Author's Note: Hi everyone! Welcome to Chapter 6 :) I hope ya'll enjoy it and are staying safe out there~
To Wishfull-star: I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you!
To Caelan0012: You're very welcome :)
To Irene Sharda: Lol yeah, we're definitely getting Law XD and our favorite bros are becoming protective over Luffy (as they should). Ace and Sabo don't like to go into town so they usually try to order stuff instead of going to a store ;)
To hana-ya: He is super cute XD
To Summer Nickels: I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! Unfortunately, it will not be Law/Luffy :( but there will be lots of fluff to look forward to!
To Sabrina-nee: Here's an update for you!
To bimarian: Yep, we'll be meeting Law in this chapter ;) Lol yeah, Ace just can't help himself with cute adorable Luffy. You're very welcome and I hope you enjoy the update as well!
To evangjoanne: Thank you so much! Luffy is sixteen, Ace and Sabo both appear to be about twenty-five. In reality, they're much older. More to be revealed about their past later ;)
WARNINGS:
- Emotions
- Ace and Sabo are trying their best, though Ace is in denial
- Frozen yogurt
- Enter Law and his odd family
A few hours before Luffy normally woke up, Ace and Sabo sat at the bar going over the details of the Donquixote Coven's job. Their Lord, Donquixote Doflamingo, wanted them to accompany his nephew, 'Trafalgar Law', to a fundraising gala that was being held that afternoon. It was fairly common for vampires to hold important gatherings during the day as it weakened them and lessened the likelihood of an attack (from each other, that is).
Doflamingo was willing to pay them handsomely for their service and requested they arrive just before lunch…which gave them some time to figure out what to do with Luffy.
"There has to be someone we can leave him with." Ace insisted, brow furrowing in frustration as he looked through his contact list (which was sadly not very long). Sabo sighed.
"I think it may be time to admit it, Ace…we don't have any friends."
"…damn it."
Ace put his phone down and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Okay, so what options do we have?" He asked, prompting Sabo to lean on the counter with a thoughtful expression.
"Well, we could take him with us and potentially expose him to bloodthirsty vampires." Ace shuddered at that. "…or we could call someone who's trustworthy and leave Luffy with them for the day."
"I thought we already established there's no one to call." Ace muttered indignantly, eyeing Sabo with suspicion when his lips curled up into a knowing smile.
"Well…there are two people that come to mind who have already met Luffy-"
"No, Sabo. Absolutely not."
"Oh come on, they're good people. They'd probably give an arm and a leg to watch over a cute pup like Luffy."
Ace bristled at the thought of letting two members of Whitebeard's pack near Luffy. Yes, they'd met him, but they had yet to see his hidden 'features'. There was no telling what they'd do if they discovered them, especially with Ace and Sabo occupied.
…and yet, their options were limited.
If they left Luffy alone, he'd definitely run. If they took him with them on the job, he might get his blood drained or worse. Vampires were no joke, even weakened.
"…we don't have much of a choice, do we?"
Sabo shook his head.
"I'm afraid not, but I'll let you make the final call. You're the Alpha after all."
Meanwhile, in the center of San Faldo, Thatch was cooking breakfast for his pack mates. He always got up early to cook and enjoyed every second of it. At this time of day, their pack house was unusually quiet as not many people had awakened yet, and Thatch found he loved the peaceful tranquility.
He had help, of course, from some of the lower ranking members of their pack. There was no way he could feed everyone by himself…not a family of their size.
"Is this seasoned properly, chef?" One of the wolves asked, prompting Thatch to sniff the dish in question.
"A little more salt and then it's perfect."
Just as he went to taste another dish (scrambled eggs this time), his phone rang. Waving the other cooks off, he stepped aside and checked the number. It was unknown. Shrugging, Thatch decided to go ahead and answer it.
"Hello?"
"Um…hi." Someone strangely familiar answered, sounding rather uncomfortable, "Is this Thatch?"
"Yep, that's me." He replied while keeping an eye on a cook who was dangerously close to burning the bacon sizzling in his pan, "Who's this?" The person on the other end of the phone cleared their throat.
"It's Ace."
Thatch's mouth dropped open. Ace, as in the alpha they'd been trying to get close to for a while now? That Ace? He and Marco figured the youngster still hated their guts, but now he was calling them!? Thatch was both thrilled and confused at the same time.
He tried to play it cool.
"Oh hey, buddy! Can't say I was expecting a call from you this morning. How'd you get my number?"
"Sabo found it online."
Huh. Alrighty then.
"I'm annoyed that I'm having to make this call, so I'll be brief." Thatch clamped his mouth shut and hummed, curious what the alpha had to say. "Sabo and I have a job today and we need someone to watch Luffy."
Thatch's eyes brightened at what Ace was insinuating.
"We'll do it!"
"…we?"
"Yeah, me 'n Marco can totally look after your pup today, we're completely free." Thatch exclaimed happily while subsequently clearing both his and Marco's calendars for the day. He was sure Izo and the others could cover for them. "When should we pick him up?"
"10:30." Ace replied, tone shifting slightly, "Don't get too excited…I've got a few rules."
"Naturally." Thatch said while pulling a pen out of his pocket and grabbing a napkin from a nearby countertop.
"First, under no circumstances is Luffy to go anywhere near Whitebeard or your pack house." Thatch nodded and scribbled down 'no pack, no Pops'. He'd expected that one. "Second, don't question his attire or make him take off any clothing, not even his hat."
Okay, that one was a little odd but given his history with the Shikari, maybe the extra clothing was a way for Luffy to feel protected?
"All right."
"Lastly…make sure he gets fed. Luffy eats a lot." With that, Ace hung up, prompting Thatch to put his phone away and quickly strip off his apron.
Once he'd properly delegated kitchen tasks to his subordinates, Thatch rushed through the pack house to tell Marco the good news. Finally, after trying for so long, Ace trusted them enough to watch their pack's pup! It was a huge step forward and they needed to make sure everything went smoothly or risk losing that fragile trust.
Without bothering to knock, Thatch burst into Marco's still dark room.
"Oi, wake up! I have exciting news!"
The blonde glared at him from his bed, clearly displeased to have been woken up so early.
"…this better be good, yoi."
"Oh, it is. Ace just called me, said he wants us to watch little Luffy for the day while he and Sabo go on a job." That got Marco's attention and he sat up quickly, tousling his bed head.
"You're kidding, yoi. He called you?"
Thatch nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep! I've already cleared our schedule so we're good to go. He wants us to pick Luffy up from the bar around 10:30."
Marco nodded and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so he could stand up.
"Izo will be pissed, yoi. You'd better explain your reasoning to him before we leave."
"Aye, aye…I'm already on it."
When Luffy woke up, he could hear the sound of people on the bottom floor, indicating that Ace and Sabo had already been awake for a while. He rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was actually pretty late, almost 10:00 AM. He'd slept a long time…much longer than he'd anticipated.
Just as he sat up and stretched, Sabo entered the room.
"Ah good, you're awake. I was just coming to get you." Luffy blinked sleep out of his eyes and watched in confusion as Sabo grabbed a backpack from the closet. "Why don't you shower quickly and then come downstairs…we have some things to discuss about today."
Nodding silently, Luffy climbed down to the floor from his top bunk and padded into the bathroom. He noticed that Sabo had already put some clothes out for him: long, black cargo-pants and a red t-shirt with a cute panda on it (long sleeved). Both were quite loose and would hide his fur well. Once he was dressed and finished drying his hair, Luffy went downstairs.
"Good morning." Sabo greeted while Ace struggled with…a tie? Luffy's eyes widened when he noticed they were both dressed in sharp, black suits with red ties. Was that what they wore to do their body guard work? "There's bagels in the fridge if you're hungry."
"Mn, thanks." Luffy muttered as he trotted over to remove the delicious, round treats. As he spread strawberry cream cheese over them, his ears perked up, trying to pick up what conversation he could from Ace and Sabo.
"I'm telling you, 'Bo…this is a terrible idea."
"Everything will be fine, Ace. You worry too much." Sabo whispered before coming over to Luffy and ruffling his hair affectionately, "Did you sleep okay? Any soreness from yesterday?"
"No, I'm good." Luffy replied, taking a bite out of his bagel, "Ne…are you guys leaving soon?"
"Yeah, but don't get too excited." Ace quickly shot back, eyeing his vigorously wagging tail, "Your babysitters are already on their way here."
Luffy's tail immediately stopped wagging and drooped along with his ears. A babysitter? He was sixteen! He didn't need a babysitter! Sabo sensed his disappointment and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, Luffy…but you know we can't leave you alone."
"So these 'babysitters' are just my new wardens." Luffy said with a sad huff, prompting Sabo to squeeze his shoulder.
"Think of it this way: you'll finally get to have a day out. It should be fun!"
"What about…you know…?" Luffy motioned to his head and held the feather duster that was his tail in his palm. At his question, Ace walked over to them and pulled a black, knitted beanie onto his head. Luffy yelped when Sabo tied a sweatshirt around his waist. "Um, okay."
"Just don't take those off." The Alpha ordered while slightly adjusting the patterned sweatshirt. Luffy sighed and poked at them. He looked like he was dressed for winter when it wasn't even chilly outside…he'd probably sweat a lot. "Oh and pull your sleeves down…your fur is showing."
Luffy did as he was told reluctantly, unsure how he felt about this whole thing.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just tie me up or something?"
Ace and Sabo sent him a surprised look.
"Luffy, we wouldn't do that…" Sabo soothed while handing him his unfinished bagel and a glass of milk.
"At least not for an entire day."
"Ace, shut up."
Just as Luffy was finishing up his second bagel, he smelt people approaching the door. His ears perked up and he turned around just in time to see those 'regulars' Sabo had introduced him to the day before. What were their names again…?
"Yo! Thatch and Marco are here, as requested!" The one with the weird hairstyle (that kind of looked like bread) exclaimed as he entered the bar. Ace quickly glared at them, just as he had the night before, which made Luffy question why they decided these guys were the best people to watch him while they were gone.
Marco smiled pleasantly at Ace and Sabo (choosing to ignore the former's usual glare) as they entered the Happy Rabbit Bar. The atmosphere was a lot different when it wasn't full of customers, but it was still cozy and welcoming. The pup, Luffy, sat at the bar finishing a bagel and sent them a cautious look.
Just like the last time they saw him, he looked ready to go snowboarding or something. Marco resisted the urge to comment on it as that was one of Ace's 'rules'.
"Welcome and thanks for doing this on such short notice." Sabo greeted politely before tossing something to Ace. It was a backpack and the Alpha wolf handed it to Luffy while whispering something in his ear. "Why don't we step outside."
The two lycans followed Sabo out curiously and stopped on the large front porch.
"There are a few more things you two should know." Sabo started, earning their attention with his serious expression, "First and foremost, there is a very good chance Luffy will try to run away from you…please don't let him."
"Uh…what?" Thatch questioned, voicing their confusion, "Why would he do that?"
Sabo huffed.
"In his eyes, we essentially took him away from the only family he had…his father. He's been trying to escape since the day we rescued him."
Marco hummed at Sabo's answer. That was a hard situation to be in…poor pup.
"Second, Luffy only recently found out he was a lycan so go easy on him. He has no idea how to properly manage his senses and doesn't have even basic knowledge of our culture." Sabo continued, making Marco's eyes widen. That was a surprise. "Long story short, we believe the Shikari used some sort of drug on him as part of their research into a 'cure'. Just…be gentle with Luffy. He's confused."
"Damn…that's terrible." Thatch muttered, echoing Marco's thoughts. The little one had been through a lot. When Sabo stopped speaking, Ace exited the bar with Luffy in tow. The pup had secured the backpack across his shoulders and looked a bit nervous.
"He's got snacks and a change of clothes in the bag so he should be good to go." Ace explained, still glaring at them, "If anything goes wrong, and I mean anything-"
"Don't worry, we've got this!" Thatch chirped, interrupting the Alpha with one of his winning smiles, "Go on now…don't you two have somewhere to be?" Ace snarled at him but straightened his tie nonetheless. Sabo chuckled and gave Luffy a quick hug, adjusting his hat as he pulled away. Marco thought it was interesting just how attached the older wolves had gotten to the pup when they hadn't known him very long…then again, he was young.
"We expect him back here by 7:00."
"Yeah, yeah."
And with that, the two lycans piled into an ancient green Honda and took off down the dirt road that led into town, leaving Marco and Thatch alone with Luffy (and a cloud of dust). Marco coughed lightly and attempted to wave the dust out of his face.
"All righty then, why don't we…uh, Marc?"
"What?"
Thatch pointed to where the empty space where the pup had been standing.
"…oh."
Luffy took off into the woods the second Ace and Sabo were gone. He huffed as he ran, hoping the two lycans, Marco and Thatch, weren't as good at tracking as his original captors were. If he could just find his dad…maybe they could fix this whole mess. However, when he rounded a tree, Luffy ran directly into someone's chest.
"Whoa there, pup…where are you running, yoi?" Luffy quickly backed up, eyeing the blonde lycan with big eyes. How had he managed to get in front of him? A glance over his shoulder revealed the other one, Thatch, had also caught up to him disturbingly easy.
Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, Luffy turned on his heel and attempted to run away from both lycans, but Marco caught his arm in an iron grip.
"Let go!" He demanded, struggling against the blonde wolf. Luffy felt tears of frustration forming in his eyes. Even though, so far, everyone had been nice enough to him and treated him well…he just wanted his dad. He wanted answers and to have his freedom back. "P-Please…"
"Sorry, little one…but we can't, yoi." Marco responded in a soft voice, eyes full of pity, "Ace and Sabo would have our heads if we let anything happen to you." Luffy sniffled and tugged against the lycan again.
"…why? Why do they care? T-They took me against my will…"
"Probably because they like you, kid." Thatch put in with a smile, "They want to protect you and so do we. Come on, why don't we head back to the car and get you some food." Luffy's ears perked up under his hat at the mention of food and he relaxed his body, no longer fighting Marco. When he recognized that Luffy wasn't going to struggle anymore, the lycan released his arm, but both of the adults stayed close to him during the walk back to the peach grove.
Just in case Luffy tried to run again.
"What are the chances of Luffy trying to escape today?"
"Probably pretty high." Sabo answered while flipping through what information they had on the Donquixote Coven, "I mean, he had a good time working in the bar last night, but one fun day won't change how he feels inside. He's hurt and confused…it'll take time."
Ace hummed at his brother's answer. Sabo was right, the pup wouldn't just get over what happened to him. They'd have to be patient with him but also work hard to try and fix his 'problem' so he wouldn't have to hide so much. Hopefully Luffy would be suitably cautious around Marco and Thatch so they didn't have to deal with anything…unsavory.
The last thing they needed was Whitebeard finding out about Luffy's secret and trying to 'help'.
"You know, even if they see Luffy's fur and stuff…I don't think the Whitebeards would hurt him." Sabo put in suddenly, as if reading his mind. Ace just growled under his breath and flipped up the turn signal.
"I don't want to deal with them…"
"…but you admit they're all generally good people and could potentially help us with him."
Ace huffed in annoyance.
"Let's just focus on the job, okay?"
A few minutes later, they arrived at the Donquixote Coven's main base, called a 'blood house' by vampires. They were similar to pack houses, but the dynamic was generally very different. Unlike lycans who could form a pack essentially out of nothing, covens were generally led by a family or a council. In the Donquixote Coven, their Lord governed alongside his brother after inheriting that leadership from their parents.
Ace looked up with a raised eyebrow at the tall building before them. Vampires…always so extravagant.
After parking in one of the designated spots, Ace and Sabo walked up the front steps and were stopped by the two stationed guards. It was easy to tell they were vampires given their pale skin and dark hoods that protected their faces from the sun.
"State your business."
"We are here at your Lord's request." Sabo explained while holding out their invitation. The vampires looked it over for a few seconds before unlocking the door.
"Please come in. Someone will show you upstairs in a moment."
Ace whistled quietly when they entered the building, taking in the expensive furniture and stark, golden lines along the wall. It certainly gave off a different atmosphere than the Happy Rabbit (especially with all the drapes pulled). As they waited, other vampires walked through the lobby, going about their business. Most of them didn't give them the time of day, but that was typical. Vampires tended to only enjoy being around others of their kind on a normal basis. It was rare for them to have friends that didn't have fangs.
"Good morning." A voice greeted, drawing their attention. It was a broad man with dark hair and, oddly enough, a spoon stuck to his face. "You must be Ace and Sabo…the lycans."
"It's a pleasure." Sabo replied, shaking the man's hand (while deftly avoiding staring directly at the spoon), "And you are?"
"Vergo, one of the Young Master's attendants. Please, follow me up to the library."
The two brothers walked after the vampire silently, taking in their surroundings as they went. Though the décor was 'regal', it seemed to have strange pink accents which sort of threw off the vibe. Ace and Sabo glanced at each other before stepping onto the elevator which took them up to the tenth floor. As stated by Vergo, it was a library and den of sorts.
A blonde vampire sat behind the desk directly in front of the elevator door and immediately stood up to greet them.
"Fufufu…well now, you must be Ace and Sabo. Welcome to our blood house."
Ace bowed politely to the vampire he believed to be Donquixote Doflamingo, the current Lord. He was tall and had an intimidating aura (though the pink feather coat was a bit…distracting). The man also wore a scarlet suit and equally red glasses which were odd but Ace kept his mouth shut.
"It is an honor to be here." Sabo answered for both of them, nodding respectfully to their employer, "I understand that you wish to have us guard your…nephew, was it?"
"Ah yes…Law." Doflamingo answered with a huff, his teasing smirk falling ever so slightly, "You see, my beloved nephew can be quite troublesome and managed to piss off one of the local packs at a most inopportune time. This gala is very important and Law can't miss it…but I also don't want him to get killed in the process."
"Which pack?" Ace asked, mentally going over which ones could be responsible. Most of the ones in this part of town were rather small and didn't pose much of a threat to more established monster groups.
"They call themselves 'wolves'." Doflamingo informed them with a scoff, "In reality, they're nothing more than mutts who enjoy causing trouble and destroying private property. Their Alpha's name is Eustass Kidd."
Ace tried not to take offense to the mutt comment.
"I don't need protection, Uncle." A deep voice interrupted, making Doflamingo sigh deeply. Ace glanced at the doorway to their left to see a much younger, dark-haired vampire. He looked particularly displeased to see them and had his tattooed arms crossed defiantly.
Ah…this must be Law.
"It's only for the day, Law."
"I refuse to be escorted to the gala like a disobedient child!" Trafalgar shot back, hissing at his Uncle, "Eustass-ya is no threat to me."
"…Law, he's already destroyed two of your cars. I'm not taking any chances."
Ace sent Sabo a confused look when the two vampires continued to argue. It sounded like this wasn't a new issue and that Kidd had been messing with Law for quite some time. From what he knew of the urban Alpha, Eustass had a reputation for being rather destructive and intolerable of Shikari, but who would've thought he'd target a vampire…
"Now, now…let's settle down." Ace blinked in surprise when a third vampire entered the library. He was tall and looked suspiciously similar to Doflamingo…was this his brother? "Why don't we have a cup of tea and-"
Ace raised both his eyebrows when the new vampire slipped on nothing and fell onto the carpet, spilling the tea he'd been carrying. Neither Doflamingo nor Law seemed shocked by this, so it was probably a common occurrence.
"…are you all right, Roci?"
"Y-Yes…my apologies." The new vampire replied while standing to his feet, "Damn it, why is carrying tea so hard?"
"It's really not, Cora-san." Law put in, smiling slightly, "You're just clumsy." The vampire muttered curses under his breath before turning to Ace and Sabo.
"Thank you two for coming…sorry about the, er, entrance. My name is Donquixote Rocinante. It would be my pleasure to give you more details about the gala while Law changes."
"Cora-san-"
"Nope, we're not having this conversation." Rocinante shot back, sending his son a fierce look, "I don't care how many times you've fought that wolf, he could get lucky. Having two bodyguards for one day won't kill you. Now get going."
Law grumbled but retreated regardless, prompting Rocinante and Doflamingo to give them their full attention.
"Sorry about him…he values his independence a lot."
"I see…" Sabo said politely, taking the odd situation in stride, "Now, about that gala?"
"And here we are!" Thach exclaimed happily as he pulled the vehicle into a parking lot in town. Luffy stared out the window, curious where they'd taken him. He wasn't as familiar with this side of San Faldo…in fact, he was fairly certain he'd never been anywhere near wherever they were.
But still…maybe he could find someone he recognized.
"You coming?" Marco asked while opening the car door for him. Luffy slunk out of the vehicle and hugged himself so he could discretely pull his sleeves up. The older lycan watched his behavior with a look of sympathy. "Hope you're hungry, this place has the best frozen yogurt in town, yoi."
Luffy froze and looked up at the large sign with big eyes.
Ice Patch Frozen Yogurt.
Oh no.
"Hey, what's wrong, buddy?" Thatch questioned when he noticed how tense his body was, "Not a fan of yogurt?"
"I-I…I've never had it." Luffy admitted, peering around the car into the glass of the building. It was pretty crowded and even from outside, he could tell they were all lycans. After what happened at the gas station and aquarium, he was very reluctant to break another of his Dad's rules. "My Dad never let me come…"
Thatch and Marco glanced at each other for a moment before the brunette lycan put a reassuring arm around Luffy's shoulders.
"It's all right, pup…you're a lycan. We hang out at these places all the time." Luffy shrunk away from the scary (yet colorful) building despite the encouragement. It just felt…wrong. "Listen, they've got all sorts of flavors like chocolate and strawberry that're really creamy and delicious. You'll love it, I promise."
Forcing down his fear and instinctively licking his lips, Luffy nodded.
They had him at chocolate.
