#ruinxtnotd

[rxinrxinxx]

prisoner!Donquixote Doflamingo x fem!MarineOC

One Piece has come into my life to stay and invade every corner of my mind and that’s why here I am, writing fanfiction for the first time in so many years. Can't belive I have the second chapter but it's here. Hope to arrive in time with the third.

what to expect from this fic: a lot of angst, a lot of manipulation, a lot of opposite feelings. I assure you that this first part is very calm, but things are going to get twisted.

the original character: I wanted to describe Rain as little as possible so that everyone can imagine her as they want, but there are certain things about her that are pre-established (some by self insert —sorry not sorry— and others by requirements of the plot) fem!Marine, has the position of Commander within the organization, adult woman, relatively tall (180 cm, 5'11’‘—and yet she’s nothing next to Doffy—), she smokes. The only other physical characteristic besides than height that I"ll include is that she has long hair, and in the future a description of an old scar will also be included. Rain is an user of a devil fruit that can turn her body into crystal, among other crystal-related abilities.

warnings: Dark content, Spoilers of Dressrosa arc. Talks in Impel Down. Doflamingo teasing OC. Doffy having bloody thoughts. OC talks about her dark past—abuse & murder—. There will be NSFW content in future chapters. Only for +18, if you are minor, don’t continue reading.

words: 3321

English isn’t my first language so I’m really sorry for grammatical errors or inconsistencies.

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎

ᴅᴀʏ ᴛᴡᴏ

Rain walks calmly to the cell, getting all the way to the door when arrives, quite a bit closer than was the day before. One of her hands circles one of the bars while the other holds a rolled up newspaper. “This is for you.” Announces without much joy, observing the prisoner, who stands up upon hearing her words. Doflamingo approaches with the same calmness with which Rain walked to the door. What he's looking at, as always, is a mystery thanks to his glasses, but his head seems to be pointing at Rain's hand around the bar. For her part, she limits herself to putting the rolled newspaper between two of the bars, letting part of her hand pass between them. At first was planning to launch it but when she saw the man approaching her, decided to wait.

Just as he reaches the edge of the door, Doflamingo looks at Rain's body for a few seconds. It would be so easy for him, even chained as he is, to stick one of his hands through the bars, grab her neck and slam her against them to see up close her gaze go out as he leaves her breathless, that he surprises himself by realizing that he’s more overwhelmed by the intrigue of find out why those eyes shine, and what happens to the enormous shadow that shine casts right behind them. Perhaps he considers every human being that inhabits the planet trash, but he’s always boasted of knowing how to read people, and with it, intrigue wins over his desire for destruction…for now. “How thoughtful.” Finally extends his hand, with the chains surrounding his wrist, getting dangerously close to its length limit, and wraps it around the newspaper, taking the opportunity to brush Rain's fingers in the process. She stands completely motionless waiting for Doflamingo to take the newspaper completely, which causes him to slow his movement even more, looking for any tremor in her hand, a hint of weakness, of fear, clearly testing her.

She doesn't stop looking at Doflamingo's face as the seconds continue to pass and he leaves that subtle caress on her fingers.  All her internal alarms are on, but wouldn't it be worse to react? She hadn’t felt so studied even in her toughest training with the Marines. But without realizing it, she’s holding her breath.

Finally the contact’s broken and Rain drops her hand away from the cell space. She takes a breath and looks away from Doflamingo. “You’re welcome.” Adds with an ironic tone. “That way at least you'll leave me alone for a while.”

“Do you wanna argue now, Rain? The day’s just beginning.” The man laughs openly.  “Look at us, we seem like a boring couple already.”

“Oh, go fuck yourself.” Before she can even process the information and make a decision on what to answer, her words have automatically left her lips. This only causes greater amusement for the prisoner, who laughs with more energy. She faces him again with a raised eyebrow. «And it's only the second damn day. Breathe, Rain».

“You look tired, have you had sleeping issues?” He asks, completely ignoring her bad reaction, after a few long seconds laughing. Takes advantage of his own question to unfold the newspaper and smooth it out a little. The chains rattle aggressively with the movement of his arms and takes a couple of short steps back to loosen them, still not moving too far from her. Looks down at the front page of the newspaper as he waits for a response from the woman.

“Said the prisoner that looks like a prisoner and smells like a…well, you know.” Rain sounds clearly upset. Irritated by how easily he's gotten on her nerves in a matter of seconds, and irritated about the fact that he's right, her night hasn't exactly been peaceful.

“I hate the smell too, Commander Leela, could you wash me? As you can see, it’s difficult for me.” He looks up from the newspaper for a moment to move the chains, this time to make them rattle on purpose while he grins again, watching Rain's face, who can't help but grimace while her brain imagines his request too precisely. 

“They were good days so far, thanks Doflamingo.” Rain rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

“Don't believe you, even looking like a prisoner and smelling like one, today I look better than you.” He tries to provoke her with a mocking tone, but picks up the newspaper again to start reading due to the lack of response from the marine. Rain snorts and puts a cigarette to her lips, turning around to sit in the chair that rests a few meters from the cell door, the same one from the day before, ready to continue with her book.

And although Rain is anything but innocent, she genuinely thought that at least would have a moment of calm, peace in the silence of the down floor of Impel Down.

But by the time Rain realizes it, she’s been listening to Doflamingo's impressions about the news of the world for about an hour, page by page, without leaving even the slightest detail. At first she tried to ignore him, but it was impossible to concentrate on her own reading when he kept throwing comments into the air clearly directed at her. Now she stands with her cheek resting on the palm of her hand and her elbow resting on her bent knee on the chair, watching the man gesticulate and laugh sinisterly. He’s sitting on the ground, still standing near the fence. The way he enjoys all the commotion has her, somehow, cajoled. That enthusiasm that remains in him regardless of the circumstances terrifies and intrigues her in equal measure. There are few times in which she intervenes in the conversation, it seems more like a monologue to which she responds with gestures or the occasional ‘hmm’, collecting one by one the prisoner's lurid thoughts in her mind.

When there are no more pages and news to comment on, Doflamingo subtly moves the conversation towards the islands they have visited over the years, becoming interested in knowing where she has been thanks to the assigned missions, taking advantage of the moments when she seems reluctant to answer, to add a moment he experienced somewhere near the last island that she’d mentioned, showing his extensive knowledge about the geography of the world in which they live, and of course all the trips he has taken around it. She has lost count of the cigarettes smoked during the entire conversation. Meanwhile, the talk continues to lengthen without Rain realizing how natural it’s for her to talk to Doflamingo, until that moment.

“…I think it’s the only island where I liked white wine more than red. But only ‘cause red wine was pure shit.” Rain's smile fades and Doflamingo raises an eyebrow instantly, noticing the sudden change in her expression. “What's the matter, you look like a chimney in hell but it bothers you when people drink?” Asks in disbelief.

“Not at all. I also drink. Sometimes.”  She remarks, implying that smokes more than she drinks. “Why do you usually like red more than white?” Rain asks, trying to return to the state she was in before, realizing what state it is: coiled in conversation with a person like she hasn't had in a long time, getting to know someone in the mundane details that inadvertently define part of what what are we, despite the circumstances.  She hears a snide laugh leave Doflamingo's throat.

“You kidding? More strength, more personality, more body… better aroma… wins in all aspects.” Replies without hesitation. “Unfortunately that was the only good memory I have of that island.” Doflamingo maintains that mocking tone, without losing his smirk.  “And what about you? White or red?”

 Rain shrugs and her smile widens. “Sake.”

“To forget the bad times that your job puts you through?” Doflamingo teases her.

“Oh yeah, like now for example, I could use a couple of bottles.” She answers, raising an eyebrow and crossing her legs, while letting her back rest on the back of the chair for the first time in a while.

“Ah, you're so boring, you don't tell me the interesting things about your missions.  You know, the difficult moment between blindly following an order or searching for a solution, the unnecessary bloodshed…” Doflamingo cuts off suddenly, and she sighs.

“You want that scary story you asked me for yesterday, right?” Sighs again, thinking for a few seconds. “Why should I grant you the honor of knowing any potentially traumatic moment in my life?” Doflamingo takes his time to chuckle widely and loudly.

“You call them potentially traumatic moments, I call them… opportunities.”  It seems like he thinks for a moment. “How curious, I just found a difference between us.”

“There are many differences between us.”  She says flatly, emphasizing the word ‘many.’  He cackles again.

“Yeah well I’m more handsome, more tall and more powerful, but despite that the last hours of conversation don’t say the same. Anyway, you can continue denying me the reality for now. It's funny.” He teases her.

“I can tell you the last scary story I’ve experienced, although I think you already know that one, I was on a beautiful island with an enviable climate and suddenly all it looked like a fucking gigantic bird cage. Can you guess where I was?” Rain seems to enjoy each of her words before Doflamingo's impassive expression.

“So you saw it.” He replies calmly, not at all affected by that revelation.

“Your fall? Of course. I couldn't miss it for anything in the world.” Rain's smile widens and leans forward in her chair, resting her chin against the palm of her hand.

“Keep it up Rain, I treasure every word you say to me.” His voice sounds too calm for her.

“Are you threatening me?”

“Just warning you.” Doflamingo gets up from the ground and returns to the darkness of the cell to lean against the wall.

“How thoughtful.” Rain answers ironically. She’s surprised by the man's lack of immediate response, but doesn’t break the silence again either. She thought her watch hours were going to be much calmer, so she welcomes any kind of break. Unfortunately for her, this one doesn't last long.

“So if it wasn't for the luck of the traitor brat and his new rubber friend, you'd probably be dead.” His pause fills the entire place with silence. “It would’ve been a complete waste.” Attacks again, with that air of superiority and having everything under control while he smiles grisly.

Rowan sighs and puts her hand back to the cigarette packet, realizing that it’s empty. “I'll be right back, don't go anywhere.” She mocks again.

“I’d wait for a complete sentence for you.” Rain can’t determine the tone of his voice. “And when you come back you can tell me why you didn’t sleep well. Was it because of me?” She hears this time Doflamingo's teasing tone returning it to her before disappearing from his field of view. Takes advantage of the walk to stock up on tobacco to calm her nerves as much as possible. «Come on, you're smarter than this. You know he lies more than talks, don't get carried away» she repeats herself over and over again before returning. 

The first big lie that she could almost believe.

«But damn he’s right.»

ᴅᴀʏ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ

“I already told you no.” How much is necessary to make a soul, a character, succumb? Does the predisposition of that soul or character to succumb have anything to do with determining time? Or is it all the work of the fingers that pull the strings so that at the end everything ends up going as planned? How much does it take for an expert manipulator to recognize the patterns of an internal barrier and begin to undo them? How much does it take for a soul to realize that its barriers are not everyone-proof? “I'm not gonna sing the Marine’s anthem to you.”

Two and a half days would be considered an embarrassment to break the temper of a Marine commander. But that's not what's happening, is it? No. She's just trying to make it as bearable as possible. ‘Cause in that small amount of time Doflamingo’s already shown how unbearable he can be when she doesn't fulfill his whim of having a conversation. She tried it the day before, after returning for tobacco, but the law of silence ended after an hour of comments that she’d have preferred not to hear from that mouth. That dirty mouth. But humoring him and having conversations with the prisoner is only one act of kindness she can afford to grant. It isn’t more than that. «It’s not more than that. It's no more…»

“How many bottles of sake will I need to convince you?” He asks playfully, she answers first with a smile, removing the cigarette from her lips.

“A few, although good luck making trades with…no one.” Scoffs again before taking a drag on her cigarette and blowing out the smoke slowly.

“This is the fourth time today that you remind me how alone and closed up I am, it's starting to bore me a little.”

“And for the fifth time I remind you that I’m not here to entertain you.”

“Oh come on, as if it weren't also boring for you to be there in that clearly uncomfortable and ugly chair trying to read in the darkness of this place.” «He's got a point» she finds herself thinking to her own surprise.

“I admit that it's more fun to see how you complain about everything as if you were a poor innocent.”

“I don't remember having done anything directly to you to make you treat me like that. Less when you’re having such a good time with me.” He refutes immediately, feigning sadness.

His words leave her thinking, lengthening the silence longer than she would like. Lost for a moment in a small impulse that tries to come out of her but that she manages to repress just in time. As if the fact that she’s an agent of law and justice and he’s a selfish genocide determined to fulfill her sadistic desires wasn't enough. That she must ensure the well-being of the people whose lives he plays with just for fun, just out of boredom. As if the fact that…

Doflamingo studies her expression in silence, one of the few moments he doesn't bother her but it helps him understand a little better how to touch the necessary keys to make her react the way he wants. Knowing deep inside him, with all the confidence that the world could give, that it’s only a matter of time. As always it is for him.

“Alright.” She says suddenly. “I'm not gonna sing, but I can tell you about one of my ‘potentially traumatic’ moments.” She concedes, thinking about the conversation she left halfway the day before. «At least if I'm the one speaking I won't have to put up with the arrogant tone of his voice».

“My dear Rain, we’re finally beginning to understand each other.” Doflamingo crosses his fingers in front of his smile. He’s sitting in the middle of the cell. Along with his glasses, practically his entire face is covered at the moment. “I'm all ears to you.”

Rain sighs. Her eyes shift slightly to the left as she opens the mental folder of unpleasant memories. She would like it to be a little less extensive, and she wonders if, in some way, this is also her own penance. Her thoughts amuse her and can't help but smile. The prisoner catches every detail in the change in her expression. In the time Rain spends thinking, her cigarette burns out between her fingers, leaving only the unlit butt, which this time she throws into a tin can that she made sure to look for the night before so as not to continue filling the floor with trash. She stands up with her hands in her pockets and approaches the cell door again. Doflamingo is surprised by this unexpected movement, but it’s something that no one can notice on the other side of his glasses. Without moving from his position, he carefully gazes at her approaching and sitting on the floor in front of the bars, crossing her legs, with her thoughtful expression.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Rain's voice is low now, as if she was afraid that someone other than them could hear her words. There are video cameras everywhere but there’s no sound connecting to that floor. No more guards want to spend every waking hour in a place where there’s only one prisoner, and the world government also doesn't allow Doflamingo much company, a direct order that Rain had overheard shortly after arriving in Impel Down. However she seems to want to take extra precaution. “There’s one thing I’ve regretted my entire life and that’s not killing my father when I had the chance.”

Doflamingo raises an eyebrow at the same time his body moves forward as he hears her. A half-hearted smile appears on his face. “Well, now you really have my full attention.” His tone is calm but reflects a certain curiosity, a new note that Rain discovers at that moment. “Why do you want to kill him? No happy family?”

“I had a happy mother when he wasn’t there. He would show up every few months to steal my mother's money, argue with her, and disappear again.” Rain pauses briefly to take out another cigarette and light it. “But as the years went by, the discussions escalated to something more serious.” She continues speaking in a low voice, and without realizing it, making the moment something a little more intimate, leaving in the air the euphemism that hid every blow that her father gave her mother while she was present. “Until one day he ended up drowning her with his own hands in front of me.” At this point in her life, telling this seems easy, but it's only because that was the beginning of her hell. Furthermore, as the years go by, that memory plays in her mind like a bad movie and not like her own experience.

“What happened then?” Doflamingo has also lowered his tone of voice like her, his hands still hiding his mouth.

“You're grotesque, huh?” Rain smokes before answering. “Well, he tried to go after me, but I’d already taken his gun. And I tried to aim for his chest but hit him in the leg. And I ran out, went to the port and stowed away on the first ship I could.” 

Doflamingo doesn't respond right away, he thinks for a few seconds. “How old were you?”

“Twelve.” She feels strange with the sudden softness that the prisoner's tone of voice has taken. She looks away from him, immersed in the memory, each year more blurred in her mind.

“And you survived on your own at sea like a lost little girl?”

“That's another horror story that I'm not gonna tell you. And you owe me at least two days of calm after this. I'm not able to advance my damn book because of you.” Rain speaks again with the same normality as always, and the taciturnity that had taken over her in a matter of minutes gradually disappears from her face. Tobacco smoke helps.

“One day, and be thankful that I grant it to you. Just because it touched me to think of you like a poor little rainy bird lost out there.” Doflamingo relaxes his posture and stretches his arms and legs, making the chains rattle.

“It rained a lot after that.” She replies, aiming to make fun of her own name.

The second big lie that she could almost believe.

Yeah Rain baby telling Doffy about your daddy issues it wasn't exactly brilliant. But you gooo girrrl. —She was never good making decisions though.

𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩.

[rxinrxinxx]

prisoner!Donquixote Doflamingo x fem!MarineOC

One Piece has come into my life to stay and invade every corner of my mind and that's why here I am, writing fanfiction for the first time in so many years.

what to expect from this fic: a lot of angst, a lot of manipulation, a lot of opposite feelings. It starts off soft but things get quite a bit off track.

the original character: I wanted to describe Rain as little as possible so that everyone can imagine her as they want, but there are certain things about her that are pre-established (some by self insert —sorry not sorry— and others by requirements of the plot) fem!Marine, has the position of Commander within the organization, adult woman, relatively tall (180 cm, 5'11''—and yet she's nothing next to Doffy—), she smokes. The only other physical characteristic besides than height that I"ll include is that she has long hair, and in the future a description of an old scar will also be included. Rain is an user of a devil fruit that can turn her body into crystal, among other crystal-related abilities.

warnings: future dark content, Spoilers of Dressrosa arc. Use of she/her pronouns. Talks in Impel Down. Doflamingo teasing OC. There are no further special warnings in this first, but there will be NSFW content in future chapters. Only for +18, if you are minor, don't continue reading.

words: 3109

English isn't my first language so I'm really sorry for grammatical errors or inconsistencies.

ᴅᴀʏ ᴏɴᴇ

“Has old Tsuru already tired of watching me?” The distinctive grin of the man chained in the cell fills the entire place. Rain sighs, without taking her eyes off her book, which completely covers her face from the prisoner's gaze. The silence had been pleasant until that moment, when he decided to break it. She was having a very quiet first watch, too quiet to be real. “Come on, don't tell me that my new toy’s mute, that’d be a misfortune” his deep voice sends a shiver through her, a shiver she struggles to hide. Her lips curve into a smile that hides everything but joy. «The irony’s deeper than you know» thinks bitterly. She knew it wouldn’t be an easy task and yet there she is, determined to do her job. The silence bothers the chained man, who laughs again before speaking, taking his time to let his voice fill everything, as if his presence were, in fact, everywhere, and not in the darkness of the cell. “You shouldn't treat me like that, I may be locked up but I'm still Donquixote Doflamingo, you should show a little respect, Commander Leela” says smirking, the chains shake and ring with that characteristic metallic jingle. But his words achieve the desired effect for the first time. “Or do you prefer that I call you Rain? Is it appropriate if I call you by your name?” His chuckles flood everything again.

Rain lowers the book to inspect in the darkness of the cell the enormous silhouette of the blonde man, whose eyes are covered by opaque glasses, which prevent any attempt to study his gaze. That gives him a clear advantage from the start. Thick chains wrap his arms, his legs and his abdomen, giving her a feeling of control, which with each passing second she feels becoming thinner, and senses that, at some point, it’ll threaten to disappear. But Rain already knew it wouldn't be easy. “I know perfectly who you are, Donquixote Doflamingo, but I don't remember telling you my name at all” Rain answers in her calmest tone, giving the man the attention he was waiting for.

“If you know who I am, you should know that as a former warlord I liked to be informed of my allies” the man tilts his head. “That includes knowing at least who all the Marine officers are. Especially those who’ve participated in a meeting in the past”.

Rain sighs. So Doflamingo did his homework all that time. Well, so did she. Rain half smiles still looking at him. “How attentive you are” answers with sarcasm in her voice, covering her face with the book again. «Does he just remember my name or does he also remember me, from those warlord meetings he just mentioned?» It doesn't take her long to hear the man's grin again, which seems to have an annoying edge at the end. She looks attentively at the page but hasn't read it for a while —since he started talking— and is sitting in a chair that’s not comfortable, but her posture is relaxed.

“Oh, no, no, no. Now that we know our names, the game begins” Doflamingo's voice sounds calm, like he's really having fun with every word. Rain wonders if he really finds it funny, or if it's just another one of his tactics, aimed at never letting you know what's really happening in his thoughts. She knows she can’t trust anything in the presence of that man.

«But the game started a long, long time ago, didn't it, Doflamingo?» “You must be very bored there, right?” Rain talks back in a calm voice, noticing a certain tension in the prisoner's chuckling.

“You can see for yourself that there isn't much fun around here. They’ve emptied all the adjoining cells, and left me lonely” Rain watches from the side of the book as Doflamingo curls his lips downwards. «Is he really trying to sound sad?» thinks pressing the pads of her fingers against the leather of the lid. “Lucky for me, now I have a beauty to talk to”.

«What in the hell was that?» Rain moves the book away from her face again and looks at Doflamingo with a frown. She didn't expect the man to go down those paths but it's just a confirmation of how bored he is. And he's only been in there for a couple of weeks. “I'm not a beauty, as you well know I'm a Marine commander, and one of my bosses must really hate me for assigning me this job” reproaches in a calm voice.

Doflamingo seems to be amused by her sarcasm for the way he's laughing now. “Believe it or not, you have a captivating charm” Rain doesn't say anything, just looks at the chained man's glasses, who decides to speak again due to the lack of response. “You should feel grateful, it doesn't happen often that someone like me notices someone like you”.

Rain's frown turns into a smile. Now she’s the one who tilts her head. Slowly leaves the book in a huge covered wooden box next to the chair she’s sitting on. “That would’ve some value if there were more people around here, don't you think?” says without much encouragement.

“No, you're wrong about that” a dramatic pause fills the cold place with silence. “This way I can focus all my attention on you” the prisoner chuckles again, entering the Marine's ears.

Rain smiles at Doflamingo for a few seconds, as if she was truly flattered by his words. «Cheap trash». Reaches one of her hands into the pocket of her trench coat and pulls out a pack of cigarettes, from which it takes one, leaving the pack on the wooden box as well. “Oh, but I don't need your attention” now it's her turn to make a dramatic pause to take a lighter from another of her pockets and light her cigarette. She takes a deep drag which Doflamingo watches in silence. As if he was remembering something. “I need you to be a good boy and stay quiet in there. Ok?” Rain's smirk widens. What are the chances that she —or any other stupid person in this world— could say that to Doflamingo, without him slitting her throat before even finishing the sentence? —If he were out of the cell, definitely—.

They both know that the chances are none. And so he chuckles again, even though he's clearly upset, because Rain’s also enjoying that little moment. “There’s a small problem with your request, Rain” she observes how the man moves his arms, and the chains rattle again. “I’ve never been good at following other’s orders” «That-freakin’-laugh-again». Rain closes her eyes for a second, has to start getting used to that sound if she wants to do her job correctly. She must avoid at all costs that he gives her those chills, and much more, avoid that he notices it at some point. Must maintain her composure at any cost.

“And I guess that's why you're here” Rain's tone is innocent, as if she hadn’t read that man's file more than one hundred and fifty times. Cigarette smoke drifts up around her head.

“Actually that’s a point” He replies with a calm voice. “And as you’ll understand, I’m having a hard time here being good…even if I have patience.” Adds, trying to sound nostalgic. “But things can always get interesting, right?”

“It depends on what you consider interesting. For example, I find this book very interesting.” Rain points to the object, although she continues to stare at the prisoner moving only her hand.

“That's because you're not giving me the chance to show you how interesting I am, Commander Leela” Doflamingo sighs, feigning tension, a tension that disappears in a matter of seconds. «How many facial expressions can the bastard make per minute?» “Maybe you’d end up surprising yourself by enjoying my company”.

“Oh, yeah? Do you have more stories than a book?” She knows the answer to that question, and yet her voice sounds curious, naive.

“Many more than you can think” He answers pleased.

“And they’re all terrifying, I imagine” Rain returns without thinking twice. He denies as she laughs.

“Oh no, Rain, not all of them. I’ve had a great time throughout my life, not only filling my hands with the blood of those who dared to challenge me” he doesn't stop smirking, but she detects a threat miles away. And that feels like one. “I can tell you some good stories if you want” Rain smokes again and Doflamingo's smirk grows wider. “But first…I’d like to hear a story from a Marine Commander, I'm sure you also have interesting adventures.”

«The game is still on, right?» “They’re not as interesting as those of a pirate and king. Surely you already know very well the tasks of a Marine Commander”.

Doflamingo's chuckling is loud again. “A pirate and king… I like the way that sounds on your lips, say it again for me” Rain rolls her eyes at his demand. For the first time since she’s been there decides to get up from the chair she occupies and takes a couple of steps forward, carefully observing the prisoner from top to bottom, taking her time to answer.

“You’re more out of reality than I expected” she remarks after a few seconds of silence.

“Are you sure I am?” Doflamingo chuckles darkly this time. “Will you not please the simple request of a poor chained prisoner? You’re a cruel woman, Rain” shakes his head, abusing the drama once again.

“I must be really bad if you’re the one who says it” she answers with sarcasm, a sarcasm that hides all the truth that exists in her thoughts about him. He smirks back at her, watching every step she takes towards his cell.

“Since you seem to know me so well, I must tell you that evil usually recognizes itself, Commander Leela” Rain crosses her arms as she listens to those words, with the cigarette hanging on her lips, a little surprised. Her face remains impassive, trying her best not to show any reaction, but her eyes betray her showing that internal surprise.

“What makes you think that?” Asks with all the innocence she can feign. Doflamingo sighs heavily and settles against the wall. The chains echo in the silence.

“There’s something in your gaze that tells me” his words sound calm, and clicks his tongue before continuing to speak. “Or are you going to say that you’re one of those who buy into the idea that the Marines are fair and everything they do is moral?” Lets out a chuckle. “Sorry, are you going to lock me up for saying this?” He mocks clearly, raising both hands. Rain can't help but laugh too. A really sincere laugh that Doflamingo listens to attentively without her realizing it.

“You, on the other side, believe that we’re all puppets at the service of power. Don’t you? You know a lot about puppets, I suppose. More than the Marines I’d say” she replies back without losing her smile.

“I think that at least we both agree that there can be no middle ground” the prisoner seems amused by that conclusion. “The question is, which extreme are you on, commander?” 

Rain takes another few steps closer to the cell. She appreciates that he waits for that question in silence, a silence that she enjoys for a few seconds before answering. Takes a deep, final drag before removing the cigarette from her mouth, which is about to end. “I have my own vision of justice. When I was young, I thought it didn't exist, then somebody taught me that it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. That people can do justice where there seems to be none.” A devastating memory overwhelms her mind but she tries hard to keep her face from reflecting it.

“I see. Who taught you that?” Rain can't tell if it's true curiosity, what that tone of voice conveys to him. «It's just your imagination». Not to confuse things for her at this moment is decisive. But the worst thing is that she has doubts. She smiles, puts the dying cigarette one last time to her lips, burning it slightly her bottom lip with the last drag, and throws the butt with too much force to the ground, a movement that doesn’t go unnoticed by Doflamingo's attentive gaze, still hidden behind his sunglasses.

“Does that matter?” Rain tries to deflect the question.

“It must be someone very important if it made you change your mind so drastically” he assumes, completely ignoring her question. “Hasn't the time you've been a Marine made you change your mind again? I'm sure you've seen a lot of things.”

“Oh yes, I’ve seen many things, and that has strengthened it. Justice is only stained paper if people don’t ensure that it exists”. «What the hell are you doing talking to him as if he were an old friend?» She reproaches herself. “But I'm not here to talk about moral issues”.

“I can't talk about the weather being locked up here” Rain sighs at the man's marked sarcasm. “I need to entertain myself with something”.

“Good luck with that, I think I'm going to continue reading my book” she turns to come back to her chair and hears a heavy sigh behind her. That reaction almost made her smile. Almost.

“Wait”. Rain stops walking and turns around in her own footsteps, once again facing the prisoner's attentive gaze. “I propose something to you. I’ll tell you a beautiful story of those that I mentioned before, and you’ll tell me a horror story from your years as a Marine” his chuckle fills the entire space again. “I'm sure you have more than one, and so in the end, by the time I leave here, we’ll see that we’re not as different as you may believe”.

Rain can feel another shiver run down her spine. There are too many sensations that thought she could control, some that she expected and others that still cannot identify, but there’s something running inside her that doesn't allow her to maintain all the calm that her position requires. In other circumstances she’d be different, very different. She’d like to say that his words are only to scare her, to tease and mock her. But the calmness with which he talks about himself and his future makes her extremely nervous. As if he already had one foot out of the cell, as if he was taking a vacation from destroying everything around him. She's not sure how much time it takes to respond, but in that time Doflamingo calmly studies every slightest movement of her face.

“I’ve to admit that your optimism surprises me. But you're not getting out of here”. Her voice sounds calm as she says those words, at least she’s putting all her effort into making it so. But still doesn't know which of the two she’s trying to convince.

“I'm going to take that as a compliment, Rain, and you don't know how much I like it” He teases her once again. “But I’m going to get out of here. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow” Doflamingo's back leaves the wall to lean forward, his huge legs bent in front of him. Rests his arms on his knees, his glasses pointed directly at Rain's face, and laughs deeply and slowly. “But one day I will, and who knows, maybe that day I’ll take you with me”.

Rain doesn't know if it's a warning, a threat, or if he's just making fun of her. She doesn't like any of the options. “I’ve nothing to do with you, much less outside these walls”. Responds dryly and seriously. The mere thought sends her a searing pain to the bottom of her head. Calmness is not an option anymore.

“You're entertaining, you like to tell me things that you know you couldn't tell me if I weren't chained” he shrugs his shoulders, his words sound prideful. “I think I liked it, for once in my life. You seem so confident...I wonder if you’d be the same if circumstances were different. I’d really like to see that” he finishes his words with another deep chuckle. “And I also think there are many things we can do”.

“What a shame, ‘cause the only thing that interests me is keeping you in there” she smiles widely, enjoying every word, noticing the man's annoyance at cutting off that poor attempt at flirting from his part. “Besides, I'm sure you can do much better” Rain catches herself reproaching. «The plan wasn’t to enter straight to his domain, you genius».

“So now you wanna play” he smirks darkly, ignoring the previous annoyance. “Better for me” Doflamingo leans his back against the wall again, with nothing else to do but study the new fly in his net. Rain sighs in denial.  She raises her left arm to look at the watch on her wrist, and a smile forms on her lips. «Saved by the bell» thinks for her own gloating.

“As much as I’d like to stay and try one of your twisted games…” Tries to feign pity, although she's not as good at it as he is. “It's time for me to go. It’s already late out there”.

Doflamingo stops smiling. He doesn't seem too happy with Rain's sudden turn of events. “Yeah, it's a real shame, now that we’re starting to have fun” Rain shakes her head and turns again to begin her walk towards the employee area. Her steps are calm, posture relaxed, picks up the book and the pack of cigarettes from the wooden box as she passes by without saying a single word. “I guess we’ll continue tomorrow”. Insists Doflamingo.

“I guess you're not giving me a choice”. Rain answers amused. “Rest, Doflamingo”. Says without turning to look at him as she walks away from the cell. «’Cause education talks about yourself and not about the person in front of you» says to herself somewhat annoyed.

“Good night, Rain”. She hears the mocking tone of the man behind her, which makes her take out another cigarette and put it between her lips. «Not so bad for the first day» tries to comfort herself when arrives at the prison employee area, ready to try to sleep as much as possible. This is just the beginning, something tells her that she still doesn't really know how annoying the man can be when he has nothing else to entertain himself with.

Sorry this man drives me absolutely crazy and this is just the beggining of the fall for Rain. Lets pray for her.

𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩.