"Let me go." Law said simply.

"Food first Law." Peng said.

"Yeah you're such a child, why can't you keep track of your meals on your own?"

Law grumbled and didn't answer, letting the two take him where they wanted, which was the kitchen.

"Cook's out so, I'm on duty." Law looked at Penguin waving the knife around. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." Law said and stood up to leave but Shachi grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Yeah, dumping all that coffee in your system like you do, no wonder. But you're not going back to your haven until you eat something." Shachi said despite Law's glare.

"Seriously Law, you've been up all night too. Maybe if you ate warm meals, three times a day then your insomnia might leave you alone too."

"I don't think 'warm meals three times a day' is going to bring the whole of Flevance back so I'd stop having nightmares." Law snapped and bit his tongue to stop himself from saying more. The other two didn't speak. "Fine. Just give me whatever you're both having."

"Without the bread."

"Without the bread." Penguin and Shachi said at the same time.

"You are joined at the hip. One of these days I am going to operate and research on you both about the workings of a hive mind." Shachi scooted away from Law at his creepy, psychopathic smirk.

"That new kid, he's either stupid or brave to get treated by you." Penguin made conversation as he began preparing a chicken steak.

"Definitely stupid." Shachi said.

"Brave." Law spoke at the same time.

They both looked at each other until Peng laughed and caused them both to look at him. "He seems more on the stupid end of the spectrum though truthfully."

"Might be but the kind of treatment he had to go through, he wouldn't have been able to if he wasn't brave." Law put in.

"So is he getting his own room or what?" Shachi asked adjusting his hat.

"Yeah, how long is he staying?" Penguin added.

"Where is he even from?"

"I don't know. Haven't had the time to ask him." Law said.

"Not even when he was sleeping on you?" Penguin teased and Law's whole face turned red.

"Stop that. He's just a kid." They both snickered but didn't say anything else. "His treatment plan is at least six months, we don't have anyone in the infirmary so he can continue to stay there."

"What?" Shachi gasped.

"Law that's bad, give him his own room, we have plenty of free rooms."

"No. He's not staying so there's no point in it."

Both the older boys shared a look and sighed. "Is it because if you gave him a room you'd start growing attached?" By the way Law chucked a nearby spoon at Penguin's head was proof that he hit bullseye.

"Awh he's already in love~" Shachi sang and avoided a pan thrown his way.

"Stop that!"

"Ok ok jeez, don't get a heart attack over this."

"I hate you both."

"Yeah sure." Penguin rolled his eyes.

"Whatever floats your boat 'Torao.'"

"Peng, I'm giving you some orca meat for dinner tonight." Law said running after Shachi.

Penguin marinated the chicken, fondly shaking his head at the idiots running around the kitchen. All was well.

~