Work Text:
Law was having noodles with a thick starchy gravy. It had fried fish, which he loved. He picked up a cracker with his chopstick, and bit into it. His eyes widened when his cracked tooth hurt, and he quickly spat it out and ran his tongue over the tooth. He had done it now; it was really cracked. Whereas there was no gap in his tooth before, he could now feel the rift that separated the two halves of his tooth. “Oh shit…”
Doflamingo looked at him with concern. “Law?”
“It looks like my tooth finally snapped into half. The dentist said that it wasn’t a cracked tooth, but she turned out to be wrong.” Law huffed. “I should have pressed further when I was there. Now it’s really broken.”
Doflamingo frowned. “Poor Law. Maybe you should go to the dentist again.”
“The dentist said that I didn’t have a cracked tooth, even though now I can feel the crack with my tongue. They won’t take me seriously, because they haven’t taken me seriously before.” Law replied miserably. He was at a loss for what to do.
“Maybe you will get a new doctor with a new appointment,” Doflamingo smiled at him encouragingly. “Maybe they’ll take one look at your tooth and decide that it needs treatment now.”
Law nodded slowly, as he thought about what Doflamingo said. “You’re right… Maybe they’ll do that.”
They finished their noodles together, and Doflamingo bid him goodbye as he went to work. Law sighed and called the hospital to make an appointment.
***
As it turned out, the hospital was busy, and Law had to wait until next month before he could visit the dentist. In the meantime, Law was careful not to chew on that side of his mouth. Eating made him miserable, though he was starting to get used to it. At least fish was often soft, and did not make his cracked tooth hurt. Law liked fish, too, so he ate as much of it as he could.
That night, he cooked fish for dinner, and Doflamingo had come home for dinner, even though he usually settled his dinner outside. It made Law happy, because eating alone made him feel lonely.
“Law,” Doflamingo meowed, as he looked up at Law.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like fish?” Law wondered.
Doflamingo’s concerned look vanished as he burst into a wide grin. “We’ll be having a party!”
“A party? For what?”
“Work,” Doflamingo explained. “It’s to entertain our business partners. We’ve invited their spouses as well, so you’ll attend too, won’t you?”
Law frowned. “I don’t do well in parties. You should know that I’m on the spectrum, Doffy – I don’t socialize well, if at all. Usually, all that happens at parties is that people leave me alone while I sit in a corner and eat.”
Doflamingo meowed again. He looked at Law with pleading eyes.
“Oh, come on, don’t look at me like that.” Law sighed.
“Please, Law? Everyone’s spouses will be there. I want to show you off as well.” Doflamingo meowed softly. “You’re so handsome, Law. I’m sure everyone will be jealous.”
It felt as if Doflamingo was begging, and Law absolutely could not take it when Doflamingo begged him. He grumbled, “Fine, but don’t expect me to do anything but sit in a corner quietly. I already told you, I can’t socialize. You’re not going to impress anyone with an awkward spouse.”
Doflamingo relaxed and started smiling as if his world had lit up once again. “You can maintain some mystique if you don’t talk, Law! I’m sure they’ll be impressed by you.”
Law glared at Doflamingo. He wished that he wasn’t so weak as to agree to every of Doflamingo’s whim. “No, they absolutely won’t.”
Doflamingo chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows at him. “They absolutely will.”
***
Law had not been looking forward to the event all week. He focused on looking for work, and even attended a couple of interviews. In the meantime, he expected to sit in a corner quietly while Doflamingo entertained his guests.
Doflamingo, however, had been anticipating the party all week. Law hadn’t told him about the interviews, mostly because Doflamingo had returned home quite late, and they hadn’t had much time to talk to each other. Doflamingo was looking forward to spending time with Law while being at a work event. If he could, he would have spent every waking hour with Law. Unfortunately, he had his own business to attend to, so he couldn’t.
Orochi was the first to arrive. He was a human with an extraordinarily large head. Accompanying him was a green haired woman, who by conventional standards was absolutely stunning. Compared to her, Orochi looked like a beast. Doflamingo was glad that he himself was quite handsome, and therefore, quite deserving of someone as good-looking as Law.
“Welcome! Do have a seat, Orochi! And your name is?” Doflamingo stretched his hand out to the woman.
“I am Komurasaki, nice to meet you.” The lady said with a smile, letting Doflamingo take her hand.
Doflamingo grinned. He bent over and ghosted his lips over her hand. “It’s my pleasure. Allow me to introduce you both to my husband – this is Law. Law, this is Orochi and Komurasaki.”
Law was already seated at the table. The meals were not served yet, so he busied himself with sipping some wine. He put his drink down and faked a smile as soon as Doflamingo introduced him, awkwardly nodding at Orochi and Komurasaki. He was certain that he would forget their names almost immediately, and he was right. “Nice to meet you.”
Orochi sat down beside Law, and started to grin at him. “So, you’re Doflamingo’s husband? I wasn’t expecting you to be a human.”
Law wasn’t sure how to respond. He chuckled awkwardly. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to marry a cat man, either.”
Doflamingo received Kaido next. Unlike Orochi, Kaido was a cat man, who was even taller and larger than Doflamingo. He had long dark hair, and his tail was black and extremely fluffy. He looked absolutely majestic. Law smiled at him as Doflamingo introduced them to each other. Kaido’s tail swished in the air as he looked at Law, and he blinked slowly at him. He approached Law, sniffing him in curiousity. Law tried to keep still instead of flinching away; he felt awkward that a stranger was getting so close to him. He assumed that Kaido was just curious about what he smelled like, because cat people were sensitive to smell.
When Kaido was done, he sat beside Doflamingo, and Doflamingo immediately got the waiter to serve him some traditional cat people alcohol. Law wondered who the more important business partner was, but gave up speculating. He had no way of knowing from how friendly Doflamingo was with the both of them. He relaxed a little as he tried out what Kaido was having, while Doflamingo chatted with his business partners. He was fine as long as he wasn’t expected to do any small talk. His face began to feel warm, and he felt lightheaded and fuzzy.
“...So you see, I had completely lost my memories, and there Law was, offering to help me!” Doflamingo was telling his guests about how he and Law had met.
“He didn’t know who you were?” Orochi asked loudly.
“Not at all! He had no clue who I was, and he took me home, just like that!”
Kaido laughed heartily, his voice resounding in the room. He glanced at Law with a grin. “Interesting! Maybe I should get hit by a car, too! Were you hurt, Doffy?”
“Not at all! I’d just lost my memories. But yes, that was an experience that I would recommend. Who knows, you might meet a hot and kind human like I have!”
Law smiled quietly as he sat there, listening. He noticed that Komurasaki did not say anything, either, and that most of the interaction happened between the business partners, who were already familiar with each other. He, too, was surprised to witness Doflamingo’s partying side. Doflamingo soaked up most of the attention, and had the charisma of an emcee. He made boring things sound interesting. Law was also happy that Doflamingo remembered how they met. It felt like Doflamingo really loved him. His gaze met with Kaido’s, then Orochi’s, and he smiled at them as they grinned and raised their cups at him. He awkwardly raised his cup in return, hoping that he would not seem too standoffish. They were being quite friendly towards him, even though they barely talked to him, since Doflamingo was soaking up most of the spotlight.
Dinner was served, and platters were put in the center of the table for everyone to take from. Law was about to focus on getting his own food, but Doflamingo used his chopsticks and grabbed some fish for Law. Law’s eyes widened as Doflamingo lovingly piled his plate high with small portions of every seafood that there was on the table, before serving himself. Kaido and Orochi had no problem serving themselves, and Orochi mostly left Komurasaki to her own devices, even as he cuddled her and whispered sweetly into her ear. Law liked being the center of Doflamingo’s attention even when other people were around. It made him feel loved and cared for. The large cat man truly wanted him to taste the delicious dishes. He smiled as he ate his food, taking care to chew on the side of his mouth without a cracked tooth. He was happy, but he was sure that he would be happier if he didn’t have a cracked tooth, and was free to eat as he normally would. As they ate, Kaido and Orochi looked at him and smiled at him again, so he smiled back.
After dinner, the table was cleared, and the group sat around nursing their drinks, while a cat woman played a guitar of some sort next to them. Kaido, Orochi and Doflamingo laughed boisterously as they chatted. Law was already pleasantly drunk. He watched as Kaido put an arm around Doflamingo and patted his back. He was happy that Doflamingo and his business partners were on such good terms. The two meowed together to the tune of the music, as if it was a karaoke night.
Everyone was getting drunk, even the largest cat man of them all. Law noticed that Kaido was flirting with Doflamingo, winking at him and telling him that he was handsome. He chalked it up to Kaido being drunk, but he could not help being jealous. What made it worse was that Doflamingo did not seem to reject his advances; he continued being the gracious, jubilant host that he was, and let Kaido touch him anywhere he wanted. He forced himself to smile as Kaido looked his way and winked at him. He had a feeling that he could not afford to annoy Doflamingo’s business partners, so he tried to look the other way even as he seethed in silence. Was Kaido trying to tell him that he could do whatever he liked to Doflamingo in front of his partner with his wink?
Doflamingo, on the other hand, noticed that Kaido had winked at Law. Kaido and Orochi had been looking at Law and flirting with him ever since he sat down. If it had been someone else, he would have said something. Law, on the other hand, seemed slightly awkward as he smiled back at them. Doflamingo knew that Law was loyal to him, but even so, it still made him jealous that somebody else wanted his man. He did not mind that Kaido was getting touchy-feely with himself – Kaido tended to get flirty when he was drunk, which was preferable to him being depressed or angry – but he drew the line at flirting with his partner. He could not voice his dissatisfaction, so he simply rubbed against Law, letting his scent mingle with his human’s. Any cat person with half a brain would have known that he was marking his territory, but Kaido seemed too drunk to care. Instead, he shouted, “Oh, you and your husband are so loving! I wish I had a husband just like yours!”
“Well, you can get a husband, too, if you just got into a car accident,” Doflamingo grinned at him, as Law patted him on the head out of habit.
He’s patting me on the head, not you! Doflamingo thought victoriously.
“Looks like you two are still in the honeymoon period!” Orochi laughed aloud.
Kaido and Orochi’s gaze turned from Doflamingo towards Law. They grinned widely at him and maintained eye contact. It made Doflamingo feel as if he had swallowed something sour. He wanted to tell them not to flirt with his husband, but it would be rude to do so, especially since they have yet to openly say anything to him.
Eventually, the musician was dismissed, and a human began to play the piano at the corner of the room. Doflamingo was satisfied that Law smelt sufficiently like him, so he went back to Kaido. The larger cat man pulled him aside and whispered into his ear, “Doffy… We’ve been partners for such a long time. Your husband is quite cute for a human, isn’t he?”
Doflamingo puffed his chest out. He was proud of Law, even though the human probably felt that he was nothing to be proud of. “Of course he is, he’s my husband.”
Kaido’s alcohol-infused breath blew into his face as he exhaled sharply. “How about some alone time with just the three of us? I think Orochi might be interested, too...”
Law’s head snapped towards Kaido’s direction. Even though Kaido was whispering, he was still quite loud, and Law could hear him easily. His eyes widened as Orochi laughed and suggested, “Or, if you don’t mind, we could trade partners. You could share Law with us.”
Doflamingo breathed in deeply. He could not afford to lose his temper. Instead, he put an arm around Law possessively and laughed to defuse the situation. Had it been anyone else who suggested that, he would have pulled his gun out.
Law, on the other hand, was worried that Doflamingo would consider whoring him out. He knew that Doflamingo was protective of him, but these were his business partners, and the way he laughed gave him cause to be concerned.
He began to say Doflamingo’s name, when Doflamingo finally spoke. “I’m sorry to disappoint you guys, but we don’t have that kind of relationship. My husband and I are strictly monogamous.”
“Monogamous? But that’s so boring!” Orochi jeered.
Kaido’s face fell, and he sighed depressively. “Ah… The good ones are always taken and monogamous… It’s so depressing. I wish I had been in a car crash just like you, Doffy...”
Doflamingo hated it when Kaido got into his depressive mood swings. It brought the atmosphere down, but it could not be helped. Doflamingo would share his partner over his dead body. “I’m sure you’ll find someone worthy of you, Kaido. As for you, Orochi, I have plenty of subordinates that you can choose from, if you’re interested.”
Orochi frowned. “They’re all cat people, aren’t they? I’m only going to bed with humans, Doffy!”
Doflamingo chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Kaido looked at Law deeply in the eyes and took his hand. He rubbed his cheek against it, and gave it a kiss. “Oh, if only I had been the one to meet you...”
Law swallowed nervously and looked towards Doflamingo for help. He was clearly uncomfortable with Kaido’s advances.
Since Doflamingo had already marked Law with his scent, he was tempted to hit Kaido over the head with a bat for disrespecting his territory. However, he continued to smile, and patted Kaido on the shoulder, in effect distracting him from Law. “How do you feel about some desserts, Kaido?”
Kaido grinned at Doflamingo. He had forgotten about Law again. “Sounds good! I want a cake with some bourbon in it!”
Law heaved a sigh of relief. He decided to bail; his heart could only take so much. As soon as Doflamingo was unoccupied, Law quickly tapped him on the shoulder.
“Yes, my love?”
“Doffy, it’s getting late. I’m feeling tired – do you mind if I go back home early? You can stay if you want.”
Doflamingo meowed at him with understanding. “Of course, my dear! I’ll see you later at home!”
Law smiled at everyone in the room and bid them goodbye, before heading to the nearest train station. As he left the restaurant, he heaved a sigh of relief. It had been a long few hours.