A/N: No, *you're* making *me* cry

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: Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) :

He had a pile of books in front of him, and a couple of sheets of notebook paper with his neat handwriting on it. Law checked over the titles of the textbooks he was going to turn in, and then added some notes to his checklist, smiling as he did so. Just several feet away from him, his crew had their own notebooks spread out around them, and even Nami and Robin were clustered together. Whatever their subject was happened to involve a lot of raised voices and protests and demands for a recount, but he tuned them out. His crew was a lively bunch, but he trusted them with their decisions on whatever they decided.

He was on cloud nine. The weather was beautiful, he was feeling light in the chest, and the heavy weight of emotions had turned into something positive and happy. His skinny legs were absorbing the light of the sun, his yellow t-shirt with his Jolly Roger was freshly washed and his sneakers were scuff free. He was just a happy guy with new aspirations and the world definitely looked different for him, right now.

"Captain, I need your hat!" Bepo said sternly, taking it and replacing it with a pat of his paw. Law hummed and nodded his head, rereading his checklist and crossing off a few things. Bepo looked at him with utter delight.

Then Law sneezed a few times, the crew gasping with horror.

"I knew it! He's allergic! Shachi! You murderer!"

"Captain, bear it for a half hour! You can do it!"

"Someone get the allergy pen!"

"Anyone know mouth to mouth? This is a serious question!"

"Wow," Nami muttered, shaking her head.

"Maybe some sunflowers?" Robin asked, the crew scrambling to adjust their notes.

"NO YELLOW!" Shachi cried, forming an 'x' with his arms.

"It's nothing!" Law insisted with some embarrassment. "It was just a sneeze!"

"Which one?" Nami then asked him, spreading color tags in front of him, all in the shade of blue. With a confused expression, Law pointed at one.

"What's this for?"

"The corsages. Damn, never mind your choices, you're a man, you don't know what you want!" Nami gathered it up with a huff and strode back to the group.

He returned to his list, trying to remember if he'd forgotten anything at either Sanji's or the hostel. But his bag was packed neatly next to him, and Kikoku was enjoying the sun, and it was just too good of a day to worry about what other people were doing.

He marked off a few other things, then looked up when Penguin showed him a couple of menus from a catering service. "No sandwiches, please. And no goddamn pickles. Or plums."

"Captain, this is pizza."

"No."

"C'mon! At least for the rest of us!"

"Fine. That one. It looks not gross."

Penguin hustled off, and Law looked after him with a frown, watching Nami screeched a protest and hurled the menu back at him. An argument ensued about having formal items for dinner, but he found himself distracted by the sight of the shining sea.

Ace had said that trouble had started. The Navy was moving after the warlords, and with Doflamingo behind bars, his legacy was up for grabs. People were fighting for territory. Not only that, it was up to Law to take care of the family, now. Whitebeard had it in his old head that he wanted his crew out of the skirmish, but Ace had mentioned that their family was also involved. And he had to be there to protect his little brother.

"Captain! Which is your favorite?" Shachi demanded, holding up a variety of dinner napkins. He reached for one, but Shachi flung that particular color away with a vengeance. "NOT THAT ONE!"

"But yellow is perfectly acceptable, because it matches the submarine – "

"You can't get the blood out of it!"

So Law picked the black one so Shachi wouldn't have a heart attack, and when he ran off, he pulled out his wallet and looked at the Vivre card that Ace had given him. It felt warm, actually, and he handled it gingerly before replacing it. He had to talk to Luffy before they left.

Yes, that was right – they.

Him and Sanji.

Law's shoulders touched his ears as he nearly giggled aloud. But he caught himself and cleared his throat, patting his cheeks to chase away the pleasured expression there. He heard a noise and looked over to seeing Bepo wiping his eyes, Shachi comforting him. Nami was squeezing Penguin with 'comfort' against her chest. Robin waved at him cheerily. With an awkward wave back, Law returned back to his notes.

Sanji was going with him. "For a little while," he said firmly. "Just to see where it goes. I mean! Where this goes!"

"Oh, I know where it goes," Law had said, but he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

They then giggled and hit each other with abashed expressions before rmemebering they were men and they were supposed to be the adults.

But Law was secretly pleased, and this decision of Sanji's caused him to radiate with pure happiness. It felt as if it were pouring out of his every pore. He looked up at the sky, wondering if Corazon was truly happy for him. He imagined, with some sadness if the man would have approved of Sanji. Of course he would! He told himself. And even if Sanji wasn't what Corazon (probably) imagined, Law didn't care. He was happy, and he was sure that was all Corazon asked for. As he gazed across the sky, he happened to catch sight of his crew mopping each other's bloody noses.

His happy expression turned revolted, and he cleared his throat and rechecked his notes. He had everything. He had all his tasks completed except for one – well, maybe two. Tapping his pen against his goatee, he scowled at the town ahead of him.

He had to talk to Zoro. He had to talk to Luffy. Neither conversation would be an easy one. He knew all the things he was going to say, he just wasn't sure how to approach both of them. He thought about drawing Zoro a card, but figured Sanji wouldn't appreciate the message he would be sending. Grumbling, he added those two things to the list.

Zoro's would be an easy conversation. It was a basic man to man, and Sanji was probably talking to him, now. He hoped that it went well. Sanji had been stressed about it all night, they were only able to do it twice because of it.

Law cringed again with a happy grin. He might've been the oldest virgin in the whole Grand Line, but that ended a few days ago. He laughed to himself, feeling giddy. So, this was what it meant when Sanji told him it was okay to feel 'silly'. Well, now he had a reason to be this way. He'd never expected to fall for a man like Sanji, but here he was – months later, inviting him to his yellow submarine and –

He wrote down another note, to find the vinyl record for "Yellow Submarine."

"Oi, Penguin! Does our record player still work?" he asked, looking over at them. But it appeared Penguin was napping, and Nami was giggling, drawing on his face. Law shrugged and circled the latest entry a few times.

He gathered all his textbooks under one arm and rose, feeling as if he were forgetting something. Tucking his notes into the top book, he waited for Shachi to take them, Bepo hurrying over with his arms out.

"Not yet, Captain! We're not done! We haven't decided on the seating chart, yet!"

"For dinner?" Law asked with a puzzled expression, Penguin taking his leg measurements with impatience. "Sanji will sit with me. That's all that needs to be decided. Everyone else can sit where they want."

Shachi wrote this on his already covered forearm.

"I have a few things to do, first. I should be back shortly. You'll be here?" he asked, tucking his pen behind his ear, then remembering he wasn't wearing his hat. He reached up to smooth down strands that might've been flying everywhere, the trio looking at him with alarm once he came into contact with the thing that had been sitting there all this time.

He pulled it off his head, looking at the flower crown that was sitting there since Bepo removed his hat. Then his entire face and neck reddened, and he was mortified, now understanding the reasoning behind his crew's outlandish behavior (well, for the past hour). He flung it at the trio that raced out of reach.

"NO FLOWERS!"

"Aw," Nami said dejectedly, tossing aside a binder.

: :

Sanji walked into the apartment with apprehension, breathing out nervously. Zoro was watching Chopper play some Halo, and when they watched him come in, Chopper gave him a cheerful greeting. Zoro tipped a beer as a 'hello', and Sanji sat uncomfortably on the couch next to them.

"Where is everyone?" he asked curiously.

"Nami gave them a list of things to do. They're on some kind of time limit," Zoro grumbled. "What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I don't approve. As man of the house, I refuse to give you away."

Sanji didn't know that Zoro knew what the others were planning, so he took those words with a scowl. "You've no say in what I decide. And anyway, shit head, this isn't an argument. I made my decision, and it's in motion."

"So is this finger," Zoro said, extending the middle one.

"Are you still mad about your dick?" Sanji asked, laughing. "You got it back!"

"Yeah, well, when I think of my revenge, it's not going to be so neat."

"I, uh…I still need to talk to the kids. Chopper, can you give us a few minutes? I want to talk to you guys separately," Sanji then said.

"Sure! Don't play my level, Zoro, you bastard, you always die!" Chopper then warned, sliding off his lap and wandering off to his room. Once the door closed, Sanji sat awkwardly while Zoro contemplated the remote control.

"So, we're leaving, today," he said slowly. "It's best to go now, before…anything happens."

"The kids know."

"Oh. Well….i still want to talk to them. I, uh…I think we should talk."

"What do you want me to say, cesspit? I lost. I lost this battle, and…and now I have to stand aside and watch another man take you away," Zoro said sullenly. "And I have to be okay with it because…because I did something that I just..."

"In the end, maybe it just was for the best. I…maybe it had to happen, Zoro. As much as I imagined us together, when you left, there was a lot of shit that made me think that, maybe we weren't meant to be together, after all," Sanji said slowly. "Both of us were too different. Wanted too different things. Me, my role? I just…I loved – love this family setting. But I grew too used to it. I believed in it. I was comfortable thinking that it'll always be this way. But it shouldn't have been! We're adventurers, we're preparing to take on the biggest adventure of our lives, and I was just…maybe our little family wasn't what I'd thought it was."

Sanji played with his jeans for a bit before adding, "And it took you to leave for me to see that. You broke my heart. And maybe if you hadn't, maybe if I accepted you back into my life, I wouldn't have met him. And I'm happy, Zoro, that I did. He…he makes me realize what I truly am, and makes me think of what I'm really worth, and I think everyone should be able to feel that. And I feel that I hadn't had that appreciation in a while. Maybe it's my turn, now, to feel doted on."

"The kids fucking adore you, no matter what that guy says."

"He knows. But he also knows that I deserve my own happiness, too. And I haven't been happy for awhile."

"What makes you think running away will make you happy?" Zoro asked in disgust.

"I don't think of it as 'running away'. I feel that it's a…I'm looking for myself. I'm a grown man. I love my little family but…I shouldn't have the responsibilities that I have when there's so much more out there waiting for me. how can I give the best to the kids when I don't know what the best is?"

"So getting jiggy with this guy will make you find it?"

"Yeah, it will! I found a man that wanted me back! Not one that is willing to run away whenever I try to love him. What's wrong with that?" Sanji demanded.

Zoro looked away, propping his chin on one fist. "Nothing."

"That's right."

Zoro sighed heavily. "I already told you I'd wait for you. No matter what it takes."

Sanji looked at him with a sad frown. "I know."

"So what happens when this takes on a different turn? When things get serious, are you going to stay with him? Forget about us?"

"No. We have this – he knows I'll come back for them. He knows. And he's got this – it's complicated, but right now –both of us, we are what we need, right now. And I'm willing to run with that. I trust him. And you should, too."

"You can't ask one man to trust another man with his heart!"

"But you have to. You had mine, and you killed it. You said it was to make yourself better, but what happened to me in the meantime? I won't apologize for falling for him the way I did, but…I am confident that, in the end, I will be back. This is my family. This is where I belong. But I need this trip away to know how to be the best for it."

"I can't protest too much, I did the same," Zoro muttered with immense frustration. "So I understand. But…I'm jealous. And it sucks. And I will always hate him for taking you away from me, but…I promised to be here when you come back. So I will abide to that promise. And I trust you to come back because I know you can't stay away that long."

"I will," Sanji said.

Zoro then looked at him. He reached over and held his hand, curling his fingers between his. Looking intensely into his eyes, he said, "At the end of the day, if you need to do this, then I will let you go. But I'll always be here for you when you come back. Sanji, you're my best friend. That won't ever change."

Sanji's eyes glittered, but he reached out and hugged him. Zoro's arms, the feel of him against him, only made him sadder. But he held him tightly as Zoro nearly crushed the breath out of him. Tears eked out of his eyes, but he never saw the expression Zoro was making because Zoro had his face hidden and he'd never admit what he was feeling to anybody at that moment.

So Chopper cried quietly for him, listening to every word.

: :

"This will help you find Ace when you're out there," Law said to Luffy, handing him the card. Luffy marveled at it, his cheeks full of food. Law had found Ussop and Luffy enjoying their boxed lunches on the college campus. He was glad he didn't have to go too far, thinking he would have to track them all throughout the island. "It'll let you know when he's close by. Keep it safe."

"I'll have Sanji sew it to my underwear. That's the safest place for it," Luffy said seriously.

Law gave him a revolted expression, Ussop snatching it from Luffy with a nervous laugh. "No, no, I'll make sure he doesn't lose it."

"Listen, Luffy – one day, this card will disappear. When that happens…" Law trailed off, unsure of how to break it gently to Luffy.

"I'll buy a replacement! Promise! What's the warranty go for?"

"You can't ever replace it, Strawhat-ya, you moron. Look, if it ever burns up, that means…that Ace went home to his mother. Alright?"

"Oh." Luffy looked at the card once more, then at him with puzzled action. "Then I don't want it."

"He wants you to have it. When you leave here, and it's still intact, you can go find him."

Luffy looked at him for a moment. "Then I want Sanji to hold it for me. I don't think I can handle him being gone, Law. You don't understand, that man raised me. I don't know how to be if he's gone. He's the one that makes my life go the way it is. All I have to worry about is when my next meal, is."

"You're in college."

"That don't mean shit. Sanji handled everything. How am I supposed to do things when he's not here? He signs all my papers, and saves all my gold stars."

"YOU'RE COLLEGED AGED," Law growled out, starting to lose his patience.

"You can't take him!" Luffy then shouted, causing Ussop to startle. His face reddening, Luffy added, "Sanji would know how to handle it if Ace's card burned up! He'd know where to go if one of us needed to turn in a last minute semester project at 2359 Sunday night! Do you honestly think Zoro would know all that?"

"No. And I don't care. You're an adult, now, you should be learning all this on your own! Sanji-ya should not be here to do it for you! You should know how to do it yourself!"

"I don't want to! I don't want to do it! I can't do it! I don't know how!"

"Did you honestly think that he did when you were entrusted into his care?" Law roared back. "Did you really think he knew what to do when you were sick? Do you think he automatically knew how to comfort you when you fell or scraped a knee or whatnot? Did you think it was that easy filling out college application and scholarship forms for all three of you? Think about it! Those financial aid forms are a bitch!"

Luffy scowled up at him.

"Sanji-ya did everything he could to get you to where you are today. And you dishonor it by behaving so childishly – if you can't even make it here on this comfortable island, how the hell are you supposed to make it out there, Strawhat-ya? Pathetic!"

"You're the worst. Sanji wouldn't talk to me that way. I'm not going to stand for it! You don't tell me what to do, and you can't take Sanji from here! I forbid it! I don't approve of him leaving!"

"This is so uncomfortable," Ussop muttered, looking torn. "Luffy, look, he brings up valid points - !"

"I won't hear it, 'Sop. First Zoro, and now Sanji? Sanji was always there! If he's not there, what the fuck am I supposed to do? He's always been there! He's not allowed to leave!"

"First off, little shit, you have some balls to challenge me. Second, how wonderful of a kid are you that you feel nothing for the fact that you've run Sanji straight to the floor every single fucking day without any indication of your appreciation!" Law returned. "I was here long enough – you apologized once to him in that entire time! There were no Thank yous, there were no offers to help when he did something for the lot of you – he serves you, he washes your damn clothes, he feeds all of you before he even gives himself any attention! What have you done for him lately, besides work him to the ground? Nothing! You demand and demand and don't do anything for him in return! I'm sick of it! I hate watching it! I hate seeing him go through that shit without any indication of appreciation from you brats! That's why I'm taking him!"

"You – you – you pirate! Burglar! Hater of kids!"

"That's right, I hate kids! I hate them all! Hell with all of you, you piss me off when you cry and moan over your spoiled selves, demanding more and more - !"

"You're not taking Sanji from me!"

"That's not your choice to make!"

"Ussop! Take care of my light work!" Luffy then demanded, pointing at Law.

Ussop gave him a sympathetic look. Luffy stared at him for a few moments, then rested his face into his hands. Finally, he said, "If Sanji wants to do this, Ussop, you're going to have to let him go. You need to stop telling him that he can't."

Ussop's food fell out of his mouth with disbelief.

Law took a deep breath, settling himself. He gave his hat an anxious sweep over his head, adjusting Kikoku to fit firmly over his shoulder. "I'm sorry you feel this way."

"I'm sorry I ever knew you. What's going to happen to my well-being when he's gone? You don't get it! I don't know how to be well without him!"

"Sanji-ya's well-being is more important to me than yours," he said, turning and walking off. "And take care of that card! Don't sew it to your underwear!"

Luffy stared after him in frustration, then looked at Ussop. "Stop crying. Be a man."

"It's not me that's crying. You're making me cry."