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Law is hiding.
Penguin searched the Tang all over, he even searched Law’s personal shower, but he’s gone. Shachi can’t find him, Bepo can’t find him, not even the smell of fresh coffee breezing down the hallways could bribe Law to come out of his hiding spot.
If he’s even hiding , Penguin’s subconscious says to him. No , Penguin tells his brain. He’s definitely on the ship. We saw him on deck when we were leaving the island.
Law has always been especially good at finding hiding spots to freak out in. He always has been. Law told Penguin and the others, way back on Swallow Island, that his baby sister would always cry playing hide and seek because she could never find him. That was after his first ever breakdown in front of them, when Law hid for days after he smacked Shachi for calling him his little brother. He would only come out in the dead of night to grab his meals, and he only came out for good when he heard Bepo crying, afraid that he had abandoned them.
Everyone cried a lot that night. It was the first time Law told anyone about his family. Wolf made Law’s favorite meals for a week straight afterward, almost as an apology for the myriad of trauma following him.
But Law can freak out about any little thing. Law has hid over minor indignities and giant problems.
So what , Penguin thinks, is the problem ?
Law looked fine on deck four days ago, and he only started hiding two days ago.
“Ugh,” whines Shachi, laying on the couch in the common room. Penguin is on the chair next to him, with Bepo standing near the door. He needs to go back to the navigation room soon.
“I hate when he does this. I mean, how does he even hide that long? He’s a grown man,” Shachi moans.
“Well, he can teleport,” Penguin starts, then stops, thinking. “Wait. If Law has been teleporting, shouldn't random stuff be showing up?”
“Clione said there was a wrench in the fridge,” Bepo states.
Penguin looks up at Bepo, a wild look on his face. “Did you say. A wrench?”
“Sorry,” Bepo bows his head.
“No, Bepo, that's the best clue we've gotten in days! Law must be in Ikkaku's workshop!” A breakthrough. Finally, something to hold onto.
Penguin didn’t check in the workshop, mostly because he’s scared of what Ikkaku will do to him if she finds out he was in there. It makes sense that Law would hide there, seeing as the only person who goes in there is Ikkaku, and she is out of commission right now, bleeding from her uterus. Penguin shudders. How do people go through that without killing themselves? Penguin doesn’t know. Still, now Penguin has a chance to catch Law and finally make him talk. What the hell is going on?
The door is locked, but Penguin can hear movement from inside. Yeah, Law is definitely in there. Penguin could recognize that nervous shuffling anywhere. Plus, the very subtle smell of a coffee candle is outside the door. Law and his coffee , Penguin muses.
Now, to deal with the wrath of Ikkaku.
Penguin walks a couple hallways down to where the bedrooms are. Ikkaku, as the only girl, ended up bribing Law into giving her her own room when she joined all those years ago. Although it is one of the smallest rooms on the Tang, basically a decorated storage closet, it's hers.
Now, Penguin has to potentially invade her space during the worst time of the month. A time she complains is especially painful for her. Penguin takes a deep breath.
He knocks, three times in a row. Quietly. He knows Ikkaku must have a headache.
No answer. He knocks again.
He hears a groan. Then shuffling, and bare feet tapping the floor.
The door opens.
“What. Do. You. Want.” Ikkaku grits out. She looks especially rough. Her curly dark hair is sticking out everywhere, unbrushed for the time being. She looks very tired, and she's holding her tummy and bending over, signs she's in pain.
Law usually helps Ikkaku when she's on her cycle. He’s able to press all the right spots on her head to stop it from aching, and all the right spots on her stomach when her cramps flare to worse than usual. Penguin suspects that being there for Ikkaku on her period makes him feel especially like a big brother, something he never got to be but really craves. He does that with everyone, Penguin muses. He acts like everyone's sibling, younger or older. Penguin wonders if Law realizes that, too.
“Uh,” Penguin says dumbly. “I think Law is in your workshop. Can I, you know, borrow the key?”
“Seriously? Is that all you wanted?” Ikkaku looks like she's about to go slam off. Still, she calms herself. Getting worked up makes her cramps worse.
“Fine, here, whatever.” She turns and grabs the key, shoving it into Penguin's hands and then slamming the door shut.
Well, Penguin thinks. That could have gone way worse.
Penguin has gathered all of Law’s favorite things. He has the most recent edition of Sora, Warrior of the Sea, a steaming hot cup of coffee with extra cream, a full plate of onigiri with no umeboshi, and some new coins that Penguin was holding for him as a gift. He decided that to keep Law from running away, he needed to bring out all the stops.
Penguin shuffles the tray he’s been holding with all of Law’s bribes and pulls out the key. He takes a deep breath, and then unlocks the door and pushes it open. Law is curled up like a cat on the cot he set up in the room, his head in his hands. Penguin can’t tell if he’s sleeping or if he’s just laying down, so he quietly shuts the door and makes his way over to him. Penguin puts the tray on the floor beside Law’s head and sits down next to him. Law doesn’t stir. Sleeping then , Penguin smiles softly. Law is adorable when he sleeps, so peaceful and nice. Penguin taps his forehead.
“Unng,” groans Law. He always was a light sleeper.
“Captain,” Penguin whispers, hoping to not scare him away.
Law shoots up, smacking his forehead against Penguins. They both groan, rubbing their respective foreheads. Penguin comes to first, and reaches out to touch Law on his leg. If Law teleports, Penguin will go with him, one way or another. Law flinches at the touch, but relaxes. He knows he’s safe with Penguin, with anyone on his crew.
“Law,” Penguin tries again, hoping to get a response.
Law looks up at Penguins face, then turns away, disgruntled.
“What do you want?” Law croaks out. He seems surprised at how his voice comes out, all crackly and unused.
“Why are you hiding?” Penguin asks bluntly.
“I’m not–”
“You are! Don’t deny it. You've been hiding for two days,” Penguin interrupts.
“Ugh,” Law falls back onto the cot, head in his hands. Penguin slides the tray a little closer, and Law turns over to grab the cup of coffee and down it. He burns his tongue, sputtering predictably, but still drinks the whole cup. Penguin thinks maybe he should have brought the whole pot.
“Ready to talk now?” Penguin asks after Law has had some time to recover from his vicious mouth burning.
Law is silent for a few moments, before letting out a small ‘yeah’. He sits up slowly, and then pulls his long legs to his chest, curling in on himself in the way he does when he’s trying to protect his feelings.
Penguin takes this moment to observe Law, really observe him. He looks worse than Ikkaku did, and that’s saying something. His hat is off his head, sitting near the pillow he's been using to sleep on. His eye bags are worse than usual, making his poor skinny face look sunken in a way Penguin really doesn’t like. It’s way too reminiscent of the way he looked when he was a kid. Hell, the way he looked on Zou, after Dressrosa. Still, he doesn’t look distressed in the same way. He just looks very, very tired.
“How did you find me?” Law asks quietly, looking very interested in his soft blanket between his fingers. Penguin lets him get away with not making eye contact. He knows that Law doesn’t need him harping on about something unimportant.
“This is the last place we checked. Bepo said Clione found a screwdriver in the fridge. Or was it a wrench? Either way, that set me off.”
“Oh,” Law glances at Penguins face, then glances back down. “I thought I had shambled the wrench back here after I finished my food. Guess I, uh, didn’t.”
Law looks like he has more to say, but he just can’t get the words out. His face scrunches up, and he mumbles a small ‘fuck’.
“So? Why are you hiding?” Penguin presses on, despite the fact that Law looks like he's going to run away as soon as he brings it up.
“Well, I guess I was just hiding?”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Law groans again, his face reddening. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts.
“I, well, I want to tell the whole crew about–about Cora. And– my family.” Law mumbles.
Shit , Penguin thinks. This conversation is going to be worse than he realized.
“Law,” Penguin says gently, “You do realize no one on the ship will think any less of you, right?”
Law doesn’t respond, staring down at his yellow and black hoodie. The hoodie he wore for a few years straight after Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo all banded together to get for him custom made when they first became pirates. Penguin is glad Law still finds comfort in it.
“Law, look at me. Please.” Law looks up at Penguin, a small frown on his face. “We all love you, Captain. There's nothing you could say to anyone on the crew that could make anyone think anything but the world of you. You saved us.”
Law opens and closes his mouth, trying to find the words to finally say what's been on his mind.
“I am- scared.” Law says carefully, his face all scrunched up. “I am scared that I will be- judged due to being from- from Flevence. I know the crew won’t care about Cora, or even Doflamingo, but,” Law looks Penguin in his eyes now, a terrified look in his eyes. “Flevence is a whole different story. Everyone in the north blue knows, Penguin. Even you and Shachi were scared of me when I told you. I can’t- I won’t be able to handle it if they hate me. As much as they love me, and they need me, I need them too. I love them too.”
Law’s face is pink from lack of breath. He breathes in and out, using the coping mechanisms he read in a book Bepo gave him for Christmas when he was 17. They all used to sit in a circle and just breathe with each other, calming them all down slowly but surely.
“If you know they love and need you, Law, why would they just throw you away?” Penguin fights back. He will get Law to see they love him, no matter what. “Your crew is smart, Captain. You made sure of that. Even if there is some initial fear, the crew will figure out none of them got sick just by being around you.”
“And if they don’t?” Law responds.
“Then we tell them.” Penguin answers. “They’ll listen. Trust us, Captain. Trust your crew, your family.”
Law flinches, and then relaxes. For a few moments, everything is silent.
“Okay,” Law finally says.
“Okay?” Penguin questions.
“Okay,” Law responds, glazing up at Penguin with a determined look in his eye. “I believe you. I’m ready to tell them.
Penguin smiles, pleased. “Let’s go, then.”
A few days later, when Ikkaku has recovered and Law has stewed over a meticulous plan he definitely won't follow, he calls a meeting.
Law stands in front of his crew, his family, and tells them. About Flevence, about Cora. About all of his feelings during the first 13 years of his life, and his feelings after when Cora was gone. When he met his third family.
There’s fear, of course. Flevence was so famous, and the stigma was incredible. Still, the fear is quickly diverted into loathing for the government, ever growing.
By the end of the story, Penguin is surprised that the Tang isn't flooded by the amount of tears falling onto the floor. Law cries, of course. Penguin does too, even though he’s heard the story before. Penguin doesn’t know who started the group hug, but he does know that Law is enjoying it. The sweet smile on his tear stained face makes happiness swell in Penguins chest.
Everything is okay,
Penguin thinks. Law always finds his way back to his family, even when he hides.