Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

The Morning After

The first thing Summer registered was how warm she was. Eyes still closed, her fingers projected out, looking for what it was. She grabbed something soft, and she smiled at the touch. It was a bed, she thought. Her bed, and she snuggled back into the covers, sighing comfortably.

Only...it didn't smell like her bed. Her bed smelled like fruits, her perfume mixing into the linens. No, this bed smelled like...

She took a deep breath, breathing in the scent again, brows furrowing in confusion. Cracking open one eye, she expected to find her pale blue comforter with the white swirls. Instead, a thick black one covered her body. Which, she thought in horror, was clothed with different garments than she'd been wearing the night before.

"Wha-EHHH?" She got up, leaning on one elbow, looking around the room in shock. This obviously wasn't her room, judging by the much darker paint adorning the walls.

"Good, you're awake." His voice said, and she froze in fear. The Dark Doctor sat at his desk, cradling a medical journal in his hand, that infernal smirk right in it's place.

"How did I-"

"Do you remember taking a shower last night at all?" He questioned, cutting off her own. Frowning deeply, and with a growing sense of anxiety, she nodded.

"I took a shower...but..." Her eyes widened, unable to conjure up anything after that. She searched and searched. There was nothing there. Nothing even remotely close to giving her an indication as to what happened. "I...don't know after that."

"You suffered a PTSD episode." Law explained, setting down the book and rising from his chair. With a wince, he stretched and his joints popped back into place. Obviously he'd been sitting there awhile.

"PTSD? But I don't have-" His stern glare stopped her. "You're about to tell me off for denying I'm sick?" She guessed, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Your mental health is admittedly in question, though not because you're 'insane,' per say." He stood beside the bed, noticing she still gripped the comforter with white knuckles. "After experiencing the prolonged torture at that laboratory, it's expected that some things will trigger a state of panic. They can be quite debilitating."

She sighed, falling back against the bed. Which, now that she thought about it... "How did I...get here?" Law smirked.

"I brought you here. In case you had a panic attack, I could be there to prevent you from hurting yourself." She shook her head vehemently.

"No, no no no...I mean, why am I here?" She pointed to the sheets for emphasis. "In your bed?" Internally, she was just thankful that he wasn't in the bed either. Or half naked. Or both.

Though part of her was a tiny bit disappointed. And by tiny, she meant like half of her. But now wasn't the time to question why.

Her own internal panic set her off before he got a chance to respond, and she hid her face behind her hands. "Oh, I swear to God I might've been drunk but not that drunk! Shachi should have never given me that last sake bottle. Oh God, we didn't...you and I...we never-"

"No." He dispelled all her fears with one word, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, because I might've had to kill you otherwise." He raised an eyebrow, doubting that claim. "And how did I get in these clothes?"

"I don't believe you'll like the answer." He smirked, going next to his nightstand.

"Nooo...why does the universe hate me?" Her muffled voice moaned, hiding herself beneath the covers. He spared her the details, as he was sure she'd just be tempted to hit him. Still, it was quite amusing to see her hiding away from him under the covers of his own bed. He shut down that line of thinking before it could begin.

"Where did you sleep then?" She questioned beneath the fabric.

"I didn't." And then, before she could respond to that, "I do have some sense of chivalry, much as you might think otherwise.

"Deal with the situation as you like. I'll be in the navigation deck." And with that, he stalked out of the room, leaving the flustered blonde inside.

~~~

Law walked the halls, mind wandering a similar maze of his thoughts. He'd been rather amused how Summer had taken the news. Especially so when she'd rambled on about him bedding her. She'd seemed quite stricken.

Still, the thought wasn't without merit. He'd definitely pondered the idea, though he doubted she'd agree. Her assumption that he had laid with her stung a little. Much as Law was a pirate, he was not one to force a woman to his desires. He despised men who would practice such a thing, believing they were the lowest of criminals. If Summer did not wish it, that would be the end.

Though it wouldn't hurt to test her unwillingness. Tempting her wasn't beyond his morals. He smirked. She had looked quite attractive wrapped up in those covers. And with that he approached the navigation deck.

Inside, Bepo and Jean Bart talked, guiding the sub back towards the island where James was. The file was kept locked away in his room. With the ease that Summer had been taken, he didn't want to take any chances with the file. Having the entire underworld after you wasn't an appealing thought.

"Approximate time of arrival?" He asked, scanning the radars and dials they adjusted and corrected.

"About four days." Jean Bart replied, focusing on the ocean ahead of them. Fish swam frantically out of the way of the vessel, while the outlines of sea kings too far to see clearly drifted by. He was confident in his navigators' abilities, and so didn't worry about it.

"Try to make it three."

"Aye, Captain!" Bepo saluted, going back to the dials. Feeling in a rather good mood, he left to go to the mess deck. He believed it was about time for his coffee.

~~~

Summer poked her head out the door, glancing both ways to be sure no one was around. Thankfully the halls were empty. Still, someone could come by at any moment. She didn't want to risk being seen leaving Law's quarters early in the morning, looking like she'd survived a hurricane in the middle of the night.

Closing the door as gently as possible, she crept her way to the end of the hall, listening for voices. It was silent. Tiptoes, her bare feet didn't make a sound on the floor, as she slowly made her way back to her own room.

A door opened in the hall behind her, and almost jumping from fright, she scurried to the end to the next hall, hiding from whoever it was. The footsteps grew closer, but Summer kept behind the wall, exposing only the corner of her face to see.

Liam walked by, yawning and smoothing his hair back into place. She grinned. No matter how he tried, it was impossible to tame. At least it wasn't Shachi or Penguin. Their perverted minds would have only escalated things.

Liam wandered off down the hall, presumably going to the mess deck for breakfast, and Summer waited until she couldn't hear him anymore to continue. She steps brought her closer and closer, until she reached for the door.

"Summer-chan, are you ok?" Penguin asked, standing with Shachi at the other side of the hall. She froze, hand still reaching out for the door. She glanced in their direction, seeing their confused expressions.

"Yup. Everything's fine. Nothing wrong. Just peachy." She reached for the knob turning it and pushing through. "Well, I gotta go now bye!" She slammed the door, leaving two very confused engineers outside. They exchanges glances, ultimately shrugging.

"Maybe she's just on her-" Penguin elbowed his friend.

"Sh! Don't say it out loud! Summer-Chan might come after us."