This is a collaborative work between Venere Veritas and myself. I really hope you'll like it, otherwise you'll be breaking two hearts instead of one. This story contains both Dofladile and Crocodile/Cobra in later chapters, because we're horrible people. Enjoy!


Chapter 1

The weather wasn't entirely overcast, but there were enough gray clouds scattered across the sky, adding to the increased humidity that already surmounted the summer island. Though it had rained last night, in the air hung invisible moisture; collecting, floating and gathering the pungent aroma of refreshed flowers, dwindling sunlight and after-rain dampness.

From all the way up the plateau were the faint smells of Green Bit, traveled several miles southward, a result of the weather combined with the fertile winds working to pollinate and keep the island it's delightful overabundance of exotic fruitfulness. Even with the stone walls of the castle surrounding him, Crocodile could feel the energy of the country assault him with its presence.

Everything was wet. He hadn't even been here a day and already he felt soaked to the bone. It was always deeply unsettling at first; the knowledge of how the wet air would eventually trap him inside his body—something that, Crocodile thought, must have been what every normal human felt like, but for a Logia such as him his body was just another shape amongst many. But already he could feel the entrapment begin at his fingertips, smothering him where he pushed them against the cold film of condensation on his glass. The water stuck to his skin, oozing in between the ridges of his fingerprints. He tried wiping it off on his pants, but even that did nothing; he was sweating beneath his clothes.

In every other scenario it would've been so easy to sneer at the scene: a light dinner, with fish and vegetables and salad, to go with a chilled white wine. Easy to digest in these temperatures. Doflamingo was really trying today, wasn't he? Not that Crocodile could blame him; after accepting his invitation to come by, and Crocodile actually showing up despite Doflamingo mentioning this exact date, it was to be expected.

And yes, usually Crocodile would tease him for being so obvious. But he'd been in this country for a few hours now, trapped in his physical form, and yet he felt all annoyance begin to diminish. One might suggest it had something to do with the atmosphere, but Crocodile knew better. He knew the weather was entirely to blame for his lack of irritation; the developing feeling inside of him instead coming closer to enthusiasm or curiosity.

With the rains came new life, taking the form of vibrant flowers and flourishing greenery all over Dressrosa. While Crocodile was no plant, the weather's effects already sank in, drenching him with peculiar, exhilarating spirits. It was reflexive of him to absorb any potentially threatening amount of water, but sometime between making harbor and now Crocodile hit his limit, and his body could no longer allow any more of the nutrient-dense atmosphere.

The air was still wet, and water continued to collect all over him, but Crocodile couldn't bring himself to feel angered over this predicament. If anything annoyed him, it was that the moisture in the air that kept him trapped was also the reason behind his uplifting spirits. He was soaked in sweat and tiny confining droplets of water, and he yet he felt several years younger.

"I sincerely hope you don't treat all your guests like this," he said, resting the glass against his lips without drinking just to hide his smile. The wine was disgustingly sweet, but he couldn't bring himself to comment on it.

"What, you think I get a lot of guests? Please." Doflamingo was all legs as he leaned back, stretching out like a cat and lazily crossing his ankles. Crocodile watched carefully with bristling neck hair.

"I won't believe for a second that you have that patio and the pool just because they look nice," he said, fighting the smile that was curling his lips. "And since everyone in your family is an ability user, I really doubt you're using it much yourself."

"That's highly intolerant of you, Crocodile. I have a little fishman to look after. Dellinger prefers the ocean but it's still better than nothing. The girls love it, too. You don't have to be swimming to enjoy a pool." Doflamingo leaned forward again, tilting his head a little so he could peer over the slim frame of his shades. Already Crocodile wondered when he was going to put them away. This was one of the occasions where they would come off, he knew it. And not just the sunglasses. He could practically taste it.

"I should show you," he heard Doflamingo add. He snorted, and finally took a sip, feeling the cold wine flow down his throat, pooling in his stomach. Wetness everywhere. He was surprised he didn't mind.

The comment, however, he did mind. He knew what Doflamingo was driving at. But it was still a little too early for that. No, not yet.

"I came for a nice dinner and the view, not a pool party," he said with a shrug, bringing his index finger behind the smooth silken ascot, loosening it a little. He was aware that Doflamingo was watching. He grinned and let him as he tugged it off.

"Well, and you got that," Doflamingo said after just a second to recollect himself. He raised his glass, peering at the wine inside before emptying it into his throat. Crocodile's smile didn't falter, but he narrowed his eyes a little at Doflamingo's admittedly expected tastelessness. "So what's in it for me?"

"Company way off your limits, as it would seem," Crocodile replied coolly, leaning back in his chair. Doflamingo kept grinning. Crocodile could see the white of his teeth shine, even in the dusky light on the veranda where they were sitting. "Besides, you invited me."

"And you're a terrible guest and didn't even bring a gift," Doflamingo said in a mock whine.

"I got you me,"Crocodile replied. Doflamingo was dumbfounded for a solid eleven seconds before he burst into genuine laughter.

"Someone's in high spirits," he said, resting his chin in his hand. The grin had grown. Crocodile could see his gums.

"Isn't that precisely why you invited me over?" Crocodile twirled the last sip of wine around before emptying his glass, and Doflamingo was quick to give him a refill. That smug bastard. But Crocodile didn't object.

"Well, your mood was a lot fouler when you arrived," he said with a snicker, placing the wine bottle back down to the table.

"Don't play dumb, it might just annoy me," Crocodile growled, taking another sip of wine. It actually tasted rather good, thinking about it. Cool and refreshing. It was nice against the heat. He felt hot. "I know why you wanted me here right in the middle of June."

"And still you showed up," Doflamingo said with an almost tender smile. He took his time today with wooing his favorite sandman, and it infuriated Crocodile. First fetching him from the port like a normal human being—humble words for a king—and showing him to his room, bringing his luggage up, giving him time to take a nap after the long sailing, and freshen up afterwards. Waking him with a gentle shake for dinner, all without climbing over and claiming him. He hadn't given him so much as a peck on the lips. Crocodile stared at him, admiring the perfect smile. He knew how soft these lips were, how delicious they were against his own, and how much he enjoyed them all over his body. Nobody but Doflamingo made him feel like this.

And Doflamingo knew that.

Crocodile covered his face with his hand for a moment. He felt the thin film of sweat on his body. He tried shifting his form, and found that he couldn't. He was trapped inside himself. Doflamingo had laid the most effective chain around him, and Crocodile knowingly let him. He had allowed himself to walk into this trap.

He felt dense and full. Ironically, exactly that made a very specific emptiness inside him apparent.

He noticed Doflamingo's flustered grin, and the look of excitement on his face. He anticipated the glint in his eyes underneath the sunglasses. He wanted to scoff and comment on his neediness when he realized he had been playing with his lips all the time. Doflamingo was getting excited watching him.

He took the hand from his mouth and cleared his throat. He wished he wasn't wearing so many layers of clothes. He wished Doflamingo would already make his move and strip him. But Doflamingo just watched.

Crocodile's erection pressed against the fabric of his pants. He felt so trapped. All of him, Logia and human, wanted out now. Everything was so sticky.

He craved Doflamingo so much.

He bared his teeth—he wasn't sure if it was a smile or something more sinister—and then licked his lips. He noted his glass of wine was empty. Had he finished it? Had he absorbed it absent-mindedly? What a waste of perfectly fine wine that would have been. But he couldn't remember. He wasn't even sure if he could still do it.

Doflamingo saw to it that he got another refill. Crocodile downed his third glass in one gulp like water. He didn't even flinch.

Doflamingo chuckled. "Another glass? At this rate you'll end up drunk."

"You'd certainly like that, wouldn't you?" Crocodile lowered his glass, eyeing Doflamingo with feigned irritation.

Doflamingo read through his deceptive stare and laughed. "Far from it, actually." He set the bottle on the table, hand shaking with increased anticipation. "I'd much prefer you remain as you are now."

The sight of the remaining wine swirling inside, trapped within its confinements, made Crocodile realize how thirsty he'd become. He licked the inside of his lips and immediately understood. Any other situation and Doflamingo would've enjoyed watching him fall into a drunken stupor. Refreshing as it might taste, both men were well aware of the effects alcohol had on the body. Doflamingo didn't even need to say it; the satisfied smirk, accompanied with lifted brows and twisting fingers said it all.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," Crocodile muttered. His fingers drummed against the glass.

Doflamingo grinned at him. "Tremendously," he said smoothly. "This is amazing to watch. I don't even have to do anything. This is all you. When will you begin to dry hump the table?"

This time Crocodile grimaced, he was sure of it. "I know you won't believe it but I am still capable of reason, even like this." He leaned back, leaving the glass be. He thought of himself as cool and collected, but that stupid grin on Doflamingo's lips told him otherwise. And still he wasn't doing anything. Crocodile inhaled deeply. He was craving a cigar; dry, rough, burning earth inside of his lungs. He stared at Doflamingo, who eagerly stared back. Still with the sunglasses on his face, too. Crocodile made a face. "Take them off already."

"Hmm?" Doflamingo touched the temple of his shades lightly. "Why?"

"The sun's already down, and it's not like anybody but me is here to see. I want to see your eyes when I'm talking to you."

"Talking, huh?" Doflamingo chuckled, removing them from his face and folding the temples, carefully placing them down on the table. They looked at each other. "Better?" he asked.

"Better." Crocodile allowed himself to let his gaze linger on Doflamingo's face, studying his features; lips, nose, eyes, brows... They didn't see each other that often now, maybe two, three times a year, and whenever they did, there were noticeable changes about them. Doflamingo was younger than him, but already Crocodile could tell the wrinkles around his smile and between his brows were there to stay. He was wearing his hair shorter now, too. Crocodile liked it this way.

Doflamingo's chuckle once again woke him from his reminiscing. "Like what you see?"

Crocodile looked him dead in the face. "Very," he said, grinning when Doflamingo turned visibly flustered by his comment. "I like the short hair," he added nonchalantly. "It suits you. Consider even cropping it, maybe."

"Yeah?" Doflamingo pushed his slender fingers through his hair. His skin was like burnt sugar next to the golden color. Being away from North Blue had been good on him. He looked good on a summer island. He looked good. Very good. Crocodile liked looking at him.

"Then there's nothing left for you to grab, though," Doflamingo teased.

"Don't worry, I'll find something else." Crocodile was pleased when Doflamingo laughed.

"I love the rainy season," he chuckled.

Crocodile shrugged. "Don't get used to it."

"Oh, never! It wouldn't be as amazing if I expected it to happen, right?" Doflamingo leaned far back into his seat. Crocodile watched as he spread out, head facing the clouded sky, his gigantic smile the only visible part of his face. "You've declined past invitations to my kingdom during this time of the year so many times, I almost didn't want to believe it when you said you'd consider showing." His head moved forward, enough for Crocodile to catch a lustful stare directed at him. "Even now, with everything set so perfectly, I wonder what I might have done to deserve you actually being here."

Crocodile snorted a little through his nose. Without any wine to nurse on, he felt restless. He fought the urge to play with the tablecloth. He noticed the white lace was starched. This was ridiculous; he could not recall Doflamingo tending to such delicate details ever before. The man was practically begging to get on his good side.

"This has nothing to do with rewarding you," he said eventually, gaze rising again to look Doflamingo in the eyes.

"Oh no?" Doflamingo raised his eyebrows a little. Crocodile wondered if his face hurt from smiling, because he still hadn't stopped. "Then what?"

"Rewarding myself," Crocodile answered, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest when Doflamingo laughed again. "I'm serious."

"Oh, no! I believe you. It's just…" Doflamingo failed to try and hide his grin behind his hand and gestured vaguely at Crocodile. "All of this is really hard to believe. I mean you told me it would happen, but experiencing it is something else entirely. I'm lucky to bear witness to this."

"You're making too big of a deal out of this," Crocodile muttered.

"You realize on a normal day you don't even let me shower with you, right? And now to have you here… How many times have you refused to come over during rainy season? Well, I've been in this country for about four years… So three times at least, right? And that's not counting all the years before."

"I suppose," Crocodile said. "But even like this I won't apologize for past actions."

Doflamingo waved his hand at him again. "This more than makes up for it. It feels like it's my birthday. I kind of wish it was. Then I could make you come over with a solid reason."

Crocodile rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You know I wouldn't cancel plans and sail all the way over here just to see you on your birthday."

"Aw, you're hurting my feelings, Croc." Doflamingo's grin softened. It made something in Crocodile's chest ache.

He shrugged, and then beckoned for Doflamingo to come closer with a curl of his index finger. Doflamingo happily obliged, taking his chair with him as he edged around the table. When they were sitting next to each other, Crocodile took his hand into his own. Doflamingo chuckled and watched Crocodile examine his hand, rubbing against the palm and sliding his fingertips over the carefully filed curve of his nails. The tip of his middle finger sat in the small bend of Doflamingo's joint of the wrist like it was made to be there. Doflamingo's hands were soft and well-cared for.

Doflamingo was still laughing when he took his hands away from Crocodile's. Doflamingo ignored the unhappy noise Crocodile made and gently cupped his face, rubbing his thumbs over the scar as he pulled him close for a tender kiss to his lips.

Crocodile closed his eyes and relaxed. Finally.


The handholding was a bit much, not because Crocodile wasn't used to the affectionate gesture, but there was something off-putting about being lead around the castle. Even in his current state his mind wouldn't let go of the way he greedily clung to Doflamingo's hand, rings rubbing against warm fingers, his own turning frantic from the stimulation.

The castle was dark and cool, a welcome change to the trapped Logia user. The drier air allowed for his body to expel some of the excess liquid and energy within him through means beyond excited movement or over-exaggerated gestures. He could sweat out all that water, rid of himself of the pesky neediness that was devouring him, and Doflamingo would enjoy every moment of it.

The name stayed in his mind longer than what he was willing to admit, though it didn't take long for Crocodile to act on it. Doflamingo barely opened the door to his bedroom when Crocodile had him against the wall; hook pressed against his neck, hand on his exposed chest. It mattered little that Doflamingo had a layer of sweat, Crocodile grabbed and rubbed glistening skin, stopping the torment only when his craving for Doflamingo's lips temporarily overwhelmed everything else.

He listened to Doflamingo's chuckle get smothered by his lips, and felt the light vibrations of the man's humming against his face go soft, stretching into muffled moans and hot exhales through the nose as Crocodile pushed for Doflamingo to part his lips and allow him further access.

There was the subtle taste of alcohol, flavor not as strong as Crocodile's, and nothing compared to the natural sweetness his hungry mind produced when he had his way with Doflamingo. Though Crocodile was thirsting for Doflamingo's mouth, his body, and his cock, he knew Doflamingo was craving something similar from him. Doflamingo gave hardly any fight and allowed him to rest his lips against his, suck on them, taste and lightly nip on them. And still, somewhere in the back of his mind, there was the nagging realization that if Doflamingo had ever kissed him like this, sloppy and wet and full of unconcealed desire, he'd have scoffed at him for it. But Doflamingo said nothing, and just bent his legs, welcoming Crocodile's aggressive tongue and teeth, face radiating heat as Crocodile reached out, attempting to grab hair, missing, breath growing heavier, until the heat between them became near unbearable–

Doflamingo broke the kiss. "I know it's getting late," he huffed, bringing a hand to hover over his wetted lips. "But I'd rather not surprise any members of the family with the sight of us going at one another." He lightly pushed Crocodile off of him and carefully took a step over to the opened door. "And if it's alright with you, I'd rather have you acting like this behind closed doors, for only me to witness."

"Why am not surprised?" Crocodile remarked. "You were doing a fine job up until that last remark."

"And you're doing an amazing job making me weak in the legs," Doflamingo teased, reaching out and taking the sleeve of Crocodile's coat as a means of guiding him forward.

"You make it sound like that's a hard thing to do," Crocodile said and shrugged off his coat so it fell to the floor and Doflamingo was left with nothing but the sleeve he held, and ignored his excited laughter and the bad pun about hardness as he walked on ahead into Doflamingo's bedroom.

Crocodile had been here before, of course. But he remembered the room being less airy, less welcoming. He couldn't say if that was because of his past state, or if it hadn't changed at all. The room wasn't so big, but the view over the flower fields was nice. The air smelled fresh and sweet. The cool draft coming from the opened windows felt like a blessing.

He heard Doflamingo close the door behind him, and the silent clicking of the turned key made him shiver in anticipation.

"Well," Doflamingo said as he carefully placed the coat over the mannequin that usually held his own feather coat, the latter thrown away easily over the chair by the desk. "I would offer you a shower, it's been horribly humid all day after all."

Crocodile laughed. "But you won't?" It hardly sounded like a question.

Doflamingo approached him, his hands already fiddling with the topmost button. "With what we've planned, I'd hate to waste the water." Crocodile felt the first button come undone, far too slow for his liking. He stared at Doflamingo's adam's apple as he spoke, watching it move, and found himself exceedingly envious of Doflamingo's summery, open clothes. "You're already drenched," he heard Doflamingo add, "and while I admit this is fun to watch, I'd hate to lose control over this. Who knows what'll happen?"

"What makes you think you're in control to begin with?" Crocodile asked, gaze slowly rising up to Doflamingo's face.

Doflamingo stopped at the second button, grinning when Crocodile took notice and brought his hand up to continue the strip. Crocodile glared at Doflamingo's smirk, his fingers fumbling over the second button, then third. His eyes never left Doflamingo's, not even when his finger caught caught between button and hole, and then finally Doflamingo grew satisfied, under the assumption that he'd proven his point, and reached out to aid Crocodile.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you this excited," he commented.

Crocodile appreciated Doflamingo's hesitation to not remark on his own desperate behavior. Though it mattered little. He knew he was still in control and could leave at any moment if he so desired.

Crocodile blinked, feeling a pleasant ache situate and rest in his lower abdomen as cool air began to settle on his chest when Doflamingo finally opened his shirt. Doflamingo undid the knot on his leather belt, and making a show of letting his form fitting pants slide off brought Crocodile out of his calm. The laugh that came from Doflamingo as he danced his way out of his clothes reminded Crocodile that this, were it taking place in another setting, would normally result in him providing unnecessarily cruel commentary.

Right now all he could focus on was the way the light hit Doflamingo's hip bone just right, and the stretched out form exposing and emphasising every muscle on his slim body.

"Enjoying the show?" Doflamingo asked, kicking off his slip-ons and pants, legs sticking out and falling under the same magical influence that made Crocodile all the more lightheaded.

Crocodile knew he could've said something cruel, or at the very least a backhanded compliment. Something to remind Doflamingo he still retained some control over his own behavior. But he lept forward, pushing Doflamingo on the bed, mouth all over the man's jawline, hand pressed against the sternum, and hook sliding across the sheets.

He could have easily pushed Doflamingo's legs open with just as much as a nudging of his hook. Doflamingo was always so happy to oblige. But before he realized it, he was straddling his hips, huffing against Doflamingo's delicious salty skin.

"I'll take that as a very enthusiastic yes," Doflamingo said into Crocodile's ear. Once again, Crocodile gave no snide remark, and continued to move down Doflamingo's neck, breathing turning throaty and more aggressive when he felt Doflamingo's hands on his trousers. "Slow down. I don't want you finishing before we've even started."

Crocodile lifted himself up, staring down at Doflamingo, restraining a moan when he felt his pants getting pulled down.

"Still keeping up the act?" Doflamingo's hand rested on top of Crocodile's rear, thumb hooking over the elastic band, pulling and watching in amazement as Crocodile glared down at him, fighting all urges to just rip the underwear off himself and ride Doflamingo right then and there. "Oh, don't give me that look," Doflamingo played on, letting his other hand slide over Crocodile's lower stomach. "You're harder than fucking sea stone."

Crocodile brought himself up, resting on his knees, and stared at Doflamingo's slender fingers and the way they rubbed over his covered arousal and buttocks. It was driving him half-insane to still have so many layers of clothes on. "No wonder you're taking so damn long with pleasing me," he teased, but his tone carried the snark he had not bothered with up to now.

"Excuse me?" Doflamingo snickered.

Crocodile dipped his head down. "You said something about being weak in the legs," he remarked, nearly biting his own lip as he hovered over Doflamingo's, "but I didn't think I'd have that much of an effect on you. But then, sea stone has a tendency to have lesser users go...limp." Crocodile let his stare lower, down to where he was sitting. And he made sure Doflamingo took notice. He kept his eyes locked in place, letting a cruel chuckle escape his lips until he felt Doflamingo grab his arm.

The chuckle turned into laughter as Doflamingo threw Crocodile off of him, laughing in tandem, turning near hysterical as he swapped positions with Crocodile, now with him on top, Crocodile trapped underneath. Crocodile welcomed it. Between the weather and his clothing, what was one more to add to the list? Doflamingo held his left arm down, doing away with the hook as quickly as he could while Crocodile stared up, breathing temporarily speeding up at the jarring feel of his prosthetic being removed. He looked over and watched Doflamingo carefully place the hook on the side of the bed, just out of his reach. He was still looking at it when he felt Doflamingo's mouth return to his neck, laying a few kisses before settling and lightly biting down.

He moved his head back, catching a glimpse of blond hair moving down as Doflamingo kissed and licked his way down from his throat to his collarbone. There was still the occasional chuckle coming from him, and when Crocodile lazily raised his hand to sprawl his fingers through the short hair, he wondered exactly which of them was more frantic.

"We'll see about that," Doflamingo muttered.

"Hmm?" Crocodile moved his head a little to squint at him. With Doflamingo over him like this, hands wandering eagerly all over his body, and a knee between his thighs, it was beginning to feel like the desire that was eating him up was going to be sated. He raised his hips a little, resulting in a little friction against Doflamingo's leg, and at this point didn't even try to hide the soft moan.

Hearing that, Doflamingo raised his head, grinning up to Crocodile, fingers still running gently through his hair. "I'm going to fuck you," he announced, "So good."

"I don't doubt it," Crocodile answered, and because he knew Doflamingo would break out into another crazy fit of laughter, smothered Doflamingo's mouth with his own, hungrily devouring his voice.


Crocodile rested on his side, letting the sheets dry any remaining moisture from his body. Doflamingo wasn't so clingy tonight, giving him the freedom he needed to shift in the sheets, spreading his arms and legs and ridding himself of excess sweat.

The energy that once possessed him dwindled down to a mild flame. He was exhausted, tired and satisfied after intense fucking. After getting rid of a good deal of moisture inside of him, the restlessness from before was ceasing; what remained now was a tranquility that was maybe even more uncharacteristically for him. Already his previous state felt so distant, and although he had very clear memories of Doflamingo trying very hard to help him sweat it all out again, it felt like it had happened ages ago. It couldn't have been more than an hour since Doflamingo had fallen asleep beside him.

Outside, there was a break in the massive sea of clouds, allowing some moonlight to shine down and stretch into Doflamingo's room. The windows were open, and the room was cool and dry. Without anything distracting his mind, Crocodile could see the colorful decorations that adorned the walls of his room. This wasn't a king's bedroom, but the paintings, sculpted walls and overabundance of flowers were just as overwhelming, even under the hood of massive clouds. Not even like this would Crocodile ever admit that, yes, he admired what Doflamingo had accomplished.

The curtains swayed with a breeze. Crocodile rested his stare on the way the fabric fluttered in the light wind. Was it Alabastan cotton?

Crocodile turned around. He sank into the soft mattress, staring at the way Doflamingo's nose wrinkled in his sleep. It would rain tomorrow. The clouds were rolling in, and even though he couldn't taste it, Crocodile knew by the time he awoke there would be moisture in the air, and he'd be in the same situation as before. Sometime between then and now, Crocodile carefully stretched out his hand and watched it turn to swirling sand. He exhaled gently as he turned it back to be his hand, curling the fingers into a fist. He was relieved to be back in control of himself, and yet…

"…why are you still awake?"

Crocodile blinked, turning his head up at the canopy and surrounding gentle curtains. "Don't worry about it," he muttered. He sounded harsher than before, but still carried a hint of concern in his tired voice. "Go back to sleep."

"C'mere," Doflamingo grumbled. Crocodile sighed, feeling Doflamingo's body wrap around him. Blankets moved, cool air continued to pour around him, and now Doflamingo was all over him, again. Crocodile made soft noises of complaint about being moved and the hassle of settling into the new position and sorting their limbs until they were comfortable, but eventually they settled. Doflamingo ran his fingers through his hair, expelling a sigh against his forehead before moving some more, and adding, "this was fun."

"Mhmm." Crocodile settled his forehead against Doflamingo's chin. It wasn't hard to tell just how much Doflamingo enjoyed this. Not only had he mentioned it repeatedly in what felt like every five minutes, but somewhere between ripping each other's clothes off like they were teenagers again, switching positions twice, and making him do and say things that were clearly influenced by Crocodile's state, Crocodile had sort of gotten the idea.

"A real show," Doflamingo whispered.

"Consider tomorrow your encore," Crocodile muttered. He was tired and done for today. "Your country is in the middle of the rains."

Doflamingo pressed his nose into Crocodile's hair. "I could certainly do that," he said. Crocodile's eyes twitched as Doflamingo continued to shift around, taking advantage of Crocodile's decreasing patience. "Then again, I might want to take you out tomorrow. Show you off while you're at your best."

"Your decision," Crocodile coolly replied. "Doesn't matter what the weather's like tomorrow, I'm not about to mess around in public."

"Or the following week?" Doflamingo sounded so damn hopeful.

Crocodile sighed and said nothing.

"You could always just stay, you know," Doflamingo added.

Crocodile sighed again. "Really, Doflamingo?" He stared up, meeting with an eager stare. "We've done this before, what makes this any different?"

"Even during the dry season you have fun here," Doflamingo replied. "And I've got you in a good mood."

"Assuming my mood stays good, you'll get to have me a few more days," Crocodile muttered. "After that, I sail on."

Doflamingo chuckled softly into Crocodile's hair. "Well, I tried." He nuzzled his head, earning a soft noise from Crocodile. "Are you in a hurry?"

"Not particularly," Crocodile replied lazily, stretching out his legs with a yawn. Doflamingo lowered his hands to wrap them around Crocodile's chest, keeping him close.

"But?"

Crocodile thought a little and concluded that telling Doflamingo wouldn't matter much. "I'm going back to Paradise," he replied, and left it at that, even when Doflamingo leaned back from their embrace to look at him.

"Had it with the New World?" Doflamingo chuckled, but Crocodile thought it sounded reluctant.

"Something like that," he said. "I've business to take care of. Don't think too much of it."

Doflamingo settled back to the pillows. It was silent for a long time, so long that Crocodile thought he'd fallen back asleep, but he stirred again. "So," he said softly, "will you be coming back next June?"

Crocodile thought he sounded pretty anxious. A long time ago, they had agreed they wouldn't see each other much, and that it was okay like this. He quickly sorted through his plans for what was ahead of him. Finally he shook his head. "I can't make such promises. You know what the Grand Line is like. Even with the Eternal Pose to Dressrosa there's no saying how long the journey would take."

"What about summons from HQ?" Doflamingo said as if any Shichibukai had ever paid that much mind.

He chuckled. "Sure, we'll see each other on summons," he said with a smirk, raising his head a little to look at Doflamingo again. "Look, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

It was an attempt to appease him when he leaned up for a tender kiss to Doflamingo's lips, and Doflamingo accepted it, but even then there remained an uneasy feeling.