Disclaimer: Author doesn't own One Piece nor gain any profit from making stories for said manga/anime.
Author's Note: Whoah, look who's finally updated? Sheesh, I deeply apologize for making you wait for so long. *author doesn't know what to say anymore* *slowly backs away*
On a completely different note... 105 favorites?! 100 follows?! What did I even do to deserve such love for this story? *shocked* *breathing hitches* Seriously, thank you so much, guys! That's all I can say because really, I don't know how to thank you enough. Maybe this new chapter will do...? *grins sheepishly*
Please do forgive the spelling/grammar errors...
As requested by *cough*some*cough* awesome readers who suggested the theme... You guys know who you are. *grins wickedly*
Lost(?)
Part I
|Sabaody Amusement Park, 11:37 am|
Corazon worriedly wrung his hands as he paced back and forth beside his older brother's car, his face set in a frustrated frown. How come he had not felt the small hand slipping from his grasp? How come he had put too much focus on the crowd that was surrounding them and not on his tiny, five-year old son?
"Damn it!" the extremely upset man yelled and kicked one of the tires which happened to be attached on Doflamingo's sports car. The older Donquixote shot his sibling a glare that dissipated almost instantly when he remembered why the younger was acting as he is.
"Calm down, Roci. The whole family's looking. Vergo himself is on the move," Doflamingo told him in what he thought was a soothing tone. At the disconcerted glare aimed at him, the older brother rolled his eyes (thankfully hidden by the purple-tinted sunglasses he almost always wore) and bit back a scold dancing on the tip of his tongue. "Right, scratch those. Forget I said a thing."
The younger of the two vigorously rubbed his temples to stave off the oncoming headache. Corazon willed himself to calm down, but he could not find the strength and willingness to do so. How in the world could he when faced with a problem as dire as he was experiencing at the very moment?
+.+
|(Rocinante) Donquixote household, several hours earlier|
"Wakey, wakey, rise and shine!" Corazon said enthusiastically as he opened the door to Law's room and entered. An ear-splitting grin appeared on his face when he caught sight of his little boy burrowed beneath the thick, blue blanket, the top of the child's raven hair the only part of him visible. The blond approached the bed and reached out a hand to gently shake the little one awake. "Wake up, Law. It's seven already."
"Go 'way," came the muffled sleepy response as the child snuggled further in his cocoon of blankets (the little one owned three).
Corazon chuckled at his son's words and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled all the blankets down at once and had to stifle a squeal — yes, a tall and well-built adult like Corazon was capable of doing such a thing — of delight at the sight of his little Law hugging one of the paw-print patterned pillows, mouth slightly open, and a bit of drool on his small chin. The blond was suddenly overcome by the urge to fish for his phone out of his pocket and snap a photo of the utterly adorable sight before him. Said photo was then saved in a folder containing numerous stolen shots of his child ranging from reaching for the cookie jar and playing with soap suds in the bath. Once the deed was done, he gave Law a soft pat on the cheek and suppressed a grin when the latter blearily opened his eyes.
"Up you get now," the young father said as he gently pulled the child up by the shoulders in a sitting position. Corazon watched as Law sluggishly rubbed his eyes and yawned widely before scooting towards the blond and slumped against the former's broad chest. The blond almost died of cardiac arrest when his little angel yawned kittenishly once more and closed sleep-clouded grey eyes, the action exceeding Corazon's standards of adorableness his child displayed a week ago.
"Wan' sleep more…" Law mumbled and cuddled closer to his father. Corazon let out an exaggerated gasp, almost giving in to what his son wanted but matters of utmost importance took hold of him and looked away lest his defenses finally crumbled.
(Alright, who the hell was he kidding? All manner of defense evaporated the moment he found baby Law in front of the local church that fateful wintry night five years ago.)
"But Law," — Rocinante Donquixote most certainly did NOT hesitate to continue when Law sighed happily and curled against him — "you said you wanted to go to the amusement park today, right?"
The moment the words 'amusement park' left the blond's lips, Law's eyes snapped open and was up in a shot instantly, hurriedly disentangling himself from his father and running towards the bathroom.
"I'll take a bath now and then we'll be going—"
Corazon shook his head in fond amusement as he followed Law and plucked him up before he could strip himself and jump in the empty bath tub. The blond playfully flicked the grinning child's nose and smiled.
"Breakfast first before anything else!" the young father sang cheerfully and made his way towards the kitchen, Law merrily chanting something about scrambled eggs and ketchup under his breath.
+.+
|Sabaody Amusement Park, 8:19 am|
After cracking all the horrible dad jokes Corazon kept up his sleeve ("I'm so excited!" "Hello, So Excited! I'm Dad! Hahaha, get it? You said you're so excited, and… haha… ha…" A pause. "That's awful, isn't it?" "Yep. Sorry…") during the thirty-minute drive towards their destination, the blond finally parked his pickup truck on the parking lot, grinning goofily at his son's barely concealed excitement. He removed his seatbelt and moved to undo Law's, the latter humming a "thank you!" before getting out of the vehicle. The young father chuckled as he moved out himself, reaching a hand for his son to take.
Law yipped excitedly the moment they caught sight of the rides and booths in the amusement park. Father and son tried some of the child-friendly rides and an hour later, Corazon found himself surprisingly shaken and dizzy after he and Law got out of the roller coaster. How Law was allowed admittance for such a ride the blond did not know, but he strongly suspected that his son excellently portraying the look of a kicked, miserable puppy played its part.
"Dios mio, we're never riding that thing again," Corazon declared shakily as he shamelessly crashed down the first wooden bench he saw. Forget his dignity as an adult. His vision was spinning and he was close to asking for a bucket because his stomach was churning, thank you very much!
Law watched him as he let out a pitiful moan, grey eyes twinkling with mischief as Corazon absentmindedly launched in a rant some facts about the guy who invented the roller coaster and then using quite a colorful vocabulary while cursing said inventor, ignoring someone singing rather loudly the moment he uttered the profanities. The blond stopped midway from stating yet another brightly-colored curse when he heard his son stifling a highly amused giggle.
"Have you eaten a rainbow, Papa?" the raven-haired child asked him innocently, the barely-restrained mirth ruining Law's supposed 'innocence'. Corazon's face turned beet red when he realized that he cursed not once, not twice, but a ton in front of his son. And the blond eating a rainbow? Corazon did not need to ask who taught Law that remark.
"Oh my— did you hear me—? L-Lo siento!" the blond yelled as he hugged his son apologetically as if he hit the child. Law laughed, squirmed free from his hold, and gave Corazon a cheeky grin.
"I covered my ears and sang that 'Man in the Moon' song really loud when you said… um…" his son tilted his raven head to the side as if contemplating what to call a particular group of words the blond mentioned first, "…s.o.b.?"
The young father silently and whole-heartedly thanked J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, Bofur the optimistic dwarf who sang the song Law mentioned, the Hobbit book and films, and his Blu-ray copy of the first two movies respectively. He mentally took a note of buying the copy of the last installment of the movie as a reward for Law's deeds. Corazon heaved a sigh of relief and ruffled his son's hair rather gratefully.
The next hour was spent trying out the game booths, Corazon's arms slowly becoming full of prizes won by him and Law. The two wore matching black headbands with cat ears attached on top, unwittingly charming ladies of all ages with their laughter and interactions. Corazon discarded his headband minutes later, however, when a woman donning a white cowboy hat and a too-revealing top winked and flashed him a seductive grin.
"Wanna buy anything else, Law?" the blond asked his son another hour later as they made their way through the crowd. His son looked up at him and shook his head happily after taking another lick of his chocolate-flavored ice cream.
"Nope," Law replied. He eyed the paper bags and other stuff his father was carrying and tried to lift some for himself. "You bought too much, Pa. Here, lemme help…"
Corazon mentally squeed at his little Law's offer of assistance and brushed it off happily. "Nah, it's alright; no need. Let me carry these myself and just enjoy your ice cream, yeah?"
The five-year old studied him for a moment as if trying to figure out if Corazon really could carry everything. After a moment, Law nodded. "Okay."
When the throng of people became too thick for the blond's liking, he gave his son another look, adjusted his hold on the stuff in his arms, and stretched a hand for Law to take.
"Let's hold hands, Law. I don't want to lose you in this crowd."
Without any second thoughts, Corazon's little son grasped his proffered hand and beamed up at him. The blond returned it with his own before looking forward and making their way through.
It was a few minutes later when Rocinante Donquixote realized that he was clutching empty air in his hand when he finally made it out of the crowd. He looked around him but saw no sign of his son's spotted, furry hat. Belatedly, he remembered that both him and Law forgot said hat at home.
Corazon blanched. He strained his ears for the sound of muffled giggling behind him and felt for small hands gripping the hem of his shirt. Neither of the two was present.
"Law?"
No giggling.
He tried again, panic growing in his chest and spreading in his body like a malady.
"L-Law?"
No response.
Corazon's puzzled expression morphed into one of utter horror. He knew in an instant what just occurred, it's not meant to be as difficult to understand as rocket science, really, but he could not bring himself to accept what it was.
Terror gripped him and kept him frozen on the spot.
Law was missing.
Lo siento – I'm sorry
1. Law owning three blankets... Some things are better left unexplained. *grins*
2. Yes, I'm a huge Hobbit fan. Law's favorite is Bofur because the dwarf reminds him of kind Corazon. Well now, Bofur's my favorite (and Fili, too. I still feel bad for what happened to him, how he died... *wipes a stray tear*), so why not make him Law's, too? Anyone likes/loves the trilogy, too? Who's your favorite character/s?
Corazon: I like Radagast! His Rhosgobel Rabbits, too!
Doflamingo: I like Smaug. *grins*
Corazon: Smaug or the gold?
Doflamingo: Silly Roci, those gold weren't characters... *shifty eyes*
OP 780 is still breaking my heart. Hugs would be very much appreciated.
Alright. I'm rambling.
Tell me what you think of this chapter if you like!