A/N: This is an AUwhere Teen!Doflamingo gets sent to a mental institute for setting his sister on fire, and meets Psychiatrist!Law, whom he becomes very attached to.

This is a drabble, but I'm considering turning it into a short series. (It will be fleshed out a lot more if I decide to.)

This story focuses heavily on dialogue so you will be seeing paragraphs of only dialogue. (if I turn it into a series, I'll be adding body language in as well, but much of it will predominantly be dialogue.)

Feedback is appreciated, since I'm still developing the actual plot. Thanks for reading!

Thursday. 15:00

"Hello Doflamingo, please take a seat." Trafalgar Law tilted an open palm in the direction of the empty chair at front of his desk before settling into his own.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Trafalgar. How are you?" Doflamingo smiled as he took the offered seat. He had spent extra-time grooming himself today. He always did before a session with Dr. Trafalgar.

Law raised an eyebrow but replied with a nod, accustomed to Doflamingo's politeness- a politeness he never extended to anyone other than Law. He'd seen the vulgarity and spitefulness Doflamingo used when interacting with others; a possible God complex, Law thought.

"I heard your behaviour has improved. Although I've still gotten complaints regarding your interactions with other patients. We'll discuss that later." Law said. "Let us continue where we left off previously, Doflamingo. We covered your relationship with your parents in our previous sessions. Now, tell me about your relationship with your sister."

"What relationship? I can't possibly have emotional ties to a heap of ash." Doflamingo answered nonchalantly with unbroken mutual eye contact. He'd have yawned to offend his company, but he would never disrespect Law.

"Before the incident, then. Did you get along?"

"I suppose."

In Law's peripheries, he kept check of Doflamingo's body language; any subtle hints to reveal what he truly felt, but the boy gave none.

"Tell me more. You 'suppose'? In what ways did you two clash?"

"She's very different to me."

"Can you elaborate for me? How was she different?"

"She was like everyone else."

"You consider yourself different from others? How so?"

Doflamingo rolled his eyes. "Don't we all feel different from others? Alienated? Isolation and desolation; it's simply human nature."

"Humans are social creatures."

"Ah yes, with their herds."

Something ticked in Law's mind at those words.

"Tell me, Doctor Trafalgar. Do you ever feel isolated? Alone? Misunderstood?"

"These sessions are meant to focus on you, Doflamingo. My personal issues are no concern of yours."

A grin threatens to break across Doflamingo's lips, but he does not permit it.

"I want to get to know you."
"To avoid talking about yourself."

"I need to get to know the man who is going to fix me." Doflamingo said. "And are you not meant to go at a pace suitable for me? To avoid pressuring me to open up when I am not ready?"

Law sighed.

—-

13:55. 5 minutes left.

"I have a suggesti—"

"Do not tell me how to do my job."

"Doctor Trafalgar I only wish to—"

"Doflamingo. You are purposely being unresponsive to treatment."

"If you want me to open up emotionally, then—please, let me finish. If that is your aim, than I recommend you do the same. It will provide me with a sense of comfort; I get to know you, you get to know me. To take off my mask and reveal what's beneath while you are allowed to don yours creates an imbalance of power. Hardly a safe feeling for me."

"You like to be in control."
"I like to feel safe. Much like any other does."

"I'm the doctor, you're the patient. There is already a power imbalance, Doflamingo."
"The patient pays the doctor. You are obliged to give me what I desire by your need for money."

"I have the right to decline patients as I see fit."
"Yet I have no right to decline these sessions."
"Because you set your sister on fire. That is why you are here."

The grin that threatened to break through, broke through. Doflamingo made a low noise in his throat- he sounded almost satisfied to Law.

"Tell me about you."

"I want to talk about how you felt at that moment."

"I felt the same way that I'm feeling now."

"In anger, you—"

"—No. Not in anger. Out of curiosity, I'd always wanted to set my sister on fire. It was only when her value lowered in my eyes that I saw it fit to set her aflame. "

Doflamingo was fucking with him.

"Do you feel remorse?"

"Do you feel remorse when you cook a steak?"

"Humans are not animals."

Something flashed underneath in Doflamingo's eyes- beneath the rose-tinted glasses. Doflamingo was far-sighted, and chose to tint his prescription glasses, although Law was dubious of the 'bad eye-sight' claim. Law was dubious of anything and everything that emitted from the boy's lips. A potential pathological liar, Law debated.

"Anything that can be controlled- especially with money and brute force- is live stock."

"Do you envision yourself as the wolf?"

"People are livestock."

"Doflamingo."

"I wonder what you'd look like amidst a flurry of flames." Stop fucking with me, Doflamingo.

"Do you envision yourself as the wolf, Doflamingo?"

Doflamingo answered with a passive smile and Law's eyes thinned.

"No." a slender finger fixed sloping glasses, and Law recognized it as a means to get his utmost attention.

"I'm human."

-End Session-

"Can I get a smoke?

"You won't be allowed near fire for a long time."

Doflamingo laughs but does not argue.

"Do you even comprehend the severity of your actions, Doflamingo?"

"Of course."

"You don't appear concerned for your future."

"Money can buy anything, Doctor Trafalgar. Including a clean slate and a bright future."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I could buy you."

"Could you now? How much do you think I'm worth?"

"The same amount I'd be willing to pay for clean slate."

"You're propositioning me."

"Interesting theory."

"I wanna set this place on fire." Doflamingo's hovering over him from behind; Law's on his knees, and he can smell soap on the hand stealing his vision while another hand is wrapped protectively around his throat. Lips nudge against his ear, and he anticipates a lick or a bite, but neither come.

"So I can finally take off my raincoat."

—

"It's not nice to daydream during a session."

Law snapped back to reality When had he…?

"How very unlike you, Doctor Trafalgar."

Law's eyes fixed on Doflamingo.

"When you were brought here, you wore a raincoat."

"Yes."

"It's summer, but you wore a pink rain coat."

"Yes, and?"

"Rather peculiar taste for such a refined boy."

Doflamingo gives a light shrug. "I can wear whatever I want. I'm home-schooled and I rarely go out in public."

"Why a raincoat in pink?"

"Why do you drive a yellow car?"

"Tell me about your sister. Tell me about your relationship with her."

"Again? I already told you."

"Did you have a sexual relationship with her?"

Doflamingo said nothing.

"That pink raincoat belonged to her, didn't it? It smelt like her. That's why you wore it."

"Interesting theory."

"You sprayed lighter fluid into her eyes and threw a lit match."

"Yes."

"Was she looking at other men?"
"You persist that I fucked my sister. Sex is vulgar. I have no interest in it."

"Was it because she was looking at men, in general?"

Doflamingo said nothing.

"You said she wasn't 'like you'. That's why you were upset. Was it because as you two grew up, you realized you did not have much in common as you first believed?"

"Interesting theory."

"You've lied a lot to me, haven't you, Doflamingo?"

"Isn't it your job to detect when I lie?"

"I'm not your babysitter, I'm your therapist."

"What is the need to state that? I'm aware."

"Your passive-aggressive behaviour will get you nowhere."
"Do you suppose I may be allowed out? I would like to get my ear pierced."

Confusion surfaced upon Law's face. Once again, Doflamingo was derailing the conversation.

"It might be arranged with good behaviour. This is out of the blue. Any particular reason why?"

"I'm surprised they allow you to wear your jewellery."

Law thinks about the raincoat again.