Chapter Text
Unknown Man
Loud, aggressive pounding against his front door startled him awake. Law just about fell off the bed from the sudden noise. Shooting up into a sitting position, he turned his wide, bleary eyes to his bedroom door. Over the incessant beating against his door, the pelting of heavy rain against the roof.
When the person wouldn't stop, Law, begrudgingly, stepped onto the floor before stumbling his way through the house. Of course, he was careful when going down the stairs. He didn't even stop to turn any lights on. In his mind, he was going to tell the person to fuck off before going back to bed.
What time is it? It's still dark out. Who the hell could be bothering me at this time of the night? And in a fucking storm as well? Have they lost their damn mind? And why are they so rushed? This better be good. It's the first time I'm getting some sleep in a week.
Once he was on the first floor, he made his way to the door before unlocking it. "What the hell do you want?! Do you know what time it is?!" he yelled as he threw the door open.
But he was immediately taken aback when the figure in the doorway fell forward into his house with a wet plop on the floor. He watched as something dark started to spread from beneath them. It took a moment for his still-tired brain to register what it was.
Fuck. He, immediately, grabbed the other by the back of the soaked cloak they were wearing before dragging them completely into his house. Afterward, he slammed the door shut. Once that was done, he dropped the other back onto the ground, the sound of water splashing following.
"Stay right there. I'll be back. I don't know what it looks like, but I'll check it in a moment." With that, he rushed back to his room to grab his doctor's bag he used in case he needed it. Even though he worked in a hospital, he still kept one around for reasons like this.
Grabbing it up and fetching two towels from the joining bathroom, he hurried back down to the person bleeding out on his floor. He only took a second to snatch both of them up. Once he was back in the entrance, he flipped the light on. The sound of a masculine groan hit his ears over the rain.
"Hey, are you still alive?" he called as he got onto his knees beside them. Law was careful not to kneel in the blood or water. Setting the bag and towels beside him, he grabbed the other by their right arm before turning them over to see what he was working with.
Not to his surprise, it was a young man. There was a hole in the front of the coat he wore. Law didn't wait for an answer, he grabbed the sides of the garment before pulling it open. That's when he found the source of all the blood.
"Were you shot or stabbed?" he questioned again. Still, he got no answer. Moving to the man's face, he slapped a hand on his left cheek. That got another groan from him. "I need you to answer me. Were you shot or stabbed? It'll help. And I need you to stay awake. Don't pass out."
The guy gave off another pained grunt. But he struggled to open his eyes. Law smiled once he could see the dark orbs. Though, they were out of focus. Meaning he'd lost a good amount of blood by then.
"Good. You're still with me. Now, can you tell me if you were stabbed or shot?" He tried again. It was all he could do. If the guy was shot, he needed to make sure the bullet wasn't inside him. If he was stabbed, that was easy for him. Either way, he needed to make sure all of his organs were okay.
"Sh-Shot," he slurred out. Law nodded. Finally. I got an answer. Now, I can work properly. But he's going to feel a fair amount of pain. I need to dig around to find the bullet. I didn't see an exit wound on the other side.
"Alright. I'm going to warn you now that you'll feel a good bit of pain. But I need to get the bullet out so I can sew you up." He checked where the shot was. "It doesn't seem to have hit anything important. I didn't see any excessive bleeding. Though, you're going to need stitches."
"Mm-hm." Law took that as confirmation.
"But I need you to stay awake long enough for me to patch you up. Okay? Can you understand me?" He got a nod that time. But the man's eyes remained open. Law waved his hand in front of them. To his great relief, they, lazily, followed it.
Good. Now, I can work. But I don't think he'll make much noise. He seems to be completely out of it. And I'll need to call up Penguin to see if he can bring me a bag of blood. He'll understand and will smuggle one out for me. Though, I'm worried about why this guy got shot.
Deciding to get on with it, Law sanitized himself and put on gloves before starting to remove the bullet. As he suspected, the man didn't make a single peep. He just stared at the ceiling. Though, he twitched every few seconds. Law didn't mind and continued working.
It took him five minutes to locate and extract the bullet. He laid it on a paper towel with the tweezers. After, he removed the coat, dried the man off from his head to the top of his pants, cleaned up the blood again, and began to sew him up. Of course, it wasn't that big of a hole. So, it didn't take him long to do so.
I assume he was shot from a distance. The hole is too small to be up close. But I won't know until he regains consciousness after being given blood. But I need to figure out his blood type before I call Penguin. This is getting a little complicated. I don't even know this guy. He's a complete stranger.
After he was done, he put those things away before lifting the man up so he could wrap the bandages around his stomach. He found it kind of difficult because the man weighed more than he looked. But he got it done. However, he still worried about someone randomly coming there to finish the job.
Once that was over with, Law picked him up and moved him over to the couch in the living room. It was a Godsend that he had a black leather one instead of white. Blood wouldn't be easy to clean off of it even if it was leather. Blood stained just about everything. And he was well aware of it. And the water on his bottom half wouldn't damage it.
When he pulled back, the man's eyes had closed again as his chest rose and fell shallowly as he slept. Sighing heavily, he went back to the entryway and started to clean up. Of course, he did gather some of the blood up to test it. But he needed it to be clean before his friend came by with the blood. It was easier if the man didn't know about what happened.
He'd gone into the kitchen and filled up a bucket while squirting soap into it and grabbing a rag. It wouldn't be the first time he had to clean blood off the floor. That's where the colour of the wood came in handy. It was the exact same shade of red as blood, making it nearly impossible to tell if there were bloodstains or not.
It only took him twenty minutes to have it cleaned up and the coat in his laundry room. He threw the rag in the bucket before taking it to the backdoor and setting it outside on the patio. Law went back inside and disposed of his gloves before heading back to his bag. He had a machine that could tell him the man's blood type. Another friend of his had created it for him in case he wasn't at the hospital.
Pulling it out, he grabbed the vial with the swab. He popped it open and took it out before sticking it into the opening. The device was square with an opening at the bottom and a large screen that would display the blood type and any disease that might be in the other.
It would only turn on when a sample was inserted. So, he waited for the device to calculate the blood type and anything he would need to be worried about. The downside to the machine was that it took about five minutes to give him information.
While he waited, he went upstairs and grabbed his phone before going back down to sit in the chair next to the couch. He would wait right there while his friend got what he needed to take care of the man who woke him up in the middle of the night on the brink of death.
As he waited, Law turned his attention to the man he allowed into his home. Of course, he saw him as very handsome and kind of cute. But he was very curious as to what happened for him to literally wind up on his doorstep. Though, he would never turn away anyone who needed medical attention. No matter who they were or what happened to them. He went by a Doctor's Hippocratic oath.
Soon, the device went off. Law turned his gaze from the soundly sleeping man to the contraption in his hands. "S. I believe Penguin can get me a bag of it. He's got the keys to the room."
Law whipped out his phone and dialed his friend's number. It rang three times before being answered. "Hey, Law. Is there something you need? It's been a while since you last called in the middle of the night. I'm suspecting you need something from the hospital."
"Sorry to ask you. But, yeah. I need a bag of S blood and an IV pole. I have a guy that got shot and lost a lot of blood. He's passed out right now, but he needs at least one bag to be back to normal. Do you think you can get me those two things?"
"Sure. I'm getting off in a few minutes. I'll snag one of each on my way out. Just keep an eye on him until I get there." Penguin went quiet for a moment. "It should only take me about twenty minutes to get there. So, hang tight."
"I'm not going anywhere. But it would be best if you didn't come in. I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to see him in case whoever shot him is still looking for him." Penguin agreed to hand him the items through the door. "Be safe."
"I will. You as well. Who knows who shot him. Keep on your toes." Law acknowledged his sentiment before hanging up. He leaned over and placed his phone and the device on the side table. Afterward, he just went back to watching the man sleep.
However, his own exhaustion was hitting him harder than before. Law's eyes drooped even as he tried to force himself to stay awake. Come on. I need to stay awake long enough to get him set up. Then, I can head back to bed. I have a feeling he won't get up for a while. Especially with the amount of blood he's lost.
Even as he tried to tell himself that, he slowly slipped back into dreamland. It wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't help it. Law hadn't gotten the best sleep in the past couple of weeks. So, it was a good thing he got any at all. Yet, he knew he needed to stay unconscious. Sorry, Penguin. You're going to have to bang on the door to wake me up.
...
Light pounding stirred him from his dreamless sleep. The call of his name woke him up even more. "Law, I'm here! I know you passed out! But I have the things you asked for!" Oh. Penguin's here. Has it really only been twenty minutes? It doesn't feel like it.
Groggily, he got up from his spot in the chair before heading to the door. He hadn't cut any lights off. Once there, he scratched the back of his head as he opened the door. Penguin stood there with a sheepish smile on his face.
"I got here as quickly as I could. Sorry for waking you up."
"Don't apologize. It's my fault for passing out." He glanced over his shoulder. "Shit. I didn't even check to see if he was still on the couch." A groan escaped him. "I doubt he's moved since he won't wake up for a while."
Turning back to his friend, Penguin nodded. "I didn't see anyone leave the house or even creeping around. So, he's definitely still there." He held the blood bag and the IV pole out to him. "Here. I was able to grab both without being caught. But they might start getting suspicious if this keeps happening."
"I know. But I can't help it." He sighed heavily as he accepted the items. "Sorry for making you guys do this for me. I really appreciate it though."
"No problem. I'm going to head home. I've got another shift tomorrow." Penguin shifted in his spot."Are you going to call in tomorrow? Since you've got something to worry about?"
"Yeah. I'm going to call out." He reached out and hugged his friend. "Have a safe walk home. I'll see you later. Though, I'll keep you updated in case something happens. Have a good night."
Penguin bid him the same before walking away. Law, immediately, shut the door and locked it up. Then, he headed back into the living room. To his great relief, the young man still slept peacefully on his couch.
It only took him a few minutes to set up the blood bag, have it hanging on the IV pole, and run it into the man's arm. Law stepped back to check his work. Of course, it was nothing like a hospital. But he had a feeling this guy hadn't been able to make it there. And because of the lack of police, not a single soul knew about this.
His eyes roamed over his body. The man was well-built but still skinny. When he got to his face, Law cocked his head to the side. He's got a babyish face. But still handsome. I'm curious... how old is he? He can't be older than twenty, right?
The guy had medium wavy black hair, freckles on both cheeks, and a peaceful expression. Without the coat on, he only wore black knee-length shorts with an eyelet-studded orange belt, another shorter second belt with a large red A on the buckle, and black boots. It was clear something was different about him. Though, he had no clue why someone would try to kill him.
After staring at him for a few minutes, he decided it was time to retire for the night. But he needed to do something first. So, he went to the closest right across from the living room. Inside, he grabbed a blanket and a pillow. Of course, he would give him some comfort.
Back in the living room, he lifted the other's head and placed the pillow underneath it, removed his boots to set them beside the couch, and tossed the blanket over him. It was the least he could do. Law refused to change his clothes in case that freaked him out. Though, he knew he would need some information from him when he woke up.
As he left the room, he cut the lights out and headed back to bed. I'm not looking forward to this. It's going to be one long day tomorrow. I need some sleep. I don't know this guy at all. But I guess I'll get to know him tomorrow when he wakes up. Damn. Why do I keep helping people like this? I'm going to get myself hurt one of these days.