Summer Nickels: Thank you!
Wishfull-star: Zoro is definitely the most emotionally complicated character in the story. We'll see that later!
Katakuri was back at work now. It had been a few months of waiting, but he eventually needed to be kept busy, and returned to helping kids with their problems. Not in the way Luffy was being helped, but he was a licensed therapist for traumatized children. It was partly this job that made him parent how he did. Because he knew what was bad, and what worked in parenting.
His coworkers often asked about Luffy, wondering how he was doing. Katakuri would tell them his successes, but never the failures. Like how he went on a rampage in the padded room because he wasn't given the right blood type. Though that hadn't been odd or surprising since it was the day after his friend was finally discharged, having been there before Luffy came.
Luffy was alone, and was having a hard time with things now. Hopefully he'd not stall his progress too much. So his coworkers were in the circle of people wishing well for the boy. He had so many people rooting for his success. Katakuri just wished he could know that. His memories hadn't returned fully. He remembered food he liked, and the kiNds of toys he liked, but nothing of the people in his life.
Coby missed him, and wanted to see him even more now that he could be a regular kid and play with others without being scared of the negative consequences. He was hurt that Luffy didn't remember, but knowing it was the same with everyone else was a secret relief for him. Though it was obvious to others. They didn't say anything because Coby wanted to hide that feeling.
His brother and sister wanted to meet Luffy now that they were allowed to. Luffy had many people looking forward to his "graduation" and return. Many parties would be thrown if it was okay for Luffy. After all, being around many people at once could be hard. The smell of them circulating everywhere might be difficult or overwhelming.
He still described the scent of normal humans as "yummy", but he could also comment on other smells. Like their shampoo or perfume. So it was an improvement. A big one, according to Conis, the leader of the institution. Even though she'd never dealt with Luffy before. She was a normal looking human, so she only worked with the other children.
Katakuri was cooking lunch when there was knock on his door. He went to it, and saw through the peephole that it was a boy with green hair. Katakuri knew who it was, and opened the door with a smile. "Zoro," he greeted. The boy looked surprised at Katakuri's height, being almost a full normal sized person taller than him. Katakuri saw a car with who he assumed his father was in. "Would you like to come in?" he asked.
"No, I just have something to give you," he said, not sounding worried or nervous about the size of the man in front of him. He'd no doubt not known what to expect, since Luffy didn't remember and couldn't describe him in any way. He handed Katakuri an envelop. "It's from Luffy. It also has my number on it. Will you tell me… when Luffy comes out? I still wanna be his friend," Zoro said firmly.
Katakuri smiled at him, scarf on so only his eyes showed the smile. "Of course. Thank you for being there for him."
"How is he doing all alone?"
"Things have been a bit harder, but he's improving because he wants out as soon as possible to not be alone anymore. Not getting along very well with the others there," Katakuri replied honestly. Zoro looked down, and Katakuri said he and Luffy both had to look forward to being reunited.
"Yeah. Promise? You will tell me when he gets out?" His face and voice were firm and challenging. Katakuri vowed to do so, and Zoro turned to leave before saying he looked nothing like Luffy. The boy was tiny, and Katakuri was huge.
"Well, that's because I adopted Luffy," he said honestly. Of course Luffy didn't know that right now, and so Zoro hadn't known. He smiled at Katakuri and then left, saying nothing in response. The father went back inside and to the couch. The food wasn't anything that could burn. Just a sandwich.
He opened the envelop and saw a little piece of paper with a badly drawn figure with purple hair. Another slip of paper was in the back, clearly having been written by an adult, and said, He drew this but immediately forgot afterwards.
This meant that Luffy would remember him for sure. It was a great relief. He was scared his son wouldn't remember him at all. But he had hope with this little paper. He took a pin and pinned it to the wall outside of Luffy's still locked room. He'd need to dust it and clean the sheets before Luffy came back home. He smiled at the little picture, thankful for Zoro giving it to him. He snatched it, then, and made sure to bring it out of the house when he was discharged. What a good kid. Luffy had a good friend. Two friends. Hopefully he and Coby could get along.
-x-
Luffy looked out the window wall, just sitting there, but in a shadowy spot. Putting so much sunscreen on was annoying, but the sun did burn him, if not very lightly. It still stung afterwards, though. So, even though the sunscreen was smelly, it was better than being in pain. But his mind was fuzzy for the last few days.
Benn said it was normal to feel that way when memoires were returning, and there was nothing wrong with him. It was still a bit annoying. But he was mostly getting pictures in his head that he couldn't discern or tell apart. There was a pink haired boy, and then a man with purple hair and a mouth with pointy teeth, though he was smiling.
He didn't know who these people were, but when he thought of them, it gave him a warm feeling in his heart. He liked them, and knew they were important to him, even if he didn't know who they really were. When it was time for the lessons, he was in a good mood, the first time since Zoro left him.
Thinking about the people and looking forward to knowing who they were made it easier for him to resist wanting to drink from the human he was testing on. He was doing well! He kept thinking of them at all times he did this. Because they were humans, and he never wanted to hurt them, whoever they were. That's what this training was for.
The word "papa" filtered through his head, and he smiled brightly. He couldn't wait to go home to the nice life Benn said he had! Though he'd miss him a bit, even though Luffy really wanted to leave.
-x-
Katakuri sat in the car outside of the estate. There was a big wall around it so none of the kids could run off and nobody could get in. He knew he'd have to pay extra close attention to Luffy for multiple reasons. For one, he was still a young vampire. He could make mistakes. Two, vampires were rare, and it was possible someone would want him. Nobody knew about the vampire that attacked him. Why or what the end goal was and if they fulfilled it.
But with that monster still free, Katakuri would be very protective of Luffy and make sure he was never alone or out of his sight when they were out.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, the car seat in the backseat. He felt nervous but very happy. He'd spoke with Luffy on the phone the night before, as he finally got all of his memories back. He didn't sound sad or broken, but happy and excited to see him. Katakuri had faith and hope that Luffy was still Luffy in his personality.
There was an ice chest with some blood pouches in it in case he got thirsty on the way home. If you had a pass, getting blood for a vampire was an easy task. It was sold at certain department stores, but kept away from everyone. Many had no idea these stores had such things. It was probably only because insurance paid a lot for blood resources and they made a ton of money off of the products.
So Katakuri had a pass and he easily bought a lot of blood pouches to put in the separate refrigerator in the kitchen. Easy for the boy to access. There would be no lock on it. He could drink whenever he felt the need or desire to.
He looked to the side when the gate opened, and immediately got out of the car. Before the doors opened all the way, Luffy squeezed himself through, and zoomed to Katakuri, using his vampire speed, and tackled his legs. "Papa!" he cried. Katakuri smiled, and picked him up, hugging him tightly.
There was a little backpack and then a bag of all the gifts given to him. It had been five months, which was luckily near the minimum. He didn't need to stay for a full year. Being young did actually make things easier. He didn't need to remember many years of his life. He'd probably remember the most after being a vampire.
He had a lot of sunscreen on, as Katakuri could easily smell it during the hug. He pulled away, and Luffy was beaming. Wide red eyes and pointy teeth didn't make him any less adorable. Benn, a purple man who was the one to take care of Luffy the most, was standing there with a smile on. It reached his eyes, both of them squinting.
Katakuri walked to him, and thanked him for taking care of Luffy. "He's quite the cheerful kid. We've never had someone in his situation so positive." The father was proud of his bright child. "Here's all you'll need to know," he said, and handed Katakuri a thick manilla envelope. "It has details on his behavior, habits, necessities and a lot of information about children vampires and him specifically."
Luffy was snuggling against his father's chest while they talked. "Thank you."
"Thanks, Benn! You're nice!" Luffy said happily.
"You are, too. It was a pleasure to have you. Use all your practices okay? I'm sure you can do it." Luffy nodded vehemently, and then said he wanted to go home. So, Katakuri put his things in the front seat, and then clipped Luffy into the car seat. He put on christmas music, and Luffy babbled about the nice things there.
Halfway to the drive, Luffy said, "Papa? I want a juice." He took out one from the bag beside him a the nearest stop light, and Luffy slurped it down. "You don't smell yummy, papa. Too sweet!" Well, that could be considered good. He wasn't upset by that one bit. More like relieved so Luffy would have less trouble being at home with him.
"That's good, then," Katakuri said.
"Mmhmm!" Luffy agreed. When they got home, Luffy ran to the front door, though in a normal speed. Katakuri wondered how well he had the speed and strength under control. To go from being unable to carry a comforter to the laundry room to breaking things on accident would be a huge jump.
Well, there was nothing to do about it. Katakuri unlocked the door. The car was in the drive way, as he used the garage for storage. A lot of paperwork in locked filing cabinets. When he let Luffy in, the bedroom was already cleaned, the sheets washed. Luffy happily went around the house, and was smelling everything. Sniffing them and seeming satisfied. Katakuri didn't interrupt what he was doing by asking about it. He just put the toys in his toy basket, and the clothes into the hamper.
When he went in the living room, Luffy had a blood juice, and was surprised by the carpet change. It was a darker color now. There was also dark blankets over the couch. Still the same couch, but with a cover over it. "In case you spill any blood, there won't be a big mess." The carpet had been a light gray before, but now it was a deeper gray, almost brown but not quite.
Luffy smiled, and it did show his mouth had blood in it. Well, he couldn't help getting blood on his teeth. It was fine. Katakuri wasn't disgusted or bothered at all. He'd had five months to get used to the idea of seeing a lot of blood now. At least he really didn't smell appetizing and Luffy could relax here.
"When you're done with your blood juice boxes, make sure you them in here," Katakuri said, motioning to the biohazard bin. "It's so nobody gets sick." Luffy agreed to do that, but immediately went to throw the "juice" box into the regular trash. Then he remembered and dug the juice out of the trash can. Katakuri had taken out the trash, so there was no mess by the young vampire doing this. Silly.
But he was going to now throw out that empty trash bag, just to be safe. "I did it!"
"Good job," Katakuri praised. "Now, Zoro and Coby want to see you. How about you go see them both tomorrow?" Luffy cheered, happy to see them again. Katakuri sat on the couch and Luffy bounded over and jumped into his lap. "Why don't you tell me about Zoro? He seemed like a good kid. Yeah, he visited once he was discharged and wants to see you again."
Luffy looked happy and bashful at the same time began to explain all about his werewolf friend. Katakuri felt for the boy when Luffy said he was always screaming on full moons. "I would find him cookies to give after for him. I stole it from other rooms, and was sneaky! I'm super sneaky, you know."
Katakuri highly doubted this. Luffy was very loud in most of what he did. When he would wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he often woke Katakuri by making a ton of noise in the bathroom. And slamming the door shut loudly. He also mumbled to himself, sleep talking when he was tired. Oh, how Katakuri had hated a silent home. Karina was very happy to see Luffy, too, and was laying on the back of the couch by Katakuri's head. "What did you do when I was gone?"
"I went back to work. Everyone wanted you to do well. I've taken a leave to help you adjust. My boss is very understanding." Luffy smiled, glad his papa wasn't all alone at home all the time. He wondered how Coby was doing. "Very well. He and Makino no longer live with Dragon." Luffy was surprised. "He was a mean father and did bad things, so they don't live with him anymore."
Luffy asked if they were sad. "No, they're all happy to be free. Dragon and I are no longer friends." Luffy frowned for his papa losing his friend. "I've become friends with Makino, though it isn't the same. But I had to report Dragon. I couldn't let children be abused when I could do something about it."
"Papa looks like a grumpy grump sometimes but is so nice!" Katakuri pat his head, and it made the boy giggle. "I'm tired, I wanna take a nap." He was carried to his room, and he hugged all his stuffed animals tightly, putting Paul 2 on the bed. He asked how Paul was doing. "Who's that?" Luffy asked. Did he forget about his imaginary friend?
"Nevermind," Katakuri said, not wanting to upset Luffy by him not remembering something that was once important to him. He snuggled under the blankets, liking the smell, clearly.
"Mm, smells like home! Home smells good, but not yummy," he said before yawning. Then he dozed off. Katakuri closed the door most of the way, and went to his room to get the thick packet of important information. He went to the couch and started to read.
Luffy couldn't be in the sun at noon without a ton of sunscreen or he'd get bad burns. Painful sunburns. He had to drink blood every two hours at most, or he'd get cravings and it would upset him and he would cry. The cravings scared him because he was afraid of hurting people. Keeping him blood hydrated was very important.
He took multiple naps a day, usually when the sun was high in the sky. So a good nap time was right after lunch. While he needed a lot of blood, he also was eating a lot. The vampire traits were physically draining. Running or using his strength drained him, but the paperwork said that would fade as he aged. He'd grow into the abilities. He had super sensitive senses of sound and scent. Some foods burned his nose, like garlic, peppers and onions. Too sweet things were unpleasant as well.
They didn't have much food with those ingredients, so they wouldn't be cutting their meal plan too much. There were always new recipes to eat, anyways.
Luffy had trouble being in crowds so far, so being in public in busy places could be overwhelming. After all, he still described most humans as smelling "yummy". The smell of blood would cause a reaction in him, but if he was called out, he would come back to himself. So raising him at his age right now could be difficult. He also couldn't go to kindergarten right now, which was a bummer.
Once he got used to large groups of people and the overwhelming smells, then he would probably do fine at school. He shouldn't drink from people straight because it was almost painfully addicting and very hard to stop, even if he was able to do so if he really tried. Katakuri wasn't planning on letting him drink from the source, so that shouldn't be an issue.
He had intense mood swings if he didn't have blood on time. Like a baby growing cranky when deprived of milk too long. He just turned grumpy and closed off, he didn't grow violent. Sometimes he cried. So Katakuri would try and always keep blood available for him. A small cooler to carry around, maybe in a small backpack, would be the safest bet to keep Luffy happy and not hungry.
There was a lot that changed. But none of it was impossible to work to remedy or make less intense. He did have a preference of blood type, but was fine with all. AB negative, which was the least common in the country. So it would be a treat then, if it was uncommon. He was still reading through the packet when he heard Luffy wake up, and start playing with his toys in his room, content to play by himself, so Katakuri let him.
He called Zoro's home number and told him Luffy was out. It wasn't surprising that Luffy could hear that, and shouted Zoro's name as he hurried down the hallway. Katakuri handed Luffy the phone, and he was very happy to talk to Zoro about his time after he was gone, and that he wanted to see him again. They talked for awhile, Luffy in a great mood. After the call, Katakuri suggested Luffy call Coby. "Yeah! Now I have two friends, papa!" Luffy cheered, and waited for the phone to pick up from the Foosha household. Dragon lived alone, now.
Makino picked up, and Katakuri gave her the news that Luffy was discharged. She was very happy, and Luffy wanted to talk to Coby, so the phone was given to his friend he hadn't seen in months. Coby wasn't afraid of Luffy despite the last time he saw him. He went through training to be back to normal, and Katakuri had been giving them status updates for his success, which seemed to be for the best.
They talked for a long time, and soon Luffy had a play date with him and then Zoro the next day. Luffy managed to force himself to sleep at 4:30 and through the night but for Katakuri bringing in a sandwich. The boy wanted to get to tomorrow as soon as possible!
-x-
"Do you have your blood pouch?" Katakuri asked as Luffy put his shoes on. Luffy nodded. He wouldn't forget to bring them with him so people don't smell yummy. He didn't like them smelling yummy. He was glad papa didn't and so Luffy wasn't uncomfortable at home. He was so happy to be back, and his dad was, too.
Karina slept with him all day the day before. Luffy took his beanie and plopped it on. It was cloudy today, but he still had sunblock put on all the exposed parts of his body. Not that it was much, since it was winter and he was wearing thick clothes to keep him warm. He had boots on since his toes got cold if he wore his flip flops.
He hurried to the car, and Katakuri unlocked it from the front door. The security system for the home was new and very fancy. Papa didn't say why, but Luffy was happy with more security. Then nobody could be mean and come in and make them unhappy. He needed help getting into his car seat, and then had the window rolled down lightly as they drove across the city to where Coby and his happy life now lived.
It was sad his daddy had been bad and mean, but Luffy was glad they were happy now. Dragon really was a grumpy grump. He was glad he'd never need to see him again. But he did feel bad for Katakuri losing a friend. It was just lucky he was so close to his many siblings, so he was never really alone in that way. They were all so happy to get to see Luffy again, but were waiting for things to settle down a bit.
When they got to the house, it looked more like their house and not wooden and drafty. There was a real front door and not paper sliders. Now that they didn't live with the number 2 hero, they could be attacked or robbed, so they needed a more secure house. Luffy thought it looked very pretty, and had a garden and everything!
There were big windows, and it was two stories. Luffy's home was one story with a long hallway. They knocked on the doors, and Luffy heard thundering steps down the stairs, and the door was flung open to show Coby, who had had a birthday while Luffy was in rehab. He was so happy to see Luffy, and they hugged.
Coby smelled good, but more like plant perfume. Not yummy! But Makino smelled yummy. Not overwhelmingly so, though. So Luffy didn't have any ache in his throat. He put his boots on the floor at the entrance, but didn't need slippers. Most of the home was carpeted but for the hardwood floors in the kitchen and dining room.
"This is my new house," Coby said. He was still a bit quiet regardless of living with Dragon or not. And Luffy also hadn't changed much. The only thing that was noticeable was his eyes and the teeth. Also being a bit more pale.
"I like it! It's not as cold and boring!"
"Right? I don't get all cold at night, and I like the carpet. Dad lives in the other house by himself now. I'm not sad about it." Luffy nodded, and asked if he was really happy now. "Yeah. I don't even have to use my quirk when I don't want to," Coby said happily. Luffy was glad he was happy now, and wasn't seeming scared to be that way. Energetic and positive.
Coby had a lot of toys, now. Not only Luffy. There was a big pile in the corner. There were drawings and photos on the walls. It was a much more homey setting. Not cold and empty and soulless. They played with action figures, and Coby didn't bring up what happened until snack time. Katakuri had left this time to go grocery shopping. So Makino was supervising them.
While they were eating crackers with little slices of cheese on them, Coby finally asked how Luffy was doing. He was gone for a long time. "I'm happy to be back with papa and you! And I'll see Zoro tomorrow, too! I do feel different now than before in a bit. But also not much, too. Everything is noisier and I can smell more," he explained between bites.
"What… what does blood taste like?" Coby asked hesitantly. But Luffy answered as best as he could.
"Em… Well it's like a really yummy drink. Or like hot chocolate when its cold and raining! I gotta drink a lot though, and I sometimes get sad when I'm thirsty," he explained openly. Coby nodded, and then asked about the sun. If it hurt him. "I'm okay if I have sunblock. But I get tired when it's sunny and get sunburns if I don't got sunblock on. But it's stinky!"
"I can't smell it. Hey, what do I smell like?"
"That's silly! You smell like Coby!" The other boy semed to drop it, maybe thinking he wasn't going to get a satisfying answer. "Papa smells like candy all the time cause he's mochi. It's not bad, but not good smelling either." He didn't use the word "yummy" at all.
His friend's demeanor plummeted, and Luffy frowned, wondering why. "I'm sorry… I cried and looked scared after you were… bit. You were scared, so me being like that couldn't feel good."
"Well, it hurt really bad, so I wasn't really payin' attention to you or anything," Luffy replied honestly. "I don't blame or mad at Coby at all!" The boy then finally started to cry, saying he was so worried about Luffy and wanted to see him. Luffy hugged him. "But I'm okay, now! And I'm not goin' back to the place, so I can see you a lot!"
"Maybe we can go to the same school together," Coby said happily. Luffy slumped a bit, and said he couldn't go to school yet. "Why not?"
"It's hard to be around lots of people. Cause they all smell and it makes me uncomfortable," he said, disappointing Coby. "But you'll make lots of friends now that your daddy isn't there to scare them away." Coby looked sad a bit, but then smiled, knowing he could make friends now. Luffy was the only one, the only friend because Katakuri knew his dad.
Luffy was happy for him to make more friends, because Luffy had another friend now, too. And Coby did ask what Zoro was like. "He's so different! Not just cause he's a werewolf. When I bit him once, he thought it was cool because he already had a wolf bite and now he had a vampire one, too. He was really brave, and cool."
"You bit him?" Luffy slumped his shoulders, wishing he hadn't said that. "I-I'm not upset or anything!" Coby backpedaled. "Uh, it's good he wasn't bothered, though. What's bein' a werewolf like?" he asked, trying to move on, which Luffy was more than happy to do as well.
He replied, "It hurts him on the full moon, but he doesn't attack people during it anymore. He wants to learn how to turn into a wolf whenever he wants, and not just on the full moon. He can smell good, too. He doesn't like his quirk. He can turn his arms into weapons. Yours is way cooler!"
Coby smiled at this. "It's sad what happened to you both," he said sincerely, finishing his serving of the snack. Luffy's throat started to ache, so he got out of the chair, and said he'd be right back. Coby looked confused, and Luffy went to the formal dining room and took the cooled blood bag out. Cold blood was kind of gross, but he didn't want to ask Makino to heat it up for him.
But then she walked in, and asked if the bottle could be microwaved. Luffy nodded, and was offered to have it warmed up. Luffy beamed and accepted it. It was put in a closed container so it didn't do anything to the inside of the microwave. Once it was warm, it was taken out and handed back to him.
He slurped it down quickly and neatly. "Here, put it in this," Makino said, putting a plastic bag out. Luffy dropped it in, and then washed his hands and accepted some water to try and get the blood out of his mouth. Then he returned to Coby, and was glad his friend didn't say anything about it. They played and then had dinner together. Katakuri let them all hang out together and ate at home before picking Luffy up after the meal was finished. When they left, Luffy bundled back up, and said he'd talk to Coby later. "Yeah!" Coby called, waving from the doorway, the warm light behind him.
Luffy was very satisfied and happy with the day, and couldn't wait to see his other friend.
Yay! They're reunited! Katakuri is the best, got them out of that abusive home.
