Dancing with the Shadows

by WintersDarkest

Summary:

There’s something deeply unnerving about Law’s customer, Donquixote Doflamingo.

For one, his lips stretch too wide when he smiles. And if you look carefully, his canines appear too long, too pointy. The way he moves is also uncanny. Those limbs—impossibly large—swing with an unnatural grace, twisting at angles that don’t quite belong to a human body.

Sometimes, he stares at Law with that look, as if he knows exactly what he's thinking.

Those moments haunt him.

Chapter 1: Into the Forest

Notes:

My head’s been in the gutter ever since watching Nosferatu and writing this depraved and self-indulgent fic is my way of getting it out of my system ;)

This story is loosely inspired by the movie. I’ve always been curious to explore horror with this pairing given Doffy's creepy vibes >:) If you're not into horror or sexual relations between humans and monsters, this is not for you!

There’s something deeply unnerving about Law’s customer, Donquixote Doflamingo.

Law’s never quite been able to pinpoint what exactly it is about him that unsettles him so. After all, the businessman is charismatic and well-spoken, his magnetic presence adored by the townspeople.

Still, there’s something lurking beneath that façade of his, something that makes Law’s stomach twist with unease.

For one, his lips stretch too wide when he smiles. And if you look carefully, his canines appear too long, too pointy. The way he moves is also uncanny. Those limbs—impossibly large—swing with an unnatural grace, twisting at angles that don’t quite belong to a human body.

Not to mention, for such a tall and imposing man, he is shockingly light on his feet. Law often doesn’t hear him walk down the narrow aisles of his dingy apothecary… not until he’s standing right behind him.

Sometimes, he stares at Law with that look, as if he knows exactly what he's thinking. In those moments, Law finds himself frozen in place, unable to tear his gaze away.

Those moments haunt him.

Yet, there’s little Law can do but welcome the mysterious Donquixote Doflamingo into his shop. He is, first and foremost, a doctor who prides himself in taking excellent care of his patients’ needs, no matter how eccentric they are.

---

Law is rearranging corked vials on the top shelf of his medicine cabinet when he suddenly freezes, the hairs on the back of his neck curling.

…it’s him.

Law did not hear the door chime, the familiar jingle signalling the coming and going of customers, but then again, he never does when it comes to him.

Unlike most patrons who announce their arrival with a pleasant greeting, he is uncharacteristically quiet. It’s a stark contrast to the flamboyant mask he wears in public, drawing eyes and turning heads everywhere he goes.

Law glances over his shoulder.

Sure enough, Donquixote Doflamingo is standing behind him, his hands casually tucked inside the lined pockets of his slacks.

His features are conventionally handsome, all sharp angles, and his suit fits his large frame to perfection. He looks polished, as if he’s stepped straight out of a posh tailor shop. Yet, there’s something about him that makes Law skin crawl. He is viscerally reminded of the deceptively quiet moment before a predator is about to strike.

“Ah, I didn’t notice you standing there, Mr. Donquixote.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, Law,” he says, stretching his lips into a grin that’s anything but apologetic. “You seemed very focused and I didn’t want to distract you from your work.”

It’s a poorly constructed excuse. The older man enjoys getting under Law’s skin, and they both know it.

“That’s quite alright, though I’d prefer if you interrupted me. I would hate to keep a busy man like yourself waiting.”

“How considerate of you,” the other drawls, voice laced with something that might be mockery. “I shall keep that in mind next time, doctor.”

Next time rolls off his tongue like a threat and a promise at the same time. Law desperately hopes there won’t be one, but he knows better than to voice his wishful thought aloud.

He steps down from the ladder before straightening himself, but the action does little to close the noticeable gap in height between them. Doflamingo’s impossibly tall figure practically looms over him and Law hates that he has to crane his neck to face the older man.

“So, what can I do for you today, Mr. Donquixote?“

“No need to be so formal, Law,” the other chuckles, waving a hand dismissively. “Just call me Doflamingo. I insist.”

“How can I help you then, Doflamingo?”

Doflamingo steps forward, closing the distance between them in a single, unsettling stride. Law forces himself not to scowl at just how effortlessly his personal space is invaded.

"You see, I have been plagued with strange dreams as of late. They are vivid and terribly detailed, although…” The other trails off, as if savouring the discomfort he’s causing Law. “I can never quite remember them when I wake up. Every night, I find myself wide awake at ungodly hours, unable to fall back asleep until daybreak. It’s strange, isn’t it?” He pauses again, dark unreadable eyes boring into Law’s with burning, unblinking intensity. "Would you have something that might help, doctor?”

“May I interest you in Valerian roots?” Law inquires, his tone even and professional, not betraying the uneasy feelings stirring inside him. “Very effective for a deep night’s sleep and quite soothing too.”

Doflamingo hums thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving Law’s.

“I happened to procure a new batch of them yesterday," he continues, holding the other’s gaze despite his every instinct to look away. "I recommend adding a teaspoonful to a cup of tea before bed. It helps mellow out the strong, earthy flavour. If you’d like, I can prepare a sample for you to try and see if it helps over the next few weeks.”

“That sounds lovely. I'll take you up on that offer.”

“Excellent, feel free to make yourself comfortable as I prepare your order,” he says, gesturing to the armchairs in the lounge area. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

Law is quick to excuse himself, more than eager to put some distance between himself and Doflamingo. As he turns to leave, he feels the weight of the other’s eyes follow him until he disappears into the backroom, where he stores his raw materials and recently acquired ingredients.

When he re-emerges from the back, carrying a small vial of Valerian roots in his hand, he doesn't immediately notice the dead silence.

“Thank you for your patience—” he starts, his words falling flat as his gaze sweeps across the apothecary. Empty.

What the hell.

Law should feel relieved be left alone. Yet, Doflamingo’s sudden and unexplained disappearance leaves him with a creeping unease. He can’t quite shake off the strange feeling that Doflamingo is not truly gone, that the other is somehow still here, watching him, waiting— 

A shiver creeps up his spine.

Law glances instinctively at his surroundings, eyes flickering to the dark corners, as if afraid that Doflamingo might suddenly lunge at him.

He mentally shakes his head. Fuck this.

He slips behind his workstation, determined to see the insufferable bastard’s order through. If not for him, then for Law’s own damn sanity.

The familiar sight of his tools and logbook offer him comfort, but it’s fleeting. His hands move mechanically, setting the dried Valerian roots into a mortar and grinding the contents into powder.

Law doesn’t dare look up when he hears footsteps slowly approaching from behind.

The old wooden floorboards groan beneath them, the ominous sound reverberating off the walls and amplifying. Law’s hold on the pestle tightens, his knuckles turning white, as the steps come closer and closer… until they’re almost right behind him.

Don’t think about it, Law, just pretend he’s not here—

But then, a deep voice cuts through the tense air, right next to his ear.

“You’ll have to excuse my rudeness, Law.”

Law tenses.

Every muscle in his body screams for him to move far away from the creature behind him—

“An old acquaintance of mine swung by the entrance just now, and I stepped away to say hello.”

The thinly veiled lie hangs heavily in the air between them. They both know there was no such visitor, the lack of the telltale door chime deafening and unmistakable in the emptiness of the apothecary.

Doflamingo is simply toying with Law.

“I see,” Law manages to rasp, not daring to turn around.

“By the way, I simply adore watching you work,” Doflamingo resumes, hot breath tickling the back of his neck with inappropriate proximity. “I find it truly fascinating, the way your hands move with such grace. You don’t mind if I watch, do you?”

Law licks his lips, his mouth feeling suddenly dry. He wants to say yes—he should say yes—and ask for some well-deserved personal space, but something stops him.

Doflamingo’s question feels like a challenge, and Law, foolish as he is, hates backing down from one.

“I… don’t mind,” he hears himself say, sealing his own fate with those three simple, yet damning words.

Law’s hands resume working, but there’s a slight tremble to them that he can’t shake off. Behind him, Doflamingo’s presence lingers. Too close, too quiet.

He feels a trickle of relief when Doflamingo finally breaks the unsettling silence… but the feeling proves to be short-lived.

“I do hope you’ll indulge me, Law," he says, voice smooth like silk. "How does one as young as yourself come to own an apothecary?”

The question seems harmless enough, but Law knows better. He doesn’t need look up from his work station to know that Doflamingo is watching him very, very closely.

“It’s a family business," he replies carefully. "passed down from my father.”

"I thought as much,” the other murmurs, as if talking to himself. He then pauses contemplatively. “And I suspect the apartment above us belongs to you as well?”

Law stiffens. How on earth did he figure that out?

“Yes," he responds, albeit reluctantly. 

“Living right above your little shop," Doflamingo hums, seemingly pleased with this. There’s something in his tone—not amusement, not quite threat either—but something that makes Law's stomach turn. "How… convenient.”

“The proximity certainly has its advantages,” he laughs, but the sound that escapes his lips comes out as strained. Nervous.

“And speaking of family business, where is your family? I’ve only seen you and that helpful assistant of yours.”

In other words, where do you live? Do you live alone?

“My family’s dead,” Law says bluntly, pounding the roots as fast as possible, desperate to put an end to this conversation that’s beginning to feel more like an interrogation. “I’ve been running the apothecary ever since their passing.”

“Tragic,” the other whispers, as though lost in thought. “I suppose that’s something we have in common. My family’s dead too. Had to take over the business at a young age and work hard to expand it to what it is today. I would have done anything to get them back—I still do.”

Law twists around, his gaze flickering up, caught off guard by the unexpected response… only to find a pair of dark, tunnel eyes staring straight into his own, hungry.

His breath hitches. Law wants to look away, tries to look away, but there it is again—an eerie pull to those bottomless eyes, holding him captive. It could a trick of the dim, flickering candlelight, but those irises seem to expand, drawing him in like a gravitational pull. Impossible to escape. The air shifts between them, heavy and thick, growing difficult to breathe…

And then—as quickly as it came—it all comes to a stop.

“Is everything okay, Law?” Doflamingo asks with a concerned expression, one that could have fooled anyone.

…except that there’s a subtle, knowing curl to his lips.

“Yes,” Law rasps, catching his breath. He drops his gaze to the floor, unable to meet the other’s eyes after… whatever that was. “It’s—it’s been a very long day for me, though it’s not something for you to be concerned about.” He quickly glances at his desk, relieved to find his work completed. “Well, it looks like your order is ready. Let me wrap it up for you.”

“Excellent work, as always.” Doflamingo says, flashing him a wide smile. All teeth.

Law doesn’t miss how sharp they look.

The rest of their interaction proves to be uneventful, though he can’t quite allow himself to relax in the taller man’s presence. It’s only when Doflamingo leaves the shop, the bell above the door chiming behind him, that Law dares to breathe again.

It takes several more minutes for his heart to stop racing. 

---

To his immense relief, Doflamingo doesn’t return to the apothecary in the days that follow.

Despite this, the tension in Law’s body doesn’t quite dissipate. A familiar dread settles in his lower stomach whenever the apothecary grows still, the steady stream of customers tapering off. In those quieter moments, Law finds himself glancing at the entrance every now and then, half-expecting to see a tall, blond figure slip through those doors unannounced.

After all, Doflamingo has the strange, infuriating talent of cornering him all alone in his own shop. He always seems to know exactly when the apothecary becomes empty, giving him free reign to terrorize Law without interruption.

By the fifth day, Law allows himself to relax.

The immediate threat of Donquixote Doflamingo, while not entirely forgotten, has faded to the back of his mind.

He easily slips into the familiar rhythm of his work: organizing herbs, conducting patient consultations, and preparing concoctions for his customers.

During the weekdays, his regular clientele consists of a steady mix of older folks and housewives. They like to browse the store at leisure, perusing the endless shelves of herbs and remedies with polite interest, while engaging Law in casual conversation.

Unlike with a certain individual he won’t dignify by naming, Law has actually grown to enjoy their company. He listens idly to snippets of their daily anecdotes and small town gossip, sometimes adding a few comments of his own here and there. Though, he remains tight-lipped as ever regarding his own private affairs, especially when it comes to inquiries about his romantic life—or lack thereof.

“Such a shame, my dear,” an elderly woman sighs. “My granddaughter has just turned of age. Bright girl, very sweet. Oh, what I would give to have a handsome, hard-working grandson-in-law like you…” she trails off, a knowing smirk tugging at her thin lips.

“I'm at a stage in life where I’d like to focus on my career,” Law says smoothly, corking a flask of healing salve. “I’d hate to be a neglectful partner.”

“Always so dedicated to your work, doctor,” she says. “Almost to a fault, one may argue.”

Law chooses to ignore her comment, and eagerly diverts the conversation away from him. “I’m sure that your granddaughter is lovely, though, and she’s certainly very lucky to have such a doting grandmother.”

“That she is, but, of course, you wouldn’t hear it from her,” The corners of the old woman’s eyes crinkle warmly. “That girl prefers to call her grandmother meddling.”

“I am sure she means it in a fond way,” Law says good naturedly, placing the last of her purchases into her bag. “Is this everything on your list, madam?” 

The old woman blinks slowly, before a spark of remembrance lights up her entire face. She then rummages through her leather pouch to pull a piece of parchment. With careful hands, she slips on her reading glasses, adjusting them before scrutinizing her own handwriting.

Law catches the words full moon and wild roses circled in dark ink that bleeds into the yellowed paper.

“Ah, yes! Would you be so kind as to fetch me a vial of dried wild rose petals, doctor? I would like to purchase some for my dear granddaughter…”

“I’m afraid we don’t have them in stock,” Law says apologetically. “We do have rose hip and regular rose petals available. We also have an assortment of other dried flowers that can be a good substitute depending on your granddaughters’ needs, including lavender, chamomile—”

The elderly lady waves her hand, cutting him off. “No, that won’t do. Wild roses have unique properties,” there's a sharp edge to her voice now, and Law feels like is a schoolboy being reprimanded. “Their strong scent and magical powers are unmatched. You, of all people, should know this, doctor.”

Law blinks, momentarily at loss for words. “My apologies, madam, but what do you mean by magical powers?”

“Wild roses are known to keep evil at bay,” she explains, her once warm and vibrant voice replaced by something much harder and colder. “My own grandmother used to tell me to always carry a pouch of dried wild rose petals on my person. A protection against those who crawl under the full moon.”

Law’s eyebrows knit into a small frown, a flicker of unease settling into his lower stomach. “I’m afraid I don’t quite follow… what’s this about the full moon?”

The lines on the old woman's pale face deepen, making her look much older. “Strange things happen on the full moon, especially to those who live near that cursed forest,” she glances at the door, before lowering her voice to a near whisper, as if divulging a dark, forbidden secret. “Have you heard the stories, my dear boy?”

A memory stirs, half buried in the dust of childhood.

His parent's hushed voices. Bedtime stories told in firelight, weaving dark tales of an ancient creature crawling in the darkest hour of the night, hunting those who have wandered too far into the forest.

His sister’s wide-eyed face flashes in his mind’s eye with striking clarity, his own little body trembling under the bed covers as his parents recited harrowing lines from a heavy, leather-bound tome.

But they were nothing more than that: a fairytale, designed to keep children from venturing too far after nightfall.

“Yes, my parents used to read them to me when I was a child,” Law says fondly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “They always warned us not to wander into the forest after nightfall. Said something terrible would happen to those who fell victim to the monster—”

“Unspeakable things!” The elderly woman suddenly hisses, staring at Law with wide, unblinking eyes.

Law jolts at the sudden change in tone.

“Countless have vanished without a trace over the ages," she continues. "Most of them young women… terrible fates. Such horrible details are better left unspoken, indeed.”

The weight of her words lingers oppressively in the air.

Slowly, the old woman closes her eyelids, her withered lips twitching as she whispers unintelligible words under her breath. The knot in Law’s stomach tightens at the sound of her mumbling, echoing louder and louder through the apothecary's empty walls. Each second seems to stretch longer than the last, dragging on forever. It’s as if time passing inside the apothecary is warped, marching at an entirely different pace than the world outside...

Then, without warning, the old lady’s eyes snap wide open. They don't look at him, but through him. Piercing and unblinking. Haunted. 

“The hour is late,” she announces in a distant voice, as if speaking to someone just beyond the room.

She raises her pale face to glance out the window. Law follows her gaze. Outisde, the sun is already setting over the horizon, its deep crimson light bleeding into the shop, spilling across the floor and casting long, dark shadows.

“I will now take my leave,” she declares, her voice trembling with poorly concealed urgency. “Beware of the shadows, child,” she pauses, glassy eyes tracing around the dark corners of the apothecary. Law notices them narrowing, fixed on a spot just beyond his shoulder, as if seeing something he doesn't.

“Make sure they stay where they are, lest they swallow you in darkness.”

She exits the shop without looking back, the door chiming loudly behind her. Law stares blankly at the now empty seat in front of him, her ominous warning echoing like a mantra in his ears.

He watches, fear gripping tightly in his chest, as the shadows stretch further along the wooden floor. The dark corners of the apothecary seem to grow deeper, more menacing...

Law spends the rest of the evening trying to shake off her words, convincing himself over and over again that they are nothing more than the ramblings of an old, superstitious woman.

---

That night, Law dreams.

He is standing in the heart of a dense forest. The layout is a familiar one, as if it’s etched in the back of his mind. Though how exactly, he cannot explain.

The full moon hangs over the cloudless sky, illuminating the forest ground in a silver sheen.

He moves swiftly, gliding through the shadows cast by the bright moonlight, weaving between the looming trees with unnatural ease.

His footsteps leave no mark, no sound. 

He inhales, recognizing the sweet scent lingering in the air. It’s faint, but he can smell a young woman’s blood. 

He knows exactly where to locate her.

In the darkness of the forest, his body undulates like a snake’s silhouette. Twisting and turning at sharp angles until he’s on her tail, gliding right behind her footsteps…

He untangles his body from the shadows, his powerful muscles coiling, and in an instant, he pounces—pinning her weak body between himself and the forest ground.

He laughs as she thrashes helplessly under him.

“Please don’t kill me!”

He usually grows tired of those who cry and beg for their lives, but it’s been so long since his last feast that her pathetic sobs sound like music to his ears.

As he presses his nose against her neck, inhaling deeply, the delicious smell of fear pools into his nostrils. The high pitched scream that escapes her lips sends a thrill through him just as he sinks his fangs into her throat, hot blood pooling onto his waiting tongue.

The burst of flavor that fills his mouth is nothing short of sublime.

He cradles the young woman against his chest, gently, as he suckles on the open wound on her throat, slowly draining the life from her body, now lying unmoving in his arms.

That’s when he notices something wrong.

His feeding comes to an abrupt halt, his bloodlust interrupted by an unfamiliar presence lingering in the back of his mind.

Someone is watching.

In an instant, everything—the full moon, the forest, the girl—disappears, swallowed whole by a crushing darkness...

Then, from the void, a pair of bright red eyes lock onto his own.

---

Law wakes up in a start, his body drenched in cold sweat.

His heart pounds wildly against his ribcage, his mind spinning with disorientation. He feels sick, the metallic taste of blood still lingering in the back of his throat. A cruel reminder of his nightmare.

But it felt too detailed, too vivid, too real… nothing like the fading quality of a dream. More terrifyingly, it felt like a vision, a fresh memory—one he was clearly not meant to witness.

With a shaky breath, Law pushes himself up from his bed and stumbles to the window, pulling the ivory curtains open with clammy hands.

The world outside is eerily still, bathed in the silver glow of moonlight.

Slowly, his gaze lifts to the dark, cloudless sky.

The full moon stares back at him, unblinking.

Law doesn’t fall back asleep that night.

Chapter 2: The Gift

Notes:

Hiiii I originally planned to post this next week, but as you can see I got impatient lol. Thank you so much for the lovely comments, they brighten up my day and keep me motivated <3

“You look tired.”

Law meets his friend Bepo’s gaze with bleary eyes, the dark bags shadowing them betraying long nights of restless sleep.

“Yeah, I’ve been sleeping like shit.” He responds, eloquent as ever.

Ever since his unsettling conversation with the old lady, Law finds his mind deeply troubled. He spends the long, torturous hours after nightfall tossing and turning in bed, unable to look away from the shadows undulating on his bedroom floor.

It doesn’t help that his thoughts keep racing back to that horrid dream. If he can even call it one.

The logical part of him insists it was nothing more than a vivid nightmare, spurred on by the old woman’s haunting tales. Yet, there’s something else, an undeniable weight he can’t quite shake off. Too many coincidences, too many unsettling details.

The full moon hanging in the sky, the eerie forest, the poor girl fleeing from the shadows…

…and then, there’s the farmer’s daughter who had disappeared the very next morning, who remains missing to this day…

Law feels sick.

And those eyes…

Red, hungry, inhuman, glowing like two embers in the darkness.

Law can’t help but shudder. He viscerally felt them pierce through him with ice-cold fury, as if having caught him eavesdropping on a forbidden act. A scene not meant for mortal eyes.

For some reason he can’t explain, those striking eyes remind him of a certain someone, but Law dares not further entertain the thought—

“Law, you’re spacing out again,” Bepo says, shooting him a concerned look. “Why don’t you let me take over today and get some rest?”

“Bepo, there’s no way I’m abandoning you today of all days. What kind of friend do you think I am?”

“Fine, but you’re taking a break later, and that’s final!”

Saturdays are the busiest day of the week at the apothecary. Customers burst through the door in droves and practically wrestle one another in the narrow aisles. The townspeople have the habit of squeezing their way into the shop between their weekly visits to the butchery, the bakery, and the farmer’s market just across the street.

Law doesn’t mind the bustle. It’s a welcome distraction, a sure way to drown out the unsettling thoughts that plague his evenings and which seem to follow him even into broad daylight, lingering like darkened shadows in the edges of his mind.

But for now, the shop is buzzing with activity. The shadows, which appear so sinister at night, are animated with life, dancing along the floorboards to the rhythm of their owners’ footsteps. As for Law, he is busy tending to a middle-aged woman who’s come in complaining of stomach pain. He barely registers it when the door chimes for what feels like the hundredth time that day.

“Mr. Donquixote!” A female voice exclaims near the entrance.

Law freezes.

The name washes over his body like an ice cold bath, drowning him with a deep sense of unease.

The unmistakable figure of Doflamingo stands tall in the foyer, dressed in sleek business attire. The older man, never lacking for admirers, is effortlessly holding court with a small group of women who have gathered round him.

“Miss Smith,” that smooth baritone cuts through the air like knife through hot butter. “It has been far too long. How have you been, my dear?”

Ever the charismatic gentleman, Doflamingo takes the girl’s hand into his own, bending down to kiss her knuckles. The action is repeated with the other young women, who appear all too eager to offer their hands to the older man’s lips.

“And how was your recent trip to Marie-Jois, Mr. Donquixote?” He hears one of the other girls ask in a sultry voice, moving closer to the older man.

“Oh, I have always wanted to visit Marie-Jois, it’s such an enchanting city!” Her friend chimes in, taking the empty place next to him.

The rest of their conversation is drowned out by the clamour of glass clinking and the constant buzz of voices filling the apothecary’s walls.

Law watches with mild horror as Doflamingo leans in to whisper something into a young woman’s ear. The girl in question—Miss Smith, apparently—throws her head back and shrieks with laughter, as if he made an exceptionally funny joke. The simple, if not exaggerated gesture exposes her bare neck to his hungry gaze.

Law fights the instinctive urge to elbow his way through the crowd and yank her far away from Doflamingo.

Images of the girl’s pale, lifeless body from his nightmare flash before his eyes, the unvoiced suspicions swimming in the depths of his psyche rising to surface of his mind…

In that precise moment, Doflamingo catches Law’s eyes from across the room, as if he were privy to his morbid thoughts.

Law nearly falters as the weight of Doflamingo’s attention is wholly turned on him.

The other’s stare is… unreadable, analytical. Cold.

The air in the apothecary seems to drop by several degrees, and Law suddenly feels incredibly fortunate to be on the opposite side of the room, a sea of bustling customers separating them.

Then, as if nothing had happened, Doflamingo looks away, redirecting his focus to the nearby group of women. The tense, frigid moment shared between them vanishes so quickly that it almost feels as if Law imagined the entire thing.

He exhales sharply, releasing a breath he’s been holding without realizing. He then allows himself to be pulled away by an older gentleman complaining of chronic joint pains. He guides his client to a different section of the store, recommending a vial of turmeric and a jar of healing ointment. Only to be approached by another customer, this one suffering from splitting headaches and migraines.

Law’s professional smile remains tightly in place, though his thoughts are entirely occupied by a certain businessman.

As soon as he finishes filling the second client’s order, Law quickly scans the apothecary for the blonde man’s towering figure. He easily spots the familiar group of young women clustered in a corner of the shop, but Doflamingo is nowhere to be found. Which can only mean one thing.

Before Law can process the thought, a hand comes clamping down on his right shoulder.

“Law, I’ve been looking for you.”

Oh, I bet you have.

It’s a tight, forceful grip, pinning Law in place like a butterfly caught in a cobweb.

Much as Law wants to pull away from the touch, the memory of their unpleasant encounter and his lingering unease from the past few days stirs something inside him.

With a clenched jaw, he turns to face Doflamingo, lifting his chin in an almost defiant stance.

The blonde looks down at him with an amused, slanted smile, which in Law’s experience, never bodes well for him.

However, they are in public, which means that Doflamingo cannot employ his usual, intimidating tactics. Not when they are in the presence of so many prying eyes.

“It’s good to see you, Doflamingo.” Law returns, though the words couldn’t be further from the truth. “How have you been lately?”

“I was just telling the lovely demoiselles over there that that remedy of yours worked like a charm, doctor.”

The massive hand on his shoulder tightens to the point of pain.

“I am happy to hear that.” Law replies smoothly, not letting his discomfort show on his face. “It’s my go-to recommendation for patients who suffer from sleep troubles.”

“Well, it’s nothing short of a miracle. I feel well-rested, rejuvenated, even…” Doflamingo releases the hand on his shoulder, the skin still tingling there. “…which is why I took it upon myself to prepare you a thank you gift, Law.”

What.

Law’s eyes widen in pure shock as a bouquet of flowers seemingly materializes out of thin air. The petals are a vivid scarlet shade, velvety to the touch and still moist, as if freshly plucked from the bushes. When he breathes in, a strong floral fragrance invades his nostrils, sweet, intoxicating and deeply alluring.

He doesn’t move to accept them, but Doflamingo presses the bouquet into his arms anyway. “Here, these flowers were carefully picked from my property this morning.”

A few gasps rise in the background. Law’s gaze flickers upward, and his heart sinks as he sees a group of people blatantly ogling them, their eyes full of unabashed curiosity.

Law’s cheeks burn under the sudden attention, turning a furious shade of crimson that nearly matches the dozen of flowers in his arms.

“I made sure to assemble a bouquet of the finest blooms from my private gardens,” Doflamingo continues, his smile broadening at the sight of Law blushing.

Law grits his teeth, mortified. He knows this is yet another one of Doflamingo’s sick mind games. He shouldn’t have put it past the other to orchestrate a highly public and embarrassing scene just to watch him squirm.

“I know you’re a busy man, Law, but I wanted to give this bouquet to you in person, as a gesture of my appreciation.”

Doflamingo pauses, clearly waiting for a response. The crowd around them falls into an expectant silence.

“Thank you, they’re… very beautiful.” Law says softly, only because it’s the truth.

Doflamingo’s back straightens, as if his compliment has struck him. Law can’t help but be reluctantly impressed by his performance—it’s all very convincing.

“Well,” the older man’s voice takes on a soft, dangerous edge. “I’ve heard that wild roses are highly sought after flowers during this time of year—”

Law’s face drains of colour at the mention of the flowers.

Wild roses.

He feels his lips part, alarm bells ringing in his ears. The old lady’s ominous words echo in the back of his mind: wild roses are known to keep evil at bay, a protection against those who crawl under the full moon…

Could it all be a coincidence? No, Law thinks, that can’t be, not when it comes to—

He looks back up instinctively, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

And there they are—those bottomless eyes, staring straight at Law.

They do not reflect any light. There’s no spark of life, no sign of humanity in them. If eyes are the windows of the soul, then those two holes are soulless. They are pitch black and empty, like a starless night sky.

Law feels light-headed.

“—and most of all, I thought they would look stunning in your arms.”

He gasps as cold, long fingers suddenly curl around his own, the touch searing into his skin. It feels wrong.

“Ah, just like I thought, red is your colour.” Doflamingo squeezes his hands, as if to emphasize the statement. “It brings out the gold in your eyes.”

A thousand questions race through his mind at once. What do the wild roses signify? How are they related to his dream? Why did Doflamingo come visit today, at this hour, of all times?

There’s one thing that’s certain.

Law has seen that self-satisfied smile plastered on the other man’s face. Whatever outcome the blonde had hoped for today, he certainly got it.

And Law knows, deep down, just who—or more precisely, what—Doflamingo is.

He doesn't break free from his spiralling thoughts until Bepo’s gentle tap on his shoulder pulls him back to reality.

“Law, you’re bleeding.” 

He looks down to find blood oozing from his palms, the thick liquid trickling down his wrists in crimson rivulets.

His gaze slowly trails down to the bouquet of wild roses in his arms.

The stems are littered with thorns.

---

That evening, Law visits his parents’ library.

He sifts through the vast collection of books that lines the wooden shelves, which remains mostly untouched to this day, as if frozen in time.

His finger lingers over a thick, leather-bound tome on the top shelf. Law plucks it by the edge of its spine, feeling a strange heaviness to it, as though it holds secrets long buried.

A volume with no title, no author.

He brushes off the thin layer of dust that has settled on its blank cover, flipping the book open to the first chapter.

The printed words, inked on the old yellowed pages, pull him into an ancient, half-forgotten tale.

His late mother’s voice echoes in the back of his mind, so vivid it feels as though she’s sitting right beside him, softly reciting his favourite bedtime story:

Once upon a time, there was a creature with crimson eyes that crawled in the dead of night, terrorizing anyone foolish enough to cross its path in the forest…

---

Against his better judgment, Law doesn't throw away the bouquet of wild roses. Or rather, he can’t quite bring himself to.

The flowers are a thing of beauty, after all, and it would be nothing short of cruel to toss them after they've been plucked so suddenly from their natural home. Only to wither away in a forgotten ditch.

Instead, Law delicately arranges the bouquet in an ornamented vase, setting it in a corner of his desk. He finds himself looking up to steal glances at them every now and then, lured by their sweet fragrance and raw, untamed beauty.

“They’re so beautiful, Law,” Bepo says appreciatively. “I wish someone would bring me flowers, too.”

It’s Sunday evening, and the rush of the weekend has left them both more than exhausted. There are still a few tasks to tackle before closing shop: doing inventory, balancing the books, and dusting the floor.

Law throws himself into work, determined not to dwell on the humiliation of what happened yesterday—

Stop thinking about it, Law. Just. Stop.

Of course, that's exactly when Bepo decides to bring him up.

“So, you and Doflamingo, huh. Something going between you two?” 

Law can tell by the way his friend is fidgeting that he’s been dying to ask this all day.

“No,” he says firmly, not looking up from his desk. “Nothing is going on between us.”

“Well, it certainly didn’t look like nothing to me,” his friend says with a smirk, undeterred by Law’s lacklustre response.

“I have no idea what you’re taking about.”

“Law, he brought you roses—“

Wild roses, he almost corrects.

“—and the man was reciting poetry about your eyes,” Bepo gushes, his voice dreamy. “It was sooo romantic.”

“I think you mean creepy—”

“It was like a scene straight out of a novel,” Bepo continues, ignoring Law’s comment. “And did you see the way he was looking at you?“ Law winces as those bright eyes widen with that look, knowing he won’t like what’s coming next. “He looked like he wanted to kiss you!”

“S-stop spouting nonsense, Bepo!” He says, his voice rising to an embarrassingly high-pitched register as he fights the strong urge to block his ears.

“I’m serious! The entire shop was watching and I heard everyone say the same thing!”

Law groans, hiding his burning face inside his palms.

To say he is mortified is an understatement.

“You know what I think, Bepo? I think you’ve read too many romance novels,” he grumbles, peeking through the space between his fingers to glare daggers at his friend. “It’s clearly messed up your mind.”

“Hey, leave my books out of this!” Bepo folds his arms defensively, but there’s a playful twitch to his lips, as if he’s trying not to laugh at Law. “I bet they are much better than that creepy book you’re reading.”

They both glance at the ominous-looking tome laying on Law’s desk.

“Anyway,” Bepo continues, going back to the topic of interest. “You can’t deny that the man was flirting with you. Objectively speaking.”

“I don’t know about that. Maybe he just happens to be uh—a very satisfied customer…” he says, but the argument sounds weak even to his own ears.

“Law, you can’t be serious,” Bepo lets out an exasperated sigh. “When’s the last time a client bought you flowers for simply doing your job?”

It’s… a fair question. Law doesn’t remember the last time he received flowers at all since his family’s funeral a decade ago—and that doesn’t include the occasional dried ones that show up at the apothecary due to logistic errors.

“See my point?” Bepo says, taking Law’s silence for an answer. “People don’t give flowers out of the blue to people they barely know. Not unless… they’re trying to send a message.” He adds, raising his brows suggestively.

Bepo is right on that account.

Law glances at the wild roses on his desk, narrowing his eyes as though they’re an enigma to be solved.

The flowers are meant to convey a message, but not the kind of message Bepo or anyone else might assume—something along the lines of romance, friendship, or even gratitude.

No, it’s something darker, something far more sinister.

A warning.

Notes:

Uhhh so yeah wild roses don't actually work, sorry grandma ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Chapter 3: Dreamfall

Notes:

Thank you so much for the kudos and comments, they made this speedy update possible <3

Ngl I found this chapter quite challenging to write, so let me know what you think! It's my first time writing horror and I would love to receive some constructive feedback c:

Law lies awake in bed, exhaustion weighing heavily on his eyelids.

More than a week has passed since the fiasco with the wild roses, the days slipping by like sand through fingers, uneventful, each one blending into the next…

Yet, for some reason, they feel like the calm before a storm.

It’s rather childish to admit, but Law finds himself dreading the evenings. It starts as soon as the sun begins its slow descent in the midday sky. A familiar sense of foreboding begins churning inside his chest, his heart sinking in rhythm with the dimming sunlight.

Only now does Law fully grasp how fleeting the daylight is.

The hours after nightfall are the worst—silent, deadly and menacing, leaving Law with his own terrifying thoughts.

At night, the dark tome’s haunting tales seem to come to life.

Law's gaze remains locked on the bedroom doorway, the darkness hanging like a thick, suffocating veil. His mind spirals with the fear that two bright red eyes might suddenly pierce through the obscurity.

His peripheral vision remains fixed on the bedroom floor, watching for even the slightest movement in the shadows, as if a cold hand might emerge from its depths and wrap around his ankle.

He doesn’t dare tear his eyes away from the doorway.

He cannot close his eyes.

He cannot—

Sleep.

Law drops straight into a vivid dream.

He is roaming through the woods, barefoot, the earth soft beneath his feet. It does not register in his mind why he is there, nor how dangerous the forest can be after dark. He walks serenely in the moonlight, an unnatural calm soothing over his senses.

It’s slow at first, but something shifts in the air.

The woods, once alive with the rustling of leaves and the distant calls of nocturnal animals, become eerily still. As if the forest itself is holding its breath. Waiting for something to happen—or perhaps someone.

Law has a sinking feeling that he shouldn’t be here.

He quickly looks over his shoulder. 

The clear, straightforward path he was on just a moment ago is now nothing but a distant memory. Everywhere he looks, he is greeted by a sea of endless trees, their thick trunks looming like the walls of a maze.

He is lost.

The full moon hangs high in the starless sky, illuminating a narrow and treacherous path before him, as though mocking him. Its cold, silver light creeps over the tall trees, projecting long, twisted shadows that writhe on the forest floor. Law watches them warily, as though they are dark, sinister limbs stretching out to him in search for a fatal embrace.

Suddenly, a dark silhouette shifts in the corner of his eyes, moving unnaturally fast, gliding along the forest floor as if it were part of the shadows themselves.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Before he knows it, Law is sprinting through the woods, gnarly branches whipping past him in a blur.

Something—or someone—is following him, closing in very fast behind him, silent but deadly, impossible to shake off…

He makes the terrible mistake of tripping over a branch, sending him hurling forward. Law gasps as his body collides with the forest floor, knocking the breath out of his chest.

Please, no—

Heart hammering wildly against his chest, Law tries to get to his feet and scramble away before it’s too late, before—

A cold hand snakes around his ankle.

Law screams.

His body is forcefully yanked backward, crushed beneath something impossibly heavy. The shadowy entity chasing after him has caged him from behind with its massive, powerful limbs, pinning him down until he’s unable to move.

A deep, guttural chuckle vibrates into Law’s ear, sounding anything but human.

He can feel the hot breath of its mouth brushing along his throat, just a heartbeat away from sinking into the soft, delicate skin there.

Law’s body is flipped over.

He stares straight into a pair of bright crimson eyes, burning with ancient, primal bloodlust.

---

Law wakes with a violent jolt, gasping hungrily for air.

He sits upright in bed, his hands trembling as he catches his breath.

His eyes instinctively dart to the window.

The bright half-moon illuminates the eerie world outside. As Law’s gaze sweeps across  the forest lining the outskirts of town, he can’t help but shiver. He has the distinct feeling that he just emerged from its haunting depths, images of running through the thick woods still vivid in his mind’s eye…

His attention returns to his bedroom. The shadows on the floor remain unmoving; the darkness beyond the doorway hangs still.

No red eyes.

Law exhales shakily, pushing away the lock of hair sticking to his forehead.

His body is completely drenched with cold sweat, his pulse still racing with the lingering effects of fear and… something far worse.

A familiar, wet sensation pools in his lower regions.

Law glances under his bedsheets, wide-eyed and horrified, to find his underwear completely soaked with his release.

---

Despite the familiarity of the dark forest, Law knows this dream is different from the first.

For one, his role in the nightmare is entirely reversed. No longer taking part as the deadly creature hunting for its next kill, but as a victim fleeing from its relentless pursuit.

And failing to escape.

While both perspectives are equally disturbing in their own right, the shift feels far worse, knowing it’s not by happenstance but a cruel, deliberate twist.

Law has incurred the creature’s wrath by slipping into its mind uninvited, and now, he finds himself on the receiving end of its merciless treatment.

What’s more, while the first nightmare recounted a vivid, chilling scene that’s already unfolded, the second one foretells a dark eventuality…

It is a twisted promise of the fate that awaits Law. A message—no, a warning—sent by the deadly creature that lurks in the cursed forest, as if to say:

You’re next.

Needless to say, Law has no intention of sitting idly by, waiting to find out whether the nightmare will become reality when the full moon rises. He must find the creature’s weakness—if it even has one—before it’s too late.

One quiet Tuesday afternoon finds Law flipping through the weathered pages of the thick dark tome, the soft rustling of old paper echoing through the empty apothecary. The rush of customers from the early afternoon has long since trickled out, leaving Law with the freedom to do as he pleases.

His eyes find the author’s notes once again, easily recognizable by the cursive, handwritten scribbles on the bottom of the page. Law has spent a great amount of time studying them, almost obsessively so. He has the intuitive feeling that they hold an important weight, perhaps even more so than the fairytales themselves.

He doesn't recall his parents reading these notes aloud to him and his sister, though he has a sinking feeling as to why; the contents aren’t meant for children, after all.

The creature’s powers reign supreme when the moon casts its brightest light, and the shadows stretch to their deepest, most consuming darkness.

Law’s nightmares, which are always tied to the full moon, now make perfect sense; it’s only natural for the beast to feast upon its victims at the height of its power, when it’s nearly invincible.

The monster possesses an insatiable appetite on the night of the full moon. Its fangs drip with a potent venom, promising a certain death for those who fall victim to its bloodlust.

Law’s mind drifts to the girl from his dream, her limp body cradled in those cold, unyielding arms. He can’t decide which fate is worse: dying from the venom or from excessive blood loss.

The victims begin to slowly fade from people’s memories. Like a dream slipping away upon waking, their faces, names and memories gradually dissolve, until they are entirely forgotten…

His thoughts return to the farmer’s daughter. The townspeople have all but ceased speaking of her after the first week of her disappearance… ignoring the tight, pang that tugs at his chest, Law turns the page.

The beast feeds on its victims' deepest fears and desires, drawing them into the shadows with sweet promises, where it will consume them whole…

He squints his eyes as the handwritten words seem to blur all of a sudden—perhaps a trick of the flickering candlelight?

Law rubs his eyes, relieved when the letters sharpen back into focus.

Your fear tastes so sweet on my tongue, little one…

Law blinks, his breath caught in his throat. What did I just read?

Your blood smells rich and enticing, like a forbidden fruit ripe for the picking…

A cold dread seizes Law’s body, yet he feels compelled to continue reading, unable to help himself. The scribbles suddenly become thicker, seeping a vibrant red ink, like fresh droplets of blood blotting through the paper…

Your lust is exquisite and delightful, far more delicious than a fresh meal…

Law wants to stop, but he can’t. The red words bleed deeper into the page, sucking him in like an endless, empty void. He can’t—

Give in to your deepest and darkest desires, sweet thing, gi v e   i  n     t    o       m      e

---

Law wakes up to the familiar smell of wild roses, their fragrance thick and heavy in the air. The corners of his eyes remain a blur as he slowly makes out the outline of the flower vase in the corner of his desk, his face buried in…  paper?

His eyelids slowly flutter open, welcomed by the familiar sight of the leather bound tome cushioning his cheek, its yellowed pages illuminated by the dim candlelight.

Ah, he must have dozed off while reading…

A thick fog occupies his head, as though he’s just been pulled from a long dream, one he cannot quite remember… His body feels heavy and sluggish, weighed down by the remnants of an unintentional nap that has stretched for far too long.

In the background, the apothecary’s floorboards creak with familiarity.

“Bepo, is that you?” Law calls out, his voice still thick with the haze of sleep. “Sorry, must’ve passed out… do you know what time it is?”

The creaking suddenly stops, leaving a deafening, foreboding silence in its wake.

Law’s senses instinctively snap to full wakefulness, his skin prickling with the unsettling sensation of being watched. He feels like a a butterfly, wings pinned under a magnifying glass.

Oh gods, please no—

His eyes trail upward, slowly and reluctantly, to the tall, dark figure standing in the doorway, its outline stark against the crimson sunset pooling from outside. 

A bone-deep chill runs over Law’s body, his skin breaking into goosebumps.

The sinister silhouette remains motionless, unnervingly so... not a twitch, not even the rise of a breath. Its eerie stillness is so absolute, so unnatural, it could not possibly belong to a human.

Just how long has he been standing there, watching me sleep?

“Good evening, Law,” comes that smooth voice, dripping with sweet poison.

Doflamingo’s face slowly emerges from the darkness, a menacing smile splitting across his handsome face. Dark shadows dance along his sharp, aristocratic features, as if they’re alive.

“Doflamingo,” Law greets, trying to steady his voice as he rises from his seat, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washes over him.

“Has anyone ever told you that it’s terribly rude to sleep on the job, doctor?” Doflamingo says in a low murmur, his tone mocking and condescending. “Don’t worry, it will be… our little secret.”

Law clears his throat, electing to ignore the other’s blatant attempt at taunting him. “I’m afraid the apothecary is closed for the evening. Please see yourself out.”

The other smirks, as though expecting this exact response from him. “Are you quite sure, Law? That’s certainly not what your door sign says, fufufu.”

“I’ll have to insist,” Law says firmly, nails digging into his palms. “It’s way past closing time, and as you can see, I am too tired to entertain clients.”

“Surely a few more minutes of your time won’t hurt, doctor,” Doflamingo drawls, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Are you truly so heartless as to turn away a desperate patient in need?”

Law raises a brow. “I can clearly see that you are in no urgent need of my services. You can come back during the shop’s operating hours, just like everyone else.”

Or preferably, never.

“Oh, but I would hate to leave your lovely shop empty-handed,” Doflamingo gestures to the vacant space around them. “Can’t you make an exception just for me? You may not know this, but your apothecary is one of my favourite places in this part of town.”

For some reason, I don't doubt that...

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Law says venomously, folding his arms. “Please leave now.”

“How cold of you, Law. I am deeply wounded,” The blonde presses his hands against his chest in a mock display of agony. “And here I thought we were getting closer, you and I.”

“I very much doubt I have the ability to wound you, Doflamingo.”  

The implications of those words are not lost on Doflamingo.

The other throws his head back, unleashing a laughter that rings loudly through the apothecary’s hollow walls, a sound so chilling Law can feel its coldness seeping deep into his bones. It’s twisted, malevolent—maniacal—worlds apart from the rich, vibrant baritone he uses in the company of others.

“I suppose not,” Doflamingo says softly, licking his lips hungrily. “Though I would love to see you try.”

So, the mask has finally slipped.

“Seeing that you’re not leaving anytime soon, why don’t you spit out what you really want already?” Law hisses, feeling bizarrely emboldened despite the dire situation. “Let’s not pretend you’re actually here to buy something.”

The blonde thumbs his chin thoughtfully, trailing his gaze down the length of Law's body as though to appraise him. Law’s modest dress shirt suddenly feels too thin, too tight under those dark, piercing eyes.

“Fufufu, you see right through me, doctor. I’m not here tonight to seek your services, excellent as they may be. Now, as for what I truly desire…” Doflamingo tilts his head suggestively with a slanted smile. “Well, I think my intentions have already been made perfectly clear.”

Law narrows his eyes to slits, his heart fluttering wildly in his chest, as he asks a dangerous question. “And what’s that supposed to be?”

The blonde’s eyes flicker to the wild roses, still blooming in a corner of Law’s desk, the petals a vibrant red in the dim light. “Did you enjoy the wild roses I gave you? I see that you’ve taken such good care of them.”

Law frowns, thrown off by the sudden change in topic. He then clenches his jaw, recalling the unpleasant memories that accompany the beautiful flowers.

“After you’ve made a spectacle out of me in front of half the town?” Law scoffs with contempt. “I don’t think so.”

“Fufufu, but I was only trying to convey my sincere gratitude,” Doflamingo's smile sharpens, reminding him of a shark that has tasted the sweet tang of blood. “Well. That, and I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better, more… intimately. Forgive my forwardness, Law, but you are a very beautiful man.”

Law splutters. He could feel his cheeks flushing a deep, scarlet shade.

How dare Doflamingo play him for a fool!

“I’ll have you know that I don’t believe you for one fucking second,” Law says venomously, fury licking up his spine, fuelled by the countless times he has been messed with by Doflamingo. “I am so done with your sick mind games!”

“I’m very sad to hear that you think so little of me,” Doflamingo’s voice drops to a soft, but dangerous whisper. “It seems that I’ll have to work harder to convince you otherwise. I happen to be very serious in my pursuit of you, Law. And, well, actions speak louder than words, don't they?”

That sounds suspiciously like a threat.

Doflamingo then takes a deliberate, measured step forward.

Law flinches backward, equally surprised and terrified, as if an invisible barrier between them has just shattered. And with it, any semblance of safety.

No, no—

With each stride of those long powerful legs, Doflamingo’s pointy shoes make a sharp, unnerving clack against the wooden floor, the sound reverberating off the apothecary’s walls.

Law’s attention is inexplicably drawn to the noise, his gaze dropping to the floor near those feet. His eyes widen in pure shock as he witnesses the impossible.

Doflamingo has no shadow.

The red glow of the setting sun outside pours through his body, spilling across the floorboards like a pool of blood. Long and dark shadows projected by the countless shelves and medicine cabinets warp unnaturally around the other’s shoes, twisting and contorting like grotesque limbs.

For the evil creature is the embodiment of darkness, the dark tome explained, an endless nightmare given physical form.

How on earth did Law—or anyone, for that matter—not notice this until now?

Law’s eyes flickers upward, only to meet Doflamingo’s gaze from halfway across the room. The other’s eyes darken, a knowing curl stretching those impossibly wide lips, confirming that he knows exactly what Law has just seen.

Please let this be a nightmare, please, please—

But no. Doflamingo’s advances are slow and calculated, his shoulders slightly hunched and his eyes wide and unblinking as he closes the distance between them—like a predator stalking its prey through the tall grass.

It suddenly clicks in Law’s mind why he had always been unsettled by Doflamingo. Those movements are wrong—lanky limbs jerking and twitching like they’re being pulled by invisible strings. It’s an imitation, no, a mockery of humanity.

Law’s eyes shift toward the only possible escape route—the apothecary’s door—but it’s blocked off by the figure approaching ever closer. There is no way out. He is trapped.

He bolts from behind his desk, the chair screeching loudly against the wooden floor, as another one of Doflamingo’s strides carries him effortlessly to the opposite end of the table. Law stumbles backward in alarm, nearly falling over, until his back hits the hard wall behind him. Nowhere to run.

“Stop—stop right there!” Law shouts, voice quivering as he instinctively raises a trembling arm between them. “Don’t come any closer!”

To his surprise, Doflamingo halts. But he’s so close, that all it would take is for him to raise his monstrously long arm, and he will reach Law.

“Are you afraid of me, Law?”

Yes, I am.

“Good,” Doflamingo’s grin broadens, sharp teeth glinting dangerously in the dim light. “You should be afraid.”

He slowly bends over, his towering figure swallowing Law’s much-smaller body, now trembling like a leaf against the wall, until his dark eyes are level with his.

Law’s heart nearly stops as those pitch black irises suddenly expand, widening until they entirely consume the whites of his eyes. They’re demonic, evil—soulless.

Yet, Law feels himself unwillingly drawn to those two endless pits, the feeling of being pulled overwhelming, as if he is being devoured whole. His body feels strangely light, weightless, the apothecary fading in the background and the world narrowing until nothing exists but the two of them.

It then hits him—he can’t move, not even the tip of his pinky fingers. His muscles are frozen, locked in place and unresponsive, as Doflamingo’s malevolent face closes in, hovering just inches away from his own.

A cold hand comes to cradle his jaw, the intimate gesture further twisting the knot in his guts. Law watches, pulse spiking yet unable to move away, as those long fingers gently tilt his head to the side, exposing the vulnerable curve of his neck.

Law feels the other’s nose press against his throat, pausing there to breathe in deeply, as though drinking in his silent panic.

Laughter rings softly in the air, taunting, as the words are whispered into his ear.

“Sweet dreams, Law.”

Then, sharp fangs are sinking into his flesh—

---

Law jerks awake, his hand flying instinctively to his neck.

No wound, no blood.

He breathes shakily as he tries to make sense of where he is.

The familiar, dimly lit apothecary greets him with an eerie stillness, the dark tome open on his desk to the page where he left off.

His eyes dart to the dark corners of the apothecary. The shadows there remain thick and motionless. He sweeps his gaze frantically to the apothecary’s doorway, only to find it empty. No sinister figure occupying it.

…but the air there feels heavy, as if someone had just been there.

Outside, the sun dips further into the horizon, its crimson hue gradually fading from the skyline, taking with it the last rays of daylight.

Was it all just a dream?

Notes:

Dunno if anyone noticed, but the forest dream is inspired by Doffy chasing after Law in Dressrosa. That scene first got me into DofLaw and lives rent-free in my mind >:)

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 4: Descent

Notes:

Thank you for reading this far, I hope this update doesn’t disappoint <3

Ever since that disturbing nightmare in the apothecary—one that felt all too real—Law dreads the very thought of sleep.

Every time he closes his eyes at night, those dark, looming trees come into view, trapping him in a maddening loop of terror; one moment he is roaming through the cursed woods, the full moon shining brightly above him… and the next, he is running away, plummeting headfirst into the forest floor.

It always ends in the same fashion, with Law helplessly trapped under the monster, staring straight into its bright red eyes.

The dreams come to him like a secret lover, one that arrives in the dead of night. They leave him sweating, trembling, and helplessly aroused beneath the covers—unable to do anything but dread their next visit.

Law despises the way he behaves in them—fleeing from shadows and tripping over himself like a damsel in distress—but it’s the waking hours that truly haunt him.

The nightmare’s visceral effects linger long after daybreak. Those bright eyes burn in the back of his mind, flashing red every time he so much as blinks...

Law can’t shake the feeling that they’re still watching him.

He scans every corner of his surroundings, stepping gingerly around darkened edges as if they might swallow him whole. Even his own shadow appears treacherous; the darkness within feels alive, like it might consume him in a moment of weakness.

At the apothecary, his eyes dart nervously, searching the obscured corners of the shop for that tall, elusive figure. Paranoia claws at him, whispering that an ambush is just around the corner, that the monster is much closer than he thinks…

It gnaws at him, the uncertainty, the maddening fact that he still doesn’t know whether that horrific scene in the apothecary was dream or reality, the line between the two blurring until he can no longer trust his own senses.

So, Law decides to forego sleep entirely.

Instead, he spends the long hours between dusk and dawn lying in bed, watching the moon creep into view through his bedroom window. He tries not to dwell on how it grows rounder and brighter in the sky with each passing night—drawing him closer and closer to the full moon.  

In the darkest hours of the night, Law gives in to temptation, unable to help the tension coiling deep in his stomach.

He twists and turns between the bedsheets, a fruitless attempt at shaking off the images that haunt him.

A tall silhouette looming over his body, sharp fangs grazing along the curve of his neck, bottomless eyes burning into his soul…

He reaches between his legs with trembling fingers.

Are you afraid of me, Law?

Law strokes himself to full hardness, cheeks burning with shame, as he imagines those cruel lips hovering near his ear, taunting him with words that are meant to sting.

Good, you should be afraid.

He comes undone to the image of those pitch black eyes consuming him whole, shooting rope after rope of semen into his fist, his toes curling under the covers.

It could be a figment of his imagination, but Law almost hears laughter ringing in the air.

---

“—right?”

Law blinks slowly, trying to shake off the thick fog occupying his head. “Sorry, Bepo, what did you just say?”

Clearly, the copious amount of coffee and black tea he consumed does little to lift the exhaustion tugging at his mind and body.

Bepo lets out a loud sigh, clearly not impressed with him.

“I was asking if you were okay. For like the fifth time.”

“Oh.” Law responds intelligently.

It’s late Friday afternoon, and they are going through the small pile of letters dropped in the apothecary’s mailbox.

It was all Bepo’s idea—and a brilliant one it was! The apothecary’s mailing system allows patients who already have a file open with them to send in their orders ahead of time, making it easier for the shop to prepare concoctions for pick-up and anticipate their inventory needs.

Bepo’s concerned gaze lingers on Law’s face, pausing at his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles underneath for a moment longer, before he opens his lips again.

“Law, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you should take some time off.”

It is not lost on Law how Bepo is looking at him these days... his soft, big eyes swelling with worry, yet tinged with something else, maybe frustration.

“I think it will do you some good to stop working all the time,” Bepo says delicately, like Law might shatter like glass. “I noticed you’ve never taken a proper vacation before, so why not start now?”

That is precisely the last thing Law wants.

The familiar routine of running the apothecary is the only thing that’s keeping what remains of his sanity from slipping entirely by providing a semblance of normalcy to his sleepless nights.

“I’m sure Penguin and Shachi would happily volunteer to help us out in the meantime.” Bepo continues, taking Law’s silence for a sign of interest. “They may not look like it, but they are quite reliable.”

“No. That won’t be necessary,” he responds, a bit too quickly.

“Oh okay... if you say so.” Bepo says, looking deflated.

Shit. Law feels terrible for how easily he shut down his kind and well-meaning friend...

“Actually,” he says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it. You make a good point, taking time off doesn't sound too bad.”

His friend’s face instantly brightens up, making his chest squeeze tightly. Law will never admit it out loud, but the sight is among the few things that lighten the heaviness in his heart these days.

They both lapse into a comfortable silence, continuing to work on the remaining stack of letters.

“Law, look at this one,” Bepo suddenly says, perking up as he shoves a letter into his face. “It’s addressed to you—a letter from Doflamingo!”

“W-what?” Law stammers, instantly recoiling from the letter.

Bepo frowns at his strange reaction, but quickly shrugs it off, probably chalking it up to his general state of fatigue and crankiness. Noting that Law makes no move to take the letter, Bepo proceeds to carefully unseal the envelope. Law watches warily as his friend pulls out the letter inside, before unfolding it. The message within is written in an elegant, cursive scrawl, stained with deep crimson ink:

Dear Law,

I’m afraid my nightmares have returned with a vengeance, causing me to lose sleep. I will visit the apothecary very soon to seek your excellent services.

- Doflamingo

Law’s face pales.

The words nightmares and apothecary tangle together in his mind, spiralling into a nauseating frenzy. Words that were carefully selected to get under his skin, without a doubt.

“Well, that’s odd,” Bepo mutters with a slight frown. “You’d think he’d want to at least specify the time of his visit, huh?”

"Agreed," Law replies, though he knows the vagueness of it all is entirely done on purpose.

He glances down at the letter once again, dread twisting his guts at the promise of his least favourite client’s return.

Law furrows his brows at the scarlet ink, which seems to seep like blood through the thick, old-fashioned paper. He remembers seeing this handwriting somewhere, but he cannot quite place where and when exactly…

“Do you think he might want another vial of…” Bepo’s fingers trail down the patient logbook on the coffee table. “Valerian roots, was it? We can prepare the order ahead of time, if you’d like.”

“No, that’s quite alright,” Law sighs, threading his fingers through his hair. “I—I’ll handle it.”

“Law, are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“Yeah,” he rasps, clearing his throat. “Just tired, is all.”

“You know you can always talk to me, right?” Bepo says, searching for his eyes with genuine concern. “About anything…”

“... I know.”

But the last thing he wants is to drag his dear friend into this hot mess. This twisted game between the two of them, where Law is an unwilling player, and one he’s on the verge of losing…

After seeing Bepo off, Law peeks out the door, scanning the deserted street with narrowed eyes.

He makes sure to lock the entrance of the apothecary and close the windows shut. He will never make the mistake of neglecting to do so again, allowing creepy and uninvited guests to overstay their welcome. 

I will visit the apothecary very soon to seek your excellent services.

This time, Law will be prepared.

He has to be.

---

When Law retires to his apartment that evening, he treats himself to a hot, soothing bath.

It’s an indulgence that he has more than earned, especially knowing he may not have many opportunities left to savour such moments.

There are only three nights left until the full moon.

Law lets out a satisfied hum as he dips his foot inside the water, the warmth tingling from his toes up to his legs. He sighs pleasantly as he sinks deeper into the heat, submerging the rest of his tired body inside. His muscles, knotted and tense from the constant stress and lack of sleep in the past weeks, melt away like snow beneath the first rays of spring.

He nearly drifts off to sleep in that comfortable, blissful warmth, his heavy eyelids giving in to the sweet lull of sleep—until something rouses him.

It's faint at first, a barely audible sound that tugs at the edges of his consciousness.

Tap…

A soft thumping noise, so quiet that anyone would question if it were a figment of their imagination.

Tap…

There it comes again. Louder. Clearer.

Tap… Tap…

A pattern starts to form, the sound no longer singular but a series of thumps...

Law’s eyes fly wide open. His pulse quickens as he tries to locate where the sounds are coming from.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

They’re coming from the hallway.

His gaze instantly zeroes in on the bathroom’s dark doorway, his chest tightening as he watches the shadows looming there. The darkness appears far too thick, too suffocating...

Law doesn’t dare look away for even a fraction of a second, as if expecting something to suddenly shift.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

Law slowly rises from the water, his eyes not peeling away from the hallway as he steps out of the bathtub, careful not to slip on the wet floor.

Without thinking, he throws a bathrobe over his wet body before tip toeing across the tiled bathroom floor, careful not to make the slightest sound, so as to not give himself away...

His heart beats like a fist pounding against a door when, in a swift movement fuelled by pure adrenaline, Law sticks his head out of the doorway.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

He rapidly turns his head left and right, half-expecting to see red eyes glaring back at him from the darkness of the gloomy corridor…

Nothing.

Law can hear the sounds more clearly like this, the rhythmic thumping closely followed by unsettling, high-pitched screeches, which sounds suspiciously like—

Footsteps, he recognizes with ice-cold terror.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

Law squints, trying to adjust his vision to the darkness as he listens carefully to the footsteps. For some reason, the noises sound distant, as though they’re echoing from another room, separated by a wall or perhaps a—

Realization sinks in.

The sounds are coming from end of the hallway, beyond the door that leads to the long twisting staircase, which connects directly to the—

Law’s heart plummets.

He’s here. Downstairs. In the apothecary.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

Law moves gingerly down the dark corridor, his body acting on instinct alone. His bare feet leave no sound on the wooden floor, a sharp counterpoint to the loud noises downstairs.

He instinctively reaches for Kikoku. A family heirloom mounted on the wall, passed down from his ancestors. He pockets the sheathed dagger inside his bathrobe, its weight a comforting one.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

As Law’s tense form approaches the end of the corridor, the sound of footsteps downstairs becomes much sharper and louder—alarmingly so.

He’s not just getting closer to the door where the sounds are coming from; the footsteps are drawing nearer to Law as well…

Panicked, he presses the side of his head against the wooden door, his heart racing in his eardrums, as he listens to the approaching sounds.

Tap… Tap… Tap…

The rhythmic thudding sounds are coming directly from the bottom of the staircase, ready to—

Oh my lord.

He can almost hear the creak of a foot preparing to ascend when his trembling hand instinctively flies to the door handle.

As if sensing Law’s presence at the door, the thumping suddenly stops.

The silence that follows is deeply unnerving, somehow even more terrifying than the thunderous steps that echoed just moments before.

Law presses his other hand against his mouth, not daring to make the smallest sound.

His thoughts race a hundred miles an hour as he stands there, paralyzed, the terrifying reality of his situation settling in with sobering clarity. The heavy fatigue from earlier has completely lifted from his body, replaced with ice-cold terror.

Every fibre of his being screams at him to stay still, gripped with the fear that if he moves even an inch, the footsteps will start moving again, climbing up the stairs with horrifying, inhuman speed—

But it could be even worse than that.

Those silent feet leave no trace, no hint of their presence. They could be already poised on the other side of the door, ready to slip through the cracks and—

Stop it, stop overthinking, Law.

His hold on the door knob tightens.

Law breathes shakily into his palm, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to calm himself. He tries desperately to form some sort of a plan in his mind, but his efforts are for naught. His thoughts are spinning uncontrollably, unravelling like a tangle of thread.

Instead, unpleasant memories flood into his mind. Nightmares and moments that have haunted him relentlessly in the past weeks, flashing before his eyes…

Running through the dark forest, watching the shadows on his bedroom floor, searching for bright red eyes in the darkness, observing the moon creep through his window—

Law remembers the horrible feeling of helplessness all those times. And now, that same crushing state of powerlessness is surging through him.

He shakes his head.

No, he isn’t going to cower pathetically in a corner of his apartment, waiting as those menacing footsteps inevitably close in on him…

He’s had enough of that.

If Law is going to meet his end in the coming days—that is, if those dreams hold any truth to them—then he may as well stare death in the eye now and put up a hell of a fight.

Okay, okay, I’m doing this…

Steeling his nerves with a deep, steadying breath, Law twists the door knob, a strange and almost irrational resolve coursing through his veins.

He is grateful when the hinges don’t groan as he slowly opens the wooden door.

Law stares into nothing but blackness.

The footsteps downstairs remain eerily quiet.

Squaring his shoulders, Law takes a hesitant step down. He winces as the stair creaks loudly under his weight, as if the very wood beneath him is betraying his exact location.

Shit, okay, here goes nothing…

Pressing his hand against the cool wall for balance, Law descends further. With each dreadful step down the narrow staircase, the air around him grows colder, heavier.

The dim light from the bathroom fades behind him, and soon complete blackness swallows his body, dragging him further into the abyss where the creature lurks…

The journey downstairs feels both too fast and agonizingly slow. His senses are consumed entirely by the sound of his own shallow breathing and the persistent creaking of the staircase beneath his feet. When he reaches the bottom of the staircase at last, the air becomes ice cold. His movements slowly come a halt, his every nerve on edge, as he surveys his surroundings.

Law makes out the faint outline of the storage room door, his eyes now accustomed to the darkness. Directly across from it, the entrance to the apothecary looms like a dark mouth waiting to swallow him whole.

The silver moonlight pools from the doorway, but its faint, ghostly glow provides little comfort, only deepening the sinister atmosphere.

The moon isn’t his friend, after all.

Dread pools in his chest. The confidence from earlier dissipates into thin air, vanishing like one’s breath on a cold winter’s night. Every muscle in Law’s body suddenly stiffens, as if he’s dipped himself into a frozen lake, paralyzed by a fear that settles deep within his bones.

Why did I think it was a good idea to confront the creature here, in the darkness of the apothecary?

He glances over his shoulder. The spiral staircase looms behind him, a wall of blackness.

There’s no turning back—that would only bring them back to where they started, or even worse. He can well imagine those long, unnatural limbs scrambling after him, faster than he could ever hope to run. And then, just as he's about to reach the top of the staircase, those cold, clawed fingers would curl around his ankle from behind—

No, the only path is forward.

Law brandishes the dagger in his pocket, but as his fingers curl around the hilt, it hits him that he has never been in an actual physical fight. He tries to recall the self-defence lessons his father had taught him in his youth, but the memories elude him.

Law’s bare feet are silent as he practically drags them toward the doorway, contrasting his racing heart, beating away like a drum in his ribcage.

He keeps his eyes wide open, unblinking, as he approaches the threshold separating the staircase from the apothecary. Then, propelled by courage—or perhaps recklessness—Law slips through the passageway with the quiet grace of a stray cat.

He quickly scans his surroundings, anticipating the worst of the situation at any moment. The space around him appears empty, though, but he does not relax. The sense of dread only intensifies in his guts, knowing he is getting closer and closer to where the creature is lurking…

At night, the apothecary exudes a completely different energy. The countless shelves and medicine cabinets appear like foreign entities, looming over Law’s figure like tall, menacing silhouettes.

Law’s skin ripples with gooseflesh.

The spine-tingling sensation of being watched suddenly pierces through his body, the hair on his back standing on end.

Law can’t help but repeatedly sweep his gaze over the ominous-looking shelves, haunted by the thought that two bright red eyes might suddenly blink wide open between them.

Nothing but tense, suffocating silence. 

There are no sounds, no traces of the loud footsteps just a few minutes ago. The air is eerily still, and Law does not dare breathe, lest he disturbs the unsettling calm.

“I know you’re there, Doflamingo.” The words slip from his mouth before he can stop them. Law winces as his voice ricochets off the hollow walls, too loud in the deafening silence…

No response.

As Law’s tense form slowly reaches his work desk, he recognizes the wild flowers sitting innocently in the corner and, right next to it, Doflamingo’s stupid letter. Which means that he is straying further from the staircase, nearly out in the open and vulnerable.

Fuck, fuck, fuck…

Law quietly unsheathes the dagger in his pocket, readying himself for what’s about to come.

It’s hard to explain, but he can sense danger drawing closer, though he cannot tell from which direction. The air cackles around him, sizzling and intensifying like the humming charge in the atmosphere before an big, upcoming storm.

Law doesn’t dare blink, fearing that the creature might suddenly appear in front of him, anytime now—

“Fufufu, how did you know it was me, Law?”

Law gasps loudly. His heart nearly jumps out of his throat as he spins around in panic, eyes widening, expecting to stare straight into red, glowing eyes.

Nothing.

The taunting voice is echoing from all directions. The other’s presence is completely masked in the darkness of the apothecary.

He’s fucking with me…

Adrenaline surges through his veins, his flight or fight responses heightened, keeping him on high alert for the slightest shift in the air.

He almost wishes the other would just show himself already—this waiting, this anticipation, is driving him absolutely insane.

“I’m tired of your games, Doflamingo,” he responds, the tremor in his voice betraying his fear. “Why don’t you just show yourself already?”

No response.

Law is deeply unsettled by the silence that follows. He can’t see him—can’t hear him, but he knows the other is slowly closing in on him—waiting for the slightest slip up before striking.

A tidal wave of fear crashes over him, and he wishes with every fibre in his being that none of this was real. That this were all a part of a long and terribly vivid nightmare, one that he’ll wake up from in the safety and comfort of his bed…

But no, this is very much real. As real as the red-eyed monster in the dark tome. And that deadly, horrifying creature is now lurking in the darkness with him. Alone.

Law has never been so fucking terrified in his entire life.

“Are you scared, Law?” The deep voice purrs, making him jump, its echoes filling every corner of the apothecary. “And here I am, having so much fun playing cat and mouse with you…”

Law’s voice hitches, no longer able to stifle his laboured and shallow breaths any longer. Regret instantly fills him. He shouldn’t have come here—why did he think it was a good idea?

Inside his pocket, his hand tightens on Kikoku. The dagger's cool handle thrums under his fingers, as if sensing the approaching danger.

Anytime, any second now, the creature will appear—

Law feels it before he sees it. Without hesitation, he twists the dagger in his palm, angling it with precision, before thrusting its sharp edge into the space where he had sensed its sinister presence...

Nothing.

What the—

“Fufufu, where do you think you’re aiming at, little one?” A deep voice whispers directly behind his ear shell.

Law screams.

Next thing he knows, his back hits the hard surface of a rigid wall—the monster’s chest—his arm twisted behind his back at an agonizing angle. Doflamingo has encircled him from behind using his powerful body, his other arm wrapped around his neck, holding him firmly against his chest.

Doflamingo’s breath is in his ear, his soft yet dark chuckle ringing in the air, revelling in his utter defeat. Law can practically feel a smirk stretching those wide lips.

Too bad it won’t last for long.

“It was certainly—”

Doflamingo never got to finish that sentence, courtesy of Law leaning forward and throwing his head back in a display of pure, caveman savagery.

Pain blossoms in the back of his head as he collides with something pointy—hopefully Doflamingo’s nose. He hears the creature let out a disgruntled noise behind him, not missing how the sound is more indicative of surprise than actual pain. Law does not waste the rare opportunity of catching the deadly creature off guard. The moment those long fingers loosen around his throat, he pivots to lunge at the intruder, dagger clenched in his fist.

He certainly won’t kill the bastard, but Law doesn’t intend to go down without at least taking one of those bright red eyes with him.

In an instant, a large hand wraps around his own from behind—but how?—angling the dagger toward the floor. Law’s body is unceremoniously slammed forward, the collision of Doflamingo’s hard body against his own knocking the wind out of him. Law grunts as he is ruthlessly pinned against the wooden floor, a much larger chest pressing against his back.

He gasps loudly as one of the creature’s hands comes slamming down on his right arm—the one holding the dagger—while the other hand snakes around his throat. Cruel lips brush against his ear, the touch cold like ice, sending a shudder down his spine.  

“That was very bold of you, Law. I’ll give you that.“

Law snarls like a wounded animal. “Let go of me, you—you monster!“

He squirms under the other’s weight, trying to break free from the creature’s grip—but it’s hopeless. Each new attempt only tightens the vice-like hold on his body.

The other laughs wildly, his dark voice vibrating with triumph and sadistic delight, clearly entertained by Law’s futile and increasingly desperate struggles.

“Fufufu, but you’ve lost, my dear boy…” Doflamingo whispers into his ear, tickling the sensitive skin there. “Now, surrender if you know what’s good for you.”

“No, never!” He seethes, glaring at the floor.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” the hand around his neck squeezes, a warning. His vision blurs as the pressure constricts his windpipe, stealing his breath away.

Stubborn to a fault, Law's fist only tightens on the dagger.

“Last chance,” he does not need to look to know that the taunting smile has fallen from Doflamingo’s face. “Surrender, or I’ll cut your arm off clean.”

The large hand wrapped around his arm squeezes tightly.

Law glances to his right.

The moonlight pouring from the windows illuminates the monstrous hand pressing down on his right arm. He swallows thickly as he takes in those spindly fingers, each digit as long and pointy as a sharpened pocket knife.

He has no doubt as to what they are capable of.

Law lets out a strangled, defeated whimper. “Okay… okay, I surrender.”

“Let go of the knife.”

Law slowly releases his death grip on the dagger. He closes his eyes in defeat as the weapon slips from his fingers, clattering uselessly to the wooden floor.

“Now, toss it to the side.”

Face twisting with rage, Law swipes against the blunt end of the dagger. He watches helplessly as it spins toward a dark corner of the apothecary, the silver glint of its tip disappearing among the shadows.

It’s over, it’s truly over…

“Good boy,” comes that taunting voice, whispered against the sensitive skin on his nape. “Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?”

The grip around his arm and neck finally loosens, lifting the unbearable pressure. Law chokes, inhaling a desperate, ragged breath. In contrast, Doflamingo’s large body remains tightly pressed against his own. Those long and powerful limbs easily dominate his much-smaller frame, keeping him firmly caged beneath him.

“Fufufu, does this position remind you of something, Law?”

Law recalls the countless times he’s been helplessly trapped underneath the red-eyed creature in his dreams, the full moon and the dark trees bearing witness to his utter defeat.

“How can I possibly forget,” he responds dryly, his voice cracking from the earlier abuse on his throat.

“Then you must know what comes next.”

Law doesn’t even flinch as his body is twisted around with an insulting amount of ease. He braces himself as he comes face to face with the malevolent creature that haunts his dreams.

A nightmare come true.

Notes:

I didn’t mean to leave the chapter on a cliffhanger but it was getting too long and I had to draw the line somewhere :,)

Hope you enjoyed!

Chapter 5: The Abyss

Notes:

Helloooo I'm so incredibly grateful for all the kudos and wonderful feedback I’ve received!! I wish I could give each and every one of you a hug🥺🥺

The following chapters are going to be very, very dark and smutty. If you're easily triggered, please reread the tags before proceeding... you have been warned!

It was the heart of winter, and Lami and Law huddled together in bed, their stubby little legs pressed close for warmth beneath the thick quilt.

The flames crackled softly in the fireplace. Other than the howling wind rattling against their bedroom window, it was the only sound that accompanied his mother’s soft, melodic voice, flowing like a dark lullaby.

With wide eyes, they listened intently to her words, drawn deeper and deeper into the fairytales from the worn leather-bound book in her lap—always their favourite bedtime story.

In the depths of their childhood wonder, the flickering shadows cast by the fire seemed to come to life, morphing into the characters from the tale, dancing playfully along the walls of their bedroom.

“Mommy,” Lami interrupted, her eyes glinting with curiosity, reflecting the golden firelight. “what happens to the people who get caught by the red-eyed creature?” 

His mother’s gaze flickered up from the dark volume.

“Nobody knows, my dear,” she whispered with a sad smile. “for they vanish into the darkness, never to see the light again.”

Law, ever the skeptic, furrowed his brows. “But how do the villagers know the creature even exists? If no one survives to tell the tale, then how can they be so sure it’s real?”

“That’s a good question," his mother whispered, never reprimanding him for his curious mind. “there are a select few who are gifted with special powers, allowing them to sense the creature’s presence…”

Her voice lowered to a hush, as though the very act of speaking the words might invite something from the darkness outside…

“Then why don’t they work together to kill the monster?” Law huffed, crossing his arms. “It’s not fair to make innocent people sacrifice themselves every month so that everyone else in the village lives!”

“Well, the monster is not so easily defeated,” she explained patiently. “It takes much more than a few brave souls to challenge the creature, let alone eliminate it.”

“That’s just an excuse!” Law’s voice boomed, his small fists clenched at his sides with frustration. “Besides, if it’s so strong, then what’s stopping the monster from destroying the entire village?”

“Shhh…” his mother hushed, raising a finger to his lips, the touch soft.

“Mommy, I’m scared…” Lami whispered, her lips trembling.

“Fret not, my sweet darlings,” she soothed, patting the top of their little heads fondly. They both leaned into her touch. "Nika, the chosen hero, will rise from the darkness to save the villagers and vanquish the red-eyed creature."

“Who’s Nika?” Law asked, his voice echoing in the bedroom.

His mother’s eyes drifted to the fire. “Nika is a legendary warrior,” she said slowly. “An ancient deity known to the villagers as the Sun God...”

---

Law doesn’t scream, only because the sound is stuck in his throat.

Nothing—not the dark fairytales, not even the vivid nightmares—could have prepared him for the sight above.

A pair of red eyes pierces through the darkness, glowing with pure, unrelenting malice. They are redder than any hue he has known, more vivid than freshly spilled blood. And—oh gods—the pupils. They are narrow black slits, cutting through the crimson irises like sharp blades.

The creature suddenly blinks, and Law barely suppresses a terrified whimper from escaping his lips.

“I do like that frightened look on your face, Law.” The monster purrs, its malicious grin widening, stretching from ear to ear. 

It’s truly a testament to the intensity of those crimson, vibrant eyes that he did not notice that giant maw first. The monster’s demented smile nearly splits its face in half, revealing rows and rows of jagged, pointy teeth.

“At loss for words, I see," the voice mocks, followed by a deep, inhuman laugh that rattles the apothecary’s walls. “Whatever happened to your display of bravery a moment ago, my dear boy?”

The taunt stings like a slap to the face, jolting Law out of his stupor.

“I—I’m not scared of you!” He spits, more out of pride than conviction, and it takes every ounce of his willpower not to wither under the creature’s terrifying gaze.

“Hmm, is that so?”

In an instant, Doflamingo buries his face in Law’s neck. The sudden closeness sends a jolt of raw terror through his body. His heart squeezes as the creature’s pointy nose brushes dangerously against his pulse point.

Shit, is he going to—

Doflamingo pauses, inhaling deeply before throwing his head back wildly, lips parting and eyelids fluttering closed as if savouring a moment of pure, unadulterated bliss.

Law’s body trembles uncontrollably underneath the monster. He has never felt so small, so helpless—so vulnerable.

“I can practically taste your fear on my tongue,” a low, guttural sound tears from the creature’s throat, exuding an appetite so deep it seems to distort the very air around them. “You have no idea just how irresistible you smell, little one, how enticing and mouthwatering—”

Blood red eyes suddenly snap open, black pupils sharpening to slits as they focus on Law, and the look on the creature’s face is one of pure madness. 

”Just a small taste…” 

No, no, no—

A cold hand comes to cradle Law’s jawline, the gesture mockingly intimate, as though caressing one’s beloved pet.

Law’s breath hitches as sharp fingers tilt his chin upward—it’s a déjà-vu, a reflection of the terrifying nightmare he endured in the apothecary last week, though it feels like a lifetime ago…

This can’t be happening, please—

Law freezes, dread pooling into his stomach like acid, when Doflamingo’s body presses down against his. He watches, heart racing and unable to look away, as the other’s malevolent grin creeps closer and closer…

Are you afraid of me, Law?

It turns out that one experiences an entirely different kind of fear when death is only a few breaths away. A visceral, skin-numbing coldness wraps around his body, its chill cutting straight to his core.

It feels as though warmth will never touch him again…

Law can feel Doflamingo’s breath ghost against his skin, the dangerous curve of his mouth only inches away from his face…

Please, let it be over fast—

Then, something soft presses against his lips.

It takes him a moment to realize that Doflamingo’s mouth is on his. The other has captured his lips into a deep, forceful kiss, ravaging his mouth and drinking in his fear like it’s something palpable. Law’s mind goes numb, simultaneously rendered blank and spinning with too many thoughts—

Is this what he likes to do, when he’s about to kill his victims?

The fingers on his jawline flies to the back of his head, threading through his hair, intense and demanding. Law lets out a high-pitched noise, but it does not escape his lips. The other’s hungry, open-mouthed kisses are all-consuming, devouring Law’s helpless little sounds and stealing his breath away.

Law begins to feel light-headed when Doflamingo finally breaks away, leaving him flushed and panting.

“Absolutely exquisite…”

Something in that voice—raspy and strained—makes Law look up. One glance and he can tell that Doflamingo is far from unaffected. Those pupils, vertically slit a moment ago, are now dilated, blown completely wide. They lock onto Law’s wet lips, thoroughly captivated, as though wanting to claim them once more.

Law can’t help the sudden warmth that spreads in his stomach.

Almost reluctantly, those crimson eyes part from his lips. Law can viscerally feel their weight as they travel down the length of his body, leaving a burning path in their wake. Then, a flicker of surprise flashes across the creature’s expression, and Law instinctively follows the trail of its gaze, his own eyes widening in shock.

I can’t believe I was fighting a deadly monster in the dark, wearing nothing but a bathrobe…

“Fufufu, what’s this, Law?” Doflamingo drinks in his half-naked state hungrily, the bathrobe providing little coverage in the aftermath of their fight. “...a present for me?”

Law’s face flushes, and for the first time that evening, he feels grateful for the cover of darkness. “Wait, it’s not what you think!“

Doflamingo’s sharp fingers untangle from his dark locks to rest against the flimsy belt of his bathrobe, making his intentions very clear.

“W-what are you going to do?” Law whispers, and he hates how small his voice sounds. Even worse, there’s an edge to it, tinged with something he can no longer ignore…

“I have won,” Doflamingo declares, the statement spoken like a king’s command. “I am now going to enjoy my reward…”

Law’s head spins in panic, alarm bells ringing in his ears.

His mind screams at him to stop the other, to hike his knees up and kick straight into the creature’s groin—consequences be damned—but something stops him.

He licks his lips nervously, the heat of their passionate kiss still lingering on his mouth…

There’s a smaller, more insidious part of him that doesn’t want Doflamingo to stop… it’s the same voice that comes to haunt him in the dead of night, whispering like the devil’s own temptation...

Let him do it, Law, isn’t this what you secretly desired all along?

No, that’s a lie!

Why else were you so fearless to come downstairs, knowing there’s little chance of winning, if not wanting to be caught by the monster?

Law gasps as Doflamingo tugs at the string of his bathrobe, pulling him out of his thoughts. His heart skips a beat as the ribbon loosens, swiftly unraveling until it’s completely undone.

An alarmed voice screams in the back of his mind, but it’s lost to him—distant and muffled, like a dream slipping away…

Law’s stomach drops—not out of fear, but from lust that coils deep within him—as the monster’s fingers move to delicately open his bathrobe, peeling the soft fabric to his sides like he's unwrapping a precious gift.

And just like that, Law is completely naked, exposed and laid bare...

“What a beautiful body…” 

He looks away, unable to meet the piercing gaze above, his cheeks flushing with a conflicted mix of emotions—shame, anticipation, desire…

Law gasps as those monstrous, calloused hands hungrily explore the expanse of his naked body, the touch featherlike yet electrifying, setting his skin ablaze. His blood, so cold just a moment ago, is now searing through his veins. The fear from before melts away like hot wax, replaced by unvoiced, forbidden desires that ignite a burning heat deep inside him.

When Doflamingo sinks into his neck, Law doesn’t recoil, but leans in, surrendering himself despite the obvious danger. A soft moan escapes his lips as the other presses a chaste kiss against his throat, igniting sparks of pleasure that dance along his skin…

He would never have known Doflamingo to be so patient, so gentle… his every touch is tender and carefully placed, almost painfully so, as if afraid to startle Law away.

It’s somehow far worse than if Doflamingo violently forced himself on him. Then, at least, Law could pretend and convince himself that he didn’t enjoy this…

“W-why are you doing this to me?” Law blurts out, his throat tightening with raw emotions he’s kept bottled up for weeks, now flooding through him like water breaking through a dam. “Why me?”

What did I do to deserve this?

“I think you’ve known for a while,” the creature pauses, nuzzling affectionately against the hollow of his collarbone. “You come from an old bloodline of warriors, Law. Since ancient times, your clan and my kind were destined to be mortal enemies.”

Law makes a sharp intake of breath, eyes blinking rapidly at the revelation. “How long did you—?”

“I’ve suspected since the first day I set foot in your shop,” Doflamingo’s thumb brushes over his left nipple, eliciting an embarrassingly high-pitched sound from Law’s lips. “There were obvious signs, but my thoughts were confirmed when you withstood my haki. Most humans faint from the exposure alone.”

“Haki?” Law’s gaze flickers up to look straight into those bright red eyes, only inches away. “Is that the weird thing you do with your—ahn!”

Doflamingo ignores his question in favour of capturing his nipple with his mouth, sucking on the flesh until it hardens against his wet lips, only releasing it to lap at the now-swollen bud with his—

His stomach drops.

That tongue… it’s abnormal. Thick and impossibly long, the appendage is beyond anything Law has ever seen. Though, on second thought, he supposes it’s perfectly in line with everything else about the creature, uncanny and inhuman. He watches breathlessly as Doflamingo’s tongue feasts on his chest, lapping voraciously at his skin like he’s savouring its taste.

Law should be repulsed, and yet he can’t bring himself to look away from the monster.

“And then, there’s that dagger,” Doflamingo resurfaces from his chest, only to slide further down his body, dragging the flat of his tongue along Law’s toned abs. “A family heirloom, I presume? I was forged with a rare material called sea-stone which paralyzes my kind.”

Law's lips part as the pieces fall into place—the dark fairy tales whispered by the fireplace, the handwritten notes within the untitled tome, the mysterious dagger thrumming in his fist, and even the secret middle name he was given, one he’s never shared with another soul…

“And... what happened to the rest of my clan?” Law asks softly, bracing himself for an answer he knows, deep down, he won’t want to hear. “Where are they now?”

“They lost, little one, eons ago. The few who survived the last war are now scattered across the world, forced to live in hiding from my kind.”

The weight of those words sinks into his heart, leaving a heavy ache in its wake.

I am a descendant of a long-lost bloodline of warriors who fought valiantly against the terror of the red-eyed creature. Or creatures, it seems.

That explains… a lot.

That certainly explains why Doflamingo had always been so fixated on Law, why he felt that creepy, magnetic pull between them. He never imagined it would be something so deeply rooted in their blood.

More alarmingly, it sounds like Law’s bloodline was hunted into near extinction, which means he is in a far more perilous position than he’d ever imagined…

Just as the thought crosses his mind, a shiver runs down his spine.

“You knew this all along,” Law says, swallowing the thick lump that has formed in the back of his throat. “And since you’re sharing all this information with me, I take it that you’re planning to kill me once you’ve had your way—”

“Shhh,” Doflamingo hushes, running his fingers gently down the curve of his waist, as though soothing a wild animal that’s been caught. “Don’t worry, I did not come here tonight to hurt you, Law…”

As if to emphasize the statement, his large hands slide down from Law’s waist to hook around the underside of his knees, slowly parting his legs around him…

“Tonight, I’ve only come for a small taste—an amuse-bouche—to wet my appetite.” Doflamingo murmurs, placing his head between Law’s thighs. A terrifying, exciting position. “The plat principal, of course, will have to wait until the night of the full moon…”

“But of course,” Law says dryly, not appreciating being called an amuse-bouche or a plat principal—whatever those things entail. “you’ve made that exceedingly clear in those twisted nightmares of yours!”

“And how did you find those dreams, Law? I certainly enjoyed chasing you through the forest,” Doflamingo's lips press against the supple skin inside his thighs. “…and I dare say that you liked them too.”

“F-fuck off,” Law stutters as the creature starts trailing wet, open-mouthed kisses along his inner thighs. “Those nightmares—ahh—kept me awake for days on end!”

“Well, it’s only fair, seeing as you provoked me first… on the night of the full moon no less,” Doflamingo peers up at him from between his legs, red eyes swimming with something dangerous. “Or did you already forget about that, Law?”

“I don’t even know how I—”

Law’s words die on his tongue as those dangerous lips inch precariously close to the vulnerable junction between his thigh and the soft swell of his ass…

Is he going to—

“I must say, I don’t remember the last time someone challenged me so brazenly," Doflamingo laughs, voice vibrating against his skin, sounding far too amused for someone who got swung at with a weapon with lethal intent. “It will make ruining you all the more enjoyable, Law.”

In a movement propelled by inhuman speed and strength, Doflamingo lifts him by the underside of his thighs, nearly folding his body in half. Law lets out an undignified squeak, absolutely mortified that his most intimate parts are on complete display. He tries to squirm away from the monster’s vice-like grip, but the hold on his thighs remains unyielding.

“Wait, Doflamingo—”

Ignoring his protests, two large thumbs spread his cheeks apart, exposing his rim. Law can feel his entire face flush with humiliation, the heat creeping all the way from his ears down to his neck, and he’s convinced he might actually die from sheer embarrassment.

“Fufufu, what a hole…” Doflamingo purrs, and his face is so close that Law can feel his breath fanning against his entrance. “It’s so tiny and pretty, just like the rest of you.”

“I—I’m not tiny!” Law says indignantly.

Never in his twenty-six years of life has he ever been called tiny! Doflamingo is just abnormally large!

“Pretty,” the other repeats, voice dripping with something akin to awe. “now, I'm left to wonder if it tastes just as delicious as it looks…”

Doflamingo’s heated gaze trails down to find Law’s, his crimson eyes swimming with tantalizing desires. He then pauses meaningfully, and although nothing is said between them, the question is obvious.

Can I?

Law doesn't mean to nod. He only lifted his head to have a better look at the other's face, and yet he ends up tucking his chin down anyway, as if for the sake of clearing the movement.

Doflaming's face instantly morphs into a grin, wild and free. The sight should undoubtedly worry Law; those fiery red irises and sharp teeth promise nothing but trouble, but instead, all he feels is a dark thrill unfurling deep within him.

Doflamingo wastes no time settling in between his thighs, as if worried Law might suddenly change his mind. He further parts his legs, making space for his large head, before sinking between his cheeks.

Law gasps sharply as Doflamingo drags his tongue along the cleft of his ass in one swift movement, caught off guard by the strange, wet sensation. He quickly slaps his hand over his mouth, desperate to prevent any further sounds from escaping.

The creature laps hungrily at the sensitive stretch of skin, again and again, and it takes everything for Law to stay quiet.

Then, with its tip, his tongue traces small, deliberate circles around his pucker, teasing his hole almost cruelly before finally slipping inside.

Law’s thighs quiver at the sudden intrusion. The strange and unfamiliar sensation of being breached sends an intense jolt throughout his entire body.

An unnatural amount of saliva slathers on his hole as Doflamingo’s tongue slips in and out of his tight entrance, gradually opening him up. Law’s cock, half erected just a moment ago, is now fully hard, standing proudly against the flat of his stomach. His moans are muffled against his palm as the tongue slides deeper and deeper inside with each thrust, dragging a most delicious friction against his walls…

A low, guttural sound erupts from the creature’s lips, rumbling like a tremor rising from the very depths of the earth. Law almost whines when Doflamingo re-emerges from between his legs, thick tongue slipping out of his hole, now wet with a copious amount of spit.

“Don’t hide those sweet sounds from me, Law…” the creature rasps, staring down at Law’s dishevelled state with a darkened, lust-addled gaze. “I want to hear you sing for me.”

Without waiting for a response, Doflamingo returns to the important task of ruining his hole.

Law whimpers helplessly against his hand when the entirety of the monster’s talented, sinful tongue slides inside him, and an overwhelming feeling of fullness engulfs him. A loud, humiliating moan tears from his throat as the tip brushes against a particularly sensitive bundle of nerves. Law’s eyes snap wide open, his back arching, as Doflamingo laps against that same spot again. Then again. Over and over until his mind melts like butter…

“A-ahn!” Law wrenches his hand away, no longer able to stifle the desperate sounds spilling from his lips. His fingers fall to his sides to clench helplessly around the loose fabric of the bathrobe, grip tightening as Doflamingo suddenly flickers his tongue in an entirely different way, applying an almost forceful pressure on his prostate.

Doflamingo’s tongue is so long, so thick—so perfect—rubbing repeatedly against that sweet, sensitized spot. Law’s entire body writhes and shakes uncontrollably, his voice wrecked, as a dangerous pressure builds up inside his body, pushing him closer and closer to the edge…

Then, suddenly, he is in free fall—a strangled cry tears from his lips as white-hot stars explode behind his eyes, blinding him with a surge of pure, mind-shattering bliss. His hole clenches uncontrollably around the thick length inside him, his cock spurting hot strings of come onto his stomach.

It’s the most intense feeling he’s ever known, a raw, all-consuming pleasure that will etch itself into his memory forever. At the same time, it feels like a fall from grace—a plunge into an abyss where no light reaches, and from which he may never rise again.

Law stares hazily at the ceiling, his entire body tingling and flushed in the aftermath of his intense orgasm. His chest rises and falls heavily as he catches his breath, the weight of his shameful actions slowly settling in, mingling with the remnants of pleasure...

He stays like that for a long time, the steady slowing of his breaths only broken by the sound of Doflamingo slurping at his abdomen, lapping up his release. 

I can’t believe I just let him do that to me…

Law feels dirty, corrupted—defiled… and the worst part? He agreed to it. Law wanted to be ruined… and he knows, deep in his heart, that there’s no turning back from this.

And yet, despite it all, he would do it again…

A few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes later, Doflamingo breaks the heavy silence between them.

“In three nights, when the full moon reaches its peak, I will come to you…”

The deep baritone vibrates with an otherworldly quality, as if it were pulled straight from a dark fairytale.

“What’s the point in telling me this?” Law snorts softly, his voice still ruined from earlier. “You can easily break into my house, and I wouldn’t be able to stop you…”

Just like tonight.

“True, but I much rather you invite me in, Law…” Doflamingo croons, his voice thick with an emotion Law can’t quite place—something akin to yearning.

“And why would I do that? If you think I’m going to roll belly up just because I let you—” Law pauses, cheeks stinging with shame. “just because of what happened tonight, then you’re wrong about me!”

“You misunderstand me, Law,” Doflamingo lilts, his voice coaxing. “I only wish to spend the night of the full moon with you as a willing partner.”

“What—what does it even matter to you?” Law says quietly. “What’s stopping you from taking what you want by force?”

“Does it truly surprise you that I long for your reciprocation?” Doflamingo drawls silkily, voice dark and seductive. “I crave you, Law, in every way possible. I want to enjoy your company on the full moon, take my time savouring you all night… but only if you’ll let me. Wouldn’t you like that, too? I promise I’ll make it pleasurable for you in ways you can never imagine…”

“I think you mean painful and humiliating.” Law mutters dryly, struggling to suppress the dark, illicit emotions churning in his guts.

Doflamingo’s grin sharpens, a predatory hunger tugging at the corners of his lips. “Fufufu, but Law… those are both things that you love.”

“I—you can’t just—” Law splutters, his inability to speak coherently only fuelling the other’s sadistic glee. “You think you’re so, so charismatic, don’t you? That I’ll fall for your tricks just like every other victim you’ve conquered…” The words spill out of his lips before he can even process them. “What makes you think I won’t fight you instead?”

Doflamingo’s bright red eyes widen for a brief moment, before they darken with amusement. “Oh, but I am more than eager to resume our little power struggle on the full moon, if that’s what you truly want. I do love a good challenge, after all… and believe me Law, you would have made a splendid foe in olden times.”

Law narrows his eyes at the subtle implication. Doflamingo does not see him as a worthy adversary, at least not in his current state...

“You could die a brave warrior’s death, if that’s what you prefer,” Doflamingo continues, his gaze trailing down Law’s naked body, taking in every detail with avid appetite. “I think you would look stunning laying in a pool of your own blood. Like I said, red suits your complexion to perfection…”

Law breathes sharply, startled by how the other can voice such dark fantasies so shamelessly. “So, either let you in or fight you to the death… is that it? And what if I say that I want neither of those options? Both of which, by the way, probably involve me bleeding to death!”

“Fufufu, is that self-doubt I’m hearing in your voice, Law?” 

“Just answer the question!”

“If you refuse to entertain me on the full moon, then I’ll have no choice but to seek... alternatives,” Doflamingo sighs regretfully, as though this is an unfortunate situation well beyond his control. “As you may know, my kind must feed on the night of the full moon for sustenance.”

Law’s heart plummets.  

“You are by far my first choice, Law, but there is no shortage of young, healthy humans in this town that I can pick from—many of whom are so easily persuaded,” the creature’s red eyes light up with mischief. “Ah, I’m quite certain that Miss Smith would be more than pleased to keep me company. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Law’s eyes widen in shock, before narrowing them to slits. “You do realize that you’re literally threatening me with that girl’s life…”

“Fufufu, only if you put it that way…”

Without warning, Doflamingo lunges at him.

Law's vision blurs as the creature suddenly crowds over his body, pinning his arms forcefully above his head with raw, inhuman strength. Law yelps, trying to squirm himself free, but it’s useless—much like throwing oneself against an unyielding stone wall.

“…but if you allow me to feast on your blood—” Law gasps as Doflamingo licks a long stripe along the curve of his throat. “—and fuck your tight little hole,” he accentuates the word with a sinful roll of his hips, pressing something large and undeniably hard against his rim, and Law cannot help but squeal. “then nobody in this charming little town will have to die on the full moon.”

“Okay—okay I get the idea, Doflamingo. Now, get off of me!”

To his relief, Doflamingo lets up, but not before flashing him a wide, shit-eating grin. The moment he crawls off of him, Law scrambles to his feet, heart racing with too many emotions. He quickly wipes the copious amount of drool from his neck, scrunching his face in disgust, before wrapping his bathrobe tightly around his body in an effort to shield as much skin as possible from Doflamingo’s lustful gaze.

Law takes a deep, stabilizing breath, before speaking. “If—hypothetically speaking—I agree to your terms, will you promise not to hurt anyone else?”

“Fufufu, but of course my dear Law, I shall be on my very best behaviour.” Doflamingo says, stretching his wicked smile to reveal rows of sharp, gleaming teeth.

That sounds—and looks—like a terrible idea.

The look on Law’s face must be one of pure disbelief, as the creature lets out a dark, amused chuckle. In a swift movement, he closes the distance between them, his impossibly large silhouette looming over him. Craning his neck to look at Doflamingo’s face, Law is suddenly reminded just how much taller he is—almost two heads above him.

Doflamingo’s hungry gaze trails down to Law’s lips, pausing there longingly, making his intentions known. Law doesn’t fight it. He closes his eyelids, feeling the other’s breath brush against his mouth before the monster claims his lips again—their second kiss.

It’s gentle and tender, a stark contrast to the burning intensity of their first kiss, and if Law didn’t know better, he might even consider it romantic.

Yet, beneath the disarming sweetness lies something far more sinister, captivating and dangerous in equal measure, much like the wild roses he was gifted.

It feels like the kiss of death.

“The choice is yours, Law. In three nights, you can either invite me in... or, you can challenge me to a mortal battle…”

Doflamingo thumbs over his bottom lips, his gaze darkening.

“…but I have a feeling that you won’t. I believe that you’ll welcome me inside your home, inside your body, because deep down, you want more…”

The words hang ominously in the chill air of the apothecary, their weight thick with a dark promise. As Doflamingo slips back into the darkness, Law fears, deep down, that he might be right.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading🖤🖤

The next chapters are going to take a bit longer bc I'll be busy moving to another city!

Chapter 6: Call of the Full Moon

Notes:

Apologies for taking longer with this update! I also got a bit carried away with writing and things got way too lengthy... which is why I had to split this chapter in two ^.^

Following the incident in the darkness of the apothecary, Law’s recurrent dreams of running through the forest ceased, abruptly so.

He has a suspicion as to why they stopped.

They are simply no longer needed to torment him.

The red-eyed creature has fully emerged from the shadows, no longer confined to the realm of nightmares and dark fairytales. Its monstrous hand has finally reached into waking reality and sunk its sharp claws into Law.

And under the monster’s grip, he has been ruined. Irrevocably so.

Death would have been a far more merciful fate... at least then, his dignity would have remained intact. Yet, despite the unbearable shame, he cannot stop daydreaming about those piercing red eyes, haunted by the memory of those monstrous fingers, longing for the sinful drag of that inhuman tongue—

And then, there was that kiss…

Law grazes his lips with his fingertips, recalling the softness. His cheeks flush even deeper, the disarming sweetness of that kiss somehow more damning than the unspeakable acts which prefaced it.

He is reminded of the fallen maiden from tales of old, reluctantly succumbing to temptation, lured by the irresistible sweetness of the devil's red apple. And now, the taste of that forbidden fruit lingers in his mouth; he cannot forget it, cannot think of anything else…

As night falls and the shadows deepen around him, Law’s desires swell to their fullest intensity, drawn from the deepest corners of his heart by the moon’s irresistible pull—an almost perfect, haunting circle in the night sky. Its silver hue glows ever brightly, awakening a primal hunger within him that mirrors the tides' eternal yearning for the moon.

Underneath the bedsheets, Law touches himself. He imagines that Doflamingo’s hands are roaming his skin, the sinuous touches accompanied by the trailing burn of those bright red eyes.

“What a beautiful body…”

Those dangerous lips explore every inch of his trembling body, uncharacteristically tender. Meanwhile, expert fingers snake hungrily between his legs, their sharpness contrasting the velvety skin between his delicate thighs.

“Just a small taste, Law, to wet my appetite…”

Law parts his thighs, allowing Doflamingo to settle between them. He slides his hand underneath the covers, reaching between his legs. His cheeks sting hotly with shame as he presses his fingertip against his hole... dare he?

“So pretty, I wonder if it tastes just as delicious as it looks…”

He recalls the addictive friction of that massive tongue slipping inside him, pressing into places where no tongue should go… drawing moans of pleasure that entirely overshadow the wrongfulness of it all…

“Don’t hide those sweet sounds from me, Law, I want to hear you sing for me…”

Law lets out a filthy, depraved moan, sinking his finger inside the heat between his legs… but it’s not enough. His own digit is too small, too short—too ordinary, to satisfy himself.

“I promise I’ll make it pleasurable for you in ways you can never imagine…”

He thinks of Doflamingo’s lips, murmuring cruel words into the hollow of his ears. Law pumps his cock with a punishing grip, the pain and humiliation of it all only bringing him closer to his climax.

“Fufufu, but Law, those are both things that you love…”

Doflamingo’s thick tongue laps deliciously against that tingling spot inside him, reaching depths that have never been explored before…

Doflamingo, Doflamingo, Doflamingo—

His orgasm almost takes him by surprise, crashing over his body with explosive, toe-curling ecstasy. It’s so intense that he sees bright, colourful prisms scattering in the back of his eyes.

Law has to bury his face inside his pillow and bite down hard to stop himself from screaming his name.

---

Despite the conflicted emotions warring inside him, Law’s sleep has remarkably improved.

The dark circles that occupied his under eyes have now completely faded, replaced by a warm glow that perpetually colours his cheeks.

The past three days flew by like a long, feverish dream. He feels delirious, consumed by a heat that clings to his skin, leaving his body thrumming with a raw, aching need.

It’s as if the dark enchantment of that wonderful, terrible evening never released its hold on him.

Sweet, forbidden fantasies that once swam beneath the surface of his consciousness have now fully emerged from its depths, eclipsing his fears and rational thoughts, melting them like sugar in warm water…

He tries to focus on the fear gnawing at him, intensifying as the full moon's approach draws nearer. Yet, it's a fleeting emotion, slipping further from his grasp the harder he tries to hold on…

This is entirely his fault.

Doflamingo, with his honeyed words and wicked smile, has successfully torn down his defences and eaten away at his resolve…leaving Law a mere shadow of his former self.

At work, his mind is more scattered than ever, even more so than when he was battling sleep deprivation.

Law has made no less than a dozen mistakes thus far. Mixing up patient prescriptions, knocking over a wide range of dry and liquid ingredients from the apothecary’s countless shelves, and shattering glass across his work station.

It’s truly a relief that Bepo is here to pick up after him with a patience that he himself lacks, but even in his current state, Law can’t ignore the undeniable truth.

There’s no way I can keep working like this…

“Are you quite sure, Law?”

“Yes,” Law says, a bit sheepishly. “And really, I’m the one who should be asking you that. Are you sure you don’t mind looking after the shop, Bepo? Especially since I’m asking on such short notice…”

“Of course, you’re clearly not feeling well…” Bepo trails off worriedly, pausing to scrutinize his face. “…maybe you’ve come down with a fever? Your face is very red.”

“M-maybe…” Law mutters, glancing sideways, unable to bring himself to look Bepo straight in the eyes.

“Well, you can leave the shop in my hands, captain!” His friend says, puffing out his chest with pride. “And don’t you worry about a thing while you’re gone, Law. In fact, I forbid you to think about the apothecary—seriously, not even once!”

“Okay,” Law says, feeling a faint smile tugging the corners of his lips despite himself. “And why are you smiling like that, Bepo? Most people aren’t happy to be assigned more work, you know.”

“I just—I guess I’m glad you actually listened to my advice about taking time off, ” His friend beams, before quickly muttering under this breath. “even though it took you to the point of getting sick to finally give in…”

Without warning, he tackles him into a bear-like hug, squeezing Law tightly against his large chest. “Law, I really hope you feel better soon. If ever you need something or simply want to talk, just let me know, okay...?”

Instead of pulling away as he normally would, Law melts into the touch, knowing this might be the last time.

“...thank you, Bepo.”

When Bepo finally releases him, he flashes him a dazzling smile, one that tugs at his heart. It’s so warm, so genuine…worlds apart from the menacing smiles invading his mind.

“Seriously though, you’re burning up… you should go get some rest now!”

The insistent tone in his friend’s voice leaves no room for argument, and Law has learned from experience that it's his cue to retire upstairs.

As he makes his way toward the back of the apothecary, his attention is inexplicably drawn to the dozen wild roses blooming on his work desk.

He pauses, mesmerized by their raw, untamed beauty. The scarlet petals remain lush and vibrant, showing no sign of wilting…

How many weeks has it been, already?

As the thought echoes through his mind, another takes its place.

These beautiful flowers don’t belong here, he realizes, and for the first time, he truly notices how out of place they are in the dark, dingy apothecary…

Gingerly, Law lifts the ornate vase. The weight of the wild roses feels strangely heavy in his arms as he carries them up the spiralling staircase and into his bedroom.

---

When Law sets the flower vase down on his nightstand, he cannot help but steal a glance at the dark tome lying next to it.

A silent reminder of his less than successful pursuit.

The handwritten notes within its yellowed pages have mysteriously vanished halfway through the fairytale, like an oasis that has long since dried up.

Much like Law’s hopes of uncovering the creature’s secret weaknesses…

But then, a thought flickers within him. His parents, avid readers in their spare time, liked to remind him that the most important clues in a story are often not explicitly written, but hidden between the lines.

A distant voice from his youth echoes in his mind.

"Nika, the chosen hero, will rise from the darkness to save the villagers and vanquish the red-eyed creature…”

"Who's Nika?"

“Nika is a legendary warrior, an ancient deity known to the villagers as the Sun God...”

Law blinks, a glimmer of hope igniting in his chest.

If the peak of the full moon is the red-eyed creature’s most powerful ally, then the midday sun must surely be its deadliest enemy. After all, when the sun rises and reaches the highest point in the sky—the zenith—it casts no shadows upon the earth.

Just like the monster itself.

If Law were a betting man, he would wager that the creature is most vulnerable during that small, fleeting window of time, unable to find refuge in the darkness.

It dawns on him, only then and there, that Doflamingo never visits him during the high noon. His sinister presence only appears when the shadows have stretched long across the apothecary’s floorboards…

Law instinctively turns toward the window, and his expression falters upon realization that the bright sun has already slipped past its peak. It could be a trick of his racing mind, but he can practically feel the daylight fading ever so slightly as the sun continues its slow descent in the afternoon sky.

It has already begun…

He has made the discovery far too late, far too deep into their twisted little game. 

---

Law watches with a heavy heart as evening falls around him.

The golden sun, once ablaze with warmth, has gradually given way to the cold, silvery hue of the rising full moon. Slowly, stars blink into existence in the night sky, their flickering light only outshone by the bright moonlight.

“In three nights, when the full moon reaches its peak, I will come to you…”

Law’s body shudders at the memory of that dark, haunting promise, although fear is not the only emotion that stirs within him.

That other thing terrifies him…

Between his fingers, Kikoku hums with a mysterious energy. Law looks down, noting how its pointy tip catches the silver gleam of the moonlight… as if to warn him.

Don’t leave me alone tonight.

He had sharpened the blade with meticulous care just the night before.

In the aftermath of his confrontation with the red-eyed monster, Law casted the weapon aside and left it abandoned in a darkened corner of the apothecary.

“You could die a brave warrior’s death, if that’s what you prefer…” 

Kikoku was, ironically, the only physical remnant of their struggle that fateful night.

Doflamingo left no physical marks on his body following his humiliating defeat… only the lingering traces of forbidden pleasure that still tingles beneath his flesh.

“…but I don’t think you will. I believe that you’ll welcome me inside your home—inside your body, because deep down, you want more…”

He shakes his head, but the action does little to rid himself of the dark, seductive whispers haunting his thoughts.

With a resigned sigh, Law slides the dagger back into its sheath, the soft click echoing in his bedroom, before letting it fall softly onto the bed beside him.

Reaching over to his nightstand, he plucks a single wild rose from the flower vase, careful not to prick his fingers on its sharp thorns.

He begins playing with the scarlet petals—delicate, soft and velvety against his fingertips—before detaching one and watching it gently flutter down to the bed.

Invite him in…

Law plucks another bloom, his eyes trailing as it lands softly beside the first petal, the vibrant red striking against the ivory silk of his bedsheets.

Fight him…

Soon, his bed becomes a vivid splash of crimson, a pool of scarlet blossoming around him. The petals, much like his thoughts, are completely scattered.

Invite him in, Law thinks absently, as he throws another petal into the air, only to realize it’s the last one.

His eyes widen in horror.

No, no, no—that’s exactly what Doflamingo would want me to do!

In a display of frustration, he hurls the now petal-less flower to the floor.

No. Law refuses to dance to Doflamingo’s sick tune… He knows all too well that the other has given him two equally disastrous choices, both leading to his own inevitable loss.

Clearly, the red-eyed monster wants to settle an ancient score between them, fully intent on manipulating the playing field to his own advantage.

Law has been trapped in a losing game from the very start… but what other option does he have?

I need to think outside the box, he tells himself, threading his fingers through his hair. I need to come up with something—anything—that can give me an edge…

From the murky depths of his mind, a passage from the dark tome suddenly resurfaces, slicing through his thoughts like a sharp blade through silken fabric.

The monster possesses an insatiable appetite on the night of the full moon…

Law may not have it in him to resist Doflamingo’s seductive charms, but the same can also be said for him.

"I crave you, Law, in every way possible…”

Doflamingo believes himself nearly invincible tonight. It must’ve surely slipped his arrogant, conceited mind that the bloodlust coursing through his veins on the full moon can also become his greatest undoing—rendering him weak to his body’s primal urges.

That, combined with the ancient dagger passed down through his mysterious bloodline, may be Law’s only opportunity at destroying the red-eyed creature.

Without thinking twice, Law slips Kikoku underneath his pillow.

Two can play this game, Doflamingo.

Then, as if summoned by his dark thoughts, a sinister knock echoes throughout his apartment.

---

For a moment, time seems to stop.

The sound is soft, lilting—dangerously alluring, like a whisper just beyond his reach, beckoning him closer…

Law watches, a strange and almost detached sensation washing over him, as his legs swing free from beneath the blanket.

Slowly, his bare feet press against the cool floor, before stalking toward the dark hallway, drawn by the silent call waiting just beyond the door at the end of the corridor…

Come to me, little one…

He feels eerily calm, as though lulled into a sweet dream, one he cannot wake up from. Darkness wraps around his body, gentle like a lover’s embrace, as he slips past the bedroom doorway.

His body moves with eerie serenity, gliding down the obscure hallway, like a sailor lured by the haunting melody of a siren’s song.

Give in to your deepest and darkest desires, sweet thing…

Before he knows it, his fingertips are reaching for the doorknob—the one leading to the apothecary downstairs. As his fingers close around the cool metal, a sudden jolt of clarity shoots through his entire body, snapping him out of the spell.

Law inhales sharply, his heart squeezing tightly in his chest. 

He stares down at his own outstretched hand with horror. It felt as though his body was being pulled by invisible strings...

Law shakes his head, distraught, his stomach twisting with fear and confusion. His mind feels fogged and heavy… like it’s been tampered with. Though, in truth, he shouldn’t be all that surprised, knowing exactly what awaits him on the other side of the door…

An evil monster.

Law raises his gaze slowly, and he can practically sense those bright red eyes piercing through the wooden barrier separating them.

As if sensing his hesitation, the doorknob suddenly hums, capturing Law’ attention at once. The cool, silver handle draws him in, the strong, magnetic pull no longer resistible—

Give in to me, Law, welcome me inside your home... inside your body…

Law stares, wide-eyed with terror, when his own traitorous hand reaches out. He has the distinct feeling of being a passenger in his own body, unable to do anything but watch as his fingers wrap firmly around the knob, before twisting…

Then, ominously, the door creaks open.

His heart nearly stops.

The sight that greets him is nothing short of otherworldly, for lack of a better word.

Doflamingo’s impossibly large silhouette looms in the doorway, swallowing the darkness around him. The cold moonlight pools from a nearby window, spilling across his handsome face, sculpting his prominent features with an unearthly glow. Like a statue chiseled from marble.

Law can feel his own lips part with awe.

The monstrous figure stays unnaturally still for a few heartbeats, and Law nearly flinches when he suddenly looks down at him with a slow, deliberate tilt of his head.

He stares straight into fiery red.

Those striking irises burn with an ancient, relentless intensity, as though they’ve been forged in the very heart of hell itself—brighter and redder than ever. They slowly rake down his body, and Law shivers as they drink him in with profound hunger, as if their gaze alone could strip him bare and consume him whole.

Then, an inhuman laugh rings softly in the air, both chilling and deeply enticing.

Law’s gaze drops to the curve of that dangerous mouth. Slowly, those lips widen into a wicked smile—revealing a pair of sharp, elongated canines.

“Good evening, Law.”

That rich baritone, the same voice that plagued him for days, has somehow deepened an octave. The words drip like thick, freshly gathered honey—beckoning him closer despite his every instinct screaming at him to run.

Law knows, in that very moment, that he is thoroughly fucked.

Notes:

Things are not looking good for our sweet baby Law... again!

Comments are always greatly appreciated 🖤

Chapter 7: Invite Me In

Notes:

Hello! Just to be clear, Doffy can physically enter Law’s home without an invitation, but he decides to ask for his consent (because he wants Law to admit that he wants him 👀)

Again, I got carried away and wrote too much, which necessitated adding yet another chapter to this fic 🖤

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to invite me in, Law?”

Law doesn’t know how long he’s been mesmerized by the otherworldly presence before him until the roll of his name on that sharp, vicious tongue snaps him out of his trance.

A burning heat rises to his cheeks, and he can't believe he's been caught staring so... shamelessly.

“At a loss for words again, are we?” Doflamingo teases, running his tongue sensually over his canines, the pointy tips glinting like a mocking wink. "Such dreadful manners... or is it specifically my presence that renders you so?"

Before he can stop himself, Law surges forward, his mind lagging far behind his body.

One moment, he is staring intensely at those pointy teeth, wondering how sharp they would feel grazing against his skin, and the next, he finds himself on his toes, his lips pressing against Doflamingo's with overwhelming urgency.

He feels soft lips part against his own, and instinctively, his gaze locks onto those bright red eyes, only to find them wide open in shock.

Fucking hell, what have I just done?

Panicked, Law pulls back like he’s just touched fire. His hand rises to shield his treacherous lips, now moist from the kiss he’s just stolen.

Doflamingo, for his part, remains uncharacteristically quiet, his expression only describable as dumbfounded. Law can’t help but suspect that the other is rarely, if ever, caught off guard like this. It would have been comical if it weren’t for the fact that his rash, unprovoked kiss was the cause of that stunned look...

Then, gradually, Doflamingo's face morphs into something far more predatory.

“Oh my, I suppose that’s one way to greet your guest,” He purrs, licking his bottom lip as if to taste Law. “I take it this means you’re inviting me in?”

Every inch of the creature's body radiates danger, powerful muscles coiled taught. As though Doflamingo's barely restraining himself from closing the small distance between them. 

“Yes,” Law breathes, the word escaping him before he can stop it, and he’s never felt so exhilarated, so alive. He then balls his hands at his sides. “And—and just so we’re clear, I’m only doing this because I want to, not because I’m scared of fighting you!”

He glowers almost defiantly at Doflamingo, as if challenging him to contradict the statement.

Doflamingo’s features break into a triumphant smile. “Fufufu, I wouldn’t want it any other way, Law.”

When the monster crosses the doorway, Law takes an involuntary step back, moving as though part of a twisted dance.

It’s only now that the gravity of his situation sinks in with terrifying clarity. He has left Kikoku in his bedroom, rendering himself completely unarmed and utterly defenceless against the deadly creature advancing on him.

I’m so, so fucked—

In a flash, a monstrous arm shoots out, catching him around the waist. Doflamingo effortlessly pulls his much-smaller body against his own. Then, in an unbelievably gentle and disarming gesture, his free hand comes to trace his jawline.

Before Law can process what’s happening, soft lips are on his again.

It’s… sweet and tender.

Above all else, it’s magical.

It's Law's turn to stare dazedly at Doflamingo, his handsome face so close that he can make out bright prisms dancing in those fiery eyes. The hand on his face slips away to press against the back of his head, deepening their kiss.  

Law’s traitorous heart skips a few beats, and it feels as though time has slowed down to savour the rare moment.

When Doflamingo's mouth moves against his, Law reciprocates, eager for more. It’s so intoxicating that he nearly forgets to breathe, and when he does, inhaling hungrily through his nose, the monster's wonderful scent floods his lungs. Law notes the smell of the thick forest after the heavy rain, earthy and wild…

It's all too soon when Doflamingo pulls away, and Law instantly mourns the loss of that raw, addictive taste.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about these sweet lips of yours.” Doflamingo admits, voice low and seductive.

“You haven’t?” Law says breathlessly.

Doflamingo simply laughs before capturing his lips again, and this time, their kiss turns into something far less innocent.

Law presses his hands against the monster’s chest, delighting in the thick muscles bulging beneath his fingers. Feeling emboldened, he laps his tongue experimentally against the monster’s lips. Doflamingo lets out a primal growl in response, the sound dangerously deep and guttural, and Law is unable to stop the small, high-pitched moan that tears from his throat. The parting of his lips invites a thick tongue to slip inside, flickering like a hot flame curling hungrily from the fire, eager to consume everything in its path.

His blood sings as the monster ravages his mouth, doing sinful tricks with his long, talented tongue that make Law’s legs go weak. 

At the same time, the fingers in his hair slide down his throat to undo the front of his pajama shirt, the buttons quickly popping one after the other. Before long, the silken fabric is peeled off of Law’s frame, discarded uselessly to the floor. Without breaking their kiss, Doflamingo hooks a finger underneath Law’s waistband, tugging his pants down impatiently. Law eagerly obliges, sliding his pants and underwear down to his ankles, before stepping out of them.

Not a victim but a willing participant.

Clouded by lust, his mind barely registers that he is completely undressed, naked. Not when the warmth radiating from Doflamingo’s massive body melts the coolness of the air around them, searing his bare skin with feverish heat...

Law inhales sharply when fingernails graze along his bare chest—the pressure strong enough to sting, but not to draw blood. His pulse quickens as those claws edge dangerously toward his nipples, and despite knowing what’s about to come, Law is unprepared for the jolt of pain that courses through him when they pinch the sensitive buds, hard.

“Mmpf!” Law’s cry is completely swallowed by the massive tongue occupying his throat, and he can feel Doflamingo's lips curl into a sadistic grin against his own.

Law hates how his cock stirs with interest.

When Doflamingo grinds against him—pressing his impressive bulge against Law’s own growing erection—his knees buckle beneath him. There's no doubt that he would have collapsed entirely if not for the thick arm snaked possessively around his midsection, squeezing tightly.

Law lets out a pleasured groan at the friction, before finally breaking their kiss. His eyelids flutter open, hoping to have a glimpse at the hardness digging into him—

Wait, when did I even close my eyes?

—only to realize after a quick scan of his surroundings that Doflamingo has been advancing this entire time, leading a naive and unsuspecting Law down the obscure corridor and past the threshold of his own bedroom doorway.

How on earth does Doflamingo know the layout of my apartment?

“Eyes up here, little one.”

A finger rests under his chin, tilting Law’s head upward. He finds himself once again lost in those magnetic, hellfire eyes, and the sight of them alone shatters all rational thoughts, rendering his mind a blissful, dizzying haze.

When the monster leans in to kiss him again, Law surrenders himself without hesitation, closing his eyes in silent invitation.

Only to be shoved backward.

Law yelps in surprise as he lands on his back against something shockingly soft—his own bed.

Snapping back to his senses, Law barely has time to react before the mattress dips significantly next to him. In an instant, the world tilts, and he's unceremoniously flipped onto his stomach, his much-smaller frame completely swallowed by the massive body hovering from behind. Caged.

He recognizes this feeling all too well.

"This is a fitting position for our first time together, Law." 

“Like hell it is!” He snarls.

Law is beyond livid, his chest swelling with fury and disbelief. He can’t believe he just allowed Doflamingo to manipulate him like a puppet on strings, mindlessly following his lead until he's right where the monster wants him to be... trapped beneath him. He feels stupid, embarrassed, naively believing himself different from the townspeople Doflamingo has unwittingly wrapped around his finger, only to dance to his tune like everyone else.

Angry at himself more than anything, Law thrashes defiantly against the creature's tight hold.

He hears a dark chuckle vibrate against his back. "You struggle so convincingly, my dear. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost believe that you don’t want this.”

Oh, the absolute nerve of him! Law wants to wipe the smirk off of Doflamingo's stupid, handsome face!

He twists around, a particularly sharp retort ready at the tip of his tongue, before his face is unceremoniously shoved into his pillow.

"You—hmpf!"

Holding his head down with one arm, Doflamingo lets out a mean laugh. Law squeaks when Doflamingo casually kicks his thighs open from behind, settling in between them like he’s always meant to be there. With his other hand, he easily hikes Law’s hips up, raising his ass high in the air, a posture that reminds him of a female cat in heat.

”Fufufu, this is an even better look for you.”

Law swallows thickly.

It’s… a terribly vulnerable position. Like this, Doflamingo can practically do anything he wants to him, and there is little he could do but take it...

Humiliatingly, his cock twitches at the thought.

When Doflamingo shifts behind him, Law comes to the sudden realization that nothing's stopping him from taking him dry like this, that the red-eyed monster probably wouldn't mind fucking his enemy raw and bloody— 

”Are you scared, Law?" That deep, raspy voice taunts from behind, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I can smell it, you know..."

"I-in your dreams, Doflamingo!" Law shouts into his pillow, but the small stutter in his muffled voice betrays his nervousness.

Doflamingo does that infuriating fufufu of his for the hundredth time that evening, before pressing something wet against his entrance.

“W-what is that?”  

"Why, a generous amount of lube..." Doflamingo drawls amusedly, as if Law's asking a very obvious question. “Can’t have you bleeding on my cock, can we?”

"Oh,” he says lamely.

"You truly think the worst of me, Law.” Doflamingo murmurs darkly. “I may be a monster, but I am far from a cruel and heartless lover...”

"Right. I'm sure your past partners can attest to that," Law says dryly, facing to the side, his cheek still pressed against his pillowcase. "...seeing as they are all dead."

Doflamingo lets out a booming laugh, as if he said something naive and adorable. "Oh, my dear boy, do you actually believe that I do this to my victims?"

Then, a slick finger breaches him.

His body stiffens at the intrusion, but instead of the sharp claw he feared, Doflamingo's fingertip has somehow turned smooth… humanlike. Despite the softness, the stretch is far from comfortable, not when the monster’s finger is twice as thick and long as the average human's…

Doflamingo slowly pushes his finger inside, the midsection meeting a bit of resistance, before finally sliding all the way in.

"Hm, I remember it being around here..."  

Law barely has the time to draw in a shaky, steadying breath before the thick fingertip curls inside him.

Eyes snapping wide open, he lets out a breathless mewl, the embarrassingly loud sound escaping even through the muffling of his pillow. A hot, tingling jolt runs down his spine as Doflamingo’s finger finds that very same spot which had him writhing and squealing three nights ago.

His cock, painfully hard and trapped between his stomach and the bedsheets, throbs with each delightful brush against his prostate. Law is drooling profusely into his pillowcase by the time a second finger dips inside him, the two digits scissoring and stretching his hole expertly, while simultaneously stimulating that forbidden place—

Law is right on the cusp when Doflamingo's thick, wonderful fingers abruptly slip out of his hole. He lets out a loud, disappointed whine at the sudden loss of contact.

"Can’t have you coming too soon, little one,” The creature teases. “Don’t worry, the main event is about to begin…" 

It's his only warning before a fat cock comes to sit between his ass cheeks.

Law tenses with a dizzying mix of fear and excitement, the sound of his own heartbeat hammering in his ears like the beating of war drums.

He tries desperately to twist around to see just how big Doflamingo is, because he certainly feels big, but the unforgiving grip on his nape remains unyielding, pinning him tightly in place.

Unable to do anything but suck in a long, shaky breath, Law braces himself for what's about to come.

His entire body trembles as he parts around Doflamingo, his tiny little hole stretching to accommodate inch after inch of thick, monster cock. Law lets out a choked sob as the bulbous tip, after persistent effort, finally pops inside—a tight, burning stretch.

Overwhelmed, he desperately tries to squirm away as the thick of Doflamingo slowly splits him open, the pressure bordering on pain. Law only manages to crawl a few inches forward until two large hands snake tightly around his hips, encircling the entirety of his tiny waist, before yanking him back to meet his ruthless thrust.

Law makes a high, breaking sound as his walls are forced to spread around the base of the monster’s cock, and in one swift movement, Doflamingo is completely sheathed inside him.

Law feels overwhelmingly, impossibly full... he doesn't dare breathe, as if the very act of doing so would push his body past its limits. He feels his insides twitch uncontrollably, instinctively trying to push out the intrusion, only serving to squeeze tightly around the overwhelming mass inside him.

“Damn boy,” The creature lets out a rumbling sound, low and appreciative. “What a greedy little cunt... gripping me so tight—”

Law whimpers as his torture begin anew. It feels as though sharp blades are dancing along his spine when Doflamingo pulls all the way out of his hole... only to slam right back, burying himself to the hilt.

”I knew your slutty little hole would feel so good, so warm wrapped around my cock—”

It’s only too soon when Doflamingo sets a rough, punishing pace. He makes sure to sink all the way in, going balls deep with each roll of his hips, like he wants to mold Law’s insides to the shape of his fat cock. It’s as brutal as it is wonderful, and Law doesn’t know how he’ll survive this, doesn’t know whether he wants Doflamingo to stop or to go harder—

Law bites into his pillowcase, a pathetic attempt at stifling the helpless little sobs spilling from his lips, though from pain or pleasure, he can no longer tell... 

Doflamingo, catching on too quickly, fists his hand into Law's hair, pulling him up cruelly until his back is plush against his hard abdomen. Scalp burning with pain, Law bites down on his lips to stop himself from screaming—trying desperately to hold onto what little remains of his pride. 

He feels those deceptively soft lips brush against his earlobe, contrasting the cruel words that are whispered into his ear.

“How does it feel, Law, to be humbled by the very monster you’re supposed to destroy?”

He squeals—a high, mortifying sound—when an angled thrust brushes directly against his prostate.

“That's what I thought,” Doflamingo chuckles, pounding relentlessly into that sweet bundle of nerves, the pleasure coiling in his guts intensifying with each thrust. “Fufufu, what a lewd body! I’m beginning to think that you’re better suited for breeding than fighting my kind, little warrior.”

Doflamingo and his filthy mouth! Law hates him almost as much as he despises himself for secretly loving the way he’s talking down on him...

Then, as if to prove his point, the monster reaches down to wrap his fist around Law's weeping cock, squeezing hard, and it’s beyond humiliating how that's what tips him over the edge.

Law climaxes with a long, wrecked wail—his walls convulsing and hole clenching so hard he hears Doflamingo let out a sharp hiss behind him. His own cock explodes with heat, splattering his hot release onto the bedsheets. Body gone completely slack in the aftermath of his orgasm, he slumps bonelessly onto the mattress, no longer able to hold himself up.

But Doflamingo is not done.

Keeping Law's hips raised with a tight, bruising grip, the monster pounds into him in rapid bursts that resonate loudly in the bedroom, chasing his own pleasure. He thrusts a few more times, bottoming out inside him, before letting out an animalistic growl as he finishes inside Law.

A surge of heat pools inside him, and Law shivers at the sheer amount of hot cum that’s being pumped into his ass…

Fucked completely stupid, Law doesn't even protest when Doflamingo all but collapses on top of him, his fat cock trapping his release inside his tight little hole. They stay like that for a few moments, their laboured breaths synchronizing, limbs entangled and sweaty skin pressed so tightly they could have been one person…

Eventually, Doflamingo shifts behind him to nuzzle against Law's throat in a gesture that’s affectionate and possessive in equal measure.

Law tilts his head to the side, granting access to his bare neck. He shivers as a thick tongue wets the curve of his throat, and although he should be disgusted at the primal, guttural sound that rumbles against his skin, he isn’t. A pleasured moan of his own escapes his lips when Doflamingo begins to suckle on the delicate flesh, welcoming the dark bruises that are surely going to color his neck.

The sudden sensation of sharp fangs pressed against his pulse point elicits an ice-cold rush of raw fear down his spine, and Law instantly recoils from the monster.

“W-what are you—” 

“Relax, sweet thing,” Doflamingo breathes against his nape, now slick with his saliva. "l'll only drink from you after you beg for it... fufu."

Law scoffs. “As if I would ever beg for that!”

Doflamingo’s laugh is wild, the sound rich with amusement and anticipation. Clearly eager at the prospect of a challenge.

Law's eyes widen in horror when, impossibly, the cock softening inside him stirs back to full hardness... 

"Wait, you can’t be fucking serious…” he chokes, voice rising with alarm. “...aren’t you going to take a break?"

"Whatever do you mean, Law?” Doflamingo chuckles darkly into his ear, clearly revelling in the fear in his voice. “Our fun has only just begun…"

The monster slowly pulls back, thick cock gliding out of his abused hole.

Only to thrust right back in.

Law screams.

His hands twist tightly into the bedsheets—holding desperately onto dear life—as Doflamingo resumes ravaging his hole, the rhythmic snap of his hips loud and sharp in the evening air, not missing a single beat.

Eyes watering with disbelief, Law glances frantically to his side.

The full moon, barely moved past the highest point in the night sky, peeks through the corner of his bedroom window, witnessing the sinful scene unfolding inside...

The monster possesses an insatiable appetite on the night of the full moon…

It's going to be a very, very long night.

Notes:

For those who are curious, Doffy gave himself a tour of Law’s apartment in that very first chapter when he mysteriously disappeared (while Law was working oh so hard on his order) 😌

Happy to hear your thoughts in the comments 🖤

Chapter 8: The Darkest Hour

Notes:

Sorry it took so long to update, life has been kicking my butt recently ;-; on the bright side, the new chapter is relatively long!

PLEASE MIND THE TAGS! As the title implies, dark shit happens >< I really went all out with the smut in this one... hihi

That being said, thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoy the update 😘

Law’s mind has never been so blissfully, wonderfully empty. 

Sparks of pleasure shoot up his spine as Doflamingo plows in and out of his hole, igniting a searing heat inside him that has him arching back for more.  

Law has long since abandoned the thought of stifling his wanton sounds, too far gone to care. His moans, loud and shameless, shorten into harsh, breathless pants as those brutal thrusts plunder him with increased vigour. Before long, he finds himself curving his back against the monster, hole spasming and stomach clenching as he braces himself for completion.

He chokes on a particularly deep thrust, his every nerve humming with the overwhelming urge for release, just about to topple over the edge—

That is, until Doflamingo stops moving altogether. 

His powerful movements cease so abruptly that Law’s mind blanks for a few moments.

“W-what’s—why?” He splutters in confusion, the ability to form words completely lost to him.

“Look up, little one.” 

Law, stupidly, raises his head.

His lips part as he catches the outline of their entangled bodies, reflected in the full-length mirror against the wall. The moon is still high in the night sky, its pale light glistening off the sheen of sweat clinging onto their overheated skin. 

Doflamingo has Law arranged in his lap so that his smooth thighs are spread widely over his own, exposing all of his shame. He can make out his hole in the glass, red and puffy, fluttering helplessly around Doflamingo’s considerable girth. It steals his breath to see himself impaled on that monstrosity, and Law whimpers in shame as he takes in his own member, humiliatingly small in comparison and painfully hard against the flat of his stomach. 

Law trails his gaze up to the splattered mess on his abdomen, a reminder of the countless times his body has been brought to orgasm…

He then makes the terrible mistake of meeting Doflamingo’s blood-red eyes through the mirror.

Predator.

Prey.

Behind him, the monster stretches his lips into a too-wide grin, drinking in Law’s gaze like he could hear his most wicked and forbidden thoughts.

“You look absolutely ravishing on my cock, don’t you agree?” 

Against his better judgment, Law tears his gaze away from Doflamingo to study his own reflection.

Law doesn’t look like himself in the glass. 

The intoxicated expression painted on his face makes him look erotic and downright sinful—slackened jaw, flushed cheeks, and lips wet with toxic want. It’s as though his reflection has been tainted and possessed by black magic.

The boy trapped behind the mirror stares back at him with a dark, knowing expression.

Yes, his other self whispers, the corner of those lips curling wickedly. We do look ravishing, don’t we?

Law looks away, deeply unsettled by the traitorous part of himself that has materialized in the mirror, afraid that if he stares for too long, he might lose himself entirely to that hungry version of himself…

“Fufufu, what would your clients say if they saw you like this, warming my cock like a good little whore?” Doflamingo’s cruel words cut through his thoughts as sharply as a whip braided from thorns, and Law flinches as if he’s been lashed. “Perhaps you’re in the wrong line of work, doctor.”

Law feels his entire face heat up with embarrassment. “I–I’m not a whore!”  

“No?” He tenses as a monstrous hand wraps around his cock, trying not to imagine what an accidental swipe of those claws could do to him. “…but this part of you clearly says otherwise,” Doflamingo continues, circling his thumb around his slit, smearing the bead of precum that has formed there. “Only a slut would still be dripping wet after cumming so many times...”

“A-ah stop that...” Law squirms, hissing in pain.

Doflamingo releases his weeping cock, but his torture is far from over. Law gasps as two large hands palm the meat of his ass, spreading his cheeks apart to offer a prime view of his most intimate parts.

“This lewd hole of yours is something else,” the monster leers at his exposed, dishevelled state before delivering a brutal slap to his asscheek. Law squeaks, beyond mortified when his hole won’t stop twitching long after the assault, as though anticipating more. “Fufufu, so tight, so responsive! Do you see this, Law?”

Humiliated, Law squeezes his eyes shut, wishing he could will everything disappear—the mirror, Doflamingo, himself…

“Aw, feeling shy?” He can feel Doflamingo’s amused chuckle vibrate against his sweaty back. “Come on, pretty boy, it’s only the two of us…”

“N-no…” Law shakes his head adamantly, refusing to fall for the monster’s trap.

“Open your eyes, sweet thing,” Doflamingo coaxes in that deep, lilting voice of his, making his blood heat up. “Wanna see those gorgeous eyes…”

“I don’t—I don’t like this, please...”

“Don't act coy, now. I’ve been inside your dreams, remember?” Doflamingo breathes heavily into his ear, and Law wishes he could tune him out as easily as he could shut his eyes, dreading what’s coming next. “I know you love it when I do these awfully mean things to you…”

“T-that’s not true…” Law whispers, even though deep down, he knows it is.

“I can see straight through your sweet little lies,” Doflamingo licks along the shell of his ear, filthy and intimate, making Law shudder with too many conflicting emotions. “You’re a masochist, darling. Isn’t that why you threw yourself at me in the doorway, hoping I’d have my way with you?”

"I’m not—" Law's eyes flutter open, denial at the tip of his tongue, but his words instantly die in his throat at the sight that greets him.

Ruby bleeds into gold.

And there it is again—that infernal quality blazing behind those scarlet eyes, annihilating whatever thoughts he had just moments ago.  

“What a delicious expression,” Doflamingo purrs, and Law melts under the heat of that devastating gaze, hopelessly awestruck and unable to look away. “I haven’t seen a more lovely shade of gold. Keep those pretty eyes open. Can you do that for me, little one?”

He swallows thickly, nodding without even realizing it.

“That’s a good boy,” Doflamingo plants a chaste kiss to his cheek, and Law can’t help the thousand fluttering butterflies threatening to burst out of his chest. “Now, be a dear and start moving your hips.”

Law can feel his heart pounding loudly against his ribcage. A dark thrill rushes up his spine as he studies himself in the mirror. With his legs spread open and his ass stretched wide around a too big cock, Law looks filthy in the most erotic way possible. The sight deeply unsettles him yet excites him at the same time. It makes him feel strangely powerful.

Swallowing thickly, Law cants his hips up, keening as the movement has the thick of Doflamingo dragging deliciously against his walls. It's only when the tip nearly slips out of his wet hole that he plunges.

Law throws his head back in ecstasy as the full of Doflamingo rams inside him in one swift movement, the journey made easy from the copious amount of semen coating his insides. He must be quite the sight, with his eyes rolled back and his wet lips open around a depraved moan, all the while bouncing on monster cock.

He gradually builds a steady rhythm, chasing that delectable friction he’s become so helplessly addicted to, but it’s not enough. Certainly not enough to push him over the edge.

Frustrated, Law wraps a tight fist around his neglected member, stroking himself languidly, until—

“Ah-ah, I don’t think so,” Doflamingo tuts chidingly, twisting both of his hands painfully behind his back. “You should know better than to try that, little one.”

Law shoots him a pleading look through the mirror. The words please, please, please, at the tip of his tongue…

“Oh, don’t look so surprised,” the monster’s teeth are a white flash against his neck, glinting like a blade drawn in the dark. “Sluts don’t get to use their hands. Fufufu, you’ll only get to come from your lewd hole.”

Law shouldn’t have expected anything less from the sadistic bastard.

Restricted to the use of his legs only, he rocks himself clumsily in Doflamingo’s lap, fatigue soon making his movements sluggish and wobbly. Doflamingo doesn’t seem to mind, though. If anything, he’s practically brimming with amusement, undoubtedly drawing great pleasure from watching Law writhe on his cock.

Law feels tears of frustration well up in his eyes, his breaths growing heavy and labored. His gaze drifts, once again, to find the mirror. 

A grave mistake.

He is wholly unprepared for what awaits him there.

The thing that wears his skin stares back at him. Watching him this entire time. Waiting for the slightest opening. Law’s eyes snap wide open with horror as he notices the curve of those lips slowly, deliberately rising… and then, from his own throat, a small, broken sound that’s not his own escapes.

“P-please…”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

“Please,” Law repeats on a shuddering breath.

“I’m afraid I can’t hear you,” Doflamingo chuckles. “You’ll have to speak a little louder.”

“Please,” Law moans again, voice laced with desperation. "It's not enough… I can’t—I want to cum, please.”

“Not enough?” The monster coos, voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Then you’ll have to work a little harder, my dear.”

“Please,” Law slurs, wet lips parting to let out a filthy whine as he drops his weight down on Doflamingo’s cock. “I can’t do it like you, it’s not the same—I need more.”

“Oh my, what a greedy thing you are,” Doflamingo laughs, red eyes glowing triumphantly. “If you want something then you’ll have to ask nicely, Law.”

“Please,” Law sobs pathetically, eyes watering with unshed tears. “I want you to fuck me, Do-Dofla—Doffy!” 

Behind him, the monster's expression flickers—a look of surprise flashing for just a heartbeat—before melting into an indulgent smile that Law would almost describe as fond.

“How can I refuse when you beg so prettily, sweetheart?”

Law’s heart skips a few beats at the endearing pet name. Sweetheart.

He barely has time to suck in a shaky breath when rough hands wrap tightly under his thighs, lifting him up and folding his knees until they are pressed against those inhumanly broad shoulders. His ass put on complete display, Law can do nothing but gasp and squirm as Doflamingo rubs his cockhead playfully against his entrance, making his hole flutter wildly under the onslaught.

“Eager, aren’t you?” Doflamingo teases, catching his eye in the mirror. “Are you ready for me, Law?”

Law moans shamelessly, nodding with desperation for the monster to ruin him.

Doflamingo simply laughs, full of delight. Without further warning, he bucks his hips to meet the meat of Law's ass, burying himself to the hilt.

“Doffy," Law breathes, feeling impossibly, splendidly full. “Oh, it feels so good—

Doflamingo growls in appreciation, all the while fucking him raw and senseless. "Yes, keep moaning my name, Law.”

"Doffy, Doffy, Doffy!” Law chants airily, his voice registering higher and higher with each merciless thrust. “Yes, right there—ah!”

The wet, squelching sound of skin slapping against skin echoes sharply in the air as Doflamingo repeatedly dives into that delicious, spine-tingling bundle of nerves with expert precision. 

Oh, it’s the single most pleasurable thing Law has ever experienced, and he doesn’t even care how whorish he looks or sounds right now. All that matters is the liquid fire simmering in his lower belly, threatening to erupt and drown him in molten ecstasy. At the same time, he can feel Doflamingo's fiery eyes burn holes into his skin, like they’re prepared to commit to memory the exact moment Law falls apart on his cock...

“Feels so good inside you,” the creature rasps, picking up the pace until the wet, filthy sounds that accompany each brutal stab become indistinguishable from one another. “Say that you’re mine, Law.”

“A-ah, ‘m yours, all yours,” Law blabbers, the words barely registering in his mind as they ring loudly in his ears. There is no thinking—only feeling—and Law feels glorious. “Please don’t stop, Doffy! I think I’m going to—”

A tortured sound that’s between a scream and a sob tears from his throat as every muscle in his body tightens until he has no choice but to let go. His back lurches as he is struck with a violent surge of euphoria, cascading over him and making him see white.

Coming down from his high feels like falling from the heavens; Law is a shooting star, soaring across the night sky in a burst of brilliance, only to crash down to earth. Never to burn again.

His body goes completely limp afterwards, jostling like a ragdoll in Doflamingo's lap as he continues sinking into his heat. Before long, the monster lets out an animalistic growl as he slams deep inside Law’s well-used hole, sweaty balls pulsating against his smaller ones to flood his insides with another fat load of cum.

Law is struck with an intense wave of fatigue; his head suddenly feels very, very heavy. That, and a barrage of other feelings he doesn’t want to name. Behind him, Doflamingo sighs contently against his shoulder as he slowly pulls out of his hole, leaving him gaping and clenching around nothing.

He lets out a broken whine as an obscene amount of semen oozes out of his hole, leaving him cold and empty. He can hardly lift his head, exhausted as he is, but when he finally manages to lift his eyes, his breath is completely stolen away.

Law doesn’t recognize the stranger in the mirror.

He finds himself face to face with an unfamiliar boy with golden eyes, heavy-lidded and glazed over with drunken lust. The poor thing’s complexion is littered with dark bruises and kiss marks, his skin streaked with semen. Irrevocably used and defiled.

A wrecked boy who allowed himself to become a monster’s plaything.

…and now, a broken toy.

Like a marionette with its strings cut, Law drops his head to the side, exposing his throat in a display of raw submission. 

When Doflamingo sinks into the crook of his neck, Law allows it. He watches, transfixed and entranced by their reflection, as the tip of those fangs teases along the curve of his throat, making something dark flutter in his stomach.

Doflamingo pauses right above his pulse point, as though sensing his heartbeat thrumming beneath his flesh.

Then, a jolt of raw pain pierces through his skin. 

Law hears a sharp intake of breath behind him, echoing the strained cry that tears out of his throat.

His gaze instinctively flickers up. He is shocked yet unsurprised to find blood spilling from where Doflamingo bit him, the thick liquid streaming down his neck and shoulder.

That's a lot of blood…  

Behind him, the creature's eyes blaze a deeper, brighter red.

Recovering from his gasp of shock, the monster laps his tongue over the wound again, this time more slowly, as if reluctant to trust his own senses. His breath stutters loudly at the contact, and judging by the deep, rumbling sound that escapes his throat next, he must have enjoyed the taste of Law’s blood very, very much. 

Unfortunately for Law, those gentle licks do not last for long. 

In the next instant, Doflamingo is feasting on his neck like a starved animal. Wet sounds of licking and suckling fill the cool evening air, punctured by low, guttural snarls that remind him of the sounds of an unthinking beast.

“Hey… slow down,” Law croaks, suddenly aware that he is losing too much blood, too fast.

To his dismay, Doflamingo shows no signs of slowing down, returning from each swipe of his rough tongue with an even more wild look in his eyes. 

Starting to feel dangerously light-headed, Law squirms in a desperate attempt to untangle himself from the monster, knowing that he can’t afford to let this go on for much longer. The hold on his shoulders only tightens in response, and Law howls in pain when those sharp teeth dig even deeper into his broken skin, drawing more blood.

“Ah, wait, hurts—”

But it’s futile. All he can hear is Doflamingo drinking deeply from his neck. Unabashed, obscene groans vibrating from the back of the creature’s throat with each mouthful of warm blood. 

“Doflamingo, please stop!” Law pleads, his body trembling like a leaf in the monster’s lap.

Yet, as Doflamingo continues draining his blood, there's an undercurrent of pleasure that's begun pulsing through his veins. A soothing, buoyant heat that radiates from the open wound on his neck, gradually spreading throughout his entire body…

This isn’t normal, Law tells himself, before the thought is swept away by that enchanting wave of warmth, wrapping around his body and melting away the panic and unbearable pain from before. He is on the brink of giving into that weightless state of bliss when at last, with a deeply satisfied sigh, Doflamingo pulls back from his neck. 

“Fufufu, did you think I was going to lose control, Law?” 

The lower half of the monster's face is entirely coated in crimson, matching the vibrant glow of those incendiary eyes, so overwhelmingly red they may as well be soaked in his blood.

Doflamingo has never looked more terrifying.

“I went a little overboard, didn’t I?” He muses in that infuriating, playful tone of his, as if he didn’t nearly bleed him to death. Law cries out as a coarse tongue slides up and down the length of his abused neck, slurping up the remaining blood. The monster then takes a raspy, shuddering breath before speaking again. “Fufufu, not that I could help myself…”

In his weakened state, Law only manages to muster a furious glare at his tormenter. “Doflamingo! You could have killed me just now!”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You’re well and alive, aren’t you?”

“I told you to stop, and you wouldn’t listen to me!” 

“But I did stop… eventually,” Doflamingo drawls, his tone blatantly unapologetic. “Could you truly blame me for losing a bit of control, my dear Law, when your blood is so irresistible?” He closes his eyes blissfully, inhaling deeply through his nose. “You have no idea how sweet and enticing you taste, darling, far more exquisite than anything I’ve had before…”

Law is fuming in silent fury. Of all the awful things he allowed Doflamingo to get away with tonight, this is not one of them… 

“You don’t believe me,” Doflamingo’s lips, still stained with his blood, warp into a wicked smile that would terrify even the bravest of men. “Come, have a taste and see for yourself.”

Law narrows his eyes suspiciously. 

Without further warning, hungry lips crash against his own, the metallic taste of blood unmistakable as a thick tongue invades his mouth, ravaging him. After a moment of pure shock, he breaks free from the kiss—if he can even call it one—until they are connected by nothing but a string of saliva and blood.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting!” He wipes his mouth furiously after spitting out the distasteful mixture.

“Fufufu, what a waste of precious blood!” Doflamingo cackles, throwing his head back with frenzy, clearly still drunk on his blood.

Law’s stomach drops, not liking the maniacal look in the monster’s expression.

A jolt of panic surges through him as a pillar of arms suddenly wraps around his legs, spreading them as wide as they can go. Before he can even resist, his body is entirely lifted off the mattress, suspended in mid-air and splayed out like a human sacrifice.

“What do you think you’re doing, Doflamingo?” Law demands, feeling unbearably vulnerable and exposed.

“What does it look like, little one?”

He looks down, and it’s only too late when he notices the thing that’s standing fully erect beneath him, ready for the next round of entertainment…

“Wait, I’m not ready—” he starts, thrashing uselessly against the monster’s vice-like hold.

To his absolute horror, Law is all but dropped onto Doflamingo’s waiting cock.

Unprepared for the sensation of being impaled so suddenly and so intensely, he comes completely untouched. The orgasm crashes over him like a punch to the gut, at the very intersection of pain and pleasure. His body convulses violently through its aftershocks, so overwhelming he nearly forgets how to breathe. His throbbing cock spurts what little seed he has left, only a small dribble glistening at his tip.

In hindsight, the monster’s silence throughout Law’s humiliating undoing should have been his first warning. 

Too quiet.

Then, it hits him—an eerie, skin prickling feeling crawling up his spine. A sensation akin to an ice cold drop of water trickling down his back, raising every hair in a wave of goosebumps.  

He raises his head, slowly and reluctantly, until his gaze is level with the monster’s in the mirror, his heart thundering with dread.

The creature’s dark pupils are blown completely wide, nearly devouring the scarlet of his eyes. They stare intensely at Law’s ruined form, enraptured by the sight of him unravelling from a single thrust. 

Law feels like he’s being swallowed whole by that dark, ravenous gaze.

Then, like a candle being blown out, those dilated pupils suddenly contract into thin slits. But the horror doesn’t end there—the crimson irises swell, bleeding rapidly outward and swallowing the whites of the eyes until they become nothing but endless pools of blood.

An unhinged look.

It’s a horrifying sight pulled straight out of a nightmare.

Paralyzed with fear, Law wonders if this is what it feels like to stare straight into the devil's eyes, moments before his soul is devoured whole.

In the next instant, the world blurs.

His vision swimming with disorientation, Law is only faintly aware that he’s being flung onto his back, his head pressed harshly against something hard. The bed’s headboard. He can feel rough hands pressing against the inner parts of his quivering thighs, parting them. Law squeals as Doflamingo plunges inside him, thrusting and in out of him as deep as he can go, uncaring for his comfort.

Overstimulated, Law pushes against the monster’s chest, trying to find purchase there, only for his hands to be forcefully pinned above his head. 

“Please, I just came—”

His pleas are not only ignored, but silenced as Doflamingo’s mouth collides with his, thick tongue pressing against the back of his throat to drown out his helpless little sounds…

Can’t breathe…

The monster’s body moves like the violent waves of the deep ocean. A force of terrifying, raw strength that will not relent. Law is consumed with each harsh grind of those hips. 

Unable to do anything but take it, Law surrenders himself until all he can taste, feel and breathe is Doflamingo.

---

He must have passed out at some point. 

When Law comes to, he rouses to the familiar sensation of being rocked beneath a much larger body. 

“Ah, there you are,” Doflamingo breathes out in relief, reaching down to remove a strand of hair sticking to Law’s forehead. “I was beginning to worry...”

Law doesn't know how long he’s been out of it. 

All he knows is that the feral look in Doflamingo’s eyes has melted away; the violent movements of his hips have ebbed into gentle rolls; and the sharp fingers that manacled his wrists so forcefully before are now intertwined with his own…

Then, in an impossibly sweet gesture, Doflamingo slides Law’s smooth legs off his shoulders, lowering himself to his elbows before capturing his lips in a tender, passionate kiss. Law melts into it, the intimacy of it all making him blissfully dizzy.

Like this, with their foreheads pressed together, it’s almost as though Doflamingo’s making love to him…

When they finally break apart, Doflamingo untangles his fingers from Law’s hand to trace along his jawline.

“Law… I didn’t mean to lose control earlier,” Doflamingo admits softly, his throat tightening visibly. “Will you forgive me?” 

Law can tell by the clench of his jaw that he’s nervously awaiting his response. The vulnerable sight of him like this, regret written all over his face, makes his heart squeeze with an indescribable feeling.

“Okay,” he relents, cupping the warm hand on his cheeks, watching those tense features gradually soften. “Okay, I forgive you.”

Doflamingo’s face lights up instantly.

He rolls them to their sides so that they’re both facing the window, their bodies bathing under the faint moonlight. Propping Law’s leg up, Doflamingo holds it captive as he fills the aching heat between his thighs with slow and easy thrusts. Law utters nothing but a weak mewl as the new angle rubs insistently against his sweet, sensitized spot... shuddering when a dry orgasm eventually washes over him.

All the while, Doflamingo traces wet kisses along the length of his inner thigh, whispering sweet nothings against his skin. So good for me Law, my pretty boy, all mine, mine mine mine...

“—can I?"

Law blinks, looking up at those bright red eyes with a dazed expression. "W-what?"

“Law, can I have another taste?” Doflamingo’s fangs are plush against the velvety skin of his thigh, its sharp tip glinting in the darkness. His intentions couldn’t be made more obvious. “...please? I promise I’ll be gentle.”

Law considers him for a few seconds. They both know that Doflamingo could have easily latched his teeth into his flesh and there would be little he could do but endure it. The fact that he asked for his permission—so earnestly, so sincerely—tugs at something tender in his chest, against his will.

"Fine,” Law says weakly, far too easily, and it only comes to him now how terrible he is at denying Doflamingo. “but you have to stop when I tell you to."

True to his words, Doflamingo is exceedingly gentle with him this time.

Even as Law watches those fangs sink into the supple meat of his thigh, he feels no pain, only a prickling heat blossoming from his now ruptured skin. He shivers as Doflamingo’s tongue twirls lightly around the wound, sucking the blood so delicately it feels as though he’s sampling him. 

Then, a familiar, tingling sensation thrums from where Doflamingo’s lips meet his skin. An intense burst of warmth follows suit, pulsating through his veins and radiating from that same spot on his thigh. Law closes his eyes, giving in that splendid state of weightlessness, the indescribable feeling akin to soaring through the clouds…

When he opens his eyes again, he is shocked to stare down at his own face through eyes that are his and yet not quite his own. 

Law blinks, and when the image lingers instead of dissipating, his mind reels from witnessing the impossible. And yet, disturbingly, the phenomenon doesn’t feel entirely foreign to him.

He is reminded of the horrible nightmare that haunted him a month ago, the memory of lapsing into the monster’s mind flaring to life behind his eyes. He recalls staring down at a young girl, her body cold and unmoving in his arms, the full moon illuminating the dark trees surrounding them...

Law jumps to the quick conclusion that he’s seeing himself from Doflamingo’s point-of-view. 

His thoughts are pushed away when a sudden explosion of flavour erupts in the back of his mouth; there are no words to describe the sublime taste that fills his mouth, the intensity of it only comparable to biting into an overripe fruit, its juices bursting with heavenly sweetness. It takes every shred of self-control for him not to sink deeper into that supple flesh…

Just as he thrusts into that tight, blissful heat once more, he feels the boy’s tiny body tremble weakly against his own.

He lowers his gaze to drink in those golden eyes, shining with unshed tears of pleasure. The very same eyes that have haunted him for weeks, reminding him of the blazing sun during the high noon. Beautiful, yet utterly frightening.

The connection between them escalates—weightless, devastating and all-consuming—until their bodies and minds blur beyond recognition. It feels like drowning and flying at the same time, simply too much. Law only has enough presence of mind to realize that this is wrong, that the human body is not equipped to experience such overwhelming sensations, that he might go insane from the intensity of it all…

It takes insurmountable effort for him to tear himself from that blissful state where their body and mind are one. Just as he comes crashing back to reality—his reality—a piercing sound rings in his ears, capturing his attention.

It’s the dagger, humming from beneath his pillow where he carefully hid it, pulsating like a racing heart. Warning him.

It's now or never, Kikoku whispers. Use me to kill the red-eyed monster now, while he is still distracted and vulnerable…

One upward glance, and Law can tell that Doflamingo is still floating in that heightened plane of existence, experiencing nothing but hot, mind-numbing ecstasy. Lost in the throes of pleasure.

He feels his fingers twitch, his survival instincts screaming at him to reach for the deadly weapon… 

…but he can’t bring himself to. 

A sharp throb spreads in his heart at the thought of Doflamingo hurt in any way. The mere idea of him wounded, fatally and by his own hand, feels like a knife twisting deep in his own stomach. Unbearable.

No, he can’t bring himself to harm Doflamingo, not when he’s holding onto Law like it would kill him to let go. Even as his own body fails him with each passing second, his strength bleeding out...

Something inside him quietly shatters. Forgive me, I can’t do it. I can’t do it—

“You’re doing so well, my dear,” Doflamingo praises, oblivious to the conflict warring inside Law, his mouth still covering the small wound on his thigh. “Just a little longer, okay? The full moon is nearly over… I can feel it.”  

The softness in his voice stirs a raw ache that seeps deep into his core.

A whisper from his youth echoes in his ear. Words long buried in the murky depths of his childhood memories, but never forgotten.

Mommy, what happens to the people who get caught by the red-eyed creature? 

Nobody knows, my dear, for they vanish into the darkness, never to see the light again…

Law turns his head to the side, eyes widening at the full moon’s descent. Its pale, silver light sinks slowly toward the dark horizon, glistening off distant clouds and leaving a coldness behind its trail that echoes the hollowness in his chest.

He had been so consumed by the threat of the full moon’s rise that he never thought to fear its fall. He failed to understand that the moon, for all its terror, provides the last sliver of light holding back absolute darkness.

And now, it’s completely gone…

It’s the blackest hour—silent, heavy, and still.

That wicked, bewitched stretch of night when the world holds its breath, and even the deepest shadows slip quietly into the endless void.  

The darkest hours come just before dawn.

And Law fears, deep in his heart, that he won’t live to see the sunrise.

He wonders if he too, will fade into obscurity, joining the faceless victims that drift between the lost pages of tales long forgotten. Just another poor soul who gave his body away to the red-eyed creature.

Something wet trickles down his cheek, and it takes a moment for Law to realize that he’s crying. Once the tears spill from his eyes, they won’t relent, carving raw, glistening paths down his face like thawing rivers in springtime, breaking free from the winter’s cold.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Doflamingo whispers, removing his lips from his thigh, voice burning with concern. “Am I hurting you?”

Law drapes an arm over his eyes, his body shuddering with each wrecking sob. 

“Law, why won’t you look at me?”  

He reluctantly removes his arms, unable to deny Doflamingo even at his most vulnerable. Not when he sounds like that.

“So beautiful even when you’re crying,” Doflamingo murmurs, his fingertips turned smooth, gently wiping away the tears wetting his cheeks. “Tell me what’s wrong, sweetheart.”

“I’m—I’m scared,” Law chokes in between sobs, and it’s only when the words escape his trembling lips that he realizes he's admitted it aloud for the first time. The weight of it is both liberating and soul shattering. “What’s going to happen to me, Doffy?”  

His mind drifts, hazy and disjointed, and it takes tremendous effort for him to anchor himself back to consciousness. When he looks up, he realizes Doflamingo’s lips are moving.

He’s saying something to me…

Law tries to hang onto the thread of lucidity, but it's like struggling to stay afloat in an unforgiving sea, only to be dragged deeper and deeper into dark waters by cold, raging waves.

His vision gradually blackens at the edges.

The last thing he sees are those vivid eyes, glinting like rare rubies in the darkness. It's only now, at the very end, that he realizes how beautiful and expressive they truly are.  

Complete darkness closes in, seeping like shadows swallowing up the light…

…and then, Law knows no more.

Notes:

👀

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!