Title: The Dark Side Of My Shadow
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: R-ish for now, will increase
Characters/Pairing:Eventual Law/Sanji, other pairings mentioned
Chapter: 8/?
Word Count: 3282
Summary: Sanji hadn't planned on getting bitten that night. Law hadn't planned on taking a vampire home with him. Now there's no going back. AU, Vampire!Sanji, eventual Law/Sanji.
Spoilers: For recent chapters.
Chapter Eight
"You kissed him?"
"Yeah," Sanji shrugs, because he's trying to convince himself not to make a big deal of it so it's better to actually act like it's not a big deal. "I mean, I don't know if it was just the heat of the moment or…"
Ace is giving him a look that clearly says he doesn't believe a word coming out of Sanji's mouth, but eventually he shrugs and drapes his arms over the breakwater railing, leaning out toward the water. "I mean, it's something you need to work out for yourself. I've never been…" he wrinkles his nose and Sanji laughs quietly.
"Bitten? Yeah, Marco told me that," he affirms, and Ace makes a non-committal sound low in his throat. "What?"
"Nothing. Did he also tell you about people he has bitten?" the other man looks nervous and Sanji claps a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. "Never mind, don't…look, I know he's old enough to be my father, or maybe even my grandfather, but sometimes I think about how I'm just another notch in his bedpost and it's kind of depressing."
"You're not," Sanji says before he can stop himself, and Ace raises one eyebrow in a move that clearly states he's not buying it. "He told me…"
"Yeah, and how many other people has he told that to?" Ace chuckled wryly. "I'm not stupid, Sanji. I knew what I was getting into before I agreed to it, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna be totally okay with it all the time," he bites his lip and looks away and Sanji rubs his shoulder a little. "But whatever, that's something I've gotta figure out," he nods firmly. "Anyway, what are you going to do about Law?"
Sanji shrugs, lighting a cigarette to avoid answering right away, and he smokes thoughtfully for a few minutes. "I'm not gay," he says after a few moments. "And I know that doesn't mean I still can't be attracted to a guy, and Law…"
"He's hot," Ace supplies, rather unhelpfully, so Sanji shoves at his arm.
"You're not helping."
"No, but seriously. You're sleeping with this guy nearly every night, he's helping you stay safe from the government, you drank his blood and then kissed him. And your shadow keeps trying to molest him," Ace ticks off the point on his fingers and Sanji groans and turns away, blowing some smoke rings into the air. His shadow is wriggling around just at the mention of Law and he's kind of fed up with that already.
"I know," he finally says. "I do, Ace, I just…" he sighs. "It's not that I'm afraid of it, or I'm afraid of people judging me, I just…don't know why him," he knows that probably sounds cruel because if Law were female he'd already be in love with him. He's smart and sarcastic and actually really caring underneath all of it, and yeah, he's fucking gorgeous.
"We can't choose who we fall in love with. I should know that better than anybody," Ace laughs, although he sounds much less bitter now, and Sanji smiles hesitantly in return.
He knows it's not as big a deal as he's making it out to be. And having somebody that he likes and that he's pretty sure likes him back…there's nothing wrong with that.
"If you want advice on sex between two guys, though, I'm happy to…"
"No," Sanji says firmly, and luckily Ace stops ribbing him about it.
There are some things he's just not ready to learn yet.
000
Law, for his part, hasn't said anything since that night and Sanji's starting to get a little annoyed. Yes, he appreciates that Law's not pushing him, but from the way he's been acting in the past couple of days Sanji might as well have been a sack of potatoes for all the warmth he's been showing at night. He figures that this probably means he needs to make some sort of move, but he knows from experience that most of the times when he thinks he's being smooth he's really only making a fool of himself.
He turns around so he's facing Law, lifting himself up a little and frowning at the sleeping man below him. He lifts his hand to brush it lightly through Law's hair, running it down his throat and feeling the steady thump of Law's pulse under his cold fingertips. Asleep, Law loses a lot of the rather dark aura he always seems to surround himself with, and he looks young and peaceful, all the worry lines eased from his brow and a tiny smile on his lips. He leans down slightly, still not sure what he's trying to accomplish, but he's kissing Law before he can stop himself and he hears the other man take a startled breath, body shifting as he wakes up.
The way he kisses back tells Sanji's he's moving more on instinct than because he knows what's going on, but a second later his eyes open and he breaks away.
"What…"
Sanji just shakes his head, because he doesn't want to talk about this, and Law sets his hands on Sanji's shoulders and pulls him down, wrapping his arms around the blond's back and kissing him much more firmly.
He nearly pulls away when he feels Law's tongue flick against his lips, but damn it, he's not a coward, and he opens his mouth obligingly and shivers when his tongue brushes against the other man's. He lifts one leg up, straddling Law's waist and bending nearly in half as the kiss gets more heated.
And it's…better than he thought it would be. He'd always assumed that even if it had gotten to this stage, at some point he'd start freaking out about the fact that he was doing this with a man, but that feeling is surprisingly absent. And it's not like he's got any experience, but Law seems extremely confident and sure about what he's doing. Suddenly the other man stops, a gasp breaking from his throat that's not something Sanji's ever heard him do, and he looks down to see that his shadow is…
"Stop," he growls, and the shadow pulls back immediately, which he's thankful for (he thinks it's getting more obedient, although obviously it's still trying to get away with more than either of them are comfortable with). Law's eyes are wide and his breathing is harsh, and Sanji's not sure what he should do next but when Law yanks him down he goes willingly, one leg still thrown over Law's body as he cuddles against his shoulder.
"Well, I can safely say that getting jerked off by a shadow is not something I ever anticipated my life coming to," Law still sounds a little ashamed and Sanji buries his face against Law's shoulder, groaning. "It's not your fault."
"No, but fuck, I didn't think it would actually molest you," he sighs and Law chuckles softly.
"No harm done, really. But while I'm not exactly complaining about being woken up in that way, I am rather wondering as to the reason for it."
"I'm just…tired of fighting it," Sanji admits. "I've been working it out in my mind over the last few days and the honest truth is that I'm attracted to you. And even though it's…not something I ever thought would happen, my life's fucked up enough that something that could make me happy, something we both want…I don't think trying to fight it is going to help either of us in the long run."
"Well, it's quite a roundabout piece of logic, but if you do want to…pursue this in any capacity, I'm not going to say no," Law assures him, and Sanji kind of knew that but it's nice to hear it.
"Yeah," Sanij almost surprises himself with how quickly he agrees. "I mean, not everything right away, but I…yeah," he laughs and Law hums in agreement.
"Okay, then," he murmurs, hand splayed against Sanji's back, and Sanji can feel the warmth from his fingers seeping through the thin shirt he's wearing. "I was going to ask, though, if you have any more…control over your shadow. Can you make it do what you want?"
"I've never tried," Sanji says honestly, propping himself up a little. "I mean, sometimes when I call it off it listens, but if I could actually direct it…" he stops, concentrating, trying to get his shadow to follow his orders. It creeps up beside him slowly, just curling around Law's waist, and when he calls it back it snaps to him instantly. It's not perfect, obviously, but if he could actually get it to behave most of the time that would help with the whole 'looking like a regular person' thing. "A little, I guess."
"Can you feel it? I mean, when it's…." Law pauses and Sanji looks up at him, narrowing his eyes because it looks like Law's cheeks are a little red and…oh. Yeah. Sanji's shadow had kind of been touching him inappropriately.
"Not really," he shakes his head. "Sometimes when it starts stretching too far it kind of feels like when you get your sleeve caught in a door, but otherwise I have no idea what it's doing I less I see it happening."
He notices that Law looks at least a little relived at that, and he can't say he blames him.
"So…how's the testing going?" he changes the subject mostly because he's not sure how much more they can say about his errant shadow, and Law sighs.
"As well as can be expected, considering I have to do it in complete secrecy. There are actually a fair number of other doctors at the government complex, although the majority of them are there for more…normal duties than hybrid or cyborg experimentation," he chuckles. "I'm considering asking another one of them to help, because I know he's trustworthy."
Sanji's not so sure about that, since from what he's heard whoever Kaku's boss is wasn't really down with this from the get-go, but he doesn't know this guy so he can hardly say that. "If you're sure," he says instead, and Law nods.
"I'll chat with Dr. Tony about it tomorrow, but even if I don't tell him the entire story having somebody as a look-out so I can actually complete the testing will be beneficial," Law sounds sure, and Sanji can't really argue with that. Honestly, he's a little surprised when they'd done the blood test that his blood had looked, well, normal, because he's heard rumors that vampires had acid green blood or blood that was thick and black like tar but it was just…red, and somehow that's more comforting than anything else in making him still feel human.
"Okay," he concedes, laying his head back on Law's shoulder. He has to trust the other man's judgment for now, he supposes, and the sooner they get all of this figured out the better, really.
As long as the end results are what he wants them to be, of course, but right now at least there's no indication that they'll be anything else.
000
"Shurorororo! You've been in here a lot, Law!"
"Caesar," Law tries to keep his tone neutral but the scientist, quite frankly, makes him uncomfortable. Truth be told he's just gathering supplies this time around and not trying to do any more testing on Sanji's blood, but this is exactly the reason why he's been so slow about it. "I'm quite sure I'm allowed to be in here as much as I want."
"Of course, of course! It's not like you're sneaking around," Caesar reaches past him, a little too close considering the lab is large, and Law sidles away. "I'll see you later! Shurorororo," Caesar giggles to himself as he leaves the room and Law shakes his head, because that whole exchange had felt so off even though Caesar's always, well, odd. He gathers up a few vials and test tubes and heads back up to his office, contemplating what it might mean until Sanji shows up, but he's no closer to figuring it out and eventually he just puts it down to Caesar's normal strangeness.
Nothing to worry about.
000
"Mr. Blackleg, this is Dr. Tony," Law points to the door and Sanji looks up but doesn't see anybody. The clip-clop of what sounds like hooves on the floor makes him look down, and he tries not to be too surprised that this so-called 'Doctor Tony' seems to be, well, a miniature reindeer.
"Um," he says, not sure how to start, but Dr. Tony hops up onto a chair beside the bed he's sitting on and holds out a hoof, so he shakes it hesitantly.
"Please. Call me Chopper," he twitches his nose, which Sanji sees is blue, and wiggles a little in the chair.
"Um," Sanji says again, because he's honestly afraid anything else he says is going to be offensive, but Law seems to understand.
"Dr. Tony, as you've probably guessed, underwent the hybrid experimentation here," Law puts in. "Or, well, reverse hybrid experimentation, I suppose, seeing as how he's actually a reindeer," he notes, and Sanji's trying to figure that out, but in the end he guesses if humans can be merged with animals, why not go the other way, too? "He's also the only successful reverse hybrid, but he's a brilliant doctor and utterly trustworthy," he promises, and Sanji doesn't think he can distrust something that's so damn adorable.
"Don't say that, you bastard! Complimenting me doesn't make me happy at all," Chopper's wriggling much more violently now and, despite his words, seems very happy with the praise.
"Regardless, this isn't just about introducing the two of you," Law clears his throat, all business as usual, and Sanji looks up in concern. "Don't worry, Mr. Blackleg, it's good news. Your blood tests have come back nearly normal, and certainly no stranger than somebody who suffers from anemia, so you're a little low on iron but otherwise your body seems to be functioning as any other human's would. Your saliva is another case, but…"
"Marco told me that vampire saliva has healing properties. I guess to keep, um, hosts alive if they want to…" he shudders, because the thought of having a half-alive person around as some sort of…blood fountain is a little disturbing.
"That would explain it, then. I was thinking the properties looked in line with treatments we use to slow bleeding, but if that's all it is, then it's not worth mentioning in my…reports," Law raises an eyebrow and Sanji has to snicker at that.
"So, what's the next step?"
"I'd like to monitor your brain activity, but that's going to take a considerable amount of planning to make sure nobody interrupts us," he hops up beside Sanji and looks over at him. "Caesar was sniffing around earlier," he adds, and Chopper shivers.
"He's creepy."
"I don't disagree, which is why I think we need to be more careful," he sighs and Sanji nudges him gently, giving him a grin. "What?"
"I'm human. Or damn near. That's a good start, right?" he asks hopefully, and Law nods.
"It is, for what it's worth. I mean, there's no guarantee even if I present the findings that it will make any difference, but at least we can say we tried," he looks a little down and Sanji leans his head on Law's shoulder, half-closing his eyes. He knows there are obviously more important things to be worrying about right now, but part of him is truly wondering how his friends will react when he tells them that he's, well, kind of dating a guy.
He's still not sure himself how to feel about it at times, but one thing he's sure of is that Law's not going to pressure him into anything and, honestly, so far he's enjoying having this…closeness with somebody, even somebody as emotionally closed off as Law seems to be at times. He knows they don't even know that much about each other, not really, but they've been through enough already that there's a weird sort of trust built up and at this point Sanji's never going to deny how attractive Law is.
"You're thinking. What about?" Law murmurs, and Sanji shrugs, sitting up and stretching.
"Nothing important," he promises, and while Law doesn't look quite like he believes him, he decides to let it go.
000
"You seem happy."
"Of course I am, my darling Nami-swan! Why would I not be happy in your radiant presence?!" he spins around and lowers a glass in front of her, filled with a fruity cocktail, and she nods in thanks.
"No, I mean…considering everything that's happened to you, I thought you'd be a little down, but you're…" she waves her hand and he sits next to her and crosses his legs, wondering if now's the time to come clean.
"She's right, Cook. Not that I care, but it's better than you being all mopey," Zoro grunts, and Sanji mock-glares at him before rubbing his temples and sighing.
"I'm….sort of seeing somebody," he admits, digging out a cigarette just to have something in his mouth and chewing on it nervously. "The um...the doctor that's…trying to prove I'm human or whatever," he's explained at least the basics to everybody else so they're not concerned when he's running off for the government offices, but Nami looks surprised.
"Really? I mean, you know I love you, Sanji-kun, but…"
"I'm hopeless around women. Yeah," Sanji chuckles to himself. "Um, I guess it helps that he's a man then, huh?" he laughs nervously but he's not prepared for Nami punching him in the arm.
"Shut up! Seriously?!" she yelps, and he tries to shush her but luckily she drops her voice, then. "You're dating a guy?"
"Yeah…"
"Wait!" she sits up a little more. "The guy who found you the night after you'd been bitten…you said he was a doctor, so is he…"
Sanji nods and Nami dives across to hug him, something that surprises him because for once the feel of a warm and supple body against his own doesn't make him dissolve into a puddle of hearts. It feels good, of course, because she's warm and soft and smells faintly of tangerines, but it's friendly and that's all he's seeing it as.
"Is he hot?" she mumbles against his neck, and he shrugs.
"I mean, Ace says he is, but…yeah. He is," he decides, and she finally moves away.
"Can we meet him?"
"Sometime, probably," Sanji's not sure how Law will react to his friends because they're kind of…loud and out there, and Law seems like somebody who doesn't take to rowdy situations well. Still, there's not much harm that can come from it. He thinks. He looks across at Zoro, who raises an eyebrow, and immediately tenses.
"Calm down, Swirly-Brow, I'm not gonna say anything" Zoro grins, then, and Sanji immediately feels better. "I'm still friends with Ace, aren't I? Whatever you're into, it's none of my business," he promises, and Sanji gets up and walks around the table, ruffling Zoro's hair and jumping back when the other man tries to smack his hands away.
It feels good, to know that his friends accept him and accept this even though he's never shown any interest in men before.
Honestly, right now, things are good. Or well, far better than he could have anticipated considering everything that's happened to him over the last little while. He's happy, as weird as it sounds, and he can only hope it lasts.
000
And it does, until the day Law goes missing.
Notes:
1. I don't have much to say here other than to thank everybody for still reading and commenting on this! And a warning that things get a little…dark next chapter, but it doesn't last for long, I promise…