12
Sanji did not show up to Law's house at all that weekend. With the way Ichiji clung to him, he knew something was up. Why his older brother deemed the situation hazardous was none of Ichiji's business, and it caused a great deal of frustration in Sanji. With the lull in activities because of Niji's and Yonji's punishment, he had plenty of time to sit and think about things.
Saturday morning, his cursor blinked every so often to remind him it was still there, but his mind wasn't on his homework. He stared out the window of his bedroom, thinking about the situation. It made him uncomfortable that he thought about Law a whole lot more than he'd ever considered. He didn't understand why he did the things he had, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from doing so. Something had shifted from the usual tormenting methods to something he couldn't identify; after Luffy attacked him, Sanji continued holding his head high because even if he'd gotten his ass kicked, he wasn't going to walk around like a whipped dog. In fact, he continued picking on the kid, but he got faster at moving away when Luffy could react. He grew up with three brothers that had always picked on him, and he had learned to be unabashed because of it, refusing to cow before them because that made it worse, because his father did not approve of weakness.
But it confused Sanji; where did the point of picking on Law turn into this curiosity? He found himself wondering, more than ever, what the story was with him and his parents; did it have to do with his little sister? What happened to her? He couldn't imagine losing any of his siblings, so he wondered if that loss had caused an incurable ache inside of him that turned Law into what he was, today. What made Law want to avoid his parents? Did his life after leaving them break him down so immensely that this was who he was, today? Sanji couldn't imagine being broken so intensely that life was only a day to day thing to survive. He thought that his life was dramatically difficult, but thinking about someone else's so unlike his was intensely eye-opening. He couldn't imagine waking up and facing empty cupboards, to taking care of a man with some unknown dementia, to surviving shouts and possible violence from a large man like Doflamingo, to being unable to speak properly because of it all.
Because his voice was a weapon, it was a difficult thought to process, and he wondered about that, too. Why couldn't Law speak very well? Did his thoughts jumble up and make it difficult to express, and why not express them? Was he taught to keep it all to himself? He remembered Smoker telling him that Law did this, and Sanji couldn't imagine that, not when he blasted his thoughts and feelings all over everyone, no matter if it were asked for, or not.
The differences between them were so immense that Law had turned from a nuisance to something fascinating, and Sanji kept thinking about him. He thought of the way he handled Rosinante, how Rosinante regarded him, how Law walked hunched and slouched and avoided eye contact, how he had difficulty speaking, but managed to speak to Sanji his thoughts. Even if his tongue fumbled with certain words, and he happened to stutter, he expressed himself enough that Sanji knew where he was coming from.
And yet, he couldn't seem to bring himself to be as mean as he was, before.
And that bothered Sanji. Why couldn't he? It'd be so easy to launch into him, to make Law's life even more difficult than before with all these new things to use against him, but Sanji couldn't. Was this compassion he felt? Or pity? It was strange to feel something like this for another human being after he'd felt only for himself; after all, it felt like no one else had given him consideration; he always had to fight to be recognized and acknowledged. So to give someone else thought felt…odd.
He drummed his fingers on his desk, making a face. He shouldn't have to feel this way for someone else, and he had all these reasons why. Law was meek, timid, easily intimidated; he smelled, he looked ridiculous with his bedhead, with double earrings, and he had such feminine hands - ! With such long, girlish fingers, with uncomfortably long nails – not like a girls', but longer than what was necessary – and when he'd held onto Rosinante, Sanji could hear them scratch the material of Rosinante's shirts. So Law must end up scratching the guy when he handled him, and how was that comfortable for a man? Sanji examined his own fingernails, scowling at them. He kept them short and clipped, so he found it absolutely disdainful for another male to have long nails. Why didn't Law clip them? Did he admire them, somehow? Sanji pictured Law sitting at his desk, staring at his own nails as he held his pen, as he pulled papers to him, the clickity-clack of his nails on the desk as easy to picture as a girl's fake nails tapping at the surface.
Then Sanji realized what he was doing, giving an angry growl as he focused on the computer screen to work, again. Seriously, was he giving all this thought to another male? As if it wasn't shameful enough that his secret had been discovered, was he really allowing himself to think this way of someone? He felt sick to his stomach, wondering if this is what Ichiji feared the more Sanji gave attention to Law.
He couldn't possibly be attracted to the kid – he was not Sanji's type. Sanji's type was a well-dressed man, or teen his own age, that dressed and carried himself well, with confidence, with easy going lightness that reflected in a good selfie or pose. He pictured men in three piece suits with groomed beards and thick shoulders, or teens with dogs and hairy legs and tank tops, and Sanji was frustrated all over again for thinking in this route.
Red-faced, he started typing again, focused on the topic that he'd highlighted in bold letters, and after a few minutes, found himself wondering what had happened of the dinner he'd started at their house. He covered his face with both hands, slinking over his laptop. He'd been such an idiot – the way Law had expressed his shock had gone completely over his head, but now that Sanji was thinking about it, he felt ridiculous. His intentions were truly that of stress relief; if his father was going to throw out perfectly usable food, then why couldn't Sanji use it to give to others to enjoy? Plus, cooking always gave him a peace of mind, and he'd wanted to try out a new flavoring of spices used with steak, and he really wanted to know what they thought of it.
But it hadn't occurred to him that he'd been insulting, or that he was unwelcome – he took that back. Of course he'd be unwelcome! After causing all that trouble with Law, why would Sanji think he'd be welcomed back into that house? He should've just gone over there, made him look over his essay and left; why do something so personal?
He was an idiot, he supposed. God, what was he doing?
When he heard his door open, he gave an exasperated sound, glaring at the doorway. Ichiji stepped in with a tight frown in his direction.
"Dad! Ichiji's bothering me!" he hollered without any strength to it.
"Dad went to meet with some friends a few hours ago, dipshit," Ichiji told him, Sanji remembering belatedly of the fact with a shrug.
"Oh yeah. I just acted out of reflex. Disregard…"
"What are you working on?" Ichiji asked curiously, Sanji hearing the sounds of his brothers playing their Battlefield once more from downstairs.
He shut his laptop. "I'm looking at nudes. Why?"
"Shut up, you're gay."
"What do you want?"
"I thought you could use my help."
"If I wanted it, I'd ask."
"Is this an essay?" Ichiji asked curiously, stepping up to his desk and looking down at the papers piled nearby. Sanji slapped a hand over them, then pulled them to him defensively, not willing to compare grades with his smarter older brother. "Why are you so….?"
"I keep telling you, I don't want your help. All you'd do is assault my grammar and punctuation, even though it is absolutely perfect, then spend the rest of the day bitching about the topic. I don't want your help."
"It'd make your life easier if you'd just let people in, sometimes."
"You? Hah!'
"Listen, dad told me to check up on you because he feels you'll give yourself a heart attack working on a single paper, and he can't afford those medical bills," Ichiji said, faintly echoing Niji's thoughts yesterday. "He says you're 'high-strung' and overstressed, and he's upset that mom noticed. I suggested that Niji share with you his stash, and Niji is willing to do it with you."
"I don't do drugs, I'm a good boy," Sanji said haughtily. "I'd turn him in for good reward money if I were given a chance."
"Whatever." Ichiji rolled his eyes, then sat at the edge of his desk, Sanji huffing with exasperation. "Listen, maybe you should take up a hobby. Something that isn't associated with school in any way – "
"I did have one, but it apparently made me gay, so…"
"I was thinking of a sport. Martial arts is amazing for focus and technique, and I have a friend that holds free kickboxing classes at the same time as my practice, and he's willing to take you on. You like to kick things, right?"
"I do, but – "
"Self-defense will do wonders to your confidence and skill when pesky sophomores are attacking you."
"Is that what it is? I don't care that that happened! Just you guys, do!"
"Why don't you?" Ichiji asked, frowning heavily. "Don't you realize what sort of a joke you are, now?"
"Only you care. I don't. I won't be seeing these people for that long, and I don't care what they think of me. Dad's sending us out of state for school, so it's really not like these things matter. In the end, we're still going to be above them, so why should high school memories matter at this stage in life?" Sanji asked, shuffling his papers before putting them aside, out of Ichiji's reach.
Ichiji knew he had a point, but it still irritated him how lightly Sanji took these things. "I've been thinking about things, and our reputation is steadily declining amongst our peers because of our actions. Once everyone realized that we can be dropped, it seems like challenges have been rising steadily."
"Like I said, I don't care –"
"I care! We had a very good reputation, and it's being ruined because of that stupid Monkey kid! Once you dropped, then Niji, now – "
"I'd like to see if anybody can drop Yonji," Sanji laughed. "Tall tree-looking motherfucker."
"Why do you take these things lightly? Once people see that we can be easily defeated – "
"Look, Ichiji, we're not the goddamn Power Rangers," Sanji said sternly, leaning on his desk with both elbows, "we're stupid kids, and we've got too much power. Teachers are afraid of us because of dad, and kids are still too intimidated to really challenge us without it being about another person. It pisses me off that my grades are the way they are, not because of my efforts, but because of my name! The fact that we encourage other kids to band together to kick our asses says enough about our 'reputations'. Shouldn't that be enough?"
"I don't like how lightly you're taking this," Ichiji said slowly. "Being feared is a good thing."
"Being a 'dumb shit' isn't, and we're being dumb shits by doing things impulsively! All of us picking on one kid that's really done nothing to us is one of those decisions! I had the situation handled all by myself, but you guys chose to interfere, and now it's a big thing because he's now got a fan club that watched out for him! You guys made the choice to do whatever you did to his uniform, and now you're paying for it, because now there's more attention to it. I wouldn't be surprised that there is now a Vinsmoke Haters Fanclub out there, where kids tag each other on Twitter, or kik to notify one another of what we're doing," Sanji added with a sniff.
Ichiji stared at him. "Is that how you contacted Sabo?"
"Don't blame me for that!"
"You brought it up!"
"The only thing I did was get even with Niji for causing me shit, and that's nothing new," Sanji said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's nothing different from how Yonji and Niji gang up on me for something, and it's not different from you 'staying out of it' when I'm confronted by a bunch of kids!"
"But you told on your own brother, and that's unforgivable!"
"I didn't 'tell' on my own brother. All I did was use a few choice words, and there are eleven other kids in the class with cellphones and ties to those D boys, and it went from there."
Ichiji reddened, straightening away from his desk. "But the fact is, you set Niji up!"
"It's Niji's own fault for picking on that girl the way he did. I'm surprised nothing happened to him sooner."
Ichiji stared at him in silence, wearing an incredulous expression. "Do you not have any loyalty to your own family?"
Sanji regarded him with the same expression. "How can you say that? When my own family doesn't give me that at all? It's shitty to want loyalty to 'the family' when I feel I don't have any given to me."
"So, you'd sell out your own brothers just to prove some ridiculous theory?"
"I have never, in my life, had of any of you fighting for me. It's always me against you, all the time, without fail. Even to this day, it's fucking ridiculous how hard I try to be noticed. So don't even talk to me about 'having loyalty' when I'm the one getting shit on the worst."
Ichiji clamped his mouth shut, staring at him. Sanji returned the expression, not backing down from the furious look that he was being regarded with. After a few moments, Ichiji turned and left his room, slamming his door shut behind him. Sanji heard Ichiji call for the others' attention, moving down the stairway, and Sanji sighed tiredly, running his hands over his face with exasperation.
Not even minutes later, Yonji bellowed his name, Niji cursing up a storm. The stairway rattled with their incoming movement, and Sanji heaved an exasperated sigh of impatience, jerking away from his chair and standing out the doorway to bellow out to Ichiji, "This is exactly what I meant! Thanks for proving me right, asshole!"
Later that evening, they were once again at Cracker Barrel, and Sanji sullenly picked at his food while the others tore into their meals with gusto, Judge sipping at his iced tea with consideration. They were discussing weight cuts, muscle training regimes, diet requirements and he had nothing to contribute. In his head, he sorted out different sorts of menus he could have been contributing to their requirements. Once he had a chance to talk, he spoke up.
"Dad, I can do meal preps on the weekends for their lunches and snacks," he said. "I have a whole bunch of ideas for a menu plan for all three of them, for their individual requirements – "
"It's fine if I have to shell out some funds for a take-out menu," Judge said, setting his glass down. "It won't cost that much if it's for three."
"But it'd be so much cheaper if I did it, and I really wouldn't mind if - !"
"I'd mind," Niji complained. "I'd think you were sabotaging me with spit covered food, or something gross like that."
"Plus, I don't like the shit you do," Yonji contributed, Sanji scowling at them. "You'd make it look all pretty, and I'd get embarrassed uncovering my Tupperware to find it all arranged all flowery, with my veggies cut into weird shapes…the guys would make fun of me!"
"Oh my god, you guys are so lame!" Sanji muttered, leaning on a palm. "Dad, I wouldn't do any of that. Just give me a couple of weeks, and – "
"I've already submitted my order online, according to their requirements," Judge interrupted stiffly. "We had a talk about this. Even if it would benefit your brothers, I'd still find it a little unsettling that one of my sons were cooking the others' their meals. People would start to wonder how I was treating my children, as if they were servants, or something."
"That's bullshit."
"Watch your tone."
Sanji caught Ichiji's eyes, and gestured at Judge, Ichiji frowning at him in response.
"If you have anything to say, then say it aloud," Judge said, catching the gesture.
"We had an interesting discussion about family loyalty, today – "
Before Sanji could finish, Niji spit out, "That reminds me! DAD! Sanji's the one that got me into that fight!"
"Oh yeah!" Yonji cried, sitting his fork down.
"I didn't!" Sanji snapped at Niji. "Anyway, dad, we had a discussion about family loyalty, and I was just saying how everyone happens to gang up on me for shit when - !"
"Because you start it!"
"You're the main cause!"
"You don't fit into our ideals!"
"You wear beastly prints," Ichiji added, giving his younger brother a disgusted look with his short sleeved flower shirt, Sanji looking down at it with surprise.
"If you would fit in, you wouldn't have so much trouble," Judge then muttered, signaling at them to lower their voices as the noise caused several diners to look over. "But you do your best to stand out to be noticed, and it backfires on you."
"Real supportive, dad," Sanji snapped at him, picking up his drink. "I'm trying my best to be supportive of all of you, and none of you are supportive towards me!"
"Why would we want to?" Yonji asked him, scrunching his brow. "You don't do things like us."
Niji grabbed the collar of Sanji's shirt. "Or look as cool as us."
"Or even step up for us when we need it," Ichiji added, picking at his salad. "Instead, you go behind our backs and pick fights with us and target us with sneaky, underhanded things, acting like we deserved it."
"I hate all of you," Sanji muttered bitterly.
"Now, boys, settle," Judge said with a tired sigh. "Can't we just enjoy our dinner in peace? But your brothers have a point, Sanji. If you would do more to fit in, I'm sure you'd be supported indefinitely. Did Ichiji talk to you about that kickboxing class he'd mentioned? I'm sure it would help you out a little with your bully problem."
"I don't have a 'bully problem'. And I like my free hour away from everyone."
"Sanji sneaks off to see his boyfriend, dad," Ichiji said quickly.
"Stop talking like that!" Judge snapped. "I told you before, that that subject isn't a joking matter! I don't want to hear anymore of it!"
"It's true, though," Niji murmured.
Yonji nearly spit out his food with a startled laugh, pointing one beefy arm to the side, forcing Ichiji to duck to avoid being hit. "Speak of the devil! Look! It's English!"
Frowning, Judge did turn in that direction. Sure enough, the three of them were taken to a large table near the windows, which allowed room for Rosinante's wheelchair, the man looking around himself cheerily. Judge's frown deepened as he looked to Sanji. "That's the boy that's been bothering you?"
"NO!"
"That's the cause of ninety-five percent of his problems," Ichiji confirmed. "Will you have a talk with them, father?"
"Oh my god, there's no need for that!" Sanji hissed with horror, seeing his father nod in response to Ichiji's question. "Dad, that's not the problem! That's not the problem at all! It was that Monkey boy, Luffy, that's Garp's grandson! He was the one I was fighting with, not him!"
"But to my understanding, it was because of this…'English' that the Monkey boy attacked you."
"That's the one, dad, that's the one!" Niji encouraged, kicking Yonji under the table.
"Yeah, but - ! That's not even relevant, now! Dad, it's not a big deal! Just leave them alone, there's no need to talk to Doflamingo about anything!" Sanji continued to hiss, looking horrified as his father turned in his seat to rise to his feet. "DAD!"
"Stop yelling!" Judge snapped at him, diners looking over once more.
"'Doflamingo'?" Yonji repeated, looking at Sanji skeptically. "Is that his dad? What kinda foreign name is that? Spanish? Is the entire world crossing over to our side? I thought there were travel bans for that?"
"God, you're so stupid…" Ichiji commented, looking at his youngest brother with disgust.
Judge fixed his jacket, buttoning up as he frowned heavily. "I'm going to go have a talk with them about that boy's behavior. Stay here, and shut up."
"Dad, stop! There's no need for that!" Sanji protested, rising up from his chair, face and ears red with mortification as Judge ignored him, and marched over to the table. There was no stopping his father now, and Sanji sat back in his chair, hands up to his face as all of them watched.
Doflamingo's face darkened at Judge's introduction, lips tightening as their conversation began, the distance between their tables too great for the teens to hear what was happening. But the more Judge stood there, the more upset Law's face turned and Doflamingo looked pissed. Rosinante looked puzzled as the waitress stood nearby, waiting for her moment to be noticed. Just as Judge made to turn away, Doflamingo said something that caused Judge to look back at him with a scowl, forcing him to nod, then turn away with a dirty look.
At that moment, Law made eye contact with Sanji, and Sanji felt troubled by the scowl, there. Doflamingo signaled for them to leave, the waitress looking confused, Rosinante protesting as the three of them left the restaurant. Sanji felt absolutely miserable at that point, turning in his seat as Judge returned to his. Sanji looked out the window, feeling that ugly emotion in his chest where he was only apprehensive as to what Doflamingo might do to Law; those sounds he'd heard the last time still remained in him, and he was absolutely positive his father had caused something terrible for Law. Sure enough, once the trio was standing outside, Doflamingo was talking fiercely to the teen, who looked intensely apprehensive, not making eye contact as he held onto Rosinante's chair with a tight grip. Rosinante looked bewildered, gesturing wildly, while a couple hastily walked around them. Then Doflamingo stalked off, car keys in hand, Rosinante settling his hands on his lap. Both of them waited on the porch in heavy silence as the old Cadillac jerked out from the handicapped parking spot with a slight screech of tires.
Sanji could not watch, anymore, turning in his seat, his head ringing with noise. He felt heavy in the lungs, stomach twisting with anxiety, and he didn't know what to say. Then he grew aware that his entire family was looking at him, their expressions waiting for a response. He swallowed tightly, feeling horribly responsible for another kid's trouble.
"Are you going to cry?" Yonji asked gently. "Because that would be totally embarrassing for you."
"Why are you so upset?" Niji asked, bewildered.
"Your father stepped in on your behalf, minutes after you complained about not having any support," Ichiji stated firmly. "And now you're upset about it?"
Sanji rushed out of his chair, ignoring their startled shouts. Pushing through the groups lingering in the store section of the restaurant, he made his way outside, the pair catching sight of him as Doflamingo pulled up to them.
"I'm sorry!" he apologized tightly, terribly distressed. "I'm so sorry! I had nothing to do with this! I had – I – they kept pushing dad to say something, and - !"
"Ah, waiter, number three," Rosinante said, looking cheered that he remembered him, Law frowning at Sanji. "I had a problem with my table."
"Your entire family can rot in the streets," Doflamingo told Sanji as he stepped out from the car. "If there was truly a Purge, I'd hit you all, first. You can quote me on that."
"Don't – my dad, he's - ! He says everything and …I'm so sorry, I'm the cause of this trouble, please don't take it out on him!" Sanji then said, gesturing at Law, all three of them looking at him with surprise.
Doflamingo gave him an insulted look, red-faced. "What the fuck."
Law was too shocked to say anything, looking so startled that his mouth fell open, Rosinante looking up at Doflamingo with accusation. Law also looked up at him with horror, cringing a little in response to the expression set upon him.
"What are you doing to him?" Rosinante asked, growing red in the face, shaking as Doflamingo looked down at him with worry, but also managing to look embarrassed at the same time. Before anything else could be said, Ichiji marched out from the store and grabbed Sanji's arm, yanking him back.
"Idiot!" he hissed, fingers digging into his biceps.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Sanji apologized to Law hastily, allowing himself to be dragged in. Ichiji pushed him to the side, into a display of hard candies.
"Dad is furious with you! What are you doing?"
"You guys are causing trouble again for the wrong person!" Sanji snapped at him, rubbing his arm. "Just leave him alone!"
"You made him out to look like a complete and utter idiot! What are you apologizing for? He was sticking up for you, dumb ass!"
"He was not, he was making it even more difficult for him by sticking his goddamn nose into business he knows nothing about! All of you have these things twisted around and made to look so stupid! It's reflecting back on me!"
"You're causing your own stupidity, Sanji!" Ichiji yelled at him, people looking over with interest. He grabbed his brother's arm and yanked him along, nearly as red as his hair. Sanji jerked away from him to follow after him, starting to get a little bewildered by the things happening around them. But the others were making their way from the table, Judge looking utterly furious once Sanji caught sight of him.
His silence said more than enough for any words, and Sanji felt himself wilt a little, looking nervously at the others. Niji looked as if he were trying not to laugh, Yonji wearing an expression of concern, while Ichiji shared his father's expression. But they marched towards the door without saying anything, and Sanji trailed after them, uncertain of what to think. As they left the porch, all of them walked passed the trio parked near the stairs, Doflamingo helping Rosinante into the back seat, Law looking after Sanji with an unreadable expression. Once they passed and Doflamingo noticed them, he flipped them off, long enough for other customers to notice, looking interested in potential excitement.
Sanji didn't know what sort of face to make, so he turned away and followed after the others as they headed towards Judge's car nearby.
A/N: Just so it's out there… : )
Vinsmoke bros – 16
Law – 17
Smoker – 24
Rosi – 34
Doflamingo – 36
Omm: (catches all the hearts and eats them up) Doffy's a hard working guy, trying to support a broken family. He's got a few 'quirks' that doesn't make him perfect, but he's trying. :D Ichiji is on a mission, and one has to wonder about his intentions; Smoker isn't that much older than Law in canon. I was pretty shocked to see he was only in his very early thirties. It's that cigar habit of his!
Guest: Smoker definitely can't be counted out when the time comes; he's keeping a close watch on one of his charges. Sanji is just…raised amongst the wrong set of wolves. So when he does do something 'nice', it's not for a reason he understands, as stated here in this chapter. He's definitely the loudest bull in the most fragile of china shops; one day will come where he doesn't have to shout or yell to be heard. As for the earrings, it definitely caused them some pause from conflict. Both of them are nearly very similar in situation, and it scares them to understand this. (which makes for interesting writing for me! Haha)
Snowflake97: They are! Finally, after much conflict, they're finally drawing towards each other peacefully. This chapter definitely will ensure that. Smoker needs to stop smoking! It'll probably help him sleep better and stop stealing away his youthfulness hah! As for Law's parents, they're definitely out there in the edges, and the days are flying by pretty fast…: O
