~~~

They said all
Teenagers scare
The living shit out of me
They could care less

As long as someone'll bleed ...

Will make them pay for the things that they did

~~~

[A/N]    For the sake of the next chapter I decided to change a bit the place where the story is  held (only for this part). There will be no drastic changes, the conversations will remain the same, so don't worry! 

This was it.

"Make yourselves comfortable in the adjacent room."

"You are just taking space in the hallway. It's a nuisance." I had heard Law murmur before I reached the bottom staircase. I stopped at the final step and took a deep breath. My heart was galloping so fast, I barely managed to convince it to behave itself. But no matter the struggle, that only provoked more feelings.

"Alright." The stern voice said. A woman confirmed her friend's accepted request. I caught a glimpse of them entering the enormous living room with the high ceiling and mahogany paneled walls, filled with Law's medical books. Due to the bad lightining from outside, the space took-over an uptight atmosphere.

I had to order my legs to move and appear behind the marble wall. The first one to notice my presence, evoked other's interest.

"Hey, Franky, it's rude to stare like that!" Nami poked the giant with her elbow, but he didn't bulge from the spot. The orange-head buckled her forehead, again repeating the same thing, this time with more force. "Franky, what are you gazing at! Hey, Earth to Franky! I get it that you're amazed, just by looking at the fancy decoration, but I called dips first. Find something else to claim."

I knew tensing against the shaking of my limbs was useless but I did it instinctively, trying to suppress the urge to turn my vacant face and respond to the male's shocked expression. But I had half given up and lightly waved at the blunette. It was like he got the confirmation that he wasn't imagining things and I was actually real, from flesh and bones.

"Guys...Hey...Look...There...Is this really...Her?" His glowed hands pointed at the hallway.

"What? Franky are you ok? There is no one-"

"Franky, you should stay away from booze for the time being. It's clearly making you-"

I didn't have to look at them to understand that they were too still, speechless and tense to actually react right away.

They followed the giant's baffled face, one after another, starting with the female part of the group. Everyone's eyes resembled a pop-eyed toy, staring with such fierceness that I got worried for their well-being. I hadn't decided what kind of expression to make, so I guess it just stayed neutral, no real emotions showing. But inside, there was no denial that a child went loose and excitedly shattered every logic thing on the way, running whilst screaming.

"Y/n."

Law glanced at me. His cold eyes sent a shiver down my spine, a warning that I should stay in my place until further notice. I took part of his game and maintained a calm exterior, but I still clutched my fist tightly, anger just boiling in my veins and cursing the raven in all possible languages. It was a good thing I knew quite a lot them.

Though, the tension eased when Nami, with confusion lingering on her face and watery eyes that had some tears on the edges, flicked her bag on the floor with a loud thump, and came running towards me. My arms subconsciously opened up and hugged the friend that I had missed so much.

"Y/n!" She howled, both of us burying our faces in each other's hair. Robin was second to approach us and did the same as the orange-head..

"Robin!" I wept, my voice resembling Nami's. I perked up and gazed at the embarrassed guys that stood in the entrance. Zoro gave me a subtle nod while nervously scratching his nape, Franky following his lead whilst Usopp tried to say something, but no words left his wide-opened fish-like mouth. It was obvious he felt a bit suffocated in this place.

"Zoro, Franky, Usopp!" I cried.

Nami finally realized the guys' absence and angrily barked at them. "You idiots, why are you standing there like some flowerpots!? You have legs don't you!? Stop twirling like some pussies and get you arses over here! What?! Can't handle a couple of tears? Is that it?!"

From the other corner of the room with panelled walls, a baffled laugh erupted. "I like her." Bonney whispered, approvingly nodding at the girl's vulgarity.

I stayed quiet, still tightly captured between the two females as the boys approached. When the long-nose stood less than a meter away from us, he suddenly caught our emotions, as if they were some contagious disease, and burst into waterfall of salty liquid.

"Y/n!!!!! Thank goodness you are ok! See Zoro? What did I say? She is fine! And you didn't believe a single word I had said."

"I don't remember claiming any of these statements. Stop lying, Long-nose, weren't you the most negative among us all?"

Franky rolled his eyes, focusing his gaze down at me and then...He picked me up and squeezed my petite frame with such ferocity, that I actually heard the piercing scream of my internal organs under the pressure. "Franky! How I missed your dorky face!" I giggled and gave him a gentle pat on the broad shoulders.

"Waaaaahhhhh!~ I thought I'd never hear that nickname again!" My gaze softened as he wiped his tears and blowed his runny nose into the tissue.

"There, there... Everything is fine. There is no need to destroy those bad-ass looking glasses." I said.

"Yeah..." He brushed the drooping boogers. "I guess you are right." He released me and edged further from me.

I turned to Zoro. His eyes suddenly widened. "Aww, you are way too quiet, greeny. Give me a big hug!"

I found it hilarious how terrified the guy looked as he made minuscule steps backwards and backing away from whatever I tried to do. "Wait, the is no need for a-"

"Too late! Come here, you giant grunt!" I gasped. "Or are you purposely trying to ruin the moment, hmmm?"

I stopped talking abruptly and joined the group in a light conversation.

.

.

.

"Oh, never mind the others. You should just hug it all out. We won't get offended nor waste our precious time, that's for sure." Law's voice was stiff, formal, his shoulders rigid. His level of tolerance was steadily decreasing and it was only matter of time before he would end all of this.

"Why are you so serious? Let them be." Hissed Bonney, then tenderly admired how everyone attacked my hair and messed with it, until a nest formed on my previous tended hairstyle.

"Ah, mean. Ahaha...not there! Ahahahahaha, please... Spare me!" I giggled.

"Still as ticklish as before, huh, Y/n-chan?"

"Damn right I am! Now stop, you goof-ball!" I cringed, playfully slapping his hand away before he could continue with the torture. "Oh, Luffy and those two are upstairs, if someone was wondering where they were. They should be here any minute, though I don't understand why they haven't come right away?"

And where is Kid? I haven't seen him since... My face reddened. Since that talk in the hallway...

"Hey, are you ok, Y/n? You seem a bit flustered?" Usopp asked, biting his bottom lip in nervousness.

I waved my hand in dismissal. "No, no, you're just imagining things. Why would I be flustered?" I struggled to keep my expression as innocent as possible.

"Oh, good! For a moment there I thought you'd collapse or something! Don't scare me like that!"

"Aren't you always scared, Sogeking?"

"That is an overstatement. I rather prefer the word 'on frequent basis', thank you very much."

Law mused. It seemed this wasn't his day to enjoy quietness. The raven's stance was casual, but his gentle voice made the words strangely more threatening. He arched his eyebrow while standing beside the pinkette. "We aren't going anywhere with this. Just letting them act like bunch of spoiled idiots is going to worsen every-"

"OOOOOOiiiiiii! Everyone!!!!!!!! You came!"

The Surgeon of Death didn't make it far with his sentence, the straw-hat drowned down his speech with skipping three steps and meeting the floor with both legs.

"Luffy!"

"What did I tell you? Damn teenagers..." Law grumbled. The companion beside him sighed and with changed smirk, announced, his voice sultry and low. "I'm astonished how much will-power you have, doc. You hadn't taken out your gun to shut the fuckers up." He whistled, then purposely increased the volume. "Maaannnn~ ! When did you guys get so soft? This is way too boring to watch. It's pure fluttery nonsense and lovely-dovely shit if you ask me."

"It's a good thing nobody asked you." Robin, aware of their conversation, turned to the greenette. She was honest and blunt to a fault.

The air transformed into a brittle atmosphere, close to snapping. No-one spoke. Oral communication was dismissed and body language talked instead of it.

"What did you say, girl?!" Bartolomeo growled, as if he were some wily sheep dog and she his quarry. Clearly he wasn't expecting for someone to go against him.

"Rather than concentrating on what makes you nauseous, you should watch your tongue. Mafia or not. If that's problematic for someone like you, then I'll lend you a mouthwash. People say it's quite beneficial." Robin said with a deadpan glare.

"You've got guts for someone who can't even defend herself." Bartolomeo grimaced briefly, then he composed his face and leaned to the girl. "How entertaining though..."

"Can't blame me for it. It was you who took Y/n away. There wasn't really a time to just stand aside and listen to crap like this. And it still isn't." She flicked a strand of her hair and narrowed her, rigid, cold eyes.

"You little bitch..." He made a move forward.

It was a small movement, but Zoro anticipated it as he charged ahead and stood confidently, totally hiding the bluenette behind him.

"Are you serious, mate? Defending a girl? What are you, a gentleman? Move aside, this has nothing to do with you, so stop bullshiting me with that prince to the rescue shit and let me teach her a lesson. No one messes with a mafia's leader and gets away with it. I'm serious. "

"So am I."

I was about to meddle in when a shiver went down my spine. But that didn't stop my mind to snap. In any other circumstance, I would swallow my retort and go along with it, smile and move on.

However, this was something entirely different.

"Ok! That's it! Basta! Ridiculous! Damn, I don't know what you are trying to accomplish with jeopardizing everything, Bartolomeo, but this just went too far! We are already in deep shit..." I turned to my friends. "Sorry for the language, guys... And we don't want to worsen the situation. So just all sit our arses down and say what needs to be said. OK?!"

"I think Y/n lost her cool." Ace whispered.

"Shut it, Ace." Sabo worriedly looked at me as I was angrily swinging my arms around the greenette, struggling to beat some sense into him.

"Why so serious, Sabo? Shishishi~ This guys are fun! Hey, Tra-guy!"

"That's not my name." The raven commented.

"Let's work together as friends, ok?" Luffy ignored and swung his arm around the older male's shoulders.

"You mean, as in alliance...Right?" Bonney corrected.

"Isn't that the same thing?Shishishi~"

Ace embarrassingly scratched his nape. "Crap... Luffy, it isn't-

I curled my lips. "Yep, you are right, Luffy, it is totally the same. So go nuts on hugging everyone and bugging them."

"See, Y/n's says it's fine."

Then dread creeped over me like an icy chill, numbing my brain.

"Yeah, let's all be good friends." Our heads turned to the low voice. "What about a quick one-on-one game then, huh? To lighten the mood of course."

Kid stepped inside with heavy strides and sat comfortably on the nearby chair with heavy boots thrown on the coffee table. No one had really taken in his presence in the house, but now, everyone was fully aware.

With a still maintained lenient grin, he ran his hands over the red locks. The male seemed extremely amused for some reason. "Are you bitches going to continue whining, or you moving your pussies from that spot? Oh, and sorry for being late. I got caught up enjoying my last few minutes of not being there."

"I don't think we have met properly...?" Franky muttered, obviously taken aback by the strange newcomer.

"Oh, look Killer. It seems I don't have a lot of fans in that part of the city. Remind me to change that." The redhead mischievously threw his head backwards and sneered, showing his bare, sharp teeth, like a predator following his prey.

"Name's Eustass Kid. Or should I say... Y/n's lover? Whatever keeps you awake at night."

~~~~

To be continued ...