17


That weekend, Sanji slammed his father's study door shut and locked it after Ichiji had finished talking to their mother. He then hurried over to the computer, where his mother was Face Timing them all in turn.

"Hi, honey!" she said cheerily, perking up in her chair. Her bright smile and happy expression was appreciated, but Sanji still felt a little bitter about it, because he wished to see that every day. Why she wouldn't fight harder to be close to them was something he couldn't fathom. So that brief moment of appreciation was gone. "How's my little duckling?"

"Mom, can I talk to Reiju?" Sanji asked hastily. "I'm sorry, it's a really personal question. It'll take three minutes."

Surprised, Sola tucked hair behind her ear, but nodded. "Sure, okay! She's right here."

Once his older sister appeared in view as they switched chairs, Sanji then added loudly, "Alone! Make mom step outside."

Reiju looked at Sola as she moved out of sight. Then she looked back at the screen, her light pink hair braided in small pigtails below her ears, her eyebrows lifted high. A college student, she still retained a slight child-like expression to her that remained open and receptive to Sanji.

"Show me that she's gone," Sanji demanded, not taking the chair behind him just yet. Reiju flipped the laptop around, showing him the rest of Sola's bedroom, and a door that was swinging closed.

"What's this?" she asked curiously once she straightened the device, straightening her tube top.

"Quick question: how do you make someone like you?"

Reiju didn't bat an eye. "You can't make someone like you. It just happens naturally."

"No, see, here's the situation: I've come to the realization that I like someone, but I've no idea how to show it appropriately!"

"Well, um…what is this person like?"

"Stubborn. Smart. Caring. Um, very quiet, in need of direction because there's a lack of motivation, but that part doesn't matter to me, because I know I can show them a good path to successful living that includes me in it!"

Reiju wasn't sure of what sort of face to make, so she chose a neutral one. "That's…very descriptive…"

"Enough of that. How do I do this?"

"Well, are they aware of you?"

"Duh! There's no one in the school that doesn't know who I am!"

"When you mentioned 'appropriately', what do you mean? You're not being a nasty kid and sending inappropriate messages and pictures?"

"Of course not!"

"Did you confess?"

"I did that already, but they think I'm full of shit and only doing it for one thing. It had never occurred to me, that aspect, but it was pointed out to me, and it isn't even like that! We share similar ideas and thoughts and I'm just – borderline obsessed and fascinated and I want to know everything about them, and yet I'm called 'snoopy' and 'creepy', and 'weird', and I'm just frustrated because I have to do this, because if I don't, I don't learn anything at all, and I will lose them!"

Reiju just stared at him, then cleared her throat noisily. While used to her little brother's often overwhelming rush of words, the content of it alarmed her. The years they'd spent apart didn't allow them to be as close as they used to be, so the more she spoke to her brothers over court-mandated calls, the more saddened she was with the feel of disconnect with them. Plus, it bothered her that they were so…extra. All of them. It was as if living in a house full of testosterone created masculinity monsters that weren't interested in treating her and their mother with any sort of respect. They blasted and bragged their way through each chat, not returning questions, more interested in talking about themselves than anything. Their shallowness made her feel ill.

Hearing this from Sanji brought alarm forth to her, because she was aware of his dedication to knowing things. He would go overboard with the subject until he was satisfied, and this was the Vinsmoke male's general attitude towards life. So she felt dismay for the unfortunate girl that caught her little brother's attention.

"Well…being pushy isn't the right way to do it – "

"I can't help but be pushy, because if I'm not, then absolutely nothing will happen!" Sanji stressed to her.

"It sounds like they are unwilling to share your affections –"

"I know, so how do I make them accept it?"

"You can't make someone accept your feelings," she repeated herself gently.

"You don't understand because I don't have all the time to explain it, I only have three minutes, two, two and half, but I need to do this! I need to do this, because I have a time limit, and my way obviously isn't working, and this is all I fucking think about, and this person is important to me, so it just needs to happen!" Sanji snapped at her. "So give me good advice!"

"Being demanding and pushy isn't the right way to do it. You can't just treat her like she's one of your brothers," she said pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest. "First off, I bet you're just unloading yourself onto her like she's an object that doesn't require proper courting – "

"Then how do I 'court'? Without being obvious?"

"Why wouldn't you want to be obvious? You like her, so I'd think you'd want the world to know."

"Those around me don't like the same things I like, and therefore, aren't very interested in listening to what I have to say about it," Sanji stressed, looking at his watch again. "Minute and a half, and you've given me nothing."

"I don't want to encourage something that doesn't sound very positive. You can't be pushy with someone that doesn't want your affections," Reiju said slowly. "You'll come off as disliked."

"I'm already disliked by 100 percent of the population, Reiju, I don't have a choice. Advice, please."

"Speaking as a woman and for other women, it is of grave importance for me to stress that if they are not already receptive to your advances, they do not want your advances, and any sort of encouragement that I can give you at this point might be useless. You'd only continue coming off as 'disliked'," she said slowly.

Sanji heaved an impatient sigh. "Whatever. I'll handle those details later. I've already decided that I like this person, and since I can't talk myself out of it, my mind will not be changed. I've already invested time and effort to be noticed, and now it's about getting their approval and attention. I'm noticed, but not positively, so how can I change this negativity to something for my favor?"

Reiju sighed.

"Okay, time's up. I thought you'd have useful advice, but you don't, so, later."

She frowned at him, but stood up, leaving the screen's sight. Moments later, Sola sat back down with a cheerful expression. "How have you been, baby?"

"Mom, I'm still retaining a 3.9 gradepoint average, and it's bullshit because I work my ass off to get good grades, but sometimes I get pissed because I can't seem to break a clean 100," Sanji huffed with frustration, finally sitting down and jiggling both knees. "There's a curve, and it's all Ichiji's fault! Make him stop!"

Sola looked troubled, fiddling with her hair for a few moments before saying, "If you're doing your best, then perhaps that's all you can do, for now. I think it's important to live your life and enjoy the smaller things than worry excessively about these things. I don't like that you try so hard to overachieve these things – you're headed for a mental breakdown, honey. It's important that you take care of yourself - "

"Argh, that's what the counselor said, but I think she just feeds me shit just to shut me up! I'm working hard to ensure a good path to the school dad wants me to go to, and – "

"What about the college you want to go to? What do they require?"

"Mom, either he pays for the school he wants for me, or I get all these scholarships for another one, and I feel that I won't have the support I need to go to one of my choice, because – "

"I will support you!"

"Mom, you're on a fixed income! No way!"

"Sanji, I swear, these things are things you don't need to worry about," Sola said with exasperation. "Your future is set! Whatever choice you want to make, it doesn't have to be your father's choice! I will support you with whatever decision you make regarding your future."

"Mom, I'm not putting you in that position. Anyway, just listen to me -"

"No," she said firmly, sitting up in her chair, crossing her arms. "I don't want to hear about those topics, or anything regarding school unless it's a social matter. I know you're doing fine. You are excelling without trying, and I'm confident in your efforts. I want to know what other things you've been doing. Other than your grades, what else is happening?"

"Nothing," Sanji muttered bitterly. That was all he had to talk about, really, was school. It was a safe topic, and it was all he had, other than the growing situation with Law.

"Have you tried any new recipes lately?"

"Dad doesn't want me doing that, anymore."

Sola gave an upset frown. "Have you made any friends?"

"No, everyone hates me."

"I'm sure they don't hate you, you just don't give them time to get to know you."

"Mom, I know for a fact everyone hates me, just like they hate the rest of us!"

Trying not to look disappointed, but failing, Sola then suggested, "Yonji was talking about a dance coming up, have you thought of asking any girls out? Perhaps you can bring one from another school?"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to a stupid dance. And if I have to ask someone from a different school to do so, that's going to require me actually going out and meeting people from a different school, and I can't even leave the house, anymore, because dad grounded me."

"Why?" Sola asked, shocked.

Sanji realized he'd spoken of the thing he wasn't supposed to, and tightened his lips. He thought quickly before saying, "Er, just…being annoying. Starting fights with the others. I totally deserved it, I guess I was just acting out because, mom, like, I can't have any privacy! I'm trying to do my homework, and those guys just interrupt me and tell on me, and so when I cause trouble, I get the blame for it. It's so unfair."

"Try ignoring them."

Sanji gave her a pointed look, crossing his arms, then uncrossing them, fidgeting in his chair. Sola just continued to look at him with worry until she leaned forward, lowering her voice. "I have a confession to make. I didn't leave the room, so I overheard your conversation with your sister."

"MOOO-ooom!"

"Tell me more about this person," she said excitedly, lighting up. "Stubborn in what way? Caring? Smart? What classes do you have with her?"

"Just one."

"That's unfortunate…not much opportunity to interact, is there? What makes her so special to you?"

Sanji shrugged, picking at his Hawaiian print shirt. It was so bright and vivid, a welcome change from his school uniform, and he liked how cheery the colors looked on him. Of course, his brothers gave him shit for it, but he didn't care. It was one of his favorites, and he wore it with cargo shorts and Converses.

"Everything," he then muttered in response. "I didn't know until the last minute that I did, and it makes sense, but they don't like me back."

"More than likely, you aren't showing her enough of yourself," Sola decided, still happy about the subject. "If she could just see what sort of a person you truly are – "

"Mom, it's a guy."

"…Oh." Sola looked startled, then horrified. Reiju suddenly appeared on screen from the side, sharing that expression.

"Are you insane? In that house?" Reiju hissed at him. "What is wrong with you? Or are you just confused? From what it sounds like, he's probably not even gay, that's why he's not returning your feelings!"

Sanji paused. It dawned on him that he hadn't even considered that factor. It should have been an obvious one. He turned bright red.

"Reiju…!" Sola pushed her to the side, then resumed looking at Sanji. She looked very upset, having a hard time absorbing this. "Are…are you sure?"

Studying these reactions, Sanji interpreted them as they were given. Of course his mother and sister would be disappointed and shocked. It would be weirder if they were accepting.

"Yeah..." he answered slowly, still upset over his sudden realization. He wanted to hit himself for it. That should have been obvious right from the start, that Law wasn't "like him", but he was so fucking stubborn on proving himself to Law that Sanji didn't even think about that aspect. God, it was so obvious. Like forgetting to fill in a test question he'd meant to come back to. He cleared his throat. Oh well, too late to go back on his confession, now. "Dad's doing his best to discourage it, but it's something I can't change. It's not a big fucking deal, but…it's a hassle if I keep having to defend myself, and I really can't be having that trouble, not with my grades, and no one cares if there's fags in the school anyway - !"

Reiju gasped, and Sola continued to look horrified.

"Do your brothers know of this?" Reiju asked.

"It's not like I came right out to say it, but it was exposed, and so they know anyway, but I'm not going around blasting it. I don't care," Sanji mumbled. "I don't really care, it's not a big deal! But don't say anything to dad, because he'll just get even madder! I mean it, mom! Reiju! Or I'll never say anything to you two, again."

Both of them looked at a loss for words, and, frustrated that it came out the way it did, wishing he'd thought about them before unleashing his words, Sanji swiped at his hair. "Never mind I said it! Forget it! I'm done, don't repeat that stuff to anyone!"

"Wait, wait, wait, Sanji! Wait!" Sola called after him, but he was already out of the chair and jerking the door open, hollering at Niji to take his turn. Then he left the study and headed to his room, where he jumped onto his bed and wrapped the duvet around himself. He let loose a frustrated curse, red-faced.

He laid there for some time, thinking about his situation. After what Law had told him on Friday, he was still stunned that he would be accused of this. Quite honestly, it had never occurred to him that his actions could be interpreted as such. That wasn't even a goal – all he wanted was Law's attention. That's all. To continue to have conversations that weren't about his brothers, that weren't about school, that wasn't about his brothers' accomplishments, about grades, about things that weren't associated with his family. He wanted to know everything about Law; he wanted to know about his parents, about his home life, his thoughts and fears, what made him happy. Sanji wanted to know where he came from, where he was going, what happened when October came around. Sanji wanted to know how life was at West Blue, he wanted to know what Law's favorite foods were – no where in any point of this did Sanji ever think about that.

But it had occurred to him that this must happen a lot for Law to react that way. Constantly suspicious of good gestures, of friendliness, of being led into something…ominous. Sanji just couldn't imagine what sort of life that was, so it made sense that Law was so closed up. Many things must have happened to him to be this way, so Sanji allowed him that. But it only strengthened his resolve to prove himself; he wasn't like that. He didn't have 'ill-intentions'; he just had to show Law that he was real. Even if he had to force his way over that highly constructed, barbed wire fence Law had around him.

Well, now, to acknowledge the fact that Law wasn't gay "like him", which made things more frustrating because Sanji's mind was set. Maybe he just had to convince Law that he was, and was just in denial of himself. That sounded reasonable to Sanji.

But what happened after that? Sanji wasn't sure how relationships worked – maybe that wasn't what he was looking for. Maybe he was just looking for a friend. Maybe he was confusing all his feelings for this person as a want for closeness in someone else. How embarrassing if that was the case.

He flailed his way out of his blankets and headed out to the back porch to smoke, thinking about his plans for next week. Law already knew that Sanji liked him; time to prove it.

: :

Monday morning, he walked into the class with determination. Law avoided looking at him, looking wholly irritated with just Sanji's appearance. As Sanji did not want his brothers snitching on him for continuing this situation with Law, he remained indifferent to the kid while carrying on as he usually did; making snide comments of his brothers, arguing with Mr Hansen about recent homework, joining in whenever Yonji or Niji latched onto an unfortunate victim that decided to speak up. But after class, Sanji hurried straight towards Law's locker, and hesitated as he clutched a folded note in both hands. For a few moments, his resolve wavered. He understood that Law 'wasn't like him', but Sanji had reasoned that he didn't make himself clear enough. If Sanji could prove what sort of a person he could be, he was sure Law would change his mind.

With a deep breath, he slipped in the note he'd made the night before, and hurried off. When Law found it, he automatically crumbled the folded paper in one hand, and threw it back into his locker without reading it.

Throughout the day, Sanji watched him, waiting to see if he'd read it, but Law was avoiding him. He anticipated that he would – considering his predictability – and before last class of the day, slipped in note number two.

After school, Law found it and crumbled it, tossing it back into his locker and walking off without any more thoughts to Sanji's efforts.

"Fight?" Ace asked Sabo.

"Yes," Sabo reluctantly agreed, making a sour face because he knew those things.

The next day, Sanji slipped in three more notes, and Law repeated the gestures from yesterday. He made a mental note to remind himself to take them home later on so he could destroy them. Not to save Sanji in any way, but because they were nobody's business, and yet everyone seemed to be involved with their actions. He did not trust Ichiji after what had happened to his uniform.

Tuesday evening, when Law made it home and had some time to himself, he remembered the notes he'd stuffed into his sweater. It took him some minutes to make the decision to open them. They were all numbered, which made him think that there was no ending to this. One note, labeled #1, read, 'What are your thoughts on our current infrastructure? I think it's overwhelming and impossible to acquire more water rights in order to continue building outrageously large communities with more golf courses in them. Do you like water?'

The third one read, 'Your nails look nice, today.'

The fourth, 'We should go shopping. I have a lot of allowance saved, so I can buy you new shoes. You need to let me do this, I'm not using this money for anything.'

The fifth, 'No one knows I'm doing this. Quit being shy. WRITE BACK.'

The second, 'Your handwriting tells me you're stressed, insecure and the sloppiness suggests you think faster than you can write. So you're very intelligent, and that's definitely something I admire.'

Law tore these notes to shreds, red-faced. What an idiot, he thought bitterly.

The next day, Sanji slipped more notes into his locker, and when Law retrieved them, he had the idea that they were of the same content as the last, so he didn't bother opening them. But he didn't crumble them. Instead, he stuffed them into his notebook and opened them at home, feeling irritated with himself as he read them. He couldn't stop himself from doing so. He could hear Sanji's voice in his head as he read them, which made the situation even worse.

Number six said, 'We ate at this taco place last night, and it was much too greasy. But the hot sauce was amazing! I wanted to recreate it. Do you like hot stuff? Maybe I can make you lunch!'

Number seven, 'I told my mom about you.'

Number eight, 'Did you at least eat what I tried to make the day you broke your nose? Was it any good? Write me back.'

Number nine, 'I think about your meeting w/ your parents a lot. It must have gone well because you don't look so stressed, anymore. I'm glad you gave them a chance. Maybe they'll keep you here at this school?'

Number ten read, 'You have nice eyes. Cut your hair so I can see them better.'

Law tore these notes to shreds, feeling his ears burn. Even if he could, he didn't know how to respond to these things. It felt like harassment, pressure, and yet…yet there was a small inkling in him that didn't feel too threatened. Maybe it was because he could hear Sanji saying these things to him that didn't make him feel susceptible to what he expected from him; and that was dangerous in its own, because he didn't want to let his guard down.

He didn't want to be disappointed to learn that he'd been right, and that feeling didn't settle very well with him. Damn it, he didn't know what he was doing.

During their shared class the next morning, when everyone was occupied with an intense debate topic regarding the current presidential administration, Law turned in his chair. "Stop it."

"Are you miserable yet, shit head?" Sanji asked in return, not looking at him as he continued to fill out his Trig packet.

"I told you to stop, so stop."

"What did you think about number one? It's not a current homework topic, I was just thinking about it because we had to go golfing with dad the other day, and I thought it was disgusting that we're going through a drought, and yet these places are taking up all the water that we could be using to -"

"I don't care about that!"

"You should! This is the city we live in, and if we plan on living forever - !"

"I don't plan on being here that long!"

Sanji looked at him sharply. His voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "Are you talking about suicide?"

"NO!"

At Law's outraged voice, kids looked over with alarm, and both of them resettled in their seats, looking embarrassed at the attention. Sanji huffed loudly. "Fine, don't let me look at your notes, mine are better than yours, anyway!"

Niji tilted his head in his direction. "What are you doing, Sanji?"

"Looking for notes from last class."

"I have them." Niji then pointed at his forehead. "Up here. Ask big brother nicely."

"No, fuck you, I don't trust your information."

Now that Niji was aware of the interaction, Sanji didn't say anything else. Law just sat there with a scowl, jiggling his knee anxiously, quite aware of the attention now directed their way, and it frustrated him that Sanji just would not get the obvious. But at the end of the day, he collected the notes stuffed into his locker and took them home.

Note number eleven read, 'You may not think it, but you are important.'

'There is so much more to this provincial life!' Number twelve was accompanied with a bad Belle drawing that almost made Law's mouth twitch.

'You look better rested. I'm not complimenting your looks, don't freak out, I'm just saying, as a general statement, it looks as if you've gotten some sleep.'

With a heavy feeling of reluctance, Law kept notes eleven and twelve. He crumbled up thirteen and stuffed it deep into the trashcan. He refolded the others and put them underneath his sleeping bag, feeling light headed as he did so. He didn't know why he didn't have the heart and mind to throw them away, but he did find himself rereading them after resettling Rosinante back into bed in the middle of the night.

Friday, Sanji delivered three more notes, and was sitting in his last class with a few minutes remaining, writing out his last one. He wasn't sure if Law was even reading these notes – he must be, after that brief confrontation in first period – so he wasn't sure of the other boy's response.

This current note was a compliment – he had to word it in a way that didn't let Law think negatively of his intentions, not make it 'too gay', but to get his point across. He'd just started writing the length of it when it was snatched out of his grasp, causing him to look up with a start. Ichiji glared at him after glancing at the content, and Sanji jumped out of his chair to grab at it in a panic, his older brother twisting away to take the few steps necessary out of the door. Those sitting nearby looked after them with bewilderment, unsure of what was happening.

Sanji jumped on him once out in the hall, but all Ichiji did was brace himself to hold his younger brother's weight on his back. He then grabbed Sanji by the arms curled around his neck, twisted off his own feet, and landed with both of them on the floor. He was on top, so he twisted quickly in Sanji's grasp and used an elbow to push hard on his ribs to pull away, Sanji laying there, slightly winded by the slam. Ichiji walked away with the note in hand, and Sanji pushed himself to his feet, watching his older brother do so. His ribs ached where Ichiji's elbow had connected, so he winced, rubbing slightly with one hand in an attempt to push the pain away.

Red faced, Sanji returned to the class just as the bell rang, and he gathered his stuff, fairly upset by what just happened. Once he made sure he had everything, he then ran to the parking lot to go find Ichiji. He wasn't out at the table he usually waited, and so Sanji pulled out his cigarettes. Nauseated by the possibilities, he sat at the table with a guilty expression, nervously jiggling his leg. Minutes later, Ichiji showed up with their brothers, and Sanji put out his cigarette, shaking hands pushed into his pockets before he could face them with a glare.

"Sneaky, sneaky!" Niji chided him, wearing a wide grin.

"Bro, this is gross," Yonji said angrily. He was in possession of the note, and he crumbled it in his hand. "This is seriously gross. Like, I thought it was a joke all this time, but I didn't know you were doing things like this."

"Father said we should talk this over with you, first," Ichiji said irritably, as the three of them faced off with Sanji. "I thought it was made implicitly clear that this was forbidden. You weren't supposed to be talking to that kid after all that mess from Cracker Barrel. It makes the rest of us look fairly stupid."

"It's none of your damn business who I talk to!" Sanji protested. "So what if I was still talking to him? It's not like he talks back! He keeps ignoring me!"

"Still, it was made pretty clear that you intend on continuing this disgusting act of indecency, and I'm fucking embarrassed that you're only doing this to make us look bad!" Ichiji snapped back, reddening. "Sneaking around about it in front of the entire school!"

Yonji looked concerned at his usage of words, soundlessly repeating them.

"Is this a gay form of sexual harassment?" Niji asked with mock alarm. "Are we actually saving this kid's life from a potential rapist?"

"Oh, I almost threw up," Yonji complained, having to cough afterward as he hit his own chest.

"This isn't about you! None of it ever is! God, just leave me alone!"

"Both of you, stop talking like that. You know dad hates that sort of thing. Let's go," Ichiji muttered, turning to the car nearby. "We'll continue this at home."

"I'll just walk home."

"No, we need to talk about this. It concerns us as a whole, so we're allowed to have our say without him present. He trusts my judgment."

"Unfair," Niji mumbled.

"Just because he's five minutes older than me," Yonji muttered.

"This has nothing to do with the family! And, no, I'm not going home with you guys, right now. There's nothing that needs to be said. Make fun of me all you want, but I don't regret what I did," Sanji snapped, glaring at Ichiji defiantly.

Niji made a low whistle, Yonji's face tightening before Ichiji turned back to look at him.

"Get him!" Niji whispered loudly, using a foot to push Ichiji in that direction.

Ichiji noticed that a bunch of kids were looking their way, noting their confrontational stances against each other. "No. We make a show in front of the whole school, they'll feel sorry for the little runt. We don't need to explain ourselves to them. Yonji."

"Jesus Christ, I'll do it myself!" Sanji snapped bitterly, snatching up his bag and walking over to the car. He climbed in while his brothers followed suit, Yonji tossing the paper on the grass with a scowl.

Not even moments after the car pulled out from the parking lot, Law came up to the grassy area. After a brief confrontation with Ichiji at his locker, Ichiji telling him to 'stop encouraging him', Law had a bad feeling about where this was going. Whatever that paper had written on it, it must've been alarming for him to react so strongly.

He turned to take the long route back home when he noticed the crumbled paper on the grass. After some hesitation, he reached for it, recognizing Sanji's handwriting immediately.

Unfolding it, he read, 'you make me feel happy – '; the sharp line of a pen mark scratched across the page told Law that this statement had been forced to remain unfinished. But even then, those five words filled him with an unexpectedly warm wave of emotions; confusion, anger, disbelief, embarrassment, and others he couldn't identify. This stupid, weirdly obsessed kid could say things like that without reserve and get himself into trouble because of it. Didn't he know something like this was going to happen?

It was Sanji's fault to begin with. Law had told him to stop. He had already expressed his reasons why, and he'd made himself clear that this behavior was unacceptable. He folded it back up, finding the correct angles to fit the fold. He made to tear it up from there, but, after several moments of hesitation, put it in his pocket instead. Then he just stood there, unaccustomed to this new feeling that made him embarrassed to have done so.

Fuck, I'm so stupid, he thought, heading back home.

: :

In class Monday morning, Niji marched in first with a smug expression. Behind him, Yonji walked in with a wide grin. Mr Hansen frowned, sitting at the edge of his desk with a cautious air, eyes narrowed with suspicion. Law felt himself tense because he knew something was going to happen, and because it was associated with him, he knew those brothers were going to do something to expose what was happening between himself and Sanji. While he really didn't care what they said, it was only the Vinsmokes that made these things absolutely unavoidable.

Yonji stopped short near the doorway with a wide gesture.

"Our bro got a makeover over the weekend!" he said cheerily. "Check him out, Grandline High's own hotstuff, upcoming potential homecoming king, Sanji!"

Niji laughed nastily, making his way to his seat with a flippant wave of his hair. In Law's direction, he said with a leer, "He's got such pretty eyes, we helped him show them off! 'Course, he didn't like it, but whatever…hair grows back, right?"

Sanji walked in with such a sullen expression that no one dared to show reaction. But his bang had been cut so short that both curly eyebrows were exposed, the rest of the length untouched. He looked like a kid who had just taken scissors to it and left it. Just as it registered that his hair had been cut, another thing came to sight; his right arm was encased within a stark white cast, from hand up to his forearm.

"We were roughhousing too hard, and somebody doesn't drink enough milk," Yonji said with a shrug, making his way to his seat as Mr Hansen looked at Sanji with concern. Sanji headed to his desk without saying anything. His silence was just as unusual as his appearance. Nobody knew what to say, but they dared not look in his direction as he took a seat.

The other brothers settled in their seats, behaving as they normally did. Sanji clumsily retrieved his pen and notebook from his bag, then awkwardly clasped his pen in his left hand. For most of the class, he attempted to write, but he grew fed up towards the middle. Niji teased him for a bit, but when Sanji didn't respond to him, he moved onto another. Yonji offered to take notes for him, but lost track of what he was doing when prompted to answer a certain question.

Law gave nothing away. But for the rest of the day, he noticed that Sanji remained close to his brothers, glaring off to the distance or staring at his arm, like he couldn't believe the cast was there. He didn't smoke at all. After the events of Friday, Law knew it was because of him that this was happening. But he didn't know what to do. All he felt at this moment was…reaching out and seeing if Sanji were okay. Sanji would do that for him, he was very sure of it.

It felt awkward admitting that to himself, but he felt it. He couldn't ignore the feeling. So, he waited.

Later that afternoon, he took a hall pass from his last class and wandered down to where Sanji was located. He peered through the door window to see him sitting where he had been the last time. He was at his desk, hand over his exposed brow, while everyone was clustered up front, doing something at a few computer stations. Law didn't know where the teacher was. This part was going to be difficult, but he felt it was the only chance he had to reach out. And the only reason why he felt brave enough to do so was because this kid was brave enough to defy his own family just to make him feel someway. He entered the classroom silently, checking once more for the teacher, and then took the seat in front of Sanji's desk.

Sanji didn't even acknowledge him, but he knew Law was suddenly there.

"I'm sorry," he said thickly. "I can't talk to you, right now."

"Not roughhousing?" Law asked instead.

It took a few moments for Sanji to answer. And when he did, it was with a dazed tone. "I don't know. I'm kinda confused where it…should have been roughhousing, but… somehow…when I think about it, it doesn't feel that way, now."

Law understood that feeling quite well. That shocked feeling where something felt utterly wrong when it stemmed from something that should have been familiar and expected. Sanji did not look at him. His hand obscured most of his face, so Law couldn't see what sort of expression he was making, but body language was enough, for him.

"I understand," he said quietly. He didn't say anything else. But it wasn't as if his tongue was stuck against the back of his teeth – he just wasn't sure what to say to make the situation any better when he knew that it wasn't. But he swallowed tightly, fiddling with the ash stain on his slacks. It took a lot to admit, "I kept them."

After a few moments, Sanji lifted his head just enough to look at him. He had a faint welt against his left eye, almost visible if it weren't for the remaining strands of his bang hanging there. But he didn't remove his hand. Law hadn't noticed before, but Sanji's eyes were a weird shade of brown – maybe he hadn't seen it because that curtain of hair always hung on one side, maybe he just didn't pay attention. But now that they were focused on him, he noticed.

He had to swallow again. "And I found the last one."

"How?" Sanji asked, bewildered. "Yonji had it."

"It was…on the grass."

Sanji put it together. "You came looking…?"

"I was told to stop encouraging you. It felt different."

Sanji looked down at his casted arm. He didn't know what to say, but he did feel a slight warmth in his chest. It was worth it, then.

"I'm sure it was just an accident," he then said.

Law looked at him pointedly, and Sanji had to look away. "Think about what's important for your safety – "

"You're important to me," Sanji interrupted firmly, looking at him straight on.

Law just didn't understand this fucking kid. He felt himself shake his head, ever so slightly, searching for a lie or trick in that resolved expression of his. It upset him because he didn't see any of that. He wasn't worth this. How many times did he have to stress that? He said, "I know someone that'll look for answers."

"It's nothing like that."

"They look very sorry that it happened. And what's this shit about your hair? What sort of family thinks it's appropriate to physically degrade one of their own just because you're not following their ideals?"

Sanji said nothing for a few moments, but he did give a slight sniffle. Law studied the clipped part of his hair, seeing that it could be fixed. Someone with enough talent could turn the jagged ends into bangs. It would create a weird, artsy haircut, but then again, Sanji could even cut the rest of it short.

He wasn't sure what to say after that, but when Ms Kalifa cleared her throat noisily, he was suddenly reminded of where he was and what he was doing. He looked over to see that she'd re-entered the room and that he'd been noticed, because there were puzzled looks in their direction. He left quickly through the door he'd entered and headed back to class.

Sanji didn't acknowledge the curious stares from his classmates as Ms Kalifa continued on with the lesson. All these years he'd accepted the fact that he lacked support within his own household, but when this happened, it felt so much more different than a verbal attack. They roughhoused, they took physical shots at each other, but what really bothered him was that Judge didn't even seem to believe him when he'd complained of his arm hurting that night. Or even care. It was only when he started feeling sick that Judge did anything, but even then, he said nothing to him at the hospital.

Sanji knew he was angry at him, knowing that Ichiji had given him details of the matter. But it felt worse not knowing Judge's thoughts than it did knowing them. He felt like he was stuck in a daze, tentatively acknowledging a matter but not accepting it. It felt different; therefore, it felt frightening.


A/N: Sanji's lesson plan in Yaoi Logic: convince a guy he's 'gay' to fit his needs. XD

Naghi-Tan: he has his moments ; )

RR: Thank you! They are sensitive issues here, and that's what makes this story different to write, because he's not the 'usual' I write him as. So keeping him in this story's character is sometimes hard to do, and forces it to proceed slowly, but…the ending is worth it!

Sarge1130: One of Sanji's qualities that are needed here, for this 'short story' turned multi-chapter run! (exhausted) But he has to fine-tune it, because he hasn't used it before, and, really, he's only using it to get his way and prove his point. Little by little, though, the more he experiences and starts to understand of Law, he'll be better at it. Law's parents are suffering; their mistakes because of grief had turned into something unfairly regretful, so they have to work hard, and it's not easy to fix something like this. The world won't turn around for Law automatically because they want to love him and 'make up for it'; it'll take time and a lot of effort. But they are willing to do so, that's the key. And Smoker and the others' plan for reuniting the family safely has commenced, so it'll be that that will determine their future. Their names came after much debate, but they seemed like such a happy group in canon, so it seemed fitting. Their son is almost brand new to them, and that's the hard part. He's not their 'little boy' anymore, and that's why Law was so stressed. As hard as Smoker tried placing him in various homes before, because he's older and stubborn, he knows he's a tough nut to get through. But really, he's just a vulnerable kid that's been hurt too many times, and so his parents have a lot to work on. Sanji's fighting spirit keeps him spunky ; ) Even through his own difficult times.