~

Law was in a stare-off with the owner of the fine establishment of Party's Bar. Makino narrowed her eyes when Law narrowed his too, not budging in the slightest.

"Please, just a quarter of a glass, you can fill the rest up with water." Law negotiated.

"No." Makino repeated, resolute. "You're not allowed to drink alcohol."

"Fine! I will go somewhere else then." The doctor left his stool and made a face at the woman.

"No other bar will even allow you in if you go there alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Officer Smoker and Luffy have told all the bar owners that you're not allowed on the premises without someone, namely Luffy himself, accompanying you." Makino answered wiping the counter.

"Why?!" Law could feel his blood pressure rising. "Who are they to think they can meddle like this!"

"You can have some juice." Makino tried dismissing the situation.

"I'm not Luffy, you can't manipulate me with juice." Law rolled his eyes with a scoff and dialed Luffy's number to give him a piece of his mind.

"Luffy left his phone here." The woman tried not to laugh at Law who looked like his head would explode. "Hey! Where are you going?" Makino called when Law walked outside, the woman didn't receive an answer.

.

Law cursed under his breath for being sleep-deprived and not being allowed to drink even the slightest bit of alcohol to make himself a little sick so he would have the excuse to take medicines and put himself to sleep that way. The surgeon was walking aimlessly, wondering how to spend his day since Luffy was working and Law still had a few days till he would be allowed back at the hospital.

What got to Law was that even with the burden of suspension off him, he still couldn't sleep. Sure he got a few hours in, but that was just about it. In his heart, the doctor knew he needed to know about the Gastino-case to be able to put his brain at ease. Thinking he really had nothing better to do, Law dialed Smoker.

"Very rare, a call from you." Smoker said the moment he answered the call.

"Did Gastino spill anything?" Law sat down on a bench at the bus stop.

"He confessed to committing those murders to ruin your reputation."

"Did he say why he wanted to ruin me?"

Smoker sighed. "Nothing came up from his background check, and he won't say it either."

"That's all the more suspicious, if he has a clean background." Law got up and started walking towards the station Smoker was at.

"I didn't say clean, I said, nothing came up. There is no person named Gastino, in the entire world."

"Who the fuck is he then?"

"Right now, we have no clues and we are keeping most of this under wraps so don't stir anything unnecessarily yourself either." Smoker warned in the end.

"Do you think he might spill something if I provoke him personally? Since he hates me some much, or whatever?" Law suggested.

"Where are you now?"

"Heading to you actually."

"We can try, but you'd have to surrender all your weapons." Smoker said.

"Fine."

"I will meet you at the front."

Law met up with Smoker at the Marine station and challenged Smoker to confiscate as many of his weapons as he could. With at least fifteen blades removed from Law's person, and him lying claiming that the security machine beeping was from the stent in his heart, Smoker deemed him safe enough to enter the premises, where he was led to Gastino who was set up in an interrogation room.

"I still have six scalpels, but don't worry, I'm not going to incriminate myself." Law shrugged.

"That Mugiwara is doing wonders to your conscience and conscious decision-making." The white-haired officer joked.

"I'm sleep-deprived, not drunk- you even took my cigarettes!" Law complained. "And what is this I hear about being barred from bars? That it was your and Luffy's idea?"

"You were heading to a bar when your first patient was killed."

"I wasn't thinking straight."

"You answered your own question."

Law stayed quiet, he saw the point bright and clear, he really couldn't be trusted not to hurt himself. First it was the bar, then it was the thing Monolith drew Law out from, the surgeon realized it was probably for the best that he was barred from alcohol serving places.

"Don't let him provoke you." Smoker warned and let Law in the interrogation room, following close behind himself.

"Chains suit you. There would be no loss in letting you stay in them forever." Law said to Gastino and took his place beside Smoker, in front of the handcuffed doctor.

"Why is he here!" Gastino panicked looking at Smoker.

"I thought you might want to tell us about yourself if it was Law who asked." The officer responded.

"Why did you frame me?" Law got to the point, looking at the creep's face was making him angry.

"I framed you, yes, shurorororo." Gastino laughed.

"I'm asking you why." When the chained man didn't answer again, Law turned to Smoker. "Turn the cameras off."

"We can't do that." Smoker sighed. "But..."

Law raised an eyebrow when Smoker got up and out of the room, telling the doctor to follow. Caesar was confused about the motives of the two and was hoping Doflamingo would come and save him because from what he had heard of Law from everyone in the Family, the young man was someone to be afraid of.

A few moments later Caesar saw only Smoker return, and he had keys in his hands. "Get up, you're free to go."

"Why?" Caeser narrowed his eyes in suspicion but took the chance he was handed.

"I don't know who would vouch for a scum like you, but someone did." Smoker sighed and took the cuffs off, keeping the door open for his prisoner.

"Joker really does care about me!" Caeser yelled in joy and made a run for the main door that would lead him out of the marine building.

"...Joker?" The white haired officer mumbled to himself, vaguely recalling having heard the name before. Smoker thought he would bring the matter up with Sengoku but keep Law in the dark for the moment. Following the running doctor, Smoker met his subordinates.

"He's running away!" One said.

"Smo-yan! He's running away!" Another echoed.

"Oh no." Smoker faked concern. "I will inform the higher-ups and by their permission we can go after him."

"But that would take a lot of time!"

Smoker just shrugged and went to his office to let the rest of the plan play out.

.

Law waited around the corner of the alley, in broad daylight, yes, he knew what kind of a creep he must have looked like, but it was for a purpose. When Law had suggested shutting the cameras off in the interrogation room to beat the shit out of Gastino to get information out of him, Smoker had taken Law outside and let him in on the actual plan.

Smoker told Law that the older knew how angry Law was and that he really wanted nothing more than to break every bone in Gastino's body, but they couldn't do that where everyone could see. So Smoker would let Gastino 'run away' and Law could 'bring him back,' in whichever condition.

The doctor grinned to himself seeing Gastino turn towards the alley because Smoker had very conveniently parked patrol cars at all the other intersections so there was only one way for Gastino to go, right towards Law.

.

"Smo-yan! A good samaritan caught Gastino!" Smoker left his seat at the call from another officer.

"Bring the big cuffs, so he doesn't get away this time." Smoker told the man and went to the main lobby where he saw a bunch of his officers crowding the place, and Law holding a badly beaten Gastino.

"Officer, I found him for you." Law said spotting Smoker, a smile full of sarcasm and malice on his face.

"Where did you find him?" Smoker looked at the numerous injuries on Gastino and raised an eyebrow, Law sure went all out.

"In the alley, he fell and broke his horns and wrists. I think there are some fractured ribs too, he was yelping in pain earlier." Law listed. "I'm a doctor, I checked for his well-being before bringing him here."

"Thank you doctor for catching him for us." Smoker said and took Gastino off Law's hands, wary of the way the doctor looked like he still wanted to hurt the man in his hands. "You can wait here, I will be with you shortly to get your statement."

Law patiently waited in the lobby until Smoker called him. The doctor first followed his substitute-adoptive-father figure to a common room where Smoker handed Law a chilled cola, then both went to the older's office.

"While you were... catching him, I talked with Sengoku-san, the case is closed now, that Gastino is guilty, and he will be dealt with accordingly." Smoker said slowly and waited for Law to ask for the evidence that got Gastino charged or some related question.

But Law just sighed in relief. "Good riddance."

Ah fuck. Smoker thought when Law furrowed his eyebrows. The officer thought Law would definitely ask about what did Gastino in, now.

"Are you going to make this information public? Clear my name?" Law asked instead.

It took Smoker a few seconds to collect his thoughts, to find the right words. "No. I don't think people who have begun to move past the death of their family need a fresh reminder of the loss." When Law looked like he wanted to say something, Smoker added, "you're going to be the bigger person here and let it go."

"I know dammit..."

And Law did know and understand someone forcibly ripping the scab of a wound that had barely begun to heal, he knew of loss and reminders of loss, he knew all that too well, so of course he was not going to insist on Gastino's doings to be made public, he would bear that burden himself to spare those who were wronged.

"Go home Law." The older man said seeing the blank look appear on Law's face, the kind that the young man always put on when he was hurting.

"Yeah, best rest now since I might have to restart work soon." The doctor joked to hide what he was actually feeling and was quick to leave the building.

Once Law was out of the marine office, the real weight of the situation came down on him. With Gastino admitting that he killed all those people, he would be charged for murder, but people still died, innocent people, ones that were brought to Law out of hope and desperation – and that's why they died, because Law was so famous and skilled, and in over his head that he didn't consider the things his fame might bring too.

It all left Law feeling weird and heavy in his chest. The doctor turned his phone to do-not-disturb mode and threw it on the living room couch when he got home, and after petting Monolith for a few seconds, Law went to his panic room where he hoped he would be able to make himself better.

~

Luffy stared at his phone in confusion, wondering why there were no notifications from Torao when Makino had said that Law wasn't doing good. The younger wanted to hang out with his brothers today but the silence from his boyfriend was making him worried.

"Imma go home, we can hang out later." Luffy told Sabo and Ace.

"Whaaat? Law takes precedence?" Sabo whined.

"President?" The youngest tilted his head in further confusion.

"He meant you're putting Law before us." Ace rolled his eyes, not really that hurt that Luffy had priorities.

"Torao usually sends me a few texts in a day but there's nothing today, I gotta go make sure he's ok."

"But today was supposed to be our day." Sabo pouted again.

"Dude, grow up." Ace slapped his brother up the head.

"I have a responsibility to Torao." Luffy said, straight and serious.

"You go, I'll handle this mopey."

"Thanks Ace!"

Luffy tried Law's phone multiple times on his way back home but there was no answer, he knew the older wouldn't hurt himself or something like that but there was still that nagging voice in the back of his head that made the younger hurry back.

Luffy entered the house when he was still calling Law's phone for an answer and found the said phone on the couch.

Well, at least the phone's ok, that means Torao's kinda ok too.

"Toraoooo!" Luffy called but didn't have to look around a lot because he saw Monolith with her paw under the door of Law's panic room. Luffy was quick to connect the dots. Quietly, the young man walked to the door and put his palms against the wood, being careful not to accidentally knock on it. "Torao, I'm out here if you need anything."

Luffy knew there would be no response, so he had Godfather stay put in front of the door while the younger himself went to get two bean bag chairs from his own room to get settled in front of the panic room.

~

It was well after midnight that Law felt ok enough to leave the panic room, he hated how his problems made Luffy abandon his day too. Law mentally scolded himself in Luffy's stead for that thought process, Luffy, who he found was asleep against the wall opposite to the door.

Law had half the mind to wake Luffy up and got out for food, and half the mind to snuggle with the younger and just go to sleep. Looking at the other bean bag, the desire to sleep won and Law removed Monolith from the chair, put her in her own bed near Luffy's feet with Godfather also resting there, spread the sheet over himself, moved closer to Luffy and let sleep take over him.

Law loved the overly loud Luffy for his silent companionship.

Law loved Luffy for his patience when it came to Law.

Law loved Luffy for how he never pushed the older to 'talk about it' unless Law himself started the conversation.

Law loved Luffy who was so understanding of the older, despite the moronic look the younger always had on his face.

Smiling to himself in his sleep, comfortable and safe in the idea that Luffy would protect him should the older have any nightmares, Law thought to himself, that he just loved Luffy.

~

It was Law's first day back at the hospital after his suspension, and he didn't want to leave the house. It wasn't because he was having cold feet or because he was anxious or worried about what his colleagues would say. No. Law was worried Monolith would wreck the house if left unsupervised. Luffy was leaving with Law to catch early work so the house would really only be inhabited by Monolith.

"I swear if you push things off the table or destroy even a single thing, I am going to kick you out." Law said to Monolith standing at the door, his eyes narrowed at his cat. "This door, see this door? I'll throw you out of this door. Remember that."

Monolith meowed in response and sat down quietly when Law closed the door and left for work.

The young doctor has expected a bustling ER, lots of cases that he would be asked to consult to, he had expected to be busy but what he saw was quite the opposite. Only a few doctors were in the ER, nursing staff was scarce, as were the patients. Law ignored all of that and first changed into his scrubs then went to the ER, because it was his first day back, he didn't have many OPD appointments.

"What the hell happened here?" Law asked Den.

"Welcome back doctor Trafalgar." The said man smiled wide, then it dropped, and the doctor became serious. "Gastino's arrest made everyone talk, and then came the rumors that you were framed, so mostly everyone is on a strike."

"A strike? Since when?"

"It's the second day today but word went out that, so we aren't getting many patients." Den sighed. "Plus, there's the part where people think someone is going to frame someone again and they would be the one who'd have to deal with a loss."

"And what are the directors doing about this?" Law rubbed his forehead, this was beyond irresponsible.

"Talking."

"But the doctors and nurses made demands right?"

"Better background checks, extra cameras, you know we don't have those night vision cameras, someone put that request in too, since that Gasshole was killing people off with the lights out."

"Who came up with Gasshole?" Law asked, he was trying his best not to laugh out loud at the nickname the staff had given Gastino.

"Simone, she was the most pissed among us. We missed you so much, you'd have hit that guy for harassing everyone."

"Where is Simone though?"

"Assisting in a surgery- oh yes, we are not taking surgeries unless they are immediately life-threatening."

"When was the last time you guys clocked out?" Law furrowed his brows at the seemingly non-stop stream of words that were coming out of Den, some people showed tiredness that way.

"Not since the strike started, someone has to stay here in case there are patients."

"I will take over, you go catch as much sleep as you can."

"Thanks doc." Den slouched. "Oh, before I go, we still have those fake viscera in a bag somewhere, what do we do with that?" The doctor pointed at the general direction of that bag of guts Luffy had hanging from him when he was brought in.

"I'll take it back, might have to use it again someday." Law answered, he wanted those fake guts back, he had worked hard to make it look believable for normal people.

When Den left for some rest, Law looked at the nearly empty ER, barely any movement in the place, and he knew he shouldn't say something like that, but Law missed the time when the ER and hospital was full of patients.

The doctor went over the charts of the few patients that were in the ER, offered to look over post-ops and consultations, updated the inventory stock, cleaned his own office, went back to the ER, and still only a few hours had passed.

Law threw his used gloves in the bin and went to his locker to get his phone, he was so bored and he needed some mental stimulation if he wanted to keep going. So Law dialed Luffy.

"Torao? What? Why're you calling in the middle of a shift? Did someone die? Are you ok?" Luffy asked right off the bat.

"Nobody died." Law answered then sighed. "More like, there is nobody to die."

"What does that mean?"

"The staff is on a strike so people aren't bringing patients here, so I have got all this free time on my hands and no idea what to do with it- I could open someone up, take out all their organs, put them back, close them up and get their heart beating again- that's the kind of time I have and its driving me crazy- how and why are people so irresponsible! Those idiots took an oath and they abandoned their duty just like that?! I swear people are beyond redemption at this point!" Then Law realized he said too. "Sorry... I'm yapping."

"You're venting." Luffy said simply. "So, you'd have to stay at the hospital overnight too since there's nobody else?"

"Fuck... I hadn't thought about that at all." The doctor hit his head on the wall he was sitting against. "There's only a handful of us here, so, yes, I don't think I'd be home a lot until this strike's over and a bunch of those assholes haves been fired and replaced with new, competent doctors."

"'Sokay. Do you want me to come over? Did you eat anything yet?"

"No, you're a hazard I don't want in this place." Law said. "And I don't want to eat hospital food."

"I'll get you something then." Luffy offered.

"Fine. But I don't like this, I want a routine schedule so I can sleep with you properly." Law pouted, that weird and heavy feeling back in his chest.

But Luffy knew what to say to dispel even that.

"If you miss my dick, I can fuck you at the hospital too, there's a lot of empty rooms now, right?"

"What the fuck even!"

"Made you think about something else though, nishishi." Luffy laughed.

Law smiled in the receiver. "Yeah..."

"Ok, imma go and get you some food."

"Ok, I will go check on the patients."

"See ya later Torao!"

Law put his phone back, a new energy running through him, and he knew he really only had Luffy to thank for that.

~

Chapter ga kitaaaa! (said in All Might's voice)Oya oya, where is the story going?

~

I love being back in university, learning!

But I hate the people ._.

Funny story, that made me want to bash my head against a wall with rusty nails sticking out of it - our professor told us to copy some files from the uni PC to our own laptops. One of the students pressed COPY on the uni PC, then pressed PASTE on her own PC ._. and told the professor "I can't copy it"YOU DIDN'T USE ANY MEDIUM TO CONNECT THE PCs! HOW IN THE HELL WOULD SUSPENDED, ISOLATED COMMAND WORK?!So I have these kinds of idiots in my class ._.A class that is supposed to attain a Masters' degree ._.

Apart from that, the Cat Distribution System, gave us another black kitten! We named him Kuroo this time around. He's smol but oh so feisty, always hissing at our older cats - the sad cats are not talking to us XD they are kinda jealous, I think.

It's also Comiccon season now! And I've decided to do all AFAB characters because my cosplay Master was complaining that I only have male characters in my portfolio, not even genderbent.So, all AFAB.

First is going to be Yamato - One Piece!It's going to be fun!

I want to write this story too, to know what happens next! So I'm going to try my best to update!

Thank you for all your love as always! <3