8


Sanji was seated in his room, tapping away on his assignment when Ichiji let himself in, removing his glasses as he did so. Sanji frowned at him, blinking repeatedly as the feeling of dryness registered in his eyes. He could hear Yonji yelling at the television set, Niji talking to their father near the stairway, complaining about a continued soreness in his ribs.

"Why did you pick us up in such a state, tonight?" Ichiji asked curiously, looking around Sanji's room with a bored expression. "You were trying to hide the fact that your pants were wet, you had blood on your shirt– and where is the sweater you were wearing? You were so disheveled, I'd wondered if I should've brought it up in front of father, but maybe I should just ask you, first."

"Someone mouthed off to me at Starbucks, so I showed him a thing or two," Sanji said on a huff, returning to his essay. "As you can see, I'm kind of busy…"

"Where do you go if you're not waiting for us?" Ichiji then asked, piercing him with a stare. "Now I'm curious as to why you pick us up late, and why you're so rattled when you do. This isn't the first time you've done so."

"Dad! Ichiji's bothering me!" Sanji called out, hitting the 'delete' button furiously.

"Snitches get stitches and tossed into ditches!" Niji returned, running up the stairway towards his room.

"Dad! Niji's bothering me!" Sanji yelled, Ichiji 'hmphing' as he stood stubbornly aside of him, Niji waltzing in with a curious sniff.

"What are we talking about, in here?" Niji asked curiously, throwing himself onto Sanji's bed, pulling out his phone.

"DAD!"

"Inside voices, please," Sanji heard Judge say, shuffling off to another room downstairs. With irritation, he ground his teeth and glared back at his older brothers, Ichiji frowning down at him.

"I was only asking Sanji why he picked us up with wet pants," Ichiji said to Niji.

"Sanji's always wet the bed," Niji muttered, swiping through his phone, one leg atop of the other. Ichiji frowned at him, noting that Niji was quite comfortable laying in said bed. "Why? Is there something happening that I should know about?"

"He said he got into an altercation at a Starbucks, but yet, he didn't come back with a cup."

"Enough with the detective work! Get out of my room! I'm trying to finish my homework!" Sanji snapped at both of them, Ichiji reaching out and pushing his head aside. "Get out!"

"Dad! Sanji's yelling at us for no reason!" Niji called out lazily, the three of them hearing Judge shout out Sanji's name impatiently. Moments later, Yonji noisily climbed the stairs, Sanji sighing heavily with impatience.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" he hissed as Yonji sauntered in with a curious look around.

"What are we talking about, guys?" Yonji asked.

"Where Sanji goes after he's dropped us off at practice," Niji supplied. "Apparently, Ichi thinks he's up to no good."

"I thought he was hanging out with one of you guys when we did," Yonji said with a confused look.

"So did I!"

"I don't have to hang out and wait for you guys all the time! I go out and do my own thing while I wait!" Sanji explained, closing his laptop. "Get out!"

"No, wait, what do you do? Do you go to a friend's house?" Yonji asked, furrowing his brow.

"I don't have friends!"

"If he did, they're probably as gay as he is," Niji said with a mean laugh.

"I do not!" Sanji shouted at him.

"Aw, don't say you don't have friends….you have us," Yonji said, blinking repeatedly. "We're all the friends you need."

"I don't want you as friends!"

"Sanji, stop your goddamn yelling!" Judge shouted from downstairs, causing Sanji to sigh again with impatience, drawing his hands over his face as the others snickered.

"Inside voice," Niji whispered to him, indicating his own voice.

"It doesn't matter what I do, just as long as I'm there to pick you up when you call for it!" Sanji insisted on a loud whisper.

"But what if you're out there, dealing drugs and getting wasted with the bad kids at school?" Yonji asked in the same tone, looking concerned. "If dad finds out you've been up to no good, he's going to be so mad! He's going to spank you."

"I'm not doing any of that!"

"Are you going shopping?" Niji asked, following their level before snickering. "Are you shopping for boys, fag?"

"NO!"

"Oh my god, he probably has a boyfriend he's seeing!" Yonji gasped, still on a whisper.

"I DO NOT! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Sanji exclaimed as loud as he dared at whispering volume.

"Why are we whispering?" Ichiji demanded crankily, speaking normally.

"Wait, you can't have a boyfriend," Yonji continued, still whispering at loud volume. "We're not allowed to have girlfriends until we're out of high school. That's what dad said, that's the rule. We can't. So, even if it's a boy, Sanji, you can't have one. That's not fair. If you get one, we can, too!"

"Yeah, asshole, that's not fair!" Niji seconded, whispering just as loud as Ichiji rolled his eyes with exasperation, Sanji rising from his desk chair to face them. "It doesn't matter if you're a goddamn fag, you can't have one! We all get to have one if you do!"

"I'd want mine to be a girl, though," Yonji told Niji, who looked at him with a start.

"That's what I meant!"

"No, it sounded like you said we all get to have a boyfriend, because that's what we were just talking about. I'm just clarifying my situation, just in case anyone gets the wrong impression that I want a boy rather than a girl."

"I'm saying none of us can have anybody!" Niji hissed at him, red-faced. He punched Yonji in the arm, Yonji gasping and rubbing that area with a pained expression. "None of us can have either a boyfriend, or girlfriend!"

"Sanji!" Yonji scolded, still whispering.

"I didn't say or do anything!" Sanji hissed at normal volume, the pair of them shushing him noisily. He reached out and grabbed Niji, dragging him off the bed roughly. As Niji hit the floor with a startled sound, Sanji exclaimed, "Get out of my room!"

"Stop rough housing in the house!" Judge shouted from the stairway, marching up. The boys all scrambled to run out from Sanji's room, Sanji huffing as they abandoned him. He sat back down at his desk and opened his laptop to start work again when Judge swept past his doorway, catching sight of Yonji trying to kick Niji out from the bathroom, the resulting argument drawing attention away from him.

He hunched his shoulders, resuming typing, hearing Yonji and Niji argue over who went first. He was relieved for the distraction, but he fretted over Ichiji's observations. It looked like his older brother, for no other reason than to just be a snitch, was paying more attention to him than Sanji thought. It was irritating that Ichiji chose to do so, considering that Ichiji looked down on Sanji, but Sanji figured it would be all right. After all, he didn't plan on going over to Law's any time soon.

Today's incident was just too…frightening. He stopped typing, staring at the cursor that blinked at him. He thought of their fridge, which had only a few things in it; compared to theirs, which was stuffed full. Multiple containers of milk, water, vegetables, eggs, different varieties of cheeses, leftover containers, sports drinks, condiments, etc. Their cabinets were full of different boxes, pasta, carbohydrates, jars, and when he thought of Judge forcing him to through away an entire meal when those two could have feasted on those things…it made Sanji feel oddly pained, inside. It made sense, now, seeing Law eat things out from the trash.

He felt uncomfortable with the feeling he had thinking about it. He wasn't sure how to identify it, what to do with it. All he knew was that it was painful to think about. He looked at his hands, his fingers wiggling slightly as they remembered the sensation of resetting Law's nose. Really, he couldn't think of a time where he'd touched someone other than his brothers, other than to administer a kick or shove. Was it okay to remember that sort of thing?

He wiped his hands on his jeans with discomfort, frowning. Really, he was giving the situation too much thought. He should just focus on his work, on this weekend, and not give that pair another thought.

But he thought of Rosinante being the one to own those diapers; it was quite evident that Law did not have a baby, and Sanji was quite disappointed with that.

: :

Over the weekend, he followed his siblings around to their various activities. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but his father forced him along so that he could be supportive. It just gave him a sore backside from sitting for so long, and he didn't see the appeal of any of their efforts. Ichiji won his weight class and displayed a new medal; Sanji took pictures so Ichiji could post to his Facebook, and their dad could show it off to his friends. While their seasons weren't official, Niji placed first during an individuals swimming competition, and Sanji took a picture of him and their dad for the same reasons as Ichiji's. The same happened for Yonji; Saturday night had them in a restaurant, all of them celebrating the day's wins, Sanji sitting at the table with a bored expression. He didn't have anything to contribute, so he let his brothers speak over each other and listened to their father's praises, bragging to anybody unfortunate enough to be drawn into the noise over his sons' accomplishments.

He stared down at his plate, full of things that didn't taste good. He wanted homecooked food, something he made; everything tasted so dull and flat, and while it was colorful, it just didn't have the same taste as it would if he made it. He picked at his meatloaf, separating vegetables from it, mashing it into colorful paste. He found himself wondering if Law and Rosinante were eating okay, and if Doflamingo had come home. If they would get groceries – surely it was only a one time thing for their kitchen to be so empty, and Sanji felt himself cheer up at the thought. He looked down at his plate and wondered what Law had been eating the night they'd seen him at the restaurant weeks ago. Now that Sanji was more aware of the situation, it made sense that Rosinante was staring off into space while his caretaker slouched next to him, doing nothing. Sanji wondered if Law had even eaten, then. He didn't recall seeing a plate in front of him, but since they were at a restaurant, maybe his plate had been taken away.

Once again, Sanji wondered why Law wasn't with his natural parents.

: :

That Monday morning, he waited anxiously for Law to appear in class. He chewed on his thumbnail, jiggling his knee as he watched the doorway. Surprisingly, Law wandered in before the last bell rang, both eyes noticeably bruised, nose still swollen. Yonji's mouth dropped open at the sight of him, several other kids looking at Law with curiosity as he made his way to his chair, ignoring all of them. Mr Hansen performed a double take, looking after him with suspicion before looking at Sanji, who was too busy watching Law to notice this.

Sanji watched Law sit, strumming with nervous energy as he wondered what to say first. Law hadn't acknowledged him, sitting as he normally did, and Sanji stared at the back of his head, struggling to come up with something to say. None of the usual popped in mind, so he made a frustrated face, not noticing the way the kids around them looked at Sanji suspiciously.

Yonji twisted in his seat to openly stare at Law. "What happened to your face?" he asked. "Did you get nose surgery?"

"Face forward, Vinsmoke," Mr Hansen said, starting the class as the last bell rung. He launched into a lecture as Yonji looked at Sanji suspiciously, indicating that he was watching him. Once Sanji caught the gesture, he looked annoyed, sitting back in his chair with a kick. He caught sight of two of the boys sitting nearest them glaring at him, and he frowned at them.

As the bell rang to signal the end of class, Sanji leaned forward in his desk to jab Law with his pen.

"Hey," he started to say when the boy next to Law stood up, swinging his backpack on.

"You're such a jerk, Sanji," he said bitterly, Sanji distracted from Law as he looked at him with surprise.

"Shut up, this has nothing to do with you!" he snapped at him, Law gathering his notebook and pen together, getting up to walk out without saying anything.

"Did you do that? You think you're such big stuff, don't you?"

"Ooh, fight! Fight!" Niji snickered from his desk, watching with amusement. "What say you to that, little brother?"

"I didn't do anything! I didn't do that!" Sanji exclaimed, finally noticing that others were glaring at him. "Oh my god, I didn't do that!"

"You're a fuckin' liar!" Yonji laughed from the front of the class. "Guess it makes sense, now, what you been up to! You big bully!"

"Shut up, I didn't do that! He - !" Sanji cut himself off, not wanting to give himself away. He hastily gathered his things as he realized that the two boys standing there looked a little intimidating.

"Did you guys have a misunderstanding?" Niji asked, gathering his stuff together. "Hey, is that what Ichiji was talking about the other night? Why you had blood on your clothes?"

Sanji paused in mid-stuff, looking at him with a frown. "It wasn't what you think. He…"

"What's your problem? He didn't do anything to you! You keep picking on him, constantly, following him and all that! I'm tired of seeing you do that! You've gone too far, this time!" the boy snapped, setting his bag down, Sanji looking at him with a start. But his friend pulled back on him, Mr Hansen looking over with interest.

"Ha ha!" Niji laughed loudly. "English has a fan club!"

Finished stuffing his things into his bag, Sanji gave the two boys a frown, and then hurried out from the class. Not that he was intimidated by the boy in anyway, but he was irritated with the accusation that he'd been the one behind the wound, and he was caught off guard with his own reaction. He headed to his locker, leaving behind Yonji and Niji as they continued calling after him. Frustrated, he exchanged his texts, slamming his locker shut so he could hurry to the cafeteria to buy something with some caffeine in it.

At lunchtime, he couldn't find Law anywhere to ask him about his nose, and it continuously irritated Sanji once he noticed that the boy – what was his name? – pointing him out and saying something to his friends that had all of them glaring at him. He felt like he was being targeted, and, to make it worse, Niji and Yonji had told Ichiji what had happened, which caused a brief scolding from the eldest Vinsmoke in the parking lot. He knew he couldn't tell his brothers the real story because that meant giving away what he was doing while they were at practice, and he felt unfairly targeted by the other students once theories began racing through the population over Law's appearance.

Ichiji had been right; because Sanji had been picking on Law the most, everyone assumed the worst of the situation.

In a bitter mood, Sanji left the parking lot and headed towards his locker, striding through the quad with his hands in his pockets. He felt something hard bounce off his head halfway there, and stumbled, reaching up to rub the point of impact as he turned to see what had hit him. He was startled to seeing his junior facing off with him, looking pissed.

"I don't care if you pick on me, but picking on others who don't know how to fight back pisses me off!"

"Stupid Monkey!" Sanji snapped, turning to face him, seeing that it was a bottle of soda that had been thrown at him. "What's your fucking problem? Did you throw that?"

"There's no point picking on someone who doesn't want to fight back! You want a fight, you pick it with someone that'll be more than willing to fight back!" Luffy snapped at him, stalking towards him, even as his friends pulled at his arms. Sanji noticed that the other boys from first period was part of that group, and they all looked like they wanted to administer justice themselves. Outnumbered, Sanji turned and hurried towards the school, hearing Luffy yell after him.

Upset with the unfair accusations, Sanji didn't return to his locker; he went straight for the library, knowing he'd catch Law there. Sure enough, the older student was flipping through a book, yawning carefully.

"Your stupid fan club has the wrong idea!" Sanji snapped at him, startling Law as he looked up. "Get them off my back!"

"What?" Law asked, looking up at him with a clueless expression.

"I didn't even do anything to you, but everyone thinks I did that to you! Get them off my back!"

"…What?" Law repeated, looking bewildered.

"That stupid Monkey and those guys from first period! They're telling everyone I did this to you!" Sanji exclaimed, gesturing at him.

Law continued to look puzzled. "But you had nothing to do with it."

"I know! Tell them that!"

"I don't even know who you're talking about – "

"Those guys that sit next to you! They're starting it!"

"I don't even talk to them…"

"Tell them!" Sanji exclaimed, the librarian approaching them with a frown. But Sanji turned and headed out before she could say anything, Law looking after him with puzzlement. Absolutely unaware of what was happening, Law only looked at his book with a frown, unsure of what to say.

For the rest of the day, Sanji was uneasy. It seemed as if everyone were glaring at him, whispering amongst themselves as they stared at him, and he couldn't believe that they were targeting him for this. How could someone as quiet and reclusive as Law was earn such respect from those around him without doing a thing? It was so unfair. Then again, after everything Sanji did to them, it would make sense that they'd feel such animosity towards him; but on Law's behalf?

After school, he headed towards the parking lot, spying Ichiji reading at the same table he normally did. He tossed his bag atop of the table, digging out his cigarettes. Ichiji frowned up at him, then looked beyond him, using his chin to indicate that he look behind him.

"Now what'd you do?" he asked with disapproval, Sanji turning to seeing Luffy marching over towards him, Ussop once again begging him to reconsider his actions. There was a small group following after him, cellphones out, everyone wearing eager expressions. "Dad's going to be pissed if you get into another fight. You better win, too. I'm not going to interfere in any way, because it's not my problem."

"I didn't even do anything!" Sanji protested, setting his cigarettes aside. Ichiji didn't bother moving as Sanji faced Luffy, who looked up at him with the same expression he had earlier.

"Let's settle this right here, jerk-off!" Luffy snapped at him, tossing his backpack aside. "Like I said earlier, I'm more than willing to fight if you're looking for one!"

"I didn't have anything to do with that!" Sanji exclaimed. "Go talk to him about it!"

"Yeah, right, everyone knows you pick on him because he won't talk back!"

"It's true, I give him a lot of shit, but I had nothing to do with this! But if you want to fight, then let's go. I'm here."

"You stay out of this!" Luffy warned Ichiji, who hadn't bothered to move from the table.

"This is not my concern," Ichiji reassured him, picking up his book. "Carry on."

A little confused that Sanji's own brother wouldn't step in to interfere, Luffy watched Ichiji for a few moments. Then he faced Sanji with determination, fists balled. Sanji faced him, thinking it'd be easy because Luffy was smaller than him, and he wasn't about to lose this fight after the last incident.

"Excuse me, pardon me, I'm coming through," Ms Nico said cheerily, appearing out of the group of students, most of whom hastily took off, the teacher's interruption causing them to scramble. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was only on my way to my car."

"Next time, then," Luffy said, allowing Ussop to drag him away, Sanji looking after them with a hard exhale. Ms Nico continued on to her vehicle without a look back, most of the students scattering to routes home.

Sanji turned back to the table, wearing a stubborn frown as he grabbed his cigarettes. Ichiji snorted, adjusting his glasses.

"Saved by the teacher," he commented lightly.

"Shut up. I don't know why they're blaming me for this shit. I didn't do anything to that kid."

"It sounds like you know what happened, though. You never did say why you were the way you were that night. You didn't answer my question."

"I told you what happened! And – and I don't know what happened to him! It's none of my business, I don't care!"

"God, can't you talk normally? Why are you always yelling?" Ichiji complained, turning a page.

"Because no one listens to me when I speak," Sanji complained, lighting up. He sat on the other end of the table, staring morosely at the ground. "They're all stupid. Wanting to step in on his behalf…what'd he ever do for them?"

"He isn't a whiny jerk, that's for sure."

Sanji rolled his eyes, blowing smoke into the air. Ichiji glanced at him from atop of his book, noting his expression.

"Don't think this is the end of it," Ichiji then warned. "That kid has it out for you. Those D boys, I told you guys, they're like that. If you don't want your ass kicked, make up for whatever transgression you did."

"I didn't do anything, so I don't have to fix anything."

"Right. Well…don't bring any more shame to the family," Ichiji muttered, turning the page. "You're the only one that's getting his ass kicked for the shit you do, so step it up."

"Why don't you believe me? Why can't you support me?"

"Why should I? You're the dumb ass that started this in the first place!"

"But I didn't do anything!"

"I don't know that!"

Huffing, Sanji glared out at the parking lot, holding his cigarette to the side. While he wasn't afraid of Luffy and his little gang of crimefighters, he was annoyed Law wasn't saying anything to stop the harassment. At the same time, he couldn't say anything about it, lest he gave up the real story.

He wasn't going to do that.

: :

Tuesday morning, Law lingered in the locker room, hearing his classmates file out to the gym in full uniform. Garp was yelling up a storm about everyone being late, and while he didn't do attendance, he did throw a fit whenever anyone showed up late. Law waited until the last boy left the locker room, then wandered over to the bathroom stalls. He changed into his uniform there and returned to the locker room.

He opened up a couple of lockers, rummaged through bags and jackets until he found some cash, and pocketed what he found. He then wandered back to the bathroom and looked into the mirror above the sink, frowning at the sight of his face. The swelling hadn't subsided, and he felt like sneezing most of the time. His eyes weren't so swollen, but they were colored darkly underneath, adding to his eyebags.

Doflamingo had yelled at him that night, upset over the injury, over what it meant to him. He'd left them alone for the rest of that weekend, just to make sure that no one could say that he'd done this. He was able to find a friend to fix the door Sanji had kicked down, demanding a reason behind it – but Rosinante had an excuse ready for it. Doflamingo had been pissed, but he hadn't pushed the issue, especially when Rosinante cursed him out for yelling at Law unnecessarily.

Wrinkling his nose lightly, Law paused to sneeze, holding his breath before it could happen. Then he thought about Sanji's flustered approach yesterday, bewildered as to whom would want to speak up on his behalf. Not like he asked for it, but Law wondered why anybody would even want to when he ignored pretty much everyone around him. It sounded like trouble Sanji had caused himself, and Law didn't feel any need to interfere, or do as he'd asked. He didn't ask for help.

He eventually wandered into the gym, Garp yelling at him for his late appearance, but Law said nothing in response. They were playing volleyball today, and Garp noticed his face, so he directed him to sit out. Glad he didn't have to participate, Law sat at the end of the bleachers and watched kids play half heartedly against each other, the PE teacher occasionally joining in before he fell asleep at the sidelines in mid-yell.

He startled when Sanji stomped onto the bleachers from the side door, glaring at him.

"Did you talk to those kids?" he demanded, standing over Law.

"No," Law answered, frowning at him.

"Talk to them! They've been harassing me all morning over you!"

"I didn't ask them too."

"Then ask them NOT to!"

"I don't even know who they are, why should I?"

"Because you're the jerk that inspired them, too! It's that stupid Monkey kid, and his gang of friends! Plus those two jerks you sit next to in first period!"

Law shrugged, unable to understand why they'd want to. He gave Sanji a wary look, leaning slightly to the side to avoid the kid's balled fists. Sanji looked ready to unleash something on him, and Law was apprehensive of anybody that looked ready to swing.

"Listen," Sanji said, leaning in towards him, lowering his voice to do so while glaring mightily at him. Law continued leaning away from him, tense, watching his hands. Defensively, he held up an arm to keep anything from hitting his face, feeling a sneeze build up as he did so. "You get those guys off my back, or I'll tell that social worker of yours what might've happened. After all, I wasn't there when it happened, so I don't know if that retard did it, or that Doflamingo guy. Got it?"

Glaring at him, Law felt his jaw clench. The thought of Smoker visiting him at this time made it difficult to think that the social worker would let it go, this time. At the same time, he was infuriated that Sanji would refer to Rosinante as such. Why anyone would want to step in on his behalf bewildered Law, as well.

"Whatever," he muttered bitterly.

"'Whatever, whatever'," Sanji mimicked him, straightening away. "Just do it, asshole! And fix your fucking hair! For fuck's sake, put effort into yourself!"

Sullenly watching the teen leave the gym with a bang of the door – causing Garp to wake up – Law exhaled heavily as he relaxed. He glared down at the bleachers, settling his shaking fingers underneath his thighs. It wasn't the threat of violence that had made him wary of Sanji – it was his threats of exposure to Smoker. But Law figured this was agreeable; after all, Sanji did help him that day, and he didn't have to. He figured this was the right thing to do. The thought of approaching anybody made him sweat, through.

At lunch, instead of taking to his usual spot in the baseball field, Law reluctantly went searching for this 'Monkey' kid. He wasn't even sure who that was, considering he didn't learn the names of those around him. He didn't even know the names of the boys that sat next to him in first period. Wandering around, ignoring the growling of his stomach, he did wander through the quad's edges, listening for any sign of the name, for those boys. He was alerted to the sight of some kids running to the parking lot, and since it looked like kids were moving from their cars to the edge, he was curious to know what was happening.

Once he got there, he saw a short kid with black hair atop of Sanji, beating him into the concrete with other kids yelling and hollering around them. Law saw that Sanji's brothers were watching from the side, laughing hysterically, but doing nothing to interfere. He frowned, figuring that it was too late to approach, but his conscience did sting a bit. He didn't ask for that kid's help, having no idea who he was in the first place, but Law did think that Sanji would follow through with his threat to go to Smoker about the incident. He looked at the other Vinsmokes, a little curious as to why they weren't stepping in to help Sanji. After all, he was getting a good beating – that Monkey kid was a pretty savage fighter for someone of his size.

Exhaling shortly, Law walked forward, burning with rising embarrassment because some kids noticed him approaching. He reached in and jerked Luffy off of Sanji, shoving him aside. Luffy made to punch him, thinking that he was one of Sanji's brothers, and Law kicked him just to put distance between them. Everyone was stunned silent by the action, Luffy looking up at him with surprise. Law then helped Sanji up from the pavement, but Sanji tossed his hand away and stomped off, wiping his bloodied nose.

"Yay! English saved his girlfriend! My hero!" Yonji shouted in a high falsetto, arms raised.

"What an embarrassment!" Niji shouted after his own brother. "Walk your ass home after this!"

"What'd you do that for?" Luffy demanded of Law, breathing heavily as he rubbed his stomach, where Law's foot had landed. "He's the one picking on you!"

"I never asked for your help, fuck off," Law told him, before turning and walking off in the opposite direction. Everyone was giving him stunned looks for what he'd done and said to Luffy, who looked perplexed as he continued sitting on the pavement. Law noticed in his haste to walk away that there were teachers around, but they hadn't done anything to stop the fight. They looked confused by Law's gesture as well, unsure of how to react.

Ichiji wrinkled his forehead, unable to understand the switch of dynamics in the scene before him. Luffy was still sitting there with a confused expression, his friends looking similar with reaction, and Niji and Yonji were laughing over Sanji's defeat. Ichiji couldn't read Law's behavior, so it definitely caused him interest as to why the bullied would fight for the bully in a situation like this one. It didn't make any sense.

Law found Sanji in the boys' locker room, standing at the sink, wiping his face. Sanji glared fiercely at him, fists balled up at his sides. He was still upset, breathing hard, clearly on the verge of frustrated tears. He would have bruises on his face later, and his uniform was spotted with his own blood. He made to yell at Law, but his throat closed, and he grit his teeth, shaking a little. With an apologetic look, Law took out his cigarettes, lit one, and handed it over to him. For a moment, Sanji just glared at him, then looked at the burning stick.

He snatched it out of his hand and took it, inhaling deeply before erupting into coughs, settling against the sink.

"Cheap shit!" he cursed angrily, pulling the stick to his mouth anyway. He had no other complaints as the effects of the nicotine kicked in, making it difficult to think after what had happened. The smoke burned his lungs, made it easy to cough, but he sucked at it anyway, leaning his back against the sink to glare at the floor. He was humiliated and frustrated, and he couldn't quite verbalize any of it. It would be natural reaction to attack Law for it, but…he was tired.

Cautiously, Law wet some napkins, wrung them dry. With some hesitation, he reached over and carefully wiped grit and blood from Sanji's cheek, and while Sanji was too upset to do anything at that point, he was surprised by the gesture. He tensed, ready to lash out at him, but doing so would unleash an embarrassing show of emotion from him; and Law didn't have to find him and approach him, but he did, and he was here.

Sanji was confused by his own feelings on that.

When he didn't reject the treatment, Law stepped in closer to gently continue cleaning. The bell rung, but both of them ignored it. He took the cigarette butt from Sanji, ran it under the water from the sink, and threw it in the trash. He smeared the ashes towards one of the drainage grates nearby, and Sanji watched him with confusion. Law turned to look at him, and caught the expression. Both of them just regarded each other quietly, wearing cautious faces.

Before he could say anything, Sanji stomped off, leaving Law alone. He threw the wet napkin he'd used into the trash, and then washed his hands; afterward he headed to class as Sanji left school grounds and headed home.


Guest: Ah, thank you for your thoughts! Being that it's still early in the story – I honestly have no idea what's in store, it's a chapter by chapter thing, with an ending I see clearly – things are still bound to happen. Teenagers can be finicky creatures, driven by drama and circumstance; I'm preying on that for this fic. The Vinsmokes are capable of turning around and administering justice as they see fit, but whether it's for or about Sanji remains to be seen. So far, they don't see Law as a threat, but as something of amusement – as evidenced by Yonji's teasing and Niji's prodding – but this chapter details something a little different. Ichiji is watching, being the snoopy bro that he is, and he's seeing things that make him a little curious. Being that Sanji was exposed for his little secret, Ichiji is watching his little brother a little more closely, now. Roci has his good and bad days, and that day gave Sanji a little insight as to why Law tries so hard for him – unfortunately, Roci is also the main one leaving bruises (though, not by purpose; his illness makes it difficult for him to think/see clearly). The more Sanji hangs around, the more he learns, whether he wants to, or not. But that's also something Sanji needs to figure out for himself – is this fixation truly what he think it is? Ahhhh….this is where things will get tricky for both of them. The teacher gives up when it comes to the brothers – after a brief meeting with Judge, he just doesn't have the will to fight them, unfortunately for those that get drawn into the brothers' dramas. DX This chapter changed dramatically for them because of classroom dynamics – but it should be noted that Sanji did not give away their secret despite the trouble, and that would be explored later.

Sarge1130: Doflamingo always makes it clear that he doesn't want them to be pitied, despite their conditions. They're making it, he feels; they don't need charity. Law abides by this just to keep the peace, and keep his place. His hope for the future is dashed by his living circumstances, now; it's going to take something huge to change his way of thinking D : While his parents are out of reach for him, they're not that far away. We've yet to meet them, and you can bet Sanji, with his continuing interest in the subject, won't let it go so easily. D : And, yes, he's still a jerk; but things are changing, very slowly, the more he learns of Law's life, and the more he's shunned by his own family. He needed a push to look at things different, and unfortunately, he has to learn the hard way. Oof.