***One Month Later***

As sick as I was of being stuck on the ship, I still refused to leave my room when we finally docked.

"Don't start with the attitude again, girl. You know I hate the attitude." Diamante groaned from the other side of my door, which I had quickly blocked with a chair the moment I realised how close we were. "Do you really wanna piss him off?"

I didn't care. I mean, I did, but at the same time, I still wasn't over me devestation. Still not used to lonely days and nights without them. I wanted to go back.
"WHERE IS SHE?!"

My soul very nearly left my body in the form of a puddle beneath the seat of my pants when I heard that voice - his voice - and I pulled my knees tighter to my chest. The sounds of the crashing, banging and yelling coming from outside my room caused me to descend further into panic, my eyes flitting to the handle as it began to rattle.

After only a single try, the door came crashing inwards, splinters flying, and I hid my face, entire body and mind preparing for the worst. That was until I was pulled into a broad, wildly thrumming chest.

"(Y/N)..." Doflamingo's voice broke all around my name in ways I never thought a voice could break. It was like he had been overcome with the strongest sense of relief known to any living creature in the history of time itself.

"I told you. Safe and sound, as promised." Diamante stood in the splintered doorway, looking proud of himself as he watched. I squirmed and wriggled around, pushing against the ten foot man until he finally let me lift my head from his chest, and I froze.

Glasses skewed, I could see one of his eyes, and the glossy sheen of emotion that painted it. Never before had I seen what had hidden behind those lenses, nor had I expected such a rich, vibrant shade of red.
"You have no idea how worried I was. It was almost impossible to hold it together over the snail when we spoke..."

Somehow, I doubted the last part, but his words, his embrace, everything I had ever known, broke down my defences, and my bottom lip began to wobble.
"D..Doffy..." Yes, I was scared of him in many ways, but at the same time, he had been my world for as long as I could remember. No matter how much I hated it, or wished it to be different, there was an attachment.

With calming shushes, Doflamingo pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and pulled me in again, fully lifting me into his arm when he stood, adjusting his glasses before turning around.
"Don't bother us until dinner unless it's something important. Thank you, Diamante. I owe you a great deal."

I hid my face in his downy coat, internally at war with myself. How could I feel so terrified yet relieved at the same time? I wanted to go back to Dawn Island, and the boys, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in my guardian's arms.

Once we were off the ship, I couldn't bring myself to respond to other members of the crew greeting me. Trebol attempting to poke me in the side, Baby 5 wailing over how glad she was I was back. I just hid myself away until we were away from it all, inside of a room where the man sat me down on the edge of a bed.

Kneeling down completely, it seemed as though he was trying to make himself look as small as possible, even though he was still far taller than me.
"Are you really alright? Nobody hurt you? I need you to tell me, sweetheart." He really seemed as though he was trying his best, which surprised me. I had expected to be punished beyond comprehension.

"K..Kagen did...he dragged me by my h..hair...over glass...but some boys rescued me...a..and..." Mentioning Ace, Sabo and Luffy, panic rushed through me again, and I reached out to grab whatever material I could reach of the man's clothing. "Please don't hurt them! They were so nice to me, p..please!"

Doflamingo's hand looked giant in comparison to mine as he covered my own, gently pulling it away so he could hold it, his other coming to wipe away tears from the corners of my eyes.
"I promised I wouldn't as long as you were a good girl, didn't I? As for Kagen...well, you don't have to worry about him anymore."

I know exactly what that means...

I allowed him to brush my tears away, opting to stare into his Adam's apple rather than his face. He seemed sincere about staying away from the boys, but I was still on edge. There had to be a punishment coming, right? I'd deliberately hidden away from him.

"What can I get for you? Are you hungry? Do you want a bath first? A change of clothes?" He had always doted on me, but this time was different. I could hear it, plain as day in his voice. He had only ever been like this once before.

Shaking my head, I cautiously squeezed his hand, my fingers barely visible from under his.
"Aren't you gonna punish me..?" It was what I had come to expect. The isolation, or perhaps worse, in this case. I felt the man's muscles tense for a moment before he deflated a little, a soft sigh escaping him.

"You chose to come back to me. Why would I punish you for that? I'm just glad you're alright..." Lowering further, he rested his head sideways in my lap, still holding onto my hand.

Did he really miss me that much..?

"You can't leave me again, (Y/N). I..I need you to promise me..." He pleaded in a whisper, with as much, if not more, desperation as Ace had when asking me to make a promise with him. "My worst fear is you getting hurt...or worse...Do you know how scared I was, when I heard you had gone missing?"

My throat was dry as I listened to him, and I gingerly placed my hand on the side of his head. So Diamante hadn't been exaggerating? I hadn't believed him when he had said Doflamingo had been a wreck, after he had sounded so calm and composed when he had called.

"I..I'm okay, though...Everyone was good to me, a..and I came back..." I tried to reassure him and avoid making the promise he requested. If I did, then I wouldn't be able to keep the one I had made with Ace.
"But what if that hadn't been the case?!" He pulled me closer, the top of his head pressing into my stomach in a near painful way.

But...

There had only been one instance where I had seen Doflamingo become so manic. Usually, he was cool and composed, holding himself together, but he wasn't hiding anything with me. He never did. Both this time and the last, I had been the reason. There was little doubt in my mind that he cared for me, and that he was being genuine.

Sitting back on his heels, Doflamingo kept hold of my hand, using his other to reach up and pull his glasses from his face completely. From the moment I saw them in their entirety, I knew it was over. I was trapped, whether I wanted to be or not.

They were a shade of red unreservedly his own. Rich and deep, not quite blood, nor wine. Perhaps if the two were mixed? I wasn't even sure how to describe red anymore. How to describe anything anymore. They were so intense, I felt helpless beneath their gaze, like I was being knocked down from each direction, but at the same time, there was a safety I found within them.

There was a break - a crack - somewhere, unseen, but felt in its entirety. Something inside the man had once splintered, I could tell, and the way he looked at me seemed to say that I was the glue keeping it from splitting further.

"You know nobody could ever love you as much as I do, right?" He asked, sounding as though he was fearing whatever answer I could give. "Nobody in this world can look after you, care for you, like I can. We're family, right? You love me, right..?"

Family..? Love..?

Time and time again he had asked me those questions, but I had never given him an answer. This time, however, they overwhelmed me. Perhaps it was the way he was acting, or the amount of time I had spent apart from him, but I just couldn't bring myself to fight it any longer.

"I..I do love you, Doffy..." I murmured, the words leaving a strange taste in my mouth. "I...promise...I won't leave you again..." Ace would understand, right? He would probably forget about me, anyway. All three of them would by the time they were able to set out on the sea.

I squeaked out as Doflamingo grabbed me and shot up to his full height, spinning me around the room in a tight embrace.
"That's my good girl! I've been waiting so long to hear you say that!" He laughed, finally stopping once he noticed I was getting dizzy. "Now, let's get you all cleaned up and into some nicer clothes. Then you can have whatever you want for dinner, alright? Anything my sweet little treasure desires."

I just nodded, hiding away in his pink feathers as he carried me off, feeling both relieved to have made him happy, but sick to my stomach for basically nullifying the promise I had made to Ace.

No...he won't remember me...Besides...this is where I'm supposed to be...

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***Yes, Doflamingo is disturbingly attached to (Y/N). There are reasons for that, and they'll eventually be explained. The whole situation with him is just gonna get stranger next chapter, after the time skip. It's kinda /that/, but also not at all.

I already have the next two chapters written so won't be too far apart.

Next Time: Not Ready***