Work Text:
Doflamingo was doing something that he had never done during his entire time spent living with Law. He had always resisted the urge to do so, because he wanted Law to see him as a person similar to himself. Although there were some things that he could not help, such as howling in distress whenever Law went to the bathroom without him, he tried his best to minimize his natural proclivities as a cat person.
He had been bored for a while; nobody in his family was replying to him fast enough, and he had grown bored of watching the news once he realized that it was propaganda. Law was sitting on the sofa; he was on his phone – Doflamingo assumed that he was looking for a job.
So he stood up, looking for something to do. That was, until he saw his tail from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head, and more of the tail materialized, but it moved away just as he was turning around. He ran around in circles, hoping to catch the tail.
He ignored the chuckle that he heard coming from Law and continued to chase his own tail. It was fun, and he was having a nice work out. He stopped when he caught it, and began to paw at it.
Suddenly, he realized that Law was watching him and filming him.
“Doffy! That’s the first time you’ve done something like that,” Law gushed, as he put his phone down. “It’s so cute!”
Doflamingo let go of his tail and dusted himself off. He tried his best to appear as dignified as he possibly could, but his cheeks were flushed from the embarrassment, and there was no hiding that. “I… I had a lapse of judgment. That’s all.”
Law grinned at him. “You don’t have to hide your natural instincts, Doffy. I know you’re a cat person, and cat people do have their quirks. I was wondering when you would feel comfortable enough around me to do something like that.”
Doflamingo meowed, as he looked at Law worriedly. He didn’t want Law to think any less of him for giving in to his instincts. “I didn’t want to do it, I swear. I’m a person, just like humans!”
Law seemed to realize what Doflamingo was worried about. He spoke with a sincere smile, “You don’t have to worry about that, Doffy. Despite our differences, you’ll always be a person to me. I mean, even humans are different from one another. We’re a completely different race – of course you’re going to be different from me. I’ll never see you as anything but a person, Doffy. You can do whatever it is that cat people like to do – I won’t judge.”
Doflamingo meowed gratefully at Law’s words. He went up to Law and rubbed their faces together. “Thank you, Law. You’re so open-minded. I should’ve trusted you... I love you.”
“I love you too, Doffy,” Law replied.
Doflamingo climbed onto the couch and rested his head on Law’s lap. Law patted his head gently and rubbed his ears. Doflamingo’s ears twitched, and he purred in contentment.
Suddenly, he had a flashback of someone licking his head and patting it. As he looked up at Law, he saw a different person – he saw a kind-looking man with long blond hair and woman beside him. A feeling of familiarity overwhelmed him, and he got up to hug the person.
The illusion faded when he realized that he was hugging Law, and that he was a fully grown cat man.
He gasped in realization. “Law, I think I’m remembering my past.”
Law looked at him in surprise. “What was it that you remembered, Doffy? You hugged me – was it a good memory?”
Doflamingo nodded. “I think… They were probably my parents. My father was patting my head. They were blond, and they looked down at me kindly. I bet they were good cat people. I felt safe and loved.”
“I’m glad it was a happy memory, Doffy.” Law stroked his goatee, as he thought about it. “Say, isn’t Trebol your step-father? Why is Trebol in the picture, but not your actual parents? Do you have any idea where they’ve gone?”
Doflamingo shook his head. “I don’t remember anything else. I probably should ask Trebol about them.”
With that, he picked up his phone and rang Trebol. The cat man on the other end picked up relatively quickly. “Hi. Doffy?”
Doflamingo meowed as a greeting. “Trebol, you’re my step-father, correct?”
“Of course, Doffy! I’ve been your step-father for most of your life. Why do you ask?”
“I just remembered something about my birth parents. Do you know what happened to them?”
Trebol meowed in reply. “I don’t know the details. When I met you, your mother wasn’t around. I don’t know what happened to your father.”
“Oh.” Doflamingo frowned. That did not seem too promising. “Do you think you can find out what happened to them for me, Trebol?”
“Why don’t you wait and see if you can remember anything else about them? We’re kind of busy right now.”
“Sure.” Doflamingo nodded. “Do you need help with anything?”
“There’s nothing that you can help with, yet,” Trebol replied. “We’ll call you if we need your help, Doffy.”
“Okay!” Doflamingo meowed. “Goodbye, Trebol!”
Doflamingo hung up, and he looked at Law. “Trebol says he doesn’t know anything. But I think he’s hiding something. He says that I should wait until I remember everything.”
Law nodded sympathetically. He didn’t trust Trebol at all, but he did not want to let Doflamingo know that, since Trebol was Doflamingo’s family. “I’m sorry, Doffy.”
Doflamingo sat there thoughtfully. He wondered what had happened to his mother before Trebol appeared. “He did say that my mother wasn’t around by the time we met, though. That means that my father was still around. Trebol probably knew what happened to him, but he didn’t want to tell me for some reason.”
Law tilted his head as he listened to Doflamingo’s pondering. “Hmm. It does sound like a big mystery.”
Doflamingo shrugged. “I’ll just have to wait until I remember everything.”
“What if it was a bad memory, Doffy?” Law asked, worriedly. “You said they were kind cat people. Surely something must have happened to them to have led you to be adopted by Trebol. Maybe you were orphaned.”
Doflamingo meowed sadly at the thought of his gentle parents being taken away from him. He held Law tightly, and sighed. “I guess that’s why Trebol didn’t want to tell me what happened to my father. He didn’t want to make me sad. And my mother – I wonder what happened to her?”
“We won’t know until you remember that.” Law wrapped his arms around Doflamingo’s larger body and patted his back gently. “But no matter how sad your memories will be, I’m here for you, Doffy.”
Doflamingo nodded. He knew that he could trust Law no matter what. “Thank you, Law.”
Law eventually let go of him, and he decided to rest against Law with one arm around him while the he used his phone. Doflamingo lazily shut his eyes and dozed off to sleep, feeling safe and secure.
He was a child again. He was dashing from corner to corner, trying to hide the parcel that he was supposed to deliver. He didn’t know who the parcel came from; all he knew was that he had to deliver it. It apparently contained something important. He could not afford to lose it.
An adult human suddenly appeared in front of him. “I know you have it, cat r at . Give it to me. Now.”
Doflamingo hissed, his hands tightening around the parcel.
The human went to him and kicked him to the ground. “Filthy cat rat! You’re not even a person! You’re worthless!”
Doflamingo mewled in terror and pain as blows after blows landed onto his tiny little body. He let go of the parcel, unable to hold on any longer.
The man picked up the parcel, and laughed maniacally. “I’ve got it! This should teach you a lesson, cat rat. When a superior human tells you to do something, you do it. Worthless animal.”
Doflamingo mewled helplessly as he watched the man disappear. The human’s words stung. He was just a cat, a worthless animal to the humans. That was why he didn’t hesitate to beat him up. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let himself cry.
“Doffy…?”
Doflamingo’s eyes opened wide, and he sprang up from the sofa. A human stood in front of him.
“You were mewling like someone had hurt you. Are you alright?”
Doflamingo hissed. All he saw was a human who was reaching towards him. He quickly swiped at the human’s hand with his claws. He had already given his warning; the human should have known better than to touch him.
“Ow!”
Doflamingo ran to the kitchen. He had to get away from the human. All he knew was that he hated humans, and they hated him, too.
He looked in the fridge for some alcohol, and found a can of beer inside. He took it, opened it, and drank it as quickly as possible. Then, he tossed it into the trash can, and looked down at his own hands. He was a fully grown adult, not a frightened child anymore. He thought about the human who had beaten him up, and realized that he was larger than he was. He didn’t need to feel frightened any longer.
He suddenly remembered that he was living with his husband, Law, and that he loved the human very much. Law wasn’t like other humans. He was safe around him.
He went back into the living room, and saw Law cradling his scratched hand. Doflamingo meowed in horror when he realized that he was the one who had done it to Law.
Law laughed awkwardly when he saw Doflamingo standing there. “I should get you a scratching post.”
Doflamingo’s heart sank. He felt terrible for having done that to Law. He meowed softly at Law, sitting down beside him. “I’m sorry, Law. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Law’s smile pierced Doflamingo’s heart. The human was always so kind and so gentle towards him.
“Let me see your hand?” He asked, as he took Law’s hand in his own. Law let him do as he liked, and Doflamingo lowered his head to lick at the wound. The blood tasted metallic on his tongue – it smelled fragrant and even tasted sweet, to his own surprise. His action was instinctive, although he was sure that cleaning the wound had its benefits, as well.
When he was done, he let go of Law’s hand. The wounds were not deep, but the scratches were wide and did draw quite some blood.
Doflamingo asked, “Do you need to see a doctor?”
Law shook his head. “You didn’t scratch me too deeply. I’ll give it two or three days to heal, maximum.”
Doflamingo meowed when he heard that. He was relieved. “I’m glad I hadn’t hurt you too much. I’m sorry. I had a nightmare.”
“I know, Doffy.” Law looked at him sympathetically. “You were mewling as if someone had hurt you. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I was a child, and I was delivering a parcel. I didn’t know what was inside it, but it was very important. An adult human came and beat me up while calling me names, then he took my parcel.” Doflamingo meowed angrily as he clenched his fists.
“I’m sorry, Doffy.” Law replied. He reached out to pat Doflamingo’s shoulder gently. “Do you think it’s a memory?”
“Yeah, I do think so.” Doflamingo nodded. “It seemed so real. No wonder Trebol said that I wouldn’t have married you if I remembered my past. Humans hate me and my kind. They have caused me so much suffering.”
Law lowered his head. He was at a loss for words. Instead, he took Doflamingo’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “I understand your anger towards humans, Doffy. I wish there’s something I could do to stop that from happening.”
Doflamingo returned the gesture and held Law’s smaller hand in his larger one. “It’s the past. There’s nothing you can do, Law. Please… Don’t come near me when I hiss. I don’t necessarily remember it’s you when I wake from one of those nightmares. I don’t want to end up accidentally hurting you.”
Law nodded. “I’ll give you some space, Doffy.”
Doflamingo smiled, and kissed Law’s hand. “You’re so understanding, Law.”