A/N: Quick note for character ages in this fic. I'm going to go with canon ages for the most part for secondary characters, but consider the straw hats, Ace, Kid and Law about two to three years older than post time skip canon. I don't think it will really matter for this story, but I'm leaving that here just in case people wondered where I pictured them age-wise in this fic.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Law had hoped that by Kid collapsing on him that he would be able to delay seeing Luffy and Ace enter his home. The dark haired doctor honestly didn't want to spill his guts to anyone about his troubles. Law knew that if he got cornered by the two brothers, with Zoro still around, he would be unable to keep silent.

"Need some help getting him back on the bed?" Zoro questioned from across the room.

The offer dashed Law's hope that he could feign not wishing to disturb his patient when in reality he wanted to avoid being bombarded with questions by overly helpful Luffy. Law glanced down at the unconscious Kid sprawled across his waist, snoring a little. The dark haired doctor let out a sigh. He wasn't a stranger to being knocked over by unruly patients, but this was a first. Law had never been knocked over by someone fainting onto him. Out of curiosity, Law grabbed a handful of the ridiculous red hair before him and gave it a light tug.

"Hey, get off of me." Law knew he shouldn't have expected a response by now, since when Kid was out he stayed out, oblivious to the world around him. Law stared down at the hair loosely clutched in his hand, and discovered that, while he found the red hair absurd, that it was surprisingly soft. Law abruptly let go of Kid's hair, a faint pang of regret sweeping through him as he recalled Zoro's tendency to run a hand through his hair when they were both resting.

"Law?"

"Yes, if you would." Law responded, remembering Zoro's question. "He's too heavy for me to move on my own, as I told you earlier." Law eased himself out from beneath Kid's sprawled body, and watched as Zoro easily maneuvered the muscular red head back onto the bed. Law was about to make sure that Kid hadn't done anything to his nearly sprained hand when the doctor heard the sound of the front door being slammed open, followed by a loud voice calling out.

"Hey! Law! Where are you?"

Law seriously considered crawling under the bed despite how undignified it would be, but Zoro seemed to have sensed his thoughts before he could act upon them, and a firm grip was suddenly around the doctor's nearest wrist. Law met Zoro's eyes, and despite the fact that Law was settling into a faint panic that tended to result from Luffy's company, he glowered at Zoro and tried to free his hand.

"Let go, Zoro-ya." Law didn't get a chance to say anything else, because a person sporting a red t-shirt and blue jeans with a straw hat jammed on his head appeared in the doorway. Law transferred the glower from the green haired policeman to the new nuisance that had appeared. "I don't remember giving you a key to my house, Luffy-ya."

"Zoro gave us a spare." The teenager, Luffy, smiled in the face of Law's frigid glare. "So, come on, Ace is in the living room. We're gonna figure out what the problem is, and then kick whoever's ass it is that caused it."

Law opened his mouth to tell Luffy that he had to stop watching so many movies; that it wasn't that simple. No one could just go beat someone up to solve a problem. It was absurd. But Law didn't get a chance to say anything, because Luffy had seized the wrist Zoro suddenly let go of, and Law found himself unwillingly half dragged to the living room. Luffy's older brother, Ace, lounged on one of the chairs in the room, looking completely at ease. Law grumbled under his breath as Luffy tugged him over to the nearest chair facing the rest of the furniture in the living room, and gently shoved the doctor down onto it. Law let out a weary sigh as he hit the furniture, and considered the pros and cons of sliding off of it onto the floor and curling up into a ball. On one hand, he might avoid conversation, but on the other hand, everyone present would know that something was wrong. So, Law settled for slumping in the chair and giving in to the inevitable questions that were sure to come.

"You look like shit, Law."

Law raised a brow at Ace, looked the older brother up and down, and couldn't help but smile faintly. "And it looks like you forgot what a shirt is."

"Hey, I'm wearing a jacket, aren't I?" Ace laughed the frown Law gave him then. "And I always have pants or shorts on, unlike one of Luffy's other friends."

"Law, what's wrong? What's going on?" Luffy was suddenly standing right in front of Law, in his space, and disregarding conversation about his brother's choice in clothing "Whose ass do I need to kick?"

Law made a face at Luffy jumping straight into the problem at hand, but he refused to give in so easily. The less anyone else knew the better. Law knew he shouldn't involve anyone else, because no good would come from it. Law couldn't let himself become attached to any of Zoro's friends. Still caring for the green haired officer was bad enough, but if Law were to care for anyone else, and be remotely concerned about what might happen to them, the doctor hated to think what could happen to them. Especially if they insisted on involving themselves in his troubles that even he couldn't handle on his own.

"I can't say." Law said quietly. "It's not anything you need to worry about." Law heard footsteps approach him, and knew who it was even before he hallf turned in the chair to meet Zoro's eyes. Law dropped his gaze to his lap, but under the scrutiny of Zoro staring at him quietly while both Luffy and Ace watched him expectantly, the doctor tried again to dissuade them all, despite knowing that it was useless.

"I was…approached tonight about something…but that was it. I'm home, aren't I?" Law knew it was a vague explanation, and that none of the other men in the room were going to dismiss it as something to not be concerned with. And with a quick peek around the room, Law was proven correct in his assumption because no one looked convinced that it was nothing.

"Is whatever happened why you were favoring your back earlier?" Zoro asked quietly.

"…yes." Law didn't know why Zoro still affected him so, because he knew that there would never be anything between them again. But still, Law couldn't help but give the other man details, but he wasn't a fool. He was careful to avoid giving specific details. "I…I was confronted earlier, and someone had had a gun to my back. They hit me with it, or their fist, I can't say which now, and that made me fall to the ground. They left after that."

"That sure doesn't sound like nothing. Show me where." Zoro demanded, seizing Law's nearest hand and encouraging the doctor to stand up. "I'll document it, in case legal action can be taken in the future."

Law thought about arguing, but as soon as Zoro let go of his hand, the doctor's shoulders slumped. Aware of Sanji's eyes on him from across the room, Law about-faced and tugged his shirt up. He was so exhausted and desperately needed sleep. But between everyone trying to get him to spill the beans, and the threat he had received lingering in his mind, Law highly doubted that he was going to be getting any sleep any time soon. Law stilled at the sensation of fingertips lightly brushing his skin. The dark haired doctor closed his eyes, feeling foolish for enjoying the touch despite it not meaning what he hoped it would. Zoro was merely checking to see if there was an injury of some kind, and Law figured he must have had a mark from the gun being jammed against his back, because when the touch retreated, there was the sound of a photo being taken.

"Do you think you can identify the people that did this? Did you get a look at them? What did they say to you?"

"I didn't see them. They had come up from behind." It wasn't true, but Law didn't want to raise the alarm more than it already had been. "It was all so sudden, so I can't tell you if the voices were familiar or not. It was…regarding a debt I owe."

"We should go beat them up!"

"Beat who up, Luffy? Law just said he didn't see who they were." Ace seized his younger brother by the back of his shirt and tugged him back down onto the couch near where he was seated.

"We go after their boss. Duh. That's who would tell someone to go tell Law to pay his debts back, right?" Luffy made as if to get up again, like he was ready to go then and there, despite the fact he had a class to go to the next day.

"No, Luffy-ya. You will do no such thing. Even if you could get to the 'boss', as you put it, there is no legal ramification to go after him." Law shook his head as he stared down at his hands. "There isn't a way to pursue a legal course of action, because there is no proof. Only my word against his, and at this point, I can easily be dismissed. There's no record of the debts I owe other than words spoken years ago. Unless I have something to back up those words, there's no getting to him."

"Who is it?" This came from Sanji, who finally seemed to take some interest in the conversation.

"Doflamingo." Law said without thinking, taken aback with the serious way Sanji had asked his question.

While Sanji got a look of concentration of his face, both Ace and Luffy looked surprised at the name. Zoro looked concerned and a little upset.

"Was this debt something you owed...before we had even got together?"

"...Yes...I had been successful in delaying payment of the debt up to that point." Law couldn't meet Zoro's eyes now, because the doctor knew what the next question would be.

"Is it the reason you wanted to split up?" Zoro was closer, and his voice had dropped into a whisper.

"I couldn't involve you and your friends if something went wrong in the future. I got myself into it; I shouldn't drag anyone down with me when Doflamingo comes to collect the debt." The dark haired doctor winced as Zoro gripped him by the shoulders and forced Law to look him in the eyes.

"Idiot! Whether or not we stayed together wouldn't have changed the fact that all of us would have tried to help you. And we're going to now, so don't you block us out like you did after we went our separate ways."

Law stared at Zoro for a long moment, not used to such outbursts from the normally calm and collected officer. Law could only nod his head before Zoro would let go of him and step back.

"I can look into this, Law. There have been a lot of rumors flying around the city about Doflamingo, and talk of a criminal investigation..."

"No, Zoro-ya." Law cut the officer off, hating the idea of Zoro having anything to to with the older man. It wasn't something Law wished on anyone, and just images of those who had attempted to help him in the past was more than enough reason to continue to try and dissuade Zoro and his friends.

"I think I know more about Doflamingo than everyone else in this room does, and he is not a man you want to make an enemy of. You don't know what he is capable of." Law ran his hands through his hair, his eyes briefly closing. "You don't want to get involved in this."

"Then you give me updates." Zoro said after a silence had stretched on a bit too long. "And in the meantime, I don't want you to be alone. Luffy and Ace are going to stay here with you in case someone else tries to jump you."

It was as Law had thought; that was the other reason that Zoro had called Ace. Of course none of them wanted Law to be alone, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to put up a fight.

"You two are not staying in my house." The dark haired doctor said flatly to the brothers. "My pantry and fridge won't survive. And-"

"Law."

The dark haired doctor looked away from Ace and Luffy and with a hint of dread turned his attention back to Zoro. The moment they locked eyes, Law could feel his resolve weakening. Or he could have just been breathless, because Zoro had leaned over him again so that he could bring himself face to face with Law.

"I don't want anything to happen to you. I've heard some stories about Doflamingo, so I get it." Zoro narrowed his eyes. "But since you know more about the man, then you know that he would probably be the kind of person to have you kidnapped in order to settle a debt, whatever that may be."

"But I can-"

"I don't want to see the news or hear something over the radio about you suddenly going missing out of the blue, so that is why Ace and Luffy are here."

"…All right." Zoro was too close to him, and Law was all too aware of the familiar longing that didn't seem to have left him yet.

A cell phone went off in the quiet of the room.

"I have to take this." Zoro headed toward the front door, fishing out his cell phone as he did.

Law took this as the perfect opportunity to escape, seeing as everyone else was distracted by the sudden call, and made it to the kitchen without incident. Law felt that now was a good a time as any to offer Kid some water and see if he could keep it down. If the red haired man was awake, that is. Law also needed to come to terms with the idea of living in the same house as the pair of brothers, and shuddered to think of what trouble they could get themselves in to. They weren't children, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't do something stupid and Law would have to pay for any damages incurred during their stay.

Perhaps it would be best to send them on their way when Zoro left his house...

"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you and Zoro? Because it sure looked like you think there is."

Law inwardly groaned. Great, just what he didn't need.

"There's nothing going on." Law said lamely, because he couldn't think of anything to say that would convince Sanji, "I just forget that he'll get too close sometimes when he is talking to you." Seeing Sanji frown mistrustfully, Law added, "You know how he worries about his friends. So that's all it is. Nothing more." The dark haired doctor was relieved when Sanji stepped aside to let him out of the kitchen, but Law knew he had a long way to go to convince the blond to be less suspicious of his and Zoro's relationship as friends and not as lovers.

"The guest room is currently occupied by a patient I'm seeing to. You'll have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight." Law commented as he passed through the living room.

"We can sleep on these couches tonight, Law." Luffy responded, flopping onto one of the couches. "Stop trying to kick us out."

"Wait at least a week before trying to get us to leave." Ace added. "We're going to go grocery shopping in the morning, by the way, so don't worry about us eating your food."

Law glowered at the pair of them before he turned away and continued on toward the guest room with a glass of water. Law came to an abrupt halt when Zoro appeared by his side and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Law took a short breath and let it out when he noticed that Zoro had gripped his shoulder firmly, and Law had to shoo away the lusty thoughts that used to come with that kind of a grip from the police officer. Zoro was merely trying to get his full attention.

"Zoro-ya?" The officer most certainly had his attention, as Law desperately tried to ignore the faint interest that stirred in his body. It would just figure if he got a hard on and Sanji happened to see it. That would make things infinitely harder to convince the blond that there was nothing going on.

"Don't forget to give me updates, all right?" Zoro reminded the doctor, clearly not aware that his grip was causing Law to go through mental and physical turmoil, "And if there are any more threats, don't try and hide it."

"…I will." Law couldn't say anything else with the way Zoro had his hand on him, and felt that he would have agreed to anything else the officer had asked of him at this point. But as soon as Zoro let go of him, and Law saw Sanji give him another narrow-eyed look on his way to the front door, the doctor felt guilty. Law watched the two men leave his house, and as soon as the door closed, Law let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Turning back toward the guest room, Law adjusted himself with a low growl. He really needed to get over Zoro, as they'd been apart for over half a year. Law needed to move on with his own life. Even if that life involved no dating for the time being. Law couldn't afford to become invested in anyone right now. Especially not after the threat that had been delivered to him about his debt.

"You should get some sleep too, Law. It's three in the morning."

Law raised his free hand to acknowledge Ace's words, before the dark haired doctor opened the door to the guest room and entered. Law absently closed the door behind him, as his thoughts were beginning to shift back to the debt he owed. Law approached the bed, and set the glass of water on the nightstand, as soon as he saw that Kid was still fast asleep. The longer Law stared down at Kid, the more the doctor considered sending the red haired man on his way once Kid was well enough to move on his own. Law really didn't wish to involve people in his troubles, and the doctor now knew that he couldn't involve Kid in his troubles too, since he now had Zoro and his friends to worry about. Besides, based on how Law had found him, Kid seemed to have some troubles of his own.

"What were you doing?" Law muttered to the sleeping red head. The dark haired doctor felt that he would have to be desperate to try and convince a stranger to help him. Perhaps Law would track Kid down through Nami at some point, but that would only happen if Law was left with no other options. And on that depressing note, Law hoped that he wouldn't ever have disclose the details of his debt to Zoro or any of his friends, because then none of them would even think to let the doctor out of their sight.

"I'm sorry." Law murmured aloud, mainly to Zoro, because he had dated him, and therefore made the man care about him. That the green haired officer continued to care about him, as a friend, made Law's gut clench.

Trying to tell someone that you yourself were the payment for the debt was not something that would go over easily. Law had chosen to place his trust in the wrong person, and now, years later, he was going to have to pay for it. His freedom would be ripped away from him, and he'd end up Doflamingo's pet doctor, doing whatever the man wished of him, and the possibilities made Law sick to his stomach.

Law sat down hard on the nearest chair as the implications of what could happen hit him. Law drew his legs up on the seat as well, and wrapped his arms around his legs as he pressed his face against his knees.

It hadn't been a fair.

It was a terrible gamble to have made in the first place, but at the time, Law hadn't realized that Doflamingo enjoyed playing dirty and twisting words around. Law's hope had been riding on Rocinante, Doflamingo's younger brother, to help him get out of the money debt from Doflamingo that had been used for Law's college education. So not only did Law owe money now that he was a doctor and working, but he also had Rocinante's debt to pay as well.

The cell phone in his pocket went off, and Law uncurled from the chair, grateful for a distraction from his past and his foolishness in accepting promises without seeing everything written out so he would have know what he was getting himself in to. With a quick glance to ensure that Kid was still asleep, Law drew out his phone to answer it and regretted doing so immediately the moment he heard who was on the other line.

'Hello, Law. Did you get my message?'

Doflamingo.

Law felt a little ill, unable to respond to the voice that often haunted his dreams, but Doflamingo didn't seem to mind as he continued to speak.

'I'm sure by now that you have enough money to pay me back, but do you recall what the payment is for your other debt?'

Law closed his eyes, hand clenching his cell phone tight.

'I'll give you a week to come to my office, so disregard whatever my men told you tonight. Any longer than a week, though, and I'll have someone come collect you. I would rather you not be injured for what I have planned for you, but I know how stubborn you can be, so it can't be helped if you decide to not show up.'

Law felt that the world was spinning around him even though he was holding completely still.

'And Law? I think you know what will happen if I have to bring you here by force, don't you?'

No. Law had been careful. He'd made sure of it. He'd made sure any time he'd been out in public that he and Zoro looked to merely be acquaintances. Doflamingo couldn't have-

'It would be a shame if that officer you're with had an accident.'

"Leave him alone." Law broke his silence. "And your information is out of date, by the way. We're no longer seeing one another, and haven't for some time."

'Even if that's true, I know you, Law. You're not one to let go of people so easily, no matter how hard you try not to care.'

Law could all but picture the wide, terrifying grin, and felt a sinking feeling along with the sick to his stomach sensation.

'And Law? If you keep trying to delay the inevitable, I'll make sure that it isn't only the officer who has an accident.'

The line went dead.

Law stared down at the phone, trapped with the knowledge that he had all but doomed Zoro and his friends by merely associating with them and being adopted as their friend. Law looked over at the sleeping Kid anxiously, wondering if Doflamingo knew about him. The doctor shook his head as he let go of his phone to raise his hands up and dig them into his hair as he let out a slow, shuddering sigh.

"Dammit." Doflamingo had him right where he wanted him, and there was't a damn thing Law could do to stop the man from taking what he wanted. No matter how hard Zoro and the others tried to help him, the moment he was left alone, Doflamingo would be sure to take advantage of that. It really was only a matter of time, and Law could feel the clock ticking. A week wasn't enough time to come up with a plan. Paying off one of his debts wasn't a problem. The other debt was trickier, because it was Law himself that was payment. It also didn't help that Law knew that Doflamingo didn't give a shit about the monetary debt. He wanted Law. Wanted Law's medical expertise. And the older man knew what to do to coerce Law into cooperating if he didn't give in. Time really had run out.

"Dammit." Law repeated softly as he closed his eyes. He knew that he couldn't keep quiet about this. The only question was how to go about explaining what had happened, and convince everyone about how the best course of action was to do as Doflamingo said. Zoro and the others wouldn't care for that, but if nothing else, Law knew that the twisted bastard was relatively good at holding his word when convenient. Law would just have to ensure it was a promise in writing before agreeing to anything.

Until that confrontation with Doflamingo occurred, it appeared as though Law was not going to be able to get a good night's sleep for the foreseeable future.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: ...I honestly don't know why I like to torment Law so, other than the fact that he is one of my favorite One Piece characters, and I enjoy tormenting my favorites for some terrible reason. Kid isn't safe in this fic either because he is a favorite as well. Things will eventually turn out well for both of them but for now...angst and anguish ahoy. (also-common sense is likely to be ignored in some future chapters for the convenience of the plot, even if the characters will later realize they should have done the obvious thing).

I'm glad that there are people interested in this fic. It's a bit of a slow start, I know, but I hope after explaining Kid's situation in the next chapter that the fic will start to move along. I'm getting excited/happy while writing this fic so I really hope this means that I can update it on a semi-regular basis. I'll see how it goes, considering my weird writer's block/no writer's block mood right now. But again, I'll take the ability to write chapters again without complaint. I was beginning to get really down about being unable to write anything but little snippets on Tumblr.