"Daddy, can I hold Gin-Gin?" Pearl asked quietly.

Krieg looked down at his little brother and smiled in response. They were at the legendary shuttle station, waiting for the Student Council touring bus to arrive. Trafalgar Law, student nurse and aspiring emergency medic, reserved the bus on Krieg's behalf and made sure to deliver the absentee notes to Arlong and Principal Gol. He was going to key the request in from his phone, but he said he'd be another five minutes. Something about having to tell his people about the shuttle request. Didn't really matter to Krieg. He wasn't joining the Student Council anytime soon, and he was more worried about Gin. He may have to take the little one to the doctor if things get any worse, but he had a plan for everything. He intended to clean and sterilize the house for the rest of the day and make a proper meal for everyone. He'll get medicine and vitamins first, though. They needed that and some first aid kits anyway. May as well get it all in one trip. Krieg would have to start working again soon, though. They were properly down on funds due to his shopping trips. He didn't spend a lot of money on refurnishing the condo, but he did have to spend more on food and medicine until the government decided their fates.

Krieg knew he'd be on probation for a while, but his boys were different. They were younger, and, if Krieg showed any signs of clicking out on people, the system would take his brothers from him and contact relatives more aggressively. If no one responded, they'd be in foster care until Krieg was off probation entirely, and that pissed Krieg off more than anything. Everything was on thin ice as it stood. The therapist and counselor would be doing an inspection on the condo after the fall break to check to see if Gin and Pearl would be in better living conditions with Krieg than with another relative. The condo wasn't a perfect place, but everyone was helping to make it something worth spending jail time in. Krieg would rather be in the halfway house than the cells. But, he would rather leave the memories where they were. Behind him.

The shuttle station was a nice distraction. It was a nice horseshoe-shaped area with minor cobblestone leading the way to the front of the school. It was kind of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame meets Europe. Members of the school's organizations from previous years had their own stones. Others who maybe didn't participate in school groups but accomplished something in life were also there. That's more Krieg's crowd, so he decided to pay more attention to it when things weren't so pressing with his boys. He didn't really want a stone, per se, but he wanted to know if he'd recognize anyone's name. Probably not, to be honest. An image of a large pirate ship was on the tangent point of the shuttle curve, and the waiting benches were surrounded by a mix of brick and wood. It was a nice shelter from the weather elements, and it offered a nice view. You could see plants and wildlife before you were met with an open expanse leading to the bridge. Visually, the school had nice places to walk around and explore. Krieg may have to invest in that after fall break. Give the school a real chance. Giving Gin to Pearl and bringing both boys closer to him, Krieg leaned back against the brick wall and just rested as he waited for the bus. If he couldn't get a ride home, it was fine. He'd go back to the library or tech room and setup a space again. Security might respond fast enough since he had to serve probation hours during inactivity. Maybe a cop car would get him.

"Well, well, well. I get to meet you, personally, at last," an unfamiliar voice said from Krieg's right side.

Krieg locked eyes with a pale-faced, dark-haired boy in school uniform but with an armband, bracelet, and pin on his chest. He looked WILD sketchy and WILD shrewd. He had to be an aspiring businessman. He matched the vibe too well. Judging by his armband color, material, and style, Krieg guessed the boy - well, soon to be a grown man - was a senior. If Krieg remembered correctly from the new student packet, freshmen wore a white armband with whatever insignia they wanted, sophomores wore the yellow, juniors wore red, and seniors wore black. His armband was straight-up black, but Krieg did notice that the black quarter of his school pin was missing and the initials "D. M." were in the silver space. He took a bit longer than necessary to analyze those initials, and then... Krieg remembered something. Dracule Mihawk was in the Student Council. Those might have been his initials. So, this guy must be in the Student Council himself. Yikes... Speaking of which, Krieg couldn't remember ever seeing Mihawk's class band. Students had the option of not wearing it, obviously, but... nope. Nothing triggered Krieg's memory. Not that he would pay attention anyway. School wallflower and all.

"... Oh, you must be part of the Welcome Committee like the others. Nice to meet you," Krieg said politely with a small smile.

"Your charm is strong. It's no wonder people are drawn to you," the dark boy said, crossing his legs and holding one of his knees in his palms gently. "You're not slow, Don Krieg. I'm onto your little act. You were looking at my pin just now. I'm sure you've guessed I'm a senior and an organization member, yes?"

"Huh. You really are about your business! Straight to the point, cutthroat, clean," Krieg complimented. "Yeah. I see you're wearing the black band. It looks like you're with Mihawk then. Student Council member?"

The boy just smirked darkly and said with a nod, "Very good. Since you're aware that Mihawk is with the Student Council, I'll take this time to inform you that you've been approved for the guardianship contract. That means our members protect you from unwanted or unfair treatment including the incessant dating requests. Gecko Moria is our Committee Chairperson. He tells us when shit hits the fan in the student body. I heard you don't have your social availability bracelet, and I've been watching you. You've been blowing off wearing it quite expertly. I liked how you handled the suitors when Vegapunk, our Council Member, approached you about it, but I'm sure Mihawk told you by now what happens when the grace period ends. You're pretty much up for grabs by that point."

Krieg's smile tightened up, not wanting to frighten his kids, but he said, "He may have while I was off campus. That all you came to tell me?"

"Aren't you going to ask which position Mihawk is in with the Student Council? After all, he's the one who wants to protect you," the boy said with a light purr.

That surprised Krieg. That surprised him a lot. At least to the point where his eyes widened up exaggeratedly and he reeled back with shock. Dracule Mihawk wanted to protect him? Why? Not because of the LEGOs, right? No, wait!

"No, he doesn't! He challenged me to survive without the bracelet!" Krieg responded with light squeaks. "He's not trying to protect me! Maybe my kids but - !"

Deep sigh, grumble. "No, he wants to protect you."

Flop. A blonde boy sat next to the dark senior. He reminded Krieg of the cop from the 7:15 bus. Rather be anywhere but where he was. He had the red band. His white pin quarter was missing with Mihawk's initials in the space, so this guy was also in the Student Council or associated with it.

The blonde junior then said, "Hi."

"Daddy, where's the bus? Gin-Gin's hot," Pearl said softly, worried about his whimpering brother. He was sniffling and curling up into a ball.

"It'll be here soon, kid," the blonde junior replied. His whiskers were coming in, so he'd be beard and mustache soon. "I'm just here to speak on Mihawk's behalf. He's out of a phone right now."

"Where's my future business partner exactly?" the dark senior asked.

"Oh, y'know, freaking out at the festival booths. Name's Zeff. This is Crocodile. Don't ask," Zeff said quickly, holding up a hand to stop any questioning about Crocodile's name. He didn't want to hear the supervillain monologue. "We're just making sure you're good. I was told to make you some soup for your kids. Just go to the restaurant Mihawk brought you to that morning. I'll have it ready for you."

"Oh? Thank you," Krieg replied.

Not going. Just nope. Not doin' it. Don't care if it's free. It's from the Student flippin' Council. Erego, no. Cough, cough, whimper. Krieg jumped to action and said something in another language. Gin nodded, let Krieg lift him up, and clung to Krieg's neck as he cried. Pearl rose to his feet on the bench to look at his brother. Gin was really sick. Pearl looked scared. Krieg gave Pearl a hug to comfort him, and Pearl started to whimper out of fear for his little brother. He didn't like not being helpful. Krieg said something else and held both boys in his arms together. Looked like that calmed them both down. Zeff was honestly quite impressed with Krieg's parenting skills. He knew exactly what to do to quiet the boys. Maybe that was part of the reason for Mihawk's attraction towards Krieg. His ability to care for children efficiently and effectively despite the odds. Crocodile didn't like kids much, but he saw a lot of potential in Krieg. He was going to be quite the businessman indeed.

When the bus finally crept up, Krieg let out a relieved sigh and started telling the boys to gather their things in that other language. Mihawk told Zeff that Krieg might've been German, so he's bilingual and so were his kids. Law came up to take one final look at little Gin and jotted down some notes before tearing the paper and handing it to Krieg.

"Make sure you get little guy's meds. He's going to be keeping you up tonight. He's got the flu. If his fever goes passed 101, he's gotta go to his regular doctor."

"Thanks, man, I will," Krieg said with a nod and waved goodbye to everyone.

Later, crazy people...

"Whaddaya mean he 'doesn't believe me'? Doesn't believe what?" Mihawk demanded.

He and Zeff were in the kissing booth. It was almost done for the most part. The sofas were up, roll call was up, roses and maple leaves were in, pumpkin spice fragrances filled the area. It was all pretty spectacular, honestly. Zeff just needed to work his magic with the charcuterie and pastries, and it was wraps. Mihawk wasn't interested in any of that. He just heard that Krieg didn't believe that Mihawk wanted to protect him from the suitors, and that the contract would be voided if he didn't agree to it. That put Mihawk out of a job for one and put Krieg pretty much up for auction for two. His grace period was over! The suitors would be all over him! Was he nuts?

"He doesn't think you're trying to protect him, genius! He mentioned your challenge at the mall to Croc!" Zeff explained with some aggravation.

"What is wrong with that hippie? Doesn't he understand anything? The suitors will just start getting aggressive whenever the hell he gets back to school after the issue with his kids," Mihawk complained incredulously. "What's little Gin even have?"

"He's got the flu. Krieg'll be home for a while if he's the main caretaker for the kids," Law explained, walking into the booth to sit down and observe the decor. "Nice job, Hawkeyes. Looks good."

"Forget about this! How long will he be out?" Mihawk questioned.

"Easily a week or two. That's gonna set him back for his cram session big time," Law answered, leaning back on the sofa. He was nice and comfortable now. "I'd say he'll only be in for maybe a day next week. Fall break starts then. I don't know much about his probation stint, but it might affect that, too. Depends."

"This is just - !" Mihawk started, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"There is a positive to all of this, though," Zeff said, smirking mischievously. Mihawk looked at him angrily, waiting for an explanation. Which Zeff gave him. "His grace period is up as of today. He passed your challenge, and he might not show for the Fall Fest. He managed to dodge his suitors as promised. He just has to make it out alive come Winter Break. Mistletoes will be hard to dodge. So, you might not have a new job right now, but you'll definitely have one at the start of December. You can extend the contract until then if Croc approves and adds his name to it. He was kinda bummed that the new guy didn't fall for his trap."

"What trap?" Mihawk questioned.

"You're the only one the new guy trusts. Croc said he lingered on your initials on his pin, and he even tried to coax the new guy into asking about your position in the Student Council. He may not have taken the bait, but he might like you just enough to consider you an ally or friend. That's probably why he didn't press charges against you... yet," Zeff explained, making Mihawk gasp very lightly. "Whatever you did to get him to stay calm around new people, keep it up. Your initials put him at ease regardless of the information we tell him."

"Wait a minute," Law said, not hearing about this part before. He thought Mihawk just wanted to do more crowd control work, not - "Are you... into the new guy? As in...?"

"His aunt may have grounded him, but this one knows how to sneak his way around certain obstacles. That's what makes him the single most, deadliest protection agent around," Zeff said with a sigh, knowing what his words were going to trigger in Mihawk. He just had to hype him up to show Law why Mihawk loved his crowd control work.

"..."

"What? You don't mean he'll - "

*ring tone*

"Your phone's ringing, daddy!" Pearl informed, checking the screen before running back to Gin's side.

Krieg had finished cleaning the kitchen and dining area a while ago and was currently making a big pot of soup. The house was smelling good now. Gin was laying in Krieg's room with Pearl while the eldest brother was cleaning and sterilizing the house. He stirred the soup and tested its taste before nodding at its flavor and closing the lid. Thank God the stove and oven came in! After everyone took their showers and baths, Krieg went to work cleaning and sterilizing. He gave Pearl the responsibility of watching Gin while he dropped clothes off at the joint laundromat. Ellie and Anya were there playing cards and planning out their next shopping trip. Krieg joined in for a while and called Pearl on the home line to make sure things were okay. All was well. The bus driver stopped by to visit and helped Krieg fold clothes and gave him a small haircut to trim off split ends. The girls wanted to bring him to a proper barber to make him "gorgeous", but Krieg warned them about the other kids at school wanting to swoon him as is and he'd rather be a wallflower. Understanding, the girls didn't pressure him about it and instead suggested he doll himself up for the holidays since they'd be together at the halfway house. Krieg agreed to that at least.

When Krieg returned to the condo, the soup was getting thick, so he went to work on getting the boys' bedroom cleaned up. Toys had to be washed. So, did the sheets. This time, he didn't stay at the laundromat. He had to wait a little longer for the bed sheets to be done, so he let them do their thing and stayed home for the next hour or two. Pearl felt much better now that he was able to watch Gin more. He was more afraid of the other people being around him than anything. That's what he said in German. He wanted to protect Gin from them so Krieg didn't have to. Sweet kid. Checking his phone, Krieg noticed he received a message from some email address.

that_swordsman_dracule1982 : Is this still Mr. Don's number? It's Dracule Mihawk.

Krieg: Aren't you grounded?

Mihawk: Never mind about that.

Krieg: I do mind being called mister. I'm not that old. Children and professionals can call me mister.

Mihawk: ... This is what we're doing. Woooow. That's very mature.

Krieg: Oh, you're not a professional. Shame. *evil emoji*

Mihawk: ... I'm not entertaining this. How is Gin? Did you get his soup?

Krieg: I'm cooking it, yes.

Mihawk: Oh God, the nearest hospital is 4 blocks away.

Krieg: Good to know. I'll visit you over there the next time you drink a Sprite.

Mihawk: ... I see your memory is to par.

Krieg: *laughing emoji* Calm down, man. That's good that you can't drink sodas. Superman's gotta have his kryptonite; otherwise, he'd be boring. It's cute seeing you fluster. You're probably the healthiest teen I know now.

Mihawk: I'm not boring. You'd know how exciting and/or normal elites can be if you'd play your part and meet at least one of them. And I'm not cute. I also don't blush that much.

Krieg: I really don't care about your popularity contests, man. I have a sick kid and a worry wart in my bedroom FREAKING the f*** out right now. One of you is enough for a meet and greet. I'll pass. Besides, I'm cleaning the house.

Mihawk: JOB. BOARD. Get a cleaner and babysitter for a day.

Krieg: I have both of those.

Mihawk: And who is this Nanny McNonexistent? If you say it's you, I will - !

Krieg: What? I get paid for it, and I get school credit as long as I do my work. If it makes you feel any better, I'm going shopping for a computer soon. I can go online like the rest of the teenage world! YAY! *Flint and Rapunzel GIF*

Mihawk: You're such a flippin' hippie...

Krieg: You love it! *sunglass emoji* Hang on, my kids are calling me.

Krieg: ...

Krieg: You may proceed with your lecture, my liege.

Mihawk: Liege?

Krieg: Well, his lordship is most displeased with my recent offense. I must apologize forthwith. *crown emoji* *king emoji*

Mihawk: Do you enjoy provoking me?

Krieg: How else should a vagrant like me ruffle his majesty's petticoats?

Mihawk: Careful, vagrant. Kings send those to guillotines.

Krieg: Awfully kinky of you.

Mihawk: What!?

Krieg: What, not into bondage?

Mihawk: ... Are you... flirting with me?

Krieg: No. This is what we peasants call making a joke, highness. It can be used to pass the time, inspire humor, make -

Mihawk: I know what a joke is...

Krieg: Do you, though?

Mihawk: YES!

Krieg: *hysterical laughing GIF* Your petticoats are so ruffled. I have to go now. Maybe try asking for my number properly like a normal person. This stalking and poking around thing is making you seem a little creepy.

Mihawk: We won't see each other until next year at this rate. I'm not in cram school and we don't have the same lunch.

Krieg: Yet you have my number. Pretty sure I didn't give it to you.

Mihawk: Fine. If you don't want me around, I'll -

Krieg: You're the ONLY ONE I don't mind being around. Studying with you last Saturday is what's saving you from a charge. The boys genuinely like you and look for you when they come to school with me. You're the only one they'll do that for. Everyone else creeps 'em out. I'd've given you my number willingly if you had just asked.

Mihawk: I said I was sorry. I was just -

Krieg: My boys are fine. By now, the principal probably told you about me being in a halfway house. You're grounded for a bigger reason than just following me home. I'm on house arrest during inactive hours; meaning, this is my prison cell when I'm not in authorized areas like school, work, or the stores. I can't just go to restaurants or anything unless I clear it with my probation officer. That's who turned you around. His name's Lafitte. Same with your job board. Only the people here can watch my boys. They have to adjust to life "behind bars" the same way I do.

Mihawk: ... Why are you there? You seem so sweet.

Krieg: I don't know you well enough to tell you, but I wouldn't look for me to join school groups and stuff anytime soon. I was only allowed to go to your restaurant because it was by the park. That's it. Don't worry about me and the suitors, Mother Hen. I can handle them. If they get too rowdy, they'll have the cops to deal with. *evil emoji* They don't want Officer Lafitte on their asses. He is not here for it.

Mihawk: He definitely looks creepy. Soulless almost.

Krieg: He had a rough life himself. We're alike so I don't mind him. He means well. He's actually scared of jail cells. Claustrophobic. He'd rather be out in the open like now. You, dear sweet supermodel, need your beauty rest. I must tend to the children. The life of a single dad must push on.

Mihawk: ... Can I call tomorrow?

Krieg: Your parentals are gonna ice you. *knife emoji* *scream emoji* *tomb emoji* Why do you want to talk to me so bad?

Mihawk: I just want to. It's my way of serving probation. I offended someone. It's my responsibility to make things right.

Krieg: ... I'm not worth getting in trouble for, supermodel. But I'll try to go to your sword demo next time. I do think fencing is cool. *fencer emoji*

Mihawk: Are you allowed to call relatives for the holidays and stuff? Those are coming up.

Krieg: My relatives are below the age of 10. I just gotta scream their names. You should see their little feet hustle when I call 'em. Anyways, I must go. You sleep.