Law sat on the edge of his bed, waiting with crossed arms as the sound of rustling clothing continued from behind the bathroom door. He glanced at the clock and sighed when it was almost 9:00. If they were going to arrive at the party at an acceptable time, she'd have to hurry up a little.
"You do know an event like this only lasts a few hours, correct?" He called, hearing her pause in whatever she was doing. "If we're going, we should have left half an hour ago."
"Shut up! It's just that this thing is so…tight!" She called, followed by a few bumps, most likely her arms or elbows hitting against the walls. He could only imagine what sort of positions she underwent to get the costume on…
"Why do I have to go anyway?" She asked.
"It would be less suspicious than if I went alone. Besides, I would have figured a costumed event would be fun for you." He teased.
"And you couldn't take some of the guys? I'm sure you'd make an excellent gay man." She retorted. He raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't want you getting jealous, now would I?"
He heard her sigh heavily, zipping up some sort of zipper.
In all honesty he didn't really care to go to the party either, but a chance at some of the treasures in the vault in that house's basement was worth at least a shot at. The only unfortunate thing about it all was the costume requirement. Law wasn't a huge fan of dressing up.
When he'd seen the flyer for the Nobility's Costumed Auction, he had immediately set his sights on some of the expensive-looking jewels and artifacts. Some looked as old as a few hundred years, meaning expensive. Then his eyes had traveled lower and he saw the word 'costume.' His smirk had fallen a little.
It was a good thing the flyer mentioned 'sexy' and 'exotic' costumes, so he knew it wasn't a formal event. He was saved from having to wear a suit and tie, or something ridiculous like a chicken getup. Instead, he'd found one of his old medical coats that he never wore anymore and had stolen a pair of spectacles from a nearby shop. The owner really should have taken better care of his things.
Dressing as a doctor was perfect, because his companion would be the 'sexy' and 'exotic' costume for him.
The sound of the door opening pulled him from his thoughts. Summer stepped out in a pink gown, reaching halfway down her thighs with frilly fabric underneath the skirt to make it puffier. The top was tight, showing her curves and accentuating her bust. Actually, the whole outfit basically centered on her breasts, which appeared much larger thanks to the tight design. It showed a whole lot more cleavage than Summer had ever been used to, and she tugged at it to no avail.
To top it all off, a small nurse's hat sat on her head, adorned with the usual cross of the medical field. Her legs wore high stockings, complete with small black bows on the tops. Small black heels finished it off.
"You couldn't have picked a sluttier outfit?" She scoffed, trying unsuccessfully to pull the skirt down lower. Every time she pulled in one direction, something else would be sticking out, and so she'd have to pull the other way. Law stood, picking up a syringe he had retrieved from the infirmary earlier. It had a rubber cap on the end so it wouldn't accidentally poke anyone.
"We won't be able to sneak our weapons inside. The security is very tight. But, if you pretend it's part of your costume then they should let you in with it. The stopper is to convince them that it's fake." He explained, and she took the syringe. She eyed it closer, seeing a pale liquid inside.
"What's in it?"
"A powerful sedative. Only a small amount will knock someone unconscious for at least a few hours. In case things go wrong, you're not completely defenseless." He grabbed a small bag with the same medical symbol on the side. It was empty. No doctor would go anywhere without a doctor's bag. But Law's uses for it involved more devious things, like smuggling expensive jewelry back to the submarine undetected.
"I still don't understand why I have to wear this trashy costume." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest in a pout. Unbeknownst to her, it only served to push her breasts up higher, and they bulged against the neckline of her costume. Law's gaze wouldn't leave, but before she caught him staring, he stepped up closer to her.
His smirk made her frown. His hand reached up and lifted her chin to look into his face, and he intentionally leaned closer. "Every doctor needs his nurse." He purred, watching in delight as her cheeks turned a wonderful shade of pink that matched her outfit.
"Let's just get this over with." She pushed him away, walking towards the door with her back to him. The Captain's eyes fell lower onto her rear, where he silently appreciated the view. He certainly had chosen a good costume for her.
The mansion stood on the top of a long boulevard, with intimidating iron gates blocking the path to the house. Tonight, they were open, welcoming costumed couples as they entered. Summer and Law shared a look, and they proceeded up the walkway with numerous other couples. They had to stand in a line to get in, there were so many people.
"Tickets, please?" The security guards at the door held out his hand. Law dug around in his pocket, producing two red tickets a moment later. The security guard ripped them in half, giving one half to Law, and waved them inside. When they were out of sight of the front entrance, Summer gave him a questioning look.
"I didn't know you needed a ticket to get in. Where did you get tickets?" She whispered. He smirked.
"It doesn't take much convincing for someone to hand over their stuff." He said cryptically. Summer shook her head.
"You mugged a guy and his wife in an alley, right?" He only chuckled. The two walked further inside. Coatchecks stood on either side of the hall, waiting for guests to give them their stuff. Summer and Law passed them without a glance.
"So, is this event like a couples only type of thing? Everyone seems to have a partner." Summer muttered, glancing around at the other guests. Law smirked.
"Ah, yes. I may have forgotten to mention it is a couples event. Which means you must pretend to be my lover for the night." He glanced wolfishly at her, but she only sighed and shook her head.
They came upon a set of double doors, wide open to reveal a massive ballroom. The ceiling rose dozens of feet into the air and came to a rounded end. A mural was painted on top. Exotic rugs hung from the walls on either side, and the air smelled like some spice that Summer had never experienced before.
The ballroom was filled with people, all adorned in colorful, wacky, or just plain strange costumes. One woman wore a colorful dress, with a headband that had two small flowers on the top. Her partner was a bee.
"At least we know we won't stand out." Summer muttered, noticing other overly sexual costumes as well. She didn't feel quite so bad about her nurse outfit, but the breeze between her legs was still uncomfortable.
Law nodded towards the middle of the room. A large platform with large speakers was situated in between the grand staircases on either side of it. "That's probably where they'll hold the auction."
"The only question is, where are they holding the stuff?" She whispered, looking around the room. There were several doors out of the main room, large entryways on either side. One room on the right side, just behind the staircase, had a guard posted in front of it to ward away any guests.
"It could be that one, since they'd want the items close to the stage." Summer gestured. Law's eyes took in the scene, his eyes narrowing at the guard.
"It would make the most sense to guard the valuables, though that may be too obvious."
A lady bumped into Summer elbow, and she almost dropped the syringe to the ground. Law glared, before she stuffed it into a convenient pocket fitted on the inside of the bust. She didn't want to think about what it's creation had been meant for.
A server holding a platter of wine glasses swept in front of them, bowing and holding out the glasses to the two pirates.
"Care for a glass of Antinori Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso? The vintage is one of the most delectable." Law raised a brow, irritated by the intrusion. He also didn't like how the man seemed to stare at Summer.
"Actually-"
"Yes, that would be delightful!" Summer interrupted while faking a cheery smile, taking two glasses and handing one to him. "Here you are, darling." He glanced at her questioningly. She took a sip, pretending to like it, but he could see her wince at the earthy taste.
"What was that about?"
"If we're going to pull off the whole 'lovers' thing, we gotta act like it, which means we have to do things lovers would do. Like drink wine. So take a damn sip and pretend to like it." She said through a obviously faked smile, still trying to get over the taste of what seemed to be aged vinegar that was probably way too expensive to admit. She looped her arm through his, making it seem like they truly were lovers. Obviously she'd done this acting thing before. Law raised a brow and took a sip, finding the drink much too bland for his liking. Though, he could get used to her hanging on his arm.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" An announcer cried. The lights dimmed, and a spotlight swung up to the top of the staircase where a lavishly dressed woman stood. Her costume was over the top; the floor length sequined blue-green gown had a long slit up the side for her leg, and she wore a peacock feather belt that was decorated with jewels. The belt had large feathers coming out from the back, sprouting behind her in what was supposed to be similar to a peacock. In her hair was a jeweled feather pin.
"I am Madame Sinclair, and welcome to my home!" She spread her arms wide, and the crowd around them began to applaud. They looked confused, but joined in half-heartedly, just to seem normal. "Please help yourselves to the food and drink as they are brought out." She took slow steps down the stairs.
"I'd like to thank all who donated their old antiques gathering dust in the basement to be sold tonight! All of the funds raised will go to remodeling the western wing!" Another round of clapping started up.
The woman continued walking further down the stairs, finally reaching the large platform. "So, without further ago, let the auction begin!"
The lights brightened once again, and cards with numbers were passed out. A server gave Law and Summer a white card with the number '86.' She flipped it around several times, but there wasn't anything other than that on it.
"Our first item is a collection of jade bowls, dated back as far as 600 years ago!" The announcer said, and a guard brought out a glass case from behind the curtain, four small light green bowls inside, and placed it on the pedestal. The two pirates eyed it with interest, though the starting bid didn't matter to them.
"Would now be a good time?" Summer asked, pointing to the guard who watched the room with a constant gaze. Law nodded, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd of people.
"How are we going to distract him?" She asked, and he smirked back.
"This is one reason your costume is so, as you put it, 'slutty.'" He pushed her forwards, and she glared back. Smoothing out her costume, she took a deep breath and plastered an overly seductive smile on her face.
Law placed himself by the wall further back. Beside him was the refreshments table, and he watched his assistant cook saunter up to the guard with confidence. At least she wasn't squeamish when it came to acting.
She approached, talking quietly to the man who at first didn't seem too interested. Then, Summer traced her finger over his sleeved arms lightly, leaning forwards, no doubt giving him a clear view of the top of her dress. The man's eyes widened just slightly, and a grin came onto his face.
Despite it being part of his plan all along, Summer providing a distraction to any man that may have gotten in the way, a knot formed in his chest as he watched it unfold. Since coming to terms with his feelings for the blonde, he noticed that he got all prickly when she was within the company of another man. He knew it was jealousy, but he'd be damned if he ever accepted that he got jealous over anything…
It seemed she was successful, because the guard nodded and opened the door, glancing around for anyone watching them. Summer giggled, then followed the man into the room.
Not even two minutes later, Summer came out of the room alone, looking rather pleased. She scanned the crowd for her Captain, who pushed off the wall and approached. She gave a thumbs up when she noticed him, and opened the door for him to enter.
"What did you say to make him interested?" He questioned curiously. She grinned back mischievously.
"Oh, just that my deadbeat of a husband didn't turn me on anymore." She said lightly, shooting him a tiny wink. He shook his head, searching the black room for a light. Finding the switch, he flipped it, blinking his eyes to adjust to the change in light.
The guard lay unconscious on the floor in the corner. Somewhere, she'd found rope to tie his hands and feet up. He was partially hidden by some boxes. Scattered around the room was various speakers and equipment for the stage.
Law sighed running a hand through his hair. "Guess it wasn't going to be that easy."
"So, now what?"
"We'll have to find another way." He said. She thought it over, thinking about what she'd seen before.
"There's a black curtain behind the stage. Maybe there's another door behind there?"
"Or perhaps they're keeping the artifacts backstage, just behind the curtain. It's sure to be closely guarded, though." He mused aloud. They turned off the lights and Summer peeked out into the ballroom. No one was looking their way.
"Let's go." She said. They returned to the ballroom, where the second item was sold to someone in the crowd.
"Another great addition, we have a 250 year old pot made by an extinct tribe of women! They were known for their crafts and mastery of ceramic-making!" The announcer proclaimed, a guard once against bringing out the item.
"Now what?" Summer whispered, and Law shrugged.
"We wait and see if an opportunity presents itself." They made their way back to the middle of the crowd, earning a few dirty looks as they passed couples, and resettled in their previous spots.
"Sold! To number 59!" Clapping resounded around the ballroom, and Summer and Law lazily joined in. There had been a countless number of items, all looking expensive and perfect to steal. However, every time the guard brought out the next item to be auctioned, he was careful to close the curtain behind him. Neither Summer nor Law got a glance of was was behind it, but they were both sure that they had to get back there somehow.
"We're halfway through the auction! We'll have an intermission before the next item is brought out. Please, mingle and chat, and enjoy the refreshments!" The woman said before walking offstage and behind the curtain. The crowd dispersed, and the two pirates shared a glance.
"This is probably our only chance." Summer said, and Law nodded. They waded through people, dodging servers and people wanting to chat. Making their way to the stage, they looked around for anyone glancing their way. Thankfully, a small orchestra had set up in the opposite corner. Once they began playing, all attention was on them.
Law and Summer took the opportunity to slip behind the curtain. It was dark, and they could barely see each other in the gloom, but voices behind a cracked door caught their attention. They crept closer, sticking to the shadows as much as they could.
"…you mean gone? How could you just let it be stolen?" The woman's voice shrieked. A male's voice, too low to make out, responded. "We must get back the pocket watch, it's over 235 years old! It's worth a fortune! I won't tolerate mistakes. Find the thief!" Quick footsteps got closer to the door, and the Heart Pirates moved farther away. The door swung open, the heavily costumed woman walking briskly back to the stage. Following behind her were two muscly guards.
No one else emerged, and Law cautiously stepped forwards. Summer edged closer from behind, listening intently at the door. There wasn't a sound, so they entered the lit room.
Inside, there were boxes full of glittering jewelry and ancient pottery. They were wrapped in protective cloth, but the light glinted against the polished metals. Opening his doctor's bag, Law approached the nearest pile.
"Take anything that shines or looks expensive." He ordered, and Summer chuckled.
"It all shines and looks expensive."
"Exactly." He grinned. The two quickly picked through the boxes. Taking whatever jewelry and valuables they could find, they stuffed the bag full. There was still a lot inside the room to take, but they could only carry so much. They hadn't expected this much of a treasure to be in the house.
"Let's go before we get greedy. We might get caught." She stuck out her tongue, leading the way back out to the back of the stage. Peeking out from the curtain, they saw that most of the guests were gathered in small groups talking. A large number was gathered by the orchestra, and others surrounded the refreshment table. No one was looking to the stage, so they slipped back out to the ballroom.
"There's another thief here, from the sound of it." Summer muttered, trying to look normal as they walked aimlessly through the crowd. Suddenly, there were small shouts, and women cried out in surprise and fear.
"She's choking!" Someone shouted, and Law and Summer saw that a young woman wearing a maid's outfit over by the refreshments table was doubled over, holding her throat. No one seemed to be doing anything about it, other than shouts things like 'Someone get a doctor!' What idiots…
Springing into action, Law quickly came up behind the woman and wrapped his arms around her waist. Placing his hands over her abdomen, he pulled up several times. The woman convulsed the first time, but after the third or fourth pull, whatever had lodged itself in her throat shot out onto the man standing in front of her. His face quickly turned to disgust, and went off to clean up his suit.
She sucked in air, and Law stepped away. There were relieved sighs and a few men patted him on the back, commending his quit thinking. The woman turned and coughed. She glanced up at him smiling through her staggered breathing.
"Thank…you…" She managed, and he nodded. Turning, he returned to Summer's side, who was smiling.
"What?" He asked, straightening the cuffs of his coat. She chuckled, looping her arm through his again.
"Look at you, playing the hero. You saved her life." She praised, knowing he'd hate it. He glowered, dragging her off to the exit. They passed the coatcheck, who was helping an older couple put away their things. They both stopped, staring at the now locked-up entrance. Four guards too in front of the way they'd come, preventing anyone from leaving the residence.
"That other thief is making this harder than it needs to be…" Law grumbled, now realizing that they looked rather suspicious just stopping midway down the hall. Luckily, Summer was quick thinking. She approached one of the guards with a hesitant smile.
"Umm…sorry to bother you but, where is the nearest restroom? I'm afraid we're a little lost."
The man stared down at her for a moment, before pointing down the hall and giving curt directions. She gave a smile and thanked him, rejoining her Captain and walking away.
"You're lucky you have me around." She said, and he shook his head.
"So, now what's the plan? We can't get out through the front." Summer observed, eating a tiny sandwich she'd gotten from the food table. Law leaned against the wall beside her. They had decided to take a break while they thought of their next step. All they had to do now was escape, but that other thief had thrown a loop in their plans.
"The halls on either side of this ballroom are open to the public. We could probably find a courtyard that branches out in the front and escape from there." He stared off into space, trying to think up the best route from where they were. It was surprising that they'd been so successful up to this point. Somethings always went wrong, he was just waiting for it at this point.
"Sounds good to me. They call these sandwiches? They're barely bigger than bitesize." She grumbled, picking up the tiny food with distaste. "Rich people don't know how to eat." She concluded, and Law chuckled.
"The auction is about to resume, so please make your way back to the main floor." The announcer said, looking a little more distressed than before. They had probably noticed the absence of more artifacts. Law smirked at the thought of her making a scene on the stage.
"I think that's our cue." Summer suggested, tossing her plate into a nearby trash bin. They pushed off the wall and began walking towards the side hall. The halls were darker than the main ballroom, but there were still a few people mingling around. At the suggestion of the announcer, they began working their way back towards the ballroom. Unfortunately, one of the couples who passed them was the maid woman from before. She recognized Law and stopped.
"Oh, it's you! I wasn't able to properly thank you for saving my life before." She blushed, bowing her head lowly. Law wasn't really sure what to do, so Summer jumped in to save him.
"Oh, he certainly is the heroic type, isn't he?" Summer gushed, staring 'lovingly' into his eyes, though he could see all the hidden amusement just waiting to tease him about it later. At least she was as good as an actor as she was a liar.
"Yes, yes! I had no idea you were a real doctor, it must feel so rewarding helping people heal." The woman continued. The man beside her, most likely a husband or boyfriend, cleared his throat.
"Now, Lisa, let's leave the man alone. I'm sure he'd like to get on with his way." He gave Law an appreciative nod, to which he returned.
"Thank you, again!" She called, allowing herself to be lead back into the ballroom. Summer couldn't contain her grin as they walked deeper into the hall.
"If you tell anyone about what occurred tonight, you will wake up one night in pieces." He threatened.
"Gotcha." She said, linking her arm through his happily. In all honesty, this night had been rather fun. The costume had slipped her mind and she didn't feel uncomfortable in it anymore. The most uncomfortable thing had been seducing the guard. The man had certainly been a pig.
"Thieves! Stop them!" Shouts called from the ballroom, and the two pirates stopped at the loud uproar. People shouted in surprise and disgust, and heavy running footsteps echoed across the halls.
"A man and a woman, stop them!" People were running, and the two pirates shared a glance. The accusations had come from all the way in the ballroom. How had they known it was them?
"The other thief?" Summer assumed, heart rate speeding up a bit at the sudden action.
"Hopefully." Law said, speeding up down the hallway. Somewhere close to them, a door slammed open, and many running feet approached near them.
"They might think it's us." Summer said, glancing at the Captain for orders. His eyes flicked back and forth, trying to formulate a plan quickly. But then, Summer thought of the perfect cover, one so uncomfortable that no one would suspect it.
She turned to the Captain, eyes intense. "Kiss me." She ordered. It was so surprising, Law stopped everything and looked at her like she was crazy.
"What?" He asked, not quite following her line of thinking. Shaking her head because they didn't have time for this, and hearing the running feet even closer, she grabbed his face and smashed her lips to his.
"Mmm." His muffled sound of surprise was forgotten after a moment, and his eyes closed in pleasure. The doctor's bag dropped to the ground and he pushed her up against the wall, responding with equal fire.
She dragged her teeth against his bottom lip, and he growled deep in his throat. His hands found their way to her sides. She shivered beneath his touch, sending a burning feeling down his chest. God, it felt so good to just touch her…
The running feet passed by them without stopping, and quickly headed towards the ballroom. Though, Law wasn't really listening.
Suddenly, Summer pulled away and pushed him off of her. Law's unfocused eyes opened. The abrupt interruption of his pleasant experience sent a pang of disappointment through him, but she only grinned.
"A couple kissing always makes everyone uncomfortable. No one was gonna stop and question us." She explained, smoothing out her hand. Quickly picking up the bag, she took his hand and pulled. "Come on!"
His mind was still a little slow on the uptake, still thinking too much about her impromptu makeup session. Letting her drag him with, they ran to the opposite end of the hall. All the guards had responded to the other thieves, and so no one was in their way. They found a door to an outdoor courtyard, just as Law predicted, and they stepped out into the cool air of the evening.
They ran up to the edge of the courtyard, finding that it was surrounded by the same iron fence that barred the property from the rest of the town. It was much shorter than that of the perimeter, but the top was lined with sharp points. There was no way to climb it.
"I think your devil fruit would be useful right about now." Summer suggested, and he grinned.
"Room." He said, raising his hand. The blue sphere appeared and surrounded a large area around them. Summer grabbed onto his arm again, and he raised his fingers. "Shambles."
They felt the familiar shifting and pulling that accompanied the teleporting, and they landed outside the outer fence. It took a moment to become oriented again, but he released his room a moment later.
"Hey!" A guard called, spotting them from the outer gate, and he started running towards them. "Thieves!"
He came too close for comfort, and Summer pulled the syringe from her breast pocket. Once he was in range, she swung her arm forwards and plunged the exposed needle into the man's neck, pushing down on the stopper and injecting the remaining liquid into his body.
"Nighty night." She sang, watching in satisfaction as he slumped onto the ground. A thought struck her then. "What happens when you overdose on the stuff?" She asked the Captain. He smirked.
"Death."
"Hmm. Oops." She shrugged. Several more guards appeared around the corner, carrying guns and looking rather angry.
"Now is the time that we run." Law said with a smirk, and the two pirates took off down the main street, gunshots whizzing past them from behind.
"Ahhh…" She sighed in exhaustion, collapsing onto Law's bed and laying there. "Finally home. These shoes were getting worse and worse by the minute." She kicked them off and they tumbled to the ground and lay at the foot of the bed.
Next to his desk, Law took off his lab coat, revealing the plain white shirt underneath. He ran a hand through his hair, hanging the discarded coat on the back of his chair. "At least we got a decent amount of treasure."
"Decent? It was more than I thought we'd be able to get." Summer stretched, and Law's eyes zeroed in on her skirt. Her arms were high above her head, which pulled the fabric of her dress upwards. His eyes became half-lidded, and he prowled closer to her.
"What was that back there anyway?" He questioned, leaning towards her and placing his hands on either side of her legs. "That was quite bold of you."
"Ehh. It was out of necessity." She responded, eyeing him curiously. He smirked, inching closer and closer over her. Her breathing quickened, chest rising and falling smoothly.
"Necessity?" She nodded, and he chuckled, moving his face to where their noses were only an inch apart.
"I don't believe that this," He kissed her then, biting her lower lip and dragging it through his teeth sensually slow, "was a necessity." He whispered heatedly, and she parted her lips a tiny bit. She remembered, yes, she remembered that small detail of the kiss in the hall. Hell, yes she did.
"Uh…" She couldn't find the brain power to string words together and speak them aloud, too mesmerized by his eyes so close to hers, staring into her heart and soul. Those gray eyes, they captivated her, pinning her beneath his intense gaze and holding her there.
"Although," He added huskily, eyes lowering to her lips, "neither is this."
And his lips found hers again.
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