Title: Control
Author: kikokus (AoiTsukikage)
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairing: Ace/Law/Sanji in all combinations, side Marco/Ace, Sanji/others
Chapter: 12/?
Word Count: 3375
Summary: In which Sanji and Ace are models for a BDSM site and Law's the new guy doing his first shoot (Dom!Ace, sub!Sanji-and-Law)

Chapter Twelve

Even though he'd been expecting it, it was still a disappointment to wake up and find Law gone.

It wasn't morning yet, but Sanji could tell immediately from the lack of warmth directly near him that the other man had disappeared.

Ace was snoring like a chainsaw, sleeping deeply, though Sanji guessed from how rigid Kaku's back was against his own that the other man was awake.

"Sanji?"

"Hey," Sanji rolled over, hugging him from behind. "Can't sleep?"

"I was until Law got out of bed," Kaku murmured, glancing back over his shoulder. "He's on the balcony."

Sanji blinked, honestly surprised that Law was still there, but the balcony wasn't exactly the best place to be in the middle of the night so he figured it would probably be a good idea to get Law back inside.

It was warm under the blankets, however, and the night air was cold, so he nuzzled into Kaku's shoulder for a few seconds while he worked up the nerve to leave the bed.

Kaku laughed softly, reaching back to pat his side. "Go, Sanji, I'll be here when y' get back."

"Warm," Sanji grumbled, but he finally slid himself out from under the blankets and stumbled over to the balcony door, pushing it open and shivering when a blast of cold night air hit him.

Law hadn't bothered to put on a coat or even a sweater and was staring down toward the harbor, arms crossed over his chest. He was trembling, goosebumps lining his bare arms.

Sanji wasn't sure if his presence would be welcome, but he was too fucking soft-hearted to not do anything. He took a step closer, leaning his shoulder against Law's and sliding his arm around the other man's waist. "Hey."

Law hugged him close immediately, something that prompted Sanji to let his breath out in a rush of relief.

"It's fucking cold out here. Come back in," Sanji mumbled against his shoulder. Law didn't move, still staring straight ahead, but his body was warm enough that Sanji could ignore the chilly wind. "Law?"

"I suppose it's hitting me how fucked I am," Law murmured, Sanji pressing his body closer in response. "I know I said that losing my tuition money was a small price to pay for being free of that man, but the truth is…I lose everything. I hate to admit it, but I owe him a lot for keeping me alive all of these years. If he finds out, I'm dead, but if somebody does manage to unearth enough evidence to take him down, I'll have nothing."

Sanji listened in silence, unsure of what to say. He couldn't exactly be reassuring when he knew almost nothing of Law's situation, after all.

"You won't be alone," he finally whispered, since that was one thing he could give Law. "You've got us, now. We're not going to abandon you."

"Even though I could very well be putting you in danger? If he finds out you've all been helping me…"

"Like Ace said back at the studio, we want to help you," he promised, feeling Law's arms tighten even more.

"You hardly know me," Law murmured, and Sanji had to concede that was true, since really all he knew was what Law had told them that afternoon.

"I'm pretty fucking good at reading people, Trafalgar, and I believe you're not trying to hurt us," he said firmly. "I don't need to know your life's story if you don't want to tell me."

"Maybe one day," Law murmured softly into Sanji's hair, though the deep breath he took after those words let Sanji know how little he was looking forward to even the idea of it. "I do…owe you one explanation though. Not about my past, but…"

"Law, seriously, if you don't want to…"

"I lied," Law spoke over him and Sanji blinked, because that statement by itself told him less than nothing.

"You…"

"At the shoot. I lied to you. About…almost everything," he murmured, though Sanji didn't feel any less in the dark. "I've never been fucked before. I've barely fooled around with anybody before. All of that was brand new for me."

The words hung awkwardly in the air between them, Law's breath turning harsh and fast and Sanji could feel the warmth of it against his skin in the cold air.

"You…" was all he could manage, speaking through a mouth that was suddenly bone-dry.

Because if that was true…then…

"But you said…"

"I know what I said," Law chuckled ruefully. "But I didn't want either of you to go easy on me or treat me as if I were fragile."

"Holy shit," Sanji let out a tiny, breathless laugh, because he still didn't quite know how to react…besides the part of him that was gloating rather loudly to his brain about him being Law's first. "No wonder you fucking shut down."

Thinking back, it made sense: Law's stilted, hesitant answers to the opening interview about his past experience, how tense he was, that he only really detached when somebody was fingering him…

At the time Sanji had written it off as nerves, but now…

"Law, I…"

"No," Law said firmly. "I wanted it. All of it. I wouldn't have agreed to let you…if I hadn't felt safe with you," he said quietly, and Sanji knew how huge that was, since by all accounts Law had spent a great deal of his life feeling unsafe. "I'm not the kind of person that cares much about sex, honestly. I've never wanted a relationship or sought out somebody to fool around with, but when Doflamingo mentioned this as a way to kind of…earn my keep, as it were…I was surprised by how quickly I warmed to the idea. I did a lot of research, looked at it from every angle I could, and decided that as far as getting my first true sexual experiences went, being in a controlled environment where nobody would expect anything of me after the fact was about as perfect as I could wish for," he spoke quickly and softly, but it was about the most Sanji had ever heard him say at once.

It was still hard to process, maybe, since Law hadn't seemed apprehensive about most of what they'd done, but maybe that was just how he was.

"I…" he paused, not even knowing what to say. "Uh. Well. If I'd have known it was your first time, I would have made it a lot better. I feel like I owe you for that," he laughed, realizing what he'd said a moment later and groaning. "Not that…fuck, that wasn't some sort of come-on…I mean if you wanted…"

"Sanji," Law kissed him, which was probably the best way to shut him up. He closed his eyes, pressing his body against Law's and sliding his hands up the other man's back. "Not that I would say no…" Law was breathless when he pulled away, and there was something utterly serious in his eyes that made Sanji's breath catch. "Sorry. Fuck. I'm horrible at this, it's why I've avoided relationships until now."

"Hey," Sanji forced himself to relax, hugging Law tightly. "Thank you for telling me. I just wish your first time could have been better."

And yeah, the thought of just…him and Law…on a real bed…with nothing between them but skin...

He gulped, knowing he was probably blushing deeply enough to be seen even in the dim light reaching the balcony, but he didn't think anybody could blame him.

"I wasn't…purely unprepared, you know. I've…" Law coughed and Sanji glanced up. "I…experimented before I went with…toys," he sighed, though Sanji thought that was a good thing since it meant Law would be at least used to the feeling, though the mental image he got of Law doing that wasn't helping his current state any.

"Hey, seriously, d'you want us to leave you two alone?"

Sanji whirled around, blinking in the suddenly-bright light coming from the bedroom, and while he'd normally be annoyed at Ace for breaking the moment, this time it was probably for the best because things were getting far too heavy for his liking and the chance of him doing or saying something horribly embarrassing to Law was going up by the second.

Ace was half-leaning over Kaku, his chin resting on the older man's shoulder, and Kaku rolled his eyes.

"I should tell him, shouldn't I?' Law whispered, sounding a little apprehensive.

"Yeah," Sanji conceded, since Ace probably had as much of a right to know as he did. "Seriously, it's Ace, you don't have to be afraid," he chuckled, getting a tiny nod from Law. "And it's still fucking cold out here, so c'mon."

He tugged on Law's wrist, finally coercing him back inside and closing the patio door so no more cold air could get in. Law was hunched in on himself again as he crossed to the bed, settling himself beside Ace and clearing his throat.

"What's up?" Ace sat up, reaching for Law's hand and running his fingers soothingly over the back of it until Law uncurled his fingers and allowed the other man to grasp it properly. "You can tell me."

"I know," Law sighed, finally beginning to speak in a low voice.

Sanji watched Ace as Law told a rather condensed version of what he'd relayed to Sanji out on the balcony, but Sanji was betting that was just because Law probably didn't feel much like talking anymore. Ace's brow furrowed as Law spoke before his eyes widened a little, lips parting in surprise.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" was the first thing he'd said once Law had finished, though that only received a slow, confused blink from the older man. "I…fuck, when I had you up on that…rack-thing and I was fingering you…that's when you completely shut down. Was that because…"

"If I had to say so, yes," Law sighed deeply. "And no, you didn't…you both were extremely thorough."

"For the record," Kaku cleared his throat, easing himself up into a sitting position. "I've edited…a shit-ton of videos for the site in the few years I've worked there, and if you hadn't've said anything, I never would have guessed your level of inexperience."

"Hmm?" Law blinked at him, like he'd forgotten Kaku was there at all. "Oh. Well. I tried to hide it as best I could…"

"Trust me, like I've told Sanji many time, people like you 'n him are gifts," he chuckled. "And maybe because it was your first time, you just let your body react naturally, but that gives us much a better show than the guys that think being over-the-top is sexy."

"Especially when it's the opposite," Ace snickered. "But seriously, I'm glad you told us."

"I felt I owed you the truth about that, at least, even if I'm not ready to tell you everything about my past yet," he shrugged, going willingly when Ace tilted his jaw to kiss him.

Sanji sat down beside Kaku, snuggling up to his side because he was still cold from being out on the balcony. "Honestly, if you two do want to be alone, just say the word," Kaku murmured into his hair. "I'm quite sure Ace and I can occupy ourselves for a while."

"I appreciate the offer, but no," Sanji leaned his head on the other man's shoulder, knowing that while Ace was mostly teasing when he asked that question, Kaku was far more genuine.

"Mm, we should sleep more…it's the middle of the night," Ace yawned, stretching his arms over his head before he draped them around Law's neck to kiss him again.

Law didn't seem to mind, hands settled on Ace's hips as he let Ace guide him backwards until he was lying down, never breaking the kiss.

"I don't think Ace would be able to leave you two alone," Kaku chuckled.

"I'd be fucking jealous of them," Ace replied, lifting his head up briefly before he blinked down at Law. "And maybe I'm assuming, but since you said you had no interest in relationships…"

"I don't, particularly…" Law shrugged, running his hands up to tangle in Ace's hair. "I hadn't exactly considered this situation as a viable option, but…"

"Cool," Ace grinned at him. "I mean, Sanji and I have always said that we'd back off of each other if one of us got into a serious relationship, but the way I see it, if everybody's fine with it, what's the harm?"

Law nodded slowly, glancing over at Sanji. "I suppose that's a good point."

"And obviously, working in this profession, you're going to be intimate with more than one person on at least a semi-regular basis," Kaku pointed out. "It's much better if you're not prone to jealousy."

"Well, I can't say I have any…previous experience with relationships, but…" he was cut off by Ace kissing him again and Sanji rolled his eyes, even though he had to admit that seeing two people he was obviously attracted to go at it was appealing in a lot of ways.

"Mm, gotta piss," Ace announced without any preamble, finally breaking the kiss and darting into the washroom. Law lay there blinking for a few seconds, his cheeks a little flushed, and Sanji stifled his laugh against Kaku's shoulder because he knew how good Ace was with his mouth.

Law eventually sat up, running a hand through his mussed hair and hesitating for only a moment before cuddling up close to Sanji's other side. It still wasn't quite natural for him to seek out touch, something Sanji could tell by the tenseness in his shoulders when he wrapped his free arm around them, but he was making an effort.

"Hey. You still cold?" Sanji asks, rubbing Law's arm as the other man shrugged.

"A little. Admittedly, going outside wearing pajamas probably wasn't my best idea," he said dryly. "Though I do feel better."

"Good," Sanji kept trailing his fingers over the t-shirt Law was wearing, down over the bottom of the heart tattoo sticking out from under the sleeve and back up again.

Law gave a little hum low in his throat, eyes half-closing, and it was nice to see him finally start to relax a little. They could hear the toilet flush and the sink run before Ace came back out, flopping on Law's free side and spooning him from behind.

"Sleep?" he asked, and Sanji nods.

"Yeah," he reached up to turn the light off and somehow they all managed to get under the covers again, although this time Sanji didn't feel the need to hold Law quite so tightly because he was finally convinced he wasn't going to run away.

000

"You can sleep more if you want."

"I'm a light sleeper," Kaku shrugged, hopping up onto one of the bar stools behind the breakfast counter. "I woke up as soon as I felt you leave the bed."

"Which is more can be said for those two," Sanji pointed a spatula toward the bedroom, although Law had seemed exhausted so Sanji couldn't blame him. Ace slept like a log most of the time, completely oblivious to the world, so it was really no surprise that he hadn't woken up. "Want coffee? Tea?"

"I wouldn't say no to tea," Kaku admitted, which suited Sanji just fine since he was going to make some for himself regardless. "What's on your breakfast menu?"

"Well, since Law doesn't like bread," he clicked his tongue, looking in the fridge. "I'm thinking some sort of egg scramble with cheese and whatever vegetables I've got, and maybe toast on the side," he chuckled, pulling out the ingredients. "Nothing fancy."

"Sounds fancy enough t' me," Kaku spun around on the stool. "Thanks again for letting us stay."

"Nah, you guys're no trouble at all," Sanji waved a hand idly, leaning back against the counter. "I don't mind company as long as it's not loud company, and you and Law at least fit that criteria."

"Well, true enough," Kaku conceded with a small chuckle, turning his head a second before Law emerged from the bedroom, sleep-tousled and bleary-eyed.

"Hey!" Sanji grinned, trying not to look too excited as he went to start the tea. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, actually," Law stretched his arms over his head, yawning a little. "I was going to ask if I can use your shower."

"Of course. Use whatever you want, I'll find some clean towels and bring them to you in a few minutes," he got the water for the tea starting to heat up and moved to work on chopping up some vegetables for the scramble.

"Thanks," Law gave him a tiny, awkward smile before disappearing back into the bedroom, and Sanji sighed.

"He's still got a ways to go," Kaku gave him a rather significant look that Sanji didn't quite know the meaning of, but there was really nothing more he could do to get Law to feel comfortable around them if he hadn't started already.

He cracked some eggs into a bowl, lost in his thoughts as he worked until he heard the tea kettle give a shrill whistle and realized that he'd better grab those towels before Law got out of the shower.

"I can get my own tea, lad. Go," Kaku was grinning now and Sanji realized he probably looked far too flustered for the task at hand, but he headed to the linen closet with a saunter he hoped looked at least had the illusion of looking casual.

It probably wouldn't fool Kaku, but at least he could feel better about himself.

000

"Law? I'm just gonna leave these on the counter, you can-" he stopped when Law stuck his head out from behind the curtain, looking more like a wet cat than anything else with his fluffy hair plastered down to his skull.

"I'm finished," Law disappeared for a moment behind the curtain and Sanji could hear the water turn off, and then there was silence for a little too long before Law pushed back the curtain in one long movement and reached for a towel, glancing up to briefly meet Sanji's eyes.

Sanji looked away, realizing a moment later that the reason Law had hesitated was probably because he was psyching himself up to do this and Sanji was acting like he didn't even want to look at him.

"Sorry. I thought…." Law huffed, wrapping a towel around his waist. "Fuck."

"No," Sanji moved forward, reaching out to rest his hands on Law's shoulders. "I think it's safe to say we're both shitty at this, but it's okay. Seriously, I don't think there are any boundaries left between me and Ace, so if you're good with…this…then why don't we just…try to not be so awkward and just do whatever feels right?" he suggested, unable to tell what Law was thinking until the older man pulled him close and leaned down to kiss him.

Sanji let out a tiny groan, sliding his hands down Law's back and shoving the towel aside so he could continue down to grip his ass. Law growled into his mouth, yanking Sanji bodily to him, and it probably would have gone a lot farther had there not been a knock on the door.

"Shit! I have to…breakfast…" he glanced down, cheeks going instantly red because Law was half-hard and fuck, Sanji wanted him.

"Yes. You should," Law picked up the towel and re-wrapped it around his waist, picking up another one to dry his hair off.

Sanji tried to compose himself before he opened the door, though Ace took one look at him and raised an eyebrow knowingly.

"Shut up," Sanji brushed by him, Ace's laughter following him all the way to the kitchen, and he tried to ignore what had happened until Kaku looked up from his tea and mentioned, rather idly, "you know your clothes are wet," leaving Sanji wondering what he'd done to God or fate or whoever was out there to make them hate him so damn much.

Well, he thought as he started up the stove, at least he and Law were on the same page now.

That was definitely something to be thankful for.

Notes:

1. I'm sorry about the wait on this chapter! I was swamped between assignments at school and picking up extra hours at work.

2. I promise they'll get to watching the video next chapter, but I thought it was important to kind of lay out where everybody stands relationship-wise in this fic!

3. As always, feel free to leave a comment or review, and thank you all for the continued support :)