Wishfull-star: (〃^▽^〃)
"Coby! I have a play room, now!" Luffy cheered when his friend came out of Makino's car. He ran to Luffy and they hugged and then both five year olds ran into their new home and upstairs to play in Luffy's new room. All of his toys were stored in there, because that was where toys belonged, in Luffy's opinion.
Luffy heard Katakuri greet Makino before she drove away. So Coby would be spending time with them, today. They played with the plethora of toys and various coloring books. After playing on the rug that had streets on it with their toy cars, he ran downstairs and asked papa if they could play hide and seek.
Coby was all for this, and the boys ran in different directions to hide from the large man. Luffy stuffed himself under the sink, squished into a tiny ball while he heard Coby hide behind the curtains. They were thick and closed right now, so there was a lot of space to hide behind them. Luffy held his breath when he heard Katakuri announce he was done counting.
He took his time finding them, and found Coby first. "No!" the five year old complained about being found first. "How about we both look for Luffy?" Katakuri offered. So they looked for him and then Coby opened the cupboard.
"Found you!" Coby cheered.
"I won, though," Luffy mumbled, needing help to go out due to how he'd maneuvered his body. Getting dislodged, he flopped out onto the wood floor with an "oof!" Coby asked if he was okay, and Luffy nodded. Then they got up and got some snacks from the fridge. On the shelf they could reach had all the snacks. Yogurts and other snacks.
Katakuri went to the couch, staying in the same room while they ate. They talked about random things while eating the yogurt. It wasn't healthy greek yogurt because that made Luffy feel sick. So this was the most sugary snack they had. Coby went to put the spoon in the dishwasher when he slipped on his loose sock and face planted.
He hit his nose hard, and it was bleeding. "Coby!" Luffy cried when he saw before the sudden smell of blood hit him. "Papa! Coby's hurt!" Luffy cried, trying to plug his nose as the other boy cried, his face hurting. Katakuri hurried to Coby and helped him up, getting him a napkin for his nose.
The father inspected it, and said it hadn't been broken. But the blood didn't stop, and Luffy's tummy rumbled. It happened before now, but this was the first time it happened to his family or friends. Well, besides when he bit Zoro back in the rehab.
When Coby stood up, Luffy backed away a step. "What's wrong?" Coby asked, still sniffling and pinching his nose shut. Katakuri was on the phone, telling Makino. But he was also standing in between them in case Luffy had something happen.
The black haired boy looked down. "It smells yummy," he admitted in shame.
"Oh. It's not your fault, though," Coby replied, even if he looked a bit uncomfortable. Once the blood stopped, his face was wiped up. He wanted to go home, not in the mood to play anymore. While they waited, Luffy went to the trash can with the spoiled napkin in it, and felt like a robot as he dug it out, and smelled it deeply. It smelled good. But Coby wandered in for water while waiting, and saw what Luffy was doing. "What…?"
Luffy looked up, his pupils blown wide. There was the source of the yummy blood. His teeth elongated against his will, and he leaned forward before his feet were covered in mochi and stuck him to the floor. Coby looked frightened. "Why don't we go outside to wait for your mommy?" Katakuri asked, his voice soft and kind, trying to calm the situation.
The other boy nodded and fled the kitchen. Once he was gone, Luffy fell to his knees, the mochi stretching just slightly, and started to cry. He really felt like a monster.
-x-
"We should started feeding you more often. On a schedule, not just when you're thirsty," Katakuri said kindly on the couch. Luffy was facedown on the bean bag chair across from him, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He'd heard Coby crying about Luffy scaring him when Makino arrived at the house.
"'M sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"I know. I should have not thrown the napkin away and not made it enclosed and sealed off." Luffy got frustrated at this. It was his fault for going to smell it. He could have just left it alone! "Though it wasn't the best thing to happen, it was just your vampire instinct. Attracted to blood, and there was some fresh, warm blood. Like an addict, you are responsible, but so is your body."
Luffy was glad Katakuri agreed it was a problem he made, too. They couldn't just blame anything besides Luffy for something he did bad. "Will you put me in time out?"
"Do you want to be in time out?"
"No, I wanna nap."
"Then go take a nap," Katakuri replied. "I'll clean up the kitchen so there's no lingering scent." Luffy smiled at him and hugged his legs before he hurried into his room to sleep. Katakuri leaned into the couch and sighed. He didn't know how Luffy would have acted if he hadn't put the mochi down. He was surprised he dug the napkin out of the trash, though. Well, he wasn't actually exposed to fresh blood from people. Katakuri's body was made of mochi and so he couldn't bleed easily.
There had been no accidents at home, so this was the first time someone in the house had spilled blood. He really wasn't ready for school. If a kid scraped their knee in front of him, that could be bad. The father felt so… sad for Luffy. There was no way he wanted to act like that. He did his best to plug up the smell, but in the end, he still reacted badly.
It probably was very frightening to Coby. He was only five, had just gotten hurt, and had his vampire friend look at him like he was, frankly, tasty. And his fangs elongated, which was a problem, as it was very noticeable to others when it happened. So when Luffy was asleep, Katakuri called Makino's phone.
There was no answer until he hung up. She called back only a few minutes after. "Hey, Makino-san. I assume Coby told you about what happened?"
"Yes, he did. Is Luffy safe?"
"If there's a supervisor, I feel there would be no problem. He just had a bit of trouble with the smell of fresh blood." He was open with her, not going to sugarcoat or lie. "He feels very bad over it, and would like to talk to Coby later."
She was silent for a bit, and Katakuri frowned deeply. "Is there any way for him to not be attracted to blood? If something happens again and you're not there…" Katakuri wasn't liking that she was acting as if Luffy was a ticking time bomb. But either one of them was always in the house near them when they played together. But it looked like he had to maybe stay at the foot of the stairs to Luffy's play room. It had no door so he'd easily hear what was going on inside.
"He knows what he did wasn't right and feels very sorry about it. We're planning on making sure he drinks a lot before going anywhere or anyone coming over."
"Do you know when he'll be fully safe?"
"Makino, he's five and has had this less than a year. It may take quite some time for him to find a happy medium at all times," Katakuri said in a flat voice. He hated where this was going. In her shoes as a parent, he understood why she would feel this way. Seeming hesitant over the friendship dynamics. She'd been with an emotionally and physically abusive man who harmed her child frequently. Of course she'd be very protective, just like Katakuri was for Luffy for very different reasons.
"Well… I don't think it's safe to leave them alone together." At least she wasn't saying at all. They could just work for Luffy to gain full trust again.
"Then one of us will always be in the room with them," Katakuri replied. "We both have quirks that could physically separate them," he added. She could control her ice enough to put a barrier up between them if something did go catastrophically wrong. "How does Coby feel about this?"
Makino sighed. "He's sad. He feels degraded, kind of like he's just a snack. I've tried to reason with him. It really shook him, to be honest. He may need some time, and to talk to Luffy. Over the phone or video chat," she explained. Katakuri's face fell further, and he listened, and could hear Luffy still snoring, thank goodness. He could be able to hear both sides of this sad phone call.
"I'll have Luffy talk tomorrow, then," Katakuri replied. "Tell Coby that Luffy was very upset about what happened after he left."
"I will. And I'll call you tomorrow. Try to catch Coby at his peak positiveness. Thank you for helping him, today." The call ended, and Katakuri let out a deep, long sigh. Luffy was still sleeping, which he was glad of. He felt so sorry for him. But if Coby didn't want to be friends anymore, Luffy had Zoro. But Coby was Luffy's first friend, so losing him might be very hard. Would probably be very upsetting. He didn't look forward to such a future.
When Luffy woke up, he asked if Coby called. "I called them. Tomorrow you'll talk to Coby on the phone or video. His mommy doesn't feel like leaving the house tomorrow to bring him." This was a fib. It could be true, but it was never said.
"Oh, okay! I hope he feels better soon about it," Luffy said brightly. Katakuri smiled, hiding his sorrow at the way things could turn on the phone call. "'M hungry."
"We're having leftovers from last night." It had been a pasta dish, and Luffy cheered, more than happy with this. His dad hoped he didn't lose his bright smile.
The next morning, Luffy was bouncing on the trampoline since the flood destroyed his bounce house he got for his birthday. This trampoline had a second one under it and firm netting. Maybe it was overboard, since it wasn't inherently dangerous and Luffy could heal cuts and broken bones. But he wanted to minimize the risk as best as he could.
Katakuri was gardening, having just finished the virtual therapy session with the poor girl with leukemia. Luffy was very good about not being noisy and staying out of trouble while he was working. He could hear anything if he tried, but he never had interest or a reason to do such a thing. Despite his enhanced senses, he rarely used them for personal gain.
When the phone rang, Makino's ring tone, they both froze for a moment, and Luffy stopped jumping, looking nervous. "Remember to be honest but careful with your words," Katakuri said. Luffy nodded, and they went back inside. It was afternoon, so the sun didn't hurt Luffy. He had to have sunscreen on to be on the trampoline since it want covered from above like his bounce house.
Katakuri answered the phone, and opened the window to see Makino sitting with Coby, who looked sad, and his lips were turned down deeply. He looked tired and upset. Luffy didn't speak first, looking worried and uncomfortable. He was sitting in his father's lap like Coby was for his mother. "Hello, Luffy, Katakuri."
"Good afternoon. How are you feeling Coby? Does your nose still hurt?"
"Um… no, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's a relief." He nodded, and nothing was said for an uncomfortable moment. Luffy spoke, and said he was sorry that he looked bad. He didn't mean to, it was an accident. Coby was silent, and Luffy started to pout in worry.
Makino encouraged Coby to talk and say how he felt. "It scared me."
"I'm sorry," Luffy replied.
"Were… you gonna hurt me?" Coby asked, making the topic a hundred times heavier. Luffy shook his head vehemently. "But your papa had to stop you," he pointed out. "It was scary!" Luffy's face turned red, and he started to cry, and apologize over and over. He begged for Coby to still be his friend.
It was heartbreaking to watch, and Katakuri rubbed Luffy's back to try and help him calm down. "Luffy will be drinking more before you come over. In case anything happens again." Makino was frowning and patting Coby's head, too. But Coby didn't agree, and was crying too, hiding his eyes. It was a difficult sight, as they were always smiling and laughing. And here they were, crying at one another.
Luffy was shaking in his sobs, probably couldn't focus on what was being said anymore. "I wanna stay friends! Don't you, t-too?!" Luffy cried, looking at the screen again.
"It scared me! I don't wanna b-be scared!" Coby cried back. The call was getting out of control right now, and Katakuri shared a look with Makino through the phone. It was best to end the conversation for now so both of them could calm down. She offered to call them back in a few minutes so they can calm down.
"That sounds like a good idea," Katakuri agreed, and the call was over. Luffy started to really wail and screech about not wanting to be a monster. Katakuri shushed him, assuring him that he wasn't a monster. He was just different. "But not a bad different. It's not bad to be strong and fast, and you won't get hurt easily, either. Plus, you have super senses. Even drinking blood doesn't make you a monster. You're only a monster if you do monstrous things. You haven't."
"What if I did?"
"Then you would make what you did wrong right. Try to fix things when they're fixable." He said he didn't want to see Coby again until he was better and safe. "We don't know when that will be," Katakuri said, touching his cheek. "Are you sure? You might not see him for awhile if you want to do that," he added patiently. "Why don't we sit on it for a bit?" Luffy nodded, knowing he might lose his friend for awhile. But he said he'd rather lose a friend than scare them when they were around him. It was a surprisingly mature thing to say and think. But it also was in the moment.
They waited and then Makino called back. Luffy was ready to give his proposal of a break so he could get better and prove he was not a monster, but Coby sobbed out that he never wanted to be scared like that again. Luffy nodded, and said he would make himself better. "We could take a break, and I'll get better! Then- then you won't be scared," he insisted.
Coby agreed to this, and Makino suggested they have short calls on the phone. They didn't need to ignore one another to have space. "Luffy will work with Katakuri on bettering himself, and you can still be friends." Luffy nodded, near tears, and Coby agreed. It felt they'd dodged a huge bullet. And also made a very adult decision.
"We'll talk again soon, Luffy," Makino said with a smile. The call ended, and Luffy started to cry, but then gave a determined look before Katakuri could say anything of comfort.
"I'll get better!" he declared. Katakuri was glad he and Coby would still talk on the phone, since Luffy would probably make little progress in the near future. No matter how damn hard he tried, this was something that would be very difficult for anyone, regardless of age. But at least Luffy had Zoro.
-x-
Zoro wasn't good at making friends. He was treated nastily because his class found out about his disorder. Some parent had said something about it and then their kid spread it all around. Luffy worried that would happen to him, too. He was much more noticeable than Zoro was. When he was at Zoro's house, playing in the small above ground pool that had been installed, he explained about his situation with Coby.
"What a crappy friend."
"Hey! He got scared, he's not a bad friend," Luffy said firmly. Zoro sighed, and apologized for being rude. "Why did you say that?"
"...Maybe I'm jealous."
"What? Why?" Luffy asked in surprise, forgiving Zoro for his words once he apologized. The green haired boy said Luffy had another friend, and Zoro didn't. "Well, maybe you and Coby could become friends, too."
"If he's scared of you, he'll definitely be scared of me. Everyone is," Zoro said quietly.
Luffy replied, "Well, he only got scared when I looked at him like I was hungry. Besides that, he's okay with my drinking my blood around him. And you're only a wolf one night!" Zoro was unconvinced. "Zoro's awesome, he should have more friends."
"It's not like I don't want friends. I think I made a bad first meeting because I told my teacher to shut up. What?! I sneezed and then she told me I should sneeze into my elbow!" Zoro was getting increasingly mad at Luffy laughing about his woes. "I get cranky! I'm on my own at school!"
"Then, I'll get better and then I'll go to school with you and we'll be partners!" Luffy suggested. "But I don't know when I can go. Papa says he won't let me miss first grade. But that's still like, a bunch of months away," he added. Zoro took his thumb and split it on his sharp tooth. He held up the bleeding finger at the stunned Luffy.
"Does this make you thirsty?" Zoro asked bluntly, completely unafraid. Luffy plugged his nose and swam away. "C'mon! It's good practice, and I'm not scared of being bit like Coby!" Luffy climbed out of the pool and ran across the yard until he didn't smell the blood anymore.
"Zoro's a meanie!" he shouted, and called to be picked up by his papa. Zoro hurried over, and looked truly horrified at what he'd done. He apologized, but Luffy was angry at him. But the green haired werewolf insisted it was all he could think of to help. "I'm supposed to not want to drink blood!"
Zoro sputtered, "How are you going to get used to other people bleeding around you, then? At least I'm, like, willing and understanding!" Zoro was scared to lose Luffy, and tried to help how he could. Zoro's dad was in the bathroom, so he had to wait to call Katakuri. But he was calming down, and Zoro's wound already healed. Like Luffy, his condition allowed rapid healing.
"And besides! If you did lose control or anything, I'm pretty strong too, and I'll heal fast. But I'm sorry if I messed up. I- I just want to help you," he said sincerely. Luffy lost his anger, and said he forgave him. He was very different than Coby in many ways. "Do you promise to come to my school? And- and not Coby's?"
Luffy didn't like feeling pulled by two different friends. Couldn't he be very best friends with both of them? But looking at Zoro's earnest expression, his worried, slightly hunched over, posture, it was clear he loved Luffy as his friend. He didn't want to be the second choice. And he was putting in more work than Coby. But Luffy wasn't mad at either of them.
He wasn't mad at Coby, but he was hurt by the lack of trust from his friend. He understood why he felt that way, and wasn't mad. And he'd promised he'd change, so he had to fulfill that. "If I don't go to Zoro's school, then he'll come to mine." Zoro smiled and nodded. They went back to the pool, and Zoro said he wouldn't bleed in front of his vampire friend again.
"I shouldn't be scared cause your blood is stinky." Zoro went red and his eye twitched. "Shishishi!" He asked about what Coby's blood smelled like. "Well, not yummy, but yummy. It's hard to explain! More like it was fresh? Like when you have baked bread and it's raw!" He meant when it came out of the oven and the whole place smelled of the wonderful food.
"Oh, okay." Luffy hugged his friend suddenly. "What the heck?" He disliked physical affection.
Luffy smiled at him and said, "You're a good friend. Though I don't think you would like Coby a lot." Zoro flushed at the compliment, but did agree that he didn't seem compatible with Luffy's first friend. At least Coby had more friends and wasn't ostracized by his classmates. Luffy had to work hard and work fast so he could be friends with Coby, but he also didn't want to leave Zoro all alone and sad at his school.
They played in the pool, and Luffy said nothing of their conversation with Katakuri. It was private and Zoro would be embarrassed if Luffy told his papa everything. And Katakuri might not like Zoro's approach, putting blood right in front of him and all. But Luffy knew he did it because he was trying to help. He liked Zoro a lot. Very different from Coby.
-x-
"Papa… I gotta tell you something," Luffy said, sounding worried and frightened. Katakuri looked up from his book, worried but not showing it clearly. He closed it and sat up straight. Luffy was standing at his bed side. It was a quiet day, and Luffy had been playing with leggos in his play room, listening to classical music. So seeing him suddenly looking worried was unusual.
"What is it?"
"I drank Zoro's blood." Katakuri was stunned, and stared at him for a moment too long before shock and anger rushed through him. But Zoro wasn't dead or ill. Maybe it was a small nick, or an accident. "Papa?"
"Why did you do that?" Katakuri asked, keeping his anger in, needing to hear the whole story. "Is Zoro alright?"
Luffy nodded, and climbed onto the bed. "Zoro wanted to help me be friends with Coby, so he said he was training. I didn't want to do it the first time, but then it was an accident the second time. But then it worked, kinda?"
"What do you mean?" So, Zoro was the one to initiate it? Katakuri knew he was an odd child, regardless of being a werewolf- but offering himself to a vampire as practice was quite strange. Wouldn't a child be afraid of vampires? Coby had been working on being friends with Luffy, but he was reserved on calls and Luffy had to do most of the talking.
"I had some, and then I didn't feel hungry at all anymore. I didn't take that much!" he said quickly. "And Zoro can heal fast like me, so he's not hurt, too. Or either. He was gross at first, but better now."
"And how does he feel after it?"
"He didn't really say anything bad. He said 'how's that, how'd you feel now?' and was really nice about it! He didn't seem bothered or scared at all, even when I bit too hard." So Zoro hadn't just dribbled blood in Luffy's mouth, his kid full on bit the other. Clearly nothing terrible came from it since Katakuri picked up Luffy, and Zoro was perfectly happy waving goodbye to him from his porch.
Well, it wasn't bad or unhealthy for a vampire to drink from the source. He'd read that many adult vampires feed off of their significant others, but that could lead to unintentional deaths. But Luffy doing this made him uneasy. Zoro had to not have the same pain filter as others, being put in agony at least once a month for the whole night. Poor kid.
But it still wasn't great in Katakuri's eyes. "I don't want you to feed off of him, anymore. Something could go wrong and he could get very hurt."
"Well, he told me if he felt in danger, he'd lash out, too." So it would then turn into a bloody mess of a fight while they were both high on their non human instincts. Katakuri said he didn't want Luffy to do that anymore. "Okay…" Luffy said sadly. He was mopey before Katakuri added a compliment at the end.
"But I'm proud you were able to restrain yourself with it. Zoro is a very reliable friend. You're very lucky." Quite the opposite of his other, very different friend. Zoro would be over that night to sleep over, as it was a Friday. He didn't want to make things awkward, so he wouldn't speak to the boy about this if it didn't come up.
If the two were much older, Katakuri would say it was fine if both agreed, but the kids were five years old. Much too young for a dangerous act like that. But, it did prove that Zoro was dedicated in his role as a best friend. "Yeah! Zoro's awesome! He accepts everything and isn't scared at all! He believed in me that I wasn't gonna hurt him!"
Katakuri heard the sentiment. It was a stark contrast to Coby. Though he was weaker and could get hurt more easily than Zoro would. It was unfair to compare them to one another, but at least Luffy had Zoro if he lost the other. And his son had wanted to get better in public so he could rescue the lonely and bullied werewolf.
Luffy didn't think about the fact that school could be very difficult for him, socially. He just wanted to not be let behind by his friends and go to school like normal little boys did. There was still a good five months until first grade started, and Katakuri had been giving him thought stimulating talks and activities. Doing his absolute best to have Luffy mentally and educationally prepared in case he never ended up making it to kindergarten.
Luffy wandered away to go play by himself again. Katakuri put his face in his hand and let out a sigh. Now he had to worry about Zoro as his friend, too. Coby was worrisome over how detached he'd seemed to become in their relationship, barley speaking on the phone. And then there's on the opposite side of the spectrum, Zoro just offering his blood to Luffy and being totally fine with everything.
When he came over, they all ate dinner, and Katakuri sat on the couch while they watched a movie. Luffy said Zoro wanted to watch scary movies, but Luffy said he wasn't allowed to. Thought Zoro was chill about watching a horrible movie that Luffy liked. Katakuri felt it was acid to the brain, but Luffy loved it. So when he watched it sometimes, Katakuri would be on his laptop.
The vampire boy laughed at every bad joke every time he watched. Well, whatever he liked as long as it wasn't bad for him.
Katakuri had left to the bathroom and when he came back, Luffy had Zoro's finger in his mouth, both of them just staring at the screen. Katakuri saw Luffy swallow, and he called them out on it. "Luffy, what are you doing to Zoro's finger?" he aksed sternly. Zoro yanked his hand away, and Luffy looked confused. Great. "Were you just drinking Zoro's blood?"
"He offered it!" Luffy said loudly, knowing he'd messed up. Katakuri looked at Zoro pointedly, and he tensed, looking awkward.
"Zoro, why did you offer it?" Katakuri asked, putting the young boy on the spot. "I didn't even hear you two speak." The werewolf boy was unsure of what to say. Katakuri didn't let up his gaze, and Luffy was trying to scooch out of his sight. "Well?"
Zoro had teary eyes, and looked upset on being put on the spot. So Katakuri sat down and relaxed, but asked for him to please explain. With Katakuri in a more relaxed state, Zoro looked a bit less like a deer caught in the headlights. "I don't know… I just thought he was hungry…"
"Were you hungry, Luffy?" He nodded. "And did you tell him that?" He shook his head. "So how do you know that Zoro offered?"
"I- I don't know. I just did." Katakuri sighed, and rubbed his face, seeming so tired. Luffy started to cry and Katakuri hurried and said he wasn't angry with them. It hadn't hurt either of them. "But I messed up!" Luffy cried. Zoro looked worried, but didn't know what to say. At least he didn't just offer to give him blood to feel better.
"I'm sorry…" Zoro said. "I don't know why I did it. I don't know, really!"
Katakuri nodded, and put the movie back on, but firmly told them Luffy was not to drink from him anymore, and they agreed. Katakuri kept watch over them both the rest of the night, and when they went to bed, he deliberated over separating them. But he ended up having them sleep in the living room with the doors open. So Katakuri could easily get to them if he heard screaming in case things went south.
They didn't, and both boys slept like babies. For a vampire and werewolf, they were cute as hell.
