Behind the Mask

2. Here Comes the Lecture!

A/N: Wow, I wasn't expecting such awesome feedback from you guys…! Thank you so much! I hope you'll like this chapter as well! Also, forgot to mention, there will be a lot of text messages throughout this story. …yeah.

Disclaimer: Oh Disclaimer, Oh Disclaimer! I really don't own One Piece.

P.S: I didn't write it down or add it in, but Squillium Fancyson was at the masquerade ball. Oh yeah.

I don't care so why pretend?
Wake me when your lecture ends

-Skillet, It's Not Me It's You

Rocinante gave a sigh as he sat on the couch, his different colored eyes leaving the ceiling to look at the clock upon the wall. Law had left to go to a masquerade ball almost thirty minutes ago. The blond felt relieved that his son had the urge to get out of the house and actually attend a social event, though worry also bit at his mind. He knew how anxious Law could be around large crowds, especially when it was around upper class members.

Then there was the problem with Law's appearance, and how self-conscious he felt about it.

Rocinante stood up, stretching his arms and legs, and began to pace the room. Should Law's mask fall off at any point during the masquerade… The blond shook the thought away. No, Law would be fine. Right? But then again, the rich could be quite…unpleasant… 'Maybe I should have gone with him.'

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You need to stop worrying. Everything will be fine, he can take care of himself." His stomach chose that time to start growling, and the blond gave a determined nod as he made his way to the kitchen. "Right, time to eat something. And hopefully this time nothing will catch on fire."

Something caught on fire. There was slight panic. There was also the overuse of a fire-extinguisher.

Rocinante slumped his shoulders as he gave a sigh at the sight of a counter covered in white agent. He wasn't even sure how the fire started, he was pretty sure he hadn't even touched the stove. Putting away the extinguisher, he decided to put off dinner until he finished removing the white agent from the room. He was pretty sure the last thing Law wanted to come home to was a white-powdered kitchen in the middle of June.

As he began to clean, the heterochromic blond couldn't help but start thinking about his little Law once more; his brow furrowing ever so lightly in concern. It'd been quite a while since Law had left, and he wasn't one to stay at parties; especially if it was around upper-class people. Did the surgeon get in trouble? Did he ditch the party and end up going for a walk? Rocinante wondered if maybe he should try calling his son, but shook the thought out of his head immediately. Law was already twenty-six, he was a grown adult who could take care of himself!

…But at the same time, he was Rocinante's son, it was his job to worry no matter how old Law got. The blond bit his lip as he finished cleaning up, looking over the room once more to make sure he got all of the agent. Good, it was all gone. Hopefully Law wouldn't know there was even a fire in the first place despite the fact that now half of their fire extinguisher was now empty. Rocinante supposed it was time to re-attempt to make something to eat, but as he headed for the refrigerator he realized he no longer had an appetite. He gave a sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat. Oh well, he'd just eat a large breakfast in the morning.

Nearly tripping over nothing as he headed for his bedroom, he gave a long yawn before glancing at the time on his phone's screen. 9:13. Law had been gone for more than two hours… A small smile pulled at his lips as the thought that maybe, just maybe, Law was having fun at the masquerade.

And with his attention focused on those thoughts, Rocinante ended up walking straight into the doorframe; causing him to flail as he fell to floor and, ultimately, break his phone. He laid on the floor for several minutes, staring at the ceiling as the broken device lit up one more final time before its life came to a sudden end.

Rocinante held back the sigh – and quite possibly a sob – that desperately wanted to leave his mouth. "Law's not going to be happy about this." It was, after all, the fourteenth phone they had to buy the blond since January.

He most certainly wasn't looking forward the lecture he'd be hearing from his son tomorrow.

Despite the fact he had a rather good time at the masquerade ball and spent nearly all his time talking with Luffy, Law felt absolutely exhausted as he walked through the front door of his house. He took off his mask and gloves and set them on the living room table as he began to remove his suit, laying it neatly across the back of the couch. He glanced at the clock. 10:53. He figured Rocinante had already fallen asleep and took a look around the room to make sure the blond hadn't accidentally set something on fire or broke anything. After only finding part of the kitchen counter singed, he figured it was time to head to bed and hope he could fall asleep.

"Law?" The surgeon stopped and turned around to see Rocinante standing in the doorway in his pajamas, rubbing one eye tiredly as he released a large yawn. "Did you just get home?"

"Yeah, I did." He shooed the tall male off back towards his bedroom. "Get some more sleep, Cora-san."

"But I want to know how the ball–"

"We can talk about it over breakfast," Law answered, shaking his head fondly. "Now go back to sleep. See you in the morning."

"Alright. Goodnight."

"Night." He watched his father enter his bedroom without tripping before heading for his own. The light from the near full moon crept through the window and illuminated the bottom part of the bed. Law walked over and let his hand rest in the moon's rays. He loved moonlight, he found it beautiful and soft; like the caress of a feather against your skin. It never failed to put him at ease, and a sense of serenity overcame him. But there was another reason he liked it so much.

It made it a little harder to see the white spots that adorned his skin.

He headed for his dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of pajamas – a tank top and exercise shorts – before heading into the bathroom to relieve himself. After he was done with his nightly routine, he pulled back his silky silver sheets and slid beneath them. The events of the night replayed through his mind, and he still had a hard time believing he actually gave his phone number away to a stranger. However, he felt almost…proud of himself. That had been the first party he'd actually somewhat enjoyed. Still, it was only because he had hidden his vitiligo that he hadn't been scorned by the other people, and was the only reason Luffy had decided to talk to him. If the teen had seen his skin condition…

He pushed the thought of his mind. No, he had to focus on the positive things of life. That's what Rocinante always told him. Don't focus on the negativity, only the positive, and that was that he had a friend now. Well, a text friend. Maybe. If Luffy ever decided to text him.

Giving a sigh, Law turned over and stared out his window at the night's sky, hoping that sleep would come and claim him, if even for a little while.

By four in the morning, Law had reorganized all his clothes and textbooks, took out the trash, washed his shower after taking one, and got rid of the scorch mark on the counter. He silently cursed his insomnia as he found himself bored with nothing to do now. The thought of going for a morning jog entered his mind until he looked outside and noticed it was raining. It didn't dissuade him much, but then the possibility of catching a cold completely killed the idea. If he had a cold, then he wouldn't be able to go to work, and he'd be left under the care of Rocinante… The thought made him shiver. He remembered once when he was younger how his father had made him a bowl of soup when he'd fallen ill, the man was carrying it on a tray towards Law when he'd tripped. And all that hot soup had gone straight on Law.

It was the last time Rocinante allowed himself to carry any hot liquid to his son.

Law focused back on his boredom, pushing the unwanted memory away. Sketching was out of the question seeing as he still hadn't bought a new sketch book yet and television just wasn't his thing, really. He held back a groan of slight frustration as he slouched further into the couch. He hated when he had days off from work, he never knew what to do with his time; especially when Rocinante had to work and Law was left by himself at home. And it wasn't like he could just go and wake up Rocinante at such an early time, that would be selfish and unfair.

The sound of his phone ringing caught his attention and he dug the little device out of his pocket, looking down at the screen with a raised eyebrow.

Luffy
Hi Lawsy!

Luffy
Law, I mean Law! My bad!

Law couldn't help but stare at the screen a little longer, finding it hard to believe that Luffy actually text him. Another thing he had a hard time believing was that Luffy was texting him at four in the morning. If he remembered correctly, Luffy mentioned the fact that he liked to sleep in; especially after going to parties and such. Sliding and unlocking his phone, he sent his reply.

4:05 AM, Law
Aren't you up a little early?

4:06 AM, Luffy
Ace slept over last night and couldn't sleep, so he decided to make pancakes from scratch.

One other thing Law remembered was Luffy mentioning his brother Ace was sort of a pyro and had the habit of setting things of fire; both intentionally and unintentionally.

4:06 AM, Law
He set something on fire and the fire alarm went off, I assume?

4:07 AM, Luffy
You have assumed correctly. Hey, what are you doing up this early? I didn't wake you did I?

4:08 AM, Law
No, you didn't. I have insomnia and couldn't fall asleep.

4:08 AM, Luffy
Oh that suuuucks.

4:08 AM, Law
Tell me about it.

Law spent another two hours texting Luffy as they made small talk about the party and the weather, and how waking up to fire alarms wasn't exactly the most funnest thing in the world. Luffy definitely showed his surprise when he discovered Law's guardian also had a habit of accidentally setting things on fire and had the extremely interesting talent of tripping over nothing.

6:41 AM, Luffy
Shishishi! He sounds like a funny guy!

6:42 AM, Law
I guess you could say he is, but it's actually quite a serious problem. I've already had to send him to the hospital more times than I like due to his clumsiness.

That last text had been no joke. Rocinante's clumsiness was, really, nothing to laugh about. He'd fractured bones, gotten concussions, bruises, cuts, scrapes, some requiring serious stitching. Law had met people who were naturally clumsy, like that one girl named Tashigi who came in for a gash on her arm which she acquired by missing a step on a stairway, but none of them came even close to how clumsy the young Donquixote was. It didn't take very long for him to realize that Rocinante's equilibrium was off and was the main reason he was constantly tripping over nothing and losing his balance.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" Law nearly started at the tired voice that cut the silence of the house and looked over his shoulder to see Rocinante heading for the kitchen, no doubt to get a cup of coffee to wake his brain up.

"Yeah, damn insomnia won't leave me be."

"Maybe you should try taking those pills again?"

"Not a chance," Law quickly bit out, a light glare entering his eyes as he held back a grimace. He hated taking sleeping pills. They usually made him feel nauseous and he'd almost always wake up with a headache. "I'll be fine. I'll probably get some sleep tonight." He was met with silence and he figured his father was taking that first sip of coffee and savoring the flavor. The smell of the caffeinated drink only confirmed this. "You're up a little early, aren't you?"

"I almost fell out of bed." Ah, that was it then. Law knew father had a hard time falling asleep once he opened his eyes in the morning, no matter how early or tired he was. One of the few traits they shared depute not being blood related. Rocinante entered the living room and took a seat in one of the reclining chairs next to the couch, his hot beverage clasped carefully between his hands. "So how was the ball? It must have been good if you stayed so long."

"It was okay," Law answered, giving a half shrug. "It felt unnatural to be there, really. But…I made a new friend. I think."

At this, the blond straightened up, showing much interest in the information. "Really? Tell me about them. How'd you meet?" And Law spent the next ten minutes telling his father how he met Luffy and the different things they talked about. The whole time he talked, Law couldn't help but notice that Rocinante wouldn't stop smiling. His father had taken such an interest in what he was saying that he hadn't even touched his coffee, which was quite odd. Rocinante loved his coffee in the morning.

"Sounds like he'll probably be a handful," the blond commented once Law was finished, finally bringing the mug's rim to his lips once more. The surgeon gave a quiet scoff at that. "But, you know what? I think he'll do a world of good for you."

Law raised an eyebrow at that. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing, never mind," the blond said, giving a soft smile as he looked down at his coffee. Someone so open-minded and happy-going…yes, they would do a lot of good for Law. The surgeon's only social life was his patients and colleagues, and even then all of it was work-based.

"Oh, and Cora-san?" The blond gave a quiet hum as he took another sip of his coffee. "I found this in the trash earlier." Reaching into his pocket, Law pulled out a small rectangular object. One that Rocinante recognized as his phone. His broken phone. The blond's blood ran cold and all color left his face as his eyes landed on the small object before looking up at Law's face. "Do you not remember what we talked about two weeks ago about you and breaking phones…?"

Uh-oh, Law was using that tone! That tone could only mean one thing: a lecture was looming on the horizon. Rocinante felt sweat beginning to build on his brow, and his blue and amber eyes flickered from his son to the doorway into the kitchen. If he made a mad dash past Law and made it into the kitchen, then he'd have time to exit through the front door and, hopefully, avoid the horrible lecture that would occur before eight in the morning. However, if he made a dash for it, there was a chance he'd end up tripping, if Law didn't purposely trip him first.

"Don't even think about it," Law said, a glare set in his eyes as he crossed his arms. Oh no! That voice mixed in with Law crossing his arms? The lecture was nearly here! If he didn't make a getaway now, then he'd be doomed…! He made to stand, his eyes fixated on the kitchen doorway. All he would have to do is get past Law, then he'd be free–

He got to his feet too quickly, causing him to simply crash back into his seat ungracefully. His chance was gone, there was no escape. "Cora-san, this is the fourteenth phone this year. I don't…" Rocinante tried his best to tune out his son, he really did, and he knew that sounded like a rude thing to do but…a father being lectured by his son…was slightly embarrassing. Especially since it was about his eternal clumsiness.

And another reason he tried to block Law out was because his son could go on for an hour straight with his lectures, or even longer if he was in the right mood.

However, luck was on Rocinante's side this morning, as there was a knock at the door to interrupt the lecture before it could even truly begin. The blond all too happily rushed for the door, throwing it open with a thankful smile. "Doffy! Thanks for coming! Here, come in!" The older Donquixote brother barely had the time to blink before he was suddenly dragged into the house. He raised an eyebrow at his younger brother's behavior but decided not to question it. His brother always was weird in his own ways.

Glancing at the clock, he only became more confused. Rocinante wasn't exactly happy when Doflamingo visited before nine o'clock, especially when it was unannounced. And yet, it wasn't even really eight yet. What was going on? Hoping his nephew could hopefully answer some of the questions floating around his mind, Doflamingo leaned to the side to glance past his brother's shoulder to see into the living room. However, instead of receiving any answers, he was only met with more questions.

Law was actually completely focused on the phone in his hands.

That never happened.

…Because Law had no social life whatsoever. Therefore, he was never caught texting.

Before him, Rocinante was still blabbing away about absolutely nothing. Literally. And he was never this social so early. Okay, what the hell was happening to his family? Figuring Rocinante wouldn't give him answers, seeing as the younger Donquixote was still nervously ranting on, Doflamingo pushed past his brother made his way over to stand behind Law. Leaning forward, he raised one eyebrow as he looked down at the surgeon's screen.

"Hello, Law."

"Morning, Doflamingo," Law answered. Huh, there wasn't any spite in his voice. That meant either two things: one, Law forgave Doflamingo for nearly embarrassing him last month at the hospital's monthly meeting, or two, Law was distracted.

"What'cha doing?" he asked in curiosity.

"Talking with a friend." Both of Doflamingo's eyebrows shot up in pure surprise, and he had to resist the urge to lift up his sunglasses to make sure he truly wasn't seeing things. There, on the top of the phone's screen, was one word: Luffy. A name. Law wasn't lying, and Doflamingo wasn't imagining it.

Law actually made a friend.

When? Where did he meet this Luffy person? How did they become friends? Why was Rocinante such a nervous wreck at the moment? Too many questions, and Doflamingo didn't know if he truly wanted to ask them at the moment.

From the kitchen, Rocinante stuck his head into the living with a nervous smile. In a quiet voice he said, "U-Um, Doffy? I also kinda…broke my phone last night…"

A scowl made it's way to the older Donquixote's lips. "Again?" he asked, pocketing his hands.

"That's right, get in here, Rocinante!" Law sent a glare to his father, and the younger blond yelped and ran for the door. Law meant business when he called him by his actual name and not Cora-san. Unfortunately, he missed the door, and ended up hitting the doorframe instead; causing him fall ungracefully to the floor with a groan. Taking advantage of the fact his father probably wouldn't be moving for a while after that, Law stood up and made his way to the kitchen table to take a seat. "This has got to stop, Cora-san. I don't understand how someone can break so many phones in such a short amount of time. I think we need to…"

On the floor, in a tangle of limbs, Rocinante silently cried as the start of Law's lecture began.

The evil chucking of Doflamingo in the background also didn't help in the slightest.

A/N: Because my usual chapters barely reach over 2,000 words, I feel like this one kind of ran on for too long. Is it just me that feels that way? Didn't feel like the best chapter... Anyway, sorry for the long wait! Also, yes, I gave Rocinante Heterochromia (different colored eyes). One is light blue, the other is amber-ish like in the anime. Also also, I'm making Doflamingo blind in his left eye here. Just go with it.

ALSO ALSO ALSO, sorry for there not being much plot here. I wanted to focus on some humor before simply jumping straight into the whole texting thing. Also, this may get slightly angsty (obviously) when Law's insecurities begin to show.

ALSO ALSO ALSO ALSO... Happy holidays, everyone! :D

*Also, little fun fact, 450 people die falling out of beds in the United States each year.

Your shy ice elemental,
~»roo the psycho«