In the Crisp of Fall

Summary: In the midst of fall Sanji helps a homeless man and his son. Soon enough he's engrossed in the stranger and his one too many secrets.

In the meantime Luffy makes his way into Law's carefully built world and reminds him how to life is meant for living. ZoSan, LawLu and others.


Chapter 4: Question Marks

Law had not expected what happened that day.

Overall, Sanji was a predictable guy and Trafalgar meant that in the best way possible. The blond had his own bad temper and some peculiarities but overall he was a pretty grounded guy, not one to do stupid things (well, unless women were involved but that was a whole different matter).

This though wasn't anything like Sanji.

Upon entering the All Blue Law was greeted by nothing short of chaos. There appeared to be some funny looking, possibly homeless teen running around the tables, chasing a kid in a coat too big for him.

And then there was Sanji who was arguing with some other stranger who had of all things in the world, green hair.

Law rose an eyebrow, he had no idea what was going on which was a rare occurrence. He cleared his throat as a way of getting some attention and the trick seemed to work its magic. Four heads snapped in his direction as he crossed path with a pair of shiny black eyes.

"Who are you?" the Strawhat clad teen demanded, taking a step towards him.

"I should be asking that," Law shot back in response as if on autopilot and turned to face his best friend, offering him an inquisitive look.

Sanji appeared as though he didn't have much of an answer himself which for him was something strange. The blonde took out a cig and drew in a long smoke before responding.

"Law, meet Zoro, Luffy and Chopper…they are uh, well working for me," the chef explained and Trafalgar didn't miss the note of hesitation behind his voice, "Well, minus Chopper of course."

"They're cooks?" the Spaniard asked, shooting the strangers some studying looks. His eyes fell over their worn-out, dirty clothes and he immediately made the connection in his head – they were homeless.

Sanji was most probably moved by their situation, so he offered to help…nothing out of the ordinary about that.

Only one question remained – how the hell could a bunch of crazy looking, dirty ragamuffins and a kid be allowed anywhere near the cook's pristine kitchen?

Even Law, for all his obsession with cleanliness and steady surgeon hands wasn't allowed there!

"No, of course they're not cooks!" the blond argued, running a hand through his glossy locks as if exasperation, "They're uh…"

"Helping Sanji out how we can!" the straw hat clad man exclaimed, a sunny grin plastered over his slightly tan face, "Cause he has the best food in the whole world!"

"Uh uh," Law mumbled, sending a look to his best and only friend, as if in quiet attempt to make some sense out of this.

"Mind if you guys go in the kitchen for a second?" Sanji turned to ask them, eyes fixated on the peculiar looking green haired man.

"Noo, I wanna meet the new guy!" Straw hat said and faced Law before stretching out a skinny hand, "I'm Luffy! What's your name?"

Law stared at the hand before him – what on Earth was he getting himself into?

He was never one for charity despite Sanji's endless claims that somewhere deep down there was kindness in his heart. Trafalgar was no longer so sure about that, he believed any good in him had flown out of the window somewhere along his list of mishaps.

Plus, he could argue being a good surgeon was helping, even if it wasn't as selfless as what the blonde did.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" the brunette insisted, offering him a small pout that would suit the five year old kid next to him better.

"Trafalgar Law," he said in the end, a small sigh of acceptance flying past his lips.

If Sanji had decided to help them, chances were, they would probably stick around.

"Shishi, what a funny sounding name!" Luffy beamed at him before stepping in even closer and stretching out his hand, as if in an attempt to run his fingers down his tattoos, "Ooh, what are those?"

"Leave the guy alone, Luffy," came the voice of Law's apparent savior at the time and he turned to face the green haired man, " He doesn't look much like a social butterfly."

"Look who's talking," the Straw Hat teased, offering his friend a playful wink.

"I told you to go in the kitchen like five minutes ago," Sanji demanded and Law couldn't miss the annoyance and impatience behind his voice, "What are you idiots still doing here?"

Luffy whined but then seemed to remember something valuable about the kitchen, "Then I'll finish off the bacon!"

"Don't…" the cook began to argue but then sighed in defeat and turned to face Law once the others were gone for the kitchen.

"Care to explain me this?" the Spaniard asked as he opted to take a seat at one of the free tables.

The blonde huffed and shot him a look he couldn't quite describe as friendly, "Don't think I owe you much of an explanation."

Law rose an eyebrow, Sanji was obviously mad at him about something which was a rare sight.

Sure, the blonde could get annoyed at him, shout and scream and even kick on the bad days but this…he wasn't used to him being cold.

"Something wrong?" he asked and watched his friend roll his eyes, as if annoyed by the question.

"You tell me…Oh, wait you don't fucking tell me anything."

Law had the strong urge to laugh out loud at the remark – where was all of this coming from?

Weren't he and Sanji fine…wait, when was the last time they met? He furrowed his brow, trying to remember. His usually excellent memory failed him for once.

It must have been somewhere in the beginning of the summer…Now though the leaves were falling and apparently so was Sanji's mood.

"Hey, quit acting like a mad high school kid, I'm not your boyfriend."

The chef shot him a dirty look but still his lips curved into a small smirk, "Your loss."

Law smirked as well at the remark and found just how much he'd missed the small, everyday banter between them.

It made things easier, more light hearted, almost normal.

In the small fleeting moments with Sanji he could pretend he was just a normal guy, living an average life and having a talk with his buddy over a beer.

(Then again neither of them drank beer and neither was even remotely close to the text book definition of normal).

"Seriously though would it hurt to at least call once in a while?" Sanji demanded, apparently unable to just let it go as per usual. His voice sounded annoyed but it barely hid the hurt and betrayal behind the words.

Law frowned, he himself didn't have an answer to that.

Somewhere along the road being anti-social had become a way of life and not even the cook was able to stir him away from that path.

"I'll call," he said to which the French only huffed but still seemed to accept that as an end to the discussion.

"So what's the deal with those guys?" he asked, opting to change the topic and sending a look towards the kitchen where various sounds could be heard, "And the kid?"

Sanji hesitated, fidgeting with the still lit cigarette in his hand.

"They're homeless," he pointed out, as if it was the perfect explanation.

Law waited him to continue but the chef kept quiet, for once and merely stared at his pale fingers and the burning out cigarette between them before taking a long drag.

"So let me guess you get to play hero and help them out?" Trafalgar inquired, slight annoyance poking from the edges of his question.

Sanji really was predictable.

"Wouldn't you?" he demanded, a sudden flash of anger dancing behind his pale blue irises.

"You even need to ask that?" Law scoffed, "Course not. I've told you before – I don't get your peculiar obsession with charity. Well, apart from the apparent ego boost."
"Fuck you!"

"I bet you want to," the Spaniard smirked, sending him a wink and sadistically enjoying the other squirm.

Sanji rolled his eyes but let the banter drop, apparently having other things on his mind.

"You can't fool me Trafalgar, I know you aren't as bad as you play," he mumbled in the end, butting what was left of his cigarette in his ash tray.

Law said nothing, he wasn't half as optimistic about himself as the other. After all a nickname such as the Surgeon of Death didn't come from nothing.

"Why did you give them a job?" he inquired, "And what the hell can they do in the kitchen anyway?"

"You mean other than wreak havoc?" Sanji smirked but then returned to his previous pensive state, "Zoro wouldn't accept help for him and Chopper otherwise. Has some fucking samurai moral code or some other bull."

Law nodded, that much seemed logical. After all green-haired guy did seem like the serious, honour is mine kinda type. Maybe he could even get to like him, after all not many people had honour these days, so it would be a breath of fresh air.

"And the other guy?"

"Luffy? Huh, I guess him and Zoro come as package deal."

Trafalgar huffed but said nothing, despite the fact he wasn't much of a fan of the whole ordeal. Then again, as Sanji had pointed out he didn't have the right to meddle, especially having in mind the cook and him barely spoke these days.

"I'm gonna go make lunch," the chef stated as he sprang to his feet, "You staying for it, I'm guessing."

"Well, someone's gotta pay for food here," the Spaniard noted but then immediately regretted his words as a train of memories ran through his head.

Sanji shot him a sour look and he knew exactly what the other was thinking but didn't say it out loud.

Law was about to apologize but the other already left and he was alone in the salon.

He just hoped getting out of the house wouldn't become a decision he'd regret.

xxx

Lunch had never been quite an adventure as it was that day.

The restaurant slowly started filling in but it was still their table that was the loudest. Sanji was running on and off to the kitchen and so he was left with the two strangers and the shy kid next to them.

"So what about your tattoos," Luffy pressed on, shiny black eyes refusing to leave his hands.

Law sighed, he'd hoped the other would just understand he wasn't one to talk much and leave him alone. With Luffy though, it appeared getting a clue was impossible.

"You like tattoos?" he asked in the end, voice dry and weary. He did his absolute best to seem disinterested so the brunette would leave him alone and he could eat his lunch.

It didn't work, it seemed as though the straw hat guy simply couldn't get a clue.

"No," he answered, sounding a little sheepish, "But uh…my brother on the other hand…"

Law caught something in his voice that stirred the slightest hint of interest in him but chose to ignore it. There was no way in hell the skinny guy had anything of interest to offer him.

"Why would you get a tattoo saying death anyway?" Luffy asked, his tone a mix of amazement and maybe some lack of understanding as he stuffed a large piece of meat in his mouth and made some obscene sounds while at it.

"Why you scared?" Law smirked, opting to at least enjoy teasing the strangers a little.

"Yikes, I am!" Chopper cried from the other side of the table and Trafalgar immediately felt guilt blossom in his chest. Damn, maybe he did still have some remains of good in him after all.

Zoro sent him a poignant glare before ruffling his son's hair, "Don't worry about it, it's just a drawing in the end of the day."

Law had the urge to argue that tattoos weren't just "drawings" but something in Zoro's eyes told him he only said to protect his hid. Trafalgar bit his lower lip, he had a feeling he shouldn't judge the other, after all regardless of their living situation he did seem like a good dad.

"So what do you do for work?" Luffy asked, his mouth full to which

Law sent him a disgusted look, the boy had no manners at all.

"I'm a surgeon." He said, deliberately being as succinct as possible in vain hopes he'd be left alone.

He already regretted leaving his apartment, Bepo was much better company that this.

"Hear that, Chopper?" Luffy beamed from next to him, turning to the kid, "You might ask him some questions!"

The Spaniard rose an eyebrow, why would the kid be interested in medicine? Some strange people they were.

He saw Chopper's cheeks redden and he did have to admit the child was cute. A wave of pity washed over him and suddenly Sanji's decision wasn't all that surprising.

Silence fell between them but it was only short lived as Luffy shot him an inquiring look before tugging at his sleeve.

Law merely stared at him in surprise, the boy wasn't like anyone he'd met before.

"You really don't like making friends do you?" he asked, tilting his head to the right side, as if there was something he couldn't understand about the situation.

Law struggled with a reply and had the strong urge to fight off his hand but then Luffy let him go on his own.

"Don't worry, we'll be friends in no time!" he declared in a sing-song voice and for whatever reason Zoro's lips stretched into a meaningful smirk, as if the bastard knew something he didn't.

Trafalgar shook his head but before he could reply Sanji was making his way next to him and nudged him in the ribs.

"You sure could use some friends," he said as he placed one last plate, the one for himself.

Law rolled his eyes, he had no need of friends.

Today was proving this already.

xxx

Sanji kept his eyes steadily on Zoro through the rest of the day.

He couldn't find an explanation why he did that which naturally annoyed him.

The cook liked knowing things, he liked things that made sense. He was never much of a fan of the unknown, things had to follow a pristine order, much like the way he organized his pristine kitchen.

After lunch he expected the homeless men to leave but to his surprise they stayed, claiming they wanted to help in the kitchen.

Sanji was a little taken aback by it but didn't fight it, even with all their clumsiness. He could end up missing a few of his prized plates and wine glasses but at least he had company.

"Don't become attached to them," came Law's voice from next to him and he turned to face the Spaniard.

As always he had to be the eternal source of pessimism and it annoyed Sanji slightly. Sometimes it felt as though he couldn't deal with Trafalgar's darkness as it only added to his own.

He needed some light in his life, a pillar of hope, something to hold on and not let go, something to fight for.

The French shook his head, he had to stop overthinking.

"I'm only saying that cause I don't want you to get hurt," Law pointed out before he could make this into an argument.

The chef sighed, opting to take a drag from his cigarette as a way of avoiding to think about what the other pointed out.

It was then that the sound of a crash echoed through the salon, followed by a hearty "Oops!" and Sanji felt a wave of terror and regret wash over him – Luffy truly was a disaster to have around and he'd only just met the guy.

"Go help him," he told Law and before the Spaniard could argue he reentered the kitchen.

He had to talk with Zoro, some questions weighing over his head.

As he entered the kitchen through the back door he was greeted by the sight of the man sitting in the corner, face locked into a frown.

The blonde raised an eyebrow as curiosity took the better of him and he made a step towards him. The green haired man didn't seem to notice, deep in thought.

Sanji's blue eyes travelled down, until they were at the level of his knees. He then saw what looked like a small piece of paper, slightly crumpled around the edges, as if it had been held many times. As he got closer it became clear it wasn't a scrap of paper but a photo, the vague outlines of a woman presenting themselves to him.

His gaze travelled back to the man's features and he saw his face locked into an unreadable expression.

Sanji had to wonder if perhaps he was imagining it but it looked as if the other's gestures spoke of grief.

Before he knew it, his mouth spoke on its own:

"Who is she?" he asked, taking one final step towards the other.


Author's Note: Hey! Hope you enjoyed the longer chapter ^^

So, how did you like Law in this?

Trust me he will change and this is precisely the point of this story – I really want to flesh out the journey that all the characters will go through, with each other's help!

Aaah, sounds cheesy, but I promise it will be good and we'll get to learn many things about them.

What did you think of him and Luffy interacting and the overall atmosphere?

Shout out to: torao and rufi, Prissycatice, daydreamfox, Subaru's dreams

Prissycatice, Don't worry, we'll definitely find out why the Marimo is so poor, but all in due time xD

Please review and tell me your thoughts on the chapter!