#( hh oh gosh ok it's happening STAY CALM AME )

[calmcorvus]

➤ @conquiistador​

          It had been two months since he returned, welcomed with open arms back into the family. It hadn’t even been questioned, at least not openly in front of him. Regardless – two full months for the memories to come trickling back, nagging at the edges of his consciousness and telling him things were somehow RIGHT.

                    ( He was back with his brother at last. )

          There was the memory of Doflamingo’s anger that festered even as a child, the threat he shouted upon everyone in the mob that night, the anger that followed him as he had shot their father, deeming only his severed head of use to him. It had terrified Rocinante, but he felt no guilt in experiencing fear. He was only a child at that time after all.            Yet there was also gratitude mixed with those sensations that bubbled back up to the surface. Doffy was the one who had truly taken care of him when things got bad, who did the best he could even as a small boy. He often had felt safer with his brother around who dared to speak up instead of beg for mercy, unafraid of inflicting violence upon others to get them what they needed to survive. He fought where Rocinante was too afraid.

          Two months was plenty of time for a conflict to begin to wage war in his mind: where did his allegiance lie? The Marines and Sengoku who had taken him in, raised him, shaped him? Or to the memory that existed of his brother, who even still seemed to hold love for him? 

          As quiet as ever, he watched Baby 5 and Buffalo playing tag once more, as well as Diamante recounting his latest venture to Trebol and the others. He had wasted more than enough time. Rising to his feet, the man approached none other than the young master himself, gesturing with a hook of his thumb to an adjacent room before leading the way.

                    I need to talk to you.

          When the door was shut, Corazon exhaled a heavy sigh and took a seat, elbows rested upon knees and fingertips pressed together, gaze trained on the floor. It wasn’t easy, the idea of expunging his identity, especially to a man who held loyalty above all else. In fact, it was a risk, but one he thought was worth taking it seemed. Though he found his palms damp with the heightened state of his nerves, the blond did not reach for a notepad and pen like usual, at last looking up to see Doflamingo, bracing himself to speak bluntly.

          “My marine code is zero-one-four-seven-six. They wanted me to spy on you and report back — to stop you from the inside.”