23
Apprehensively, Sanji paced the hall outside of the office, out of the window's line of sight. Niji was still in there, and while Ichiji had walked in earlier, Sanji wasn't going to barge in just yet. He knew the blame was going to be placed all on him. It was just a feeling. He was absolutely frazzled that they all knew what had happened yesterday – did the entire school know? He hadn't looked at anyone to notice any knowing looks his way, thanks to Yonji and Niji's distraction. How could the three of them have hidden their knowledge of this from him? Wouldn't they have attacked right away? He was confused by their late response. He just knew it was because they were up to no good.
Koala had left the office minutes earlier with her boyfriend, but it looked as if she'd escaped any sort of trouble, for she wore a satisfied expression. They'd missed seeing him, but Sanji overheard her telling Sabo that Niji was still complaining about the treatment he'd endured by her hand. Sanji was confident that Niji wouldn't retaliate because of Sabo, but it was still a strike against Sanji for jumping in as he did. He was pretty sure he'd get it once they got home. Judge would definitely blame Sanji for this course of action.
He peered around the hall to look towards the office once more, keeping an eye out for Yonji; it was odd that he wasn't around, either, but Sanji figured Ichiji told him to stay back. He just knew his brothers were conspiring against him for that act, and while he didn't regret it in the least, he was very apprehensive about what would happen because of it. Anxiety made his breath a little heavier.
"What are we looking at?" he heard asked below him, and he was startled to see that Luffy was peering around the same corner, crouched at his feet. Sanji shoved away with a startled sound, nearly tripping over the boy as he made to rise.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sanji snapped at him, turning and making to walk away now that he was exposed. "Get away from me!"
"Oh, I just wanted to see what you were up to. I came over here to buy some candy. Want a bar? It's for a fundraiser for the animal shelter," Luffy said, pulling out wadded bills from his slacks.
Sanji stared at him incredulously, unable to believe the gall of this boy. "No!"
"I heard your brother got into trouble this morning. Koala hit him good!" Luffy then chuckled. "Serves him right, actually, for the stuff he was saying to her. But Sabo will still kick his ass if he could. I heard you stepped in to protect her – y'know, that was a really good thing you did."
"I didn't do it for her," Sanji snapped at him, clutching his bag strap with both hands. "I did it so Niji wouldn't get into further trouble."
"Yeah, right," Luffy said with a wide grin.
Striding off, Sanji headed quickly towards the classroom Law was in, and found him staring out the window. Flustered, he said, "Maybe it's not a good idea to be alone. I don't know what they're going to do."
"I'm not worried about it," Law told him, not looking at him.
"You should be. The three of them together could do something stupid."
"It's not anything different," Law answered vaguely. He then turned away from the window to look at him. "But for you, it could be dangerous. You live with them."
Sanji sat down in an empty desk near his, fiddling with the edge of his cast. He looked pensive for a moment, then said, "I'm sure it'll be okay. After all, they did all they could do."
"It could escalate."
"I…wouldn't worry about it," Sanji murmured, noticing the lack of confidence he spoke with and hastily clearing his throat to speak more clearly. "I think that if anything else happens to me, people will…start to speculate. And there's enough talk already, so…"
"I don't think you understand what can happen – "
"Not all experiences are like yours," Sanji said stubbornly.
Law frowned at him, then looked down at his anxious actions. Despite the way he spoke, it was obvious Sanji was worried. "I guess if you have enough money, it could go away. But at what cost to you?"
Sanji didn't know what to say. He was afraid, he wouldn't deny that. Just remembering the way his arm was broken and then smoothed over with a 'boys will be boys' comment came back to him with stomach churning force. But he looked to Law. "I don't regret it, though. I don't regret what got me caught."
Law didn't say anything, taking in that determined expression of his. Risks were dangerous, and he knew personally what they would do to someone.
Sanji got up as the bell rang. "I can do this. I want to do this. I just…want to know if…you want to keep doing this."
Law wasn't sure how to feel about that. Sanji frowned at the sight of his expression, Law unsure of what sort of face he was making, but before he could say anything, Sanji left him to hurry off to his next class. Kids began filing into the classroom, so he took a seat, feeling a little numb. But he dipped his hand into his sweater pocket and pulled out the note that he'd found there.
'You make me feel like I can be a better person.'
Was this all worth it? He felt a lot different than he had when he'd first come to this school – enough for Rosinante to comment on it – but was it worth it to put another person in danger? He wanted this – for everything Sanji had done for him, he wanted to give as much, but was it worth watching a family tear down one of their own for someone like him?
He carefully refolded the note and slipped it back into his pocket.
At lunch, Sanji marched over to where his brothers were already seated, Niji pouting as Yonji ate from a cooler he'd pulled from the car. Ichiji was reading, so by the time Sanji arrived, all of them looked at him with contemplative frowns. Niji tried to kick him, but Ichiji elbowed him in the chest.
"Sit down," Ichiji commanded of him, Sanji standing off to the side with a stubborn frown. "Don't get confrontational with us for no damn reason."
"What's going on?" Sanji demanded, lowering his bag to the grass. "What's all this shit about?"
Yonji and Niji looked to Ichiji to speak for them, both with varying expressions of dissatisfaction. Ichiji exhaled, picking at the salad he had next to his book.
"We know," he stated, lowering his book, marking off his page. "All the kids are talking about it, so it's not a secret, anymore, that you've been messing around with that kid."
"People are stupid!"
"So, you're saying Koala is a liar?" Ichiji asked, lifting an eyebrow. Sanji couldn't think of any reason why the girl would spread such a rumor, so he accepted that she must've been the witness. Which made him redden a little. "Look, Sanji, who knows you better than your own family? We can't stop you from seeing this kid, disgusting as it is, so we're not going to interfere with it. You will hear us bitch about it, through."
Sanji was intensely wary of this 'acceptance'. He looked each brother in the face, searching for lies, agendas – but they gave him nothing but their own versions of reluctance.
"It's not fair," Yonji grumbled, digging into his premade meal. "Bending dad's rules so that you get a boyfriend when he told us 'no girlfriends'."
"I didn't bend any rules!"
"Sanji, just accept that we know you're not going to let this go," Ichiji said impatiently. "Any further denial of the issue is just plain exhausting. We know. You're the only one that will have to deal with dad's wrath on it when he finds out."
"You fucking assholes do anything gross in front of me, I'll kick both of your asses!" Niji threatened. "And don't think this morning's transgression will get ignored, either! That girl struck me without provocation, and if females want equal rights and shit, they should expect to get hit right back!"
"I only did that so you wouldn't get expelled!" Sanji snapped at him. "You're so stupid!"
"You're stupid!"
"Both of you are stupid!" Ichiji snapped at both of them. "You're lucky dad talked the principal out of suspending you, Niji, and be satisfied with the fact that you're still on the swim team – just out of practice for awhile. Learn from this, idiot. And Sanji…"
He sighed heavily, having trouble with his own words. "Thanks for stepping in like that. Niji's actions would have cost him both the wrath of father and that stupid Sabo."
"He's still going to kick your ass," Yonji told Niji. "I overheard him talking shit about it in third period to that Ace guy."
"Bring it! But he better not sucker punch me from behind, because I will rise up like a fucking zombie and gnaw the shit out of his raw hamburger face!"
Ichiji then looked at Sanji, who was still having trouble accepting their approval. He smirked. "I hope this time is worth it. We're not going to make you comfortable with this continued defiance."
"You guys already know what…which way I go, so it shouldn't even be a surprise," Sanji muttered.
"What's fucking surprising is that we were right!" Yonji grumbled. "You're a fucking predator. It's like seeing a kid kicking a puppy in the street."
"But if he continues to lay his hands on you, we will interfere," Ichiji interrupted, picking up his book. "That's our only warning, and I already made that clear to him this morning."
"Only we're allowed to kick your ass," Niji added.
"The thing that gets me is that everyone in this school finds it in their best interests to interfere," Ichiji continued, taking a bite out of his lunch. "This PC generation, motivated by acts recognized on the internet, wanting to pave the way for equal rights. For some reason, they forget and forgive the way you've treated him, and seem to give approval to this relationship. Hypocrites."
Sanji had to agree with him on that one. He had made Law's life hell upon his arrival, but the things in-between; those were the things that gave him this chance in the first place. They were now closer because of it. He hoped Law remembered that.
"I don't think he wants to be with me, anyway," he mumbled.
"Why?" Yonji asked automatically, outraged. Niji kicked him underneath the table, causing him to sputter, food dropping from his mouth.
"Because you guys are assholes!" Sanji shouted at them.
"Yes, we're not going to make this easy, but if he chooses to back out because he doesn't have a fucking backbone to withstand us, then he's not someone you should consider as a potential companion," Ichiji said with a disgusted expression. "How will that reflect on you? On the family?"
"Oh, fuck the family's ideals…"
"He needs to take responsibility!" Niji yelled, slamming his fists upon the table. "He brought you into this mess, he needs to follow through! Backing out like a fucking wimp once we give approval? He practically exposed you as a fag, so he needs to stand where he made room to do this! Otherwise, he only made you look like a total fucking fool!"
"Well, a bigger one," Ichiji added.
Yonji looked very confused, but he continued eating, just in case he said something stupid.
Sanji was utterly confused by his brothers' reactions. He wasn't sure how to address them, but every instinct of his commanded that he not let his guard down. They were suspiciously accepting of the situation.
Taking a deep breath, fists at his sides, he said, "Yeah, I kissed him. Yes, I have feelings for him."
"UGH!" Niji shouted, Ichiji frowning deeply, Yonji pausing in mid-chew to stare at Sanji as if he'd just revealed a grand secret. So Sanji thought he'd just strolled right into their trap, that they'd just baited him into admitting it. He stiffened.
"We don't need details," Ichiji snapped at him. "Knowing that it actually happened is enough!"
"So unfair," Yonji muttered bitterly, his brothers looking at him suspiciously before he hastily clarified himself. "That you get a boyfriend! That you get to do this! That's what I meant!"
"You realize he exposed you to the entire school," Ichiji started, rising to stand, palms on the table, "because he probably won't even stay here! He'll leave, and you'll be left behind, exposed as a fucking homosexual! You won't have any support because you're a fucking jerk to everyone here, and you don't have our support, so did you even think about that?"
Because he could be right, Sanji not knowing what Law would do, he bit his lip. He had been living in the moment, and hadn't actually thought about what Law would commit himself, to.
"Idiot!" Niji snarled.
"So, did you just get played?" Yonji asked curiously. "That's what it means, right? To get played?"
"If he did it just to expose you after everything you did to him, then it serves you right!" Ichiji said.
Sanji felt his head lower a bit, fiddling with his sweater hem.
"Idiot," Ichiji told him. "You obviously weren't thinking with your head."
"UGH!" Niji shouted to the sky, folding his arms over his chest and leaning far back on the seat. "AIDS!"
"Are you going to die?" Yonji asked on a shocked whisper. "If you do, will we feel it, because we're brothers, and like, we know stuff like that?"
Niji stopped making his disgusted face and straightened up in his seat to look at Sanji with consideration, obviously just as curious as Yonji.
"I'm not going to die!" Sanji yelled at them.
Ichiji walked over to him, slinging an arm around his shoulders, pulling him towards the table. "You've obviously been played, brother. Fell right into his trap."
Sanji didn't feel it was a trap, but he did think about what would happen if Law happened to make up his mind about what he was going to do. If he went with his parents, would he convince them to allow him to stay here? If he chose to leave school, how would they see each other? He felt so stupid for not having those things in mind. He was very aware of Law's indecision, and also aware of his options so, this time, Ichiji had him there.
"That settles it, then," Niji said, rising from his side of the table. "Let's go beat him up. Then we beat you up for being so stupid."
"I've got this wrestling commitment, so I actually can't, right now," Yonji said, his mouth full again. "But I'll totally support you guys from the side."
Sanji jerked away from Ichiji. Without anything to say, he then turned and walked away. Ichiji looked after him with a frown, then looked at the others.
"That was easy," he said, almost disappointed.
"Yeah, I thought it'd be harder than that," Niji said, sharing his expression.
Yonji looked at both of them. "Wait, was this…was that all part of Ichi's plan? That psychological warfare? Because it totally sounded like you guys were serious in being supportive, and all that."
Niji slapped him upside the head while Ichiji took his seat. With a huff, he said, "I guess it wasn't what I'd expected. I'd prepared myself for a longer battle. But if this is the end of it, I suppose…job well done. We'll just have to deal with the consequences of his stupidity."
"Meltdown modes for the rest of the week, I guarantee it!" Niji grumbled. He mimicked his younger brother's facial expressions. "Boo hoo, nobody likes me! That's all we'll hear of it."
"He really liked him, too," Yonji said with a frown. "I guess we should beat that guy up just to, y'know, get back at him for making us look stupid, too."
Ichiji frowned at him, finishing his salad. "Let's keep it an option outside of school. It'll be justified if he does end up causing the inconvenience of Sanji's mood swings."
From the quad, Sabo sighed heavily, squinting at the three brothers resuming their lunch. "I wish I knew how to read lips!"
"It didn't look all that bad," Ace agreed. "Just looked like they had words, and that guy's not, like, mad upset."
Gritting his teeth, Sabo said with frustration. "If I could just get my hands on that blue haired bastard, I could settle this once and for all!"
"It sounds like Koala has him handled," Ace assured him.
"Just in case, though, we shouldn't drop our guards. It's really too bad," Sabo added. "That kid seems a lot happier not being around his brothers, so from this, it's apparent that it's their influence that he is the way he is."
Ace scowled. "Like, I know what you're saying but he's still a little jerk."
"Sometimes, all it takes is a little change and necessary influence from others," Sabo said, almost reminding him. Ace rolled his eyes as they turned away, headed back towards the others. "Even so, we shouldn't with a blind eye until we know for sure what will happen. I suspect they'll pick more on that other kid than they will with their own brother to satisfy their sick display of power."
"This is so…like, it's none of our business but it's turning into our business, and I don't know how I feel about that."
"Niji should have never bothered Koala, and made it my business."
While this was happening, Law was sitting against the backstop of the baseball field with a cigarette, thinking about this morning. He was hoping for Sanji to come meet him so that he could at least see him – he felt bad for the expression Sanji had given him before he'd left, so Law felt that Sanji thought Law was pulling back from him.
Committing himself to the possibilities of someone being hurt because of him made him more aware of what he was worth. He reached into his sweater pocket and withdrew the folded note. He knew that Sanji had changed a lot because of him; he held himself differently around Law, a constant presence that gave Law some life. Maybe the pair of them could keep motivating each other, push each other, and it was a different sort of friendship he had where these feelings were good – not based on friendships where he was coaxed into making the wrong decisions because everyone already felt defeated enough to take a different path.
He did want it, but there was so much weight in his own insecurities that made him feel that he shouldn't. It was only possible if Sanji kept pushing, and he if suddenly stopped, Law felt that it would be impossible. He wasn't strong enough on his own to make a decision like this one, so he felt that if Sanji could just continue to be there to push him…he would eventually grow into his own strength. He recognized that he was relying so much on Sanji, but…
He fiddled with the paper, turning it over and over in his hands. He had an idea that Sanji was confronting his brothers – how he had the strength to get in their faces after something like this was admirable to Law because he couldn't imagine doing it unless he was cornered – so he figured he'd wait to hear the result of it. He wrestled with the idea of going out to look for him, to be there if they swamped him, but he had the thought that his presence might only aggravate them even further.
Trust your instincts, he was told. He flicked the butt away, opening the note to reread it. Sanji's words were different from the others. Sanji spoke with all his emotions and thoughts, and because Law had seen his changes for himself, he knew he mattered to Sanji. Anyone who would willingly put themselves into danger for him…that was a difficult concept to accept. But it was happening.
He rose to his feet, wiping off his slacks, putting the note back into his pocket. He left the baseball field and started walking towards the parking lot, agitation causing his heart to race and his breath to quicken. But as he reached the building, he caught sight of a couple of seniors ragging on a small group of kids. It looked like a portable device was being tossed from hand to hand, the older boys laughing and jeering at the kids that were trying to get it back. He made to walk away, hesitating with the action. It wasn't his business and there was no need to get involved with something that didn't involve him in the first place. But he did have an advantage if he approached from behind…
Walking over, he saw that the boys from his first period class – what were their names? – a girl with wavy hair, and another guy with a head warmer trying to get to the device, but the seniors were threatening to break the thing if they all approached as one. As the senior held it up high to break it against the building wall, Law snatched it out of his hand, much to the senior's surprise. He gave it over to the boy closest to him as the two seniors turned to look at him.
"Fag," one of them muttered as they recognized him, the other snickering. "Hey, hey, tell us your name!"
"Can you say, 'retard?' No, really, can you?"
The names didn't matter to Law, so he turned and walked on, hearing the other two follow to continue their verbal abuse. The group hastily grabbed their things and began yelling at the two following after him, trying to interfere. Law figured it would turn into a confrontation, so he prepared himself for that moment, fists tightening up at his sides. Once he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned and swung, connecting with the kid's suddenly raised arms as he set himself into a boxer's stance. Seeing that controlled movement made Law step back quickly, dropping his eyes from the senior's face to his shoulders to watch which arm would extend first into a punch. Correctly guessing, he avoided the quick punches to his face, his hands up to mimic the senior's stance. But as the senior swung once to drive him back, he took a wide step outside the senior's feet and drove his knee into his groin, taking the punch to the shoulder. But Law's move dropped the kid instantly, a high pitched whine leaving him as he cradled himself.
His friend rushed him, so Law clutched his fist with his other, and used his elbow to swing and hit as he stepped to the side. He connected just enough to catch the senior in the ear, causing him discomfort, but as he straightened up to attack again, he was suddenly stumbling forward, losing contact with the pavement. Law stepped away to avoid being hit, seeing that Sanji had kicked him from behind. The teen kicked at the boy stumbling to the ground, then administered a hard kick to the senior already seated for the hell of it. He made to continue his attack when Law grabbed him and dragged him away.
"Fullbody, you and Jango fuck off with your stupid shit! You think you're so fucking tough? I'll kick both of your asses at the same time! Get up, Jango, you stoner piece of shit, I'll take you both on myself! Cocky motherfucker shit stain! I'll knock you both back a year!" Sanji yelled at both of them, stumbling alongside Law as the older kid held onto his sweater to keep him walking. "What'd they say to you? Are they talking shit? Did they do anything? Hey, what the fuck are you guys useful for if you're not even doing anything? There's four of you, assholes, there's more of you than them, what the fuck?"
"Calm down," Law told him, pulling him into the building as Sanji yelled at the group of kids that were just watching with sheepish expressions.
"If Fullbody even fucking complains, I'll talk to the principal myself about what happened – what the hell are you doing, taking those guys on? Did they come at you first? I'll talk to them after school, for this, they can't do that! They want to be expelled, I'll make sure of it!" Sanji huffed, jerking away from his grasp and straightening his sweater. Then he looked at Law, searching for injury. "Did they land any? Why are you even getting involved with those guys? What did they want? Did they - ?"
Law just looked at him, feeling amused by his concern. He felt his lips twitch with a smile, and shook his head in response to the questions Sanji had fired off.
"I was just coming out to find you, bum a smoke, but then I saw that and I just grew even more furious," Sanji explained with a heavy sigh. The bell rang at that moment, and he slumped with disappointment.
"Are you okay?" Law asked, pausing in the middle of the hall to look at him as various kids began streaming in from their lunch spots to find their lockers.
Sanji made a raspberry sound, looking away from him. "I…just don't trust my brothers, that's all. They talked about being 'supportive', but I don't believe it for a minute. They're up to something, and…I don't know what to do."
Law nodded, observing his upset expression. He didn't know what to say, knowing that things would intensify with what happened. But he expected Sanji to be as stubborn as he usually was, defying his brothers' commands. Sanji looked up at him with a frown, searching for the things he needed to say in a short amount of time. But as the hall filled with students, making it difficult to hear one another anyway, he figured he would just think about it later. Neither of them felt confident enough to reach out and touch the other, but the want was there.
"Hey, I brought you lunch!" Luffy announced, showing up unexpectedly with a wrapped hotdog tray of sandwich meats and cheese, a bag of chips enclosed inside. Sanji looked at him with bewilderment, Law frowning as the kid pushed up to them with his arms full; Luffy was also holding his own supply of snacks for later. "Since you were busy an' all, Ace said you didn't eat. So, here."
"What the hell? Is he spying on me again? What the fuck?" Sanji shouted angrily, reddening as Luffy looked at him with a frown.
"This is why you're shorter than they are," Luffy stated. "Because all you live off of is anger and fighting. That's not healthy."
Law took the tray from Luffy, opening the wrapping hastily. He started to eat the meat and cheese hungrily, ignoring the bread. Seeing him eat, Sanji exhaled heavily as Luffy looked from one to the other with caution. Seeing that he was only going to let Law eat, Luffy reached over for the bread and forced it into Sanji's mouth, both of them stumbling back up against the lockers, struggling to throw each other off. Law watched only for a moment to make sure it wouldn't escalate, but seeing Luffy trying to force feed Sanji made him feel at ease. Sanji managed to push Luffy away from him, chewing and swallowing what was forced into his mouth while Luffy looked on with approval.
He was hungry, Sanji reasoned with himself. But he then reached out and snatched some chips and a chocolate bar from Luffy, starting to protest as he dumped all but a bag of chips onto the tray Law ate from.
"Okay, thanks, go away, now," Sanji said, using a foot to push the kid away, Luffy stumbling against a couple of girls that were moving away from their lockers with books in their arms. "Stupid kid. Why is he harassing me like this?"
"I'm not complaining," Law mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"I'm going to class. Watch out, okay? I don't trust what Ichiji says. And let me handle Fullbody and Jango – I'll go have a talk with them after school so they're not harassing you," Sanji said with a huff, holding on the chips he held onto. His head snapped around once he caught sight of something off to their left, Law turning to see that it was the seniors in question. They were stumbling into the hall from outside, and once they caught sight of them, they made a beeline right towards them, Fullbody moving with some trouble.
"Hitting from behind?" Fullbody snarled. "You think you're tough shit, Vinsmoke? No one touches me! It's not your business to get into mine, I was just playing with them!"
"Defending your little boyfriend? Hey, who's the girl, here? You or him?" Jango asked with a snicker, reaching out and patting Fullbody's back as kids noticed the confrontation.
Sanji made to stride towards them, Law quickly shifting his food to one arm and grabbing his sweater to sling an arm around his chest and shoulders to pull him back. "Not here," he said, kids watching with interest as he forced Sanji to walk with him.
"That's so cute!" Fullbody called out, following after them. "Rescue your little shit of a boyfriend, walk away. This school isn't that big, you two can't hide from what you did! I will administer justice for both of your actions!"
Sanji turned to yell back at him, but Law grabbed his arm, then his hand, pulling him away, looking for the teachers to hear Fullbody's voice and interfere. The pair stalked after them, pushing aside clueless kids in the hall to get to them, Law finally releasing his hand once they got too close. But before Fullbody could get close to Sanji, Niji was in Fullbody's face, Yonji behind him. Having both of them there caused Fullbody and Jango to back up hastily.
"What's up, Fullbody? What's got your manbun in a tizzle?" Niji asked Fullbody, just inches away from his face, causing the senior to pull back with a startled reaction. But Niji kept close to him, practically putting his chest on his, making it impossible for him to sidestep the kid. "You got a problem with my annoying little brother? What'd he do, now?"
"Get out of my face!"
"Technically, he's not in your face, but just a little on the outside, enough to share a bit of carbon dioxide with you," Yonji pointed out, his finger up.
"Looking to cause trouble, eh?" Niji asked Fullbody, grabbing a hold of his open sweater. "If it wasn't for a good reason, then it's unacceptable to threaten one of us."
"He hit me from behind! He hit me when I was already down, so I'm returning the fucking favor!"
"Knowing my womb mate for at least sixteen years, I can tell ya right now, it takes an action to get his reaction, so let's discuss the facts maturely."
"His loverboy was causing us problems when he decided to interfere," Jango answered with a scowl.
"Technically, this is the same thing, as if you were threatening Sanji. You threaten him, you threaten us!" Niji snarled at him. But he took a moment to turn to the side, giving a faint retching sound before he steeled himself to be as threatening as possible.
"Good catch, bro," Yonji whispered. He cleared his throat to speak loudly enough for all those around them to hear. "So if anyone bothers either one of them from here on out, they're going to get it from the rest of us! Is that understood?"
All the kids watching the confrontation, including Sanji, looked shocked at this declaration.
"Let it be known here, right now," Ichiji added, standing at Law's side, reaching up to clasp one of his shoulders, "that anyone in this school that finds fit to bully my little brother, this kid, and their relationship, will have to answer personally to us. It will not be tolerated. This includes seniors. What a shame it would be if this behavior found its way onto your school records, Fullbody. Aren't you applying towards a nationally recognized university with a large no-tolerance policy made famous in a recent Times article?"
Fullbody growled, reddening in the face. Law jerked his shoulder out from Ichiji's grasp, but now he understood why Sanji was so upset over the confrontation with his brothers.
"Get to class, you little shits," Crocodile complained nearby, glaring at all of them. "Save the drama for theater."
Niji shoved away from Fullbody with a smirk, Yonji flexing a bicep that had both seniors sneering back at them. Both brothers bumped into Sanji, pushing and shoving at him to get moving, lightly making fun of him for causing more trouble. Ichiji looked at Law.
"Welcome to the family," he said low, walking off while Law looked after him warily.
A/n: Time seems like it's dragging by in this fic, but it actually isn't. Every chapter has at least a day's worth of drama to it, with the next continuing that very same evening's actions….I just noticed it, myself. XD
RR: Ichiji definitely does, and he's executing it here in this chapter. Of course, if both of his brothers goes with the flow, their plan would succeed. D: But while Sanji is aware of their actions as being suspicious, it'll be up to him to think his way out of it.
DedicatedFan: If only Sanji would let Luffy in haha! He's more apt to thinking Luffy has bad intentions than good after all the shit he's given him, so this is basically Luffy trying to coax a hurt animal to his hand, and he does it rather…roughly…haha! As for the other characters, they're all learning to speak up and out against the terrorists that had them caged for a very long time…Glad to have made your day!
Snowflake97: Definitely the power of love :D Sanji is definitely wary of his brothers', and it shows, but he'll decide what he wants versus what's intimidating because he's just like that. And, yes…there's still a lot of angst coming up. ; ) I totally hear ya on that one! XD
