Pulling My Strings 〆『Law x Reader』

?E?E?TEE?

In the moment, all I could focus on was my breathing. Law's breathing.

The door at the bottom of the staircase was propped ajar with a rubber door stopper, yelling still present in the should-be-closed bar. I turned my steps silent, walking on the pads of my toes. Law stayed close, peering over my shoulder to get a good look through the door.

"I swear she's not here!" The pleading tone of a young woman reached my ears, the voice vaguely familiar to me. I imagined a cheery smile and bouncing pig-tails, it took fewer than a dozen seconds for me to realize that it was the barmaid who had served us earlier. I swallowed, trying to forget the short yet pleasant memory of the stranger.

I peeked farther in and saw her. Stood there with her back to us, hands in front of her in defense. Four men were surrounding her, one at the back, two on the sides, and the leader facing her.

Law shifted behind me, setting a hand on my shoulder in warning. Don't make a sound.

"Come on, pretty lady! I know she's here, might as well save us some time and tell us where she is," who I assumed to be the leader said.

The man had long hair that tied into a bun at the crook of his neck, muscles lining his tan arms. If I stood next to him he'd tower over me more than a few feet.

I still felt uneasy from the mental invasion earlier, but right now that was the least of my worries.

"I've already told you! She's not here—" Her cries dissipated as a fist connected with her jaw and she fell to the ground.

I jerked forward, rage swirling in my chest as my hands twitched with the longing to rip his throat out. But before I could give away our position, Law wrapped his arms around me and held me in place.

The man's eyes glinted with anger as he kicked her in the abdomen and screamed, "WHERE IS F/N L/N!?"

There was a moment of silence, like the quiet of a theater before a show starts. I could feel my heart beating against my rib cage, the hairs on my arms rising.

All it took was one thought to know that these were Doflamingo's men.

I leaned back onto Law, needing support to keep up straight. "What would they want with you?" he whispered in my ear, inching us away from the door and slowly closing it behind us. I shook my head and turned around to face him.

"Whatever it is, it's not good. We should get back to the others and sneak out of here. Those are Flamingo's men," I told him, already taking the stairs back up.

He stayed put, anger pulling at his features. "Doflamingo's men?" The words slipped off of his tongue like poison, his livid posture making me pause on the steps.

"I don't have time to explain now, I just found out myself. We need to go, forget about that woman. If she has information, the thought of killing her won't even cross their minds."

I grabbed his arm and dragged him behind me as I ran up to our room's correct floor. Emotions were useless in a situation like this, nothing but a set back. Or at least that was what I told myself.

"Do you think they heard of your other auction incident and wanted a taste for themselves?" Law asked, the frown in his voice evident.

"That could be one reason..." I muttered, biting my lip at the dramatic irony.

"This way!" I commanded as I jammed right. I had gone to Robin's room earlier in the night to speak with her, to tell her that if something happens to come get me right away. There was a possibility that the auction would be held into the night, selling the devil fruits freely without any suspicion. But I wouldn't allow it. Letting those fruits fall into the hands of lowly pirates could mean the end of our last shred of peace.

I could see her room at the end of the hall, but as I got closer I realized that something wasn't right. The door was kicked down, and just as I peered in, I saw a gaping hole in her wall that looked like it was ripped apart. Large enough for Franky to fit through comfortably.

Robin was nowhere to be seen as I rushed in and panned the room. If it weren't for the festival lights exploding Casette in radiance, we'd be left with nothing but moonshine.

"Shit!" I ran to the hole in the wall, standing over the edge as I peered down to the streets.

Law sidled up next to me. "What now?"

"I think the most obvious answer is that we go to the auction." In the blink of an eye my wings were protruding from my back, feathers scraping against the floor. I stretched them with a flexed flap, peering up at Law. He flinched in surprise.

"Am I carrying you?" I teased, the corners of my mouth pulling up at the distasteful look on his face.

"I think I'd rather drown, thank you." He scoffed. I chuckled, watching as he jumped onto the neighboring roof.

     Even as I smiled, my heart thundered against my ribs in worry. I had a small lead on where Robin was taken, but Bepo is no where to be seen. Our best bet is hoping that he was with Robin.

     I soared above Law, my jade eyes scanning our surroundings. There was commotion in the streets as the island's festivities drew out into the night, drunkards partying until they dropped.

My bare feet cushioned my landing as I used my wings to boost me up to Law's side on the roof. "There!" I pointed, my finger marking the auction stage in front of us.

"Crouch!" Law pushed me down, just in time for a spotlight to flash over where we had just stood.

I clutched my hands to my chest, my heart beat a deafening sound to my ears. Law's chest pressed against my back, his arms on either side of me. I could feel his chest rise and fall as he breathed, his hot breath blowing against my cheek.

Simple physical interaction with Law was almost impossible, every touch we shared like an electric shock. My focus was completely swept away, Law's words going in one ear and out the other.

"F/N?" Law called, whispering quietly next to my face. I nodded, turning to face him.

My breath hitched in my throat as our noses grazed, eyes barely a few inches away from each other. I cleared my throat, a blush spraying itself onto my cheeks. He smiled, leaning back.

     "Come on, let's go in through the back," Law said, pulling me along behind him. We jumped off of the building, slipping past the guards with ease.

     Behind the stage was a huge wear-house with light seeping through the bottom of the doors. Law and I approached it carefully, fully aware of the guards patrolling the area.

I put up a hand, motioning for him to stop. I walked up to the door and lifted my leg, kicking it completely off of its hinges.

My breath hitched in my throat, sight pulling in and out of focus as I beheld what was inside.

Individual cages stacked on top of each other like animals in pins, each creature or person completely chained up. The brand on my back pulsed in beat with my heart, my hands shaking at my sides.

"Deja vu anyone?"

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sorry but wtf did they do to wattpad. this update is worse than the snapchat one. and im colour blind so it all looks like this gross red/brown

Total Word Count: 1926