One Piece Prompts #24
Modern!Au
Shanks lost his arm saving Luffy from a shark attack. He’s been going to physical therapy to try and gain back muscle mass he lost from the stay in the hospital as well as to learn to maneuver and balance without his arm.
After deciding to move, he goes to his first appointment at with the new therapist. He gets lost and tries to ask someone for directions but they continue walking ahead and ignore him. Pissed he wanders until he finds his room.
She has him in her private office to brief him on his treatment plan, but she tells him that their facility is currently a bit over crowded so there will be peer-to-peer treatment exercises thrown in to help. Shanks just smiles, he’s always up for making new friends. With that taken care of they exit the office, the therapist intent on introducing Shanks to her current patient-having double booked the both of them today.
Shanks notices that the therapist is careful to approach the man from his right side, quickly moving into his visibility. When the man looks up Shanks immediately feels his anger coming back and jabs his finger in the man’s face.
“You jerk!”
The therapist and the man stare at him-though the therapist is moving her hands as well-as he continues waving his finger and shouting about hallways and rude men. Eventually he calms down. Chest heaving, “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?!”
There’s silence, a head shake from the man, before the therapist opens her mouth, “Er, Shanks this is Benn. He was injured in the line of duty. Ear injury..”
Shanks felt his face burn, “Ear injury... you mean...?”
The therapist had taken a moment to move her hands towards Benn again- sign language-before turning back to Shanks. “Benn is mostly deaf and suffers from loss of balance and motor skills as a result of his injury. I understand if you believe it may be difficult to work together, since well,” she gestured to his missing limb, “you can’t use sign language effectively at this time and Benn can’t hear, but he’s very good at reading lips really. I do hope you’ll both try to get along?”
Shanks could only nod and extend his hand towards Benn with a sheepish grin. “Ah, my apologies, it seems I misjudged the situation. Let’s get along!”