Studying, Being Nice, and Other Things Trafalgar Law Doesn’t Do
For PotatoTrace: Fluffy Law and Chopper Friendship
Law sighs and stretches, letting his head fall over the back of his chair. His eyes roam the library, looking for anything to distract him from the monotonous voice droning in his ears. A familiar bright pink hat catches his attention, but it takes him a moment to place it. Luffy’s friend, Chopper, if he remembers correctly. With one last spiteful look at the droll video, he heads off to see what the kid is up to.
Chopper glances up and catches Law’s eyes; he tries to bury himself in his book but his blush is given away by the red ears stick over the top. It’s almost cute, Law thinks. With a sly smirk, he leans against the table, reading casually over the kid’s shoulder.
“MCATs? Already that time, huh?” He grins at the squeak that earns him.
“Y-yeah! Luffy’s sure I’ll pass but…” Chopper puts his chin on his hand with a sigh, staring listlessly at the pages. Law grabs a nearby chair.
“Want some help?” It couldn’t hurt to help the kid, and he’s got a bit of a debt to Luffy for helping him with Doflamingo. Plus, anything is a welcome distraction from continuing education.
Chopper makes a noise that isn’t quite a confirmation but Law takes it as one anyway and sits down, straddling the chair and leaning forward.
“If you add the reason behind Thymine being used in DNA but not RNA, it’ll make your point stronger.”
After a few coughs and wheezes, Chopper looks over his response again.
“Oh… yeah! Because Cytosine spontaneously turns into Uracil… yeah!” He grins up at Law, the kind of smile that makes Law think of bright sunlight and warm breezes. He resists the urge to cringe away from it.
“You know, you’re my idol! You’ve made such progress in the field of cardiovascular surgery, and at such a young age! I've read all of your research papers, and the article you wrote in Paradise Medical Monthly, and your published thesis papers! Your method of isolating the heart for a transplant is brilliant!”
Law doesn’t say anything, and the silence that follows stretches for a few awkward moments too long. He can’t look at Chopper’s shining face, so he points out another practice problem.
“You’re right here, by the way. The book you have must be dated, because recent research has proven that parafollicular cells migrate during embryologic development. If you get marked wrong on the MCAT, let me know and I’ll help you contest it.”
There’s nothing that Law loves more than bothering people who make the answer keys to standardized tests. A smart kid like this, up to date with modern practices, and obviously medically intelligent, is bound to find a question that needs to be contested.
Chopper sniffles and Law’s back creaks in protest at how fast he straightens. If he made the kid cry for some reason, Luffy will never forgive him.
“Y-you’d d-d-d-do t-that for s-s-someo-one like m-meee?” Chopper stutters, large tears rolling down both cheeks.
Unsure how to handle the crying teenager, Law awkwardly pats his back.
“Sure, kid.” He tries for a reassuring smile. It’s probably to his benefit that Chopper can’t see clearly through his tears.
“I-I’M NOT HAPPY AT ALL WITH SU-SUCH COMPL-LIME-EN-NTS!” Chopper hiccups and Law sighs.
He reminds him of Lami in a way, with those big hopeful eyes and bright smile. Spontaneously, he reaches out and ruffles the kid’s head. Well, his hat.
“You’re going to make a great Doctor, Doctor.”
With a grin, Law heads off, leaving behind a stunned and very pleased Chopper. Maybe tutoring a pre-med student wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It would certainly be a welcome break from continuing education.