A/N: Well, now...

j-swan: They have their moments! :D Plus, the story is near the end, but there's some loose ends that need to be wrapped up, first. A few of them, actually. With this being a fairytale type story, there needs to be some fairytale type, uh. things, to happen. : "D Well, more.

Minnyfox: Ah! You're right! I love spanking butts in real life, but if i keep repeating situations in my stories, then, uh-oh, it may seem like i've written all i can for this area. D: Keep that tally and let me know! I'm too lazy to look back for myself. I know for sure the Western AU has it...

Pii: You're absolutely right about Rayleigh - he might be gone, but he's not going to be, forever D: The kiss was definitely not expected from anyone! But maybe this chapter will make up for it :D

Ommm: :3 !

13: Love

Sanji had to put the tray aside, knocking over a couple of cupcakes as he did so. As the sensation of human presences started to surround him, he felt sweaty and nervous. All of them were clearly uncoordinated, not yet used to their human bodies. Some were crying, upset over the aging of their forms; some were crying tears of relief and joy. Some shouted happily, calling out to loved ones, to friends; some shouted just to shout.

Sanji looked back at Law, and watched the man approach him, holding onto various things to do so. He felt his face flush as he looked up at his friend, utterly aghast at how different he was. Law was staring at him with amazement, then caught sight of the cupcakes, and his expression brightened even further. He touched the frosted treats before picking up one up clumsily, examining the brilliance of color. He dropped that and looked at Sanji again, and Sanji couldn't find anything to say at that moment.

The spell was broken, was all he could think, and the warmth of feeling because of that confirmation was something he couldn't quite identify.

From the stairway came heavy weight, and bodies were sent crashing to the floor. Sanji was astounded to seeing one very tall man laying there, joined by another, until the sobbing of a woman wormed its way to Sanji's consciousness, forcing him to identify it as Jora.

The tallest man had haphazard blond hair, shooting up from his head in a frazzled mess – short and straight. His bone structure was so strong that Sanji wondered if he were some sort of God, or a foreigner from some other land. The other had longer, lighter blond hair, and he kept swiping heavy bangs from his brilliant red eyes. Both of them were arguing, pushing and shoving away from each other, and Sanji identified them individually as Doflamingo and Corazon. Doflamingo pushed his brother down in order to stand, and his legs were so shaky that he clumsily clung to a nearby counter while Corazon grabbed his ankles, and nearly tripped him as he used his older brother to climb to his feet. But both of them were looking towards Sanji with determination, and Sanji found himself frightened at the intensity of their faces. He was also very frightened by the fact that these two very naked men intended on grabbing him, and he jerked backward, jolted out of his shocked state.

"YOU DID IT!" Doflamingo roared, and his voice was louder, deeper, and somewhat more menacing – rumbling deep from that tall, hunched form of his. He was reaching towards Sanji with impossibly long arms, long fingers. This man wasn't human, Sanji was sure of it. He was much too tall. He turned to escape, but Doflamingo grabbed him, and then he was feet in the air as Doflamingo twirled him about with a crushing hug. He smelled stale, like old sweat and dusty feathers and alcohol. Sanji tried not to gag, pushing away from him, but ended up touching his impossibly muscular chest, which made him screech with horror. He ended up recoiling away from him, crying out with mortified action, hands tucked in tight against his own chest. Then Corazon had him, and he was being squished between both of them as they hugged each other, dancing clumsily with joy.

Both of them were as wobbly as a newborn deer. Jora was still crying, and Sanji managed to a glimpse of a very heavyset woman sitting on the stairs, sobbing while she clutched a very scared teenage boy to her chest. He looked absolutely frightened, looking at everyone with huge eyes and a mouth shaped in a wide 'o'.

"Whatever it was you two were up to in here, we're not going to judge you, or talk about it badly, because the end result is this – we've regained our human bodies!" Doflamingo said, holding Sanji away from him at arm's length. It was rather frightening to see just how high up he was from the floor, how easily the man handled his weight, as if he were nothing. Corazon had his arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, and Sanji couldn't breathe. He struggled, then, before Doflamingo unceremoniously dropped him, and his falling weight pulled Corazon off balance, so both of them hit the floor hard, causing Doflamingo to trip over them both.

"GET OFF ME!" Sanji ended up shouting, crushed under their weight.

"Law," Doflamingo said, grinning wide as he turned to the man standing there, staring at his hands. He reached out and slapped his thin shoulder, causing Law to stumble forward and crash against the stove with loud cursing. So he attempted to fix it, reaching over and pulling him to his feet, setting him down hard. "You did it. You bastard, you actually did it. We won't mention a word of this beyond this circle, here. This circle of trust – nothing will escape it."

"Nothing even happened like that!" Law exclaimed, and his voice was human, now. Deep, slow, and he was startled at the sound of it. He touched his own throat, touched his face, his hair – spent some time clutching it while Doflamingo lurched away, and headed straight for the wine basement.

"This is cause for a celebration! For me, mainly!" he said, managing to get the door open.

Sanji didn't want to look, anymore – there were too many dangly parts moving about; what was worse was that he was eye level to most of it, and he cringed in on himself.

"Whatever happened, it happened, and the curse is gone!" Corazon said cheerfully, helping Sanji to his feet. He then lurched forward and hugged Law, and Law shouted with dismay because Corazon wore nothing, and he complained and tried to escape the man's affections with near high-pitched desperation, struggling to keep himself covered in the movement.

"NO ONE IS WEARING CLOTHES!"

"You're so manly, now! You were just a wee babe when we were forcefully changed - !"

"All because of you! CORA!"

Corazon dropped him, waving away his words with an absent gesture. "It's in the past. What's now is now. Law, Sanji, you two did it! We were starting to lose hope!"

Sanji looked at Law, utterly confused. Law looked at him, and they suddenly looked away, both of them wearing embarrassed expressions. But both of them looked bewildered, unable to understand what exactly had happened.

: :

Sanji retreated to his room a little later on – there were so many things happening downstairs, and his mind was a mess. There were upset people, relieved people, people that sat in the hallways with dazed expressions. But they looked at him with such joy, giving tearful and shaky 'thanks!' that he felt embarrassed and flattered by the attention. His face was warm with some emotion he couldn't identify – mortified at the thought that everyone thought he and Beast – no, Law – kissed.

He dropped onto his bed, exhaling heavily. The noises were so loud, now that everyone was themselves, again. Doflamingo was spitting out orders while nursing a bottle he'd found, and Corazon was begging cigarettes from Sanji, so Sanji gave him everything just to escape.

He ran his hands through his hair. As he did so, he caught sight of movement at the window, and gasped once he realized it was a very short, older woman, looking at him with a slight smile.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking around his room, wondering what she had been. She was dressed in a flashy flowered shirt, some drab olive pants, with a neon yellow and pink cape clinging to her small shoulders. Her gray hair was pinned up in a tight bun, and she looked upon him knowingly.

"I'm Tsuru. I heard you broke the spell."

"We didn't kiss!" Sanji insisted, red-faced. "Nothing like that happened! He had a paper cut, I gave him a fucking pretend kiss on the hand to shut him up!"

"You're so cute," she tsked, turning away from the window with an amused look. "What? Did you think True Love's First Kiss meant lip to lip contact? Hell. Two years ago, a pair of women broke a curse when one kissed the other's set of lips for the very first time, and it wasn't her face she was touching."

Sanji gave her a blank look, wondering if the woman had kissed the other's papercut, too. But he didn't kiss the wound – he'd given Law a short peck on his fingers. How was that considered a kiss?

"The important thing was, you gave him a kiss," she continued, walking towards him. "And there was love behind it, no matter what you meant. Your feelings for him, combined with his own towards you, broke the spell. That's all that matters."

Sanji sat stiffly, looking at the floor with bewilderment. His heart raced, thumped with uneven action. He was in love…?

"How can that be?" he wondered out loud. "I don't…he's my friend. He's my friend, and – "

"Oh, don't make things weird," Tsuru scolded him. "That's why the spell broke. Both of you love each other, there's no need to get weepy over it. Love is beautiful, and it is innocent. Don't overthink anything."

Sanji looked at her, unable to say anything else. But his mind was whirling with surprised things; all this time, this happiness, this joy he felt being with Law – this was love? And Law loved him back? But…how? And when?

"I feel weird admitting to it. That's…that's some form of bestiality, or something - !"

"Were you guys playing with each other in those naughty ways?" Tsuru asked curiously, causing Sanji to shake his head frantically. "Because that is kinky. I never did such things, and look at me. Seasoned in the word of love and relations. I've been all over the world, did all sorts of things with men and women, but never pulled in an animal to – "

"No! No! No! I just…! We talked! We…being here in this castle, we're together constantly, and…this is friendship. This is…I've been friends with…another man, before, and it's like that, I swear…! I never once thought of Beast – of Law differently, of…"

Tsuru waved a hand impatiently at him, and walked up to his bookshelf, noting all the books there. Cookbooks, Noland's, other titles of interest; there were some titles that didn't belong because they were Law's, left here during those nights they stayed up, reading. "Don't worry about it. How does he make you feel, now?"

"I…I don't know that man. He's…as a human, he's…I'm not certain what I feel," Sanji murmured, trailing off. He sputtered, trying to think of something to say, but all he could recall at that moment was seeing Law for the first time and feeling startled. Still alarmed because he had not expected to see him, nor break the curse with such a simple act that he wasn't even aware of.

"Is he handsome?" Tsuru asked curiously. "Because he was just a little brat when I last saw him. Also, I heard that you were once engaged to Silvers Rayleigh. What the fuck is up with that?"

Sanji had never heard an older woman speak as Tsuru did. He gaped at her.

She shook her head with irritation. "Men, these days. Thinking that with privilege, they can do whatever they want to others. They do that, you know, these old bastards. They suddenly realize what they're capable of, and think they can own harems. You're lucky to have escaped that stupidity."

The door opened, and Law walked in, slamming the door shut, locking it. Moments later, there was heaving pounding on it, Baby screaming at him furiously. Law caught sight of Tsuru, and stilled as Tsuru turned to look at him.

"Ah! Look at you! Wow, you're not ugly at all," Tsuru said pleasantly, walking over to him.

"You old piece of shit! So! We meet again! You're the reason why this all happened!" Law snapped at her, shoulders rigid. But he did have to reach down and adjust the curtains that he'd worn, which hung dangerously low in some places. Sanji stood up from the bed and went to his closet, looking for pieces that he thought would fit him.

"Oh, ho ho ho! It's not me you should be blaming, dear," Tsuru mentioned, unbothered by his anger. "As always, it was Doflamingo's and Corazon's faults. Equally. I'd entrusted Corazon to do one thing! And Doflamingo shouldn't have been such an evil bully in the first place."

"Here, here, here," Sanji said, coming between them and holding up some clothes, pushing them into Law so that he was forced to catch it. In that moment, there was contact made with each other, fingers brushing against the other's, and it was electrifying. He looked up at Law with a startled look, Law looking down at him with an equally as startled expression, and both of them didn't know what to do.

Tsuru snickered, which broke the awkward moment.

"Go change," Sanji insisted, turning away while Law felt his ears reddening, and then his face and neck, and he hastily turned and found some space near the closet to do so.

With a red face of his own, Sanji sat back down on the bed, too aware of things. He rubbed his hands together, shivering at the remembered feel of contact. Tsuru faced him.

"As I was saying, I'm glad to hear that you escaped his clutches," she continued. "We go back a ways – all of us, do. I can't say for sure what was happening, but it was wrong of him to do so. Wherever he is, I'm sure there's no one to stop him from committing another crime like this one. You're lucky. How did you escape, by the way?"

Sanji clutched his own hands together, resting them on his lap. He felt so discombobulated by everything that he had to think hard about the question. "…Law and the others. They…they risked everything to do so, for me."

"Hmm. Well, you're not the first one, and you won't be the last." Tsuru crossed her arms and looked up at Law as he returned, struggling with a pair of capris that ended at knee level, and made it difficult to bend them properly. The shirt he pulled over was tight in the shoulders and chest, in near danger of splitting. "How does it look everywhere else? Everyone else just as naked?"

"Still. Most of them have made it to their rooms, now." Law wondered when he'd get used to the sound of his own voice. He cleared his throat noisily, Sanji looking at the floor, embarrassed to even look at him. This man was a stranger to him, and then again, he wasn't. This was his friend – shouldn't he be happy and celebrating with everyone, not embarrassed and shy?

And why the fuck was he feeling these two particular things at all? Because his body had taken notice, or because his feelings, now that he was aware of them, suddenly seemed too obvious?

"I will go talk to Doffy, now. Once I realized the curse was actually broken, I came here immediately." Tsuru faced Law, looking up at him with a firm expression. "I apologize to you, that you ended up suffering Doflamingo's punishment. It was unfortunate the way things worked out, but from the looks of it, it worked out very well. You couldn't have found a more loyal ray of sunshine than Sanji.

"And you, too," she added, looking at Sanji. "Treat each other gently. Loyalty and honesty is very hard to find, nowadays. You can't trust these hoes."

With that, she turned and headed for the door. Opening it, Baby fell in, sobbing noisily, barely covered in a curtain. Tsuru studied her for a few moments, then crouched, helping her sit up. Sanji could swear there were sparkles in the old woman's eyes as she said, "Why, you poor, beautiful dear. You're too pretty to sobbing like this over some idiot. Tell me, whatever is the matter?"

"I wanted – I wanted to be there when – when it happened!" Baby hiccupped, turning her purple eyes on Tsuru. She was too aptly formed for anyone to ignore, and Tsuru had a hard time keeping her eyes face level. But she helped her to her feet and helped her walk away, giving soothing words the entire time.

In the sudden quiet of the room, both men left behind stood awkwardly. Sanji couldn't help but look at him from the side of his eye before turning to face him, tugging at his own fingers anxiously. Law looked at him, then looked away hastily, seemingly embarrassed.

"So? You're human…you're human, now, how do you feel?" Sanji asked, finding it difficult to do so. There was so much heat in his face that he had trouble concentrating. He took his time to study the other man; he felt embarrassed doing so.

"Uh, it's…I'm not sure, really," Law answered slowly, looking at him. Then taking his time to really stare, eyes roving over him with obvious study, and Sanji felt himself heat up again, unsure of how to take it. "Now that I see color again, I've been really distracted. Shapes are different. Seeing detail like this is really…amazing."

"Your sight is different, now?" Sanji asked curiously. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Faces were just eyes, light or dark in a face without much detail. No color, just – basic shape and shadow, so really looking at you is just…I knew you had a young face and light eyes with ridiculous eyebrows, but not like this. Your eyes, your coloring is just…so different."

"You're making me embarrassed," Sanji stuttered, looking away quickly. "I'm nothing special."

"Well, I know, there's a lot of people with your coloring at the village, but somehow, looking at you is different, for me," Law said, Sanji scowling at the unintended insult. "You're really just a young guy without a shape, hunched shoulders, and these big ears – "

"What? Well, you're tall and skinny with absolutely no meat to you, like you're still trying to grow!"

"Haah? I look like a fucking man, now! I have a big man voice, and you don't. It's like – "

"Did you really just come in here to insult me, or are we going to talk about how this all came to be?" Sanji interrupted him impatiently.

"Oh. Well…do we have to? We're kind of plotting on getting revenge right now, so I came to see if you'd wanted to join in."

Sanji could not resist pushing him. Law was immediately off balance, hands flailing to catch himself before Sanji did, helping him stand straight.

"Sorry!"

"I feel so uncoordinated, right now. I keep trying to use my fucking tail to balance myself out, and when I realize I don't have it – then…nothing is working properly," Law said with frustration, his toes digging into the carpet. But he looked down at the heated feeling of Sanji's hands on him, and stilled. The sensation of actual touch felt amazing. Especially from Sanji.

The teen dropped his hands with an embarrassed fluster. "Yes, we do! I was unaware of this entire thing until Tsuru pointed it out! I thought you were just my friend – I was happy being with my friend every day, and then - "

"You were happy?" Law interrupted curiously, eyebrows lifting. Then he looked away with a one-sided smile, Sanji pausing in mid-eruption. "See, those wishes I made did work."

"Wi -? Wishes?"

"Yes. I wished for your happiness every time you couldn't wish for something. I figured I'd do so because you tried really hard to help us out, so I figured I could repay you with this one thing. It was all I could do."

Sanji stared up at him incredulously. The feelings he suddenly felt made sense. It was too incredible for him to ignore. He touched his own chest, certain that his heart was going to break free as a feeling, both known and foreign, coursed through him. It suddenly occurred to him how familiar he was with the feeling, and realized he had felt it for some time.

"You…you wished for me to be happy?" he asked lightly.

"Because you never really were. It worked, right?"

Sanji didn't even need to think about it. He nodded. "Yes. Yes, I was. Am. I am."

"It was weird hearing you laugh for the first time. Like a donkey with a cold," Law chuckled, then snorted, Sanji staring up at him once more. When Law caught himself, he looked embarrassed. "I'll work on that."

"You're such a dork," Sanji stated, but it was said with so much affection that, once made aware of it, he realized he'd been saying these things with this same tone for a long time. He looked horrified at that moment as Law looked at him once more, catching sight of the emotions playing on Sanji's face.

"Look, I'm surprised, too. I don't know what happened down there, but what matters is that we're changed, now," Law then said awkwardly. "I just…have to get used to these things. Being human. I never thought I'd…never imagined that I'd see my face, again. Or…I mean, seeing myself."

"Come, look," Sanji said, reaching out for his arm to guide him towards the closet. He turned him towards the full length mirror there, removing the cover; Beast hadn't like looking at himself. Once positioned there, Law looked at himself for the first time. Sanji watched him look at his face, reaching up to touch seemingly new cheekbones, his long nose – watched him touch his lips and pluck at ears. Then looked down at his own chest, lip curling at the sight of it. He examined his own arms, suddenly conscious of his thinness. Sanji then turned away with a smile as Law then looked down his own pants, making a shocked expression.

"I feel so naked, right now," Law said, adjusting his pants. "I got fucking hair in places I never did before, and suddenly it's not enough. And what the hell. My dick shrunk - "

"Shut up," Sanji said with a laugh. "You're not a monster, of course it's going to shrink to size! Dumb shit. Besides it's not the size of it that's important, it's how you use it that matters."

"Who told you that lie?"

"Hah!"

"All in all, it's going to take some time getting used to this," Law said, leaning forward to examining his face up close. He touched his chin, used to where the fur had been – now he was just…naked. "I feel really…small."

"You're still taller than most," Sanji said bitterly. He hoped he grew a few more inches, comparing himself to Law's height. He was barely shoulder level with him. "Some of us still need that extra push."

Law looked at Sanji's reflection, then straightened up to see where Sanji stood to him. He patted the top of his head, flattening his bang. "You're a child, still."

"Don't with any child jokes, or I'll flatten your new balls to the wall," Sanji threatened him, looking at Law's reflection with warning. Then he noticed the way Law was still looking at his hand atop of his head. He watched as Law's fingers swept through his strands, combing through them gently, mesmerized by the action. Sanji stiffened, but he felt the heat in his face hit him once again, and he found it difficult to breathe. In the mirror's reflection, Sanji watched Law's fingers fall to the curl of his ear, where his skin tingled before Law actually touched it. He wasn't aware his ears were so damn sensitive – he didn't know what to do as he heard the faint rasp of Law's finger over his earlobe, to his jawline.

And that felt even more intense – his skin was tingly, now, and his teeth clenched, his throat moving with a hard swallow. Every part of him was aware of Law, now, and he was amazed at the intensity of it. Was this what Zoro felt standing next to him, all those times? When hormones took notice and flared to uncontrollable life? This was nothing he'd experienced with Rayleigh, and he felt a hard feeling in him at that thought – immediately shutting out any other thoughts of those horrid memories as this one swept over those.

He looked away from the mirror to look at Law, and Law looked at him. Taking in the shape of his eyes, studying the color of his irises – and Sanji realized that those drawings Law had made of him were things that should have told him what he'd missed all this time. He reached up and touched Law's hand with his own, cupping it within his. Touching his fingers, his knuckles, caressing the sensitive valleys between his fingers.

Law was utterly still, a frozen expression on his face. Sanji realized at that moment he wouldn't get tired of looking at this face. There were still so many expressions of his to see, and he wanted to see every one of them. The want was terrifying to acknowledge.

If he'd fallen in love with this man through conversations and companionship alone, then the physical aspect would be just as easy to accept. He drew Law's palm to his mouth, and gave it a gentle kiss.

"Thank you," he murmured, enjoying the scent of his skin. He smelled his wrist, feeling that response of awareness to the taller man that much stronger. He then smelled him again, and Law was completely rigid because he was still trying to understand Sanji's very touchy actions. He couldn't quite think past the kiss he still felt on his palm. His mind was an utter blank.

"This smell of yours…it was in those flowers on the vine," Sanji pointed out, drawing back uncomfortably.

"F-flowers?"

"Yes. They opened, and they smelled exactly like you," Sanji said, feeling his cheeks warm at the memory. How the smell had made him hard and excited, and it was happening now. He dropped Law's arm and turned away, sitting down hastily at the edge of the bed and feeling winded.

Law remembered Tsuru talking about this, and felt disgusted at the thought of other people knowing what he smelled like. But then again, they only opened to those who were receptive to him, and Sanji definitely was. He looked at his hand, feeling the tingle of Sanji's lips against his skin.

"I feel like I hadn't been touched in years," he said low, almost harshly. "Aside from you…this skin to skin contact, it's…I don't…"

He trailed off, having been unable to imagine that he'd get this far. Never thought he'd be human, again. So it was all so overwhelming, for him. All of it. He had to get to know this strange new body, learn how to walk properly, learn to accept himself – accept that he was in love with Sanji.

He was. That was why the spell was broken – both of them were in love with each other. How was that possible, and how did he not notice? When did it happen?

"This is a lot to take in," he mumbled, looking at his hand. He rubbed it with his other – not to remove the feeling, but to press it in. "I'm human, Sanji."

"Yep. This is true."

"All the things that I imagined, only dreamed of happening, can happen, now. My mind is…struggling desperately to keep up. Things will take a little longer than I thought they would."

"It'll be fine, because when taking your time to step back and plan – you'll have a better idea of what to do." Sanji stood up from the bed, in control of himself. He felt more comfortable looking up at Law, now. "I want to hear what Tsuru's saying to the others."

"Oh! Right! Yes." Law turned away from the mirror, but stumbled, regaining his footing with an embarrassed expression, and Sanji walked next to him, steadying hand on his back. It was incredible feeling, to feel that reassuring weight on him; it was amazing how, at all, there was still so much more to come.

: :

When they found the others, starting from the Great Hall to the dining room, everyone erupted into a standing ovation. It was quite mortifying to both to have such attention, and they were given hugs, slaps on the back, congratulations – the impossible had been attained, and everyone was grateful towards them.

Machvise picked Sanji up immediately, twirling him around while Diamante, Trebol and Pink shook Law violently, slapping and congratulating him, alternating between hugging and pushing. It was quite chaotic. None of them had their total balance just yet, so Machvise ended up crashing against the table, slipping over a chair, and the other three tripped over each other trying to administer the most 'affection'. Everyone was so uncoordinated that it was painful.

Once Sanji managed to get free of Machvise, Jora caught him and hugged him to her ample chest, where she then sobbed into his hair, thanking him for 'taking pity on everyone'. The teen that Sanji assumed was Dellinger was still shell-shocked – wrapped in a blanket, looking at everything with huge eyes.

"Enough, enough," Doflamingo commanded from the head of the table, where he and Corazon sat, Tsuru nearby. Both men had their old clothes on, and Sanji realized just how out of date they were. Doflamingo had some sort of zebra-print shirt on with neon pink pants that looked atrocious, with some ruffles on the collar. It made him shudder. Corazon had a heart print blouse on, pulled over pink trousers, with some sort of furry stole around his shoulders – really, both of them were quite out of place with today's style and out of touch with fashion overall.

"Put them down, leave them be. I'm sure they're quite aware of what they've done, and we'll reward them later. But for now, all of you. It's time to focus on one thing."

"Revenge!" Trebol cried cheerily.

"I've been looking forward to this day since it started," Vergo stated gravely.

"I'm going to ruin everything that they held dear!" Pica vowed.

"Yes, yes, we've all got these plans," Doflamingo muttered, gripping the bottle tightly. "But we're not going to do that just yet."

The castle filled with intense cries of dismay, outrage, and it was so much more louder than Sanji had ever heard them give – he was quite positive the village could hear it.

Doflamingo hit the table with his palm, and that caught their attention. To Sanji, it was quite weird seeing the former wine-opener so…majestic. Not only did his large size command attention, but it was that aura of his. It was almost as if Sanji were looking at a form of Rayleigh – where everyone's attention just turned toward him with edges of uncertainty and fear, but also with respect.

"Quiet. We don't want those bastards down there knowing we're awake. As a warning, keep the flames down, use the very bare minimum. We'll leave here only at night – please have patience. Presently, we're still trying to get used to our normal forms. Everyone? If you haven't already seen Law yet, look at him now."

Law squirmed uncomfortably. "Please don't. I'm getting real self conscious, right now."

"He's so ugly," Baby muttered, glaring at him. Buffalo nodded.

"Way ugly, daysuan," he commented cheerily.

"Both of you look like naked mole rats!" Law snapped at them both. After a few moments, Baby sniffled, then started to cry, Buffalo reaching over to pat her shoulder gently.

"Right now, that village has lived with satisfaction of our disappearance," Doflamingo continued, drumming his fingertips atop of the table. "But little do they know, we know absolutely everything about it. We know every family, every farm, every mine, every ship that leaves the river for the sea. We know who runs what business, who's second in charge – we know who the 'warriors' are, and we know where they hide their hunting artillery. This fucking village thought they got rid of us – "

"Ahem."

Everyone's attention went to Tsuru, as if suddenly remembering that she was there. "Calm yourself, Donquixote," she admonished. "They had hired me for a reason. You were out of control, yourself. Killing innocent men in the streets and forcing their families out of their houses because they didn't make enough to pay your taxes wasn't the best of ideas you'd ever had. Perhaps this time away gave you time to consider how much better you can be. Rather than ruling with your own goddamn finger up your ass, why don't you consider ruling peacefully over people that would rather be loyal to you agreeably?"

Doflamingo scowled at her. "How about 'no', Tsuru? And who better to rule my own ass than myself?"

"That's not what she meant, brother," Corazon whispered, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. He coughed and hacked before saying to Tsuru, "Listen, the motive is about revenge, now. Not to rule. Right, Doffy?"

"Fuck no, this is my valley. I've lived here for years, it's going to be mine, again."

"Of course."

"Doflamingo, please considering the things you're planning," Tsuru then said over the exchange.

Sanji realized that this was going to be a very real thing. Looking around himself, he was surrounded by hard faces – wrathful faces, all of them angry for living the last decade as an inanimate object. Of course they'd want revenge. He thought of the years he'd lived there himself, and realized, while he didn't have that much attachment to people there – cook and Ussop were really the only ones he'd been close to – he suddenly felt bad for what was going to happen. It was a conflict.

He turned to leave when Doflamingo called him out.

"Does this make you uncomfortable, Sanji? Knowing what's going to happen to the people you'd lived amongst?"

Being put in the spotlight in front of curious human eyes, rather than the hidden ones he'd gotten used to, made Sanji swallow hard.

"Yes," he said stiffly, facing him. "Admittedly, I haven't lived here that long, but – "

"They were quite willing to turn their backs on you when you were put into a pickle," Doflamingo pointed out, and gone was the light hearted way that he used to speak with. As a human, he was much more menacing. Sanji felt that if he said something the man didn't like, Doflamingo wouldn't hesitate to act. That ripple of awareness made him very uncomfortable.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But I'm not the type to look for revenge when something unfortunate happens to me," Sanji said.

"But you will support this, right? Us? We've taken you into our home, kept you safe – "

"All of which I'm grateful for," Sanji interrupted firmly. "You didn't have to, but yet there was an ulterior motive for that, so it's not as if you did it from the kindness of your heart, Doflamingo. But I don't have any loyalty to the village, either."

"You'll just look in the other direction, then?" Tsuru asked him, expressionless.

Sanji nodded once. "Yes."

"That's the same as participating."

"Not if I don't know what they're going to do," Sanji said, walking away. Most of everyone watched him go, and after some consideration, Doflamingo let it go, as well.

"Without him, we would've never been human, anyway," Corazon pointed out.

"You're right. I can't be killing people right away," Doflamingo agreed. "I must think before I act."

Tsuru sighed.

Doflamingo looked at Law, who looked a little bothered. "And you? Where's your loyalty?"

"It's where it's always been. I want to destroy that fucking village."

"Atta boy! It's not something you should concern yourself with, Tsuru. The first time, you were asked to step in, paid for – this time, you can do nothing about it," Doflamingo pointed out.

"That's true. Well. If there is to be no attention called upon me, then I'll take my leave. Remember, Doffy, who is all looking up to you."

Tsuru then left in a puff of glitter and neon blue colored smoke, and those closest to her coughed and hacked, finding themselves suddenly shiny.

Doflamingo took a long pull of his wine before setting it aside, wiping his chin. "Listen to me. For exactly one week, we will accustom ourselves back into our bodies. We will relearn them, until we are certain we can fight, again. Starting tomorrow, those that want to go into the village may do so – but you must take an alternate route to and from Flower Hill, so that the village people do not suspect us. There is enough gold in my vault to sustain us for at least a year – but we won't need that long of a time to plan. All of you do not mention where you're from. You're travelers just moving through. Buy what you need, gather intel. If you must…leave. And never come back. Is this understood?"

Everyone chimed in with agreement.

"Thanks to our good looks, Cora and I are much too recognizable. We cannot leave. Therefore, I'm counting on the rest of you to make a good impression for us. After a week is up, we'll pool our info together. We'll map out the changes in the village, and we'll plan our attack. All I ask is that all of you remain on hard alert – we don't want to go charging in while we're still weak. Is this understood?"

Everyone shouted to show that they did.

Chuckling, Doflamingo seemed to glow as he looked at the faces that looked at him with immense loyalty. Every single one of them was willing to do anything for him, at his request, and he knew it. "We're going to take this valley back, friends. We're going to be mightier than ever. Thanks to our hard resilience, we've come through this time as stronger people. They might have experience on their side, but they don't have our hard-ons for revenge. We're going to crush them. This is the only thing I've ever wanted once I regained human form. After that, I don't care what happens. It's a new world. Right now, let's make a mess of it, make it ours, again."

Everyone cheered.

: :

That night, Sanji stared up at the ceiling, wrestling with his conscience. The castle was alive, now, and it was a weird feeling. Hearing movement outside the door, hearing the different sound of voices, seeing light flutter through the halls made him feel as if he'd stepped into a completely different world.

He thought of how hungry these people were for their revenge. Twelve years ago, people paid an Enchantress to put an end to Doflamingo, but that was ruined when the spell was sent askew. While Ussop and cook had mentioned often how awful the man was, Sanji knew the other side of it. Doflamingo was a man that cared about his people – that rescued kids from unfortunate circumstances. Hell, he was one of those kids, if he stopped to think about it.

While he couldn't exactly condone what was going to happen, he felt he didn't have the right to step in front of them to stop them. After all, he and Zeff moved in well after the incident, and both of them had kept to themselves – Zeff wasn't big on bonding with others, and he kept Sanji much too busy to bother with it, himself. So he didn't feel any closeness to the villagers themselves.

But he didn't like the thought of knowing that dangerous things were going to happen to them because of Doflamingo. Their fears of the man had been legit enough to hire a powerful Enchantress – that meant something. At the same time, he felt he didn't have the power to do anything about it – he could warn the villagers, but that meant he would be going against Law, too. Revenge was all Law had really looked forward to, and that concept made Sanji's heart hurt. He wanted to be loyal to Law, but how far would his loyalty go?

He heard the door open and close, and stiffened. He rolled over on his side, clutching his pillow.

"Hey, Sanji – ow, fuck – hey, are you upset about these things?" Law asked, bumping into something on his way over. He stumbled over something else, cursed, then tripped over the rug just outside of Sanji's bed area. Sanji heard him hit the floor on his knees, cursing, then get back up.

"Yes," he muttered. "What are you doing, here?"

"What, do I have to stay away, now that I'm a man?" Law asked, climbing onto the bed, feeling for him. "I can't see for shit. Oh, sorry, didn't mean to touch – "

"It's going to be different, you know, sleeping together," Sanji mumbled. Law had been sleeping on his bed with him these past few weeks, where they'd fall asleep talking about various things, with books, with papers, with past lives hanging in the air and future wishes at the tip of their tongues. Now…it was going to be different.

But he wasn't going to turn him away.

"Yeah, I know. Just…I thought you were really uncomfortable, in there."

"I'm not standing in your way, Law. I just…the less I know, I think, the easier it'll be," Sanji confessed, feeling him settle next to him, atop of the blankets. "I…don't know how I feel, to be honest. Just…maybe I feel bad for them, and I definitely feel bad for all of you, as well."

"I understand. But…but it's no lie, Sanji, what I've wanted. That part was always the same."

"I know." Sanji hesitated for a moment, then lightly kneed him, prompting him to move. "Come under here. It's a lot colder than you think it is."

"I, uh…I don't want to rush things."

"Don't worry, you'll still be a virgin when you wake up," Sanji snickered, amused at the tentative sound of his voice.

"Shut up! Just…it's really weird, I'm not…like, it's not even been a day, and I still can't walk right, and I feel overwhelmed with all these things, all these brand new…things," Law mumbled, climbing in next to him. The warmth and feel of his body nearby made Sanji shiver. He could smell him, again – that musky, salty scent that hit all his senses and made him uncomfortable. "And…and I'm…it sounds weird, but it's like…I know exactly where you are. It's…so different."

Sanji felt relief hit him, upon knowing that he wasn't the only one to feel this. "Like you're aware of me? Because that's how I feel. And it's different."

"Yes. Just…I never thought things would be this way when I turned human. I didn't think there were so many senses that I'd never even …experienced."

"Mmm. Well…there's a bright future ahead of you. Don't rush into it, okay?"

He felt Law nod, and then both of them were quiet. They could hear voices in the hall, movement from the windows. Somehow, it was more quiet outside than it was inside. An owl called, and something flapped up near the eaves. He shifted into the mattress a little more, pulling the blanket over himself. He was so aware of Law's proximity that he couldn't concentrate, his skin tingling with warmth. He closed his eyes, to focus on nothing, to ignore the sound of another's breath behind him. This was different from sleeping with Rayleigh, where he was so rigid and still, not wanting to capture his attention. Much different than sleeping with Zeff, where he'd roll to his back for warmth and security…

He wondered if the old man were still alive in that old shack on the mountains, if Tsuru knew him, too. He figured she must, being as old as she was. She seemed to know everybody.

He felt Law shift, his long body tensing underneath the blankets, and Sanji wondered what he was thinking of. He had the urge to reach out and touch him, to give assurance, because he felt like Law needed it. He was human, now, with so many different senses compared to that of the Beast.

"Can I touch you, now?" he asked on a low whisper.

"Please do. I was afraid to ask," Law answered, and Sanji could hear the relief in his voice. He scooted closer to do so, pressing his forehead against the back of his neck. He lifted a hand, feeling his shoulder blade before scratching lightly along his spine. He explored the expanse of back with gentle rubs. Law was so much smaller than the men Sanji had slept with, that it didn't take long to learn his back, and he wished he could touch more. His curiosity frightened him, a little.

He ended up curling an arm around his waist, pressing in close – breathing in the scent of him and feeling butterflies in his stomach. A light fluttery sensation just at the top, where feelings must come from, because he felt nervous, relieved, curious – he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of Law's heart beat, hearing his tense breathing.

"We broke the spell," he said low, feeling Law tense to listen, "so our feelings towards each other are mutual...it's so weird how I wasn't aware of this."

"Yes."

"Did you know?" Sanji asked curiously.

"No. Did you?"

"No. I just thought…I mean, I was happy, I just…didn't realize that this was the result of it. I'm surprised."

He heard Law exhale short – Sanji felt that he could feel him thinking. He blinked, trying to think back to a time where his feelings were obvious, but neither of them had done anything special – that he could think of. They were only there for each other to talk and be around, and wouldn't he be the same way with another friend?

He started to withdraw his arm when he felt Law grab his wrist, encouraging it to stay on him. Sanji thought about what he'd said earlier, that harsh exhalation of relief, joy – he couldn't imagine being in that position Law had been in, where he felt as if he hadn't been touched by another human hand in years.

"Sanji, I don't want things to change," Law then said, his fingers moving over Sanji's learning the shape of them with his own touch. "Honestly, I'm scared that you expect me to do those things that I'd only complained about now that I'm human, and – "

"No," Sanji said quickly, covering it with his. "No, stop. Just…just be this. Okay? We'll figure out where it goes, later."

Law tensed. "Wait, we're talking about feelings, right?"

"Yes. Why? What'd you think I was talking – ?"

"No, okay. Yes. That's…that's exactly what…okay. As long as that's covered," Law mumbled, much to Sanji's amusement. He chuckled.

"Law, I'm not going to rape you, or anything – "

"I didn't say that you were! I wasn't even saying anything like that! Besides, I can feel your dick against my back, and - !"

Sanji shifted away quickly, mortified. He didn't think he was that obvious. "I'm sorry - !"

"You're getting all aggressive on me, I'm starting to feel really afraid – I feel like you're going to take advantage of me, and I'll just go along with it, because I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."

Sanji laughed and pushed him away, Law turning to face him. He pushed his pillow against him, and Sanji pushed him back, and both of them resettled. But their hands didn't drop, and all they did was explore each other's faces, necks, shoulders – safe places. There was so much tension between them that Sanji felt a mess, and he felt that Law must feel the same. Expectations between them that only cried for something to satisfy it. But he was scared of those feelings – he entwined his fingers with the other man's, and held it firmly.

They couldn't see each other in the dark, but Sanji could hear his breathing; he could feel Law looking in his direction. For awhile, neither could bring themselves to say anything, but they were thinking it. Neither of them could sleep, words building onto their tongues, throats thick with trapped sound. Everything was new and different, yet the same.

Sanji swallowed hard, tightening his fingers over the longer ones that clung to his. "I'm so happy, it hurts to breathe," he confessed heavily. "I get to be at your side for a little longer."

"Same. Just being here with you makes me feel grounded, again. We've got so much to do, together, and I'm really excited about it."

"Me, too."

"Thank you for not giving up on me."

"You're welcome. Are we really that big of a combined idiot, that we didn't know?"

"Yes. But you're the bigger one."

"You're taller than I am, so that makes you the bigger one."

"Heh. Maybe."

Sanji felt his fingers tighten briefly over his, rubbing his thumb gently. He felt so relaxed and comforted that nothing seemed impossible, now. No true worries came to mind. This feeling of happiness made everything better. He curved his free arm underneath the pillow Law was resting on, and drew closer, untangling his fingers from his. A tentative touch in the dark found the older man's face, and he whispered shyly, "Hold still."

He leaned over and found Law's mouth with his, and pressed a light kiss to him, excited at the sensation that coursed through him. It was absolutely nothing compared to what he'd experienced before, and promised everything new for the future. He heard Law give a surprised sound, stroking his hair before pressing another kiss against his mouth and feeling his response.

"A proper kiss," Sanji murmured, touching Law's face again before retreating to his pillow.

For several long moments, Law didn't move. But then he said, "It's not bad."

Sanji tossed his hand away and huffed. "Shut up, jerk."

"I'm sorry, I can't think properly, okay? I'm just saying what's on my mind."

"Such a dick. I'm trying to be romantic, and you're just a dork."

"Shut up, Sanji, I just feel that my virtue is threatened when I'm so vulnerable, right now."

"NO ONE WILL TAKE IT FROM YOU AT THIS POINT."

Law laughed loudly, but it was a combination of snorting and panting, and Sanji mimicked it just to get him back. But almost at the same time, they hugged each other, and it was okay. It felt just right.

He felt Law's knee up against his leg, and then he settled in that position, and Sanji resettled in his – he felt a lot better when he felt Law's hand search for his, attaching to his with added strength, stroking his fingers with his. His other found and rested upon Sanji's hip, and he scooted in closer to him. Sleep finally came and took them both in that position.