The Void in Our Hearts

Title: The Void in Our Hearts
Rating: T
Fandom: One Piece
Summary: Rocinante and Bellemere had died in the car accident. Their son was the only survivor. Doflamingo didn't want anything to do with the kid. Law was just a cruel reminder of his deceased brother.

It was early in the morning of December when Doflamingo had received that dreaded phone call. He was still half asleep when he had picked up his cell phone. "This better be god damn important and by that I mean someone better be dying or dead," He hadn't even bothered to check the caller ID and had assumed it was a family member.

Of course when he had said that, Doflamingo hadn't really wanted any member of his family dead. In fact, he loved his dear family so much that he was willing to die for them. The voice on the other end of the phone was one that he was not familiar with. "Is this Donquixote Doflamingo?"

Doflamingo furrowed his brows. "Who is this?" Had someone taken a family member hostage? No, they were much too strong to be taken down easily. He took a glance to the caller ID. 'Dressrosa Hospital?' "Look, if Rocinante broke leg again you should be calling his wife to pick him up, not me. Bellemere's name should be in your files,"

"Sir, I'm afraid but this is more serious than just a broken bone,"

Doflamingo sighed. "Which organ does he need a donor for?"

"Donquixote-san…Donquixote Rocinante and Donquixote Bellemere are dead…"

Doflamingo was frozen for a second, his mind trying to process what the person on the other end, most likely a doctor rather than a nurse, had told him. Silently, he was wishing that he had heard wrong, that his sleep deprived mind had conjured up a nightmare. "What?"

"Donquixote Rocinante and Donquixote Bellemere have perished,"

"How?" The lights from the street seeped through the crack between his curtain and the glass, illuminating his devastated expression.

"I'm afraid that I cannot give any more details over the phone. Further information will be given at the hospital. I understand that you might be in a hurry, but please drive at the designated speed limit," After those words, he stated his name and hung up.

Doflamingo sat up in bed and put a hand to his face. 'This can't be happening. This is all just a nightmare. Yeah, it's all just a nightmare. Rocinante isn't dead. He can't be dead. He—'

"Doffy?" Vergo, who was lying beside Doflamingo and had woken up when the blonde shifted, turned to his lover. "What's wrong? Who was calling?"

"It was Dressrosa Hospital," Doflamingo informed.

Vergo knew immediately that it had something to do with his husband's brother. Rocinante had always managed to injure himself with his clumsiness and always ended up there. But Vergo also knew that it wasn't a typical injury that the hospital had called about. Judging by Doflamingo's expression, someone in the family had died.

"Get dressed," Vergo got out of bed and walked towards the closet. "I'll drive,"

Doflamingo just nodded and did as he was told. He didn't trust himself to drive, not when his mind wasn't organized and calm. He'd be distracted the entire way and a distracted driver driving wouldn't have good results. He silently got prepared and into the car. Without an exchange of words, they headed to the hospital.

XXX

It felt like it took centuries to walk to the doctor's office but in reality, it took only a few minutes especially given the men's long legs and strides. He threw the door open with nearly enough force to knock it off its hinges. Doflamingo glared at the old doctor. "You better not be bullshitting me,"

The doctor remained calm and composed. "Please take a seat, sirs," He motioned to the two large chairs in front of his desk.

"We're fine standing so spit it out," Doflamingo growled, getting impatient.

The doctor cleared his throat before speaking. "Donquixote Rocinante, Donquixote Bellemere, and Donquixote Law, were in an accident. The person in the other vehicle was a drinking while driving. Rocinante and Bellemere were dead on arrival, but their son managed to survive,"

Doflamingo's skin had grown pale and sweat was coating his forehead and hands. His vision was getting blurry and his breathing quickened. 'No…No…I heard wrong. This doctor is lying. Roci, my dear baby brother, isn't dead. He's lying. He's lying. He's lying! HE'S LYING!'

"Doffy?" Vergo's voice drew him back to the present. "Doffy, I think you should sit down,"

"I-I'm fine," Despite his claim, he nearly fell forward.

Vergo gently led him to one of the chairs and took a seat in the other one. "Deep breaths, Doffy. Breathe in, breathe out,"

Doflamingo slowly managed to keep himself from fainting. "Rocinante isn't dead,"

'He only mentioned his brother. Does he not care about Bellemere and Law?' The doctor noted. "It's expected that you would be in denial. A lot of my patients' families don't believe it immediately,"

"I'm not in denial!" Doflamingo snapped. "You're the one that's telling lies!"

"I can show you the body for you to confirm that it is indeed Donquixote Rocinante," The doctor offered.

XXX

Doflamingo's blood ran cold. He wanted to think he was still trapped in a nightmare. He wanted to deny that the man, the corpse, was Rocinante, but the golden blonde hair, pale skin, and heart themed clothing confirmed that it was indeed his younger brother. The eyes were still closed but Doflamingo knew that if they were opened, they'd be no longer be a bright sapphire blue but rather a dull faded blue. "It's him…" A choked sob escaped his throat.

Vergo brought Doflamingo into a hug. Doflamingo never showed his weakness, never let his emotions overwhelm him. He would laugh off injuries and losses, claiming that they'll get revenge a thousand fold. But the mask shattering just proved how much Rocinante meant to Doflamingo, how much Rocinante's death impacted him. Doflamingo may be a criminal with a tough, crazy, maniacal demeanor, but he was still human.

XXX

When Law woke up, the four year old noticed that his entire body was in pain. "Daddy? Mommy?" He called out weakly but received no response. He looked around and didn't recognize the place. "Daddy! Mommy!" He felt a gentle nudge against his hand. "Kikoku!"

Sitting beside Law's bed was a large wolfdog with midnight black fur, a soft white collar with a red tag, and bright purple eyes. His body was covered in scars but his fur managed to hide most of them. Kikoku had been a wolfdog that was forced to participate in illegal dogfights. Rocinante and Bellemere had rescued him during a police raid. He had been riddled with wounds, having recently been up against a tough opponent. The cops were about to put him down when Rocinante and Bellemere volunteered to care for him until a suitable owner could be found.

At first, Kikoku had been incredibly hostile, biting and clawing whenever they got near him and always tearing furniture up while looking for an escape route. When he had finally managed to break free from the house, he wandered the alleys of Dressrosa. In one of the alleys he had encountered a six month old Law, abandoned in a cardboard box. He ended up gently pushing the box all the way back to Rocinante and Bellemere's house. He didn't know why he did it, but perhaps it was because they both were lost in the world.

The couple had been franticly searching around the neighborhood for Kikoku. They were worried about Kikoku getting hurt or hurting someone. When they saw Kikoku with Law, they had immediately taken the boy from him and called a doctor. Rocinante and Bellemere began to notice Kikoku's protectiveness over the baby and decided to officially adopt Law and Kikoku. The two had been inseparable since.

Kikoku climbed onto the bed, careful to not irritate Law's wounds. Law wrapped his arms around him. "W-Where's Mommy and Daddy?" Kikoku could not answer his question and could only gently nuzzle him.

The door opened and the doctor, Doflamingo, and Vergo entered. "How are you feeling, Law-kun?" The doctor asked.

"Hurts," Law said. "Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

Doflamingo had a pained expression at the mention of those two. "They're dead, Law,"

Law stared at Doflamingo. "Dead?"

"They died in the car crash," Doflamingo told him bluntly.

It was as if time itself had slowed down. Tears slowly began to well up in the child's eyes. "D-Dead?" He looked to the doctor and Vergo, expecting them to say something different.

"Your uncle is telling the truth," The doctor sadly informed. "Your parents are gone,"

The dam broke and the tears were like two waterfalls cascading down his face. Snot dribbled from his nose as Law sobbed loudly. "Mommy! Daddy!" He hated the feeling in his chest. It was so painful and he wanted it to go away. Whenever he felt pain, his parents would make it go away. But now his parents were gone so he looked expectedly to the nearest relative. "U-Unca D-D-Doffy!"

Doflamingo glared at him and scoffed. "What? You expect me to comfort you? I'm not your parents," He turned around and left the room, Vergo following suit.

Law felt alone, abandoned, and lost. His uncles had left him. He didn't understand why his Uncle Doffy was angry with him. He didn't do anything bad. His Uncle Doffy was always nice, giving him amazing presents on his birthday and holiday. Law would stay over at Doflamingo's mansion whenever his parents had to work at night. He'd have fun with Doflamingo and the rest of the family members. But just now, Doflamingo had acted cold and his eyes showed hatred and anger towards Law that pierced through his shades.

Law buried his face into Kikoku's fur. Kikoku grimaced at the snot entangling in his coat, but he brushed it off. He would get cleaned later.

The doctor teared up at the sight. He understood that Doflamingo himself was going through grief, but seeing Law have no adult to turn to made his heart ache. "Oh Law," He gently patted the boy's back. "I'm sure things will get better,"

"I-I-I w-w-want…" Law hiccupped. "D-D-Daddy-y-y and-d-d M-Mommy…"

"I wish they were here too, Law," The doctor whispered. "I tried everything but they couldn't be saved. I'm sorry,"

XXX

"Doffy," Vergo called. "What are you going to do about Law?"

"Nothing," Doflamingo responded. "Let the system handle him,"

Vergo frowned at Doflamingo's odd behavior. "He's not going to live with us and the rest of the family?"

"No," Doflamingo refused.

"He's your ne—"

"He's not my family," Doflamingo shot a glare towards his husband.

"Why don't you go wait in the car?" Vergo suggested. "I'll deal with the paperwork concerning Law,"

Doflamingo nodded and headed to the elevator without another word.

Vergo sighed once the elevator doors closed. He knew that Doflamingo wasn't himself right now. Doflamingo loved and adored his nephew. If he was in the right mind, he would have never denied the fact that Law was part of the family. Once Doflamingo returned to his normal self, he would be devastated about the fact that he had left Law to the same system that Doflamingo and Rocinante themselves had been left into the care of.

Vergo admits that he never really got along with Rocinante, Bellemere, and Law, but he didn't hate them. He turned around to head back to the doctor's office. Just as he had told Doflamingo, he was going to deal with the paperwork.

Here's a sad and depressing story for December. Hopefully I can get the next part out before Christmas.