Pose

Characters: Penguin, Shachi, Law, Bepo. Rating: K+. Warnings: minor self-injury

As many of the crew's quirks seemed to, it began with Bepo. The mink was far more open with his body language than his human nakama, likely stemming from an attempt to compensate for the complex facial expressions of humans that his bear-like face was incapable of replicating. Where Penguin or Shachi might give a bemused smirk, Bepo would turn it into a whole-body action, with his shoulders and arms raised. It was almost comical; Penguin and Shachi had quickly learnt that laughing at Bepo was never a good idea.

What the pair of them hadn't counted on was the osmosis of Bepo's little quirk. The first time Shachi had raised his arms with more vigour than strictly required, Law had raised an eyebrow and he'd faltered, realising what he'd done and unsure what to do about it. He settled for ploughing on with his point, pretending it hadn't happened and keeping his hands firmly fisted in his pockets.

Penguin slowly began to fall victim to the subtle influence as well, leading to him joining Shachi in keeping his hands stuffed inside his pockets at all times and blushing furiously when the subconscious impulse snuck up on him. Bepo didn't see the problem but apologised profusely when he realised that to his nakama such open displays were embarrassing.

It took one small event, seemingly insignificant to an observer, to change that.

The day had not been a good one. To begin with, it was the day before the anniversary of their first meeting – or to put it another way, it was the anniversary of the mysterious Cora-san's death. Law had been subdued, in a way they all understood and respected, but he hadn't taken the day off from information gathering, in the way he allowed Penguin and Shachi when it was their day of grief. The island was busy, with a thriving underworld that Law was utterly convinced held strong connections to Doflamingo himself.

Maybe it was because it was That day, and Law had so utterly convinced himself that he'd find something big in that city, that when nightfall came and there was nothing to show for it at all – not even a mention of the man's name, or his Joker alias – he became frustrated and eventually lost his temper. Law lashing out, while not common, was not overly unusual, either. Doflamingo had a way of igniting a fire within him like nothing else could. The problem with this particular occurrence was that Law did not lash out, per say, but rather turned inwards, releasing his bursting frustration on himself.

Watching their captain bloody his knuckles on a wall, Room active and keeping them physically away, the trio were at a loss of what to do as Law hurt himself more and more.

"Stop!" they begged him, because words were all they had left. In their distress, Penguin and Shachi failed to notice that their hands were not imprisoned inside their pockets, and three pairs of arms shot into the air, crossed above their hands in an unmistakable 'x' shape. Whether it was the sound or the sight that caught Law's attention was unclear, but he froze and stared at them. They stayed in the deadlock for several long seconds, Law's eyes wide and their arms positioned obviously above their heads.

Then a strange noise began, starting off quietly – so quietly it could almost have been imagined – and gradually gaining volume until Law was bent over, clutching at his stomach in mirth.

"Law?" Penguin asked, concerned, and the teen shook his head.

"You two look ridiculous," he gasped, tears beading in the corner of his eye. They glanced at each other, spotting their arms, and blushed, beginning to retract them. Then they paused, meeting each other's eyes and getting the flash of silent comprehension Law called their 'hive mind mode'. Leaving a confused Bepo in their dust, they pounced on their laughing captain, frog-marching him back to the Tang, and then the infirmary to wrap his bleeding knuckles.

Law's mood stayed passably positive for what little time was left of the day, and a silent decision was made between Penguin and Shachi.

It was embarrassing, but it made Law laugh. Law never laughed. Their pride was a small price to pay for such a reward.

Over time, the embarrassment faded until it was just another part of life. Law didn't laugh every time, but a fond smile was never far away. When they eventually gained more nakama, the osmosis spread to them as well, and to Law's fond exasperation, their posing became a characteristic of the crew.

People might laugh at them, but as long as it put a smile on Law's face every once in a while, they couldn't care less.

I was asked quite some time ago what I thought about the crazy, over-the-top poses we've seen the Heart Pirates do on occasion, and I finally came up with an answer.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari