Naghi-Tan: They practically are, in Sanji's mind! XD He confuses everyone! (even me lol)

Chapter Ten

Later that evening found them at Walmart, where Sanji had a recent run-in with the trio when he'd discovered that Nami had stolen Law's wallet. They were sitting on a bench just outside of the McDonald's, watching the doors. Because it was such an unpleasant situation, Sanji wanted a 'safe place' to be in case the confrontation became a mess. Law did not find the appeal of Walmart – there were too many crying babies, angry customers, and though they were sitting right outside of McDonald's, the smell of waffles did not leave a good experience with him. Sanji looked blissful, soaking up the unpleasant environment around him, so Law tried to use his Demon side to see for himself what Sanji did. But his Demon side was too demanding – it wanted blood, spilled guts and thrown children to satisfy the pent up tension around him. He wanted customers cutting into cashiers, someone to choke another with an ill-fitting top from their overly large bodies – he wanted a different sort of violence that could only be appeased in a messy way.

He explained this to Sanji, their voices too low for anyone to be alarmed by the content.

Sanji's expression changed. "So, you're not into foreplay? This sweet tension is important. It leads up to that."

"No, I want immediate results," Law answered, aware of the way people looked in his direction. Because he lacked Corazon's Glamour, people didn't know whether to be in awe or disgust of him.

"That's hot, but it's very important."

"We are of a generation that demands immediate satisfaction. We get it from the press of a button – it should be applied to circumstances such as these."

"No, that's the result of playing your damn games. Once you're away from that environment, you'll know what I'm talking about."

"I miss my friends," Law said with a sigh.

Sanji's eye narrowed. "I do, too. But only because they're ducking out from their promise."

"What deal did you make with them?"

Instead of responding, Sanji caught sight of an upset mother screaming at a cashier for her debit card not working. Her children were already tearing into snacks in her cart, so paying for it was going to be a problem. His face lit up. Law realized he wasn't going to get an answer once he caught sight of this – he gave the scene a dull expression, imagining the mother jumping the space between herself and the cashier to beat the old woman against the register. His Angel side took over, and he saw a frazzled, stressed, fragile woman desperate to feed her hungry children, upset over a card she had yet to register. The sticker was still clinging to the front of the card. He hoped the cashier would see that and help her.

"Your parents – "

"Guardians," Law corrected firmly.

"No, your real ones. What happened to them?"

"Ah…we're not close enough to share backstories."

"I miss my mother," Sanji confessed quietly. "But I know I disappoint her."

"But she paid for your rehab."

"She'll bail me out if she finds out I'm in trouble."

"Doesn't that make you feel bad?"

"It does."

Law looked at him to see if he was speaking the Demon truth or a real truth. He found real disappointment on Sanji's face. For a Demon that spoke and wanted as he did, he sure had a problem with things only Angels found tedious.

"Do you…make her cry?" he asked cautiously, trying not to find delight in it.

"Most likely. She clipped her wings just to be with my dad – raised a family of Demons with him. I never understood why – he treats her like a common slave and she treats him like an employer."

"People clip their wings for weird reasons."

"Yeah, I know."

"But their true selves are still apparent?"

"No, that's the thing. She never really did the Angel thing. I only found out by accident that she was one. Which is why my situation is so weird."

Law wanted to see Sanji's clipped wings, but knew he was asking an intimate question. He might as well as ask to see the rest of him, and Sanji would take that as an invitation. He furrowed his brow with consideration.

"Let's try something," he said slowly, then reacted with shock as Sanji moved to kiss him. He pushed his face away hurriedly, putting space between them. "Not that! No, while we're here, try and think and feel like an Angel."

"Wha? How boring!" Sanji whined from behind Law's hands. He was pushed fairly close to the edge of the bench by Law's longer reach, but to those looking it looked only as if Law was pushing his head aside, his bigger girth taking up the space. "Let's go along with what I'm thinking!"

"Instead of feeling the way you do now, enjoying all this negative nonsense," Law indicated their environment with a wave of his hand, "try thinking in a more positive manner."

"This is going to hurt me, because my idea of positivity is furthest from yours," Sanji grumbled, resting elbows on his spread knees. While he was in manspreading position, he still couldn't touch Law's leg due to the distance the shoulder devil was sitting from him.

"You're…" Law tried to emulate Doflamingo's way of speech, certain to reach Sanji this way, "very…dumb. So this…should be considerably difficult for you."

"Okay."

"There." Law pointed at a man with a red face, who was growing furious the longer it took a cashier to scan an item. "What do you see?"

"An old dude upset because the old lady isn't doing her job correctly."

"Now, think positively of it…"

Sanji blinked, squinting at the scene with trouble. He couldn't take any sort of 'positivity' to it because his mind refused to wrap around the concept. He exhaled blowfish style. "You're right. I'm dumb. Because I can't."

"Instead of thinking he's angered by her slow, incapable hands, he's embarrassed because she's scanning a box of tampons. Judging from his age, it's for a daughter or granddaughter. And the woman should know this because she's a woman. His manly pride is burning because he's holding up a line due to the woman unable to scan the bar code because the box is damaged. Likely from him crushing it into his cart so that he isn't seen with it."

"What a dumbass. He shouldn't be embarrassed by that sort of thing! Women are creatures to be prized and admired for their ability to bleed without dying! I see her side, but not his. He deserves the looks he's getting."

Law frowned at him. "Why aren't you with a woman?"

"Because I'm 'too nice'," Sanji stressed with heavy irritation. "Plus, I refuse to date another after breaking another's heart."

"How?"

"I picked out an oval diamond rather than her favored heart diamond. It was the second date."

Sanji relived the horrible moment with his head in his hands while Law looked irritated. He rolled his eyes. "You're a true idiot. No wonder no one likes you."

He ignored the praised expression on Sanji's face as he glanced away, and pointed at an overweight woman using the store's cart. "Now, that."

"She's a woman with back problems because she had so many children, no one should have to judge her for it. She's contributing to the economy with every birth she has."

Law gave him a sour look. "Why do you only think positively for women?"

"I thought I made it clear that I respect and admire them for their deviant behavior? They're the true Demons of this world, they need respect!"

Law rolled his eyes again.

"Listen, I kind of understand what you're trying to do, but it's not going to work. I can't think or feel like an Angel! I'm not what you are. I'm just a Demon with issues," Sanji said with a sigh.

In a way, Law liked it. The man was as damaged and as dumb as they could come. His Demon side was satisfied with the amount of sheer idiocy Sanji was capable of exuding, because it was as obnoxious as it was attractive. But his Angel side felt pity for his sheer idiocy because it was obvious why he would be rejected from his constant trials at romance. He had a headache.

"Don't you think we've sat here long enough?" he asked on a heavy sigh. "They're not coming."

"Continue being negative, show your Demon aura to the world. I'll bet they'll come running," Sanji encouraged, looking at his phone to check the time. "It was right around here when I ran into them that one time."

"They certainly are attracted to yours, so you do it."

"Anything for you, my love!"

"Stop calling me things like that! And what you did today was very embarrassing," Law added petulantly as Sanji pushed what was left of his Demon aura out, concentrating on doing so. "Aren't you mortified presenting yourself to people the way you do? Have some modicum of self-respect! No one can take you seriously if you throw yourself out there, wanting it that bad."

"Does it make you feel pity or irritation when I do it?" Sanji asked cautiously, trying not to be pleased with the scolding.

Law thought about his answer carefully before saying, "It makes me feel sad."

He could feel Sanji considering the answer before he was suddenly glomped from the side by him, the Demon nuzzling up to his jawline with his furry upper lip. "Let me comfort you, then!"

"GET OFF!"

"I can without your help! Just sit here and let me rub on you!"

"I'm not a damn lamp!"

As Law was trying to detach him, he saw one of the three men with Nami shoot in through the doors. He was releasing a battle cry that caused some of the customers to look at him with irritation. Behind him was the guy with the swords, both of them battle ready and eager to get into a confrontation. Both of them were wearing grocery store uniforms and name tags, aprons dangling from their necks – Sanji recognized the store as being one two blocks away, which startled him as to how far his aura could actually reach.

"SANJI!" the first bellowed, causing the Demon clinging to Law to stiffen up. "I'm here! You're finally ready to settle this, eh?"

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" the other one said, wearing a gleeful expression as customers eyed his three swords with caution.

Sanji retracted his aura to light up a cigarette, causing distress of those around him. A man in a motorized cart and an oxygen tank hit him with his cane on his way by, buckling his knees and causing him to fall over in a slump. The sound caught the attention of the pair they were looking for, so Law stepped over Sanji to greet them as they strolled forward with hungry expressions.

"Hi," he greeted stiffly, having to bend and lean to get their attention. They were so focused on the man climbing back to his feet that he felt awkward having to do this. "Hello. It's me you're looking for."

Luffy hit Zoro repeatedly, eyes wide while Zoro continued to look on with disappointment beyond Law. "Zoro! Just like the song, Zoro!"

"What song?" Zoro asked with irritation, finally noticing Law standing in front of them. He did a double take, confused because he swore he saw the guy before but he didn't look like this. But he looked once more to Sanji, who was tossing aside his ruined cigarette with a curse. A Walmart employee stalked over to give him a talking to, capturing him into an argument.

"Greetings, hello," Law tried again, stooping low to completely capture Zoro's attention. "Yes, hi, I'm right here. Sanji didn't get his wings back, but I asked him to find you guys because I had a question."

"We're not here to fight?" Luffy whined, shoulders slumping.

"Then what are we here for?" Zoro snarled from behind his sword, looking just as disappointed. "What are we doing here? I hate this place!"

"Recently, I came out," Law started, then realized his choice of words as the pair looked at him sharply. "I mean, I revealed my form."

"Shouldn't that be expressed only to your social media and family?" Zoro asked skeptically.

"What a weird way of saying you're gay," Luffy contributed with a puzzled look.

"NO! I meant - !"

"I mean, it's okay, there's nothing wrong with it…"

"But it's got nothing to do with us. Congratulations, I guess."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Then what are you trying to say?" Zoro snapped at him impatiently, ripping off his bandanna. "We came in here to fight, not get proposed to!"

"Well, I mean, if you don't mind my obnoxious behavior and lack of attention to your needs, I mean, hey, I'm here," Luffy said with a grand gesture at himself, ending with a clumsy shrug.

Sanji inserted himself between them, nearly climbing onto Law with a possessive wrap of his arms and legs. He hissed at them as Law struggled to pull him off. "He's MINE! Get away! I'll savage you both with any object I can find if you touch or woo him!"

"NOT what I came here for," Zoro muttered with a scrunched look while Luffy looked incredulous.

"I'm shocked that you would say that to me, Sanji," Luffy gasped, gesturing at himself. "You disappear all this time, then come back and try to fight me the first moment some random dude tries proposing to me! It's like you don't want me to be happy!"

"I will stuff all these salty fries up your urethras if you dare try to still my beloved from me!"

"In Demon form?" Zoro considered thoughtfully.

"Well, I thought about it, and I decided that I'm going to go through with it!" Luffy snapped at Sanji. "It's my first proposal!"

"I'M NOT PROPOSING TO ANYONE!" Law screamed with exasperation, finally managing to thrust Sanji away from his face to speak. He used an elbow to at least create space enough so that he could see the two, the Demon clinging to his neck with both arms and his legs wrapped around his waist. People looked over with pity at the skinny man possessively defending the larger man from two punkish individuals that were clearing approaching them with hateful intentions. The Walmart employee radioed for backup.

"I'm here to talk peacefully about my situation," Law clarified. "And since you guys know each other, I want this to work."

Luffy picked at his nose, then examined his finger while Zoro crossed his arms and gave Law an undecided look.

"Do we…know you?"

"NO."

"Hmm, sounds sticky," Luffy murmured, rolling the salty object around before wiping it off on a woman's jacket as she passed by. "All right, well…what's up? Let's get a meal first, though. All this excitement made me hungry."

But they were ushered outside by several Wal-Mart employees and armed security, clumsily scooting onto a busy sidewalk where people had to walk around them hastily in order to make a blinking walkway light. Sanji lit up a cigarette while Zoro glowered at him, itching for a fight. Luffy looked up at Law with a frown.

"Fat people don't live long, you know," he said listlessly. "Maybe you should take up cardio. Start eating fruits and veggies. This is the only way to have a long life."

Law removed his Glamour impatiently, causing both of them to look at him with shock. Whatever appealed to their Angel vision caused Sanji to make a face, smoking with a pouty expression.

"OH! You're that Angel from the other day!" Luffy crowed cheerfully.

"What are you doing hanging out with that guy?" Zoro asked Law skeptically, gesturing at Sanji.

"We're married!" Sanji hissed at him.

"That is offensive!" Zoro hissed back.

"NO ONE IS MARRIED!" Law snapped, shoving both of them away from each other, then wiping his hands on his jacket. Luffy eyed his tattoos with indecision.

"If you're an Angel, then why are you wearing death on your fingers?" he asked curiously.

"I did this myself," Law answered. "I was bored one day. It applies to my situation."

Luffy looked at him with confusion.

"I'm considered a 'shoulder devil'," Law explained slowly, finding his hand sanitizer in his jacket pocket and dumping some of that onto his hands. He could feel Sanji standing close behind him, glaring at the other two ferociously from behind the safety of his body. "It's an equal combination of an Angel and Devil put together."

Both Luffy and Zoro stared up at him like he was speaking in tongues. Law realized he had to prove it, and gave a reluctant look around the area before allowing his Angel aura to touch them. Once they recognized it, they looked at him with approval. With some tension, Law held his lips tightly between his teeth before cautiously emitting his Demon Aura. Both of them reacted fiercely, nearly changing forms to charge at him before he quickly combined the two to appear human.

People scrambled with startled screams at the sight of the two Angels caught in mid-formation, Sanji hissing at them as he quickly inserted himself between them and Law. Their brilliant white armor plates shimmered as wings slowly disappeared, both of them wearing confused expressions as they resumed human form.

With an irritated gesture, Law pushed Sanji aside so that he could continue speaking. "As you can see, both sides are equally as strong."

"How is that possible?" Zoro questioned, looking fairly bewildered. "You can't be both."

"I am. And it's the source of my misery right now, so – "

"Then why don't you fight us?" Luffy asked, confused.

"Are you the one behind Enel's ending yesterday?"

"It's so weird, because I don't sense anything from you," Luffy said, stretching to sniff him curiously. He received a slap from Sanji once the blond forced space between them. "OW! Sanji! What was that for?"

"Demon, is that a challenge?" Zoro asked, huffing slightly as he sidled up to the smoking Demon, forehead against his.

"Did it excite your bloodlust?" Sanji asked, blowing smoke into his face.

Law managed to get himself in between them, awkwardly pushing and shoving until they were both sufficiently spaced. He straightened his clothes.

"You Angels are a difficult breed to talk reason into!" he exclaimed, bewildered. "You're so damn bloodthirsty!"

"Hey, it's our instinct, we're instinctive creatures," Luffy complained, giving a shrug. "We just do what it tells us to do."

"I can talk more sense to Demons who actually care to listen than to either of you!"

"We smell a Demon, we can't stop ourselves," Zoro explained, arms folded behind his head. "So what's this about?"

"As you must know by now, considering Nami from the other day doing research – "

Luffy's face dropped, and he slapped his cheeks with a ragged gasp while Zoro looked awkward. "Oh my gosh! NAMI! We forgot Nami! We gotta go!"

"Wait!" Sanji exclaimed as they turned and began running down the sidewalk. "WAIT! We're not done talking!"

Law caught his arm, watching after the racing Angels with consternation. "Never mind, Sanji. This was ridiculous. They didn't have enough sense to listen to a word I said."

"I can chase them down - !"

"They will attack you like a cat wandering into a dog pit! Let's go. Now that they're interested, they'll find me through you," Law grumbled, fed up with the situation. "I can't believe how utterly inane this has been!"

Sanji reached up to ruffle his hair, irritated with his Angel form. "You look so cute when you're frustrated, even when you're an Angel."

Law shoved him away, fixing his hair impatiently. He pulled his Glamour back on, to which Sanji was promptly dazzled by the sight of his beauteous form once more. "None of this has gone the way I wanted it to go."

"My beautiful sugar muffin with sprinkles! Don't worry, it'll come, you're to be rewarded with your hard work and effort!" Sanji exclaimed, snuggling up to his shoulder and inhaling deeply of the Wal-Mart smell that lingered on Law's jacket. "Mmf. You smell like how I imagine morning smells when it's unpleasant and depressing."

Law was too tired to push him away, but he did widen his step in order to walk faster than him. "I know where they work, so maybe I'll try approaching them tomorrow after school."

"Without me?" Sanji cried, dismayed at the idea. "You can't! You can't do this without me, I won't let you! I won't let them lay their horrible Angel paws on you when I know I can be there to stop it!"

Law then paused at a crosswalk, examining the situation they just left. Sanji continued smelling him, huffing as he did so. People gave them odd looks. "Though, just that single confrontation told me I was uncomfortable in it. They're just so aggressive. They reacted completely without thinking – only wanting to destroy and dominate. Never considering a consequence or an extension of torture…I'm used to stimulated situations where it's shoot to kill or be killed, but those consequences aren't as extensive – I'm guaranteed either a respawn or a different map. Maybe I have to think about this in a similar manner…"

"I think you could use some aggression," Sanji mumbled, tracing the width of Law's shoulders with one finger. Then slapped him between the shoulder blades, startling him as he nearly crumbled. "And what did I tell you about using games as an acceptable scenario? That isn't the same, here! Video games have nothing to do with your situation! It's going to kill you, thinking you can respawn, or whatever!"

"…Please don't hit me again…"

Sanji grabbed him by his jacket and shook him, causing other pedestrians distress at the sight of the skinny man bullying a larger one that looked helpless in his grasp. "If you're going to think of it that way, then it's the same as them! Only they don't get to respawn! Once you're dead, you're dead! Nothing will bring you back to life, and so help me Satan, if you even allow yourself to fall from an Angel's hands, I will kill myself and go find you in the afterlife, kill you there, get us reincarnated, and find you and kill you before you even remember what I originally killed you for! You understand that?"

"I don't know why you have to be so forceful about it," Law muttered dejectedly, shrinking a little as Sanji's Demonic strength made itself known. Then he wore a panicky expression, wondering why he acted like this the moment the Demon grew so violently aggressive with him.

Dropping him Sanji huffed, spitting out his filter as the light changed in their favor. Law had to pick himself up, clumsily wiping himself off as others muttered at the behavior and action, but not brave enough to intervene. "It pisses me off that you're so fucking weak! I share your mother's thoughts on video games – it ruins your mind! Makes you think like a goddamn ninny! It's embarrassing! Maybe I should make a man out of you, somehow, and change your entire life with some iron hand fisting – I mean, training…"

"Wait, Doflamingo isn't my mother," Law wanted to point out, remembering the conversation from earlier. "Technically – "

"I don't wanna hear it! He was right! Instead of trying to explore your Angel side, let's strengthen you up like a man, a human man! Rigorous training to toughen up your mind and body, so you don't drop like a freaking ragdoll the moment your chin gets touched! It'd embarrass me as your rightful husband if my wife gets KO'd without any effort!"

Law looked after him incredulously as he then strode across the crosswalk, then hurried after him. "No, wait, that's stupid, there's no need for that sort of thing! I'm strong and powerful enough on my own – I defeated a freaking god, Sanji, in less than five minutes!"

"No, I'm not hearing it! I've already decided. Tomorrow, we start training. I'm going to purple and reform your face with my own bare feet," Sanji decided, rubbing his hands with glee. "You're going to look beautiful all bruised and deformed, bleeding from every imaginable orifice…!"

There's not that many orifices, Law scoffed to himself.

"That's not going to happen," he denied impatiently. "That's just a dumb waste of effort and time."

"…But it made me happy…"

"I'll talk to them tomorrow."

"Ugh, fine. I'll tell Zeff I'm pregnant, and he'll let me go if I bring a doctor's note, so can you, uh…?"

"Whoever the father is, he's got a sick sense of humor," Law muttered, walking on while Sanji gaped after him with insult.

The next morning, Law heard Sanji slap his alarm off with a grumble. He hadn't even fallen asleep yet – frankly, he was startled that he'd been playing Fortnite mobile for this long. He quickly locked his phone and stuffed it underneath the sheets, removing his headphones. From the corner of his eye he saw Sanji stand up, grumbling to himself as quietly as possible. Bepo moved from the warmth of Law's legs to watch the Demon cautiously as Sanji stumbled out from his sleeping bag and snatched his cleaned uniform from the rack nearby.

Despite his earlier embarrassment, Law really did want to see his clipped wings, and there was just enough early morning city light streaming through the blinds to allow him this moment. Sure enough, Sanji snatched off his sleep shirt with a quiet yawn, revealing a fairly boney upper body that made Law salivate abnormally. Mostly because it was obvious he was overworked and underfed, and it soothed his Demon side to see that. There was something attractive about the way shadows danced between his bones, an extraordinary grace to his limbs moving quickly to cover himself with his uniform shirt.

But he saw them – two blackened lumps, like deformed skin tags, sat just atop of his shoulder blades. They weren't cut traditionally, like they should have been – Hililuk had sawed them off inches from the stem, so there was a great chance for Sanji to reform them if he wanted to. Around the stems was the garish display of veins, like roots visible underneath a growing plant.

It made Law uncomfortable to see because it was as if he were catching a glimpse at Sanji's dick – too personal and intimate. But they disappeared underneath the shirt he pulled on, and Law closed his eyes quickly as Sanji turned to pull his shorts off from the rack as well. Long after he finished cleaning up and was gone, Law laid there, feeling uncomfortable.

He kept seeing that vision of garish veins and blackened lumps settled over pale white skin, covering strong bones. He found himself wondering what they would feel like, the sensation of skin and wing underneath his suddenly sweating palms. Uncomfortably, he realized he was growing aroused, and Bepo turned to look at him, sensing his wakefulness with a tilt of his head.

"Don't look at me!" he hissed at his dog, Bepo tilting his head the other direction with question. Pulling the sheets over his head, Law wondered why he was feeling this way.

He wished he still had his friends close to at least ask them what this meant.