AN- somehow this was easier to write than in Selfish Dreamer. I'd like to take a moment to thank some of my very dedicated fans. Updates have been strange the past month. I've been making some bi changes in my life. Hearing you guys is always fun, no matter the context. A lot of you guys feel like you have to apologize when you send me a PM with a list of questions. I love it. I sometimes need the distraction, and having you take the time to actually send a PM is enough to put a smile on my face.


-Part 2-

-Playing a Funny Game -

-Then-

Crocodile chewed on his straw while pretending to listen to Doflamingo's ever-usual talks about life. The philosophy of the sixteen year old was surprisingly distracting, but Crocodile had a lot on his mind, and while he wasn't opposed to actually listening to Doflamingo's disturbing ideals, tonight all he could think about was getting over yet another obstacle that was sure to come between them.

There were times Crocodile wondered why he couldn't simply stop talking to Doflamingo. He really had nothing against the boy, but their friendship almost always resulted in some sort of fighting. It didn't matter how well things were going beforehand, Crocodile knew certain choices he made would upset Doflamingo, and he knew it would end with them going at each other. It was annoying.

"Are you listening to me?"

Crocodile kept his eyes on the road as he answered flatly, "yes."

He heard Doflamingo move around in the passenger seat. "You're lying," the boy said.

It was getting late. Crocodile knew he had nothing better to do with himself. He had nothing to gain from this argument. He also knew he had nothing to lose. This was further proof that his life had stagnated and a new change of scenery was needed.

"What do you think you'll accomplish from lying? And to me?"

Crocodile sucked some of his shake through his chewed up straw.

"I get off disappointment," he muttered. He went back to playing with his food as he drove his way up into Doflamingo's wonderfully bourgeois neighborhood. The first street held houses that, while extravagant to look at, all appeared the same from the roof work all the way down to the decorated rose bushes. It almost ruined his appetite.

"I'm not disappointed," he heard Doflamingo defensively reply. Crocodile snickered, staring out into the dark street while letting the straw scratch against his gums.

"I'm a genius," Doflamingo continued. His hands smacked against the armrest of the car. "You really should pay better attention. I know I have it. I have it."

"Have what?"

"If you'd been paying attention you'd know," Doflamingo muttered. "But I'll be kind. I think I have a way of watching the entire world crumble beneath my feet."

"Is that so?" Crocodile made no effort to feign interest.

"You think I'm being idealistic again," Doflamingo said. "But I know I can do it. I'm sick of these fools content in their little world. I'm sick of watching everyone just being ok with everything! I want to see people struggle for survival, Crocodile. Crocodile, are you listening to me?"

He had finished his shake, so of course there was little else for Crocodile to do but listen. But despite this Crocodile couldn't help but want to watch the boy squirm more.

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"Yes," Doflamingo said. "More than anyone else."

"Oh," Crocodile said. "I'm flattered." He made extra sure to sound as uninterested as ever.

"Diamante and the others liked the idea," Doflamingo snapped.

The conversation was becoming annoying. "Then why don't you go and unleash your master plan with them?" Crocodile asked.

"Because you're smarter," Doflamingo said. "Also you're better at planning and stuff than I am." He could hear Doflamingo moving about in his seat. He could practically taste the discomfort radiating from the boy.

Doflamingo was terribly obvious. The nineteen year old could see that the boy only looked for his approval for one reason. It bothered Crocodile to no end to see how desperate Doflamingo was for attention.

What could he possibly say to the boy? In some ways he was actually flattered. Doflamingo liked boys, and if Doflamingo found him even remotely attractive that meant something. Not that Crocodile was in need of confidence in his own existence. He knew he who he was. And he also knew Doflamingo was a very confused boy. A boy who could easily find himself another confused boy to find the right kind of answers with. He needed to find some guy at his school, get laid, and get over him.

"I won't always be here planning these games," Crocodile suddenly said.

He heard the boy chuckle, "you'll always be somewhere."

Crocodile could feel a rush of nervousness run through his veins. Something about it felt ominous about the way the boy had worded that sentence. Something about Doflamingo's enthusiastic tone.

"Don't be weird," Crocodile warned.

He could feel Doflamingo grinning at him. Crocodile quickly parked the car and made his way out, not really caring that he couldn't get inside of Doflamingo's home without Doflamingo. He sighed, watching his breath form a light cloud for a brief second before fading into the cool air.

Doflamingo quickly caught up with him. "What game should we play?" he heard the boy ask.

Crocodile stuffed his hands into his worn jacket, still somehow not entirely listening to what the boy was saying to him. "Whatever you want," he replied.

"I want to spoil you," he heard Doflamingo coo.

Crocodile rolled his eyes. He felt a sharp tingle run across his face. His scar did not do well in the cold, and after two years Crocodile had accepted that there was no getting used to it. He rubbed at his face.

Doflamingo pushed his way in front of Crocodile, staring at him with a look of pure excitement. "You want to play Zelda?" he asked.

Crocodile frowned. "You mean The Legend of Zelda?"

Doflamingo chuckled and suddenly Crocodile realized what the boy had just done to him. He felt his face burn with sudden embarrassment.

"What was the main character's name again?" Doflamingo feigned. "You couldn't stand it when I called it Zelda. And I ruined the adventure by not playing exactly by the game's rules."

"Ugh, you just don't know how to play games that involve any form of thinking…" Crocodile uttered in annoyance.

Doflamingo smirked. "I have the brand new game. I know you want to play it," he said. "You wouldn't believe how awesome the graphics are."

A game that Doflamingo couldn't master in the Gameboy form, and now suddenly he had the game of the year in his hands? Crocodile wanted to protest, simply because there was no way something wasn't up. But a large, selfish, childish part of him wanted to see it and play it and beat the hell out of it.

"Let's go inside."


-Now-

Doflamingo walked over to his two nervous subordinates, watching how both Baby 5 and Gladius avoided making direct eye contact with him.

"What a lovely scene," Doflamingo said, clapping his hands together. He looked over to car, spotting Pica pull out bags of clothing, then back to Baby 5 and Gladius.

"How have they been?" he asked aloud.

"Incredibly helpful," he heard a high-pitched reply. Both subordinates slowly turned their heads face forwards towards the blond.

"I'm very glad to hear that," Doflamingo said. He looked around the area. It was a rather nice neighborhood. It was a nice, white, first class neighborhood, and compared to everything he had seen from this country so far, it was becoming more obvious that this wasn't the cartel or some selfish locals.

"She brought a man over," Gladius said. He folded his arms together, once again looking off to the side. "Black. Big guy."

"They've been inside for awhile now," Baby 5 muttered.

"Pica has come up with a distraction." Doflamingo said. "I'm going in to see where the women are, if they're alive at all."

"I hope so," Baby 5 sadly murmured. "I'd hate to think I got all those girls in big trouble."

"That's your worry, eh?" Gladius said.

"Enough," Doflamingo said. "Gladius, I need you to dress up and help Pica with the distraction." He turned to Baby 5 and smiled. "And you, dear, will help me look around the house."

The girl gasped. "R-really?" She blushed. "I don't know if I'm ready to become a spy yet."

"I really need you to do this," Doflamingo said. "And both of you can't really afford to fuck up either. The executives are on their way, but until then it's just the four of us."

A car drove by. Doflamingo noticed how the car began to slow as it passed the four of them.

"We stand out too much," Doflamingo muttered.

"Hence the clothes," Pica said. He lifted the bag and offered it over to Gladius. "White button top. Black slacks. And your very own bible."

"…What am I dressing up as?" the man asked, opened up the bag and staring worryingly though his goggles.

"A missionary," Doflamingo answered with a grin.

"You'll be invisible," Pica added.

"How will this distract anyone?" Gladius asked.

"By never shutting up!" Baby 5 said.

"Something like that," Doflamingo said. "You and Pica will need to stall them long enough for Baby 5 and I to sneak around and inside of the house."

"The outfits also help for spying overall," the taller man said. "Nobody is suspicious when they see two Mormons walking around a neighborhood. You and the maid currently stick out. We can't have people wondering why a steampunk cosplayer and maid are wandering around such a nice neighborhood."

"Oh, geez," Gladius groaned.

"Just keep your mouth shut an let Pica do the talking," Doflamingo said. He then turned to Baby 5. "And you…please tell me the house has a backdoor? A window?"

She smiled. "It actually has both of those!"

"Wonderful," Doflamingo said. He looked up to Pica. "I have a gun."

"That's more than what I have," Pica said.

"Do you think we'll need to stock up?"

He shrugged. "I doubt they'll suspect a surprise attack from Mormons," Pica answered. "The hardest part will be keeping them at the door."

"And getting both at the door," Gladius said.

"Which is why I'll have the gun," Doflamingo said. "Hopefully the girl will answer. The two of you should have no problem knocking her out. I can easily take out the muscles with the gun."

"This seems incredibly simple," Baby 5 said.

"Too simple," Gladius said. "I always thought these sorts of things take time."

"Trust me, it will," Doflamingo said. He walked over to the corner of the street and looked down, spotting the target house. "But planning things out…surprisingly easily. You'd be shocked at how easy it was for me to take when I was younger."

"When do we initiate?" he heard Gladius ask.

"Diamanate and Trebol won't be here for another several hours," Pica warned. "If we get into trouble now it could be awhile before they find us."

Doflamingo stared at the house. It had a rather high fence leading to the backyard. High fences everywhere. Escaping anywhere other than the front door would prove difficult. He stared at the windows. There were a few, but none of them too big, and he doubted he could sneak several girls out without someone noticing.

"How long have those girls been in there?" he asked aloud.

"Awhile," Gladius answered.

"I have little reason to believe the woman is keeping them alive," Pica muttered.

"What?" Baby 5 whined. "Why not?"

"Drugs are worth money," Doflamingo answered cruelly. "Strippers aren't."

"Ooh…"

Doflamingo looked over to Pica. "Sundown."

"You sure?" Pica asked. "That's a few hours away."

"The man she brought in is probably going to collect the drugs," Doflamingo said. "If we're lucky, he'll help with cleanup…but other than that…"

"We can't risk losing your product," Pica said. "Yes, I understand."

"C-can't the girls be alive?" Baby 5 asked.

"If they are, then I'm selling them" Doflamingo said, shrugging at the poor girl. "That was the original plan."

"They'll be free when Kaido comes around," Pica grumbled. "Assuming things go exactly as planned."

Baby 5 frowned, lowering her head and crossing her arms like an upset child. "Fine. Ok."

"By the way, when this is over," Doflamingo said, grinning over at Baby 5, "you think you have any other friends…"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Pica said. "We only have a few hours, possibly less if they leave the house at any point before sundown."

Gladius stared down at his bag and sighed. "I guess I'll dress up then…"

Doflamingo went back to staring at the house. It was a big, pretty house. It had many windows. Even with the drawn curtains, Doflamingo was sure there was no way for anyone to pass by and not notice something was up. Surely someone would notice the movement, or the sounds. There had to be another floor. There had to be a basement.

A basement made him nervous. If he and Baby 5 ended up trapped in a basement it was over. No way out.


-Then-

Crocodile watched as hand sway in front of him, trying to block his view from the television screen.

"Fuck," he groaned. He clutched tightly on to the controller. "What?"

"Hey," he heard Doflamingo slur, "I think we're lost." He looked down at the table in front of them and picked up his drink. "You're lost."

"You wont tell me what you already did," Crocodile said.

Doflamingo sighed. "I told you exactly what I did…"

"No, you gave me very vague explanations of what you think you did, and not in the right order," Crocodile hissed. "I can't figure this dungeon out."

"It's impossible," Doflamingo said after another sip.

Crocodile looked at the boots on the inventory list. "Do you have all the necessary quest items?"

"I better have," he muttered. Doflamingo pointed at Crocodile's drink. "Are you sure it's not your fault?"

"I'm not like you," Crocodile said. "I can hold my liquor. And one drink isn't going to fuck up the game."

Doflamingo stared at the screen. "Well, we got the Longshot."

"Yes."

"We should just play out of order," Doflamingo suggested, falling back into his seat.

"You can't play the game out of order," Crocodile said.

"We can come back later," Doflamingo moaned. "There are other dungeons. What's the game gonna do? We should just exploit it."

"That's not how the game works," Crocodile muttered to himself. He stared hopelessly at the screen.

"Adventure games means doing whatever you want."

"We still need to beat the dungeon though."

Doflamingo picked up his cup and sighed. "You're supposed to be good at this."

"I got us more than halfway through." Crocodile huffed. "I beat Shadow Link."

"After the third time! We're clearly not ready for this dungeon," Doflamingo said. He waved an arm. "We…should go somewhere else!"

Crocodile made a face. In the few hours he had been playing the video game Crocodile had actually found himself enjoying his time with Doflamingo. He considered this moment a break from the fantasy he had been pulled into.

How could you play a game out of order? That wasn't how it worked.

"Fufufufufu…"

"What's so funny?" Crocodile asked.

Doflamingo shrugged. "I just realized how much fun I'm having right now."

"Watching me play?"

"Us arguing over something so stupid," Doflamingo said. "It's nice to have that again."

Crocodile stared at the screen. From the corner of his eye he saw Doflamingo refill his drink. Then his own.

"I remember when we had a fight over some board game," Doflamingo continued. "You wanted to play one game…some kind of territory game. I didn't. I was way too young to handle those rules."

"We played Clue in the end," Crocodile said. He paused the game and stare blankly at the inventory. "And you won."

"Or that time we argued over what movie we'd sneak in to see," Doflamingo said.

"Mihawk and I wanted to see a horror movie," Crocodile said. "You were being a child."

Doflamingo reached out and began to nurse his drink. "Harsh," he said. "Real harsh." He scratched his head. "If I recall, I went with you two to see the movie, didn't I?"

"We were going to see it with or without you," Crocodile replied. His thumb rubbed against the controller. He reached for his cup and took a quick, small sip.

"I saw it with you because I cared enough to see it with you," Doflamingo said. "Even though I couldn't stand one minute of the film. Even though I was way too young to see what you had no problem showing me."

"The three year difference made things hard," Crocodile muttered, avoiding any of the responsibility.

"The gap is about to close," Doflamingo said. "After eighteen nobody really gives a fuck."

Crocodile stared at the screen. "No," he said. "It really won't matter soon."

"Yep," Doflamingo said.

"Doflamingo?"

"Yeah?"

Crocodile rubbed his scar. "You know this isn't something that can last forever, right?"

Doflamingo took another sip. "Well. I suppose we're going to grow up and stop this. And I'll change. And you'll definitely make some changes, and–"

"I'm leaving," Crocodile said.

"…What?"

"This winter," Crocodile said. "I'm getting out of this state."

"…"

"I have to leave," Crocodile said. He continued to stare out at the screen. For some reason he couldn't turn away. There was something, something worrying about this. "I need to leave. I can't possibly continue to transition if I stay here."

"…Transition?" he heard Doflamingo move in his seat. "Yes. Transition." He lowered his cup. "That's very important, to you."

Crocodile was hesitant to add more information. He didn't want Doflamingo to know exactly where he was planning to go. He didn't want Doflamingo to know how long he planned for all this to work out. He didn't want Doflamingo to know anything. He felt like this was more than enough.

"So you'll be leaving soon?"

"Yes."

"That's…wonderful," Doflamingo said.

Crocodile almost didn't believe what he had heard. He turned and saw Doflamingo on all fours, crawling over right next to him, his red, drunk face filled with delight.

"I'm so happy for you. I'm glad you're going to escape this place…you always wanted to leave this place," Doflamingo said. He practically sang the words out. He readjusted himself so that he was sitting again, his body leaning against Crocodile's.

"You don't belong here," Doflamingo sang.

Crocodile found himself nodding his head. "I don't," he echoed. He was surprised how well the boy was taking this, and drunk too.

"You're going to California?" Doflamingo asked."I remember. You wanted... to see the ocean."

Crocodile went stiff. How was it that Doflamingo would remember such a thing? That was years ago. Crocodile didn't even remember himself having said it, and yet it made so much sense. Doflamingo actually remembered it all, and he was bringing it back up. How would he use this old conversation from years ago against him?

"Crocodile?"

He was worried again. What on earth was this going to lead up to? How would Doflamingo try to manipulate this scenario?

"You promised you'd take me with you," Doflamingo slurred. Crocodile felt the boy grab hold of him. "Will you…will you take me there one day? "

It was a surprisingly simple request.

Crocodile looked down at the controller. He had to admit this was not something he had foreseen.

"Crocodile?"

"You want me to take you to see the beaches?" he asked. It was unbelievable.

Doflamingo lifted a finger, spinning it closer to Crocodile, until it pressed hard against the young man's nose. "The ocean," he corrected. "You said you'd see the ocean."

Crocodile grabbed Doflamingo's hand and gently placed it on the boy's lap. "You really remember all of that?" he asked.

Doflamingo grinned. "You were eight. I was five."

"Jesus," Crocodile muttered.

He gently gave the boy a push. Doflamingo flopped back into his half of the couch, giving no fight.

He thought about it. He could say no and who knows what would happen to the rest of the night. Crocodile could easily say yes, leave, and never return. He could say yes, leave, come back some time later, and give Doflamingo what he wanted. It was obvious that saying yes would result in the least amount of trouble for him. It didn't matter what happened once he left, because as long as Doflamingo had his yes he could leave without a worry. Whatever would happen down the road, it wouldn't really be his problem. So we lie.

"That…would be really expensive," he said. He was careful with his wording. He didn't want Doflamingo to suspect that something may be up.

"Dude, it's just a drive," Doflamingo whined.

Crocodile feigned a groan. "Do you plan on paying for some of this?"

Doflamingo kicked his legs up. He spilled some of the contents of his drink all over the table. Crocodile grabbed his, barely saving it from the boy's leg. Crocodile stared at the boy's long legs as they spread across the table. Even though Doflamingo was drunk Crocodile couldn't help but wonder how the boy normally treated his family's furniture.

"You know I'd pay for the entire thing!"

"Really?" Crocodile said. He took a sip, pretending to be aloof. "I guess I'd have to think about it."

"That better mean yes," Doflamingo said. The boy's goggles began to slip down his face Doflamingo himself began to sink into the furniture.

"Crocodile?" the boy suddenly said.

"Yes?"

"…I really mean it," Doflamingo said. He grinned. "I'm so happy right now."

Crocodile couldn't help but smile back. "I'm glad," he said. "I'm kinda…excited about it."

"You should be," Doflamingo said. Crocodile watched as the boy pulled his legs back into the furniture. He put his cup back. He watched as Doflamingo's shoes began to rub against the seat. "I mean...California's like its own country or something." The boy rubbed his eyes. "It's going... to be a whole n-new experience. You're going to be get…a w-whole…lot of thing…done there."

"You're really drunk right now," Crocodile remarked.

"I'm... very drunk right now," Doflamingo said with a chuckle. "I'm honestly n-not sure how I'm sitting upright right now."

"Do you feel nauseous?"

"A little," Doflamingo said. "You?"

Crocodile stared at his cup, which was only at its halfway point. Not that he needed to measure it's contents. Crocodile knew he wasn't nearly as bad as Doflamingo. He probably couldn't drive across the city without getting into trouble, but he wasn't all touchy-feely yet, and he definitely wasn't stuttering through his sentences.

"W-we should do a sleep...over," Doflamingo said.

"I'm too old for that nonsense," Crocodile immediately replied.

"If you drive out you'll die," the blond warned. "You'll crash your car and y-your insides will smear across the asphalt."

Crocodile winced at the graphic description.

"I-I don't think it's a big deal," Doflamingo said. "But, out of all the people who I'd want to die... and leave me th-things…you're not one of them." The boy rested himself against Crocodile's shoulder. The goggles slipped down to his neck. "Y-you see, Croco, you don't have too many cool things…to leave behind." The boy began to laugh.

"Wonderful," Crocodile remarked. He stood up from the couch, letting Doflamingo slip and land face-flat on the furniture. He walked over to the screen and game console, turning each off while listening to Doflamingo grumble to himself.

"I'm totally kidding, of course!"

"Sure you are," Crocodile said, turning around and looking at the tired boy lying across the furniture. He groaned at the sight. He took his cup and downed the rest of his drink.

Doflamingo peered up at him and smiled. "We'll play... your stupid, boring board games."

"I doubt you'll be awake in twenty minutes," Crocodile said, shaking his head.

"I doubt you'll be awake!" Doflamingo retorted, pointing a finger upwards to Crocodile.

"I suppose I can't blame you for your terrible remarks," Crocodile said, grabbing Doflamingo and carefully hoisting him up to a standing position. He sighed as Doflamingo latched on to him, his legs shaking from the sudden change in weight distribution.

"You're… strong," Doflamingo said. His brought a hand to his face.

"Don't tell me you need to throw up," Crocodile said nervously.

"I don't…"

"Good," Crocodile said. "I really don't want to lave to deal with you throwing up right now."

"I'd…hold your hair up…"

Crocodile stared up the flight of stairs he'd have to endure with Doflamingo. He was careful to not let Doflamingo slip too much as he made his way up to the boy's room.

He wasn't too careful when he let Doflamingo drop on top of his bed. Crocodile looked around the room. The few times he had visited he couldn't help but notice the sloppy interior. There were a million different things scattered throughout the room, each with a nice layer of "newness" covering it. This time was no different. Even though it was dark inside of the room Crocodile could see piles upon piles of still-new objects, each one quickly neglected out of boredom. Crocodile couldn't help but wonder how someone like Doflamingo managed to still find him interesting. He was old, and getting older.

"Mmmm."

Crocodile looked down at the bed, watching Doflamingo fight his way through his bed sheets.

"What's wrong?"

"…I need water," Doflamingo grumbled.

Crocodile paled. He hurried over to the trash bin lying in the messy corner of the messier room, bringing it closely to the edge of the bed.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"Kayyy," Doflamingo replied. Just as Crocodile left he noticed Doflamingo crawling over to the edge of the bed.

Gross, it was happening.

He hurried back down and raced into the kitchen. Crocodile was in a hurry, and since he hadn't been paying to much attention to the sink, he couldn't help but notice, as he made his way back up the flight of stairs, how he had let the cup fill to the top, and was now spilling water, some of it landing on his jeans. He went into the room, spotting Doflamingo holding on to his self and some of the blankets. He knelt down and offered the water.

"Drink," he ordered. He noticed a foul, alcoholic scent coming from the bin. He covered his nose, trying to avoid the sour, almost coppery stench emitting form the bin.

Doflamingo forced himself up, taking the cup with a shaky hand and began nursing his water. Crocodile sat himself next to the younger male, trying to keep his eyes away from the trash bin.

"I-I-I messed up," he heard Doflamingo say. He coughed, covering his mouth with his arm, and then took another sip. "The room's gonna reek now."

"I'll leave it out if you think you don't need it," Crocodile said.

"Man... the water does nothing for the taste," Doflamingo groaned. He brought himself to take a final sip of water, letting it slosh around in his mouth before swallowing it. He placed the cup on a drawer and let the rest of his body flop on the bed.

"I ruined the night," Doflamingo muttered.

"I had fun. Overall, it was ok," Crocodile said.

"Really?" he boy asked. He turned his head and stared up at Crocodile. "Even though my room is starting to smell?"

"I'm going to leave that in the hallway now," Crocodile said.

"Wait…you're staying?"

"It would be irresponsible of me to leave you like this," Crocodile said as he got up and picked the trash bin up from the side of the bed. He closed his eyes tight as he navigated his way out of Doflamingo's room, letting the heavy bin rest right outside of the closed the door shut and opened his eyes, his mouth dry from holding his breath for too long.

"Besides," he muttered. He walked over to the bed and knelt down in front of the pale blond. "This is what friends are for…watching over them so they don't drown in their own vomit. Or piss themselves. Or do something really fucking stupid. "

Doflamingo stared back with semi-alert eyes. "Really?"

"Yes," Crocodile said. This was beginning to feel eerily familiar. He sniffed, taking in fresh air, and pushed the strange feeling away as stood back up. "I'll stay. I'll make sure you don't accidentally kill yourself."

"How romantic," he heard the blond slur. He ignored it and grabbed the bed covers, letting them cover Doflamingo up to the face.

"Too warm," the boy groaned.

"Too bad."

Crocodile grabbed his shirt and pulled it off while Doflamingo struggled with the sheets. Crocodile was sure there would be enough pillows to build a safe, vomit-protecting barrier between him and Doflamingo.

Crocodile pulled Doflamingo closer to the edge. "Stay on this side of the bed," he ordered. "Keep your head to the side. Don't sleep on your back, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Doflamingo yawned.

Crocodile stared at the young blond, noticing how his clothes were still on. He knew he could help him with that, but chose not to. He slipped off his shoes and socks before crawling over to his half of Doflamingo's bed.

"Don't turn around," he warned as he placed two pillows between the two of them. "Don't want you to smother yourself."

"Kay…" It sounded a little disappointed.

Crocodile was without a pillow, but he was sure he'd get over it. He closed his eyes and kept to his side. He felt the bed sheets move around.

"Crocodile?"

"…What?"

The sheets moved again. "Nothing," Doflamingo answered through the sheets.

Crocodile closed his eyes.


About two hours later Crocodile woke up with the unbelievable need to urinate. The first thing he noticed when he woke up was Doflamingo sleeping on his back, arms stretched out and a hand covering part of Crocodile's face. He grabbed the hand and threw it over back to Doflamingo before fighting his way out of the bed.

Doflamingo groaned, curling and grabbing what was once a barrier, now a cuddle pillow.

Crocodile hurried out and did his business. The hallway had a strange smell to it. He hurried back into Doflamingo's warm, messy room, and made his way back into the bed, just as rough and uncaring as before. He moved Doflamingo, grabbing the remains of the barrier and deciding he'd spend the rest of the night with a pillow under his head.

Doflamingo muttered something. Crocodile felt the pillow the boy had held on to before get pushed down the bed. Doflamingo's leg brushed against his jeans.

"Sorry…"

Crocodile buried his face into his pillow. "Mhmm…" he didn't care.

"We…both are drunk."

"Mhmm…"

Crocodile let his arm slip under the pillow. He closed his eyes, feeling sleep already beginning to claim him.

"I can't think…"

"Mhmm…." Once again, he didn't care. Doflamingo was out of it. The boy had no idea what he was saying and probably wouldn't remember any of later.

He suddenly felt a hand touch his back.

"Croco?"

Crocodile let his eyes flutter open. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was sharing a bed with a piss drunk teenager.

"What?" he hummed into the pillow.

"…We're both drunk, right?" A trap!

What a strange question. Crocodile sighed into the pillow. He felt Doflamingo's hand pull itself away from his back.

"Yes," he answered. "Sorta. You're drunk. I'm fine."

"…or we're both… drunk." A trap. It was a trap.

"Fine, we're both drunk," Crocodile said. "Go to bed." He closed his eyes again.

The sheets moved. Somebody was moving around. Crocodile felt it get a bit warmer in the bed.

He felt the hand return. Crocodile kept his eyes closed.

"…Nobody remembers what they do when they're drunk." It was a rather fine statement, said without a break or a stutter. Crocodile could help but open his eyes nice and wide when he realized just how well Doflamingo managed to say it all without one fuck-up.

"Mhmm," he said into his pillow.

"We do stupid things…"

Crocodile nudged away from the hand. "Sometimes," he muttered into the pillow.

"We do funny things…"

It was very warm inside of the sheets. Crocodile couldn't help but want to peel away the top cover. He didn't want to leave his back and chest exposed though. Not right now.

"Funny things…we do funny things when we're not ourselves," Doflamingo said. He sounded so…eager, almost like a child anticipating a reward. Crocodile curled up. He grabbed on tightly to his share of the covers.

"Sometimes," he answered carefully.

Funny things, funny games," Doflamingo went on. Crocodile felt the sheets move as Doflamingo freed his two arms, letting them stretch out into the cool air. "We like…to play…funny games." And then came the dreaded nervous laughter.

Crocodile turned his eyes over at the wall. He wanted to get out of the bed, grab his things and leave. He wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep. He wanted to turn around, face Doflamingo, and punch him in the face.

He rubbed his scar. "Go to bed," he whispered. "Go to bed and I'll forget all of this."

"…I can't."

"And why not?" Crocodile groaned into his pillow. His eyes began to burn. "Why can't you just shut up and go to sleep?"

He heard a sniff. "Because…because you're leaving." He felt Doflamingo shift to his side, staring at his back. Staring right through him.

"You're leaving and never coming back," Doflamingo said. His voice sounded too loud. Crocodile wondered if Doflamingo was aware of what he was saying. Did the boy really believe he wasn't coming back? Did he know that he had no plans on ever coming back? Crocodile wished he had kept up the pillow barrier.

"So you're gonna try it out now?" Crocodile said to the wall. "You think you can just persuade me into giving it a go with you?"

"Why not?" The bed shook. Doflamingo nudged himself closer. Crocodile could feel the temperature increase by a degree. "Why can't we? We're friends, right? We can keep a secret. We've got so many between us already."

"That's not the same," Crocodile snapped. He sat himself up, pulling himself and taking some sheets along with him. He covered his chest, keeping Doflamingo's eager eyes away.

"Does it matter?" Doflamingo asked. "You're going to leave anyways…"

"So why speed up the process?" Crocodile asked. "You want me to leave tonight?"

Doflamingo peered up at him. Crocodile could see the blue eyes filling up with so much emotion. It made him physically ill to even think of what sort of things the boy had planned. He watched the boy's hand stretch out and try to reach his chest, just barely having a finger grab hold of the blanket.

Doflamingo gave a weak tug. "No," he said. He gave another tug. "I just want that precious knowledge. I want to know I had you. Just for a second. A minute. Hell, the hour if you let me experiment with a few things."

"Christ, Doffy," Crocodile said.

"Why are you so upset?" Doflamingo asked. He moved his head up, exposing his less than welcoming grin. "You make it sound like I'm giving you a bad deal. But I'm not. I'm giving you something I know you want. I'm giving you something you know not too many people are willing to provide."

The blond continued to pull his self up."You're a guy. You want it. Let's be honest though; it's hard to get...especially for some people..."

Crocodile felt himself grow nervous. He could feel himself growing weak, parts of him hurting from the words.

Crocodile felt his fingers curl into the sheets. Somewhere in the back of his mind there was an agreement. An understanding. Doflamingo...was telling the truth. It sucked. It fucking sucked so hard. He let his fingers ease as he continued to stare at Doflamingo, tying his best to remain the stronger of the two.

The boy continued to stare up at him not breaking any sort of eye contact. "I can do it..."

The words terrified him. It was the honesty. He saw Doflamingo's fingers tug at the sheets. Crocodile's eyes lowered as the sheets were pulled away.

Two blue eyes locked on to his bare chest, a growing smile appearing as he began to take in Crocodile's developed form. Doflamingo pulled his lips in, his face turning a bright shade of pink. "And I'll do it with a purpose…."

Doflamingo sat right next to him. The boy kept his eyes down as he carefully chose his next words, making the occasional glance over at Crocodile. The boy somehow knew Crocodile was busy with his own mind, trying to think of a decent counterargument.

"Does it matter what you have between your legs?"

Crocodile snapped his head up.

"I don't care," Doflamingo said, still looking down at the messy sheets. "You want to fuck me? Go ahead. If it makes you feel better, then what does it matter?" He slowly looked over to Crocodile. "This house is filled with all sorts of things. I'll handle it. I'll do whatever you want me to do with it." He moved up closer. "I'll fucking worship it if you order me right."

Crocodile could feel his jaw growing heavy with shock. He kept firm. He barely held on.

"Or…I'll work with what you offer me," Doflamingo added. "I have a pretty good idea of what's going on down there. I'm young. I'm so innocent. I'm so easily swayed by whatever you offer me."

"Doflamingo, I really–"

"I know I can suck you off real good," Doflamingo said. "I know exactly what to do with it. I know what to touch. What to ignore. Unless you're ok with it. I'll go everywhere. I won't think you less of a man if it feels good for you down there."

Crocodile frowned. Just frowned. This was not the conversation he thought he would have with Doflamingo. Ever. And yet he could only frown.

Doflamingo grabbed hold of his hands. Crocodile realized that he had let him. The boy was still wobbling. He could easily push the boy away.

The two stared at each other. Crocodile suddenly realized how hard his heart was beating.

"…We," the blond said, staring up at Crocodile with incredibly determined eyes, "are very, very drunk right now." Crocodile watched the boy hold the serious expression, keeping his mouth from forming just a hint of a smile. "We have no idea what we're doing…."

"…"

"We're so drunk," Doflamingo purred into his ear. Crocodile could feel the heat of the boy's body pressing against his bare chest. "We're so drunk we're going to play a game. A really weird, strange, funny game."

A funny game. They weren't even going to call it by the proper act. The thing Crocodile had craved since he had finally started puberty. He could have it all. Finally. Nobody would ever know. He'd know.

His lips trembled. "…We're really drunk," he finally said.

"Uh-huh," Doflamingo said, his voice suddenly filling with a new energy.

"We won't remember what we did, will we?" Crocodile asked.

"Of course not," Doflamingo said. Crocodile broke his hand away from Doflamingo's nervously letting it hover above the boy's body.

Doflamingo was a sixteen-year-old boy. Crocodile was very, very aware of what he wouldn't have, compared to the average woman. Compared to him. What was he to make of it? How was he supposed to work around it?

His hand rest above the boy's rear; fingers rubbing against the boy's tight pants as more thoughts entered Crocodile's mind.

Doflamingo wasn't soft. He was a coarse, thin, lanky boy. A boy, and yet Crocodile had a very hard time comparing himself to Doflamingo. His head began to ache. His face burned.

He saw Doflamingo began to work on his clothes, yanking off his shirt and quickly fighting over the button and zipper for his pants. Crocodile felt his heart race. He wished he hadn't stared. His eyes were glued to the boy's chest as Doflamingo fell on his back, his legs kicking up dangerously close to Crocodile's face as he tore off his pants. Crocodile drew closer to the blond, getting on all fours, pulling the boy up, and then helping him undo his clothes. He realized the boy mimicking his actions, feeling frightened fingers working on his jeans. Crocodile ignored it as best as he could.

"I'll forget everything."

Crocodile realized he was probably going to have to keep his word on the ocean thing. Like everything else, this was something that was inevitably going to place Doflamingo on higher ground.

"Will you forget?"

Somehow this was going to bite himself in the back.

The first kiss was hesitant. Doflamingo had just barely undone Crocodile's jeans when he pulled him back up and brought Doflamingo into it. Crocodile felt the boy's lips; cool, dry, thin, and shaking from their sudden contact. The boy hands grabbed on to the jeans, tugging them and the rest of Crocodile's clothing down, past the hips. Crocodile knew he was about to become exposed. He pulled away from the boy's lips, no longer feeling too eager.

Doflamingo held on to Crocodile, one hand grabbing the man's shoulder, the other still on the sliding jeans, letting his weight push the two down back on the bed. Crocodile felt the boy's lips welcoming him back, this time warmer and wetter, and against the bottom of his neck.

The hand that clung to the pants made a quick shift over to Crocodile's lower stomach. Crocodile breathed heavily as Doflamingo continued to kiss and nip at his neck, practically humming out his joy through soft moans of ecstasy, moving further down, past Crocodile's collarbone, and choosing to rest his hungry lips against the man's chest.

The hand moved further downward. Crocodile's eyelids fluttered when he felt it happen.

"What are we doing?" he heard Doflamingo ask.

Fingers rubbed against the sensitive flesh. First one, then two. Crocodile let a hand grab hold of Doflamingo's hair, instinctively trying to push the boy further.

"Wait," the boy whined. A tongue lapped against Crocodile's nipple. "Don't be fucking greedy," Doflamingo warned. Teeth grazed against the heated skin. "I mean it."

Crocodile groaned as Doflamingo gave the organ a quick squeeze. "Shit!"

"Hurts so good?"

He slapped his left hand over his face. "Fuck."

Doflamingo chuckled. "Let me take your pants off all the way."

Crocodile stared up at the dark ceiling. He wasn't feeling too keen on this request.

"What are we doing?" he asked. A fantastic question. His entire body felt like it was on fire, but right now Crocodile was really beginning to wonder if this would be worth it. What would he do with himself afterwards? The fingers moved on to the side of his swelling organ, each one pressing against the small cluster of nerves, causing an intense, almost indescribably sensation to run up Crocodile's stomach.

"Let me try…"

Crocodile let him. He felt Doflamingo yank at his jeans and Crocodile gave in to the need, lifting his self up and helping guide the rest of his clothes off.

Doflamingo's hands grab on on to his hips. Crocodile let him. He let his hand grab on to the boy's soft, messy hair, guiding him further down to get that feeling back, stronger and far more severe than the last time.

Two fingers pried him apart. Crocodile let out a hiss, feeling Doflamingo's hot, wet tongue lap him up. He fought the urge to arch, covering his mouth from too loud moans as Doflamingo's continued to slide his tongue up and down the area, stopping and closing his lips around Crocodile's heated organ.

Crocodile sighed into his hand. Doflamingo continued to suck him off, letting Crocodile's fingers bury themselves into his hair, his breathing exposing the buildup of pleasure. Crocodile could feel curious fingers let go of him, moving down between his legs, resting against his inner leg, tickling his skin as Doflamingo pondered his next move.

"Don't," he warned.

Doflamingo said nothing. Obviously.

Crocodile's face burned red. He shivered, feeling an electric storm build up inside of him. He tightly gripped on to Doflamingo's hair, feeling a burst of hot, white pleasure hit him in the back of his mind, filling his skull and running down the rest of his body. He jerked, his hips aching to push forwards, his body shaking with delight, his hand just barely stopping him from waking up the neighborhood.

He sank into the bed. Doflamingo let go of his hips, lifting himself back up and wiping his face.

"I told you," he heard the boy mutter.

"Fuck," Crocodile hissed. He blinked, noticing that his eyesight was strained. He saw twinkles when he blinked. His body tickled. "You're sixteen."

Doflamingo crawled over, standing on all fours right above Crocodile.

"This sixteen year old still has a boner," Doflamingo said. "This sixteen year old needs to know where it's about to go."

Doflamingo grabbed Crocodile left hand, bringing it right above the undone pants.

"The sixteen year old wants you to touch it."

Crocodile stared at his covered hand. He could already feel it. And it made him nervous. It made him nervous and very aware. Doflamingo pressed his hand against Crocodile's, Crocodile's hand pressing against very warm boxer briefs.

"Where am I going?" Doflamingo teased. "I know one hole I'm not allowed in…yet."

"Don't get any ideas," Crocodile snapped back. He lifted his shaky right arm, bringing both hands to Doflamingo's tight pants, giving each side a rough tug.

"Fine, fine," Doflamingo said. "Doesn't matter anyway." He lifted himself up a bit, helping with removing and tossing his clothes across the room.

Crocodile couldn't help but stare. Doflamingo sat right on top of him, stupid grin and all, the damn erection sticking up right at him. It also didn't help Crocodile was beginning to feel rather fatigued. He knew it was his turn. He hesitantly reached for it, his hand lightly gripping the base of the erect penis.

Was strange that he knew what exactly what to do with it? No, he supposed it wasn't. He decided to take Doflamingo's approach, and tightened his grip around the organ, letting his hand quickly slide up and down the shaft. Doflamingo gripped Crocodile's shoulder, his face blushing a deep red as Crocodile began to work him, the boy legs locking in place as he held himself in place.

The boy sighed. "Y-you're good."

Crocodile decided he'd let this be a compliment. Only because of the situation. After this he'd do what he could to repress it all.

"I want your mouth," the boy moaned.

He was getting nervous again. He let his thumb slide over Doflamingo's moist tip, feeling liquid dripping from the attention he was giving it. And now Doflamingo wanted it in his mouth?

Doflamingo huffed, letting go of Crocodile's shoulder, moving himself forward and causing Crocodile to stop jerking off the boy. He could see the game shifting in Doflamingo's favor. The boy sat on his chest. He didn't want that fear to show. His chest felt a little heavy. It was getting hard to breath again.

Crocodile stared at the sudden change, taking the stiff erection back in his hands, feeling his throat suddenly go dry as he brought it to his lips. He stared up at Doflamingo, who was eagerly staring back down at him. Crocodile made sure not to break any contact as he went ahead and tasted the tip, giving a quick taste test before taking the head of the penis in his mouth.

Doflamingo gripped the sheets, breathing fast and heavy as Crocodile began to roughly suck on the tip. It wasn't a bad taste or sensation. It was warm. Salty. It wasn't too bad. Crocodile lidded his eyes as he let more into his mouth, wincing a bit when he felt a sudden contraction race through his body. It was a delicate, sudden burst of pleasure. Leftover pleasure? It burst and sprinkled itself throughout his body, resting, sinking, and making its way down a particular area. It stayed.

Crocodile eyes opened. He did not like that.

Doflamingo whined. "Don't stop."

Crocodile exhaled through his nose. He did his best to ignore this feeling. It was a pressure, a pressure inside of him. He went and let the rest of Doflamingo's erection in his mouth. He needed to get this over with. He let Doflamingo give, quick, light thrusts into his mouth as his tongue slid across the bottom, feeling the boy's hands play with his hair, his scar, his chest, anything.

It was…hurting. It was a wonderful ache. But it was an ache inside of him. It was inside of him, begging for some sensation. The other part of him was finished. Crocodile felt finished, all except that one part.

What a goddamn bitch.

"I'm coming," Doflamingo warned. Crocodile could feel the boy hold on to him again, his thin body practically falling into a fetal position as Doflamingo's legs buckled to Crocodile's sides, a long, loud whine escaping his lips. Crocodile pulled his head away; escaping most of the rough, jabbing thrusts that Doflamingo felt the need to produce as he came inside of his mouth. This was salty. It was very warm and very strange. Crocodile immediately covered his mouth, thinking of the trash bin he had left out in the hallway.

He coughed.

"Spit it out," Doflamingo tiredly whispered. The boy still held on to him. His curved back swayed.

Crocodile swallowed. He made a face.

"Dude, I said spit it out," Doflamingo groaned. He sighed, moving off of Crocodile and letting his self hit the bed face flat. Doflamingo breathed into his pillow.

"Fuck."

Crocodile stared up at the ceiling. He felt tired. He felt done. There was still that strange, sprinkle of need resting inside of him, growing weaker, but it's presence still known.

"Crocodile?"

He turned his head, looking over at two equally tired blue eyes. "What?" he asked.

"We're drunk."

Crocodile nod his head.

"We did something."

He nod his head gain, this time a bit more frantically. A very bad game.

"…We're not going to talk about tonight after this, because we're just so drunk," Doflamingo choked out. Crocodile saw the boy grab the sheets and cover part of his face. Doflamingo turned to his side.

"No, we're not," Crocodile said. He grabbed his share of the sheets.

"Crocodile?"

Crocodile turned to his side, his back facing Doflamingo's. "What?"

"…" The sheets moved. Crocodile could somehow make out Doflamingo reaching out for his undergarments. He could imagine the boy's every move; slow, unwilling, almost breaking apart with every action he performed.

"…Nothing," Doflamingo finally said. He felt the bed shake. Crocodile envisioned the boy dressing himself.

Crocodile was grateful. The remaining embers inside of him burned and died out.

"Good night."

Crocodile stared at the wall. He sighed through his nose and sat himself up. From the corner of his eye he saw Doflamingo peering up at him, looking unfortunately hopeful. Crocodile looked down the bed sheets, found the pillow, and reached out and grabbed it. He fell on his back, taking the pillow with him.

He lazily placed it placed it between him and Doflamingo.

"Don't throw up," he muttered, still staring up.

The blankets moved once more. Crocodile closed his eyes. He closed his eyes and placed all his concentration on sleep. He placed his concentration on sleep and told himself that he'd wake up nice and early, and that he would leave before Doflamingo woke up. He'd leave nice and early, and the boy would have his heart broken, but there would be a mutual understanding between the two of them.

He breathed softly into his collection of blankets and sheets. His mind was getting light, his body feeling separate from everything else.

Fingers lightly touched his face.

No. Crocodile kept his eyes closed. No.

They moved away, and were replaced with a gentle hand on his head, gently petting him as though he were a frightened animal. Crocodile kept his eyes clothes, letting his body sink further, convincing himself none of this was happening. His heartbeat continued to slow and ease, even with the increase of temperature; another face coming close to his own.

No. Don't do this, Doflamingo.

Why does he always do these sorts of things?

He felt two lips lightly press against his cheek. Lightly, gently, but with a different sort of passion than what he had given the boy before. It was a feeling that made him wonder.

His head began to ache.

He felt the fingers playing with his hair begin to shake. The lips pulled away, trembling; filled with a hurt Crocodile was surprised he was capable of creating without the use of force. He kept his position, ignoring it all, letting his rest come before anything else.

But now his body ached.

"…shit," he heard the boy whimper.

And now everything ached. Crocodile silently begged for sleep to come. He didn't want to be awake when the boy broke down. He didn't want to hear Doflamingo proclaim his love to him. He couldn't do this, not right now.

That sad, empty little hole ached.


Crocodile woke up at around six. He figured he must have been a little drunk, since he woke up with a minor sting across the forehead.

Doflamingo was asleep. Crocodile found the boy resting on top of him, not latched on like he had feared when he noticed the body heat and weight, but still all over him. He very carefully peeled the boy off of him, thanking god that Doflamingo was too hung-over to bear with the world right now. He got out of bed without hearing Doflamingo react.

He began to collect his clothes. His underwear was missing. He gave up the search and put on his jeans. He stared down at himself.

He hated the way it all looked down there. It did not look normal. It was a nasty hybridization of what he ought to have been. Not even that.

He continued to stare down as he realized that Doflamingo had never made a comment about it.

If only there was a way of asking. Crocodile zipped up his jeans and then put on his shirt. He couldn't find his jacket. He did find his keys and wallet. Doflamingo was still asleep. He was all right with what he had.

Crocodile crept out of the room, lightly shutting the door behind him, telling himself over and over again that what had happened never did, and that it would never be brought up again. He closed the front door behind him and had convinced himself that everything that had happened afterword was just a dream, that Doflamingo was better than that. Doflamingo wouldn't let his feelings get in the way of Crocodile's goal.

He closed the door to his car. He stared out of the front window, feeling just a little uncanny about everything. The car was started. He looked up at the house, spotting the window to Doflamingo's room.

He could see the boy staring down, right back at him.


Well, this was somehow less sad then SD. I know it took forever to write this. I really tried, considering I'm limited to Crocodile's POV for the next several chapters, to have both of them involved in this. If it worked, great. If not, please let me know right away. I have more chapters with these two together so fixing up any issues early on would be spectacular. Other than that, thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave a comment in the form of a review or PM.