6


That evening, Sanji's stomach was in knots as Judge called him to his study. All afternoon, his brothers had been suspiciously quiet, grinning widely, whispering amongst themselves as they looked at him. He had thought they were only anticipating the ass chewing that was to come, and didn't think too much of their unusual silence. When Judge indicated that he close the door behind him, he looked very tense, sitting rigidly in front of his laptop. Unsure of what was happening, Sanji crossed the space between them and sat down in the chair facing his desk, wondering with panic why his father regarded him so suspiciously. He could feel himself sweating, armpits growing moist and his palms wet as he fiddled with his fingers. He wondered if the principal had called Judge regarding that fight with Law, or Judge was just following up on it; as far as Sanji was concerned, the matter was dropped after Judge had expressed his disgust with him. But Sanji wondered if Law's guardian had made a phone call to complain.

Judge stared at him with a stiff frown, saying nothing while Sanji felt his lungs tighten up with anxiety.

"Dad, I'm sorry," Sanji finally sputtered, fiddling with his school slacks. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened to it! It was there one second, then it was gone the next, and - !"

"So, am I to understand that you still are not in possession of your phone?"

"…No," Sanji confirmed nervously, smoothing his palms over his thighs. "No, I…I still haven't found it. I'm going to check Lost and Found again, once I get to school – "

"In the meantime, I want you to do something for me," Judge said, sliding the laptop to him. Sanji saw with horror that he had Pinterest up on the screen, login waiting for input. In the same window were Instagram, Facebook, and the Apple page. On that page, the Find My iPhone search was up, and it was already with his account settings; having required his password to do so. But the phone was inactive, another screen open to a FAQ page. The other tabs were clearly accessed - he'd used the same password he had for his phone to use for his apps, saving on time and concentration, so he was horrified to see that his father had been going through his pages. Sanji knew Judge wouldn't find anything in those tabs - Pinterest was the only guilty app he possessed, requiring a different password because of the content it contained.

"Sign into your account so that I may verify something."

Ice running through his veins, Sanji's frown remained in place. But he did as he was asked, apprehensive as his account was pulled up. Knowing that he was caught, he only sat there with a frozen expression as his father went through his saved boards. He'd started the application to hide away recipes, home decorating ideas, clothing inspiration – but the more he looked, the more he realized just how attractive some of the men were that wore his clothing aspirations. He'd created a separate board to oogle over them later, and one board led to another until he had one that was mainly men in various states of undress – not full photos of men deliberately undressing, but a slip of a shirt here, low slung shorts there. Pinterest didn't allow for specific topics in their search engine, but enough snooping and swiping had gathered him just enough photos for him to have a board full of what he'd never thought to look for. His hormones had made a very unfamiliar decision to have him hot over things he was very uncomfortable with, and Pinterest had helped.

Unfortunately, that unexpected feeling of pleasure at having such a thing at hand to look at whenever he finally had a private moment felt suddenly dirty and very disgusting. He knew how bad it looked, and he knew that there was no way explaining his way out of it. His neck, face and ears reddened with shame as he stared down at his slacks, clutched tightly within both hands.

"Do you have something you need to tell me?" Judge asked him, lips thinned.

"No," Sanji answered, barely above a whisper.

"Then explain to me how this works. In order to create a board, you must pin things to it, yes?"

"…Yes."

"I'd understand if you were taking in certain ideas that looked pleasing based on appeal, but I don't understand this board," Judge said, gesturing at the one Sanji couldn't hide from him. He didn't look at it, because he had no idea what sort of expression to make, or even felt brave enough to see what expression Judge was wearing. But his mind raced; he wondered what had happened to his phone, and wondered what exactly had been shared. He was currently wondering if one of his brothers had snatched off with it, and thought hastily of a story to accuse them of doing this, but Judge then added, "It was interesting receiving this message, today. I had prepared myself for the possibility that all of you were partaking in your usual snippets, but there was no reply from you, and Ichiji mentioned that you looked very scared, today. It all made sense. Now, I am…trying to process what exactly had been sent to us."

"Sent?" Sanji questioned, looking at him with a clueless expression. "You were sent something…? From my phone?"

Judge studied him to see if anything on Sanji's face represented anything troublesome he had to work with. Once he was satisfied that Sanji truly looked puzzled, he grunted, indicating the screen. "Included in a group text with myself and your brothers, there were screenshots of these boards, and your phone password. I am unable to locate your phone, but it now makes sense that you still were unable to locate it. Your brothers and I are very upset at this…thing you were hiding from us. But it's no wonder that your guilt is rather telling."

If it wasn't his brothers who had taken his phone, then who was it? Sanji pictured his first period class, trying to think of the exact last moment he'd seen his phone. It had been on his desk, and he had been bothering Law when that other kid tried to speak up for him –

Sanji's fists tightened in his lap. There was a moment when he'd rattled his desk, and he had ended up picking everything up nearly a minute later. He must've dropped his phone then. His face and neck reddened with growing rage and frustration, quite certain it had been Law to do this.

"Someone took my phone and played a prank – whatever it was, it was a prank - !"

"So, you've been missing your phone for nearly four days?" Judge interrupted him, Sanji silencing as he glanced at the screen. He winced because he couldn't use that excuse. The last pin he made was four days ago, on his recipe board. His man board hadn't been updated for nearly two weeks. With no recent date to use his excuse on, Sanji felt doomed. "Try again."

Sanji's face burned under the stare Judge pinned him with. Judge exhaled noisily. The silence in Judge's study was thick and heavy, Sanji clutching his fingers until they turned color.

"Get out," Judge ordered tightly, Sanji quickly leaving the chair and hurrying for the door. He heard the scurrying sounds of his brothers leaping in different directions, having pressed against the door to listen, and once he was outside the study, he saw them taking cover down the hall, hiding themselves uselessly in the bathroom with hissing arguments and giggles. He shut the door and hurried upstairs, feeling out of breath. Once in his room, he shut the door and leaned up against it, unsure of how to feel. He knew it was going to get worse. If that text had been sent to his brothers, too, then it explained why they were looking at him with smug expressions, unusually quiet after school. Their father must have realized that Sanji was without his phone and instructed them not to say anything until he had a chance to talk to him.

To think that Law would do this made Sanji's hair stand on end. Apparently, English was unaware of what he'd done to Sanji's position in his own family. All the hard work he'd done to secure what position he had within the family had been broken underneath his feet because of this. He walked over to his desk and sat slowly in the chair, heart racing. Then he searched for his paperbag, stood from the chair and retreated to his closet. He entered it to shut the door behind him, sitting up against his shoe rack to breathe into the bag. All he thought about was his future crumbling ahead of him, of losing all his hard work because he couldn't resist creating a single board of beautiful boys his own age. He wished he could speak to his mother, but he thought that Judge would only accuse Sola of encouraging this sort of 'behavior', and make it more impossible for her to get into contact with the boys. So Sanji felt he couldn't bring the subject up to his own mother.

But it frustrated him at that moment – why didn't Sola try harder to fight Judge? Didn't she want them? Or was she satisfied with weekly calls and short visits allowed only school breaks? If she really loved them, she would make more of an effort to get into contact with them; if she truly loved them, she wouldn't have moved out of state just to get away from Judge. It was frustrating that Sola took the easy way out, and Sanji felt he couldn't say anything to her. He figured Reiju must feel the same way by not contacting them independently – he sure could use some guidance at this point, and Sanji felt he had none.

Frustrated, he hung his head in his hands, and struggled to think. He heard his name being bellowed in tandem by his brothers, roaring at him to help them in the kitchen, and put himself together quickly.

That next morning, he was relieved to find his phone in the office, but it had been reset. Upset, thinking about everything he'd lost that he had yet to back up into the Cloud, he wandered off to class with a tense expression. The rest of the day, he managed to pass through with vague concentration; he was building up his anger and intent on confronting Law after school. Sure enough, after he'd dropped off his brothers at their respective evening practices, he headed over to Law's. He pounded on the door, feeling his anger building hotly from deep inside of him as he waited. This time, that tall man didn't even bother answering the door – he bellowed for Law to take his business outside, and Sanji stepped away from the door with his arms tightly crossed, fuming as he heard all the locks removed, and the taller student walked outside.

Sanji whirled to face him, jaw tense. "I know you did it."

Law frowned down at him, looking clueless.

"Don't give me that! I know you took my phone! I know you did this!" Sanji snarled at him, facing him. "You took my phone! You sent that message to my father -!"

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," Law argued, glaring at him, setting himself warily from Sanji's reaching distance.

"You would do that," Sanji snapped. "You would! You passive aggressive fuck, you know you did it! What was the point of it? Do you realize what you did? Of course not! You don't fucking know me! How dare you - ?"

"Don't come to my home and - !"

"This isn't even your 'home', is it?" Sanji shouted at him. "This isn't your home! No one wants you, that's why you're rented out to people like this guy, paid for by the state because your real parents don't give a fuck about you!"

Law scowled at him, fists tightening at his sides. But he said nothing in response, and Sanji felt it was true. It bothered him, feeling a tinge of recognition at that point. Almost as if he could identify with him; it was a crazy idea.

"Did it make you happy?" Sanji then asked him, not moving. "Stealing my phone, sending off that shit? That's what you do, don't you? Steal? Because you said you don't have a phone, so you thought to steal mine, and then make my life miserable, for some odd reason – "

"Oh, shut up, like you're an innocent victim," Law scoffed quietly. "No one feels sorry for someone that makes life miserable for everyone else. No one feels sympathy for you after how you treat people!"

It was true, but Sanji didn't want to hear it from him. "So you did! You did do this, didn't you? I could report you to the school for you stealing my phone in the first place – "

"With what proof?" Law challenged him, growing defensive.

"I know you did it! You were the only one that could!"

"I wouldn't bother with anything that you own! I don't care about you and your life!"

"You would, because you feel bullied. You're just a weak, unwanted foster kid, lashing out on those that are doing better than you are!" Sanji sneered at him. "You're only jealous because I have a real home, I can afford cool, new things, and a future, and I live with real parents - !"

"Not both of them," Law pointed out, crossing his arms tightly over his chest as his shoulders hunched.

Sanji reddened.

"Whoever fucked your life up knew you deserved it," Law added. He smirked. "Must've been pretty difficult coming out the way you did."

"YOU DID IT! I said nothing about that part - !"

"I only said that because your continuous use of it as a derogative gives you away. Only people who use it the way you do are guilty of it."

"Oh, shut up, you don't know me - !"

"Right. Fag."

"YOU ARE!"

"Take your issues elsewhere, psycho," Law muttered, turning away to reach for the door.

Sanji kicked the door, inches from where Law had been reaching, creating a loud thump that vibrated the wood. Law jerked backward in reaction, putting space between them.

"You think you can just come in and ruin my life, and get away with it?" Sanji asked, visibly shaking.

"You created this problem for yourself."

"YOU STOLE MY PHONE!"

"You got it back," Law scoffed. Then smirked again.

Infuriated that Law just didn't get what he'd done, Sanji screamed at him, "You ruined everything I worked hard for!"

"I don't care about your life."

"You poor, white trash!"

"Spoiled rich brat."

"SAY IT RIGHT! You three year old speaking fuck!"

The door opened at that moment, Doflamingo looking out at both of them with disgust. Sanji marched right up to him, shouting, "He stole my phone!"

"I didn't! He has it in his back pocket!" Law exclaimed reedily, gesturing at him.

"Keep it down! If this has nothing to do with school work, get the fuck off my property," Doflamingo then snapped at Sanji. Sanji faltered, because now that he was faced with the man, he suddenly realized how much bigger he was. Sanji also noticed that Law had dropped the somewhat confident stance he'd taken earlier, looking nervously at Doflamingo.

Rigidly, Sanji then cried, "He is causing me problems at school, and with my home life! He's telling all these lies to my family because he's jealous of me - !"

Doflamingo snorted, looking at Sanji with clear exasperation. "I somewhat doubt that."

"This has nothing to do with school. Can I come back inside?" Law asked tentatively.

"He stole my phone, and he's humiliated me in front of my own family by telling them these lies about me!" Sanji snapped. "He shouldn't be allowed to get away with that!"

"What sort of 'lies'?" Doflamingo asked, but he really wasn't interested.

Sanji sputtered, then realized he couldn't explain why. Law looked at him with impatience, then at Doflamingo, intending on returning back to the inside of his house. Doflamingo glared down at him. "Fix this."

"He needs to tell my dad what he did!" Sanji shouted.

"You are so fucking loud!" Doflamingo complained. "Lower your voice."

He didn't lower his voice, but Sanji explained, "He stole my phone and sent off some lies to my family about me, and now my family's pissed at me! He needs to fix it! He's responsible for this mess in the first place!"

"Get him to go away," Doflamingo told Law. "I would hate for any trouble to come to Rosinante, listening to this crap."

"There's nothing to fix!" Law exclaimed, hands out. "He's crazy!"

"HE STOLE MY PHONE!"

"FIX IT!" Doflamingo snapped before slamming the door and locking it, Sugar barking at the sound of his voice. She had been tied up in the back, having caused him trouble earlier, so once his shout registered, she began to bark incessantly.

"Apologize to my father for making up these lies!" Sanji insisted, Law looking terribly put out. "Then he'll get off my case!"

Law crossed his arms again, glaring down at him. With a stubborn set of his jaw, his expression answered for him. Furious, Sanji glowered at him, practically shaking all over again. His watch was making a dinging sound, but he clearly didn't hear it.

"I didn't take your phone – "

"Fucking liar! This is what you do, isn't it? You go from place to place because no one wants you – "

"No one wants you either, if you have to prove to your family you're not - !"

"You don't know my life! You don't know what I'm going through!"

"You don't know me!"

"I don't need to!"

"I don't find any favor in knowing yours, either."

"I have to work hard to prove myself!" Sanji shouted at him. "I struggle to meet the expectations of my father and my brothers, and I work hard at everything I do just to prove I'm just as capable as they are at succeeding! For you to ruin everything, all my years of working -!"

"I don't care about any of that! You're just a spoiled rich fuck that thinks he's entitled to everything!"

"That's not my fault! I can't help -!"

"I don't feel any sympathy for you. You made things entirely difficult for me ever since I walked into that classroom – why should I feel anything for your little sob story?"

Sanji panted lightly, feeling all his emotions building up in his throat, getting trapped there as Law regarded him stubbornly. The taller boy snorted, then mimed wiping his eyes.

Sanji lunged at him, Law kicking out, both of them slamming up against the door as Sugar barked noisily. They scuffled against the door, then jerked away onto the porch, both of them with their hands at each other. Neither of them heard Doflamingo open the door, catch sight of them, and take a single step necessary to reach out and separate them. He jerked Law roughly to the door, practically tossing him inside, disregarding Sanji completely as the blond struggled to catch his breath, straightening his clothes. The door slammed behind both of them, and Sanji stood there to try and calm himself, aware that he'd reacted badly. Hands in his hair, he pulled himself together, hearing Doflamingo shouting fiercely at Law.

He did hear the obvious sounds of moving furniture, of more shouts, and Sanji stilled, unsure of how to react. There was a world of difference to hearing a grown man scream at someone Sanji's age, rather than his own father's quietly uttered threats. Those crashing noises didn't sound good – it was somewhat terrifying for Sanji to hear this type of violence. It scared him, especially as he heard the thuds continue. He didn't know what was happening behind that closed door – all he knew was the sound of a man shouting fiercely and banging noises that made Sanji feel nervous.

He turned and left the porch, feeling shaky. Climbing into the Buick, it took him a couple of times before he could start it; then he pulled away, feeling his heart race with fear. It wasn't until he pulled up in front of Ichiji's gym when he finally checked his watch, and realized Yonji had been the one texting him to come pick him up. He responded to him, but hours later, safe within his own home, Sanji was still shaken by the encounter.

He didn't see Law at school the next day; he'd fully intended on confronting him again, but when Wednesday came around, Law wasn't at first period, either. Feeling a different sort of anxiety, Sanji jiggled his knee, wondering if he'd been the only witness to a murder, or something. Doflamingo's voice had been terrifying, and in his state, Sanji wasn't sure what he'd heard; but he knew it was frightening. He wanted to feel satisfaction because it was agreeable to the crime that had been committed on his behalf, but another part of him felt scared because he had never been exposed to that type of situation, before. His father was harsh, but he used words and action to strike fear in his boys; not actual physical violence. Sanji did remember seeing the way Doflamingo had grabbed Law at the restaurant, the taller boy's reaction telltale of previous treatment; so this fear he felt made him feel strange. Had he been witness to something horrible? Should he tell someone?

But then Sanji talked himself out of that because maybe it wasn't his place to bring it up. And he still felt angry that Law had exposed him. All through that period, he told himself that Law deserved whatever had happened, anyway. Because he'd ruined Sanji's life; his brothers kept teasing him about those messages, and his father went through his phone, putting restrictions on it that would notify him of Sanji's every action. Judge barely acknowledged him, giving a grunt whenever Sanji presented him with a graded assignment, disregarding his word over the work he'd poured into the task. But Judge was quick to praise his brothers for theirs, along with their accomplishments in practice, the praise from other parents about their potential for this season's outlook. Sanji felt he was being purposely ignored, and it burned at him, how quickly he seemed to fall from the other day's transgression.

After class, he lingered in the area just to see if Law would come in late again; this new feeling of apprehension left Sanji feeling mighty uncomfortable.

'Text me if he comes in,' Sanji texted Ichiji, his older brother's response being the middle finger emoji.

'Is that your new love interest?' Ichiji then added. 'Fag.'

'Just tell me! Stop calling me that!'

'What's it to you?'

'I might've gotten him into some real trouble.'

'So?'

Because Sanji felt he couldn't say why, he left it at that. Ichiji pressed for more details, more concerned with it affecting them as a family rather than for an individual concern. Sanji ignored him, going to his next class with a stark expression. He couldn't concentrate on taking notes, watching the windows to see if Law would pass by them on his way to class. At lunch, he scanned the parking lot, then abandoned his brothers to go look for him. The kids he normally tortured cringed or reacted defensively when they saw Sanji coming, but they were left bewildered when Sanji ignored them. At the end of the day, he hung out near the hedges and waited to see if he'd see Law then.

The next day passed in this same fashion, and Sanji chewed at his fingernails as he wondered if he should tell somebody. Ichiji noticed how quiet he was, observing his younger brother's action as he noticeably searched the crowd of kids in the halls for someone. Reluctantly taking his time returning to the building during breaks. Unusually nervous as he watched windows.

That night, Ichiji took it upon himself to ask Sanji across the table why it mattered. They were seated at a Cracker Barrel, the area full with busy tables, and they'd just been served. He was too nervous to eat, pushing his food around with contemplation when Ichiji spoke up.

Under the direct attention of his father and brothers, Sanji felt himself grow timid. But he found his words carefully, saying slowly, "No reason. I just…bug him. A lot."

"He's in love with him," Yonji decided, snorting.

"I'm not!"

"Obsessed with him ever since he first walked in," Niji sneered, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"I am not!"

"Why are all of you so focused on someone like this?" Judge asked, unable to understand why his boys were so focused on a new transfer student.

"We're not!" Three of them cried out with exasperation, Ichiji scowling at them for the unnecessary noise.

Sanji thought about what he was saying, then mustered up the words, "We were working on some essays, together, and he was proof reading my stuff – "

"Why not ask me for help?" Ichiji asked stiffly, cleaning his mouth with his napkin. "Am I not good enough for you?"

"No one is on your level," Sanji answered with disgust. "I'd rather someone who was near similar to me in respects to – "

"Your brother's grades are flawless," Judge interrupted. "Why are you not approaching him for guidance? You could use a little of it."

"Dad, no one wants to because Ichiji is an alien from out of space," Yonji said before Sanji could speak up for himself. "No one can hope to measure up to him, even if it is to get some help!"

"You mean, neither of you will even bother trying to measure up to the standard he stands up?"

"No," Niji answered with a scoff. "We'd probably end up killing ourselves trying. No thanks. I'm good."

"Idiots," Judge commented lightly. But he frowned at Sanji. "You'd rely outside the family for assistance? What makes you think that this is acceptable?"

Sanji swallowed tightly. "Because he writes…better than I do. His papers are…something I'd want to measure myself to."

"I don't understand."

"I can't explain it that well, but he's a genius – "

"Ichiji is better known."

"But I don't want to - !"

"Dad, allow me to explain," Ichiji cut in smoothly. "The real reason why Sanji feels he can better perform is because this kid is easily bullied. I feel that Sanji only goes to him to have him 'assist', if you know what I mean, because he cannot fight back."

"That's not it!" Sanji shouted.

"Lower your voice!" Judge snapped at him. "There is no need to yell! Why are you always yelling? If you feel you cannot speak without lifting your voice to be heard, stop screaming so shrilly."

"I'm just trying to explain that - !"

"If that's all that it is, I suggest you cease this immediately! It's bad enough that you struggle to produce a worthy grade without talking to the teachers after each assignment, using our name to get your way, but to know that you're allowing another student to complete your work is despicable!"

"DAD, that's not it -!"

"I told you to stop yelling! You know what? Leave. Wait for us in the car. There's no need for you to continue sitting here if you're only going to yell and make excuses for your piss poor performance," Judge decided, tossing his fork down onto his plate with disgust.

Sanji stared at him incredulously, but he shoved away from the table and stalked off, nearly running into a waiter with a full platter.

Niji and Yonji snickered, quietly finishing their meal while Ichiji frowned. He looked at Judge. "I could have been mistaken, but he is expressing concern over that kid."

"Why?" Yonji asked with bewildered action.

"I don't know. But it's weird how suspicious his behavior turned when English first came around. Don't you think?"

"I don't pay attention. I don't care."

"Do you think Sanji is using him?" Judge asked his eldest.

"I don't know," Ichiji repeated. "I don't know what my brother is thinking when it comes to that kid."

"After that debacle with the pictures, I'm pretty sure we're all in agreement with the real reason why!" Niji snickered.

"That sort of joke is not appreciated anywhere in my vicinity," Judge muttered. "You all can continue to discourage him from taking that sort of path, but I do not appreciate it being so openly displayed in front of me. It's bad enough, the excuses I have to come up with to explain why he does not participate in a sport, but to know he is curious enough to explore that path through the internet concerns me. Whatever else has he been dabbling in to feed his curiosity?"

"He's a mystery, dad," Yonji said with a sigh, pulling Sanji's plate to his, and eating what was left. "That kid's a straight up mystery."

By the time Friday came around, Sanji struggled with words. It was after lunch as he made to approach the front office, unsure of how to put the encounter into a passable string of sentences. As he walked in, he saw the man that Law had been with during their classroom fight, standing at the counter, looking miffed. Making split second eye contact with him, Sanji found himself looking off to the side, feeling intimidated. But hearing that the man was only waiting for attendance confirmation, Sanji looked at him again. Ichiji was outside with the others, so it was safe for Sanji to say what was on his mind without being observed.

"Uh…uh, sir?" he sputtered nervously, swallowing the knot in his throat as Smoke looked at him with a frown. "Where's…where's Trafalgar?"

"Better be eating somewhere. Why? What'd you hear, kid?" Smoker asked, frowning at him.

"It's…it's just…I haven't seen him around, i…I was just wondering – "

"You got problems?" Smoker asked him gruffly. Sanji shook his head in response, thinking that Smoker had only meant between them. "That what it is?"

"N-No, I just…I haven't seen him, so I just thought – he was in trouble, or something, because – "

"You're the one he was fighting with that other time, right? You start another fight?" Smoker asked, voice lifting sternly.

"NO. No, well…well, see, my phone – he stole my phone – "

"You got proof?"

"Well…no, but – "

"That sort of accusation can leave a mark," Smoker warned him, taking the slip of paper a secretary passed to him, frowning at Sanji. Smoker glanced at it, then nodded with approval. He thanked her, then looked at Sanji again. "Then what?"

"I…well, we had this…this talk, and…at his house, and – "

"And?"

"Uh, well, it got heated, and…and we were yelling – "

"Must've been another kid you were fighting with. Trafalgar doesn't yell. He's the type that will suffer in silence before saying anything to anybody. Pisses me off."

Sanji gave him an incredulous expression. "No, he took my phone and group messaged my father, my brothers, some terrible things! Lies!"

"Not Trafalgar. Get a life, kid. Leave this one alone. He barely has his head above water, he doesn't need your kind dragging him back down because you're a little jealous," Smoker said, giving him a frown as he made to leave the office.

"Jealous? That's - ! But I haven't seen him since then! When we had that argument, that guy he was living with, he – !"

"Who, Doflamingo? Tall? Short hair? Looks like he's stuck a finger in an electrical socket for fun? What he do?" Smoker asked, suddenly focused on Sanji with an intensity that intimidated the teen. Sanji cleared his throat noisily, unsure why he felt so damn sweaty under that intense glare.

"He…yelled at him, and….he was…there were noises, and – "

"You saying he physically put his hands on him?"

"Y…Yes. Yes, he – So I was wondering if he were okay, and – "

"Trafalgar said nothing about it," Smoker said, frowning at him. "If this is true, then I'll need you to meet up with a police officer and fill out a report. I need to investigate this."

"Then – then where is he?"

"Why?"

"Because - ! I heard it happen, and he hasn't been to school since – "

"Doflamingo had already arranged for a trip for the three of them to visit with some family friends out of state. This was prearranged before Trafalgar arrived here. It couldn't be helped that he missed school, but I was assured that he'd taken his homework with him. That day, you heard and witnessed Doflamingo physically abusing Trafalgar?"

Sanji felt a strange sort of relief hearing that. He exhaled heavily, but he went on to say, "He grabbed him and shut the door! Then screamed at him! I didn't know what to think but there was all – there was so much shouting, and - !"

"Doflamingo's brother, Rosinante, tends to shout and throw things. It's part of his affliction. More than likely, you heard him throw a tantrum. Trafalgar said nothing about Doflamingo abusing him, and I just saw the pair of them yesterday. They were fine. If Trafalgar felt someway about his situation, he would be comfortable telling me. So I need a confirmation on whether you saw what you thought you saw, and if you can document this with a police officer, so that I can remove him from that home," Smoker then told Sanji, crossing his arms as he watched the teen shift anxiously from foot to foot. "Can you do that?"

"What…what happens if you do?"

"I will investigate. State rules dictate my actions, but if I don't have the proof I need that Doflamingo physically abused him, then I can't do shit. So if you saw this – "

"I didn't. I only …I only heard it."

Smoker studied him for a few moments, Sanji shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Leave him alone, kid," Smoker then warned. "Your name tends to destroy those around you. This one is having a hard enough time as it is, and you're only making it worse. He's a good kid, and you're a Vinsmoke – these things never work out well for the good guy. You'll do what you can to avoid him."

Sanji glared at him, helpless because his last name did inspire destruction around them. As much as a black sheep he felt struggling to meet his own family's standards, he felt he couldn't fit in with those that weren't associated with them, either. This old man had just affirmed it for him, putting him gently back into place from where he tried to venture out. Smoker then left him, and Sanji stood there, teeth gritting together.


A/N: After not writing for a bit, I needed something to take the edge off. :D

Guest #1: He kinda did, didn't he? Thanks for the comment and read!

DedicatedFan: Law finally spoke up for himself, but Sanji's not willing to let that type of thing go! He's got three brothers that attack him all the time, he knows how to fight back.

Guest #2: There's a good possibility that the password would be used again! Who changes their password after using it for so long? (I have three of different variations, but they're all the same because I'm old and hate change) All apps could be deleted, but not on the PC, where there's a possibility the same password was used for those accounts, too! This chapter explains how useful it was for the others.

Pokipo: Stood up for himself ;)

Sarge1130: Ah! Thanks for reading and leaving comments as you went! I'm glad this story grabbed your attention! Sanji is blamed for nearly everything; the others know how to get Judge's buttons, and Sanji makes it worse for himself by reacting as he does. Meeting his family's standards really upsets him because he feels he can't do right, no matter how hard he tries, and his family name, even if he tends to abuse it for his use, doesn't help, either. He needs to learn to separate himself from the others, but he hasn't had the support to do so, especially with the lack of friends he has. Sanji is using Law – but Law knows how to fight him, and does so, quietly. Law makes his own schedule – his anxiety caused by his speech forces him to build up courage to approach his classes, so he tends to be late for all of them. But he has the same breaks and lunch as Sanji does. Due to his lack of effort in school, and bad grades due to his tardiness and feelings of failure, he doesn't try very hard, and isn't in any honors classes; he's just there because he was assigned to be there. He shares only one class with Sanji.