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As the three of them squeezed out of the door, bickering who would take care of the pile of marines waiting for them outside of the auction house, Monkey D. Luffy, Eustass Kid, and Trafalgar Law came face to face with hundreds of cannons pointing directly at them.

The three notorious pirates ceased arguing as they looked out at their opponents. Luffy, the shortest of the three, couldn’t help but laugh from excitement.

“Hehehe, I’ve got this! WATCH ME!” Luffy yells and puts a thumb in his mouth. He blows hard enough to make his arm inflate one hundred times larger in size and proceeds to slam it down on the sea of marines, making them fly backward everywhere from the impact, almost as if an explosion when off.

Already the chaos began. There was screaming and yelling in pain from the soldiers, some knocked unconscious and others hurt from their landing. There were many who didn’t make it out from under Luffy’s gigantic fist and were smushed into the ground, knocked out of the fight before it had even started.

“He’s rubber,” Law says flatly to the redhead, who stared in at the smaller pirate. “He ate the

Gomu-Gomu

fruit.” Law had heard about Monkey D. Luffy long before meeting him here today. How could he not? He was everywhere in the paper, his bounty climbing higher and higher every week.

“He’s insane, is what he is. He has no tactics!” Kid shouted as he watched the rubber-boy run about, letting loose into the wild punching, kicking, and biting any marine in his path. Although he had no strategy, Kid definitely admired the guy. A pirate who can punch a Celestial Dragon, as absolutely wild as that is, is OK in his book.

Something off to Kid’s right caught his eye, something just behind Law. “Look out!” he warned as a female marine tried punching Law from his blind spot. Kid snagged Law’s hoodie just in time before she got a good sucker-punch to the side of the head.

The tall, lanky pirate stumbled as he tried to stand upright from the sudden pull. He brought a tattooed hand up to grab ahold of his hat to avoid it from flying off. A small sneer appeared on his face but he was still thankful. You could never be too sure about someone, whether or not if they had a Devil Fruit and if it was touch-based or not.

The marine countered by pulling out her sword and slashing back and forth after Kid, who was now in her path. She tried stabbing forward but Kid just dodged, laughing as she continued after him. There was obvious frustration from her. She huffed and puffed as she heaved her sword up above her body, raging as she brang it down to slice Kid in half.

Kid didn’t find her very scary, though. Clearly, she sucked as a marine, a sad excuse for one if you asked him. Her opening move was a bare-fisted punch and she couldn’t even land a single blow on him with her sword that she was

trained

with. The pirate barked a laugh into the air as he antagonized the woman. “This is all you’ve got, lady? C’monnnnn!”

Before Kid could retaliate, another wave of marines flew between them three of them, separating them off. Kid took that as a cue to kick some ass now, he already let Luffy have more fun than him. Knocking heads together, Kid slowly made his way deeper into the mess of marines.

Regaining his composure, Law watched the woman marine search the crowd for him or Kid, slowly scanning over the white uniforms for bright red hair or a loud yellow shirt - definitely wouldn’t be hard to spot them. Taking care of the low-rank marines around him, he continued to watch the female, wondering what her end-game was.

She must have found who she was looking for because her head stopped in its place and she smiled, making her way over in a straight line, elbowing past her comrades. She ignored many of the fights around her, focused only on one thing in front of her.

Between the time the three Supernovas stepped outside the auction house and now, the word must have traveled about Luffy’s punch to a Celestial Dragon because hundreds of pirates and regular citizens were running past the makeshift battlefield. Law wondered why they chose here to run, clearly, the current commotion was obvious to them? But it seemed there was less caution of going through a marine vs. pirate brawl because random pirates started appearing left and right, all running for the different shores trying to find their crewmates and ships to get the hell out of there.

Law put the pieces together and realized how utterly

fucked

they were, there was going to be an Admiral heading here because of what Luffy did. He bit his lip wondering what he should do. He didn’t see any of his crew come out of the building after him, they must still be inside, then.

Cutting people down with his unusually long sword, Law made his way back towards the auction house to grab his crew. There was no point in activating his power if it was just normies coming after him, no big shots. He’d rather conserve his strength for when he and his crew needed it most, which was probably when they made it back to the ocean when the potential of facing off with an Admiral could happen. They were going to be surrounded by marines on every island of Sabaody if they didn’t hurry and escape.

About halfway back to the auction house, he saw Kid had made it closer to him, too. Law presumed the other captain had the same thought: as much fun as this is,

it’s time to go.

He watched as kid laughed maniacally and dodged most swords, or just simply grabbed them with his bare hands. Law smiled. What little he read about the other Supernova was starting to show and he was living up to his reputation. Kid didn’t even have a weapon out to defend himself.

The smile on his face didn’t last long, though, as Law noticed people sort of… disappearing out of thin air? He slowed and backed up against the wall of the building to assure behind him was safe. Something wasn’t sitting right as he looked out, watching people

poof

out of existence. He wasn’t sure what was going on, it was only non-marines that it was happening to. As pirates ran past to flee the island in a certain area, they seemed to not make it all the way across the field. Law squinted his eyes and focused. It seemed like it was happening in a straight line? Almost as if someone was doing it….

oh shit,

Law thought. “A Devil Fruit user is here.”

Law couldn’t help himself. He knew he should be thinking of his crew and getting them all to safety but as much as he wanted that, he also was curious to see how Luffy and Kid played when it came to a tougher opponent. Taking the steps down one at a time to get closer, Law recognized it was the marine woman from earlier who was causing all the extra commotion. He tried to think ahead and match up her pathway to see where she was headed, and as he looked further in front of her, she was set straight for Kid who currently had his back turned as he boxed a few marine’s faces in at a time.

The woman made her way closer to the bulky redhead, slapping pirates left and right making them disappear the moment she touched them. With one hand she held her sword at the ready and the other balled into a fist. Kid was either going to get a dirty stab in the back or a punch that will make him cease to exist.

Thinking back to the papers he’s read, he couldn’t remember anything about Kid having any sort of powers. Law groaned to himself.

He’s prolly gonna die,

Law thought. With an eye roll, the skinny pirate made his way towards Kid to help him out here.

The idiot. Guess I’ll pay him back from saving me from that sucker punch earlier.

Law had to pick up his pace, the woman seemed to be getting closer faster than he gave her credit for. Each pirate that ran by her, she’d give them a brush of her fingers as they passed, or a punch, a slap, grabbed their wrist, anything that gave her skin-to-skin contact - and they’d disappear. He couldn’t understand what her power was, he’d never heard of a fruit like hers.

“Eustass-ya!” Law shouted, afraid he wouldn’t make it in time.

Captain Kid turned towards the call, looking around him. Kid spotted Law and saw the panic on his face. Immediately recognizing that type of look, Kid knew something was going to happen. Kid followed Law’s eyes behind him, turning to see his fate. As he turned, he saw the woman who tried to punch Law, who raised her hand to him, but she also held a sword in her other hand. A

metal

sword. As she moved closer, there was a glint around her neck, a small gold necklace.

Also a metal,

Kid thought. He smiled, fully turning to face her. He was ready to show off in front of the other Supernova of what he

really

could do.

Even though both he and Law knew she was shit at swordplay, Law still looked panicked and was getting too close, getting in the way.

Is he going to shield me?

Kid thought, realizing Law doesn’t know what his power is, that no metal can stand in his way. Law jumped in front of him, holding his arms out. “Oi, wait!” Kid protested.

The woman was already trapped in Law’s vicinity, in his Room. She was already his the moment she became in range. Being able to handle multiple subjects within his Room made this entire disaster scene not so dangerous to him, that

he

was the dangerous one. To save Kid, he threw himself in front of him and was just about to activate his power to teleport them away when he heard the pirate tell him to wait, so he hesitated.

But hesitation can kill you.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Law knew he was gonna get hit.

Stupid punk pirate,

Law said to himself. He closed his eyes bracing for the impact and thought of his family who he’d finally be able to see.

They’ve waited so long for me, it’s time we caught up.

After the force of the marine’s hand, he felt immense pain in his shoulder where she touched him, a feeling like his bones were shattering to pieces. He cried out in agony, swirls of colors filling his vision, and then nothing but black and a horrible, atrocious smell. The smell of death.

Kid’s jaw dropped as he watched a Supernova disappear before him. Hurriedly looking around, he didn’t see a dot of yellow anywhere, just white uniforms and a blur of laughing red.

So the Monkey kid is still out there, but….?

He was shocked to know that Law was weak enough to die so early in the game. He felt a twinge of guilt. It was partially his fault, he knew it was. He made the man hesitate, he was ready to do something, saw it in his eyes just before he turned his back to him -

to shield him.

Kid told him to wait, and Law stiffened, giving the slightest turn of his head towards him, but then he was touched by the woman and now he’s

gone.

Fuck, I’m an asshole.

Dodging backward out of the woman’s reach as she tried punching him too, he brought a boot up and kicked her in her face, then got the fuck out of there. The guilt inside him would make it impossible to fight now, he knew he’d slip and end up just like Law, so he played it safe by booking it to his boat. Earlier, he had told his crew if anything goes wrong: meet at the ship. Kid was thankful that he at least thought that much ahead. Never in a million years did he think something like this would go down while on the island. Who in their right mind would punch a Celestial Dragon?! Even Kid knew better than to do that.

After zig-zagging his way through marines and pirates, he realized he doesn’t know which island he was on anymore. He’d jumped from so many that he felt turned around. Quickly hiding behind a tree, he looked up at the numbers he could see that identified which island was which. He could only see the number 20 and he didn’t know which one he was currently on. Was he on 19 or 21? Does he go north or south to get to the higher number?! He couldn’t remember.

Fuck!

He knew he should have listened to Killer, his First Mate, about memorizing the map. Killer was always telling him about memorizing places with your

mind

and not just your Devil Fruit power, always giving him shit - and here he was - suffering because of it. Kid scoffed. There’s no way he’d tell Killer he was right, but dammit, he was! He was too far from his ship to feel the familiar magnetic pull.

Kid wandered about deciding to head east towards where he thought his ship was, ignoring a sore spot on his ankle. “Fuckkkk was it 29 or 39 to make a left?!” He ran his pale fingers through his hair in frustration looking over the land. The buildings all looked the same in this area, there wasn’t anything significant that jogged his memory if he was here earlier with his crew or not. He gave a wince taking another step. “The fuck is wrong with you.” Kid said to his foot, annoyed if he’d ever let a sprained ankle get the better of him. Prolly from landing wrong while running.

The further he went, the less he saw of random marines running about. Kid had to take care of a few, but for the most part, he was avoiding them trying to conserve energy. He was alone, lost, and had a bad ankle, too vulnerable for his liking. The longer he searched for the correct shoreline, the more Kid knew he was making his situation worse. He wished he had some way to contact his crew from here.

Off in the distance, he saw what looked like a higher rank of guards escorting royalty. Counting in his head, he saw seven guards, two Dragons, and four slaves. Thinking of those horrible odds, he decided to sit this one out. Coming up was a bridge to another island. He jogged, half-limping, towards it in hope to hide beneath the cobblestone without being seen.

Approaching the bridge, the ground felt squishy under his boots. Water pooled up under his weight with each step. The closer he got to the canal between the islands, the more water came up from the dirt.

Squish, squish, squish,

as he crouched. He ducked his head low to get up to the highest part under the bridge, his back tucked against the wall of it. Without caring if his butt got wet, he sat all the way down with a

plop

and water flushed out from under him. He quietly waited until the royal group passed overhead.

A twinge in his ankle made him wince again. He rubbed through his boot and wished he were back on his boat already. Literally, nothing went the way it was supposed to today and he was completely turned off from this shitty menagerie of islands. Kid didn’t mind fighting or sticking his nose where it oughta not be, but not alone like this when there were so many powerful people about. He’s adventurous, not

crazy.

The sounds of footsteps started to get closer, indicating the guards were near. Kid stopped breathing for the time they were walking above, afraid that one or more of them could use haki and feel his presence.

Luckily enough, the group had passed without any conflict. Kid let his breath out and gave a sigh of relief.

Stupid Strawhat stirring the place up!

He thought. That brought back a flash of Law disappearing before his eyes. He shook the memory from his head. He kinda felt bad knowing it was a shitty way to go. If it were him, he’d be embarrassed by how he died. If Kid could choose, he’d die fighting until his last breath, and even after that, he wouldn't quit.

Now that he was alone and safe from any wandering marine’s vision, he decided to see how swollen his ankle was. The boot slipped off easily, as he never tied them up, and something small fell out and landed with a squishy

plop

in the watery grass when he pulled his foot from it.

“Well looky here, a little lizard,” he said. A small black and yellow lizard must have jumped in his boot from the marshy area. “Wait, what the?!” He said out loud.

“Trafalgar?”

There in the soggy grass was Law, unconscious. His long sword lay next to him inches away from his outspread hand and his hat knocked off. But the thing is, Law was tiny. Shrunken. Half a foot tall now.

“What the….fuck?” Kid whispered. Slowly leaning down to take a closer look, he blinked a few times to be sure that’s exactly what he was seeing.

Yeah, that’s Law alright. Still has a scowl on his face, even knocked out.

Kid carefully brought his hand under Law and scooped him up into his palm.

Why is he so small?

Law laid out in his palm, his lanky limbs just barely hanging off the sides. For a moment, all Kid could do was stare. He’s never seen a tiny human before, especially not a tiny human who

used

to be big. He studied the small body, looking him over. Everything seemed normal about him, nothing was disproportionate, his sword even shrunk with him. He had tiny little boots and an even tinier hat. The redhead let out a weak laugh at the strange situation.

This really is Trafalgar Law. What the hell happened to him?

Using only a single finger, Kid poked at Law’s body. “Hey,” he whispered as to not yell in the tiny man’s face. “Trafalgar. Hey.” He continued to lightly poke until Law finally furrowed his brows even more and his eyes fluttered open.

The Heart Pirate looked around letting his vision become clearer, only seeing hazy blobs of color. His head felt heavy and sore like it was bouncing all over the place, his neck and back needing a good cracking, too. At that, Law gave a wince and clutched his chest where the woman used her powers on him. “Shit,” he said. “That doesn’t feel good.” On instinct, Law brought his hand out in front of him to check for blood but saw none. “Well, at least I’m not dead,” he admitted.

“Do you always talk to yourself like that?” Kid said after witnessing the show.

Law just about jumped out of his skin when he looked up. “AH!” he yelled and crawled backward. Once his hands touched against Kid’s skin, he looked down at the weird feeling and scrambled to his feet. “Why are you so big!” He said, looking all around him.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to process.” Kid said with a laugh. He watched Law continue to look around and see that Kid was not big, but in fact, Law was just very small. He sniffed his shirt and grimaced.

With a sigh, Law asked, “How long was I out for?”

Kid was shocked. Law seemed to be taking this very well. “Uhm, I dunno? An hour or so? Maybe going on two now.” He cocked his head and scowled down at the other pirate. “How are you so calm? I mean, even I’m a little freaked that you shrunk.”

Annoyed he had to explain, Law waved his hand as he talked, “It was that marine woman. She must have some power to make people different sizes or something.” Kid watched as Law walked around on his palm as if he had been that size all his life. “I’m not shocked because it makes sense to me.”

“How does it make any sense at all.” Kid deadpanned.

“She had her sights set on you. She was making her way towards you and people were vanishing. Although now that I’m awake and see the result, they weren’t vanishing from existence like I had thought they were, they were just vanishing from

my view

. They were too small for me to see behind all the running people.”

Kid looked down at him and thought about how it sorta made sense. He didn’t get to witness first hand what her power was so he tried picturing what Law was talking about. Kid nodded for him to go on.

After Law looked around, he saw Kid’s bare foot out and his boot off to the side. Not far from his foot was a tiny version of his sword, Kikoku, and his hat. “I presume I was inside your boot by the way I smell,” he concluded and crossed his arms. “Disgusting. Must have fallen in when I was turned into this.” He said and tapped his foot impatiently.

Kid barked a laugh that shook Law’s eardrums to the core. He slapped his hands to the sides of his head, grimacing against the sudden loud noise. Kid covered his mouth but couldn’t help continue stifling a laugh behind his hand. “Heh, sorry dude. It’s a boot, what did you expect it to smell like?”

With caution, Law lowered his hands away from his head, afraid another booming laugh was coming again. “I wouldn’t complain about the smell of the inside of your boots if I didn’t have to be soaked in it as well.” He made a gagging reaction. “Such an offensive odor.”

Holding back more laughter, Kid bit his lip through a smile. “Okay, okay. I know they stink. Anyway, now that I know you’re not dead, I feel less bad about leaving you behind.” Kid gently set Law down on the ground and reached for his boot.

“Excuse me?” Law said. Both eyebrows were raised as high as they would go. “You’re not seriously thinking of leaving me here like this, are you?”

“I’m not

thinking

of leaving you here, Trafalgar, I

am

gonna leave you here. Y’aint dead so I don’t feel guilty anymore. It’s a doggy-dog world out there and we’re pirates. You know the drill.” Kid said. He finished lacing both boots up tight. He didn’t want any more small people jumping in there while he was trying to escape.

“It’s ‘dog-eat-dog world’ you blithering idiot,” Law mumbled. Walking over to his other belongings, he knew he had to take action fast because Kid was standing up, crouching to leave from under the bridge. He had to extend his power. “Room! Shambles!” he shouted and a small blue circle formed around Kid’s left foot for a few seconds, then an audible

pop

noise followed resulting in Kid’s entire foot and mid-way up his shin to vanish. Where it reappeared was only a few feet away out of sight, but it didn’t matter, Kid didn’t have to know that. Law just wanted to get his point across that he had a Devil Fruit.

Shit,

Law thought.

My Room is only relative to the size of my body, it appears. I can’t make it any bigger.

With most of his leg now missing, Kid stumbled and fell to his hands and knees. Water splashed out from under him and a small wave made its way towards Law. By the time it reached him, it was only a little force, but enough to make him take a step backward. He was already up to his ankles in water. Luckily his weight wasn’t enough to make him sink further down.

“You little bastard. What did you do!?” Kid said between gritted teeth once he saw his leg situation. Confusion colored his face wondering as to why there was no blood where a huge wound should be.

“I took some action. You’re gonna help me get back to my ship, Eustass-ya. This is your fault, anyway.”

“Me?! How is this my fault?! You’re alive! You should be grateful to me that you didn't get trampled by that stampede of wussy pirates.” Kid knelt down closer to Law’s body and frowned. “Give me my fucking foot back before I take my

other

foot and slam it over your useless body.” Even though he was angry at Law, he still used a quieter voice when he leaned in, careful not to hurt Law’s ears again.

“Take me to my ship and I will. If you kill me, I can’t reattach it. Sure, a good surgeon could sew it back up for ya, but it will never be the same. I grabbed the bone and all.” He smiled, his dark eyes almost glowing with evil intent. “Good luck.”

Kid stared, not knowing how much was true or what more there was to Law’s power. A small tingle went up to his spine as he thought how creepy the guy suddenly seemed. “Alright,” Kid finally said after thinking this all through. “I'll take you to your ship, then it's back to frenemies. I can't be seen with a fellow Supernova, now can I? Got a reputation to keep, you know.”

The larger pirate laid his hand out for the other to climb aboard. Law eyed him suspiciously but walked forward. Within two steps, Kid snatched Law up and squeezed him in his fist just enough that he couldn't wiggle his arms out. “Now put my fucking foot back where it belongs.” Kid growled, baring his teeth.

“I can't -” Law began.

“What!? Wuddya mean ‘you can't’!?”

“Hold on! Let me finish!” Law protested. “I can't because you covered my hands. I need them.”

A few moments of silence passed as Kid stared a hole into Law wondering if he was telling the truth. He still had a small inkling the tiny dude was up to no good again, but he didn't have any other choice. Loosening up his grip, he waited.

Law shimmied an arm out and raised a hand, “Shambles!” He said, and with another

pop

, Kid's foot appeared, making Kid jump at the strange sudden feeling. “There. Let's get going now.” He grumbled. He set his elbow down on Kid's fist and laid his jaw in his hand, propping his head up. This was so humiliating to him. A grown ass man having to rely on his enemy to get out of harm's way.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“It’s this one, take a left up here,” Law said, pointing to the nearest fork in the path that led to the next bridge.

“God, fucking finally.”

Law had managed to guide Kid back to the correct island where his ship, and hopefully his crew, was. A small feeling of excitement rose within him as they neared the port. It wasn’t long that he’d been apart from his crew, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy to see them. He didn’t realize how good he had it with them until he met Kid. Being stuck relying on the idiot made him feel guilty for ever taking advantage of his crew. The redhead was driving him up a wall thinking he knew where to go when he clearly didn’t. They’d have been back at the docks by now if he had just listened to Law in the first place. But no0o0o0o0o0o0o, he had to make his own irritating decisions and do almost the exact opposite Law had said. Bastard.

“Don’t see nuthin.” Kid said but recognized the port as they made their way out into a clearing. As he looked off into the distance he saw his own ship, the metal singing its familiar song to him letting him know she was there waiting until he got back. He ached to be on his boat again.

“Go around those trees, we tucked it close to shore but there are a few low willows covering it.” Law told the other. After hours of being uncomfortably constricted in Kid’s hand, he was beyond ready to get the hell away from him and back with his crew.

Kid broke his trance from his boat and made his way around some knotted trees and looked for Law’s ship. “These trees here?” he asked, looking around. “I don’t see your boat, dude.”

Law didn’t answer. He didn’t see The Polar Tang sticking out of the water at all. “It’s not a boat. It’s a submarine.” Did they take a wrong turn? This has to be the place, the island number was correct, there were three willow trees directly offshore marking exactly where they had left it.

Kid perked up. “Oh, a submarine!? Like a metal submarine?”

“What else are submarines made of?” Law said flatly.

This just means my crew made it back and sunk lower underwater to avoid the marines.

“I fucking get that, Trafalgar. I’m sayin metal is my

thing,

it’s like a sixth sense for me. And there ain't a damn sub out there.”

“No, they’re just deeper, look for the periscope. Move those branches over.” Law said, pointing to where he remembered his ship being. Frustration growing as he relied on Kid to do all the looking and couldn’t do it himself. He didn’t like not being in control, especially when he had to yield that control to a complete fucking idiot.

“

No,

I’m tryin to tell you there ain't metal out there at all. If there was, I’d be able to feel it.” Kid squatted down on the grass and set Law down. “Whelp! This is as far as I go, Law. I’m outta here.”

The lanky pirate angrily looked up at the giant. “Eustass-ya.”

“Mm?” Kid said, still walking away. “Can’t hear ya, yer too small. Byeeee!” Kid waved over his head, leaving Law alone. He stretched and put both arms behind his head.

“Eustass-ya!” Law yelled after him, but the pirate kept walking away.

Shit,

Law cursed to himself.

At least he took me this far. I'll have to find somewhere to hide and wait for my crew to come back and find me.

Law looked out to sea where his friends probably were. He gave a soft smile thinking about how much they would be worrying over him, where he was, how he was doing.

Especially Bepo, the worry-wart.

But right now the first priority was to take shelter.

Who knows how long I'll be out here.

Law looked where the sun was in the sky to tell the time.

As the lanky pirate walked around the cove towards the Willow trees that used to hide his submarine, he heard rustling in the brush a few feet away from him. Walking faster to move away, he slid Kikoku from its sheath, preparing himself for the worst. Not being regular height meant more enemies behind every corner, or for this matter, every hedge.

The rustling became louder as the animal made its way closer, branches shaking up and down as it tried to free itself. A small, pink nose poked out of the green shrub, and for a second, Law felt his shoulders relax at the familiar sight of a white bunny. Although nothing ever is that easy, of course, this bunny had

fangs.

Law was in complete shock to see the critter jump at him, hissing before wrapping its jaws around his middle.

“What the! Put me down, you piece of shit!” Law exclaimed, punching the rabbit in its face. As it ran away with its dinner in its mouth, it bit down harder and punctured through Law's thigh, blood squirting out, it quickly draining from the main artery. He felt a sharp stab in his shoulder, too, but it was manageable. His heart rate picked up and his mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do.

The pain in his leg made him cry out as the bunny bit down again. He tried concentrating on his power to activate it but the bunny was hopping too much for him to adjust.

Shit, I'm losing too much blood.

“Fuck!” Law shouted and swung his sword up to stab the bunny in its eye. He just barely missed but still managed to damage it enough it spat him out, dropping him on the ground to run away. A tuft of red tinted white fur floated to the ground where the rabbit once stood.

Law winced and held his thigh. He limped a few inches before he saw the critter making its way back towards him in full charge.

A sudden throwing dagger zipped through the air over Law’s body and hit the rabbit directly between two rib bones, puncturing its heart. It dropped dead in its tracks.

“I leave for less than five minutes and you're already trying to kill yourself again.” Kid said, jogging up to the tiny pirate and reaching down to pull his knife from the dead animal. “Oh shit, it got you good, didn't it?” He said, looking at all the red liquid surrounding Law. He made a face that could only be read as a silent

yikes.

“Don't just stand there, you fucking idiot, bring me to your ship’s infirmary. I need medical supplies

now.”

“Hahhh??? I can't bring you back to my ship! We're enem-”

“NOW!” Law screamed, clutching his leg. He pulled his hoodie off and tied the sleeves around his upper thigh just below the crotch line as tight as it would allow. Blood immediately started to consume the yellow fabric. “I'm gonna bleed out if you just keep sitting there staring!” Law reminded the redhead. “Ten minutes tops. I can try and hold the blood in with my power to give me no more than twenty minutes. Take me to your ship”

Kid didn't feel like he had any other choice. But the stupid supernova sucked at being a pirate and was ordering him around and shit???? Pff, Kid hated being told what to do and being looked down upon. “You could rot in hell for all I care, ya little bastard.”

“Then why did you come back?” Law spat.

Kid was shocked. It's true, why did he come back when he heard the yell from the small man? He could have kept walking, that was his initial intention. But he

did

come back.

“Ah, fuck it.” Kid said, giving in. He picked Law up carefully in two hands and ran as fast as he could back towards his ship. He was lucky law docked near where he did, or he prolly wouldn’t make it, if Kid was being honest about it.

After a rough eight-minute sprint to his ship, Law was beginning to near his limit. He was using his power to keep his blood back in but he couldn’t use it to close the hole. Only cuts made by Kikoku could be closed by his Devil Fruit powers. His hoodie was just about soaked entirely through. He could feel his strength leaving him the more he strained to keep the blood in.

Approaching his big hunk of metal he called a ship, Kid looked down at Law. “Man, I really don’t want to be seen with you.” Law could tell he was debating on his next move. “Just bear with me, will ya?” Kid told him and stuck him in his inner pocket in his fuzzy captain’s coat. There were muffled groans as Law was turned and forced into a position his leg didn’t agree with.

Kid climbed up the side of his ship and swung himself over the railing. He landed with a heavy

thud,

his boots making the metal below him ring. He looked around and didn’t see any of his crewmates and thought it odd they hadn’t made it back yet. “Yo!” He shouted making his presence known, no answer in return. Without waiting any longer, he rushed to his infirmary below deck. Once on the second floor, he heard talking in the next room. “Yo, it’s me. I’m alright. Let’s get this shit-show on the move,” he said passing the room, purposely avoiding their attention.

The talking ceased and it sounded as if the crewmen stumbled over each other just to get out of the room and see their captain for themselves.

“We thought you-” Killer started.

“Well I’m here now, let’s go,” Kid said with a nasty attitude without turning. He was hoping if he sounded in a bad enough mood that no one would bother him. The redhead continued down the hall towards the medical bay.

Bursting through the door and immediately closing it behind him, he looked around to make sure the doc wasn’t in. Seeing it was clear, he gently pulled Law out of his coat and set him on the bed, red already seeping into the sheets. “Okay, we’re here. What do you need?”

“Gauze, disinfectant, medical glue, medical tape, sutures, and a needle.” Law’s lip curled up in disgust for a moment, “A

sterilized

needle.” He added.

Instead of snapping back at that last comment, Kid went to search for the items Law listed off. He knew it was starting to get down to crunch-time because Law’s color had drastically changed. When he and Law first met back at the auction house, Kid saw how dark his skin was, but now he was sheet-white, as pale as Kid himself. He wasn’t a doctor, but he did know that didn’t mean anything good.

After managing to grab the gauze, a few different needles, and a big bottle of disinfectant, Kid dropped them off next to Law to fetch the rest. He reached for a drawer he knew some sort of glue oughta be in when he heard the turning of the big metal wheel on the door.

“Captain, did you get hurt? I can fix you up,” said his doctor.

“NO! No, don’t, I’m fine. Don’t come in.” Kid shouted and scrambled to grab the rest of the stuff Law asked for. He threw them in a towel and scooped it up, along with Law, and yanked the door open brushing past the doctor making his way to his personal quarters.

Heading down to the third and final floor, he made it to his room. After the door had been closed and secured, Kid swept the trinkets and scrap metal off his desk he’d been tinkering with and they all loudly fell to the floor making the room echo with clanging. He set Law down and laid out the towel that held the supplies. After he placed Law on the towel, he pulled the small lamp close to where Law laid and turned it on, pointing it straight down on him.

Propping himself up with his elbows, Law tried to find the strength to finish this out knowing damn well Kid had no idea what to do if he passed out. The pain in his leg had worsened and he lost too much blood, he could barely function. What wasn’t covered in blood, the rest of him was covered in a thin sheet of sweat. He barely managed to untie his hoodie from around his leg, fingers weakening.

“Help me take off my pants, Eustass-ya.” Leaning all his weight on one elbow, he grabbed at the button on his jeans undoing them, pulled the zipper down, then kicked his boots off. “Just pull.” He said. Kid did as he was told, daintily grabbing one end of Law’s pant legs. As the jeans slid down his thigh, Law gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut feeling the coarse fabric scrape against his skin. “Thanks,” he said, genuinely thankful Kid didn’t try to argue with him again.

When Law looked down at his leg, he whispered, “Shit,” and looked up at Kid. “I need a scalpel. I’ve gotta open this up more.”

“Why?”

“It’s already highly infected. See the green? I have to drain it. Hurry up. I can’t keep the blood in anymore,” Law said flatly. On the outside, he tried to keep his cool, but on the inside, he wasn’t sure if he’d have a leg for much longer. If he were regular sized, this wouldn’t be a problem, infected or not, the bite wound barely larger than a fingernail. But with his shrunken body, he was lucky the puncture didn’t hit bone. It took up nearly more than half of his thigh. The animal’s mouth must have been full of some crazy bacteria that wasn’t entirely normal for it to be affecting him this fast. Beads of sweat dripped off his nose as he concentrated his blurry vision, “Too much blood...loss….” Law swayed for a moment before continuing. “Please...hurry.”

Kid grunted in protest but ran out of the room and back to the infirmary. The bright light was making Law feel a little sick, he rocked back and forth again from dizziness.

Hold it together just a little while longer,

he said to himself.

Before he knew it, Kid was back with a scalpel and after the door was shut, he was already twisting out the blade from its handle. He knew it would be useless to Law as it was too big, the blade really is the only thing he needed.

He handed the blade to Law and warned him it was brand new and that it was extremely sharp. Law took hold of it. “Dump some of that on my leg.” He said, pointing up at the bottle of disinfectant.

Kid figured his work here wasn’t done, seeing as how Law was too small and in no condition to do things by himself, but he still couldn’t help feeling annoyed he was being told what to do like he was some sort of show-chimp. He grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap off, pouring the liquid into the cap and dumped it over Law’s leg. The man winced as the liquid foamed up with faint bubbling noises filling the silence between them.

When the bubbles were just about gone, Law looked up and said, “Again,”

Kid filled the cap and dumped it on his leg, Law giving the same reaction. Without another word, Law pulled the scalpel across his thigh easily opening up the circular puncture wound. He set the blade down next to him and put a hand on each side of his thigh and squeezed as hard as he could. Only a small amount of puss slowly oozed out but Law knew there was more. His upper leg was too swollen for that to be it. It was bright red, shiny, and smooth, barely keeping the infection back before it burst. He thought a deep incision would have been enough but it still needed help.

Law tried squeezing it again but his strength was sapped from him. With droopy eyes, Law looked up at Kid who was still intensely watching with furrowed brows. “Take two fingers and squeeze, just as I was doing.”

For only a moment, Kid looked grossed out, but gave a quick nod and did as he was told. He was slightly mad at himself for going along with the enemy pirate but

whatever

. When Law isn’t in such a shit condition, he’d make sure to give him

hell

enough to make up for what he was lacking here.

Kid pinched the tiny leg and immediately there was an audible

pop

noise, the puss breaking free, pooling out over Law’s leg and Kid’s fingers. A small glance to Law’s face let Kid know he was in more pain than he was letting on, his face twisted in a sour reaction each time Kid pinched. He could at least give him that much credit, the guy was taking this like a real fuckin man.

“Blot it with the gauze to clean most of it up, then another cap full of disinfectant,” Law ordered. He swayed a little until he fell backward, catching himself on his elbow. He shook the dizziness away, he needed to concentrate. The lamp was making him overheat. “The lamp…” Law breathed. His chest heaved up and down for a moment before he continued. “Please… move it back a little…”

After pouring the liquid over Law’s wound, Kid scooted the lamp backward a few inches so he wasn’t directly under it anymore. Leaning in closer he noticed the puss wasn’t entirely gone so he loaded up another cap full to flush it out.

“Thanks…” Law whispered. “Thread the needle,” He said, pointing at the pile Kid grabbed. As the redhead reached for one, Law interrupted, “No, no, the curved one.” He nodded when Kid was touching the correct one.

With haste, Kid threaded the needed with the suture string and handed it to Law. The lanky pirate grabbed it with two hands and jammed it into his thigh, sinking it deep enough to get under the puncture, then poking it through the other side. “Pull,” he ordered, handing the needle back to the other. Kid pulled the string to its length until it stopped at the knot in the end, then handed it back to Law, who hurriedly took it back and jammed it into his thigh again.

As they continued to do that back and forth, Kid was impressed Law could do this without any antithetic, even in his horrible condition. The needle itself was as thick as one of Law’s fingers and he was fishing it through his skin like it was someone else’s body.

“Pull,” Law said again, a slight slur as he spoke. “Cut and tie. One more disinfectant. Dab until dry. Wrap with tape. Let me sleep.” Law whispered and then fell backward, unconscious.

Kid stared at the small pirate for a moment. Slightly ticked off he was stuck doing most of the work but also clearly in awe Law managed to do so much with this nasty wound. Doing as he was instructed, he finished off what Law couldn’t do. Once done, he looked around his room for somewhere safe to put the guy.

He pulled open the middle drawer on his desk and grabbed a box he kept his tools in. Quietly dumping them out onto his hand, he set them on a shelf for now.

What the fuck am I doing,

Kid thought as he realized he was trying to find something small and

soft

to place inside the box for the tiny pirate. He rolled his eyes

.

He went to his dresser and moved around the clothes until he found a sash he hadn’t worn in a while.

Folding the cloth piece so it would tuck neatly into the box, Kid left the last ten or so inches out, then gently picked up Law who was still completely knocked out and naked, minus his underwear. He laid the man on the cloth and grabbed the rest to place over him for a cover.

How humiliating,

he thought to himself.

I’m tucking a pirate in.

Kid placed the box back in the middle drawer and closed it halfway so it was dark but also so he could breathe. Without cleaning their mess up on the desk, Kid scoffed at the whole situation and left his room.
 
Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Kid’s stomach loudly growled. “Ugh. Fooooood,” he groaned. “Help meeee,” he whined out to no one and made his way towards the kitchen. “So hungry…”

“Captain,” Killer said once he entered the room.

“Yo,” Kid answered with a lazy wave. “Got some food there, I see. Gimmie some,” he said, reaching for Killer’s plate while sitting down. His First Mate let him take what he wanted.

Killer waited a few minutes for his captain to get a few bites down before he began. “So you got hurt? Thought you could handle the marines yourself.”

“Hah? No way I’d let them touch me.” Kid said, almost offended his crewmate would even think that. With a mouthful of food, Kid spat a little as he talked, “Didn’t get a scratch on me.”

“Oh?” Killer said. Behind his helmet, he studied Kid’s face for a moment. “Thought something happened because you immediately went to the med bay when you got back.” Killer looked around on what he could see of Kid’s body looking for a wound of some sort. “Doc said he had to change the sheets on the bed cause there was blood on’em.”

Kid chewed a little slower as he thought about it. “Yeah, it wasn’t my blood.” He said. It wasn’t a lie, it really

wasn’t

his blood.

“What did you go to the med bay for then if you weren’t hurt?”

“I needed some stuff, okay? God, what is this - twenty questions?! Fuck!” Kid yelled, standing up. Running his fingers through his bright red hair, Kid tried to calm down after the outburst. He felt like everyone would know about Law in his room if they looked at him long enough, reading it on his face. He'd hate for his crew to find out he brought an enemy onto the ship, especially without asking and especially especially tending to his wounds and letting him sleep in his room. Fuck, this was so messed up. Part of him was okay with helping Law out but the other was hitting him over the head asking what the hell was wrong with him. Maybe the reason he'd complied was that Law was so helpless, being small and all. He couldn't see himself giving two shits what happened to the man if he were full sized.

Even though Kid couldn’t see Killer’s reaction, he knew his first mate was catching on that something was up.

Fucking nosey bastard.

Although Killer was suspicious, he stayed silent.

Kid, too, stayed silent. He wasn’t sure what else he could say, knowing damn well no matter what came out of his mouth now would make him sound even more guilty than before. “We made it out of marine filled waters?” Kid asked.

“Yes.”

“Everyone well and accounted for?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m gonna take a nap. Wake me when dinner’s done.” Kid turned to leave but hesitated for a second. “Knock first,” he added, then left before Killer could give him that stupid look again under his helmet.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Carefully, Kid pulled out the second drawer to his dresser to check if Law was okay. Seeing the tiny pirate still in a deep sleep, he sighed in relief. It was annoying he had to take care of this idiot who totally put

himself

in this situation. Why was he the designated caretaker?!

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Kid grabbed the wooden box out and set it on top of his desk. Pulling back the makeshift blanket, he studied Law’s left thigh to see if the tape had been bled through or if it was swollen again. From what he could see, so far, so good. It had only been a half hour since he’d left but Kid wanted to catch it early if anything were to happen. For only a moment, the redhead studied the other's intricate tattoos. He recognized them to be some sort of tribal designs around his Jolly Roger symbol. Kid placed the sash back over Law and set him in the drawer again, closing it only halfway.

It was time to take a much-needed nap. Kid was tired. It was one adventurous day and it hadn’t even ended yet. There was no way he’d make it to supper without a quick snooze in there. Kid shed his fuzzy coat letting it drop to the floor and kicked it aside. He unbuckled his belt and was going to drop it on his desk like always but hesitated.

Prolly wouldn’t feel nice to wake up to that,

he thought, remembering Law. Instead, he walked over to his dresser and set it atop of that, putting his blue sash, bandolier, gun, knife, and goggles next to it. The few steps it took to get back to his bed, Kid undid his pants and walked right out of them, plopping face first on his bed in his underwear. “Fuck,” he said. “This feels amazing.” Seconds later, he was snoring.
 
There was a light knock on the metal door. “Captain?” a voice called out on the other side. The voice paused, waiting for an answer. Another knock, louder this time. “Kid, food is ready.” the voice, Killer, tried again.

The ship’s First Mate waited for an answer. Kid was a heavy sleeper and it would take more than just a few knocks on the thick door to wake him. He sighed. “For the record, I knocked first,” Killer said to himself. He turned the wheel on the door until he heard it

click

and slowly pushed the door open. “Captain, wake up.” He said, walking across the room towards the other. A quick glance to Kid’s workspace confused him. His captain said he wasn’t hurt but there were supplies here giving the impression he needed stitches; medical tape, disinfectant, needles. Killer took a mental note of it all as he went further into the room, loose nuts and screws rolling across the floor as he walked. He leaned down to grab Kid’s shoulder, shaking him firmly.

“Mm?” Kid mumbled, raising his head and looking around.

“You said to wake you when dinner was done. It’s done. C’mon.” Killer said, a little more gently now that he was less than a foot away from the sleepy captain.

“Mm, yeah. Food. Five more minutes.” Kid groaned out and plopped his head back onto the bed. He had his arms shoved under his pillow as he lay on his stomach. One leg bent inward while the other stuck straight out, his foot dangling off the edge.

“I’m not coming back down here just for you to get five more minutes of sleep,” Killer said, gritting his teeth. “Get up!” he yelled and playfully punched Kid in the butt. “Don’t make me drag you.”

“Alright, alright! I’m coming.” The captain said. He sat up, hair sticking out in crazy directions even more than usual. Lifting his arms high above him in a yawn, he saw the open drawer Law was in.

Shit.

Kid leaned forward and slammed the drawer shut, looking to see if Killer saw inside it. His crewmate didn’t seem as if he did but he was definitely suspicious. He knew his captain was acting weird ever since he got back from Sabaody.

Turning to leave, Killer said over his shoulder, “Put clothes on before you come out. Newbies still aren’t used to your...

openness,

yet.”

That made Kid laugh. It’s true, the two new recruits gave off an uncomfortable vibe any time he walked around either completely naked or in his boxer briefs. They’re all men here so he saw no reason to shield himself. “Asserts dominance!” Kid yelled out after his friend as he grabbed his dick and shook it. He laughed again at his own joke.

Rummaging through his hamper, he found a pair of tight black and white, vertically striped shorts that came down to just above his knees. He fixed the elastic band and walked towards the door to leave. Just as he was shutting the door, he ran back in towards his desk and, with care, pulled the drawer halfway open again.
 
Dinner was nice. His crew came back from the auction house unscathed just like Killer had told him earlier. The Doc didn’t bring up the bloodied sheets to him, which he was grateful for. The new recruits didn’t stare at him too much for his choice of clothing, or lack thereof. All was well on Captain Kid’s ship.

Heat played with one of his scars on his face as he watched his captain eat. “Master,” he said, waiting for Kid to give him eye contact. “Where are we headed now? We didn’t get to bid on the slave and our ship isn’t coated,” he asked, still fingering the stitches.

This wasn’t a surprise question, of course his crew would want to know where they were going next, but there was one problem: there was an extra pirate on the ship that didn’t belong here. He had to find a submarine somehow and get the depressing bastard out of his hair before it started to mess up his plan to find The One Piece.

The rest of the crew wondered this as well, the small chatter dying down as they waited for their captain to answer. Kid looked around and confidently said, “Let’s take it easy for tonight. I’ll have a plan in the morning. Why don’t we break into the good booze we got off that richy bitch’s boat, eh?” He said, raising a glass of his beer. “Starting now!”

“How many, Captain?” One of the new recruits asked.

“Heh?”

“She had a shit ton of barrels stocked, how many can we drink tonight?”

Kid thought for a moment. The drinks really were for a distraction so he could wrap his head around the situation with Law, he didn’t want them to drink

all

the good shit. “Bring out two for now.”

The new recruits and Wire happily left to the storage room and roll them out to the kitchen. Kid chugged his beer and slammed the mug down on the table. Lazily wiping the liquid from his mouth with the back of his hand, he smiled over at Killer. “Gonna get drunk?” he asked his best friend.

“Think I’m going to pass up expensive alcohol?” Killer answered with another question. Behind his helmet he saw Kid didn’t eat everything off his plate, he left a small chunk of meat. It puzzled Killer for a moment, wondering how Kid managed to stop at any point while eating. It was a strange sight to see anything left after he was finished.

Killer’s thoughts were interrupted with the sound of barrels being rolled over metal flooring. “Here comes the wine!” sang the new pirates. “Captain, you get the honors of the first drink!”

“Damn straight, I do! Lug it up here,” Kid said, slapping the table. Kid knocked the tap so it opened up and put his cup under just as the deep, purple liquid spilled out. He let it fill completely to the brim, chugged it down, then went in for another full glass before moving over and letting someone else get some. “God damn, that’s good.”

The rest of the crew formed a line behind the barrel to wait their turn. Kid saw this as a good opportunity to wrap the little meat piece he saved in a napkin and bring his mug of wine with him back to his bedroom.

Killer watched him go, wondering what could make Kid leave the party he himself suggested.
 
Kid planned on giving the little piece of meat to Law for his dinner but when he returned to his quarters, the pirate was still asleep. Even after giving him a few light pokes, Law didn’t budge. He shrugged and popped the food in his mouth before turning to leave the room again.
 
___
 
After the twenty-four-hour mark of Law passing out, Kid wondered if he would even wake up at all. He didn’t know shit about medical things and he didn’t want to bring anything up to his ship’s doctor, at least not just yet. The doc and Killer had to still be thinking about the trip to the infirmary the other day and he didn’t want to make matters worse by asking strange questions out of the blue.

With the little box carrying Law in it on his lap, Kid pulled the sash back and rested two fingers over his chest. “Still breathing, but he’s pretty sweaty.” Pulling the cloth back further to check on his leg, he gave a small gasp at the sight of it. “Shit,” he whispered. Law’s leg showed severe signs of infection despite how much they cleaned it.

A faint wave of panic crossed Kid’s mind as he thought of what he could do.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, shitty fucking shit fuck. What do I do?

A picture of him bringing Law to his doctor flashed in his mind and he immediately dismissed it, no way he could do that.

But that leg is lookin

mighty

fucked up.

Kid leaned forward towards his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer and rummaged through until he found what he was looking for; a small pair of scissors. Carefully maneuvering them to squeeze beneath the medical tape and not stab Law, he started cutting the tape off revealing more of the poisoned flesh. “Yikes,” he said to himself. The longer he looked at the mess of a wound, the more Kid felt like it’d be easier to pretend he didn’t see anything.

I never promised I would help the depressing bastard,

he reasoned with himself.

I was asked to get him to his sub and that was it. The rest just happened. I did a lot already. I ain't got any ties to this fucker. He’s not a crew member or even a friend.

There was that pang of guilt again, though. Kid groaned to protest against his own thoughts but the guilt won him over. “Seriously, fuck this guy. Aint even awake and I’m still doing his bidding.” he sighed and set to help Law the best he could.
 
___
 
When hLaw had woken up, Kid was gone. He felt like shit but he knew that was to be expected. All he saw when he woke up was darkness and for a moment, he freaked out, not sure where the hell he was. After flailing, his leg pain reminded him what happened and then he remembered he was in Kid’s bedroom.

Blinking the sleep away, he tried to let his eyes focus in the darkness, but nothing no shapes in the room appeared before him. He looked around himself and felt he was comfortable and warm.

At least the oaf could do something right without me having to explain it,

Law thought. He tried stretching but his shoulder felt sore from the weird angle the rabbit had grabbed him. He decided to stand up and stretch only to hit his head on the “ceiling” above him. “Ow!” he yelled, grabbing his head.

Crawling on all fours, he made it to the end of the box and felt his way out, standing in the half of the drawer that was open. His eyes had finally adjusted to the dark. He turned around and saw he was in the desk from earlier. Law began to reach up to climb it but was interrupted by the door opening.

Not knowing if it was Kid or not, Law scrambled to get back in the drawer.

Shit, if anyone besides Kid sees me here, they’ll think I’m infiltrating!

He thought and hid behind the wood.

Kid stumbled in and reached for the lamp, pulling the little chain cord to click it on. He set a napkin of meat and mug down and reached for the drawer with Law in it. He gave off a small gasp when he saw the small pirate awake and staring at him. “Oh, shit, you scared me. I mistook your freakishly depressing face for a ghost.” He laughed and took a long swig of wine. “Want some? I brought a straw, see?” he said and swished the cup so the straw swirled around and around.

“I’m assuming it’s booze by the way you smell,” Law said, crinkling his nose. “Did you bring anything else back, or just alcohol?” He asked.

“Yeah, actually. Some meat. Lamb. Actually didn’t think you’d be awake when I came back,” Kid opened his palm out for Law to get on so he could set him atop the desk. Law sneered and crossed his arms, looking away. “I’m just gonna help you up, you stubborn bastard, get on.” The small pirate turned towards the desk to start to climb up but Kid just grabbed around his bare chest and set him on the desk without waiting for permission.

“Don’t just fucking grab me like that!” Law said, pissed off.

“And just let you climb up there with a giant hole in your leg? Yeah, that would have been fun to watch. Prolly woulda fell and ripped it right back open and all my hard work would have been wasted.” Kid snapped back, though something caught his attention. “Hey, wait, turn around again,” he said. Now that Law was out of the shadow under the desk, he thought he saw something.

“Fuck off,” Law said and sat down. It was a little awkward to watch as he tried to squat without hurting his leg, but he managed. Pointing at the napkin, he asked, “That the food you brought?”

“Yeah,” Kid answered. When Law reached forward, he made sure to look again where he thought he saw something. “So I know you don’t want to turn around for me, but I think you have another bite mark on your shoulder, dude.” Kid said, slurping on the wine through the straw.

“Hm?” Law said with a mouthful of lamb. “On my back?” Kid nodded. “Right shoulder?” Kid nodded again. “Yeah, thought so. Is it bad?” Law asked. Kidd shook his back and forth. “You gonna clean it? Can’t reach, you know.”

Kid rolled his eyes down at the small man. “God, it’s like I’m your fucking mother. Yeah, sure, whatever. It better not take long, I’ve got a good buzz goin.”

“Yeah, yeah. If it ain't bad as you said, it won’t take long. Bend that straw down here. Need some alcohol after talking to you for more than a minute straight.” Law said, a small curve to his mouth indicating he wasn’t serious. He brought his hand up to grab the straw.

Kid set the mug on the side of the desk to lower it for Law to drink from. The straw hole was still too big for him to use and Kid laughed when he saw Law try to open his mouth for it.

“Haha, here.” Kid said. “I’ll tip the cup and you can just drink from that.”

“I’m not that desperate. I’ll pass.”

“No, C'mon, Trafalgar. This is really high-quality shit, you’ve gotta try it.” Kid said, tipping the cup for him anyway. “Basically rob every richy boat we see purely for the booze alone.”

The quality seemed true enough to Law. The alcohol didn’t smell like lighter fluid and the sweet aroma was mesmerizing, so that was a good sign. “Alright, fine.” He said and scooted closer to the rim of the glass. Putting his mouth to the edge, he signaled for Kid to tip it higher. He drank heavily from the glass and he felt some of the liquid escape from both sides of his face and run down his chest. The wine seeped down Law’s body and soaked into his boxer briefs giving them red blotchy areas in the grey fabric. Law waved his hand hurriedly for Kid to let up. “Holy shit! Thas real strong!”

Kid set the glass down before he burst into laughter, falling back on his bed and kicking his feet into the air. “Oh my goddddd! Yer drunk already!”

Law covered his ears from the loud noise but still smiled. “Amnot,

hic!”

“Oh man! I didn’t even think about the strength against your small body. You’re cut off, Trafalgar Law! Little alcoholic.”

Law let out a stupid giggle and hiccuped again. He couldn’t help how goofy he suddenly felt. “Okaaaayyyyy,” He said and gave Kid a thumbs up. He continued eating his hunk of meat in silence and Kid watched, suddenly super interested in Law’s situation.

“You got any idea how you’re gonna get back to normal size?” the punk pirate asked. “Or d’you think you’re stuck like that forever?”

Law thought while he chewed. It was a good question that he didn’t have an answer for. “I suppose I need to find th’woman who did this t’me. There has t’be some sort of reversal to her power.” He swallowed the last bit of lamb he had. “Otherwise, got nothin.”

Kid whistled. “Sounds pretty sketchy. Odds aren’t lookin good for you, I’ll tell you that much.” Law scoffed but he didn’t retaliate. “You gotta find out who the marine is, get to her, convince her somehow to turn you back, and also escape.”

“I know, I know. I get it. But what else can I do t’get back t’my normal height?” Law asked. He gave a few licks to his fingers making sure to get the meat grease off, the rest he wiped on the napkin in front of him.

The wine was a perfect match with the lamb,

Law thought. Trying not to think about the worst to come, he turned his body the best he could so his back was facing Kid now. “Do it up,” he said, patting his back shoulder that felt sorta tingly from the booze.

Before starting up on Law’s wound, Kid took in the tattoos again, tracing their dark lines over his muscular back with his eyes. “Yeah,” he confirmed and grabbed the disinfectant.

While he cleaned Law’s smaller bite wound up, they sat in silence. Law was lost in thought about his next moves and maybe a little fuzzy from the booze, and Kid was concentrating on not hurting the tiny pirate he was working on.

“It already looks better just from a good cleaning.” Kid said, admiring his handiwork. He took a healing ointment and put a small dot on his finger and rubbed it over the hole in Law’s back. “Aight, lift your arm.” He told the other. As Law held his arm up, Kid taped around his chest to protect it from further bacteria. “Aight, champ.” He said, poking Law on his good shoulder. “It’s all good. Now can we drink more?!”

“Hm?” Law said, looking over his shoulder back at those fiery eyes behind him. “Yeah, sure. But not much more for me, think I’ll die of alcohol poisoning before you finish your next glass.”

“Prolly right. Speaking of my next glass, I’m gonna go refill. Hopefully, the others haven’t drunk us dry yet.” Kid laughed and sat up from his bed.

“Kid,” Law said, stopping him in his tracks.

“Law,”

“Are you going to tell your crewmates about me?”

Silence followed. Kid wasn’t sure what Law was getting at. “I haven’t if that’s what you’re really asking.”

“I think you should. I’m afraid if they find me they will kill me before consulting you. I

am

technically your enemy. There could be a misunderstanding that I was somehow infiltrating your ship.”

For a moment, Kid almost laughed.

What makes him think my crew would kill someone without bringing them to me first?

But the more he thought about it, he knew Law was right. He knew Wire would murder him first and ask questions later. The guy wasn’t a talker, you see. “Shit, yeah you’re right. I’ll tell Killer and he can at least inform the rest of the crew.”

“It sounds fair. It will put me at ease, at least.” Law admitted.

Kid nodded and turned to leave, his two missions were booze and letting Killer in on the situation.

Maybe.

He still wasn’t sure if he could admit to someone, like his own crew, that he let an enemy on the ship. Even worse, he was

helping

that enemy without any payment.

That’s a good point to bring up, though - payment. One, we could always use the coin, but two, saves me from explaining a lot to the rest of the ship. Fuck, why didn’t I think of that sooner? That’s such an easy way to get out of this awkward situation without much scorning from Killer.

“Captain.”

Kid shook himself out of his thoughts just in time before he ran into Killer himself. He had his helmet off and tucked under his arm. His long, blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and his cheeks were slightly tinted pink from partying over the past few days. Kid always admired the way Killer looked without his helmet. He was a beautiful man, like a Nordic god. He had a well-defined jawline and a strong chin, glassy blue eyes, and thick eyelashes that would make any woman jealous. “Hey,” Kidd said, a little more breathily than he wanted to. Even after all these years, he never got used to a maskless Killer, it still took him by surprise.

“Was just about to come see you,” Killer said, looking Kid up and down. “Why’d you run off without telling me?”

Kid bit his lip.

Shit. He knows something is up.

He sighed, feeling defeated. “Yeah, just wasn’t feeling the best.”

Why am I fucking lying?! He’s my best friend. Even worse, I’m lying to his literal face, not even to the helmet.

The blonde slowly nodded. “That’s all? You’ve been weird lately,” His voice was low, raspy. Prolly had to yell at the others to cool it once in a while so things didn’t get out of hand. Killer tended to be the only level-headed one around it felt like. The man stepped up to Kid, getting into his personal space. “You have something you want to tell me, Captain?”

Tsh. Stupid, Nordic god.

Kidd raked a hand through his unruly hair and looked into Killer’s eyes. “Yeah, I do, actually. It’s...it’s hard to explain. I’ll have to show you instead.”

“Yeah? Can’t you show me right here?” Killer said in a sultry voice, giving Kid a light push and forcing him against the hallway wall.

“Ha, not what I meant, Kill,”

“Mm, sure,” Is all he said before he closed the space between them and bent his head to latch onto Kid’s neck, sucking on his skin.

Super hard to resist.

Kid was trying not to melt right into his First Mate’s hands. The booze had him feeling loose and warm, and Killer’s lips were so soft…

The ship’s captain cleared his throat. “No, really. It ain't what I meant,” he said a little more firmly and put his hands on Killer’s shoulders to push him off. “I’ll show you tomorrow.” Kid said and walked off up the kitchen, pushing past the man. Behind him, Killer shrugged and continued down the hall towards his room.
 
While waiting for Kid to come back, Law looked over the side of the desk and down at the makeshift bed in the drawer. His lip twitched upward in a sneer, angry his life had come to this. A stupid, tiny human. Smaller than a shoe. Law struggled to push himself up, but he made it. His leg was extremely sore but he could walk on it, just took him a minute to stand up on his own. Law activated his power to bring his hat from the drawer to his head.

That’s better,

he thought, happier to have the comforting object back in its rightful place.

Kid seemed to be taking a long time leaving Law to grow bored. He hobbled around on the desk and looked at some of the drawings that were scribbled into the wood.

Mechanical stuff. Looks to be some sort of ...hovercycle?

Law studied it closer and noticed the drawing was from almost ten years ago, dated in the corner. “Wow,” Law said, impressed someone so young could draw such intricate things and completely understand what it was.

The hovercycle was the largest of the drawings on the desk. Law never noticed the entirety of it was filled with drawings, doodles, notes, everything. Guess he was too busy being a doctor to notice much else. He could see muddied areas where the lead in his pencil was forcibly erased away but it didn’t disappear entirely. Over it, new sketches. It all looked so interesting. It was neat to see a different side to things like this. Law imagined his own hobby in its place, thinking of his messy desk back on The Polar Tang. Hell, his whole room was littered with papers involving his own thesis, dozens of research projects he’d assigned himself, stacks on stacks of books of famous doctors and surgeons with worn pages and dog-eared corners. This was Kid’s hobby,

a real gear-head,

Law thought to himself. He smiled.

The lanky pirate looked over to Kid’s bed, it was filled with fat, fluffy pillows of different animal furs and the sheets were silk! This bastard was sleeping on silk while he slept in a fuckin box!

Law laughed, the macho brute slept on silk sheets. He jumped down and landed on a fat pillow. A small

pang

in his thigh from the impact but nothing too harsh. With a little bounce in his step, playing on how comfy Kid’s bed was, he made his way over to the thick comforter that was mushed to the side of the bed against the wall. “Nice,” Law said as he felt how warm it was.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Law’s smile faded away. He felt vulnerable again. A small person fuckin around in a place he doesn’t belong. His head was a little swimmy still from the giant gulp of wine, he was feeling too relaxed. Before Kid came back, Law made his way to the edge of the bed.

With a small creak, the door opened and shut. Law looked over almost worried about who it was, but luckily, it was just Kid.

Well, no use in getting back on the damn desk seeing as how he is staring right at me on his bed.

“I tried telling Killer, but I couldn’t fuckin do it.” Kid sighed. He tossed back half the mug of wine and gave a lazy laugh. “I don’t want him to think I’ve gone soft.” Kid looked down at the wine and then back over at Law. “Found a little cap you could drink from. Might be a lil easier.” He said and handed Law his new cup.

Since Kid hadn’t said anything about him standing on his bed, Law climbed up on a pillow and sat down, holding the cap out for the man to fill it. With a heavy plop, Kid sat on the bed making Law bounce up three or four inches. “Fuck, be careful, will ya?!” He shouted, pushing himself back into a sitting position. Kid drunkenly laughed as he reached for Law’s cap.

“Prolly help if I put some drink in there before handing it to ya, right,” he said, giving another laugh and scooped some wine out his mug.

“How drunk are you?” Law asked, eyeing him suspiciously, taking the cap away from Kid before he could spill it. He wasn’t that drunk before he left but he seemed almost

trashed

now.

“Stupid Wire.”

Law stared at him blankly. “I have no idea what that means.”

“Wire. He’s a crewmate. Don’t talk much. Drinks like a fish. Forced me to have two glasses with him before I could leave.

Two glasses,

Trafalgar!” Kid emphasized by holding up two fingers in Law’s face, to which the small pirate leaned backward to avoid him and lifted his capful of wine away from Kid’s reach.

“Yeah, I see that. Guess I better catch up so you’re not the only one looking stupid, huh?”

“Haaaahhhh?? You’re the stupid one with your….stupid little….cow hat….Hehehehee.” Kid chugged the rest of his wine and slammed the glass on his desk. “That is a dumb hat, you know. Cow hat. You like cows er somethin?” the redhead asked, pinching the tiny hat off Law’s head and examining it super close to his face, his eyes almost crossing.

Law copied Kid and drank the rest of his capful of alcohol, swaying a little from the rush. “It ain't a cow pattern, now give it back.” Law tried to say with authority but it just made Kid laugh even more crazily.

“You’re just so tiny!!”

“I don’t feel

that

tiny,” Law tried to defend himself.

“Nah, you’re super tiny, dude. Look,” Kid said and put his hand next to Law’s body. “Stand up, let’s see.” The dark pirate wobbly stood up straight to give himself as much height as possible. “Ha! Not even six and a half inches. Yer tiny.”

“How do you know, you got a measuring device on that hand?”

“Haha, well since you asked, I can

use

it for measuring. I know from my palm to my fingertips are seven and a half inches exactly.”

Law knew where this was going, but he took the bait anyway. “And why do you know the exact measurements of your hand?”

“Cause I measured m’self. You’re smaller than my dick. Packin more than seven inches in here,” Kid confidently said, grabbing himself through his shorts.

After slowly closing his eyes, Law facepalmed. “Of course you are boasting about your dick size. You're such a tool.”

“Aint all that arrogant if it’s true.” Kid said nonchalantly, shrugging. He sighed and flopped backward on the pillow next to the one Law sat atop of. Peaking over, he saw Law was done with his drink, so he grabbed the cap and set it on the desk for him. Law mumbled a thanks and swayed back and forth while his eyes drooped closed. Before he could fall over, Kid grabbed Law around the middle and held him in the air above him as he laid on his back. “You’re so tiny, I could just squeeze you to death,” he whispered in a serious tone.

Law flailed around for the other to let him go until he realized the tone in Kid’s voice had changed.

“If I accidentally tightened my grip too much….” Kid said, his smile fading. “You could die.” Law felt Kid’s hands squeezing tighter around him, his thigh started to pulse in pain. For a moment, Law truly believed Kid would kill him, but he didn’t break his eye contact, he held his ground. “But that’s too easy,” the redhead finally said, loosening his grip. He swung his arm out to the side letting it drop onto the bed. He didn’t let Law go. “I’d rather kill you in a real fight. When you’re big and at your best. It wouldn’t be fun like this.” Kid turned his head to the side and looked at Law still trapped under his fingers. “What kind of man would I be if I killed a Supernova like this?”

As they looked at each other in silence, Kid’s eyes started to fall shut and his fingers slowly loosened around Law enough for him to pry them the rest of the way off. The lanky pirate tried to stand but the sudden pressure on his leg made it hard to move. “Room,” Law said. With ease, he used his power to hover him out of Kid’s hands and set himself upright on the bed. With his good leg, he gave Kid’s hand a hard kick in frustration before making his way back over to his bed.

Without caring if he woke the drunk below him, Law walked over Kid’s chest and activated his power again to bring him from the bed to the drawer where he couldn’t wait to sleep. The short time awake already exhausting him.
 
___
 
Kid slept like a fuckin rock. There was no better sleep when you had a good buzz going. As the morning light pryed its way through the small window in the room, Kid slowly let go of his dreams and faced reality. Both arms stretched above him as he twisted his body to crack his back and stretch his legs. He leaned over towards his desk, scratching his head and yawning.

Law was still asleep in the box. It didn’t look like he slept very well to Kid despite all the alcohol he drank. The sash was mostly bunched up at the bottom while Law lay atop in a ball, shivering. Kid gave a soft smile. He reached over and lightly tugged the sash to undo it from the mess and gently set it atop of the tiny pirate. Almost immediately, Law stopped shivering.

After pulling his arm back, Kid tucked his hand under his chin and watched Law sleep for a while. Now that he was thinking about it, he thought about back in the human auction house when he first saw Law in person. He remembered two things he immediately thought of his fellow Supernova: One, he was a dick with zero manners, and two, he was sexy as

fuck.

Tall, tattooed, dark facial hair, tan skin, rumored to be powerful, all of it. It was what Kid liked in a man. A little skinny for his taste, but he ticked off a lot of other boxes on his list that it would make up for lack of meat.

Kid laughed internally about how fast his mind always wandered to sex. Here Law was struggling in a very inconvenient predicament and all Kid could think about was how sexy Law was when he played a doctor on himself. He took action and even sounded like he knew what he was doing. It fascinated Kid to watch him work so easily. He wondered if Law had medical training.

Being lost in thought, Kid didn’t notice Law stirring awake. “Why are you staring at me and why are you so close?” Law groaned and covered his face with the blanket.

Kid shook his head to erase the glazed look on his face. “I was wondering how you could look so depressing even when you’re sleeping.”

“Fuck off.”

“No, seriously, I was worried you might slit your wrists in your sleep. That’s how sad you look.”

“It’s just my face, Eustass-ya. That’s what it always looks like.” Law said irritably and flopped the blanket off himself to sit up. The bags under his eyes seemed to droop lower than usual. “I need a bath. I still smell like your boot.”

“I think you smell lovely. Like a real pirate.” Kid said and reached over to pat Law’s head.

“Ugh, fucking quit with that right now. Don’t treat me like your pet.”

“Ooooh, good idea!”

Law groaned again as he leaned his head side to side cracking his neck. “I’m not in the mood, Eustass-ya. Please, a bath.” He looked down at his boxer briefs and thought about his other clothes.

They’re ripped or covered in blood, or both. Great.

“I’ll wash my clothes in the bathwater once I’m done, too.”

“Good idea. Cause your ranky ass stinks more from you sweating every night than anything my boot has ever smelled like.”

“Every night?” Law asked, curious as to why Kid said that.

“Yeah, dude. You were drenched in sweat like every night. Hell, even during the day you’ve been pretty gross.”

“No, what do you mean by ‘every night’?”

“Hah? I mean for three nights you’ve been sweaty. The fuck else would that mean.”

Law groaned. “I’ve been out for three days?”

“Yeah, today is the fifth day you’ve been here. Good thing you woke up yesterday cause I’da just threw you off the side of the ship at that point. Sick of changing the dressings on your leg.”

This prompted Law to look at his leg and notice the bandages were very clean, despite Kid telling him he was out for three days. Kid really did take care of him. Law scratched the back of his head and mumbled a thank you. “Why didn’t you tell me how long I’ve been here yesterday?” Law said, irritation behind his words.

“You never asked.”

“Of course,” Law said.

Blithering idiot. Could have mentioned such a vital piece of information.

He continued to think about his crew.

“Aight, let’s go, Scrawny.” Kid snatched Law up snapping him out of his trance, plucked the bloodied clothes from the drawer, and grabbed his long, fuzzy robe. Using two fingers, Kid held open the pocket and slid Law inside, handing him his clothes once he was settled.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

On the way to the bathroom, Kid ran into the last person he wanted to see on his ship - well, besides Law himself.“You’re up early,” Killer said to his captain. He took in his choice of clothes, “Gonna take a bath, then?”“Mm.” Kid said nervously trying to squeeze past him. He knew his First Mate’s next question.“May I join?” Fuuuuckkkkk, whyyyyyy, Kid thought. This was going to be the breaking point, he just knew it. Killer had been up his ass ever since he’d returned from Sabaody. Multiple times he’d ask about things he couldn’t explain right away and in turn, made the lie he said extremely obvious. So far, Killer had let it go, but this? Shit, Kid had never denied his company in the tub. Growing up they have been attached at the hip, spending every day together, even while bathing. “Not this time, Kill.” He said with a cringe as he walked past. He didn’t have to be facing his friend to feel the complete shock on his masked face. He knows. Once in the bathroom, Kid was sure to lock the door. Setting Law down on the counter, he reached over to the tub and twisted the handles to fill it up.“I don’t need that much water, Eustass-ya. Just a little will do.” Law said as he watched Kid pour in bubbly soap and stir it around.“I’m taking a bath, too.”Law looked worried from disgust. “Can’t you wait?” He asked.“Wait fer what?”“Ugh. Can’t you wait for me to finish before you take over?”Kid laughed. “Hah? I ain't waiting. We’re both dudes so chill out. There’s plenty of room for both of us. Clearly.” Kid said and gestured to the tiny pirate. “We’ll bathe and then I’ll help you clean your clothes.”With a sigh, Law stopped arguing. He was in no position to protest, Kid was definitely going out of his way to help him when he knew he didn’t have to. “Well at least face a different direction or something,” he said. Law was a very private person and kept to himself for the most part. Even on his own ship he stayed cooped up in his room for the majority of the day researching, reading, or planning his next move for his life’s mission. The thought of sharing a bath with someone, another man at that, was beyond him. Blagh. Kid rolled his eyes while shrugging off his robe and shed his striped shorts. Law hurriedly looked away but couldn’t help blushing. He most definitely wasn’t kidding about his dick, he thought. Law felt a little self-conscious about his own size, knowing to be less than a foot tall wasn’t doing any good for him ‘downstairs,’ but begrudgingly took off his clothes as well.Kid picked him up and sat him on a stool, spraying him with the shower hose to clean him up. Law yelled and flipped him off, pissed he gave him no warning from the cold water. Arms wrapped around himself to keep warm and knees trembling from his intense shivering, Law scowled up at the redhead.After taking care of Law, Kid rinsed himself off giving his hair a good scrub before turning the knob to shut the water off.Before picking Law back up, Kid looked around for a moment thinking to himself. Law started to feel exposed and uncomfortable again as he stood naked waiting for Kid. He casually put his hands over his junk to shield himself.“This will help you,” Kid said, picking up Law and the stool he was standing on. Easing himself into the hot water, Kid sat the stool in the tub and set Law atop it. It was still pretty deep so Law couldn’t entirely sit down, but it was better than treading water, or worse, having Kid hold him.Kid slid down until his shoulders were submerged. He blew a pile of bubbles away from his mouth before he started to speak. “I still haven’t told me crew about you.”Law kneeled down on his knees and kept his chin high. “I know.” After Kid looked at him with confusion he continued, “Your little encounter in the hallway gave it away. You didn’t say I was with you, you instead denied your crewmember to join you. The tension between you two was insane.”Law was right. Kid sighed. “Yeah, he definitely knows something is up. I tried to tell him a few days ago but I couldn’t do it. I hate you.”Law shrugged. “You can do it after we’re out of here.”“Uh, how about we wait until after everyone has eaten breakfast first. My crew tends to be pretty cranky in the morning. Gotta feed’em to shut’em up for a while.” Kid started to wash off his makeup. He dipped his hands in the water and scrubbed his face until his eyeliner and lipstick were faded.That was fair enough for Law. Kid knows his crew best. “Alright, that works. I’d also like to contact my crew. Can I use your Transponder Snail?”Kid blinked the water out of his eyes. “My what?”Surprised, Law repeated, “Your Snail. Your Den Den Mushi. Can I use it to contact my crew? I should at least let them know I’m alive.”This still didn’t click with Kid. “What the fuck is that?” he asked, grabbing a nearby towel to dry his face.Law’s jaw dropped and water got in his mouth. After spitting it out and clearing his throat, he asked, “Are you joking, Eustass-ya? You don’t have a communication device on your ship?”“Why would I need one of those.”“Uhm, to contact people?!” Law said, waving his hands around splashing water about.“Why would I need to contact anyone when all the people I care about are on my ship already?”“You have no other reason to contact anyone ever? And how have you gone twenty plus years without knowing what a Den Den Mushi is?” The punk pirate sat in silence with a blank stare as Law went on and on about the rising technology and how it’s beneficial to have such things in case of emergencies and blah blah blah.Face going red, Kid burst into laughter and slapped his knee that was bent just above the water. “Man, you are so easy to rile up! You should have seen your face! You fucking idiot, of course I know what a Transponder Snail is,” he said and let another wave of laughter wash over him.Law did not think it was funny. He sunk deeper into the water up to his nose and crossed his arms in annoyance. Listening to Kid hysterically laugh over some stupid joke pissed him off, he rolled his eyes when the redhead finally came to a stop. “Real funny, Bastard.”Wiping a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye, Kid smiled through a sigh. “That was good. But yes, you can use the Snail.” “Thanks,” Law growled.“Dawwww, Traffy is mad at me!” Kid teased with a dramatic pouty lip. He sat up and leaned his face way too close for Law’s comfort. “You’re kinda cute when you’re mad, you know. That perma-scowl you have looks good on you.” Kid scruffed Law’s head making his hair stick up everywhere and Law tried swatting his hand away.“Uh, thanks,” Law said awkwardly while he patted his hair back down. Kid looked almost normal without his weird painted face. “I ain't into guys, though, if that’s what you’re trying to go for.”Of course, that remark made Kid laugh and shake his head. “Not into men, huh? That’s not surprising at all seeing as how nothing could get up that tight ass of yours with that stick always in there blocking the way.”“Excuse me?! Are you implying I’m uptight?!” Law asked, clearly offended.“Oh absolutely! And close-minded, too!”“I’m not close minded! I am a reasonable and logical man who makes clear decisions.”“I bet you haven’t even tried anything with a man. Just sticking to women cause it’s the norm.” Kid said and poked Law in the shoulder.Law blinked a few times as his brain tried processing what Kid just said. “I don’t need to try anything with a man to know I’m not attracted to them, Eustass-ya.”Kid shrugged and slid back down under the water to relax again. “See? Close-minded. Don’t even know what you’re missing.” Law opened his mouth to protest but Kid put a finger up to his own smiling lips and shushed him. ___ After a good soak in the tub, the two cleaned up Law’s clothes the best they could to get the red blotches of blood out. For the most part, his clothes were stained for good, but at least they were washed and that’s all that mattered to Law.Back in Kid’s quarters, he put Law’s wet clothes on the metal heater, them drying in no time due to their tiny size. Daintily holding them up like they were a precious little doll’s clothes, Kid showed them to Law, “All clean for wittle Traffy!”When the clothes were lowered, Law snatched them from Kid’s grasp with a growl. Setting them next to him, he sat down to redress his leg. Now that his blood count was back to normal, he easily took care of his slowly healing wound. The stitches are itchy, he thought, trying not to pick at it.With a brand new wrapping on over the bite wound, Law stood and moved his leg up and down to get the tape loosened enough to walk. He then dropped his towel and proceeded to get dressed, adding his favorite hat for the finishing touch.“Oh yeah, I meant to ask you, Trafalgar,” Kid started once his goggles were neatly placed on his head. Putting his knife and gun in his belt, he continued, “You wanna be a doctor or something? You seem pretty handy with medical stuff.”“Mm? Oh, ya, I’m a surgeon.”“Oh, that’s a good goal to have.” Kid said, not hearing exactly what the other had said fixing his bandolier.“I’m a surgeon right now, Eustass-ya. I’ve been for a few years.”“Hahhh? You’re too young to be a surgeon! How old are you even?”“Twenty-four.”“ Only twenty-four?!!? Only a few years old than me!” Kid scratched his head. “Damn, I need to step my game up and get good if this depressing bastard is already a full-fledged surgeon.” He said to himself.Law shrugged. He didn’t see the point in saying anything. Reputations weren’t really his thing unless he needed to get something in return. As of right now, he was supposed to be laying low before he made his big move, but look where “laying low” got him? Damn Mugiwara-ya. “Not very pirate-like if yer known for saving lives,” Kid said teasingly.A small curve formed at the corner of Law’s mouth. “I can take them, too. You don’t know what my Devil Fruit Power is, do you?”For a moment, Kid thought he knew, though, looking back on the times he saw it, he wasn’t sure what it meant. “Mm, guess I don’t. Ya gonna explain or stay a mystery?”“I ate the Ope-Ope fruit. Wanna see why I’m known as a Supernova?” Law said in a snake-like voice. He felt much more confident now that he was clean and clothed. He picked Kikoku up and leaned it over his shoulder. He was never able to show off and he didn’t mind letting Kid have a little taste of what he was capable of doing.Kid’s eyebrow quirked upward. “Am I gonna regret it?”“Not in the slightest. Promise it won’t hurt.”“Yeah, cause I have all the reasons to trust Trafalgar Law.” Kid said and waved his hand. “Yeah, yeah, let’s see it, then.”Too excited to talk anymore, Law got right to it. “Room!” He said, forming a watermelon size circle over Kid’s chest. Blue light illuminated the redhead’s skin and face as he looked down at it. Law could see the circle’s reflection in his eyes. “Anything inside the Room is mine.” He said before making a pulling motion with his hand.A quiet pop noise was heard and Kid saw a square shoot out of his chest and sit on the desk Law stood on. He was right, it didn’t hurt at all, but what is that thing? He thought and squinted his eyes.“Is….is that a heart?” Kid asked, unsure if that’s what he was seeing. It pumped blood that wasn’t there. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. A wicked grin broke out across Law’s tanned face. “It’s your heart, Eustass-ya.” he said and leaned on his abnormally long sword.Without taking his eyes off his heart, a hand slowly felt at his chest where his heart should be pounding below the flesh. He pressed hard against his skin trying to feel for the pulse. Nothing. With great effort, Kid peeled his eyes away from the organ in the clear, square shape and looked down at himself to check for blood or a scar. Also nothing.Instead of being utterly freaked out, Kid was ecstatic. With a trembling hand, he reached for the square and held it close to his face. “This….is….so…. badass.” Definitely wasn’t the reaction Law thought he’d get from the other, but it was still a compliment. Law unknowingly puffed his chest out a little in pride.Still with awe sparkling in his eyes, Kid looked at Law from behind his heart, “How many can you do at a time?” He was practically drooling to hear the answer. “A lot.” Law smiled.Kid rolled his eyes in ecstasy. “Fuck, that’s awesome. That’s so fuckin cool.” In excitement, he gave the squishy square in his hands a squeeze and immediately dropped it to the floor to clutch his chest. “AH!” He yelled, doubling over.“Idiot! Just because it’s outside of your body doesn't mean it’s not your heart still! Don’t do that again!” Law reprimanded, swinging his sword for emphasis.Still bent over, Kid’s shoulders shook. At first, Law thought Kid was in severe pain, but after a moment of silence, he could hear repressed laughter from the redhead. It started off quiet and quickly grew to a booming bark, Kid lifting his torso up and belly laughing while he held his heart above his head in both hands. “This is the coolest thing everrrrr!!!!” He yelled out and bounced the square container up and down in his hand. Kid calmed down to ask Law more questions. “You can do any body part?”“Yup.”“No blood?”“None.”“No pain?”“Nope.”“And the person can still be alive while their parts are missing…” Kid said, more to himself, lost in thought. “God, that’s fucking sweet as shit. And the part just goes back like nothing ever happened?”“Like nothing ever happened.”“Wow. You’re a god.”“Ha, well, I’m glad you think it’s cool, Eustass-ya. Most people think it’s overly creepy and are afraid I’ll steal their heart.”“Sounds like a real romantic to me.” Kid said, fluttering his eyelashes with a goofy smile.“Fuck off,” Law said, but there wasn’t any venom behind it. In fact, it actually made Law feel good that Kid was so intrigued with his power. It was true, most people steered clear of him once they knew the full extent of what the Ope-Ope fruit could do, but not Kid. Even when his heart was on the wrong side of his body. It was nice to be appreciated once in a while, even if it was from one of his natural enemies. Law ended up telling him a few more cool things about his power, like teleportation, but it didn’t seem as if he was listening like his attention was only held by his own heart in his hands. “Hold still, I’ll put it back in,” Law said quietly.Kid almost looked sad to be done fooling around with his heart, but he had to get going anyway. He held the organ out and not a second later, a bright blue orb lit up in front of him and Law made a push motion with his hand, making the heart pop right back inside him. Like nothing ever happened. “Amazing.” Kid praised one last time. He was glad he trusted the doctor because that was one hell of a party trick. “Aight, I’m gonna head up to breakfast and bring you something back. Then I’ll grab Killer and we’ll tell him what’s been going on and we can finally get you out of my fuckin hair.” Kid said, patting Law’s head gently, who scoffed in return. “And maybe a nap.”“You just woke up!”Kid grabbed his big furry Captain’s coat and hurled it over his shoulders. Checking his waist for all his gear and feeling his head for his goggles, he felt set to leave. “Be back soon.” He said over his shoulder and left.Shaking his head, Law looked around the other’s room. Since he knew Kid would be gone for a while, he thought he’d investigate his room, poke around a little bit. Along the back wall furthest from the door was shelves full of metal containers. Those looked interesting enough to look through, so he started walking to the edge of the desk to make his way towards them.Not two steps later, Kid came back in the room, opening the door slowly at first. Law smiled and crossed his arms. “Forget something?” He said, turning around to face him.Except it wasn’t Kid. It was Killer. Only his head peeking through as he searched the room for the voice he just heard. Law froze in place, hoping he wouldn’t notice him, but that would mean that Law had any luck at all.Killer’s helmet stopped surveying the room once his eyes landed on Law. He didn’t say anything as he walked further in. Law wasn’t sure what was best: to stay quiet and wait to be questioned; try to explain himself first, or to immediately activate his power and get the fuck out of there somehow.Killer slowly approached the dark pirate. “Trafalgar Law. What are you doing on my Captain’s ship?”“Well, it’s-”“I knew he was talking to someone in the bathroom earlier.” Killer interrupted. “I was concerned for him, wondering if he wasn’t feeling well. He never bathes alone!” Killer said, his voice spiking in volume at the end. “I heard talking and laughter. It was you he was talking to.”Even with his face masked, it wasn’t hard to tell how furious Killer was. Law noticed he had walked right up to him, his muscular body towering over his tiny frame. “Look, it’s not what you-”“Don’t speak!” Killer hissed and snatched Law up with one hand. Law tried to activate his power, just barely making blue appear around him, but it was too late, his arms were pinned under Killer’s massive fist. “What are you playing at? And why are you so small? This part of your Devil Fruit? What do you want with my Captain?” Killer wouldn’t stop asking questions for Law to talk, almost as if he didn’t care to hear the answer, that no matter what it was, he wouldn’t stand for it.Law stared up at the metal helmet that blocked his view of his captor, the small holes that lined it not enough to get a glimpse of what was underneath. Though, he could hear Killer’s breathing become heavier as if he was crazed with anger. His shoulders heaved up and down as he seethed. “Why didn’t he tell me another Supernova was on the ship?” This time, he waited for a response.“I’m not sure. He said he meant to tell you the first day but he didn’t manage. I do know that he wanted to and he wouldn’t want you to be acting like this.”Killer scoffed. “Acting like what? Irritated I wasn’t told there was an enemy on the ship for almost a fucking week even though I’m First Mate?” Law felt his grip tighten around him. “I think he’ll understand if he finds you dead in here. I’m his crewman , you know.”Killer’s grasp didn’t let up, the constricting started to make Law dizzy. His ribcage felt as if it would crack from the immense pressure. “Please,” Law gasped. “He was going to tell you…”Instead of answering, Killer grabbed ahold of Law with both hands now and put all his might into squeezing Law in half. Little black dots formed on the outside of his peripheral, crawling its way to cover the entirety of his vision. He felt his shoulder pop out of its socket from the weird angle Killer held him in. He yelled out in pain, feeling his ribs creaking, bending much further than they’re allowed.“What the fuck are you doing!” Eustass Kid yelled as he entered his room in a sprint. “Killer, release him now!”Luckily, Killer was taken by surprise that his Captain had come back so soon, his hold on Law slightly loosening. “Why should I? Why have you been keeping him a secret from me?” he spits, turning to face Kid.“Let him go! You’re gonna kill’em!” Kid yelled. He reached his hand out and warned his friend. “Let him go or I’ll knock you against the wall!” To show he wasn’t bluffing, Kid gave a small push with his power on Killer’s helmet making him stagger on his feet. Continuing to hold up his hand and putting weight on the metal helmet, Kid slowly stepped forward to inch closer to Law.“Why are you keeping him here!” Killer said, fighting the pressure to stand up straight. “Why did you hide him!”Kid had increased his power and forced Killer to the ground, his helmet slamming on the floor. He still held onto Law tight enough that he had passed out from bad blood flow to his head. His neck was loose letting his head flop back and forth wherever Killer had swung him.With an authoritative growl, Kid said, “Let him go, Kill. Now.” Try as he might to rebel against his captain, he just couldn’t go through with it. Killer loosened his hand letting Law roll off to the floor like a ragdoll. Kid urgently knelt down and picked the tiny pirate up in both hands. Gently taking a single finger, he brushed the side of Law’s face. “Hey,” he whispered. Law didn’t stir. Kid brought him closer to his face and concentrated on his body, relieved to see his small chest barely heaving up and down.A flash of anger crossed over Kid. He set Law in his inner coat pocket and extended a hand out, pulling Killer’s helmet upward, forcing him to his feet. “You went in my room without asking and you didn’t listen to me. You know I don’t like it when people act out.” He said through gritted teeth. “You're supposed to be the level-headed one around here, Kill.”“I knew something was going on an-”“Just stop. You’re only going to make me angrier. Judging by your reaction, I know the other boys won’t take this any better, so don’t utter a single fucking breath of what happened here.” He brought Killer’s head close to his own, peering through the holes in his helmet. “Got it?” He demanded.“Yes, Captain,” Killer said, falling in line.“Good. Have Heat bring me my breakfast and tell him to knock. Now get the fuck out of my sight.” He said and repelled Killer out of the room. He heard a small groan as he hit the wall and then footsteps of his First Mate fading away as he left the lower level of the ship.Slamming his door shut and sitting on his bed, he pulled Law out of his pocket and held him in his cupped hands, studying his ragged breathing. Panic shot through his body wondering if being squeezed so hard broke any bones and maybe they were piercing his organs resulting in internal bleeding! Kid picked up Law’s hoodie to peek under. There was already immense bruising but he didn’t see any awkward shapes sticking out in bad directions. He wouldn’t know about any internal bleeding, though.Gently, Kid stroked the side of Law’s shoulder trying to bring him back from consciousness. “Hey,” Kid whispered. He continued to rub up and down his shoulder but Law stayed still. “Goddammit.” Kid whispered and flopped down on his pillow. He set Law next to his head and stared, studying his face. He wore his normal scowl but it was a different one this time. This scowl was from pain. Kid felt a pull on his heart. There was this annoying feeling of guilt welling up in his stomach knowing damn well this was his own fault. If he had just told his crewman the first day this wouldn’t have happened. “Poor guy…” He said aloud and cupped Law’s body to keep him warm. He felt his eyes drooping while he waited for the other to wake, eventually falling asleep. Law woke from a coughing fit, his chest on fire. The dark pirate tried slowing his breathing and suppressing his next cough. Before he spoke, he called a Room around him, engulfing his whole body along with Kid’s hand holding him. Law stayed still while he assessed his situation.After making sure his body wasn’t in immediate danger, he tried sitting up but realized he was mostly under Kid’s hand. “Who am I kidding. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.” Law said to himself thinking of how much pain he was in. “Oi, Eustass-ya.” Nothing in return. “Eustass-ya,” Law said a little louder. “OI!” Law yelled at the redhead. There was a small twitch of Kid’s eyebrow but he still continued to sleep. Law felt defeated, like he was doomed to die here under his rival’s hand, trapped forever. In frustration, Law bent his neck enough to bite Kid’s finger as hard as he could.Kid yelped and almost swatted Law into a pulp but managed to stop himself. “Oh, hey, you’re awake. You alright?” Kid asked while sitting up on an elbow. He hesitantly released Law.Law nodded he was fine but winced when he tried to sit up. “No internal or external bleeding, probably bruising by the way I feel, and an arm pulled out of its socket.”“Yeah, you have a lot of bruising already on your torso.”Law felt suspicious why he would know that but chose not to comment on it. “I’m gonna roll on my side and you’re gonna pop this shoulder back in. Can’t do it myself.”Kid asked how he was supposed to do it and Law explained with detail exactly what angle his arm had to be in in order for it to be put back with ease. Kid nodded through the explanation as he visualized the steps. When Law rolled over, his right arm didn’t come with him, it stayed loose and acting on its own. There’s that stupid guilt feeling, again. Kid thought. Daintily picking up Law’s limp arm, he angled it upward like he was told and gave a quick jab pushing it directly into place. Law moaned into the pillow from the sudden pain.“Thank you. I also can’t move. My back and chest hurt.”Kid frowned. This poor guy got shrunken, abandoned by his crew, bitten by an animal, a fever from a nasty infection, almost ripped in half, and now can’t even move from so much pain. Before he knew what he was saying, Kid said, “I’m sorry.”Law looked over at him in confusion wondering if he heard correctly. By the look on his face, he figured he really did apologize to him. “It’s fine. I’m alive, aren’t I?” Law said, trying to smile. “Plus, you’re looking out for me.”Kid sighed and let his head fall back onto the pillow, his face only a few inches from Law. “Yeah, look what good that did.”A knock at the door and Heat’s voice following, “Master Kid? I have your breakfast here.”The redhead pulled Law closer into his neck, hidden from view. “Come on in, Heat.” He said over his shoulder.The metal door grated against the frame as Heat walked in carrying a large plate stacked with eggs, toast, ham, and hashbrowns. “On your desk, Captain?” He asked to Kid’s back.“Yeah, please.”“Are you okay, Master Kid? Killer has been extra worried about you and you haven’t been spending time with the crew lately.” While the fire-breather waited for an answer, he picked at his arm stitches and itched them until his skin grew red.“I’m fine, Heat. Just not feeling good, is all.” As Heat bent down to check if his captain had a fever, Kid tugged the collar of his coat up to cover the small pirate. “Really, I’m fine. Should be bossin people around again in no time.” He said trying to convince his friend.Though Kid couldn’t see his reaction, Heat didn’t believe what his captain was saying. But he knew it wasn’t his place to talk back so he left without another word.Kid released his hold on the collar, revealing Law to the open air and making no effort to move him. Law grimaced that he was butted up against Kid’s neck and couldn’t move himself without shooting pain in his sternum. At least he knew he was clean.“I can’t tell them. Look how Killer reacted! He thinks I betrayed him. Best friends since we were kids and it goes to hell cause I’m a chicken shit and couldn’t tell him a stupid pirate was with me. A harmless, six-inch pirate.”“Oi, I’m not harmless,” Law growled.A breathy laugh left Kid’s mouth before he said, “Yeah? If you’re so dangerous, why ain't you tryin to move? Thought you could teleport or whatever?” Ah, so he was listening, Law thought. He made a good point, though. He flexed his wrists around, testing their strength. Yeah, could totally move if I wanted to. Why didn’t I? “I can’t right now,” He lied. “If I move too fast my body could become worse,” Law mumbled off a few more unheard things about teleportation that Kid couldn’t hear.“Whatever you say, Doc.” Kid said and scooped Law into his hands before sitting up to eat. “After food, I’m gonna make something that will prolly be safer for you on the ship until we can get everyone on the same page about you.” He told Law after carefully setting him down next to the plate on his desk. The small pirate winced and clutched his chest while he crossed his legs. Kid waited until his breathing evened out before continuing. “Law, I really am sorry Killer got to you.” There’s that ‘sorry’ word again. Who knew Captain Eustass Kid had any nice bones in his body. “I’ll admit, I definitely thought I was going to die.” Law stared at the food in front of him thinking about his vision fading to black. He remembered his eye sockets swelling up and felt the blood in his head pounding as Killer’s grip constricted tighter and tighter. If Kid hadn’t come back when he did… “Thanks for stopping him. I’m sorry you had to do that to your lifelong companion.”Toast spat out as Kid laughed as that last comment. “‘Lifelong companion’? Don’t make it sound like we’re some married couple,” Kid swallowed his mouthful of food. “He may act like my worried wife, but that’s just him. He’s the normal one around here.”“And the helmet? That’s not normal.”“Hey! He’s just shy.”Law scoffed. “Yeah, real fucking shy, isn’t he?”That stung. “I said I was sorry, man. He’s like the mother hen around here and you were some fox around his baby chicks. He was just looking out for the good of the ship.”“Like a good wife, huh?”“He ain't my wife!” Kid warned, pointing a fork at Law. “He ain't my wife just like you ain't straight.”Mid-reach for a piece of egg, Law’s jaw just about hit the floor. “W-what the hell! I said I’m not interested in you! Why are you bringing that shit up!”Kid’s eyebrows raised and a smile grew from ear to ear. “I never said you were interested in me, Trafalgar. I just said you weren’t straight.” The only thing redder than Law’s face in Kid’s room was the hair on his own head. “See, I was just messin around...but maybe now you’re gettin a little curious?”“Shut up.”“Wonderin what it’s like?”“I’m not.”“Checking me out and shit?”“Fuck off.”“Alright, alright. I’ll drop it...for now.” Kid said and shoved more food in his mouth. “But sooner or later, you’re gonna come around. Maybe not now, but later in life, you’re gonna see a man that strikes you the same way a woman would.”Law chewed his food angrily, however that would look, but he was doing it. Every time he thought of something to say, he didn’t think it sounded nice. He’s been wanting to ask, though. “So you like guys, then?”Before answering, Kid finished his mouthful of food, set his fork down, and wiped his hands on his pants. “Course I do. And they like me.” He said with a wink.Cringing away was the only thing Law could think of when he saw that. “Blagh. Not all of them.” Law said, clearly talking about himself. “How could you not like women?”“I never said I didn’t, Traf. I don’t limit myself to either one. The more, the merrier, honestly. Women are...gorgeous, that’s a given. Their curves and smiles and dainty little laughs…” Kid sighed. “They’re wonderful. But, I find men just as attractive because they have power and strength and their sheer willpower to overcome every obstacle in their way…” Kid bit his lip and closed his eyes. Law listened intently, interested in what the redhead meant by his little monologue. “Fuck, there’s nothing sexier than a man with a mission.”The small pirate finished his chunk of ham and sucked on his fingers, licking the juice from them. He’s never looked at a man the way Kid described and it was odd to hear such a perspective from the same gender. “There are women who are just like that, too, you know.” Law reminded the other.“You’re funny. Every woman I’ve ever met are all damsels in distress. Or they have only one or two of the things I like in a person. More men have ticked plenty more of those little boxes and well, that’s why I’ve had a taste of both. But a strong man can give you a real challenge in bed where a woman couldn’t.” A primal expression flashed across his face, teeth baring.There was still a small part of Law that was disgusted by the thought of men being attracted to each other, but Kid at least sounded passionate about it and Law could respect that. “Whatever you say, Eustass-ya.” Kid brought his plate back up to the kitchen and made a few rounds visiting his crew so they’d lay off him for a while. When he made it back to his room, he started looking through the metal boxes Law had wanted to investigate earlier that morning.“What are you doing?” Law asked, tapping his foot. He’d thought Kid would have come back with Killer or maybe someone else in his crew to start the process of ‘hey, there’s been an enemy pirate here all along’ situation so he didn’t have to fear for his life every time Kid left his fuckin room. Law was also wondering why he didn’t come back with a Transponder Snail.Ignoring the question, Kid continued to rummage around until he found a thin, square sheet of metal. Placing it on his desk, he pulled up his work chair and reached the shelf above him and grabbed his electrode gun. The long cord fell down with it, Kid snaking it around his desk until he leaned over and plugged it into the welding power source. He flicked the switch on letting it warm up for a few minutes before starting on his new project. Instead of telling Law to move, Kid grabbed him around the middle and set him up on his shoulder out of his way.The smaller pirate growled in protest but was too curious to see what Kid was doing to care beyond that. With one hand he grabbed a fistful of red hair to keep his balance and peered around the rest of his messy mop to watch.Kid pulled his goggles down over his eyes and tightened them. “Don’t look at the center light or sparks. You’ll damage your eyes,” he warned and turned the current up, initiating the welding gun fully on. He pulled the metal sheet in front of him and began cutting through in straight, precise lines, creating four skinny rectangles and popped them out of the sheet.Little plumes of smoke filled the air in front of the two pirates each time the electrode touched to metal. Flashes of blue and yellow sparked out in small arcs when Kid cut through, the image reflecting on the glass of his goggles.The smell wasn’t exactly the best thing Law had ever breathed, but it wasn’t as bad as Kid’s boots, that was for sure. With his free hand, Law covered his nose with his blood-stained hoodie and avoided direct contact with the light just as Kid had warned.Once all four pieces were properly out, Kid leaned over and turned off the machine. “I’ve got an idea.”“Oh boy, here we go.”“Hear me out.”“What is it…” Law asked, skepticism in his voice.“You’re gonna wear little metal cuffs on your wrists and ankles so I can grab you in emergencies.”“Excuse me?”“I know! I know, it sounds crazy. But I can repel and attract metal with my Devil Fruit.” Kid fiddled with the metal pieces in front of him, rolling them around in his hands and picking at his fingernails. “It would have helped if you had metal on when Killer had you, but you didn’t. Not even a belt.”This stunned Law into silence. The pirate he was standing on confused him more and more every passing moment. He was almost nothing like he read about him in the paper. ‘Captain Eustass Kid, Captain of the Kid Pirates: Notoriously known for mowing down innocent civilians and bystanders without a care in the world.’ But not this guy under his feet. He was more like a soft teddy bear that only sometimes was hot-headed. “You know I can take them off at any time, right?” He finally said. His power would allow him to free himself if needed.“Yeah, which is why I thought you’d be more open about it. Look, I know how it sounds, but see it from my point of view. If you’re in danger, the fastest way for me to help you is if you have metal on. Especially if we run into other marines, or worse if my crew wants to murder you again.” He waited a moment or two before speaking. “I mean, I don’t give a shit if you die if you refuse my help. At least I know I tried.”Law loosened his hold on the lock of hair and sat down on Kid’s shoulder, rubbing his hand over his jeans and feeling the bumpy stitches in his thigh. “Nah, I understand what you’re getting at. I think you’re right about this, though. It’s actually a really good idea. Good job, big guy.” Law said in a condescending tone as he patted Kid’s head.Kid waved him off, “Yeah, yeah, whatever, you depressing piece of shit. Lemme fit these to you and I’ll weld’em closed.” He held out his hand for Law to hop on, then set him on the desk. Motioning for one of Law’s wrists, Kid curled the first strand of metal, easily bending the soft aluminum material until it looped back around to the top. He pinched it tighter together. “Kay, do the power thingy,” he told Law, who pulled up a blue orb around his wrist and detached it from his body. Kid removed the metal strand and picked up the second one. He placed them next to each other and matched them, pinching the other so it was just as tight as the first.With the third piece, he fished it between Law’s legs. “Lift your pant leg.” He mumbled, Law obliging. Making the metal as tight as it would go around his ankle, Kid nodded for Law to “do the power thingy” and then matched the fourth piece to it. Without another word, Kid picked Law up and set him atop his shoulder again and leaned over to switch the power to the welder back on.The light hum of the machine and soft spark noises filled the room as Kid worked on cutting the excess metal off and soldering the rings closed. Once the fourth cuff was done and cooled enough, Kid stood to cross the room looking for another tool. He pulled open a few of the metal boxes on his shelves in the back before he found what he was looking for. Law held on tight while he walked back and forth.Unwinding the cord, Kid told Law he needed to grind the insides of the cuffs down so the weld swarf wouldn't cut his skin open. With the die grinder plugged in and the sanding abrasive in the collet, Kid started smoothing out the insides and edges so they'd be comfortable to wear for the small pirate. He took the extra time to buff them out so they were shiny, too, giving them a little class. Kids rough hands plucked Law from his shoulder and set him on the wooden desk. “Wrists out,” he said and picked up the two rings made for his arms. Law held his hands out and once the cuffs were in place, he detached both wrists until Kid lined the metal up, then reattached them. Next, he did one foot at a time, bringing a light blue circle around each ankle until the job was done. “There! Perfect. Do they feel alright?”“You mean besides feeling like a slave? Yeah, they're fine.” Law said, rolling his eyes.“Let's test it.” Kid smiled. After standing up, he made his way across the room where the metal shelves were. “It's gonna feel weird like electricity is running through you.”“Wait, hold on now. You did not mention that!!” A wave of panic crossed over Laws mind as he envisioned himself being electrocuted. He waved his hands in front of him motioning to call it off.The redhead scratched his neck in confusion, “It won't hurt, man. It will just... tingle.” Law groaned. God, what did I get myself into? With no other warning, Kid held up his right hand and activated his power. Law felt the metal over his skin start to warm and then he was pulled across the room at full speed. “Jesus Christ-ya!” He yelled and slammed into Kid’s hand.“See! Perfect! God, I’m amazing” He said and set Law on his shoulder again, who mumbled many, many curse words under his breath. “I'm gonna call Killer in here, now.”Kid placed a finger over a button on the wall next to the door of his room. It buzzed for a moment until someone answered. “Wire here.”“Yo, it’s Red. Get Killer to come meet me in the conference room in ten?” Kid asked and released the button for the reply.Wire replied, “He heard. He’s next to me.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Shouldn’t we head to your conference room, Eustass-ya?” Law said, irritably tugging on a lock of Kid’s hair. “It’s been eleven minutes.”Staring in a mirror, Kid held down an eyelid and swiped his liner across. “He can wait,” he said, referring to Killer. Kid knew Killer would have been in the meeting room mere seconds after he heard the order, knowing damn well what the meet was going to be about.“Do you really have to put that shit on right now?” Law said, giving another hard pull on Kid’s hair.A wicked smile broke out across Kid’s face while he twisted the case that held a deep colored lipstick. “Keep pullin on my hair and I just might start to like it,” he warned before tracing his lips with the paint.Immediately, Law let go of his hair. He pulled Kikoku from its sheath and held it up to Kid’s neck. “You gonna like this, ya?” He pressed the sword until Kid’s skin indented under it. Law’s body swayed as Kid’s shoulders shook from deep, grumbly laughter. “What’s so funny?”With a click, Kid closed the cap to his lipstick and fluffed his hair around his goggles before answering. He waited for Law to notice him staring at him through the mirror. “Pain is fun.” is all he said while licking a canine tooth, drawing attention to its sharpness.Appalled, Law quickly retreated. He sheathed Kikoku, flopped down on Kid’s shoulder, and crossed his arms in a huff. “Fuck you and your weird ass shit. Seriously, can we go, you nauseating freak?” Kid gave another laugh as they made their way out of the room and down the hall. On the way, Law was sure to keep his balance by holding onto the fluff of the coat instead.Upon entering the room and approaching Killer, Law felt tingles course through his body. The rings around his wrists and ankles started to warm. Eustass-ya  is taking precaution, Law thought.Only with a few steps did Killer close the gap between them. “Explain. Now.” He growled behind his helmet.“Chill your gills, Kill.” Kid said giving his First Mate a light push on the chest to move him backward. “And don’t fuckin throw orders at me. You know I don’t like that shit.” Kid motioned for Killer to sit down but he said he’d rather stand.Law saw Killer had his weapons on him this time. Earlier that morning Killer was unarmed, although to make things fair, both Law and Kid were armed now as well. Over each arm, the blonde had huge metal devices that held long, curved blades.“When we were on Sabaody, that crazy ass Straw Hat kid went wild and stirred things up right away.”“I know. I was there.” Killer deadpanned.“Alright, I’m just settin the scene!” Kid said, putting both hands up in front of him. Law felt the tingles again. “To make things quick, Law tried saving me from this bitch marine, even though I can cover my own ass, and instead got himself shrunk by her Devil Fruit.”“It’s called the Inch-Inch Fruit,” Killer said, pulling a rolled up newspaper from his back pocket and tossed it on the table. “This paper is from three days ago. She’s a new recruit, moved up the line quickly because of her ability. Was about to throw it out until I saw something about ‘shrinking pirates’. Guess she got the notorious Trafalgar Law, huh?” Killer mocked.Law sneered at the man. “If this dickhead of a captain of yours didn’t tell me to wait, I’d have been okay.” He pointed a thumb at said dickhead.Killer began to take a threatening step at Law but Kid flashed him a murderous look. Law’s body gave a small twitch closer to Kid’s neck and the rings on his wrists felt warm again.“Anyway,” Kid said with annoyance in his voice. “Long story short, I got stuck looking after this depressing bastard and here we are.”“And you didn’t care to tell me you brought him onto the ship? Didn’t consult with the rest of the crew? He’s our enemy, Kid! What if he slit your throat in your sleep!?”Law wanted to defend himself but Kid answered instead, “Guess I’d be dead, then, huh? Look, he’s here, I’m telling you about him, he’s cool, we’re cool, it’s cool. It’s all cool, Kill. Trust, me, will you?”Killer gave a deep sigh and uncrossed his arms. “I do trust you and you know this. You’re my brother.”“I know, man, and I fucked up. I know I fucked up. I should have told you ASAP. I freaked, okay?”For a few moments, the three pirates were silent until Killer came around. “It’s alright. As long as things are as ‘cool’ as you say they are. But I’m not happy about it.”The smallest pirate felt the warmth and tingles in his body ease up which made him feel better. It meant Kid was sure the situation was under control.“Traf, do the trick thingy.” Kid said, waving his hand up at Law, who almost fell over from the sudden movement. He grabbed up at the first thing he could reach - Kid’s hair - and he internally groaned knowing he pulled it again. One arm holding him up, he yanked himself back into a standing position and punched Kid in the head which felt like a mere flick to the redhead, making Kid smile. Killer watched the exchange like a hawk. He did not like how buddy-buddy they seemed to be.“Hold out your hands again, then,” Law said hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, but he did want to show Killer he wasn’t to be trifled with either, so he obliged.Like a giddy child, Kid cupped his hands together, palms up, waiting for his present. A glowing blue orb appeared over his chest and a pop sounded, a heart in a clear square pulled from Kid’s body. “Look! It’s my heart!” he laughed.Killer was on him like lightning, his curved blade flailing to cut through the shoulder Law stood on. Without even a flinch, Kid put a hand up, stopping Killer’s blade mid-arc.Killer was close enough to the both of them that Law could see through the small holes in the helmet. Blue eyes. “Killer. What did I just fuckin say?” Kid said through gritted teeth. One hand still holding his heart, the other holding Killer back with his ability. He was excited to play with Law’s power again but his crewmate was a real buzzkill. “I’m gonna release you and you’re gonna calm the fuck down. I said everything was cool, didn’t I?” It took a while for Killer to calm down and talk freely again about the situation. The three of them spoke about what was planned next and Killer also lowered his hackles watching Kid play with his own heart, throwing it up in the air like it was a toy.Law stood atop the table, hovering over the newspaper that introduced the marine. 
THE LUCKIEST NEW RECRUIT IN THE NAVY!

This bright, young gal had her eyes set on being one of the top Marines her whole life but only managing to be a low-ranking newbie for ten years straight! Kenni Lental dreamed of becoming the best Marine there ever was! Joining when she was just eighteen years old, she had been doing the crew’s laundry, mopping the bathrooms, serving slop for dinner, and running errands.

Though her lame days changed when she stumbled upon a mysterious looking fruit! Knowing about the world’s Devil Fruits (DF), Lental took a chance and bit into it not knowing what the power could be. It turns out that her power, the Inch-Inch Fruit, is to turn anyone she touches into a tiny little being!!! How awesomely wonderful is that for the Marines to gain? The first person she touched after eating the DF was her brother, who used to be 5’4” tall and now is stuck at only a measly 5.4”! The poor fellow was the guinea pig in this experiment.

The Daily Nosey News interviewed Lental to see if this power could be reversed!
 
TDNN: We’re all dying to know: Has your brother gone back to normal size?

KENNI LENTAL: I’m afraid not. Lenni is still a little brother. I mean, like a really little brother, you know, cause the fruit….heh...yeah, he’s not too happy about it. But we tried everything and nothing has worked so far. He’s still small.
 
That’s funny because literally, no one in the Marine’s cares and just wants to use her DF ability to catch all the notorious, devious, horrible, smelly, pirates that prowl around and steal from the weak and innocent! Lental’s first big debut was when she was assigned to capture as many pirates as possible when on Sabaody Archipelago.

THEN THE INSANE HAPPENED!!!! Monkey D. Luffy, a younger member of the Worst Generation, had the audacity to punch an actual Celestial Dragon causing harm to the Royal Family! Luckily, Lental was there on duty already and rushed over in time to help take down the runaways! Over and over this newly, high-ranking Marine took out pirates and other criminals as if they were nothing!

How many more of those bastards - excuse my language - will she bring down with her DF?! Time will only tell! She has only just started and her number is at 98 on the first two days of being on the Islands! What a lucky gal! And she’s not that bad looking either, fellas! Better get at her while you’ve got the chance! I hear she’s single!
 
Here at The Daily Nosey News, we’re rooting for Kenni Lental! Are you?
- Shimoda Jou, Executive Writer Law was too shocked to move. “‘We tried everything and nothing has worked so far,’” he whispered to himself. You have got to be kidding me. “Eustass-ya, come take a look at this.”Kid stopped talking to Killer and looked over at the part Law was pointing tp with his foot. His eyes zigzagged back and forth as he quickly read the article. “Oh shit, is that all it says? There isn’t any more information on the fruit?!”The small pirate wobbled before flopping over on his backside. “My life is over,” he said and covered his face with his hands.“But I kinda like you this size, Traf!” Kid said with a light laugh, picking Law up and setting him on his shoulder. “You’re like a little pet!”Instead of replying with a snarky comment, Law groaned into the fuzzy coat making whining noises. “Kill me. Please. Just put me out of my misery and kill me.”“It would be my pleasure,” Killer said a little too loud. Kid backed his shoulder away and glared at him, covering Law with his free hand.Law honestly felt like crying. He had plans for his life. He had a revenge mission he needed to take and he couldn’t do that being small. Hell, he didn’t think he could even do it being normal size! “Please...please can I use your Snail now?” Law begged. If he didn’t hear from his crew soon he probably really would let Killer kill him. What’s the point in living…“Yeah, course. You mind goin to get it, Kill?”The First Mate waited to see if his captain was joking, wondering if he was absolutely serious if he wanted him to get the transponder for an enemy who could easily cue a raid on them using the communication. Killer waited for Kid to laugh and say he was just kidding, but he didn’t. Instead, Kid shooed him away while turning his attention back on his heart.When the blonde returned with their Snail, there was a blue orb around Kid’s head. “Oi, what’s that,” Killer asked, knowing it had to do with Law’s strange power.With a dopey smile across his face, Kid answered “I asked him to take my head off,”“NO!” his First Mate shouted and tried swatting at Law.“Oi, oi, he asked me!” Law said and switched his body from Kid’s left shoulder to his right to avoid being slapped off.“Will ya quit trying to come after him, dammit!” Kid said, throwing the square that held his heart at Killer. “You’re starting to piss me off.”Catching the heart in the hand that wasn’t holding the Den Den Mushi, Killer growled and squeezed down on instinct, surprised when Kid yelled out.“Shit!” Kid dropped to his knees. Law fell to the ground landing on his butt while Kid clutched his chest.Getting to his feet, Law waved his sword around at Killer telling him he’s stupid and the heart isn’t a toy.Killer set the Snail onto the table. “If you’re so worried about it being fucked with, why are you letting my captain play around with it?” Killer crouched to the ground and picked Law up, pinning his arms to the side. “It’s almost as if you want something to happen to his heart while it’s outside of his body.”Still in pain, Kid tried reaching out for Law, but Killer still had a good grip on the gelatin square rendering him almost useless. His captain was being irresponsible with this whole situation. An unknown Supernova on their ship with access to their Captain’s head and has one very useful Devil Fruit. He hated Trafalgar Law and he hated that Kid was taking this so lightly even more. If this is what it took to get Kid’s attention, then so be it. “I’ll be taking these.”Killer turned on his heel and left the room with Law and Kid’s heart. He gave another light squeeze when he heard Kid standing up behind him and listened for a groan. Killer smiled behind his helmet knowing he finally won one over on him.Law was trying to resist hyperventilating under the immense pressure Killer’s fist had on him. He in no way was being gentle and Law was still recovering from this morning. Already his ribs pained him and he felt the dizzying effect starting to form in his head. “You’re really bent up about this, aren’t you?” he wheezed out.“Shut the hell up, small fry. I’m throwing you overboard to rid you from my Captain. My Captain,” he emphasized. Law wasn’t sure why he said it like that but he literally could not care any less about it because he couldn’t believe what he just heard. The sonuvabitch is throwing me in the ocean?! The conference room was only down the hall from Kid, so Killer had to make his way up two floors on the ship to reach the open sea air. The metal flooring rang in Law’s ears as Killer’s boots click-clacked their way through them. Once at the top, the blonde bent low allowing his elbow to twist the handle on the door and gave a shove with his shoulder. A blinding yellow sun stung Law’s eyes as he hasn’t seen in it five days. He closed his eyes to shield them.The small pirate waited to be tossed off the ship but it never came. Killer had stopped in his tracks. Law peeled his eyes open to see what was going on and understood immediately why Killer wasn’t moving.“Oh, hey,” said a grungy looking man. “This is a robbery. Give us all your money.”Behind him stood thirty or so other pirates with swords drawn ready to fight for their share of the booty. Some men were quite large, standing at probably ten feet high. Their musky scent was strong enough to make Law crinkle his nose, he barely held a gag back. How their smell was so overpowering when the sea’s wind should have been blowing it away was beyond Law.Pirates still continued hopping aboard from their boat that was tethered to the Kid Pirate’s ship. When they walked, there was no sound. The only indication there were other people here was their nasty scent.Killer slowly surveyed the crowd, most likely counting. A few men inched closer and swiped at the ropes of their sales to stop them from escaping later. The large fabric billowed unevenly in the wind, no longer strapped down. Cackles from the men filled the silence between them, some agreeing and chopping at random things on the deck.“You guys came to the wrong ship.” Killer said and knocked his boot on the metal floor in a pattern. Clink, clink, clink. Pause. Clink, clink. The blonde took a step to the side to avoid being hit by the door swinging open.The moment the door opened, a wave of fire was released across the deck and the screaming started. Heat closed his mouth, killing the fire and laughed into the sunny sky. His tongue flopped out as it licked at his mouth scars.The captain of the ship himself walked through the door next. With the distraction of the visiting pirates, Killer had stopped putting pressure on Kid’s heart, who was able to stand and after hearing the Enemy Signal, made his way up top. He passed Killer and sneered at him, pulling Law from his hands with his magnetic power and put him back to the safe spot on his left shoulder. Free from restraints, Law was able to use his power, too, and ganked Kid’s heart from Killer’s other hand and slammed it back into its proper resting place.Kid lazily laid an arm over a knife in his belt. “Now, now, fellas. What’s goin on here?” Confidence oozing from his voice.The robbers that weren’t burned or injured bared their teeth. A large, burly man walked forward, his height towering over Kid. The man bled from most of the right side of his body from the fire but it barely seemed to be bothering him. “We’re here to take all yer valuables.” His eyes glanced over to Heat and back to Kid. “If you put that freak of yours on a leash and be a good little boy, we’ll take everything you have and won’t kill you afterward.” Kid stayed quiet, listening to what the man had to say. “But if you decide to make another stupid move again, I’ll have to sic some of my men on ya.”“Oh, no...we can’t have that!” Kid cried, feigning terror in his voice. “An-and what will they do if we don’t let you d-d-do that?!”“Well, it’s a good thing you asked, I’d love to tell ya. See, this one here,” he said as he turned and pointed at a scrawny old man who looked like he’d die if he took another step, “he’s gonna skin ya.” Turning the other way and pointing to another pirate who looked younger than Kid and dressed extremely normal, “and this one is gonna fry your flesh for his dinner.”“Oh, gosh! That’s horrible! We can’t have that. Of course, please, take anything you want!” Kid said, moving aside and motioning towards the open door that leads to the depths of his ship.“Well, how nice of ya.” The man said. He waved for some of his men to loot the ship, their backs disappearing in the darkness as they made their way through the door.Kid stared into the head guy’s eyes with a wide smile. After less than ten seconds of his men entering inside, their screams were heard echoing even after their voices were cut off. “Whoops.” Kid said in his normal, more serious tone. “Looks like my other men didn’t get the memo. Sorry’bout that.” The big man went to speak, his body already huffing in rage, but Kid cut him off. “Now,” he started and paced back and forth. He looked over the pile of men that didn’t belong on his ship. “The rest of you really oughta go, you’re pretty raunchy. Has anyone ever told you that before?”The strange pirates growled, hooted, and hollered at the redhead and begged their boss to let them kill him.Law noticed that all the men had weapons drawn or at least weapons on their hips, but the captain didn’t have anything at all. He took a step closer to Kid and whispered, “Oi, Eustass-ya.”“Mm?” he answered, tilting his head down to listen.“Captain doesn’t have weapons on him. Probably a Devil Fruit user.”Without moving his head back up, Kid flicked his eyes to the man a few yards in front of him. Sure enough, he didn’t hold anything in his belt, nothing on his back, and both hands were empty. Kid nodded that he heard Law and lifted his head, further inspecting the man noticing he also didn’t wear any metal. “Before we start, I’ll take these,” he said and pulled all the weapons the enemy pirates had and set them in a pile behind him. “I’ll also take the rest of what ya got.” he laughed and pulled piercings, belt buckles, bracelets, anything else the men had to offer. The men groaned and grabbed at their faces where the piercings snagged through their skin. A few men pulled up at their pants and swung their fist at Kid, clearly annoyed that he was just there to humiliate them.Though, the other captain hadn’t even flinched. Anger rose within him, yes of course, but he remained still with his fists balled up at his sides. Kid laughed at the site before him. “Alright, boys, go get’em.” He said and Killer and Heat tore through the crowd gutting the men before they had a chance to defend themselves.There were a good number of unarmed pirates that could still hold their own against Killer and Heat, they brawled defending their pride.The large captain cocked his head when he finally noticed Law perched on Kid’s shoulder. He took a few steps closer and squinted his eyes. The little symbol on Law’s sweatshirt was muddied, no longer contrasting against a yellow background. Finally he seemed to have made it out as recognition formed on his face. “Trafalgar Law?” He mumbled and laughed when Law turned to his name. The man crouched, letting his mouth hang loose. A thick, green fog fell out and made its way towards Kid and Law.The redhead backed away, “You know him?”Law felt tingles run through his body along with the warming sensation, he figured it must be a habit of Kid’s. “No, but apparently he knows me. And don’t let that shit touch you,” he said looking down as the green crept its way towards them.“Oh, really? Thought I’d start dancin innit to see what happens,” Kid said, rolling his eyes. Palm out, Kid pulled at the pile of weapons, only yanking the swords. They attached themselves to Kid’s right arm, all pointing neatly at the Fog Man.The closer the strange fog came, the more the atrocious smell surrounded them. Kid could bear with it while talking to the man, but now it was overwhelmingly nauseating. “Fuck, that’s stinks,” he said and grabbed at his nose. Law following by pulling his hoodie over the lower half of his face.The Fog Man manically laughed, forcing more of his breath out and creating a heavy cloud that billowed towards the two pirates. Kid swung his giant weaponized arm to hit the man in front of him, but he sprung out of the way like a frog and spit more of his breath outwards.The green cloud quickly consumed both Kid and Law, making them cough. Kid wobbled back and forth, blindly swinging the swords around hoping to injure the man. “It’s so fucking disgusting.” Kid said from behind his hand. His eyes stung from the stink, tears welling up in the corners. The redhead fell to his knees, the smell starting to overpower him.Heat’s voice was heard from far away, yelling out after him, but Kid was more worried about where the Fog Man had leaped to next. He dropped the weapons from his arm and pulled him and Law up towards foremast and out of the green air.It seemed that’s all the other captain was waiting for because the moment Kid landed on the chain link ratlines, he swooped in and grabbed Law from Kid and knocked him off the lines. Kid fell back but immediately reattached himself with his power and quickly turned to see where he went.There was a hollow feeling in his gut as he felt for the particular set of rings on his shoulder. Kid activated his power and tried searching for Law on him but found nothing. Releasing his aura on a larger scale, he opened up the space to search all the metal on the ship. He felt similar metals to Law’s cuffs and pulled hard on them.Loud bangs were heard from chunks of metal hitting the underside of the ship as they tried to make their way to Kid, their path blocked by the ceiling above them. Other pieces that were on the top level flew towards him, he caught them in his hand and saw none were Law. “Shit,” he spat.Hanging on tight, Kid searched the deck below him, his First Mate and Heat still taking care of the rest of the unwanted pirates. “Lookout!” Kid yelled. “Don’t let that green shit touch you!” After his two crewmates acknowledged his warning, Kid jumped down and went to the side of the ship that had the enemy boat next to it. Giving another push to his aura he searched the other ship for Law’s cuffs and felt them. For sure that’s him this time, Kid thought. He didn’t dare pull for him, he didn’t want to yank the small pirate into a wall and kill him.Captain Kid stood atop the railing and took a giant leap to the other ship, landing with a well-trained roll. Standing on his feet again, he followed the metal trail straight to the Captain’s Quarters. Upon approaching he heard the man speaking.“I’ll be rich turning this guy in! I can’t believe there was a member of The Worst Generation on that ship, I really struck gold with this one.” Kid continued to eavesdrop. “Fuck the crew! I don’t need to be a criminal anymore after this bounty’s been cashed.”Kid had to think. He knew the moment he opened the door, he would release more of his stanky ass breath and he’d be back to square one. The plan had to be one smooth move. Kid concentrated on Law’s rings...they seemed stationary. He heard shuffling footsteps. That means Law isn’t being held by the guy, Kid thought. He also didn’t hear Law’s voice. Maybe he’s unconscious? Down by his feet, green fog crept out from below the door. Ah, fuck. He’s already accounted for me coming to retrieve Traf. Letting his mind focus on the metal, Kid reached for the knife in his boot. It was his favorite for assassinating people. The blade was long and skinny like a sewing needle, and it pierced hearts better than any other weapon he’s ever used. An iron snake coiled its way around the hilt. He rubbed over the ribbed scales before he twisted the blade between his pointer finger and his thumb, readying himself.Feeling exactly where Law was in the room, Kid kicked the door open so hard it splintered into pieces. The Fog Man whipped his attention to the entrance in shock, his mouth releasing more of the atrocious stench. Before Kid’s foot even landed from the kick, he had already thrown the stiletto dagger. It zipped through the air and went straight into the man’s jugular, the blade completely disappearing all the way up to the hilt.The other captain froze in place, eyes wide open as he stared at Kid. He moved his mouth to speak but a thin trail of blood flowed out in its place instead. A sputter of red covered Law as the man coughed, choking on the liquid. The man teetered, grabbing his desk to keep him upright. Leaning forward, blood poured out of his mouth.Holding his breath, Kid walked over and pulled the dagger out of the guy’s neck, who looked at him in horror, eyes bulging. His hands snatched the hole in his throat trying to keep the blood in but it was already too late. Kid gently picked Law up and roundhouse kicked the Fog Man, slamming him into the wall. His body slid down until he sat motionless, the life leaving his open eyes. Once Kid had made it to the edge of the boat again, he smiled thinking about the man’s face but frowned remembering Law being caught up in another shitty situation. “You have shit luck,” Kid said basically to himself, jumping across to his ship, passing his full crew out on deck who were looting the dead pirates and kicking them overboard. “Don’t forget the boat, too. Get everything they have. Prolly lots of shit on there if they were robbers.” He yelled towards them before disappearing into the cabin.The redhead ran down the stairs and went straight into the bathroom. With a good yank, Kid pulled Law’s boots and pants off, then tugged the hoodie over his head. He reached over to the shelf that held clean towels, grabbing a small washcloth and held it under the hot water. Once soaked through, he started rinsing the remaining blood off Law until he was clean again. “Fuckin disgusting," Kid said when he noticed it was matted in Law's hair as well. He turned the faucet back on to a luke-warm temperature and made sure the water pressure wasn't too high before he brought Law's head under it. With two fingers, Kid scruffed the brunette's hair until the water didn't run red anymore. Giving him a good once over checking all the blood was gone, he grabbed another washcloth and wrapped Law in it and left to his bedroom. Kid set Law down in the little box he had made as his bed and left him alone in the room. By the time the ship's captain came back to the open deck, almost all the loot was taken from the other boat and was already laid out for Kid to check over.“Master," Heat bowed and held a hand out gesturing to their new, shiny possessions.“Damn, they had all this on there? They were wimps! How did they get such good shit!?” Kid said, genuinely surprised when he inspected the quality of jewelry and coins in front of him.  His crew laughed and agreed that it was strange they had such awesome stuff while Kid sifted through some of the bags and boxes. “This all of it?"Killer stepped forward and told him the two new recruits were still getting the last few things from the other ship.“And did you raid the kitchen?"“No, but we can."“And you will. I said everything.” Kid said with authority in his voice. "Do another sweep to be sure it's clean.” He said to Killer and waved him away. He did not want to see that helmet right now, still pissed off from earlier. Fucking bastard has some nerve. Gonna have to let him know how much he fucked up. Captain Kid continued to look through the loot until the rest was taken aboard. Wire and Heat took turns grabbing containers from the inside of the ship and bringing them up to start organizing all their findings. They complained to each other that the bandits may have a really good inventory, but their organization system was non-existent.Filling each box with one type of thing took some time but Heat and Wire were used to it by now. By time Killer and the two noobie recruits came back, they had already managed to separate clothes, jewelry, money, weapons, ammo, armor, food and drink, and even toiletries and bedding all into their designated containers and started hauling it away underground. The Kid Pirates hardly ever spent money on supplies as whenever they needed more, they raided another richy-looking boat.“Captain,” Killer said, coming up to Kid. He kept his distance knowing his best friend was not at all happy with him. “Kitchen is clean. Noobies are back. All have been assembled into their new places. Everyone else is starting to bring the loot into the storage room. Is there anything else you would like before we rid the boat?”For a moment, Kid only stared at the blonde, glaring into the tiny holes in his helmet. He spoke slowly, “Go to The Room. I’ll get down there when I get time. I don’t want to see your fucking face until then.” Kid snarled and walked past Killer.Leaving his First Mate stuck in his tracks, Kid stomped twice on the metal floor to call for Heat. While he waited, he leaned over the railing to stare at the ship that was picked clean.Heat knew something was wrong. Kid never called for him when Killer was available. Heat passed the blonde on the way up and felt a chill make its way down his spine. He was weary to approach Kid but knew better than to keep him waiting. “Boss, what can I do for you?” he asked standing behind him two feet back.“Will you light this up for me? I really wanna watch something burn.”“Boss?”“This,” Kid said and pointed a finger at the Fog Man’s ship. “I like it when you burn stuff.”Heat blinked a few times but smiled. It’d been a good while since Kid specifically requested a light show. The back corners of his jaw felt tight and his mouth watered in excitement. With a leathery hand, Heat reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask filled with oil, tilted his head back and took a generous gulp. After putting the rest back in his pocket, Heat unsheathed two sticks with sandpaper on the ends and hopped onto the other ship.He landed softly and took off in a sprint and flung both arms out to catch the ends of the sticks on the wood. Sparks flew behind him as he ran. With a great leap, he was on the Captain’s Quarters spinning in a circle giving fresh air to the giant matches, igniting them into a small flame. He turned to face the foresail, bringing the stick in his left hand up first, blowing half the oil from his mouth out.An enormous plume of fire burst from Heat’s mouth immediately setting the cloth sail aflame. He twirled in his spot and did a front flip off the quarters to the opposite end of the boat to spit the rest of the oil about. Heat cackled into the air as he continued dancing in the flames. As he went around the ship, he leaned over grabbing the fire with the giant matches and tapping untouched areas, watching orange and yellow flowers bloom everywhere around him.The sound of wood crackling and popping filled the air until a low groan drowned out any other noise. The main mast started to lean forward, crippling after being charred to death. Heat somersaulted around avoiding the falling pieces of the ship. His tongue fell out as he continued laughing having the time of his life.Kid smiled. Fire is awesome. “C’mon, Heat! Let’s get outta here!” he called out to his friend who just about skipped back towards his captain. “Get the new kids to fix those fuckin sails and let’s roll.” The attempt of being robbed made Kid feel feisty. He wanted to sink a ship again or turn someone into a pin cushion. Either would be fine with him. Returning to his chambers, Kid checked on Law and saw he had kicked the towel off himself and was curled into a ball, shivering his skinny little ass off. The redhead sighed and grabbed the sash out from under him and pulled it over his small body. Law didn’t look like he was resting easy. His eyebrows were turned up in worry and his hair was a mess, indicating he’d been tossing and turning. Kid felt bad. Literally, nothing was going right for this little guy. Tucking the sash under the dark pirate to make sure he couldn’t fling it away this time, he pushed the drawer in halfway.Now it was time to deal with Killer. ___ Kid closed the door behind him and locked it, putting the key in his pant’s pocket. “I don’t know what the fuck you were thinkin earlier, but you’ve got some pretty hefty balls lately, yeah?”The blonde had taken his helmet off while he waited for his captain, it sitting on the floor next to him. Once Kid entered, he stood ready to explain himself.“Ah ah, don’t even try. I don’t care what your reasons are. You went too far today.”“Kid, please,” Killer said, his eyes already glassy knowing what was yet to come. “I was just looking out for you!”“Goddammit, Kill, you’re still defying me! Even after I told you not to speak!” said Kid with anger growing in his voice. He stepped up to his friend who tried backing away. “You’re not my fuckin mom and you sure as hell ain't my fuckin lover.” Kid backhanded Killer across the face, splitting his lip open. “This whole jealousy thing has got to fuckin stop!” another hit and a string of blood sprayed up the wall behind him, it blending in with the rest of the dried blood from years of abuse. “If I want a pet, I’m gonna have a pet!”Sinking to the floor to avoid another hit, Killer still tried to defend himself, “He’s untrustworthy! You’ve no reason to trust him at all!”Kid bared his teeth and reached down grabbing ahold of Killer’s shirt and yanked him above his head. “STOP FUCKING SAYING THAT!” Kid yelled and threw Killer to the other side of the room.The other landed roughly on his stomach. He tried shuffling to his feet but Kid was already on him grabbing the hair at the base of his neck, pulling tight so his head angled backward. “I know you like it when I do this,” Kid whispered in his ear, “but this is all you’re ever gonna get from me. I ain't yours.” he finished and released his friend. Kid stood up and waited for Killer to turn over to his back.The blonde sat up on his elbows and looked away from Kid’s glare. “Fuck you,” he said under his breath and spat blood out onto the floor.“Hehh? What was that?” Kid asked and leaned forward.“I said ‘fuck you!’”“Yeah, s’what I thought. C’mere.” Kid said and curled a finger for Killer to sit up. Kid crouched down so they were face to face. “I know you’re looking out for me, I know this. But you can’t dictate what type of toys I like to keep, even if they’re an unknown Supernova.” A twitch around Kid’s eye made Killer flinch. “Don’t touch Law again. Otherwise, these little meetings are gonna stop and you won’t get anything from me.”That last statement alone could have shattered Killer’s heart right then and there, but he knew if he was a good boy and just waited until Law left, everything would go back to normal. His best friend was always like this when a new plaything came around. He got super possessive and angry when anyone else tried to butt in. Killer just had to wait it out, that’s all. He nodded letting Kid know he understood.Kid lifted a hand and softly traced his thumb over Killer’s swollen bottom lip, smearing the blood around. “Want me to see if Heat and Wire will come play to release some tension?” he cooed and licked his finger, sucking it clean.Killer nodded again. “Please,” he said quietly.The captain stood and walked over to the door to place a hand on the button, waiting for an answer. “Christoph here.” said a noobie.“It’s Red. Send Heat and Wire to The Room.”“The room? What room?”“They’ll know what it means,” is all Kid said before unlocking the door and leaving Killer behind.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

What a bastard,

Kid thought as he leaned his back against the door of The Room. Slowly, his eyes fell closed as flashes of him hitting his best friend entered his mind. He grimaced, trying to rid the images but instead they replayed over and over. Pushing off the door, he decided to take the long way around back to his room to avoid his other two crewmates heading this way.

He walked sluggishly like his feet were guiding him rather than his mind.

I hate it when he makes me do that. I could just throw up after seeing his face beat to shit. If it were anyone else, it’d be fun, but not him. Why does he have to fuckin pull me around like that knowing damn well I ain't interested? He’s my brother, for crying out loud.

Kid rubbed the knuckles that smacked Killer to ease the pain.

I don’t want to hit my friend, but he fuckin tests me! I don’t have the patience to deal with shit like that!

Stopping in his tracks, Kid realized he was already at his bedroom door. He let his shoulders sag and sighed. He was exhausted. Since he woke up, shit has been fucking bonkers and he was completely done with it. Just as he went to turn the wheel to enter his room, he heard mumbling. Kid pushed in wondering who Law would be talking to and saw he was actually spazzing out in the drawer. “The fuck? Trafalgar, you okay?” he asked, rushing over.

Kneeling on his knees, the redhead watched Law twist and turn in his bed talking loudly and kicking at the air. The sash Kid had covered him with earlier had been shoved off again leaving the small pirate exposed to the cold air of the room.

There was a heavy feeling in the bottom of Kid’s stomach. It hurt the more he watched Law have nightmares. Clearly, he was starting to be affected by being manhandled every five minutes by people who wanted to kill him. Hovering one hand over him, he activated his power to hold Law still by the rings on his limbs, and with the other hand, he tucked him in again to stay warm. Having an entire ship made of metal had some drawbacks, being unbearably cold was one of them.

Moments after being restrained, Law stopped resisting and calmed down. Under that messy black hair was a racing mind, dreams of being crushed in half by an icy, powerful fist. Echoing laughter from the dark depths of his vision taunted him as he struggled to free himself. The faster his heart beat the tighter the grip around him, breaking each rib bone as it constricted.

Like butter, the hand melted into a warming sensation, the hold on him loosening. Each individual muscle in his arms and legs felt like they were being personally massaged from a prickling electric current. The feeling was oddly familiar to Law but he couldn’t quite place where he knew it from. All that was clear to him was he knew it was a good feeling, a

safe

feeling. The laughs in the background had died out and only a light hum remained, but he was okay with that.

Seeing Law finally relax, Kid gave a weak smile.

Some Supernova, huh?

Dragging himself over to his dresser, he took off all his weapons, belt, and sash. Giving a sharp turn of his head, he cracked his neck and while he stretched his arms up high, allowed his coat to fall to the floor. Shedding his pants on the way back to his bed he flopped onto it, face buried in a pile of pillows. He groaned, voice muffled.

Fuck, this feels good.

Kid was ready to pass out for the night but it was only...

ugh, what time is it even?

It took a great effort for Kid to lift his head and look up onto the shelf over his desk. The big hand pointed at the number eight and that’s all he cared to know. He let his mind drift.

Next to him, Law started to fidget in his sleep again. Kid frowned and leaned over the drawer that lay half open. “Oi, Traf.” he pried, poking Law in the ribs, but Law was still in a deep sleep. He felt like crying because he was so tired but the little bastard was annoying him. Sleep was so close but yet so far away. “Please, I want to fall into a fuckin coma, Traf.” Kid said to the other.

Law shot up, yelling out from his dream. “Shit,” he said after realizing he was no longer being constricted. He looked around and flinched backward when he saw Kid staring at him, his head laying on an arm while the other had its fingers curled around the edge of the drawer as he laid on his stomach. “The fuck are you looking at?” Law snapped, painfully aware the other pirate watched him freaking out just now.

“You’re having nightmares.” Kid said quietly. There wasn’t any venom or accusation in his tone, he said it to simply state a fact. “You okay?”

“Fuck off,” Law growled. Looking down at himself, he noticed he was just in his boxer briefs. “You took my clothes?”

Kid’s eyes drooped as he answered. “Mmhm. You were all bloody. Cleaned ya off.”

Law activated a Room around him and accessed his body’s state. After the blue aura disappeared, he said, “I don’t have any new wounds. Why was I bleeding?”

“Not yer blood. That big dude with the green shit. Took a knife to the neck.” Kid said slowly and lazily mimicked throwing a dagger at a pretend enemy. “Blood sprayed everywhere. Very dramatic.”

Law stayed quiet as he pictured the situation. “How long was I out for?”

“Few days,”

“What?!”

Law yelled.

How the fuck has it been a few days already?!

Even when drowsy, Kid couldn’t help but mess with the small pirate. He laughed and said, “Kidding. Barely three hours.”

Of course, Law scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You’re a prick.”

“I know,” the other said with a smile. “How’s the rest’a ya, though?”

“Chest hurts a little still but I’m alright. Leg isn’t bothering me much anymore. Should be able to take the stitches out in a few more days.” he said and rubbed at the bumpy strings sewn through his skin. The redness around it fading into his normal tanned tone.

“Gonna have one gnarly scar when you get big again.” Kid said through a yawn. “It’s as big as your whole thigh….pretty….cool...Traf…” he trailed off and his eyes closed.

“Did you seriously just fall asleep.” He waited for a reply that never came. Though he still felt tired enough to sleep again, himself. He had only woken up because of a dream, not because he wanted to.

Before he rolled over, Law studied Kid’s emotionless face, his lips slightly apart as he breathed in deep breaths and slowly let them out. His eyes traced down his body and admired how muscular the punk pirate was, particularly impressed his serratus anterior muscle was defined even while his body was relaxed. Rib muscles were pretty sexy...

He’s a guy, though. That’s disgusting. Strictly speaking from a doctor’s point of view, is all I meant. Not sexy at all, just professional admiration,

Law told himself, though he continued to inspect the lines that trailed under him where his abs began.

“Like what you see?” Kid said, peeking through one opened eye.

Law’s jaw dropped. “I-I wasn’t even looking at you! I was...I was just looking around!” Suddenly, Law’s cheeks felt warm and were flushed pink, truly embarrassed he was caught staring. “Stop fucking looking at me like that!” He yelled at Kid, who had been giving him the ‘I don’t believe you’ look.

“Okay, okay, sheesh. I was just making a joke, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Go back to sleep so I can, Trafalgar.”

Thankful Kid didn’t pry, Law lowered his hackles. “Nah, I don’t think I’ll be able to. You’re right, I’ve been having terrible dreams.”

“You’re tired, though, right?”

Law looked up at the redhead. “Yeah, I’m completely worn out. I’m not normally this...

social.”

Which was true. Law barely ever came into contact with this many people or even

talked

to this many people. This was really an inconvenience to him. “Also, I’m used to not getting a good night’s sleep so it’s fine.”

“C’mere,” Kid said gently and held a hand out for Law.

The dark pirate looked at the extended hand and back to his face. “And where will I be going?” he asked suspiciously.

“Just right here,” Kid pointed behind him at the rest of the bed. “C’mon,” he said, gesturing his hand out again.

“No thanks, I’ll stay right here.”

“And then you’re gonna keep me up all night by whining in your fuckin sleep, yeah,

no thanks,

is right.” Kid said and snatched Law up anyway. The bigger pirate turned over onto his back and set Law next to his head on the pillow while he pulled the blankets over himself. Law sat dumbfounded that Kid did whatever he wanted with him, but didn’t object.

Situated and comfortable again, Kid pulled Law close to his neck and activated his power not to hold Law still, but to let the electrical current run through him. “This will help you sleep.” He told the other.

The current was relaxing.

Like a massage.

“How do you know?”

“Because it worked before.” Kid quietly said with a yawn.

“When was tha-”

“Shaddap,” Kid cut him off.

Not exactly how Law was planning his night, but it wasn’t too bad. Kid’s skin was warm. The makeshift bed wasn’t the most insulated thing in the world and it’s also negative one-zillion degrees behind all this metal. So...

maybe it’s not bad,

Law thought. He stopped wiggling around and simply enjoyed the light voltage course through him, letting it knead out any leftover pain he had. Before he had any time to change his mind about his new sleeping arrangements, Law fell back asleep.

The redhead heard Law’s breathing even out and knew he’d managed to lull him to sleep. He couldn’t help but smile to himself knowing Law was letting his guard down so much around him

and

caught him checking him out. He’d feigned dozing off seeing what Law would do and he would have to admit to himself, he definitely wasn’t expecting to be

stared

at by the small guy. Since he knew Law may be getting curious, he’d have to play this shit up and see what he can do.

But for now, going to sleep was fine.
 
___
 
At the top of Kid’s room, the sun shone through the small window, illuminating the bed with warmth. Law stretched out his long limbs. He felt like a million-and-one fucking bucks! Not quite ready to open his eyes, he curled into a ball and snuggled up against whatever was soft and fluffy. He was so comfortable and cozy he didn’t want to move. Inhaling deeply, something tickled his nose. He swatted it out of the way and itched his face but it tickled every time he breathed in too hard.

Annoyed, Law opened his eyes to see what the hell kept touching his face. There hanging in front of him was a long strand of red. The small pirate blinked a few times to rid the sleep from his eyes and tried to focus on the strand. He reached out and touched it.

Soft,

he thought. Once his eyes adjusted to being used, he realized it was hair.

“Aw, fuck,” he said under his breath. Without moving his head, he looked below him and realized he was nested up against Kid’s neck still, his head tangled in the red hair. Law slowly closed his eyes,

this is humiliating.

Kid was still sleeping. Law sat up a little and saw his eyeliner had smudged around his eyes giving them a smokey effect. Being this close to Kid was strange. The fiery man wasn’t rattling off crazy ideas or asking him to ‘do the trick thing’ or anything else. He was just peaceful. Law liked him much better when he was silent.

Sometime during the night, Kid must have kicked off the blanket as it was at his feet.

I would, too, if I was always as warm as he is.

His eyes traveled around the bed and may have looked down at Kid’s abdomen.

Wait, what the fuck is that?!

Law thought. “Oh my fucking god.” he said when he realized what he was staring at. He slapped his hand to his face to shield his eyes while he punched Kid in the cheek. “WAKE UP!” he yelled at the other.

Law

might

have glanced at Kid’s stomach muscles and he

might

have

accidentally

seen the head of Kid’s erect dick sticking out the top of his boxer briefs. He couldn’t believe it was so big in the morning that it didn’t stay in his shorts. “EUSTASS-YA!” Law said, smacking around blindly.

Grimacing from the sudden loud noises, Kid mumbled, “Mm? What? What ya want?” A yawn and a stretch before he shook the sleep away. “What’s up?”

“Pull up your fucking pants,” Law said through gritted teeth.

“Mm?” he looked at Law who was facing the pillow covering his face. Kid looked down. “Haha, whoops.” he laughed and pulled his underwear up higher to cover his morning wood. “I wasn’t lying when I said it was big,”

Law produced a Room and Shambled himself over to the desk. “I hate you.”

“Seemed pretty cozy with me last night,” Kid teased.

Law turned pink and decided to ignore the comment and was quick to change the subject. “I never was able to use your Den Den Mushi. May I please use it immediately? It’s been six days since my crew has heard from me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Give me a sec and I’ll go get it.” Kid arched his back to stretch so his chest puffed out. “We’ll get ya back to them, don’t worry.”

“I’m more worried about returning back to normal than I am about my crew. I only want to inform them that I’m alive so they cease to worry.” Law said. “We have a place to meet if we ever get separated. I know that’s the first place they’ll go if they think I’m dead.”

“Mm. Good. Means I have to do less work to get you out of my fuckin hair.” Kid thought about it for a second and itched his head where Law was moments ago. “Literally.”

Kid tossed his legs over the side of the bed and stood tall, stretching his arms up to the ceiling. “Fucckkkk, I slept

good!”

he said and searched for his striped shorts.

“As much as I hate to say it, I did as well. Thank you for...whatever you did.” Law said a little quieter. He was the doctor here, he was the one who made people feel better. “My back and chest feel better than they have in my whole life, actually.”

“Prolly cause you slouch.”

“Excuse me?” Law asked, taking offense.

“You slouch when you walk and stand. Prolly why your back always hurts. I don’t ever get sore,” Kid said, wiggling his fingers around in front of himself, “I can release any tension if I’ve got metal on.”

The frown on Law’s face faded when Kid said that last part. “Yeah, it must be nice. Thank you, really. I’m still surprised I slept for more than a few hours at a time.”

Kid pulled his shorts on and readjusted himself, making sure to take his time in his pants so Law could watch. Giving a good scruff to his hair, he added his goggles to his head but left his shirt and coat off, leaving himself bare-chested.

“Be right back.” He told Law.

The small pirate looked for his clothes while Kid was gone. The first place he thought would have been obvious for them to be was on the desk but as he looked around, he didn’t see them at all.

Grrr.

He was annoyed he had to stand here without anything on, alone in Kid’s room.

Kid burst through the door, out of breath. Law turned towards him with terror on his face, “What happened!” he said and readied his hand to ignite his power.

“Wire made waffles!” Kid yelled with wide eyes.

Law could have murdered him. “Are you serious, right now, Eustass-ya?”

“He made waffles - with

blueberries,

Traf! Hurry with your fuckin phone call so we can get some before they’re gone!” He said while rushing to Law and shoving the Snail next to him. “Here, here, call away! Dial nine first.”

Law glared up at Kid for making him worry over food. “Bastard,” he said under his breath as he Shambled the talk-piece off its hook. The Snail lifted its eyes ready to make a call. Law pressed hard on the buttons that dialed his ship’s Den Den Mushi and waited while it rang.

“HELLO IS THIS LAW ARE YOU OKAY?!??!” the voice screamed.

“Hey, Bepo,” Law said, leaning away from the powerful noise.

“CAPTAIN IS THAT YOU?!!??!?!?!” Bepo screamed again.

The small pirate winced backward again. “Bepo, you don’t have to yell, I can hear you just fine. Yes, it’s me and yes I’m fine.”

“Oh my god, Captain! You’re alright! I’m so sorry, I thought you died!”

“No, I’m fine. Just got separated from you guys, is all. You did good to not wait for me. I’m proud of you guys for taking initiative without me.”

“I begged Penguin not to leave but he said that’s what you’d have ordered anyway! I begged him, Captain! I’m so sorry we left you behind I’d have never done it I love you so much I miss you are you okay where are you have you been eating well how come it took you so long to get in contact with us are you hurt how much sleep have you gotten why aren’t you answering me!”

“Bepo! Calm down! I’m telling you, I’m fine.” Law reassured his friend. “I’m...safe.” he said, hesitant on the word ‘safe’ while he looked up at Kid, who ushered him to hurry his call for food. “Anway, I’ve got to go.”

“What?! No! Lemme get Penguin and Shachi! They’ll want to know how you’re doing, too!” the polar bear begged. “Just one second while I get them!”

“I’ve got to go, Bepo. Stay at the meeting place. I’ll come to you. I don’t know how long I”ll be but I’ll be sure to check in every few days, okay? If you don’t hear from me for more than three days at a time, assume I’m dead.”

“CAPTAIN, NO!”

“Sayonara, Bepo,” Law quietly said. He felt bad for his Mink friend. He knew Bepo would be hurt by him hanging up early in the conversation, but he didn’t want to give him any time to pry details out about Law’s situation. He was positive if any of his crew members knew he was on an enemy Supernova’s ship, and particularly Eustass Captain Kid’s none-the-less, that they would all die from heart failure just by hearing the news alone.

“Kay, breakfast now!” Kid said and grabbed Law around the middle.

“Hah!? Wait, I need my clothes!”

“Ah, fuck the clothes!” Kid said rushing out of the room.

Law struggled against Kid’s grip, “Ugh! No! I need to put clothes on if we’re leaving your room! Also, don’t just grab me, dammit!”

Kid groaned but turned around and headed towards the bathroom where he left Law’s clothes before running back up the kitchen.
 
Upon seeing his captain enter the eating area, Killer brightened. “Thought you’d have eaten in your room again,” he said, surprised he’d left Law behind.

“Make more, Wire. This ain't enough.” Kid said as he leaned around the tall man’s body. “Also, guys, I got something to tell ya,” he said and turned towards the rest of his crew at the table. “You guys heard of Trafalgar Law, one of the other members of The Worst Generation? This is him.” he finished and pointed to his shoulder where a tiny Law sat atop Kid’s trapezius muscle, a hand gripped on a lock of hair to keep him steady while the other clutched Kikoku. Kid snagged a plate and started stacking waffles a mile high.

Killer stayed quiet and waited to see Heat and Wire’s reaction. The other members weren’t as close to Kid as the other three were and probably wouldn’t realize how dangerous it was to have him aboard the ship.

Scratching at his arms, Heat squinted his eyes looking where Kid had pointed. “Trafalgar Law, you say? Why is he so small?”

While Kid poured syrup over the waffles, Wire inspected law up close. “And more importantly, why do you have him here with you?”

Law leaned backward, “Get the fuck out of my face,” he grimaced and waved his hand, swatting Wire away from him who laughed at his reaction.

“Fiesty little guy, aren’t ya?” He said to Law and reached for him.

His hand made it most of the way toward Law but in an instant was stopped by Kid whipping around and choking him with the iron axes that hung from a thick metal chain around his neck. Kid repelled the ax-heads up to the ceiling making Wire dance on his tippy toes. The largest Kid Pirate tried digging his fingers between the necklace and his skin for breathing room but his immense weight sagging against the chain made it impossible.

“Don’t fucking touch him.”

Kid hissed through a clenched jaw with fire in his eyes. Waiting for an acknowledgment, Kid held his crewmate up until he was sure the man clearly understood. Once Wire forcefully let out a noise that sounded like an agreement, Kid gently released him letting him regain his balance, grabbed a fork, and sat at the table like nothing even happened.

The rest of the crew were stunned into silence. Even Law stayed quiet, unsure of what to say in such situations. Without hesitation, Kid sat down and dug into his plate after ripping off a fluffy piece of waffle before handing it up to Law. He grabbed it and started to eat, glad to have something to do in this awkward position.

Killer couldn’t believe how Kid reacted! He actually snapped at Wire over Law.

He protected him...from his own crewmate...

Killer didn’t think he could watch this much longer. Here an enemy pirate was sitting on

his

captain’s shoulder, on his

naked skin!

Who did that fucker think he was, waltzing into Kid’s life and taking all the attention off his crew?

His family?!

It sickened Killer to see Law so “comfortable” perched next to the man he loved.

A sort of sixth sense made Law feel like he was being watched. He glanced up from his waffle and looked around the table. Everyone had their head bowed over their plate or were deliberately looking in some other direction as to avoid any sort of contact with the shrunken pirate. Once he got to Killer, though, that weird sense started going off like a bell ringing in his ears. Despite not seeing his eyes, Law knew the man was boring a hole into his body, glaring at him from behind that helmet.

Instead of ignoring Killer like he knew he should, he couldn’t help but flip him off. Killer abruptly stood and stormed off. Law smiled knowing he won that round. Leaning closer to Kid’s ear, Law spoke quietly, “I don’t think Kill-ya likes that I’m still here.”

Without lowering his voice to match Law’s, Kid said, “I don’t give a shit,” and swallowed another mouthful of food. “He doesn’t like anyone I bring home. Don’t worry, though. Last night I made sure he knows not to fuck with you anymore.”

Law thought about that statement, he wasn’t exactly sure what he had meant by that. Thinking about it, though, maybe he did something similar punishment-wise like what he just did to Wire.

“Master,” Heat interrupted Law’s thoughts. Kid grunted in reply. “I do not have a problem with Trafalgar Law being here, but may I ask what happened? He was not this size on Sabaody.”

Instead of answering himself, Kid waved for Law to explain instead, as he had a mouthful of blueberry waffles.

Law cleared his throat and addressed the table. “There is a Marine named Kenni Lental, and her Inch-Inch Fruit shrunk me to this humiliating size. Your captain helped me get away before more trouble brewed. I am in his debt.”

This was interesting news to Heat. “In his debt, you say? What will you do to repay the Master?” he asked and gave Law a tight, closed-mouthed smile while he picked at stitches on his face.

Having never given that a thought, Law hesitated before answering. “Well, I guess I’ll owe Eustass-ya a favor.”

“You sure will, Traf.” Kid spoke between bites. “Cause you’re one helluva pain in my ass, especially with that leg shit you had goin on. That was annoying to take care of.”

Law instinctively rubbed his thigh where the bumpy strings sat under the jeans. Most showed through the hole from the rabbit’s fang, but the rest of the long gash was covered. Heat zeroed in where Law was moving his hand.

“Sutures?” He asked, voice getting higher in curiosity.

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“It went through only twelve times, but that’s because I’m smaller in size. If the wound was proportionate to a normal sized me, it would have been over a hundred.”

“May I see?” Heat asked. He couldn’t help his interest was piqued by the little guy. His tongue stuck out to lick his cheek, feeling the ragged scars on it.

“No.” Kid said, cutting Law off before he started.

“Of course.” the fire-breather replied without argument.

“I really don’t mind, Eustass-ya.”

“I said no. I don’t want him to see it.” Kid repeated and stood up to rinse his plate. “Wire, thanks for breakfast. I love it when you make them extra fluffy.” He complimented with a toothy grin. A wave goodbye and he left to go to the outside deck.

Leaning on the railing with his long, blonde hair flowing behind him in the wind, Killer looked out to sea. There was nothing around them for miles. No birds flew in the sky and not a single water bug floated by. It was just him and his crew out here.

And that asshole, Trafalgar,

Killer thought to himself. Pissed off, he slammed his fist on the railing just as Kid opened the heavy door and walked out towards him.

“Knew you’d be out here.” the captain said to him.

Killer turned and saw Law was with him still and scoffed at the sight. “Why’d you bring that piece of shit with you?”

“He’s not a piece of shit. He’s a scrawny,

depressing

piece of shit.” Kid corrected with a laugh.

“Oi, oi, I’m right here,” Law said and rolled his eyes.

“Wish you weren’t.” Killer retorted and turned back to looking at the never ending water.

“I didn’t ask to be here. You’re acting like I

want

to be in this position, Kill-ya.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Oh my god, will you two shut the hell up?” Kid said and switched Law to his other shoulder, opposite of his First Mate. “I came out here to tell you to chill out, man. It’s alright like I said. I’m still alive, aren’t I? Law ain't as tough as the papers give him credit for.”

Law responded by angrily pulling on some red hair before jumping down onto the railing. He eased himself into a sitting position, babying his left leg. The cool, ocean breeze felt amazing on his skin. It was funny to him, how he didn't like being cooped up in Kid’s ship but he could go for weeks at a time underwater in his submarine. The yellow hunk of metal he called his home. A longing ache in his chest formed when he thought about his crewmen waiting for him. He missed them. He didn't like being on a foreign ship with foreign people.

“Okay, Traf?"

Law must have zoned out. He shook the thoughts from his head. “Hm?"

Kid cupped his big hands around Law. "I said you won't have to worry about Killer anymore. He's learned his lesson.”

There was an awkward tension between the three. Law continued to face out at sea while he spoke, “I didn't think pirates could learn lessons."

That made Kid laugh. "You just gotta train 'em right. See?" He said and reached over with one hand, gripping the top of Killer's helmet. Law turned around and almost felt afraid he’d finally see Killers face, but Kid only lifted it so his mouth was visible. A puffy, swollen lip with a blackened scab showed.

“That needs to be cleaned, Kill-ya," Law said truthfully. It didn't look like it was taken care of after it happened. By the looks of it, had to of been done just yesterday.

Kid set the helmet back down and gave it a pat. “He's right, you know. Bet you didn't see Doc afterward, did you? What if it scars those beautiful lips of yours, eh?”

The first mate stayed quiet. Law nodded up at him in agreement, it would definitely scar if he didn't clean it. It would get infected and they'd have to open it up, cutting through more skin.

He really does have nice lips.

Horrified with his own thoughts, Law quickly turned away before either of them could see the blush brighten on his face.

What the fuck am I thinking?

“Go on, Captain's orders." Kid said and shooed Killer away.

The blonde hesitated, tilting his head down to, what Law assumed, look at him. The stare lingered a moment before he pushed off the railing and went inside.

“Eustass-ya.” Law started once he heard the

click

of the door indicating Killer was gone. “Do you always treat your crewmates like shit?” He swung his feet over the railing, feeling like a child. Small and being taken care of all the time.

Pathetic.

“Ah. You mean cuzza what I did to Wire, too?” Kid asked quietly. A small laugh escaped before he continued. “Yeah, I do. But they like it. It’s why they follow me.”

That confused Law. He wrinkled his eyebrows thinking what on earth he could mean. “They like to be treated like shit?”

“Not the way you’re putting it. Nah, I mean like…” He hesitated to try to find the right words. “Like, you know.”

Law waited for a more elaborate explanation but apparently, the redhead was stopping there. He turned around and looked up at the pale pirate who was smiling into the morning sun. “No, I don’t know. I can’t seem to fathom why human beings would even willingly want to be in the same vicinity as someone like you, let alone be abused.”

Kid dramatically put a hand over his chest over an invisible wound. “Ooo, ouch. That hurt, Traffy.”

“You choked your crewmember. Even worse, you did it in front of everyone.”

“I do it in private, as well.” Kid said, giving a devilish grin and a wink.

“Choke your crew….in private?” Law said slowly. The wheels in his head felt like they were turning at high speeds and finally, the pieces of the puzzle were set in place. “Oh.

Oh.”

“See, now you’re getting it.”

“They

like that?”

“Have you

seen

the way they dress?”

Remembering Heat and Wire’s strange attire, it all made sense to Law. “But Kill-ya looks normal...besides the helmet thing.”

“I told you, it’s not weird! He’s just shy. And yes, I know. He’s the most normal of all of us. But he’s a special case.”

For the remaining time, they watched the sunrise together, neither talked. Law used this time to rid the cringy images of Kid doing things to his crew members for pleasure.

Who gets off on that shit anyway? This boat is full of fucking freaks. Do they like to be hurt? Does Kid get anything out of it? And who even has time for sex or romance? The new generation of pirates have been set forth to find the One Piece, the race to see who will become the next Pirate King.

Law remembered back when Strawhat Luffy burst through the auction house doors, he had claimed he'd be the next King, though Kid had objected and said

he

would be.

So if he has such a huge life-mission, how could he devote any time for games like...like… choking people for fun?

A shiver ran up Law's spine. He tried shaking the thoughts from his head again but the idea just seemed so alien to him. As a doctor, he saw what people looked like in pain and none of them seemed to have even an ounce of enjoyment about it. There must be something he's missing because what he saw in his head could not have been what The Kid Pirates liked. It must be a different kind of pain.
 
___
 
For the next few days, the time spent on Kid’s ship was easier. The whole crew was aware of Law’s presence and it was made crystal clear what would happen if anyone should try to fuck with him. Anywhere Kid went, Law was atop his shoulder riding along. The captain of the ship was acting his usual self again. The two pirates were barely held up in Kid’s room now that it was safe for Law to be seen. Kid spent time with his crewmates and ordered people around and other than Law being there, nothing seemed different. Even Killer started to ease off after his third day knowing of the small pirate.

They devoted a certain amount of hours a day to find out where Kenni Lental was in the world. Rumors had it she was on an island not too far from them taking care of a pirate-problem. By the time they had reached the island, though, she was already gone and took the pirates with her. Upon hearing the news, Law deflated.

Even though she had admitted there wasn’t any way that she knew of to reverse her fruit, Law would work with her to figure it out. Devil Fruits were interesting in their own ways and can be stretched in so many aspects that their users never tend to find out in their lifetime. There

had

to be a reversal of some sort. Shit, after ten days of being this fucking tiny, Law was okay with being

half

his normal height! Even if he was the size of a small child, he’d rather be that than less than seven fucking inches tall!

You can’t do shit at seven inches!

After the Marine’s trail went cold, Law had started to point their navigator towards where he told his crew to wait; with Zunisha. Kid wondered if Zunisha was Law’s sister or a girlfriend or any sort of lady in his life, but Law shook his head and said, “You’ll see who she is when we get there.”

Even if Law never went back to his normal height, he could at least rely on his crew again. He knew his crew would never abandon him. Although, he’d have to pass on the title of Captain to someone else because a captain at this size was pathetic and he’d never want to taint the Heart Pirate’s name with his ridiculously small height.

How could he ever protect himself like this? His Room could barely cover one normal sized human as of right now! Any time Law let his guard down around The Kid Pirates and one moved too fast or laughed too loud, he’d turn rigid, readying himself for an attack. He felt like by the time he was back with his crew he’d have grown a whole head of grey hair from all the stress this was causing him. Every waking moment Law felt overly vulnerable to the world. He had to admit, though, being alone with Kid was the only time he truly felt relaxed on this shitty ship.

Law

hated

that Kid made him sleep next to him every night, but god damn if he didn’t get the best sleep he’s ever had while doing so. Law had to keep telling himself that was the only reason he didn’t object to the ludicrous idea.

But he’s warm...and he smells really good...and his hair is soft. It wasn’t so bad curling up next to him at night.

Slightly twitching his lip thinking like that, Law looked over to the currently napping redhead out on the top deck and growled to himself.

The sun was hot, warming the metal enough to burn if you made direct contact. Kid lay on a pile of comforters he brought up from the storage closet and said he was gonna work on his tan. Buck-ass naked soaking in the sun, Kid’s ass and shoulders were starting to burn, pink coloring his white skin.

The other main three Kid Pirates joined their captain, though only Wire joined him with no clothes. Killer and Heat had some decency with shorts on at least. Law had sat in the sun for a few minutes but the metal shining back up onto his body started to cook him alive so he decided sitting in the shade was better.

If Eustass-ya doesn’t put sunscreen on, he’s gonna be hurting later,

Law thought. He debated on walking over and waking him up to at least roll over onto his back but as much as he didn’t want Kid to burn, he also didn’t want to see his dick exposed, either.

Law waited until the back of Kid’s legs started to burn, too, to go over and wake him. Jogging over to get off the metal as quick as possible, Killer had woken to the light sounds of Law’s shoes running by him. In complete instinct, Killer slammed his hand down to stop whatever threat was making its way towards his captain.

Mere millimeters separated Law from Killer’s hand. “Oh, it’s just you, Law. Sorry about that.” He said. Law almost believed him this time as his voice did

sort of

sound genuinely sorry. Law shrugged and hopped onto the blanket Kid laid on before he turned into a barbecued pirate. Killer watched.

Setting Kikoku down, Law stood next to Kid’s face resting on his arms. The top of Kid’s left ear and left cheek were tinted pink.

Stupid idiot. Acts like he’s never been in the sun before.

Knowing Kid was a heavy sleeper, Law climbed up his side and onto his back and shoved his boot into his burned shoulders.

Kid moaned a little and lifted his head. “Yeah?” He asked and looked at Killer.

“Don’t look at me. It’s Law.” He answered and pointed at the small man.

Kid smiled and plopped his head back on his arm. “Mm, little Trafalgar Law, huh?” he said quietly and raised one hand above him activating his power. Law was pulled from his back and into his fist. “What ya want?”

“I told you to stop doing that, dammit! It’s humiliating.” Law reprimanded, squirming in Kid’s grip.

“Aww, Traffy is so cute when he’s mad.” Kid teased and set Law in the little crevice his elbow made while resting on it. It was a cramped space and Law was way, way too close to Kid’s face. He started to back away and climb out but Kid interrupted him. “Stay here with me.”

Law stopped in his tracks. Kid asked in a sincere voice. Something about the way he asked made Law okay with staying. “Okay,” he said. “But if I must stay, you have to turn over. You’re going to be as red as your hair if you don’t.”

“Alright, alright.” Kid said with a smile. He hovered Law above him while he rolled over and put both hands under his head, setting Law in his elbow crevice again. He wanted him as close to him as possible and this was the best spot.

It was hot in the direct sunlight. Law figured he might as well enjoy himself while he was out here so he pulled his shirt up and over his head and threw it over by his sword. He laid against Kid’s upper arm and propped his feet up on the lower arm. Once he found a comfortable position, he threw his hat off, too, and immediately fell asleep in the afternoon sun.
 
“Eustass-ya, wake up!” Law shouted in the man’s ear. “Kill-ya, shake him awake. He’s been out here for far too long!”

“I only take orders from my captain.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Law said as he climbed up on Kid’s chest. “Room!” he said, a blue circle forming around himself and most of the upper half of the man above him. Law dropped down and reached inside Kid’s chest.

“FUCK!” Kid yelled as he shot up. Law was flung off and fell between Kid’s feet.

Killer lunged at Law. “You fucking bastard!” He yelled as he caged Law under his hands. “You’re trying to kill him!”

Law activated his Room again and teleported himself on Kid’s shoulder, the safest place on the ship. “I’m trying to help him! His skin is going to get sores if he stays out here any longer.”

“Oh, yeah right!”

“Yoooo, the fuck is goin on?” Kid said. Napping all day in the sun had made him disoriented and he wasn’t sure what the two were arguing about. “Killer. You’ve been doing really well these past few days. Don’t fuck it up now.” the redhead warned. Law felt the rings around his limbs buzz, the magnetic pull ready for whenever.

“He’s trying to kill you, Kid!”

“If I was trying to kill him, I’d have done it by now,” Law mumbled and shambled Kikoku into his hold.

“He did that blue power thing and reached inside your chest! Then you called out in pain!” Killer begged for Kid to understand, who asked Law if that’s what he really did.

“Yes, I did. I was trying to wake you but you wouldn’t budge. Kill-ya wouldn’t help me so I had no choice but to do things my own way.”

“So you….what? What did you do inside my chest?”

“I punched your heart!”

Kid rolled backward laughing. He clutched his pink stomach to ease the pang in his gut just thinking about how silly the situation was. “Ow ow ow. Shit that hurts already.” He said and finally looked over his body. “Yikes, I am def burned. This ain't gonna feel good later, is it?”

Law stood up after being knocked off Kid’s shoulder. “No, it won’t. Do you have an aloe plant? The gel from the leaves will soothe the burn and it will help with tomorrow’s pain as well.”

“Do I look like I know what the fuck that is?”

Law rolled his eyes and looked at Killer to see if he knew. He shrugged in reply. “Jesus Christ-ya, you have to be kidding me?! Neither of you knows what an aloe plant is?! It has tons of medicinal properties

and

it’s edible. Where is your doctor? He must have one in the infirmary.”

“I can tell you right now, there ain't any plants in that room.” Kid said, patting Law on his head. “Where can we find some, then? This seems like a plant we should have, right? Let’s go fuckin get one, then!” He said standing up. Law shielded his eyes from Kid’s nakedness.

The first tropical-like island they saw, they veered off their path towards Zunisha and docked their ship. Law had talked to the Kid Pirate doctor and he knew of the aloe plant but never knew what it looked like. After being scolded by Law telling him he was a bad doctor and had no right to take care of a crew, he drew it out on a piece of paper for him as Doc also didn’t have

any

books on medicine, anatomy, diseases, and poisons, or literally anything else a doctor of some sort should have. Once he got back to his sub, he’d have to go through his personal library and give him the essentials. Most of the books he owned he had already memorized from reading them through so often so it was useless to keep them. Giving them to this horrible excuse of a doctor seemed the best fitting.

The doctor, Killer, and Law made their way deep into the brush of the island in search of the plant. Law had told Kid to stay behind because any stressful movement on his skin will only irritate it further, even if it didn’t hurt as bad now, it would only be a living hell later on tonight.

To be safe, Law stood atop Doc’s shoulders on the opposite side of Killer. Without Kid around, a sudden “accident” could happen and Law could find himself stuck in a puddle of quicksand, at the bottom of a pit, or worse, gutted by Killer’s curved blades with his intestines wrapped around himself tied in a neat little bow.

“These plants are easy to spot amongst the others that surround it. They’re a succulent, you see. The surrounding foliage will look like these here,” he explained and pointed to normal brush you’d see anywhere. “But the aloe looks like it belongs somewhere else. It has hard, spiked, pointed leaves.”

As they walked, Law tried to educate the two on the many benefits of having different plants aboard the ship in case of emergencies. Some should be potted, others dried, and some crushed into a paste. “You can either leave the plant potted or extract the gel from the leaves and keep it in a jar. Honestly, we shouldn’t have had to come this far to see them, they should have been right on the beach basking in the sun.”

Killer mumbled something Law couldn’t hear but didn’t care to understand. “Try over there in that opening,” he suggested and pointed the doctor towards it.

Drawing nearer to the opening, the heat of the island raised and the air became thicker. Law looked around scanning the ground cover plants for anything resembling an aloe plant. “There they are,” he said with a triumphant smile. “Dig out underneath and pull the roots out. Might as well grab the whole thing.

Killer hauled back a giant plant while Doc had cut off a pile of leaves from the others, planning to turn them into whatever Law suggested.

About halfway back, Killer set the plant on the ground.

“Are you tired, Killer?” Doc asked.

“Shh.” He said while scanning the trees in front of them and slowly putting his blades in the metal braces on his wrists. “There was someone walking beside us and they’re just there,” he pointed a ways ahead of them. A barely audible

zzzip

whizzed by towards them. Killer snatched the arrow from the air before it went directly between the doctor’s eyes. He brought it close to his helmet to inspect and was about to touch the end but Law stopped him.

“Wait, the tip is most likely poisoned,” he said quietly and looked where the arrow came from.

“Shit!” Killer exclaimed and jumped in front of the other two shielding them from three more arrows. Two went in one shoulder and straight through the other side, the tip a few inches from Law’s face while the third got him in the thigh. Law could smell the poison mixed with Killer’s blood on the end. “Get down, Doc!” Killer yelled and swung his blades to deflect the oncoming arrows from the invisible enemy.

Law stayed low with the doctor and was sure to count the minutes that passed while the poison was in Killer’s body. The dark pirate watched him fight off five islanders by himself and damned himself that he couldn’t help him in any way.

Doc obviously has never seen combat before by the way he isn’t planning to back Kill-ya up.

Although filled with poison, Killer was handling his own with the wild men.

After the fifth one was sliced open from the belly up, two more screamed retaliation from the thick trees and were cut short by two throwing daggers, a present of Killer’s. The closest man instantly dropped dead from the dagger in his heart while the other stumbled a few times holding his face around his eye. Blood squirted out while he cried for help that never came. The man fell to his knees begging for Killer to have mercy on him, but instead Killer came up to him and with one quick swipe, slit the man’s throat putting him out of his misery.

“Doc. Law. Are you okay?” He asked between heavy breaths. The blonde could feel sweat dripping down his face. “Cause I’m not.”

“We gotta go

now!”

Law said, urging the doctor to stand. “Put him on your back, he won’t be able to make it the entire way.” The two larger pirates understood and started heading back.

Three minutes in total since the arrows penetrated. It took around fifteen minutes to get the clearing where we got the plants and then we walked for about eight more heading back to the ship. About seven more minutes at the least until we’re back, more if Doc can’t hold Kill-ya up and keep a normal pace. That’s at least ten minutes of poison coursing through his veins and he was already sweating profusely after the fight. The adrenaline must have sped the fucking process up, shit shit shit.

“We don’t have time to get back to the ship. Set him down.”

“We can’t leave him!”

“Don’t you fuckin dare.” Killer protested.

“You have to trust me. Stop right now and lay him out under this tree in the shade.” The doctor hesitated until Law drew Kikoku from its sheath and pointed it under the man’s chin. “Fucking listen to me. Drop him

now.”

“Law...” Killer panted. “You bastard….” He winced in pain as he slid to the ground.

“Stop talking. Breath slower.” Law jumped down in the tall grass next to Killer. He told him to lay flat while he worked. “Doc, go back to the ship and get your captain. We’re gonna need him to carry Kill-ya back.”

“Don’t...leave…” Killer tried asking his crewmate.

Law yelled at the doctor again to get going or he was going to bury his friend by the end of the day. The moment Doc scurried off, Law activated his Room over Killer’s shoulder where the two arrows used to be. “The poison is spreading at a rapid rate.” He told Killer. The poison was like a virus in the blonde’s veins, blatantly obvious it didn’t belong there when Law searched for it with his Devil Fruit power. He could trace every bit of it and right now it was multiplying the more it mixed with the clean blood. “Slow your breathing!”

“I’m trying!”

“Don’t speak, either! Stop straining yourself Take your helmet off, it will help you breathe.” Law ran down to the man’s thigh and ripped the arrow that was still deeply embedded. Killer yelled out but quickly cut himself off and calmed down again trying to abide by Law’s orders. Law flung the arrow far away and climbed atop Killer’s chest. As he sat down, he noticed Killer kept his helmet on. Law Shambled it off and out of reach. Not even interested in seeing the man’s face, he crossed his legs in front of him and brought his hands up to press hard on his temples. “Fuck, I’ve never done such a large Room before, I don’t know if I can do it all at once,” he said to himself.

Law slowed his breathing to almost zero as he concentrated solely on nothing but the poison in Killer’s blood. The glowing blue orb appeared again with Law in the middle.

If I can’t get it over his entire body all at once, the poison will move while I work on one end, spreading further to the opposite end.

The sounds of birds chirping soon disappeared. The winding moving the grass back and forth around them melted into the far corners of Law’s mind as he strained his concentration of widening the circumference of his Room.

The last sound holding him back from complete silence was Killer’s ragged breathing. The wheeze in his chest vibrated his ribcage, disturbing Law’s meditation.

Breathe in...two, three, four...breathe out...two, three, four...breathe in…

Law continued until even Killer’s breathing vanished from his mind.

With a blank canvas, Law opened his Room as wide as Killer was tall. The entirety of his body was enveloped within, Law could see him clearly with his power behind closed eyes. Every layer he needed to be highlighted in blue.

Peeling back the skin and some muscles, the veins were exposed in his mind and within them, a tainted cloud of dark blue mixed in with the rest of the light blue liquid.

That’s it,

Law said. Thinking of grabbing the cloud, it started to slow, ceasing its spreading. Moving his mind to scan the rest of Killer’s body, he targeted all the dark blue clouds that didn’t belong and made sure to stop them in their tracks.

On the outside, Law’s hair was plastered to his forehead, sweat pouring down from his head and dripping down his nose and chin, soaking Killer’s button up under him. Killer’s eyes crossed as he tried focusing on the small pirate on him but the blue haze was too strong, only making his vision worse.

The minutes passed while Law strained himself to extract all the poison from Killer’s veins. It had taken long enough that Doc came back with Kid who was running with him on his back as he wasn’t fast enough for Kid. “Killer!” He yelled about twenty yards away.

With his remaining strength left, Killer brought his hand up, managing only a few inches off the ground, signaling Kid to stop and wait. Kid listened, fully trusting his First Mate,

his best friend.

The three waited, watching Law struggle in his own mind as he went through the maze of Killer’s veins. He tried backing the poison up through the holes they came through but it had spread too far for it to retreat, he had to bring it out somewhere else.

While the sun beat down on the pirates, Law tried holding back vomit as he pushed his power to the limit. The blue orb expanded a little larger as Law pressed on. Some of the dark clouds had slipped through his grasp, swimming away from him. Mentally snatching them back into his hold, he finally had all the traces of poison under his control,

but now how do I get it out.

The silence in his mind was deafening. It hurt to hear nothing. He felt cold, too. Cold and lonely. The only thing that reminded him he wasn’t truly alone was knowing what the poison was attaching itself to; a human. Law shivered under his sweat while his teeth chattered. Holding his power to its max took every ounce of his strength and it was starting to weigh him down. He felt nauseated and weak.

Law came to the conclusion he had to pull out the poison through Killer’s pores. The entry holes were too far away to back it up to, it would take too long. Inside his own head, he screamed until his throat felt raw.

Kid slowly approached his crewmember and Law, making sure to make no noise. He saw Law was in deep concentration and that Killer’s breathing was few and far between.

Is he dying?

Kid wasn’t sure of the entire story, Doc was bad at explaining things, especially in such desperate times. Kid understood, “Killer, hurt, blood, Law, bad people, help, hurry” from his doctor but that’s all he needed. He grabbed the man and threw him over his back asking him to point into the right direction of the situation. Luckily, Kid was a

fast

runner and was physically fit to easily hold another 250 pounds along with himself in a full sprint. He left the boat in just his boots, striped shorts, and goggles.

Only being able to watch the urgent scene unfold before him, Kid watched Law like a hawk wondering what the hell was going on. He wanted to ask but even the few minutes he’d been here, Killer seemed less aware of his surroundings and Law seemed to be doing something important. Both looked like complete and utter shit to Kid.

Taking a step closer, Kid stepped on a twig making it

snap

under his foot, and Law roared out, raising his arms high above him. Kid was sure he had fucked everything up by bringing Law out of his trance.

As Law raised his arms, a clear liquid seeped out of every pore on Killer’s arms and legs. Law continued to pull until it all soaked through his clothes and out the other side, leaving them dry again. The liquid hovered above the two pirates inside the blue circle. Once every drop was accounted for leaving nothing behind, Law brought his hands together as if he was praying, forming the liquid into a small ball. He floated it to the furthest part in his Room and dropped it in the grass.

“It’s out.” Law gasped, clutching his chest. He crawled to the edge of Killer’s chest and threw up. The small pirate wobbled on all fours as he tried to stand but instead blacked out.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Trafalgar?” Kid quietly asked as he held the tiny pirate in his open palm. He rubbed Law’s head with his thumb to try and wake him. “Trafalgar?”

Killer hadn’t stood, his legs not quite stable yet. He sat cross-legged in the tall grass next to Kid who had joined him. After he knew Killer was fine and had him explain what was going on, he flopped down letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

As Law opened his eyes, something dark hovered over him. He couldn’t quite tell what it was, the sun too bright behind it making an ominous silhouette. “My head hurts,” he mumbled.

Kid went to reply but Killer was faster. “You saved my life.”

“Mm?” Law shook the dizziness away and the previous situation flooded back to him. He felt weak but other than that, everything was fine. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get used to it,” he said running his hands through his hair wondering where his hat went. He noticed Killer had his helmet on again.

Guess I missed my chance.

“I’m not making this a joke, this is serious, Law.” Killer said and leaned in closer to Kid’s hands. “Thank you. I thought you were making Doc abandon me, I thought…”

“You were going to die?” Law finished for him. “Yeah, I know. That’s an extremely rare poison but luckily, the scent is very recognizable and unique from other more common ones. It multiplies the longer it mixes with blood, which is why I had to take immediate action.”

Killer’s head turned away and tilted towards the ground as he thought about Law’s words. He was positive Law was going to let him die, taking Doc with him. By the time anyone got back to see what had happened to him, he’d have been dead already. “Thank you.”

“You already said that,” Law said slightly annoyed. He hated praise where it wasn’t needed. It was his job to save people. He went into this profession because he wanted to help people, to protect them from illness...or diseases that could wipe out a whole city.

“I’m so glad you two are alright!” Kid said loudly. A muscular arm wrapped around Killer and hugged him close to himself. “Man, I love you, Kill. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Don’t fuckin do that again!” the redhead laughed and stood, pulling his friend up with him.

“Wait, I need my hat!” Law said trying to peek over Kid’s shoulder to see behind him in the flattened grass.

Between two fingers, Killer handed Law his tiny hat. “Here.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Kid laughed. “See?! Best fuckin friends now!”

Law turned to say something snarky but all that fell out of his mouth was, “R-red!” Kid smiled and asked what he wanted, thinking Law was calling him by his nickname. “No, you’re fucking red!”

Realizing Law meant his skin, his face pulled into a frown. “Uh, yeah. It got worse since you guys left. It’s a little sore but nothing too bad.”

“Right now!”

Law hissed and scowled over at Killer. “This is literally all your fault, you know. If you’d have just helped me wake him up to move out of the sun then none of this would have happened.”

The blonde never turned to face Law, knowing he was right - which was even worse. Not only did he have to rely on someone else to live to see another day, but this all could have been avoided if he had listened to that same person and wasn’t so damn stubborn. As they walked on, Killer stayed silent.

The four of them barely started to break a sweat on their way back to the ship before Kid felt his body tingling. The familiar sense of a large amount of iron surrounded them, oddly enough in a perfect circle. “There’s more.” He said and held a hand out for the other two to wait. He walked a few paces ahead and shouted out to the trees surrounding them. “Come on out!” he yelled towards the unknown.

Nearly a hundred wild men stepped forward from their hiding spots, all pointing their longbows at the Kid Pirates and Law. Some men knelt on a knee to steady their weapon. Kid smiled from ear to ear. After seeing his First Mate paralyzed from pain and on the brink of death, Kid had wanted to get revenge. He had no idea they would have come

to him

like this, though. This was magical. Like the god's above were shining their luck down on him today. “This all of you then? No more we're waiting on?" The bow strings made faint

twangy

noises as they were pulled tight. “Well fuckin SHOOT ME, will ya!?" Kid yelled angrily.

As if that was the cue they were waiting for, all ninety-eight arrows were let loose at the same time, the men already knocking their second arrow.

Not until the arrows were a few feet from Kid and his party did he stop them with his power. The second wave

zipped

at them and he stopped those, as well, letting them hover in space.

“My turn," Kid said through maniacal laughter. The strange men were confused by their weapons floating in mid-air but understood the tables had turned as they watched Kid spin the arrows around to point at them. “I have

very

good aim." He said and slammed each arrow back into their owners, all straight into their left pectoral, penetrating through to the heart. The hits were clean, barely any blood leaked.

Law had to admit, that was sweet as shit. He liked having his own crowd control power, a power that can be used over a large area affecting multiple people. To see someone else use their Devil Fruit just as dangerously gave Law shivers in awe and felt like it woke something up inside of him.

Killer waved his hand motioning for Doc to follow while he grabbed Kid's collar on the way as he passed. “C' mon, you fuckin psycho." He said to his captain who was tearing up from continuous laughter.

Law held tight onto Kid's hair while he doubled over holding the pang in his stomach.

“Fuckin idiots! Walked right into it. Hahaha, oh my god, all at once, too! Hahahahaha!”

The small pirate didn't think it was

that

funny, but he couldn't help smirking. He shook his head at the crazy Supernova.

Kid’s big, heavy boot stepped onto a wild man’s chest, momentarily bringing him back to life. The man gasped, sucking in a huge amount of air. His first instinct to grab whatever it was around him, being Kid’s calf. “Ah, what the fuck?” Kid said trying to lift his leg from the man’s death-grip. “Leggo, ya prick!”

A squishy flesh noise sounded as Kid magnetically pulled the arrow from the man’s chest and jammed it into the bottom of his jaw so hard it penetrated up into the brain. Falling limp like a ragdoll, blood oozed from the corners of his eyes which rolled into the back of his head.

Kid let his tongue hang loose as he laughed and smacked his butt at the dead man below him which stung a little from the sunburn. “I could do this all day!” He said and jogged to catch up to Killer and Doc.

Law had watched the whole thing while perched on Kid’s shoulder. There was a split second where the wild man had looked straight into his eyes right before the arrow was forced back into him. Viewing such a horrific act might have scared someone else, might have made them afraid of Kid, but not Law. If anything, it highly impressed him that Kid wasn’t afraid to tie up loose ends. Not everyone had the guts to get the job done on the first try, and Kid didn’t leave any witnesses.

It wasn’t Law’s style at all, though. He wasn’t into mass killings or all that blood and guts shit. But god damn could he appreciate it. New respect for Eustass Kid arose after Law had seen him in heavy action. His Devil Fruit reached long distances that his own could not, at least not yet. Being a bystander at the show inspired Law to work harder to expand his own abilities.

Absentmindedly, Law played with the metal ring on his wrist while he daydreamed about the enormous power potential if the two worked together. The deeper his thoughts went, the darker they became. However, fame and fortune were of no interest to him. The gain of such dangerous skills only drove Law in one direction: To kill one man.
 
___
 
Back on the metal ship, Law showed Doc how to spoon out the light green gel that lay hidden between every aloe leaf after Killer was patched up. Jars were lined and ready on the counter to be filled.

Kid sat atop the high bed picking under his nails with a switchblade while he watched the two work. It was really cool to see Law, a fellow enemy, actually take the time to teach one of his crew members important new skills. Everyone on his ship knew Doc wasn’t the best person to be in charge of taking care of anyone, but he was the best they had and Kid would fight to the death for him.

As he “supervised” the lesson, he felt prideful that Doc had accepted Law so easily, it proved at least

some

of his crew members had good character no matter whose ship they were on. Like a good student, Doc paid close attention to his teacher and even took notes alongside so he wouldn’t forget a single thing. Law continued to explain more general medical practices for the other doctor, filling his head with as much useful information as possible.

Kid smiled at the thought of Law being overly patient. The small pirate seemed to be in his element, not viewing Doc as an enemy in the race to gain the One Piece, but treated him as a friend. He answered all of Doc’s questions without hesitation and even corrected his notes when he noticed the doctor misunderstood what he had meant.

It was a very satisfying scene to watch. Kid felt it safe enough to leave the two alone while he made his rounds.

Throughout the hollows of the ship, Kid only saw his noob crew members. Checking Heat, Wire, and Killer’s rooms, the kitchen, and the bathroom, he couldn’t seem to find them until he went down to the meeting room. There, all three men stood around the table deep in discussion.

“Having a meeting without me?” Kid interrupted. “You know I don’t like to be discluded in meetings.” a low growl escaped his throat as he approached them.

“Master Kid, we were just speaking about Trafalgar Law’s situation.” Heat informed his captain.

“Oh?”

“Yes, look here.” He said and slid the newspaper that laid across the table towards him. The article read;

LUCKY LENTAL IS AT IT AGAIN!

This bright, young gal has been hopping from island to island cleaning up all the scum pirates with ease! So far she’s swept eight islands without a scratch on her! Lucky, lucky Lental!

The Daily Nosey News has been keeping tabs on her and her troop’s progression and in total they’ve put over three hundred and fifty pirates and minor criminals in jail where they belong! Kenni Lental has made the villages safe again. We don’t know what drives her, but dang, we are lucky to have her at our backs!

Have you been lucky enough to have seen Lucky Lental in action?! If so, feel free to write to us and tell us all the details of how awestruck you were by her amazing work. We’d love to read it and with your permission, publish it right here in TDNN!

Rumor has it she is close to docking at an island completely overrun by pirates, many with Devil Fruit powers! No matter how prepared they are, they won’t stand a chance against my gal! I know she’ll come out on top! So run if you can, boys, cause she’s coming for ya!

Here at The Daily Nosey News, we’re rooting for Kenni Lental! Are you?

-

Shimoda Jou, Executive Writer

“Well shit.” Kid said after reading the news clipping.

“Exactly our thoughts,” Wire spoke up. “We’re a little less than a day and a half from that exact island.”

“How do you know which one he mentioned? He didn’t give enough context.” Killer argued. “I’m all for helping Law, I owe him, but I don’t want to spend our time traveling there if we’re not 100% sure that’s the place.” He crossed his arms and looked to his captain from under his helmet. “You’d agree, right?”

Kid thought a moment. “Wire, what makes you think you know the island?” Killer was right, the article didn’t say much.

The tallest man in the room sighed. “None of you have been paying attention to Lental’s movement, have you?” the room was silent. “Jesus, are you even

trying

to help Law get back to his crew?”

Kid scratched the back of his head. "Heh...well not really, no. I like'em too much." He said meekly with a side of guilt.

"Wow, okay. Well, I have. The article said Lental visited eight islands so far, right? The first one was Sabaody Archipelago.” While he talked he turned to the desk that was covered in a pile of different maps and grabbed the top one. “And if you count eight islands from there," he pointed to each one, zigzagging across the paper, “one of these two is the ninth one as they're next in her line.”

Killer stayed quiet. Wire provided good evidence but there was still one question left to be answered. “Which one of the two is right, then?"

Wire smiled and excitedly tapped on the map. “This one. The article said it was known to have a lot of Devil Fruit users on it and this one has a leader with a

massive

power. This is the one she's headed to next. If we turn the sails now we can be there by late tomorrow night. It's the only chance we have.”

The only chance “we” have, he said.

Kid gave a goofy grin. “Nice job, Wire! That's my man!" He congratulated and clapped the big pirate on the shoulder. Wire beamed with pride. “You’re in charge of getting us there. Keep at least one of the new Kids up there with you so in case you fall asleep, someone is still available to guide us.” Wire nodded, confirming the orders he was given.
 
The rest of the afternoon was quiet for Kid, a lack of a snotty pirate constantly next to him made for zero conversation. Kid sighed in boredom. His shoulder felt light, too. As he rubbed the phantom tingle on his shoulder he wondered how much longer Law would be gone.

Since Law has been here, Kid didn’t realize how much he relied on his constant company. Killer was off researching the Devil Fruit powers the pirates on the island they’re headed to could have, Heat was sharpening everyone’s weapons and restocking his oil, Wire was busy with navigation, Doc was learning 18 years of doctoral information in a matter of hours, and Kid was doing...nothing. Nothing except wincing in pain every time he moved too fast, his skin tightening from his sunburn.

This normally wouldn’t be a problem, he was used to giving orders to keep everyone busy and then he’d spend his free time holed up in his room welding new things together. But doing that didn’t appeal to him right now. He’d rather be making fun of Law, or taking a bath with him, drinking with him, helping him get to sleep while he’s cuddled next to him. Kid would rather study the intricacies of the tattoos across his body.

Kid wandered around the ship and ended up in the kitchen. One of the new Kids that wasn’t stuck with Wire, Christoph, had been cooking dinner for the crew. “Hey, Captain!” he exclaimed after hearing Kid dragging his feet across the metal flooring. “Dinner should be done in about another forty-five minutes. Heh, it would have been done sooner but I burnt the first batch.”

Kid leaned over the pot Christoph was stirring and crinkled his brows. “This is soup.”

“Yeap!”

“How did you burn soup?”

The noobie deflated a little. “I grew up in a pretty wealthy household so I never had to learn how to cook…” He said, a little embarrassed of his past. “I’ve only just started learning to cook for myself over the last year or so.”

Realizing Christoph was trying hard, Kid slowed the sass and gave a soft smile. “It smells really good, though. Remember to use the intercom to call everyone once it’s done, okay?”

The novice chef grinned from the approval and said he would call after the table was set. Kid left and headed towards the infirmary, a part of him couldn’t stand the absence of Law’s presence any longer. As he approached the door, he could hear crying on the other side. It was Doc. Kid hurriedly entered wondering what Law was doing to him but was shocked to find Law in the same spot he had left him, arms crossed, foot tapping, and grimacing at Doc while the man clutched his head, wailing that it hurt. “What the fuck happened!” Kid yelled trying to understand. Kikoku was sheathed and nowhere near Law and there weren’t any obvious wounds on Doc...so what’s going on, then?

Law rolled his eyes and scoffed, pointing a thumb at the other. “He’s as hopeless as Bepo when it comes to learning, I swear.”

“It hurts, Captain! It hurts so bad!”

“What does! What did you do to him, Traf?!” Kid felt the heat rising in him from anger. He trusted Law with his own crew and he betrayed him.

“My head hurts!!! It hurts!”

Law rolled his eyes again and shook his head in disapproval.

“What did he do to you?! Are you okay?!”

“So….much….information...head...hurts….can’t….learn….any more….” Doc whined.

Kid unclenched his jaw. “Wait, what was that?”

Law spoke up. “Ugh. His head hurts from gaining only a small amount of information, Eustass-ya. He’s being a child. In no way is he physically harmed. The only thing that has taken damage is his pride in being a doctor.”

The red-haired pirate threw his head back, barking a booming laugh into the air. “Perfect. Doc, it’s okay! Take what you have learned today and study that until it’s locked in here,” he said, tapping his temple. “You’ve saved us how many times and we’re still here! Trafalgar is just an elitist.”

“Eustass-ya…”

Kid stuck his tongue out and held out a hand towards Law, welcoming him aboard. “Come hang with me before dinner?” he asked.

Clicking his tongue, Law grabbed his sword and walked off the counter and onto Kid’s open palm. “You aren’t a bad doctor, you know,” he reassured the other before leaving with Kid.

As the two made their way through the ship in silence, Law felt a little psyched to see him again. When Law was asked to come with him, he felt his body flutter in excitement.

Must be the thrill of doing something other than teaching a complete imbecile things he should already know.

Although, Law knew it wasn’t that, as he actually had a good time showing Doc the ropes. If he were being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure why his body reacted the way it did. Suddenly, he felt the familiar tingle through his body from the rings around his limbs, relaxing his mind away from trivial matters.

Kid entered the meeting room and set Law down next to the newspaper his crew had shown him. “Look at this,” he said and waited for Law to finish reading through the article.

“That idiot Jou basically

gave

her next move away!” He said once he scanned through. He looked up at Kid and spoke, “She’s also been pretty predictable herself.” He turned back towards the table and saw the map Wire had put out. Walking up to it, he saw the lines Wire made with a marker indicating which islands Lental had hit already and the island next in line had a big circle around it. “She’s headed here, then?” He asked. Kid nodded with a smile.

“Wire has been keeping track of her movements and after this came out,” Kid said gesturing towards the paper, “he knew exactly where she’d be next.”

Law studied the path and noticed another candidate. “But she could also be headed to this one over here. This island is also in the path.”

This made Kid smile even more. He was so happy to give Law confirmed information. “Wire already had that figured out as well. The article mentions a bunch of pirates with powers, right? Wire knows for sure a massive Fruit user rules the entire island and so it has to be that one.”

Law thought for a moment. All seemed well and good but there were still other things to factor in. “Okay, that’s really helpful. But what about time? We need to set the ship on a new course as soon as possible to make it there!” Law felt that hopeless feeling creeping up on him again. He was sure they’d miss her by the time they arrived.

“Already on our way hours ago.”

Visibly sagging in relief, Law felt satisfied with all the news. “Nice.”
 
Dinner was exceptional. Christoph received a decent amount of compliments for his effort while he poured a bowl and headed up top to switch with Vencar, the other new Kid, and give Wire his dinner so he didn’t have to leave the wheel.

Letting out a hearty sigh and leaning back in his chair, Kid said, “Fuck, I couldn't eat another bite if I tried. I'm stuffed!”

The other crew members were used to Kid's bottomless pit but Law had never seen someone eat so much. The number of seconds, and thirds, and fourths he got was astounding to him! He thoroughly enjoyed his own small capful of soup but one cap was enough for him. Finished drinking the broth, Law set his bowl down and wiped a little dribble from his chin. “Please thank...uh, I didn't catch his name, please thank the cook for me.”

“Christoph," Heat said without moving his eyes from Law's exposed thigh. The hole in his jeans was laying over his ragged stitches. Heat continued to chew the chunk of meat as his eyes glazed over, lost in thought.

Law hesitated but paid no mind. “Thanks..." He said remembering Heat's interest in his sutures from before. “Do you like this sort of stuff?" He asked, gently tapping his leg.

“Hm?" Heat said pulling his gaze away to meet Law's. “Yeah, I do."

“Interesting," Law said.

Kid leaned forward on his chair and gave Heat a warning look, but the other hadn't noticed. The conversation was opened and Heat had been wanting to talk about this stuff with Law since he first noticed the wound. “I like stitches."

The dark pirate wasn't exactly sure what he meant but he was starting to have an idea how Kid's followers thought and felt about...a different kind of pain. “What about them do you like?"

This time Kid vocalized his displeasure in the topic. “I don't want to talk about this."

“You're not, Eustass-ya. We are. Now, what makes you like them so much, Fire-ya?”

Heat looked to his captain for permission, understanding he didn't really want him to go further, but Kid waved him on. The leathery man licked his scars around his mouth before speaking. “I like the feeling of being sewn. I like the needle going through my skin.” His eyes bore into Law as his head cocked to the side waiting for his reaction.

Law studied the stitching weaving in and out of Heat's scarred skin.

They're definitely not professionally done,

he thought. “Did you do those yourself?"

“Oh, no, there's no fun in doing it myself. I have someone else do them.” Heat answered and glanced at Kid behind Law.

Squinting, Law realized Heat's stitches were made of ultra-thin wire rather than a cloth suture. He nodded his understanding. “I see."

Even Kid was interested in Law’s reaction. As much as he showed no shame for his or his crew’s odd tastes, he still didn’t want to scare Law off. He had plans for him. But as he looked at Law’s back, his shoulders didn’t tense to the answer and he showed no signs of discomfort through body language, like crossing his arms or fidgeting. To Kid’s liking, he didn’t seem fazed at all, at least on the outside.

“Alright, time to go.” Kid said. Stacking everyone’s bowls together, Kid brought them over to the sink and snatched Law up and set him up in his spot. As he walked passed the table to leave, he gave Heat a frustrated look knowing damn well Law was going to talk to him about what he had just heard.
 
Trying to distract Law, Kid brought up a bath before turning in for the night, to which the small pirate said he’d rather die than see Kid naked again, but that only made Kid more determined. “Shaddap,” he said and bopped Law on the head once.

Upon receiving “discipline,” Law’s jaw fell slack in offense. “Did you just fucking bap me on my head to shush me?!” He said, flabbergasted and yanked Kikoku from its sheath.

Being directly next to his ear, it was hard not to hear the sweet, metallic ring Law’s long sword gave off when he pulled it free. Kid smiled and jerked Kikoku from the small hands that gripped around it with his power. Law protested and tried reaching for it but Kid twisted it in his hands, inspecting it. “Cute.” He said and picked his teeth with it.

Utterly appalled someone could do such a thing with a sacred object Law was frozen stiff in shock, his face revealing his dismay of the horrid act. As they entered the bathroom, Kid walked up to the mirror so Law could see him clearly. Letting his tongue fall out, he slid the sword’s edge from the back of his throat down to the tip of the pink, muscular organ. The cut opened, allowing blood to pool around the blade.

Kid didn’t even wince from the pain, in fact, he was smiling. The blood began to fall from his tongue and drip down into the sink, splattering it with speckles as it landed against the white basin. Between muffled laughter, Kid gave Kikoku back to Law, handing it hilt first. As his smile widened, the blood painted his teeth making him looked mad with hunger.

Law reached for his sword and looked at the blood that remained across it. Unsure of what to do with his tainted sword, he scowled at Kid through the mirror. “You’re a fucking lunatic.”

“You like it,” Kid said confidently. He lightly shrugged and set Law onto the counter. “Otherwise you would have just Shambled it away from me, right?”

“Fuck you.” Law retorted.

Kid swished his tongue around in his mouth and spit the excess blood in the sink that continued to accumulate. He twisted the tub’s knobs to start filling it and while he waited, he pulled his shorts off making sure to face Law, who turned away with a bright red face. He rummaged through the pockets looking for a small container. “Doc threw this to me as we were leaving the infirmary. Can I put this in the water or does it have to go on afterward?” Kid held up the bottle and gave it a shake to show Law.

“Goes on afterward. Bathe in lukewarm or cold water. Hot will be counterproductive. Can I just wash up in the sink and not be anywhere near you? Please?”

“Don’t be a pussy, you were fine last time!” Kid protested.

“The cool water won’t feel good on

my

skin, I’ll be frozen solid by the time you’re done!”

Kid leaned to the side putting all his weight on one leg and rolled his eyes. His muscles rippled as he moved. Law’s eyes twitched south, he couldn’t help it. To his luck, Kid didn’t notice.

Every muscle on his body is so well defined...Anatomy admiration, of course. He’s like a perfect specimen.

Law played with the hem of his hoodie while he watched Kid check on the water, slightly bending over and letting the harsh lines on his body move under his porcelain skin.

Well, would be porcelain if it weren’t for the burn. Now he’s just...pink.

Kid eased himself into the cool water making faces the lower he went. Law laughed as he tugged his hoodie off. “So knives don’t hurt but a little sun does? You’re a fraud.”

“Hah?! Fuck off, shorty. This shit stings! And in my defense, the sun is like, at least one-zillion degrees and it cooked me like an egg!”

Law walked over to the side of the sink turning the water on and started washing the blood spatter out. He mumbled while he worked saying he tried helping Kid but his crew member was an asshole.

Once the sink was clean, he plugged the hole and filled it up with hot water. Shrugging out of his jeans and underwear, Law stuck a foot in to test the water.

Fuck, that’s hot. But perfect.

He lowered himself in until just his nose was above the water line. In the silence, Law slowly closed his eyes to relax. His left thigh felt bumpy from the scar and he hated it. He wished he could have done a better job on it, took his time to make sure it would heal pretty. Now it just served as a reminder of how weak he was. Small, helpless, and having to rely on others to survive.

Should be able to take it out tonight, though,

he thought.

Thinking of his stitches made him remember Heat. Turning to Kid, he rested his arms on the edge of the sink and asked, “So you sewed Fire-ya up, then?”

Kid sighed. Thought he was successful in steering the conversation away from this. “Yeah. He needed the stitches.”

“Your ship didn’t have a doctor at the time, then?” Law wondered.

“Nah, Heat wouldn’t let’em do it. Only wanted me to do it. And only wanted me to do it with the metal wiring he’d seen in my room.” Kid peeled his nail polish off and let it float away in the soapy water. “Once he had the idea in his head, he cut his face up and begged me to help him.”

Law listened politely, envisioning Heat on his knees grasping at Kid’s coat. “And you didn’t refuse.” It wasn’t a question.

“How could I? Half his face was ripped open and bleeding everywhere!” Kid smacked the water in frustration. “That was years ago, though. He hasn’t done something stupid like that to me again. Made'em pay for it. Instead, he makes Wire do it.”

“Where at?” Law asked, genuinely curious. He didn’t remember seeing many other stitches. Kid made it sound like there were many more.

“On his back. Makes him do it in the metal wiring, too. Said he likes the feel of it when I use my power.” Kid looked over to Law looking for some kind of disgusted facial expression but found Law looked back at him with a blank stare. “And what about you?”

“Hm? What about me?”

“You’ve got some pain-kink, too.” Kid said with a smile.

Law cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe I do, Eustass-ya.”

“Oh? And what of those tattoos?”

Without lifting his head, he slowly scanned over his arm tattoos thinking about the day he decided to get his first one. “These are different.”

“Are they though?” Kid asked.

Law paused, those last words echoing in his mind.

A different kind of pain.

Instead of answering, he turned back around to sit in the water for the remaining time.

That was enough weird shit for the night Kid thought. Heat was on him pretty hard and then Kid had to go and do that weird ass shit with the sword...

the fuck was I thinking? Might be laying it on too strong.

Kid flicked a nail polish floaty away from him and wondered if he struck a nerve mentioning the tattoos are a source of pain, as well.

He didn’t object, but he also didn’t confirm it, either.

Kid has never wanted to play with someone as badly as he did with Law. There was a part of him, a large and

hungry

part of him, that wanted Law his normal size again so he could maul the skinny bastard, but the other part of him knew if he was his back to normal again, he’d probably sleep in a different room until they dropped him off with his crew.

Law wouldn’t shiver in the middle of the night and wrap his body up in bright red hair anymore. He wouldn’t need to rely on Kid for protection. He wouldn’t need to have company in the bath as he’d be able to take care of everything himself.

Which is why Kid was in no hurry to get to this island where this Marine Bitch was. It was irritating to know the one toy that didn’t want to play with him was the one he wanted most.

Everyone else fucking melts in my hands but this fucker ain't havin it. It’s much more than playing hard to get, he’s straighter than an arrow. I’d be a quitter if I gave up there and I don’t quit. I get what I fucking want.

The two had headed to Kid’s quarters to relax and get ready for sleep. Law insisted on sleeping in his little makeshift wooden bed, refusing Kid’s offer to help him get to sleep with a magnetic massage. Jutting his jaw out, Kid sneered and snatched the small pirate up putting him next to his head on the pillow anyway.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to just grab me and do what you want, Eustass-ya!” Law said. He struggled to sit up on the fluffy pillow. “I wanted to take my stitches out. I can’t do it on your bed, that’s disgusting.” A blue circle surrounded Law before he disappeared and reappeared back into his bed.

“At least do it on the other side so I can see.” Kid said lazily after switching positions to lean on the edge of the bed.

Law looked over his shoulder to see Kid really did want to watch. Letting out a huff of annoyance, he walked around to the other side and sat on the edge of the box. “I could take it out with my Room, you know,” Law mumbled. “Fire-ya got me curious, though.” The dark pirate didn’t look up, he knew Kid was one-hundred percent invested now.

Squeezing a finger under the knot Kid had tied all those days ago actually hurt. The pressure he needed to get under it shot pain up his leg making him wince.

Guess it's still pretty sore.

Ripping the suture's knot he began pulling the string loose starting from the middle. It was a strange feeling. He's never had to manually take stitches out in over ten years, especially on himself. It seemed like a slow process. Something that usually takes two seconds was talking minutes.

Once the string was pulled out halfway, Law started to yank from the end to pull the rest out. It didn't hurt as bad as he thought but it still wasn't pleasant. Law grimaced at the yellowed and blackened string that used to be white. “Yeah, still not my thing." He deadpanned.

Kid laughed. “Okay, you're done, get up here now."

“No, the holes will be slightly open until they heal closed. I don’t want anything getting in there in the meantime. I'll just sleep here.” He said and started to straighten the sash blanket.

“Let me wrap it up for you, then. That'll block it,” Kid suggested and reached for the roll of gauze.

“It's fine, Eustass-ya. Don't worry about it.”

“Exactly, it's fine! Just let me do this for you.”

“Why are you so insistent!”

Kid pulled his hand back, “cause, I want you to sleep with me." He said with almost a sadness. “You didn't mind before… “

Law felt bad for snapping.

Why is he looking at me like that?

“Yeah, that was because I was in pain. I’m no longer hurt so I don’t need the assistance, but thank you.”

Why did that feel wrong to say? It’s only the truth, though it feels wrong to say aloud.

As if reading Law’s mind, Kid frowned and scrunched his eyebrows together. “You can still sleep next to me without the excuse.” Pausing, he then gently added, “I’d like it if you were up here. You might be back to normal tomorrow so I won’t bug you after that. Just this last time, Traf?” Kid asked. He kept eye contact with the small pirate to try and read his face.

There was silence while Kid waited for an answer. Law looked away while he argued with himself in his head.

Why do I want to be up there next to him? Sure, he’s warm and smells nice and has soft hair, but this bed is pretty soft….and it doesn’t have a bad odor...and I could ask for more blankets if I’m cold, right? No need to seek comfort with Eustass-ya.

Law swallowed back a lump in his throat.

This shouldn’t be such a fucking difficult problem to solve. It’s a yes or no question, either I do or I don’t. But what does that mean if I sleep next to him without a reason?

He looked up and saw Kid was still staring, waiting. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

The redhead beamed. “Then get your scrawny ass up here!” He said through a smile. Kid pushed his pillow up so it sat against the wall and scooted back. “Here, I’ll wrap your leg for you.” He said and patted the blankets on his lap.

Sighing, Law teleported himself up on the bed and let Kid take care of him. He had to admit, Kid was very careful and delicate with him. Who knew a meat-head like Kid had the biggest soft side. Half grizzly bear, half teddy bear. When he finished, Law quietly thanked him and waited for Kid to lay back down and situate himself under the covers before crawling up onto the pillow.

It felt almost awkward now that Law had to point out he didn’t have a reason to be up there anymore. Law laid in the crook of Kid’s neck, his back against Kid’s hot skin.

“Just think,” Kid started. “By this time tonight, we could have that bitch tied up, torturing her to make you big again.”

“Mm,” the small pirate said, his heart jumping at the thought of going back to normal.

“She coulda lied to the paper, you know. Maybe there is a reversal and she won’t say.”

“Mm, that’s true.”

“There are extra rooms on the second level that you can stay in. They’ll be warmer, too.”

“Thank you. It will be a few weeks before we can get to Zunisha. I appreciate it.” Law said and rolled over so he was now facing Kid’s neck. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried himself to be as close to Kid as possible.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Kid wiggled a hand out from under the covers and started to lightly stroke Law’s back with his thumb, the rest of his hand cupping his body. “Who is Zunisha?” He said. He’s been meaning to ask about that.

“Mm,” Law said, his eyes drooping. All feelings of awkwardness melted away, replaced by a cozy comfort. “It’s not a ‘who’, per se. It’s more of a ‘what’.”

“Okay, so

what

is a Zunisha?” the redhead asked. He listened for a reply that never came. The faint sounds of Law deeply breathing in and out filled the silence between them. Kid smiled and continued to rub Law’s back.

I never did get to put that aloe gel on...

___
 
The atmosphere on the Kid Pirate’s ship was buzzing since the morning sun. Everyone had their job to do to get ready to take down Kenni Lental and her force, plus all the pirates on the island.

It was mid-day and they only had five or so hours to go until the island became visible over the horizon. Wire had told Vencar to keep the boat going west until they landed. He then proceeded to pass the fuck out for the rest of the day, saying only to wake him when they’ve arrived.

Heat and Christoph readied cannonballs next to the cannons and also stored oil in various places around the ship. Heat could only carry so much on him before it started to weigh him down. After sharpening weapons last night, he made dozens of torches that more resembled giant matches to light his enemies up.

“Master Kid!” Heat said, trotting up to the captain with Christoph trailing closely behind. “All weapons, tools, and supplies are readied. Sails have been tightened.”

Law could barely look at Heat in the same fashion he did only a few days ago after the knowledge he learned last night.

And what’s up with him calling Eustass-ya ‘Master’?

Law thought.

So he joined the Kid Pirates to be...handled? And Kid….handles him?

He listened to Kid talking to Heat giving more orders. Images of Kid being forceful with his crew member flashed in front of him making his pants grow tighter.

What the fuck!?

He screamed in his head.

The fuck is

that

for!? Go away!

Law awkwardly crossed his legs as he sat atop Kid’s shoulder, his throne, and tried acting like nothing was happening below his belt.

As the sun started to set, a few hours remained. The island had crept up on them. Most of the crew had lounged around to save their energy, thankful for Heat for preparing the ship so early in the day. Wire had woken up and took watch until the showdown.

The only two people who were missing from the open deck were Kid and Law. The two were alone in Kid’s quarters, Kid wanting to spend the last few moments with Law while he still  “relied” on him. Though, he hid that reason from the small pirate, saying he just wanted to rest in his bed before kicking everyone’s ass. That, and his sunburn was throbbing.

So they lay together on the bed, truly gathering their strength for their upcoming battle. Kid lay on his back with his arms crossed behind his head. He stared at Law who sat on his abdomen. “Ready to be tall again? I mean, not as tall as me, of course, but taller.”

“I’m not that much shorter than you. And I’m your superior, you shouldn’t be so mean to me. I won’t be so easy to manipulate once I no longer fit in the palm of your hand.” Law shot, raising a questionable eyebrow. “But yes, I am. Being small is shitty. I’d like to be able to do things on my own again.”

Kid tried to ignore that comment. He honestly didn’t mind helping Law out every day. “Yeah, but I like you small. At regular size, your scowl just isn’t as cute as it is now.” Law made a face. “Yeah, that face right there. So adorable.” Pulling his arms out from under his head, Kid picked Law up in both hands and raised him above him.

“Will you stop fucking treating me like a doll, Eustass-ya?!” Law growled, wiggling in Kid’s grip.

“Nah, it’s fun to watch you squirm.” The redhead’s grin was as wide as it would go, but as he continued watching Law, his smile faded. The dark pirate had stopped moving and suddenly looked to be ill. “You okay, man?”

“My…” Law coughed. “My body feels strange. Something’s wrong.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Still holding Law up in the air, Kid asked what he meant by his body “feels strange.”Law opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted with shooting pain in his bones. He yelled out, making Kid yell out too in surprise.“The fuck!” Kid said. The redhead’s eyes widened when he heard a loud, audible pop noise and a six-foot Law appeared above him. The sudden added weight in his hands couldn’t hold the dark pirate up making Law dropping right on him with an oof. “The actual fuck!” Kid yelled again with strain in his voice from the wind being knocked out of him. There was a clattering bang that immediately followed. Kikoku also grew in size, falling off the table top next to them.Law pushed up from the bed, his arms on either side of Kid’s shoulders while on his knees. “I’m back to normal!”“Y-yeah, I can see that.” Kid said, aware of a fully grown, sexy as shit pirate basically straddling him. He tried to be as calm as possible to not scare him away, this was right where he’d been wanting Law.“How am I back to normal!?” said Law, almost to himself, lost in thought.“I dunno!” The redhead threw his hands to the side and shrugged.Law looked around and then down between himself and Kid. “Oh, sorry.” He grumbled and began to scramble off.“No, wait.” Kid said quietly, grabbing the sleeve of Law’s hoodie. He waited for Law to look at him, to which he was currently avoiding eye contact.“We should let your crew know to not attack the island…” Law said, thinking of an excuse to move away. “Seeing as how I’m back to normal, ya…”“They know to not make a move without me.”“But we should still-”“Hey,” Kid said and put a hand on a scruffy cheek, forcing Law to look his way. “Your facial hair has grown out since Sabaody. It looks good on you.” Law didn’t answer. Slowly, Kid snaked his hand to the back of Law’s neck and gently pulled down, their faces were an inch apart before Law hesitated, pulling backward. Kid gave a small smile. “It’s alright.”“Men don’t kiss, Eustass-ya,” Law whispered.Kid felt Law’s breath caress his face as he spoke. “Yes they do,” he whispered back and pulled Law in, their lips connecting. The dark pirate tried pulling away but only for a second. Kid’s lips were soft... just like his hair. Law moaned into the kiss, releasing all tension. It didn’t feel any different to kiss a man than it did a woman, except Kid was stronger. The longer they stayed connected, the harsher Kid became. To have someone overpower him was new. All the women he’s been with were small, little dainty things. Fuck, am I the woman in this situation?! Kid licked at Law’s lips, startling him. “What?”“N-nothing,” Law mumbled. “Wasn’t expecting it, is all.”“Did you want me to stop?” Kid asked, praying to a god he didn’t believe in that Law would say no.And he didn’t answer. He just stared at the punk pirate below him. “I mean…” Here it is, my one chance is fucking over. He’s not into men and I forced it on him, Kid thought.“I mean, I don’t hate it…” Law said, grimacing at his own words. He couldn’t believe he actually kissed a man! Two men were kissing in this room and he was one of them!Kid could have creamed from the consent alone. I have to play this right or he’ll never give me the opportunity again. Without trying to startle Law again, he made sure to take his time moving his hands down Law’s back and pulled him tight so their bodies were against each other. Law froze when Kid went up his hoodie to rub his bare back. “It’s alright, Trafalgar. Just relax. I’m not gonna do anything you don’t want to do.”“Who says I want do this, ya?” the other scoffed, trying to act tough and uninterested.“I ain't makin you stay.” Kid replied. “The door is right there.”Breathing harshly out of his nose, Law rolled his eyes. “Fuck off,” he said, lack of venom behind the curse-word.“S’what I thought. Now kiss me,”That was surprisingly straight forward of him. Guess he’s blunt even in bed, Law thought. His eyes traced over Kid’s face until they landed on his painted lips. “Your makeup will get on me.”“It already is. Just wash it off,” Kid said and leaned up to press his lips to Law’s messy face and slowly let his head drop back into the pillow, Law follow him down.They passionately kissed like they’d had done it for years. No teeth clanking or bumping of noses, just mouths glued together, the occasional tongues twisting around each other.As the room’s temperature rose, Kid felt himself swell up with excitement, even more so after feeling Law’s hard-on against him through his jeans. It took all of his willpower to sit still and not progress the scene. Everything over the past fifteen days had crashed into him at once. Remembering the muscles and sexy tattoos, how Law couldn’t help but stare at him any chance he got, how he never denied the neverending flirting Kid threw at him. Fuck, he wanted him bad. He didn’t think he’d be able to get this chance with the scrawny bastard, but here he was, being pinned down by the man’s weight.If Kid didn’t know any better, he might think that Law was actually grinding against him! Shit, it feels so good, Kid thought as Law moaned into his mouth. Just as Kid thought it was safe to grind back, Law shot up, pushing away from Kid. “I can’t, I can’t do this.” He said and scooted off the bed. He fixed himself in his pants, grabbed Kikoku off the floor and left the room leaving Kid with a raging boner that wouldn’t go away until he had Law completely. Power walking up to the surface to tell Kid’s crew the news, Law willed his erection away, embarrassed he was turned on by a man. His boots clanged clanged clanged against the metal stairs and the door to the top deck creaked as he opened it.It was dark out and they had landed at the island. Kid was right, no one had even dropped the gangplank, only the anchor, without a word from their captain. He saw Heat and Killer talking up close to the bow and approached them with a smile and friendly wave. The fronts of their bodies slightly lit by the small torch attached to the boat. “Check it out. Don’t know what happened but I’m back to normal.”Law expected a congratulation or something of the sort but instead was greeted by being stared at (at least he assumed Killer was staring), Heat’s eyes bulging out.“I know, I can’t believe it either. One second I’m shrunken, the next, I’m full-size!” The other two remained silent. Law felt awkward they weren’t speaking. “Hurt like a bitch, though. My back is fuckin killing me.”Heat’s eyes twitched to Law’s mouth. “You...and Master Kid..?”Law cocked his head, “Mm?”“You sonuvabitch!” Killer growled and grabbed ahold of Law’s sweater. “What did you do with him!” He pushed Law onto the deck and raised his fist to pound into Law’s face, but Law created a Room and Shambled himself out from underneath the blonde.“The fuck you on about!” Law yelled, reappearing a few yards away fixing his shirt. Then it fazed him: Kid’s lipstick. Aw, fuck, he thought and closed his eyes. This is the most embarrassing thing ever. Killer had already attached his blades to the metal cuffs around his arms and sprinted towards the dark pirate.Law had little to fear anymore, he was in complete control. His Room quadrupling in size now that he was six-foot-three again. Nothing Killer could do would scare him. He simply stood waiting for the blonde to get closer.“Room,” Law lazily said while raising his hand. A transparent, blue orb ignited and surrounded the two pirates, Killer completely under his control. Twitching his hand upward, Killer’s feet left the ground and he started to fall forward in the air as he hovered.“What the fuck are you doing, you bastard! Put me down so I can slice your gut open!”Heat panicked. He knew Law wasn’t an enemy, he was only protecting himself against the rabid First Mate. “Killer, please, Master can do as he pleases!”That only made Killer roar in anger. He sliced the air back and forth trying to cut Law open, but he was too far away, his curved blades missing Law by an entire foot.The deck’s main door opened as Kid walked through. He saw the current scene and huffed, putting a hand on his hips. With his own Devil Fruit power, he pulled both Law and Killer into each of his hands and held them by their shirt collars. “The fuck you two think you’re doin?”Killer strained to fight against the repelling power against him. Every muscle in his body fought to pull his arms upward to cut Law in two, but they stayed pinned at his sides. Law was stupid enough to keep the metal rings on his limbs, as he too had his arms restrained.“Look at his face! Look what’s on his face! He went too far! I’m gonna kill’em! I’m gonna fucking pull his intestines out! I fucking hate’em! I’m gonna rip your fucking face off!” Killer continued rattling off threats as Law stared blankly at him, obvious Kid wouldn’t let anything happen to either of them.“Fuck off, Kill-ya. Your captain came onto me, not the other way around.”“He knows that.” Kid said and nodded for Heat to come over and assist. “Could you stand next to Kill and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid?” Heat’s worried look had Kid hesitate. “It’s alright. Do as I say,” he said. Kid knew Heat didn’t want to be in the middle of this seeing as how Killer was family and Law was just a stranger.Kid pushed the two rivals further apart and released his power. Killer tried running at Law but was caught by Heat’s hand in his long hair. “Master Kid doesn’t want you to hurt Law, can’t you see?”The dark pirate stood his ground, still unafraid of the blonde. Kid came up next to him and leaned an elbow on his shoulder. “I really don’t like it when you act jealous, Killer. It pisses me off.” He lowered his head but continued to stare straight into the holes that fell over Killer’s eyes. “Remember what I told you the other day. It still applies. Don’t fucking touch him.”The harsh talk they had fluttered in Killer’s mind, reminding him if he fucked up again he wouldn’t get any play time with Kid anymore. Almost immediately, Killer stopped struggling against Heat’s hold and straightened himself out. The blonde breathed heavily to catch his breath.“Of course, I apologize. If you’ll excuse me, then.” He said curtly and turned to leave, putting as much distance between him and Law as possible. He knew if he argued against it he’d only make matters worse. If he looked at that skinny bastard any longer he’d murder him, forgetting any threats Kid threw at him.Law wondered what Kid would do to him as the man leaned against his body, but he didn’t do anything at all. He walked away to find Wire, not saying another word. Why does that bother me? Why does watching him leave piss me off? So Law let his feet guide him, which followed after Kid. The tension on the ship was so thick he was sure Kikoku would have a hard time cutting through. The two noobies gawked with their jaws hanging slack as they couldn't’ believe what they had witnessed. As Law passed, he pulled the hem of his hoodie up and harshly wiped his mouth to rid himself of the lipstick that gave him away. Stupid fucking bastard. What kind of man wears makeup, anyway?! When Law had entered the navigation cabin, he heard Kid explaining Law was normal and they didn’t need to raid the island anymore, but he still wanted to.“Eh?” Wire said and turned to Law entering the room. “Well I’ll be damned, he really is big again.”“Yeah,” Law quietly said. He’d kill to be back on his sub in the comfort of his own people.“And you still wanna continue?” the tallest pirate asked his captain.“Absolutely. I need to kill something right now,” He said and Law could have sworn it was directed at him. “Also, I kinda wanna know what happened to that Marine bitch. Did she release him? Is everyone she turned back to normal? Did the pirates force it out of her?”Out the window that faced the island, there was dark smoke crawling towards the sky in multiple areas from deep within the forest. It twisted and billowed, black against the midnight blue sky. An orange glow seemed to be coming from the middle of the island. The beach was perfectly clear, no guards, dropped weapons, bodies, blood, nothing except flickering torches lining the forest’s edge. Even though up and down the beach on each side of Kid’s ship were boats belonging to Marines, there wasn’t a person in sight.“Seems, odd, don’t ya think?” Kid said speaking to Law.He nodded and walked to the window to get a better look. “I agree. I, too, am curious to find out what happened. I’ll join you if you don’t mind.” Law asked. The island was oddly shaped. Stange columns of red rock protruded well past the tops of the tallest of trees.“I don’t at all mind, let’s go now.” Kid answered. Leaving the cabin he waved Heat and Killer over to go over the new plan. “Heat, I want you with me and Trafalgar. Kill, you’re staying here.” “Excuse me?” Killer said through gritted teeth. “I’m not staying here while that ugly bastard goes with you.”Law mumbled he was right there and could fucking hear him, but of course, no one paid him any mind.“I don’t mind staying here if Killer wants to go in my place.” Heat spoke up.“No, you’re coming with me and Killer is staying here. Like I just fucking said. Got it, Kill?”“I don’t want you alone with him anymore.”“Good thing you’re not my wife,” Kid reminded Killer and snatched his shirt in his fist. “Don’t piss me off, I ain't in the mood.”Again, Law knew that was definitely his fault.Killer turned his head away from his captain and said he’d stay but he didn’t like it at all. Pushing him away, Kid continued towards the ship’s door to down below. “Gonna get my coat and we can be on our way.” He said over his shoulder.Law felt his feet following after Kid. He didn’t even want to go after him but each leg stood out in front of the other, taking a new step regardless of what his mind was thinking. At the back of his head, he felt itchy knowing it was Killer glaring at him. I don’t even know why I’m following him! So lay off! he yelled at the blonde in his head.The halls of Kid’s ship weren’t bright, only one light that shined straight down every ten feet. So as he followed Kid to his room, bright red hair was illuminated, then extinguished, over and over. By the time Law had caught up with him, he was already closing his bedroom door on his way out. “Did you need something down here, then?” Kid asked, looking Law over. He had his stupid hat and his sword, so what else was there?“Uhm,” what the fuck am I doing down here!? “I need to update my crew. Can I use your Snail before we leave?” He relaxed having thought of a good enough reason to have followed Kid this deep into his ship.Though Kid didn’t buy it. Law knew where the Transponder was so he could have just gone and called. An eyebrow raised in curiosity. “And you’re at my chambers and not the meeting room?” He asked, walking closer to Law.“Yeah...I wanted to ask permission first…” Oh my god, I am the worst liar. Law took a step backward to keep the distance even between them.“Hmm,” Kid mumbled while he swung his furry coat over his shoulders and situated it to fit correctly. Tightening his sash and fixing his weapons, he went on, “a pirate who asks his enemy’s permission. That’s interesting.” He looked up and gave a sideways push to Law’s sternum, his back hitting the wall. One hand against the metal wall behind Law locking him in and the other lightly grabbed his throat, caressing it with his thumb. Kid inched closer to Law’s face. “You don’t have to ask, just do it,” he cooed into Law’s ear and closed his mouth around the black earring and gave his neck a light squeeze.Law shivered. The way Kid spoke had Law thinking he wasn’t talking about the phone anymore and that excited him. I mean it didn’t excite me! Kid’s lips lightly grazed from his earlobe down to just below on his tan neck. Giving it a long lick and a quick bite, he smiled feeling Law shake under him. Dragging his nose across Law’s scruffy jawline, he came face to face with the other pirate. “Hurry up, I wanna kill something.” He said and let Law go and headed above deck.Law felt frozen in place. He watched Kid’s big coat sway as he walked away from him, the lights illuminating his hair every time he walked under a light. Once Kid was completely out of site, Law looked down at his pants and groaned at his erection. I’m turned on by a fucking man, he whined in his head.Practically running to the meeting room, he dialed his ship’s code.“Yo, Shachi, here.”“Shach-ya, it’s Law.”“Yoooooo!!!!! Dude, we were getting pretty worried about you for a minute there! You’re late checking in! I knew you didn’t die, though.”“Heh, thanks. Anyway, I wanted to tell you some good news.”“Yeah? You here already? I can’t wait to tell everyone!” Shachi exclaimed. Law felt bad.“No, not that good of news. But things are in the clear now and I'll be heading back straight away. Don’t leave without me.”“As if we’d ever, Captain. I’m offended you’d even say that!”“Yeah, sorry,” Law touched his neck where Kid’s large hands just were, the ghosted feeling of his grip still there. “Just let everyone know I’m safe and I'll still check in. I think two weeks to get back, the boat I’m on isn’t as fast as Tang, so it will be a while.”“Yo, who are you with, by the way? Bepo said he didn’t know either.”“I’ll explain everything when I get there. Gotta go.”“Aw, already, man?” Shachi sighed into the receiver. “Well alright. Now I gotta deal with Bepo crying cause he didn’t get to talk to you.”“I know, I’m sorry. I know you can handle him. Tell everyone...I...miss them.” He said hesitantly. He didn’t like being overly sensitive but he felt like it was something his crew needed to hear. “Sayonara.”“Byeeeeeeeee!” Shachi basically sang back to him.Law set the receiver back on the Snail and shooed it away. “I am so fucked.” He said to himself as he felt his throat again. His fingers slowly went up to tug on his earring, twisting it in his ear. “Royally and utterly fucked. ”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The three pirates crept through the trees looking for any sign of life. Occasionally they found a dead marine or islander, but no one alive yet. Lots of blood, though. Heat walked a few paces behind his captain and Law a few behind Heat. This was the best formation, keeping the one Fruitless person in the middle.

As they trekked along, far off into the distance were cheering and laughter. “Hear that?” Kid whispered to the others.

“Maybe a celebration?” Law said as he saw more dead marines than Islanders.

“Good. I can’t wait to ruin the party.” Kid smiled and let his tongue hang out. “Gonna fuck up their night

real

good.”

Listening to his captain get pumped up about murder, Heat looked over his shoulder at Law and smiled in the dark. “Have you ever seen Captain Kid take down multiple people before?”

“Yeah, just on the last island, actually. Why?”

Turning to face forward again, Heat’s shoulders shook from laughter. “Killer told me about that. That wasn’t fun to watch.” Stifling more laughter, Heat tried finishing what he was saying but now he, too, was getting too excited. He slowed his walking to fall in line with Law. “Captain is antsy. Can’t you tell?” he asked and swung an arm around Law’s shoulder bringing him closer. He spoke quietly, “He gets like this when he’s on a mission...and I think his mission is you.”

“Hah?!”

“Shhh, not so loud.” Heat licked his stitches before continuing. “I’ve known my Captain for a very long time and I can tell if he’s in the mood to kill ‘just to kill,’ or when he’s in the mood to kill ‘for a distraction.’ Right now, it’s the latter.”

“Uh..okay? How do you know it’s about me, then?” Law asked slipping a little in the wet mud below him. He knew damn well Kid had every reason to need a distraction as he left the man literally pawing at him earlier, but how could Heat know that?

“Because Killer is not here.”

“Eh?”

“Killer goes everywhere with Master.” He paused so they could both climb over a fallen, damp tree trunk, then curled his arm around Law again. “If Master wanted to kill just to kill, who else to bring than the Massacre Soldier himself?” Heat laughed softly again. “Except you’re here. He wants you to have fun with him.” He couldn’t help laughing more, bringing both hands to cover his mouth.

“What’s so funny back there?” Kid asked, stopping to look at the two who had fallen behind. “And what are you talkin about? I can hear you guys mumbling.”

The two pirates answered by jogging to catch up and continuing on. Heat gave one last glance to Law with a thumbs up and pointed at Kid’s back.

“This island is buzzing.” Kid said with a wide smile. “This is going to be really fun.”
 
The voices they heard earlier grew louder as they went on, it was there only source to follow, that and the bodies.

Kid put his hand up signaling the others to stop. Carefully, he reached under his coat for his favorite dagger. Rubbing over the ribbed scales, he crept up to a tree trunk no thicker than Kid himself.

From this angle, Law could barely see anything in the dark but he knew something had to be there for him to prowl like he was. Waiting, he wrinkled his nose from the sudden offending aroma around him.

Directly behind the tree, Kid swung both arms around the trunk at the same time. His left hand covering a man's mouth and the other shoved the dagger into his throat, ripping across, leaving a long opening for blood to leak out. The islander's muffled cries could barely be heard, but it confirmed what Kid was doing. Law looked to Heat who had his eyes glued to his captain.

“How did you know he was there?" Law asked as they moved on.

“Metal." Kid answered.

This is going to be like taking candy from a baby,

Law thought. Maybe Heat was right. Kid seemed like he knew what he was doing and didn't really need his or Heat’s help.

That doesn't mean I'm going to let him have all the fun, though. If he wants me to join, I will.

The men on guard dropped like flies. Not a single one had a chance to call out for help or to warn their comrades. Kid only used his power to detect the metal they had on and personally killed them with his hands.

“God, it fucking stinks on this island,” Law said covering his nose, barely able to contain it any longer.

“It is pretty raunchy, innit? Thought it was just Heat, honestly.” Kid answered, wiping his nose to try and rid the smell.

Heat spoke up to defend himself. “Sir, I bathe more than you and you know it.” The three shared a quiet laugh together.

The trees began to thin out and eventually opened up to a large clearing where it seemed like eight hundred ..no, a

thousand

pirates were all partying and what looked to be dancing? Or just...

squirming?

All moving around in the sticky mud of the land. The three squatted down behind some brush surveying the Islanders.

On the opposite side of the area was one of those strange, red rock pillars and at the very top was a man dancing with a hunk of meat in his hands, his body illuminated by the flames surrounding the entire clearing, lighting up the middle of the island.

Law surveyed the crowd and saw no other pillars like the one or any signs of people raised above the ground that high. “That's a pedestal. He's the leader." He pointed with his chin.

“He's pretty scrawny. Usually, like a little more meat to play with.” Kid turned to Law and emphasized, “Wanna have some fun, Trafalgar?"

What a curious way to put it, but Law understood what he meant. “What you got in mind?"

“I cannot lose on this island. It's buzzing so loud in my ears that it's actually starting to hurt. But I just remembered something, something you said about your power.” Law nodded for him to go on. “I want you to do your cool heart trick on these guys. All of them.”

That was unexpected to the dark pirate. Giving a rough estimate of the people here it was definitely well over a thousand men, which the number didn't matter. It was the circumference they occupied that was important. “I don't think I can, Eustass-ya. They're too far apart."

Annoyed, Kid bit his lip. He was really looking forward to seeing that trick on a large scale. “How many can you do?"

“About half of this opening." He said looking out, estimating his own skills in his head.

“Just do it twice then, pussy.”

Law blinked at Kid and looked to Heat. That never occurred to him. How could an imbecile like Kid think of such an easy solution that Law had never thought of? “That I can do. I'll even give all the hearts to you as a reward for using that peanut-sized brain of yours.”

Kid ignored the insult because he had stars in his eyes. “Okay! Do it, do it, I'm ready. WAIT!” Kid whispered loudly and grabbed Law’s arm.

“Jesus Christ-ya, I’m right here! What?!” Law hissed.

“I’ve...I’ve got a better idea!” Kid started to giggle like a child and could hardly get out his next sentence. Losing his balance while squatting, he fell forward into the bush making it rattle, catching a few men’s attention who was nearby.

“Shush, will you?!”

Law said through gritted teeth and yanked on the back of Kid’s head pulling him upright again. “Now tell me what you want me to do.”

Regaining his composure, Kid wiped a tear from his eye. “Yeah, sorry. Okay, what if you took their hearts, and switched them into different bodies?! Does that do anything???”

“Okay?” Law said, unimpressed by the new idea.

“What! You can do that, too?!” Kid said, the stars in his eyes growing. “That’s so fucking cool!”

Law gave a smug look to the redhead. “Ya, and I can switch their body parts, too,”

“What?! What do you mean?”

“I can make their body parts detach from them and re-attach to someone else. They don’t have to re-attach to the original owner.”

Instead of praising him, Kid only stared with his jaw dropped to the ground. Heat gave a low whistle to show he was also impressed. Kid squeezed Law’s arm, “Please do that. Fucking switch everyone up.

Everyone.

Fucking make this party absolutely chaotic!” he begged.

Law’s mouth curled into a tight smile and shook his head. “Alright, alright. Just stay low so they don’t see us.” He said and turned to concentrate on the crowd. Law cocked his head and squinted, focusing on what exactly the people in front of them were doing. “Are they all just eating?”

Apparently, Heat had already thought the same thing, his answer quicker than Law expected. “Yes, I was going to bring that up when Captain calmed. They’re hovering over their food in piles and dancing around the fire spits while it cooks. Are they some sort of savages?”

Law and Kid took a moment to analyze the scene. Law spoke first. “Holy shit.” He whispered, realization in his voice.

In unison, Heat and Kid turned to Law and asked, “What!?” in hushed tones.

Instead of answering, Law looked down at his clothing and hands focusing in the dark of the woods. “It’s...blood. We’re covered in blood.” Law felt a little sick when he thought about all the wet he slid in on the way. Was that blood, too?

Kid looked out to the mass of humans and realized the piles of meat that littered the mud were actually bodies. Their clothes were torn off and their middles were ripped open. The entire island was caked in red not because it was the natural color of the soil or sand but from the enormous amounts of blood that has been spilled. “That explains the smell.”

Law gagged as he felt bile jump up to his throat. He swallowed it down and suddenly felt a little bad for the marines. Murdering marines in a fight is one thing, but to eat them afterward is a bit much for Law. “You said you wanted to have some fun, Captain-ya?”

Kid perked up to the sound of Law calling him captain. “Hell yeah. This is pretty gnarly, even I ain't this fuckin brutal.” Heat seemed to nod his agreement.

Taking a deep breath in with closed eyes, Law gathered a massive amount of energy. “Room," he said no louder than a whisper and an enormous half circle grew from the ground up. It's bright blue color shining brighter than any of the surrounding torches. “Shambles!”

In less than a blink of an eye, around five-hundred men were yelling in confusion as their body parts came straight off their form and floated away to someone else. Once the last body part was attached, Law released the Room and lit up another one grabbing the other half he missed and did the same.

What made the whole thing even better, Law didn’t even try to put the arms or legs where they’re supposed to go. Some men had two arms for legs, some had legs for arms, most men had their heads attached on their backs instead of their shoulders. It was a complete mess.

Kid had to slam his hands over his mouth to stifle his laughter, and partially because of the smell. His face grew redder the longer he held it in. He tried prying his eyes open so he could continue to watch the men run around in confusion but they were shut too tight as he silently giggled.

Heat was biting his thumb to stop himself from laughing and giving their position away. The creepy moment of stumbling upon cannibals completely lost after Law’s party trick. He’d never seen Kid laugh so much and it made him happy to see his captain having a good time. Law seemed OK for Kid so far.

While regaining some strength, Law waited for Kid and Heat to stop laughing before he spoke. “Okay, now what?” He asked with a smile. For some reason...Law felt happy? Like he was back in his early childhood days pulling pranks on the Donquixote family, especially Cora-san.

“I knew I felt some new people on my soil,” said a man behind the three pirates.

Pure instinct took over and Law brought a Room up and teleported all three of them fifty feet away.

Heat grabbed his stomach after landing looking a bit queasy. “Don’t do that again.”

“Sorry. Habit.” Law said absentmindedly as he looked at their previous spot for the man. He was gone. The rock column on the other side of the way was also empty. “Shit, that must have been the leader.”

Kid was still having a laughing fit, but it had slowed from the teleporting. He felt a little woozy, too. “Ugh, that smell mixed with that feeling...”

“You get used to it. Help me look for the leader guy. Remember he was supposed to have a strong power?! We still don’t know what it is.”

“Right,” Kid said, becoming more serious about the situation. He turned to Heat. “You think you’ll be alright on your own while Traf and I look for this leader dude?” Heat gave a quick nod, smiling wide making his stitches pull at his skin. “Good. Don’t kill anyone. I wanna have fun, too. Light the surrounding areas up so no one can run away.”

“They won’t be running away, I’m afraid,” The leader man said as he appeared behind them again.

“Shit!” Law said and backed up a step, his back touching Kid’s shoulder. He had used a majority of his strength just now, weakening him for the final boss.

“Go!” Kid yelled to Heat. The stringy man leaped away like a gazelle over the brush that separated them from the mass of cannibals. He had already disappeared into the pile, no one paying him any mind as they had their own problems to deal with, like an arm growing out of their face for some reason.

The leader seemed to not care that one of the intruders had left. Law noticed this means he’s very confident in his abilities, or just really stupid. Seeing as how he was able to sneak up on them twice, he figured it was the former.

The leader was tall, maybe a few inches taller than Kid. His head was bald except for a small patch of hair tied up into a tight ponytail at the base of his skull. He had trinkets and piercings lodged into his face and neck. From his nose down to his lower chest was stained dark red,

old blood

. His teeth looked rancid as if they’d been rotting since birth.

Kid stood in front of Law bringing the focus on him. “There you are. You startled us before, we didn’t mean to be rude. You top dog around here, then?” He asked nonchalantly.

The strange looking man leaned on his hip before he answered. “Ya, I am. You interrupted our combat celebration from those government men.” He looked them up and down, “but you three don’t look like you belong to the government. Pirates, then, eh?”

The redhead smiled, cracking his knuckles. “Aye. You’re looking at the future Pirate King right here. And this Pirate King don’t like how you’re treating the dead over there. I wanna kill you for it.” Kid finished and activated his power by pulling iron from deep within the ground up through the loose dirt, creating a wall between them and the leader.

In the few seconds they had alone, Kid asked Law if he was okay, wondering why he hadn’t done the party trick again. Law began to tell him his fruit power saps an immense amount of energy from him so he will need a few minutes to recuperate, otherwise, he’s fine to keep up in any other way. Without warning, the ground at their feet started to crumble making them lose their balance.

The two flailed in the air to stand up straight again but the soil parted ways and sucked them down below. They fell for a few moments before dropping with a thud inside a cavern under the island. Leftover soil, sand, and small rocks of ore that Kid pulled up had fallen on them, knocking them on their asses again.

Kid brushed the loose rubble and dirt from his eyes while standing. “So you control the ground er somethin?” he asked, looking around. “Seems we’re evenly matched,” he laughed, noticing all the iron ore deposits winking at him from the cave’s walls.

Law scrambled to his feet after Kid and put his back up to his to survey the area. The cannibal was still missing. “Eustass-ya. I won’t be of much help.” He whispered, clutching Kikoku tighter in his hand. He unsheathed her while he spoke, “I can still use her as a regular sword, though.” Law hated not being in control. He was pissed at himself for wasting so much energy on cannon fodder while the real danger was untouched.

Lost in thought, Law didn’t have time to notice a beach ball sized rock split through the smokey air coming straight for his head. Kid turned and stopped it in mid-air, hovering it before Law’s eyes. “Ah-ah, what did I just say?” The redhead asked aloud. “I’m not just talking out my ass when I say we’re evenly matched here. You’re gonna have to be more creative than that.”

A wicked laugh erupted around them, echoing through the cavern’s tunnels and confusing the two pirates where the sound was originating from. The ground around them began to tremble as more boulders were loosened and being continuously hurled at the two. One after another, Law swung Kikoku around splitting the rocks before they hit him, some scraping against his arms and cutting through his hoodie. He wasn’t fast enough without his power.

Kid deflected the ones that came at him with ease, almost bored of the shitty show the man was putting on. “You know, if I didn’t know any better,” Kid started and turned in a specific direction. He stared off into the brown smoke the rubble created. “I’d think you were hiding somewhere over….HERE!” he said dramatically and yanked on the air around him, a cry of pain following the motion from the unseen man. Kid turned to Law and showed him a circular ring that was most likely made from the iron right here on this island. He twisted it in his hand admiring the blood on it and gestured for Law to take it. “Would look good on you,” he joked. After Law cringed backward and grimaced, Kid barked a laugh into the air and threw the ring over his shoulder.

The cannibal emerged from the dusty smoke holding his right eyebrow. Fresh blood trickled down his face and hand where he held it. “Metal, then.” He smiled.

“Isn’t it cool?” Kid boasted, crossing his arms over his chest. Law scoffed but stayed quiet. He felt strong enough for a decent teleport to get them out if they needed it, but he wanted to keep conserving his strength. Kid seemed to be doing alright.

“Indeed, it is ‘cool’. Although, now I can adjust my tactics.” He dropped his hand from his face and waved it over the ground below him. Clenching his fist tight, the pirates saw the iron ore drop to the ground as he held up a chunk of pure rock. “You can’t dodge this one so easily now, can you?” The man smiled and hurled it at Law.

He was right, though. Kid couldn’t detect the boulders if there weren’t any traces of iron in them anymore. The land was so rich with metal he’d never lose. But if the metal wasn’t there...that was a problem. It just makes this fight a little more challenging, is all.

Law swung Kikoku out in front of him, splitting the rock in two. The pieces flew past on either side of him with ease.

“I haven’t quite figured out

your

power, though.” The leader said as he started walking towards them. As he walked, he pulled giant rocks from the walls and extracted the iron from them. With each step, he threw a boulder. Kid punched the ones that came at him and Law continued to slice through them.

The dark pirate felt out of shape. He hadn’t exercised in over a week and even worse, hasn’t had to rely purely on his swordsman skills so heavily in months. His arms felt tired. “Eustass-ya,” he breathed, cutting another rock before it struck his face. “Can you reshape metal or just pull and contract it?”

Kid’s fist burst through another two rocks before he answered. “I can’t reshape, no. Why got something in mind?” he asked, eager to hear Law’s idea.

“Can you pull at two sides of a piece of iron, leaving a sharp piece in the middle leftover? Does that make sense?” Law swatted a rock away.

“Uhm, like a spear?”

“Yes, just like that. Then chuck a bunch at him at the same time, then I’ll get us out from underground.” Law quickly pointed up, “this place is gonna fall in on itself soon, he’s grabbing too much at a time.”

Kid looked around and could feel the walls shaking, struggling to hold themselves up any longer. He didn’t waste any time in his new mission, he pulled the iron close to him and repelled certain parts away leaving a pointed, sharp spear-like shape left. Law jumped in front of him to protect him from the fight while he worked. Kid made around twenty before Law turned and said that’d be fine.

The cannibal was about ten feet away from them when Kid shot the spears at him. He dodged them all perfectly, pulling up the ground like a shield. Law was expecting him to do that, but it didn’t matter, he only needed the one second of a distraction for him to bring a Room up and teleport them away.

Standing above ground now, Law had brought the two of them in the middle of the chaotic crowd. Heat did well to abide by his captain’s word and only lit the forest around them on fire. The temperature of the surrounding area had definitely gone up about twenty more degrees. Almost immediately after regaining their composure, beads of sweat started to form on their foreheads and their clothes began to stick to them.

Looking around, Kid spotted Heat squatting on one of the shorter rock pillars waiting for his next command. Kid put a thumb and pointer finger in his mouth and blew hard, whistling for his crewmates attention. Heat zeroed-in on the familiar call and easily found the flaming red hair of his captain. He grinned, glad to know Kid was okay.

Heat leaped down into the men who were now fighting amongst each other, clawing for their own limbs they recognized. Some men grasped at Heat or pulled on his dreads, in return Heat sprayed leftover kerosene from his mouth in their faces making them go blind, screaming in the other direction.

Waiting for the gangly man to make it to them, Law and Kid were becoming overwhelmed by the cannibals. It seemed they had stopped worrying about their problem and realized there were strange people on their island that needed to be taken care of. The more that the savages started grabbing attacking Law and Kid, the more others would notice the intruders as well.

“Fuck, there’s so many!” Kid said, slashing at the men toppling over him with his dagger. He started to pull out their piercings and yank their weapons from their hands or sashes. Creating a gigantic arm of metal, Kid began to swing his arm around the crowd, knocking them back ten or fifteen feet, some flying into the air. Law stood close and only defended himself when absolutely necessary. The island’s leader hadn’t appeared yet and he wanted to be ready.

Taking the hint from his captain, Heat pulled a flask from his pocket and heavily drank from it before spraying it back out into the air over a lit torch. Bright orange flames attached themselves to over a dozen men, their screams of pain filling the night’s air. Heat continued to mow the men down with fire. The hotter the air became, the louder his maniacal laughter could be heard.

A great, burly man stepped forward to try and cut Heat off, but his agility was no match for Heat. As the man brought his huge fist down to slam the other’s head into the ground, Heat dodged by jumping onto his thick arm and blowing fire straight into his face less than three feet away. The hair on the man’s face immediately burned away and his tan skin completely melted down, his muscles showing, stretching over his bones.

With a great roar, the man clasped his hands to his face to ease the pain but it only glued them to his melted skin. Blood rapidly oozed off his face, down his chin, and crawled down his arms to drop off his elbows. He screamed and ran in circles, the fire only growing the more he gave air to them. The exposed skin bubbled up and popped under the heat’s pressure, puss spraying out. Not even thirty seconds later, his running came to a slow and he fell to his knees and toppled over. He couldn’t stop himself with his hands as they were...

busy

...with his face. He cried as the rest of his body went up in flames. Soon after that, the screams ceased.

Heat laughed, running after more people.

Law shivered as he watched the gruesome encounter and backed up closer to Kid, who was still slicing and dicing up his side of the crowd. “Eustass-ya, I don’t see the leader yet. Why isn’t he attacking?”

“Hah?” Kid said over his shoulder. “I’m a little preoccupied right now, yanno.” He answered with a laugh and brought an artificial arm of swords and knives through a line of people. Their bodies were cut in half, slowly falling over as their intestines and guts slipped out. Kid’s eyes bulged and he burst into laughter. “Weeeeee!”

As if on cue, erupting from the ground between Law and Kid was the leader himself. A mountainous pile of rock sent the two and many others crashing outward in a huge circle. Some men’s heads were bludgeoned in, dead where they landed. Other’s groaned as they stood, trying to regain themselves and continue fighting.

Law was fine, using Shambles to maneuver his body away from any immediate danger. Taking cover behind large boulders that emerged, he looked around the clearing for that bright red hair. Way off on the other side of the cannibal leader was a tuft of hair sticking out from under the rubble. “Shit,” Law cursed to himself. “Good for nothing bastard.” Instead of taking the long way around, Law used more of his energy to teleport directly next to Kid.

It wasn’t as bad as it looked. Kid was under a shit ton of rock but he was still breathing with eyes wide open. “What a dick,” Kid laughed quietly.

“Don’t look so good, Cap. Might need to amputate that arm.” Law jokingly said, gesturing at a pinned left arm under a heaping pile of rock.

“Ha ha, very funny. Get this shit off me.” Kid said with a wince. “Shit’s starting to hurt.”

A

whoosh

sounded so close to Law’s head he could feel the wind from it. A boulder was thrown towards him, the leader spotting them. Law clicked his tongue and Shambled Kid out from under the rocks and used them as a shield to the oncoming boulders.

“I’m tired,” Law breathed. “I’m fuckin tryin to regain my ability back,” he wheezed a few times, “but shit keeps happening. Fucking finish him off, dammit.” He yelled at Kid.

Growling, Kid put his fingers in his mouth again, this time doing three short whistles indicating a signal only Heat knew. Upon hearing the sign, Heat backflipped a few times away from everyone before jumping up onto a pillar out of the crowd. “Get up there with him,” Kid told Law, shoving at his shoulder.

Law didn’t like leaving Kid down here but he was barely any help surrounded by an angry, cannibalistic mob with a man who can bend the earth to his will. With some remaining strength, Law teleported himself up to the pillar directly next to Heat. There wasn’t much room up there, they had to stand if they both wanted to be on it.

Without wasting another second, Kid raged, pulling everyone’s piercings out and then slamming them back down, raining metal pieces that darted back into people’s shoulders or heads, cutting their cheeks or poking their eyes if they looked up. While the leader also held onto the rest of his wounds as the rest of his piercings were taken as well, Kid pulled the iron ore from the ground and brought it all up to hover over the land forty feet in the air. He roared as he forced thousands of pounds of metal down on everyone around him.

The only one to not get hit was the leader and a few lucky people around him as he only shielded himself with a dome of rock.

Blood spurted out from under the iron boulders as they landed and crushed bodies. Bones snapped and screams were cut off as their heads were smashed into a red pulp. The ones who didn’t die right way twitched as their body parts were punctured, bleeding profusely.

The air of the island was absolutely sickening. Old, dead corpse smell lingered everywhere while burned and singed flesh gave off the after smell. The mix of sweat, blood, and innards would turn anyone’s stomach.

“You’ve killed my people.” The leader softly said to Kid, who was heaving in and out from the wreck.

“You didn’t save them.” Kid countered. “You only saved yourself.”

The night’s sky was glowing orange and thick, black smoke clouds billowed upward from the forest fire. Kid looked insane with his bright red hair while being illuminated by the flames. His massive fur coat was matted with blood making clumps of fur stick out in odd angles.

Law thought he saw something on Kid’s arm when he raised them both above his head to bring down the metal. “Oi, what’s on your captain’s arm?” He asked Heat. “He’s kept it hidden, I can’t tell what it is.”

While Kid and the cannibal leader yelled back and forth, Heat and Law paid close attention to Kid’s arm. Law figured out what it was when Kid waved his arm in front of him while speaking. “That idiot.” Law sighed. “It’s a bone. Looks like the ulma from where it’s sticking out. Why didn’t he say anything when I helped him up?!” Law slammed his fist on his thigh in anger.

“He’s stubborn. He’s alright, though.” Heat assured Law. “For now.”

The fighting continued, it was rock against iron. Even though the island was rich in iron ore, there was still more dirt around to be utilized and it was starting to catch up to Kid. He was out of breath, the smoke from the fires were beginning to fill his lungs. His body was literally crushed under rocks and his arm was bleeding pretty dang good. He just wanted to sleep. And maybe a snack.

Giving up using his left arm completely, Kid switched to slinging iron shrapnel around to cut through rock, as it did, but the savage had more material to play with. The man flung a wave of sand into Kid’s face, making him unable to see and scratching at his eyes.

“Fuck, just take him out!” Law shouted. He turned to Heat and asked, “Will he listen to me if I tell him to do something?”

Heat shrugged with a coy smile and said, “Prolly not but you could def give it a try.”

Rolling his eyes, Law cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled as loud as he could, “Run at him as fast as you can! Trust me!”

Kid looked over to see Law screaming something at him, but all he heard was “Trust me,” and something before that. He racked his brain to try and fit the pieces together.

Run? He wouldn’t tell me to run, that’s a pussy move.

Avoiding a falling boulder, Kid leaped to the side towards the pillar to get closer and looked up at the two pirates for more information.

Law yelled again, “Run towards him at full speed!” and pointed at the cannibal leader.

Kid seemed to have understood this time because he whipped his body around and gunned it for the man. The leader was making himself higher and higher to pull himself out of the bowl of smoke that was accumulating. Even enemies need to breathe fresh air, and he too was coughing from the smoke.

He forced large rock under him until he towered over Kid who was jetting at him without hesitation. Kid specifically heard

run at full speed

and

trust me.

He has literally no idea what he was going to do once he got within melee range but there’s no turning back now! He was coming up on him fast, jumping on the rocks to make his way up higher.

“JUMP!” Law yelled. Kid heard it loud and clear, he made one last leap towards the cannibal leader and suddenly he was face-to-face with Heat on top of the pillar. He turned to the mess down below just in time to see Law and the leader illuminated in a light blue ball. Law had Kikoku out and in mid-air, right where Kid just was moments ago, and after releasing his Room, sliced through the man’s neck then back through his abdomen in two fluid motions.

The cannibal seized, frozen in place. The floating boulders and rocks around them all fell to the ground. With the little inertia he had left from the jump, Law jutted his feet out to land on the man’s chest. His upper half falling backward while his legs were implanted in the rock below him. Law fell with a rolling tumble off the body and into the blood bath below.

“That was fucking rad.” Kid said in amazement. He never thought to use Law’s power the way he did. It made him all the more Devil Fruit Envy after seeing that.

“Come, Master. He isn’t getting up.” Heat said, gently grabbing at Kid’s broken arm. Kid winced but jumped off the pillar after his crewmate.

Upon approaching Law, who was laid flat on his back with his limbs outstretched, they saw he was fine, just resting. “I’m so tired.” He repeated from earlier, and the two Kid Pirates laughed.

On their way back, the three of them walked through the corpses of cannibals and marines. Their shoes made

squish squish squish

noises at the enormous amounts of blood made the dirt muddy. Heat stayed in the middle to hold both Law and Kid up, their wounds and energy finally taking a toll on their bodies.

“Wait, hold up.” Kid said. He saw a glint of metal shining over a body from the flames. He knelt down and recognized it as a thin, gold chain. He knew he has seen it before. Looking to the owner of the chain, he saw the face of the woman marine, Kenni Lental, except her lower jaw was missing, it being chewed on by the savages. “Looks like this is why you’re back to your normal size, Traf. Look,” he said and moved over so Law could see what was left of the woman’s face.

Law sneered his lip upward and said Kid did

not

have to show him that. “I figured something along those lines happened after we concluded they were cannibals. They must not have expected the violence to be so harsh and were taken by surprise.” Law quietly said. “C’ mon. Don’t matter anymore. Grab the chain, we can at least send it to the marines.”

Kid nodded his agreement. “Don’t like marines, but this ain't the way to go. Glad we sent these sick fucks to hell,” he grumbled under his breath and wrapped his arm around Heat again to continue on.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kid sat up and immediately regretted it. His arm was still sore where the pile of rocks fell on him.“Bout time you woke up. I was just about to give you a good flick on your forehead if I had to wait any longer.” A familiar, low voice said.Kid squinted his eyes. The last thing he remembered was boarding his ship in the pitch black of the night. Now he was surrounded by blinding white lights that were searing into his brain through his eye sockets. “The lights...turn them off,” he moaned, shielding his face. Without a response, the lights turned off and then there was a hand on his shoulder. “Mm?” He was sure the voice was familiar but it didn’t seem like he was in the right place. He’s hurt and the lights are bright, probably meaning he’s in the med bay. Though that voice doesn’t sound like Doc…. it sounds like Trafalgar, Kid thought. A small smile grew on his face, hidden behind his hand.“Is that better?”“Yeah, thanks. My head hurts.”Law moved in front of the redhead and did normal doctor things that were still doable in the dark. He wedged himself between Kid’s bulky legs that hung over the bed and felt his throat with both hands. Counting. Waiting. Hands slipped away and one grabbed Kid’s wrist. Counting. Waiting. Law moved out from between Kid’s legs and stood beside him. Suddenly there was a cold, metal disc on his back.“Yikes!” Kid squeaked and jerked away.“Quiet,” Law said monotonously. He placed the stethoscope back on the pink skin and said, “Breathe in,”Rolling his eyes in the dark, Kid did as he was told. He hated this doctor shit.“Breathe out,”Kid obliged two more times while Law placed the stethoscope in various places. Listening. Waiting.The doctor shoved himself between Kid’s thighs again. “I’m going to look into your eyes with a small light to see if you’re concussed. Please don’t shout into my face.” Law said quietly. Since Kid didn’t object, Law assumed that was permission to continue. There was a small click as he turned on the flashlight and brought them up to Kid’s eyes. He inspected them individually very carefully before asking him to follow his finger and so on.The light was bright enough that Kid could see Law’s dark face in the shadows. His features looked weirdly gruesome. He still had blood spattered all over him, the dark bags under his eyes seemed heavier, and he had cuts all over his body from the shards of rock being spiked at him. He looked like complete shit, but hell was Kid turned on by his rough look.A wave of memories washed over Kid all at once of the events that led up to now. Law was so fucking sweet in so many ways he wanted to scream and watch him perform those tricks for another month straight. But right now he had to abide by the doctor’s word or he’d get mad. So Kid stayed quiet.“You seem to be fine other than your arm. May I turn on the light now or would you still like it off?” Law asked politely.“Yeah, guess you can turn it on. Gonna have to face the light sometime.” Kid groaned. The light flicked on and now that his eyes were adjusted, he realized Law had his hat and shirt off. His blue jeans ripped on the left thigh still wide open from when he was a tiny little pirate. Dark skin and a thick, pink scar peaked through. His pants rode really low on his hips, exposing a perfect V shape below his sculpted abdomen. Law worked in the office like it was his own, paying no attention to Kid and totally unaware of all the ogling he was getting.When Law turned around to do whatever the hell doctors do, Kid had to close his mouth, his jaw had fallen open while he stared at Law’s perfectly lean frame. Every inch of his skin was tanned...no lines anywhere indicating he was a single shade lighter. The tribal-like tattoos crawling over his chest, arms, and back were so inviting to touch that Kid actually felt his fingers twitch. There was a one-hundred percent chance Kid was drooling.“You’re a mess, honestly,” Law said with disappointment in his voice. Not as a friend, but as a doctor.“You’re one to talk. Have you seen yourself?” Kid said as he reached up and cupped Law’s face. He brushed his thumb over a small cut flaking away the dried blood. “Did you clean these out?”For a moment, Law was frozen from the intimate touch and only stared at Kid in shock. After realizing there was no harm done, he relaxed and sighed. “No, I was busy tending to you and your arm. As you can see, the bone is inside your body now where it’s supposed to be.”“Yeah, it don’t really hurt as much. Only when I leaned on it earlier.”“Cause I pumped you full of drugs. You wouldn’t let me fix it, I had to fight you over it. I ended up using Kikoku to take your arm entirely off, shove the bone back in, put a splint on it, then reattach it to you.” Law said, unblinking.Kid waited to see if Law was joking, but with that stone cold face, there was no humor in anything he said. “Oh. I’m sorry.” He genuinely felt bad Law dealt with him when he was only trying to help.“I’m kidding.”“Ugh!” Kid groaned and punched Law in the shoulder. Law finally smiled, a smile that reached his eyes. “Seriously, though, you need to take care of yourself, too,” he said and gave a light push to Law’s chest for him to get to it.With another sigh, Law did so. He went to the counter to rewash his hands and started soaking cotton balls in disinfectant. He plopped down on the short doctor’s stool, his long legs spread wide.Kid stared at his back muscles contorting under his skin. Law never gave him permission to leave the room and he was glad he wasn’t shooed away. Watching Law work on him and himself like this was nice. Also, it was incredibly attractive to watch a doctor in his element work in nothing but tight, ripped jeans and combat boots all while covered in tattoos. Fuckin hot, fucking gorgeous, fucking sex with legs, Kid chanted in his head.A hesitant knock at the door interrupted Kid’s horny thoughts. Killer peaked his helmeted head in. “Captain?” He asked meekly. “May I enter?”As much as he wanted to continue staring at Law in peace, he had no other reason to refuse his friend’s entry. “Of course. What’s up?”Even without seeing the blonde’s face, it was evident Killer was relieved his captain didn’t snap his head off the moment he laid eyes on him. “I came to check on you...and Law. It’s almost daybreak. Wire made pancakes early so you could eat and go straight to sleep. He said about another ten minutes and the ham should be done, too.”After Killer finished speaking, Law had also finished cleaning his cuts. He was still dirty with ash, blood, and dust, but his wounds have been properly taken care of. Spinning around in the stool and standing to his full height, he leaned on a hip and raked his hands through his unruly hair. He then reached for the ceiling with both arms, stretching with a yawn making his ribs show and abs tighten. “Am I invited or will you try and attack me again?” He lazily asked.Kid wanted to die. He has to be doing this on purpose. There is no way someone is so completely oblivious to how sexy they are. There is no way. He is torturing me. I’m dying, Kid ranted in his head. It was so hot in the room he thought he’d explode. Even without his shirt on, he felt too warm. Is it warm in here? It’s warm in here. “Yes, you are invited. I hope you fall and break your neck on your way to the kitchen, but you are invited.” Killer snapped and shut the door, stomping down the metal hallway.Kid laughed. “Maybe he was mad cause you flexed at him.”“I what?”“Ha, nevermind. Nothin. Let’s go get some food.” ___ Law was ecstatic to be able to get his own food again. He ate his dinner...or breakfast, whatever... at the table rather than on it or on Kid’s shoulder. He was able to walk to the sink and wash and dry his dish. Of all the years he’s been alive, who knew doing such simple things would feel so good.Law grabbed the pitcher of water on the counter and refilled his cup to chug it back, feeling refreshed after the encounter they went through. It truly was great to be a normal size again. Which also meant they could head back to Zunisha without any distractions. From here on out, it was smooth sailing back to his crew. He missed them so much.“Oi,” Kid said, coming up behind him. “If you’re done here, lemme show you the room you’ll be staying in.”That took Law by surprise. He didn’t think Kid would have brought it up seeing the way he acted earlier that night in his bedroom. “Yeah, thanks.” He said and looked around to the table. Christoph, Wire, and Doc were still here but it seemed as Killer, Heat, and Vencar already left the table.Once Law helped Christoph finish cleaning the kitchen and forced Kid to drink a gallon of milk to help with his broken bone, he followed after Kid down the hall. Instead of taking the stairs to the bottom floor, they went straight and continued on. As Kid opened the door and showed him in, Law already felt lonely and Kid hadn’t even left the room yet.“Everything’s clean, so don’t even say shit, Princess. If you need another blanket, tough shit, it’s all we’ve got. You already know where the bathroom is. Killer’s room is next door so you might want to sleep with one eye open.” Looking around the room, Kid tried to find something else to say, a reason to stay longer, “Wire will direct Vencar where to go but he’ll need your help later today for more direction. Make sure you get good sleep.”“Yeah,” Law quietly said. He eyed the redhead up and down, admiring his muscular body. He could feel his face going red after he realized he wasn’t small anymore, he’d be much easier to catch staring at this size. Sure enough, Kid watched him do it.“M’gonna head to bed now,” Kid said, turning to leave and before shutting the door behind him, he said, “Sleep well Law.” I am so fucked, Law thought to himself again. With nothing else to do, Law leaned Kikoku against the end of the bed and stripped down to his boxer briefs. The bed creaked under his weight as he sat on the edge. He inspected the tight, pink skin of his scar. Kid was right, it takes up my entire thigh even at this size. The holes from the sutures had already healed closed just fine and all the pain had gone away. The entire event now just a story of the past.Swinging his legs up, Law situated himself on the bed, laying his head on the pillow. He stared up at the ceiling and thought about how quiet it was. Above him over the bed was a much bigger window than in Kid’s room as it was a level up. Law sighed. How was he supposed to get to sleep when this bed wasn’t even soft? It’s harder than a rock! Also, it smells stale in here, like it’s been empty for years without it being opened up to air out. In Kid’s room it smelled fine. In Kid’s room the bed was soft.“Blagh,” Law said aloud. Instead of trying to sleep, he thought about the placement of Kid’s quarters were on the ship compared to his. When we went down those stairs, we passed three other rooms before he hit his own. If the hallways are vertically lined up, then his room is two down from here... he continued to calculate in his head to get this right. Back in his room again, Kid cleaned up the nuts and bolts that he had flung off his desk so many days ago when Law was bleeding out in his palm. “Can’t believe I walked all over this shit every day.” He grumbled. Getting on his knees and bending over, he fished under the desk with his good arm for the few that had rolled there to hide. Little balls of dust came out making him sneeze.With everything picked up and his makeup removed, he dropped the remaining clothes and flopped on his bed, face first. “I want to fuck that depressing bastard,” Kid mumbled into the blankets. Just thinking of Law squirming under him made him hard. He groaned in agony.Admitting defeat, he scootched up to turn his lamp off and shimmied under his covers. As much as Kid didn’t like to lose, he also didn’t want to force Law into anything. He only liked being forceful if the other person liked being forced.The harsh silence started to make his ears ring. Law was still on the same ship as him, probably fast asleep by now and thinking of nothing but getting back to his crew and old life. He’s not interested. He made that clear earlier by leaving. He’s curious, I’ll give him that, but he ain't interested, Kid thought. It was frustrating to continue thinking about that. Law was a toy he really wanted to play with. He’s sexy as hell and extremely powerful.The erection Kid got thinking about Law under him throbbed in anticipation. “I know, I know, me too,” He said to his aching dick. He sighed, closing his eyes. His right hand pulled out from under his head and flung the blanket off him so he could start stroking himself.Images of Law begging Kid to fuck him filled his mind as he pleasured himself. He bit his lip just hearing his stupid nickname fall from Law’s mouth, ‘Eustass-ya’ he’d say, Kid thought as a blue light flashed in the room going unnoticed by him. Fuck, I want him to say my name. Eustass-ya, Eustass-ya. “Eustass-ya,”“Yeah, just like that,” Kid said, shivering as he stroked himself faster. “Eustass-ya!” Law yelled out, a hand shielding his eyes from Kid’s obscenity.“Oh, fuck! Shit!” Kid exclaimed, jolting in a sitting position. “Shit, what the fuck are you doing in here!?” Kid asked, looking at the closed metal door. He hadn’t heard it open.“I couldn’t sleep.”For a moment, Kid was silent as he thought about how long it had been since he dropped Law off. “You...you didn’t try very hard. It’s only been like, a half hour.” Kid eyed Law wearily. It was just light enough in his room that he could see Law was in his boxer briefs and had his sword with him. Left the hat behind but kept the metal rings around his limbs. He stood close to the door awkwardly covering his face still. Kid looked down and realized he probably saw him jacking off. Awesome. “I know. I have sleeping problems though and I can tell when I won’t have a good night. Thought I could sleep better in here. But you seem... busy. Why are you doing that?” Law asked, slowly letting his hand drop so he could see again.“Uhm, cause I’m fucking horny?” Kid answered with a scoff.“Oh. Uh...I could leave?” Law suggested, leaving room for Kid to refuse.“Or you could help.” Kid said with a devilish smirk. “I wanna pick up where we left off earlier.” Why even beat around the bush about it anymore? He knows I’m into him, no need to hide it. We ain't kids. The dark pirate stayed quiet while he thought over Kid’s suggestion. That was actually his real reason coming down here in the first place. He didn’t need extra help to sleep, he could just drink himself into a coma and that would work just fine. With the intent to...try this thing out...Law came to Kid’s room for a specific reason and it wasn’t to sleep.Slowly, Law set Kikoku against the wall and walked over to Kid’s bed, staring down at him. “I’m not exactly…” Law scratched his head as Kid waited for him to continue. “I’m not really that experienced with this type of stuff. I’ve only had a few girlfriends but that was years ago.”Kid patted the bed for Law to sit. “So what you’re saying is?”“I’m rusty,” Law admitted.The other laughed. “That’s it? That’s fine, man. C’mere.”Stiff as a board, Law abided. The very aura of his was oozing awkward, but Kid didn’t let it bother him. He was gonna get what he fucking wanted. The redhead carefully climbed over Law, his legs on either side of his hips but still held his weight up. “I’ll take it slow,” he said quietly as he brushed the back of his hand down Law’s scruffy cheek. He still hasn’t shaved. Law only nodded his confirmation. He was so fucking nervous. He closed his eyes when Kid leaned down to softly kiss his neck and bite his earlobe. Law hesitantly brought his arms up to lightly grab Kid’s waist, giving his hips a squeeze when teeth bit down a little harder than expected.The redhead lifted his head to stare into Law’s eyes. He could only feel hungry for more, he had only stopped so Law wouldn’t get overwhelmed again. The dark pirate’s eyebrows were slightly turned up in worry but he didn’t object. Kid leaned down and just barely touched Law’s lip with his tongue, outlining them before ravishing them whole.A small moan from Law let Kid know he was fine doing this. Their kissing continued on from earlier that night. The only thing different was Kid hadn’t let his body lean against Law’s. His naked body hovering, his erection fucking killing him now.As they continued to sensually make out, Law’s fingertips grazed up Kid’s back and grabbed his shoulders to push him away. “Too much?” Kid panted, concern in his voice.“No. No, it’s fine.” Law moved his gaze away from Kid’s intense staring to the empty darkness of the room. “I was just wondering what your plan was with me.”Kid cocked his head to the side. “Why are you asking that now of all times? I’m gonna bring you back to your crew, dumbass.”If it were just a little brighter in the room, Kid would have seen Law’s face grow beet red. “That’s- that’s not what I meant! I meant...right now. How far do you plan to take this with me?” Fuck, Kid thought. His dick twitched at the thought of Law asking what he was gonna do with 'em. “My plan is to take you entirely , but only if you’re comfortable.”“Alright,” Law answered quietly, understanding what Kid meant. The tension from his body started to relax, but only a little. He couldn’t shake the nervousness from him, even though all they were doing was kissing. Kid sucked on the side of his neck while a hand squeezed over his throat. It didn’t hurt, it was kinda...erotic? Law breathed heavier when he felt Kid’s bare erection moving over his clothed one. I shouldn’t be enjoying this so much, Law thought.Squeezing a little tighter on Law’s neck, Kid took his time kissing his beautiful lips. With each kiss, he made sure to remember how soft they were and how they fit perfectly with his own. Kid gently pushed his tongue between them and searched until he tasted Law’s. Gradually adding grinding to the mix, Kid pulled more breathy moans from the dark pirate.Kid’s plan was to take it easy with Law. Originally, he wanted to fuck him hard enough to go blind but this was just as good. He was still getting what he wanted and he didn’t mind making this memorable for Law as well. For a while, it was only Kid who slid his body back and forth over Law’s hidden erection. But more noise fell from Law’s mouth and his hips started to grind back, forcing needed friction on his lower half.Wanting to continue this further along, Kid felt hesitant. Kid was ready to go, he could fuck right now, but he wasn’t sure how Law was doing under him if he was feeling the “all the way” part yet. To test the waters, Kid let go of Law’s throat and massaged over the olive-brown skin until he met with Law’s dick.Immediately, Law bucked his hips up into Kid, sucking a breath in between his teeth. He felt Kid wait a moment before he continued to rub up and down and finally fully grasp his member. It feels pretty good, Law thought to himself as he continued kissing Kid. Something suddenly occurred to him while Kid continued; he was right about men being more attractive because they’re strong. At first, when he heard the explanation, Law thought it was a worse way to describe an attraction to a man, but being under such a powerful and masculine alpha male really was...hot. Yeah, so I like this, whatever. With that thought, Kid tugged at the waistband of his underwear. “Take these off,” he whispered into his ear.For a single beat, Law stopped moving his lips against Kid’s and ceased his grinding. Another beat and there was a blue glow between their bodies as Law Shambled his last article of clothing off of him and onto the floor.Kid’s heat practically seared into Law’s skin. Their body temperatures were on fire and the main event hadn’t even started. Law snaked his arms around Kid’s neck and pulled him in for a deeper and more passionate kiss.Trying his damnedest to not break away, Kid awkwardly moved his sore left arm to pull open his top desk drawer. Even after all that milk, it didn’t feel all too great to bend his arm straight out. Fidgeting around, fingers eventually enclosed around a bottle of lube.Not being entirely accustomed to two men having sexual intercourse, Law was a bit annoyed the redhead wasn’t giving him his full, undivided attention. Though, after hearing a snappy click of a cap being popped open and a squirt, Law realized what was going on. He is a doctor, after all, he’s not entirely oblivious.Moving Law’s legs to fit on either side of him, Kid sat back on his knees. The feeling of Kid’s hand moving further south had Law grabbing his arm to stop him.“Don’t.”Kid basically had to pry Law’s leg open until he would let him through. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s alright, just relax. I have to if you don’t want it to hurt.”Upon hearing that, Law began to hesitantly open his legs up but he snapped them shut once he felt the cold lubed finger touch him.“What did I just say?” Kid said with frustration. “Just relax, dammit.”Law disliked being told what to do, but he obliged. Breathing in and out to calm himself, Law loosened his legs to fall open only to have it slam shut after feeling fingers where they don’t belong.“Traf! Quit doin that, you fuckin bastard!” Kid angrily said and ignited his power to bring all four metal cuffs stretched out so Law laid flat on the bed. “It’s gonna be weird, I know!”“Don’t hold me down like this, Eustass-ya,” Law said with slight panic in his voice.Kid didn’t let up. Instead, he pressed his pointer finger inside the other man. Law’s breath hitched at the slight pain but other than that, he stayed quiet. Hearing no more objections, Kid slowly fingered Law, in and out, pulling breathy noises from him.Law’s body shook every time Kid pushed his finger back in. He tried resisting against the invisible force holding him down but it was no use. A sharp inhale when a second finger entered him.“It’s okay, relax.” Kid told him, stopping what he was doing. “What can I do to help you relax better?”“Getting your fingers out of my ass would help.” Law snapped.“Not gonna happen. What else?”Law struggled in the cuffs. “I don’t know, a distraction, maybe?”A small laugh escaped Kid’s mouth after hearing his answer. “I can do that,” he said. Without warning, he bent down and swallowed his dick up the hilt. Law moaned out and Kid could feel his dick give a twitch in anticipation in the back of his throat. Bobbing his head up and down, Kid sucked Law off while pressing the third finger inside him to fully loosen him up. It seemed as if Law knew exactly what he needed because a distraction worked like a charm. His body wasn’t as stiff as a board anymore and he was grinding up into Kid’s face.“AH!” Law yelled as Kid hit a very special spot inside him. He hurriedly told Kid he was about to finish but Kid released his cock before he could. Law groaned in misery after being so close.Kid climbed up Law’s body, kissing every inch before he stopped at Law’s flushed face. “I’m gonna fuck you now,” he told him and released his power so Law was free again.Then Law did something he didn’t really expect; he brought his arms around Kid’s neck and wrapped his legs around his middle, “Yeah, fuck me,” He whispered, grinding himself upward for any friction at all. Well, ain't this a surprise? Kid thought. “Maybe I don’t wanna now.” He said cockily and sat up, breaking Law’s grasp around him. “I dunno, I feel kinda tired now.” he stretched and gave a fake yawn. “Think I’ma go to sleep.”Law’s jaw about dropped at the sudden change in mood. Being so close to orgasm had him panting and needy. Angrily, Law grabbed Kid’s arm digging his short nails into his skin. “Don’t fucking pull that shit on me, Eustass-ya.”“Oh? If you wanted me so bad, why’d you keep closin yer legs, huh? Now you wanna paw at me?” Kid lazily said but started to stroke Law’s dick again, wet from his saliva. “If you want this, you’re gonna have to beg me for it.” Kid grinned from ear to ear as he forced Law down with his power, his legs and arms spread to all four corners of the bed.“I don’t beg.” Law tried to say with authority but with Kid jerking him off he could barely sound threatening at all.Really, Kid didn’t want to hold out on Law. But once Law uttered “fuck me,” Kid knew he had him hooked and he wouldn’t change his mind no matter what. Kid bent down and gave a lick to the head of Law’s dripping cock. “You don’t beg, huh? Well,” he started and lightly blew cool air on his tip, “guess you won’t be getting anything from me.”“Why are you being like this?” Law said through gritted teeth, pushing his pelvis upward to reach Kid’s mouth, but Kid backed away.“I already told you.” Kid rolled Law’s balls in his hand, giving them a gentle massage. “I wanna hear you beg me for it.”Law growled but couldn’t make words come out as Kid pushed two fingers back inside him. He could Shambles away and force Kid down, of course. But there was some sort of enjoyment he was getting out of this. The game Kid was playing started to be fun to Law as he understood the concept. “Yeah, well I already said to do me, didn’t I?”“Really? I suddenly don’t remember…” Kid feigned ignorance and pressed upward making Law scream out. Music to his fucking ears.“Please, Eustass-ya,” Law tried saying. Whatever Kid was doing to him was making him antsy, his erection hurt from being so pent up. Kid was basically torturing him. Fucking red bastard. “Heh? ‘Please’ what?” Kid said softly, his mouth close to Law’s dick again. His tongue started at the bottom and licked its way up, his mouth closing on the head with a suck.“Ugh, fuck,” Law moaned. “Please, fuck me” He finally begged. “Please, Eustass-ya,” There was the line Kid was waiting for. “Since you asked so nicely,” he said more to himself and squirted more lube onto his hand.He mounted himself up to Law’s behind, putting his hands under the backs of his knees. Without warning and with much practice, Kid lined himself up with Law’s entrance and pushed inside, pulling a loud moan from Law and himself. “Aw, fuck , Law...you’re still tighter than shit,” he whispered, almost incapable of moving. The mere pressure of Law’s walls constricting over Kid’s cock had his eyes rolling back and stuttering. “A-Are you comfortable?” He fuckin prayed Law was ready because he didn’t think he could stop himself if he wasn’t.“Yeah,” Law quietly breathed out. “But it feels strange.”Leaving Law without a reply, Kid pulled out halfway and slowly started pumping in and out, keeping his pace even for Law to get used to. He found himself wanting to see the dark pirate’s face while he fucked him, see his reactions, so he reached over and turned his lamp on.“Why..?”“Cause….hah...I wanna watch you,” Kid said between moans. Cause I wanna see your face when I fuck you. “Again, why? You’re so-” Law began saying but Kid thrust into him hard enough to cut his sentence off and made him yell out in pleasure. He knew what the spot was. He may have never done this before, but he was a doctor.“You like that, huh?” Kid replied while picking up his pace. If Law kept trying to talk to him he was gonna burst. His voice was so deep and hearing such a brat melt into a puddle beneath him was beyond turning him on. He could finish right now just listening to the depressing bastard.“Yes, you asshole,” Law snapped and clawed at Kid’s hips for more.As if Kid would say no to railing him harder, so he did, and with every thrust made sure to angle himself just right for his partner. Forcefully yanking up on one of Law’s knees, he grabbed a fistful of Trafalgar Law’s dick and started jerking him off.“Oh god, Eustass-ya,” Law said and ripped his nails down Kid’s arms while only the whites of his eyes showed, and eventually they closed completely. “Don’t stop.”“I...hah, haah...I couldn’t if I...hah, if I wanted to. I’m gonna cum soon,”Through half-lidded eyes, Kid saw Law try to speak but nothing came out of his mouth, his lips forming words no one could hear. Not a second later semen squirted out and onto Law’s abs, the rest dripping onto Kid’s hand. The site of Law coming absolutely undone below him had him over the edge, his own orgasm reaching its peak and filling Law up to the brim.As he rode out the rest of his orgasm, Kid leaned forward and grabbed ahold of Law’s throat and securely squeezed down. The last few pumps, he made sure to grip him tighter, letting him know the intensity of the ecstasy he was feeling. Law moaned under him, vibrating in pleasure.Finally coming to a complete stop, Kid wanted to collapse right there but he knew if he spread Law’s legs any wider he’d break him in half. Instead, he rested on his forearms while he caught his breath.“Holy….shit….” Kid said between gasps. He looked up and saw Law had his eyes closed while biting his lip. Not knowing if that was from pain or leftover pleasure, Kid pulled out and manually closed Law’s legs for him. The crease between his brows eased after that, and Kid felt bad that he seemed to have been hurting. “You alright?”Law nodded but still winced as he pushed himself into a sitting position. “I didn’t think the after-effects would be this painful,”Kid waited for more, “But…? Was it worth it?” He asked with a wink and a smile.If looks could kill, Kid would be dead. Law’s glare kinda hurt Kid’s pride, but the death stare soon faded and morphed into a smirk. “It was…” he paused, then sighed. “Well, obviously it was good, you jackass. Look at me, I’m a fucking mess.” Law gestured to his stomach and lower half. He could feel Kid’s semen spilling out of him, which felt disgusting.“You look sexy, is what you fuckin look like,” Kid said, licking his lips. He couldn’t help himself. He just came but he didn’t want to stop touching Law all over. With a push, he forced Law back and pinned him down while he kissed those soft, full lips. Jesus Christ, I’m hooked deep, Kid thought as Law opened his mouth to allow their tongues to intertwine.After a few moments, Law brought his fist up and gave Kid a good punch to the ribs, “Now let me clean up,” he growled and ignited his Room and Shambled himself off the bed. Barely on his feet for more than a second, he collapsed to his knees.Kid hurried to the floor and grabbed Law under an arm and hoisted him up. “Yeah, I fucked you good, man. You ain't gonna walk for a while,” he said, trying to hide his smile. It really wasn’t funny, he did feel bad that Law couldn’t stand on his own. But just the fact that Kid wrecked him this hard was turning him on again. His half chub started to become harder the more he thought about Law’s helpless state.“Fuck you, bastard,” Law said after clenching his jaw with closed eyes. “I’d just Shamble myself to the bathroom but I don’t know if anyone’s in there.”“There ain't, go ahead.”Law looked at Kid with a raised eyebrow. “It’s day time, someone could be in there.”“Everyone’s in different places on the ship.” The dark pirated stared at him waiting for him to go on. “Are you still not understanding my power, dude? Every one of my crew members wears metal, a metal I made specially for them, so I can feel who is where anywhere my power can reach. It’s super useful. So do your thing,” Kid said, waving his hand in front of them and picking him up like his bride, “Let’s go,”Law blinked a few times after hearing Kid’s little speech. It was true, all the members have some sort of metal on them. “Kinda like mine, then. But I have to actually activate mine in order to know where someone is at, and it has a giveaway. The blue hue will blow any cover I had.” he said while he transferred the two of them to the bathroom in a cinch.Once inside, Kid wobbled from the trip for a sec, then set Law down on one of the short stools by the shower hose. Letting the tub fill while he rinsed the cum off himself and Law, he couldn’t have been happier. Kid was still able to have Law depend on him even though he was full size again. All he has to do is fuck him into oblivion every night and he’d be useless without him. Ha!With the tub hot and full, Kid picked Law up and stepped one leg in the water and waited to be sure he had his balance, then brought the other in and eased himself down. Kid sat Law directly up against his chest while he sat with his back to the edge of the tub.“I didn’t need your help getting in, ya know.” Law pouted, flicking the water around. “You also don’t have to be in here with me. You’re not the one who became a mess.”“Shaddap,” Kid sighed. The hot water stung his scratches from Law on his pink skin, but he could deal. To lower Law’s hackles, Kid started to massage his shoulders and neck. He took his time, making sure he gave enough attention to every inch, then worked his way up to Law’s scalp, raking his fingers through his thick, black hair.It didn’t take very long for Law to relax himself against Kid’s front, practically purring from the touch. After Kid started massaging his shoulders and upper arms again, he let his head fall back and turned his head so his lips were just grazing Kid’s pale skin. I could fall asleep like this, he thought, but shook the sleep away, deciding to converse to keep himself awake. “So...lemme guess the metal your crew wears that you recognize them with.”Law felt Kid cringe away while he spoke, his lips tickling the man’s neck. “Yeah, go ahead. The two noobs don’t have a special metal yet, though, so don’t try with them.”Thinking for a moment, Law gave his first answer. “Kill-ya’s is his helmet.”“Correct. He’s had it since we were teenagers. I made it for him because he felt self-conscious. Then, well, just never took it off since. Very rarely will you see his face, even I don’t see it often.”That was interesting to hear. He didn’t know Killer had hidden behind the mask for so long. “Back when I was pulling the poison from his body on that island, I forced his helmet off so he could breathe easier. I was too busy to look at him and by the time I was done, the helmet was back on.”“Yeah, sounds like’em.”“What does he look like?”“He’s fucking beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.”Law let that sink in. He wondered what would make an attractive man hate himself so much to hide his looks. He let the thought wither, though, as he reminded himself that it wasn’t his business. “Alright...and Wire-ya has his necklace, the one you choked him with.”Kid laughed and slid his hands down the front of Law, feeling his smooth chest. Giving him an intimate squeeze, he answered, “Yeah,” and gently nipped at Law’s ear. “Gave that to him after I found out he had a thing for choking. I noticed he liked to watch the life leave the eyes of his enemies as he cut off their airflow. I asked'em about it and he admitted to getting off to it. He don’t talk much but he likes some weird ass shit, man. Alright, now do Heat. His ain't as obvious as the others though.” Kid chuckled.Law thought that was strange because he was sure he already knew what it was. “It’s not the wire stitching? You had said he got it from your room.”“Yeah, he did. But that ain't it. Guess again.”“The metal rings in his leather?”“Nope.”“Shit, I don’t know,” Law said, annoyed he couldn’t figure it out. “What is it?”Kid slid a hand lower down Law’s chest and cupped his package. “He’s got a piercing,” he whispered and licked Law’s neck, sucking on his shoulder meat. “It was intended as a gauge for his ear, but he wanted it here ” Kid tightened his hold on Law, “instead. Isn’t that funny?”“Eustass-ya…” Law tried sounding threatening but honestly, he didn’t try very hard. Kid was fondling him just enough he didn’t have the energy to fight back.Kid continued to bite and kiss on Law’s shoulder and neck, sinking his teeth deep making Law wince, though he didn’t complain. “We should prolly get out of the tub before we prune up, you know.” Kid cooed.“Yeah,” whispered Law, craning his neck to the side so Kid had better access. His left foot fished around for the plug and pulled it with his toes, letting the water begin to drain. After it had gone down an inch or two, Law Shambled the two of them and a pile of towels back into Kid’s room.Kid clutched his stomach while he regained his composure from the ride. Looking around he saw Law had placed himself neatly on his bed and was already wrapping a towel around his waist. He rolled his eyes and reached for his towel, giving his hair a good scruff to dry it up. ___ It was too early for Kid to rise, but his senses had woke him. Someone was pacing outside his room. Clearing the foggy sleep from his head, he concentrated his power to detect who it was, and of course, it was Killer. He’d have to give him a good talking to later for waking him. The tingly sensation he got in the back of his mind always put him on edge, immediately turning him into combat mode, which is why it pulled him from his deep sleep. Hardly anything could wake Kid, but that stupid magnetic power of his was one of the few things that tore him out of it.The longer Killer stayed outside the door, the more irritated Kid grew. His lip started to twitch. He was about to yank on the blonde’s helmet to knock him against the wall until Law stretched and curled himself up to Kid, nuzzling his face into his neck and taking a deep breath in, letting it out nice and slow. Who knew Traf would still do that at this size, Kid thought. The entire day the two slept side-by-side like a friendship sleepover, as Kid didn’t force cuddling on him. It was fine, he got a lot from Law he’d never thought he could. But apparently...Kid was irresistible. Some time through the middle of their sleep, Law had rolled over and forced his face into the crook of Kid’s neck and hadn’t moved since.Wincing through the pain, Kid pulled his left arm out from under Law and softly stroked his head, combing through his hair. Before he let Killer in, he gave Law a gentle kiss on his forehead for his own enjoyment.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

With a sigh, Kid pulled himself out from under Law’s grip without disturbing him and tugged the sheet back over him up to his shoulder. Before turning to look for his pants, he reached out and raked his fingers through Law’s hair, moving his bangs out of his eyes. The smallest smile grew on Law’s face while he continued to sleep.

Jumping into some pants and pulling the belt tight, he yanked the door open with a scowl, lazily leaning on it. “Killer.”

“Captain.”

“Is there a reason you’re pacing outside my door?”

“I tried waking Law but he didn’t answer. I let myself in and he wasn’t there.” Ever so slightly, Killer leaned over to the side to look around Kid’s large frame and growled when he saw Law’s atrocious body in Kid’s bed. “I see,” he said with a twitchy eye.

“I will wake him myself.” Kid warned.

The blonde was already furious confirming his suspicion of where Law had gone, but after taking a good look at his captain made him snap. Without Kid’s goggles to pull his hair back, the red mop covered most of his neck, but when he turned to look over his shoulder, it exposed the bruised and redness around his shoulder meat. Kid’s arms had dark pink lines etched into his skin where Law scratched him over and over.

Upon seeing all of this, Killer jumped into the room, pushing Kid aside in one swift motion. “Bastard!” He yelled as he raced towards the bed.

Kid had him on the ground in a second with his power and sat down on his back. Killer squirmed, growled, and yelled murderous threats.

At the sudden commotion, Law jolted awake and lit the room up forcing Kikoku at whatever loud noise that sounded like was going to attack him. The blade sang as she whipped through the air, pointing her tip straight at the base of Killer’s neck.

In a jolt, Kid felt the lightning surge of Kikoku come alive and was able to stop her before she sliced clean through his First Mate’s neck. “Whoa, whoa, Traf, it’s okay. It’s alright.”

This chaotic moment all took place in the small span of three seconds. Law’s chest was heaving up and down fast as he was still trying to understand what was going on. The roomed buzzed from his Room, Kikoku vibrated against his and Kid’s power colliding. Killer had slowed to a stop understanding the atmosphere had changed.

“What’s going on,” Law asked, out of breath. He already started to sweat. Looking to the floor he saw Kid sitting down and leaning to the side to peer over the bed, he saw Killer under him.

“Hey,” Kid said with a friendly wave. “Mornin,” He laughed and jerked his head towards the sword he was currently holding back with all his might, indicating for Law to drop it.

Kid was genuinely surprised he was able to hold the blade back at the same time as Law’s power, but he admitted to himself,

and only himself,

that it took a great deal of strength to hold that weapon there. On the outside, he stayed calm, but inside, his arm muscles were aching holding Killer down

and

keeping the blade at bay. Law was not a force to be reckoned with when startled, apparently.

“Yeah...morning,” Law mumbled and released his Room after hovering Kikoku next to him safely into his possession. “Why is he here, and more importantly, why are you sitting on him?”

“Cause I failed to kill you again.” Killer groaned into the ground below him, shamed he wasn’t fast enough.

“He’s very badly trained, is why.” Kid said, knocking on the helmet a few times with his knuckles. “You, am I gonna be mad if I let you up?” he asked the blonde.

A whiny noise sounded before Killer answered. “No.” He said curtly.

“Don’t disappoint me.” Kid warned with authority. Only once he was fully to his feet did he let Killer get up.

Dusting off the front of his button up, he stood and stared at Law. No one in the room spoke or moved. Then Killer brought up a hand and flipped Law off, turned on his heel, and left the room. Before he was out of earshot, he said something about Wire needing more direction for their destination.

“God, isn’t he fun?” Kid said with a laugh.

“Yeah, really fucking fun,” said Law flatly. As he watched Kid come over to the bed to sit on its edge, he saw how grotesque his neck looked. “Jesus-ya, what did he do to you?!” he asked and pointed to it with the butt of his sword.

“Hm?” Kid hummed and put a hand to his neck. He stood and looked into the mirror he used to put his makeup on, turning his head to get a good look at the markings. Sticking his tongue out remembering what happened, he turned back to Law and said “Oh, this?” gesturing at the golf-ball sized purple and red mark. “This is from you, man.”

“Me?!

Why would I do that to you?” Law asked, appalled. “I assumed he did that just now while you two wrestled.”

“Oh.” Kid said quietly. Then he burst into laughter, clutching his stomach dramatically and jumped onto his bed causing Law to bounce up and down.

“What is so funny.”

“Do you think this is a wound?!” Kid squealed. He laughed a little more until he finally came down to calm himself. “Law, this here,” he said patting his neck. “You gave me a big, fat hickey. This ain't a wound.”

Law stared almost in disgust. “I- I don’t recall doing such a thing.” He crossed his arms in defiance, “In fact, I only remember

you

doing the necking. I’m the one who should have those.”

“Well, ya do, for one. Your neck is all marked up. And for two, you did this after cuddling up to me when you were sleeping.”

“I still don’t recall.”

“Well, that’s because you were sleeping, you moron.”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Yeah, you’re right, it was the other guy in my bed last night.”

Law’s jaw dropped. With a little

hrmph,

he tightened his arms across his chest and looked away, angry he’d been accused of such a juvenile act.

Kid leaned over towards the other, making him fall towards him with the shift in weight on the bed. Kid caught his lips with a kiss. His large hand cupped the side of Law’s face, holding him there.

Law stared blankly back at him when he sat upright again. He then hastily pulled his fist back and forced it forward, aiming for a perfect punch to Kid’s face, which Kid caught. “Don’t just kiss me whenever!” Law shouted through gritted teeth, snatching his hand back from Kid's grip. “Don’t just do whatever you want!”

A smirk pulled at Kid’s thin lips. “God, you’re fun, too.”
 
___
 
The great metal boat swayed back and forth over the light waves. The sky was perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight, and bluer than the sea below. The weather was a decent 70 degrees with a breeze that blew by once in a while keeping the air cool.

When Law stepped out onto the top deck, he headed straight towards the navigator’s room. There, Wire and Vencar sat over a map arguing. “Yo,” He greeted upon entering.

“Law, where the fuck are we going? There is nothing out this way!” Wire yelled, clearly frustrated with Law’s seemingly wild goose chase. “You told us to keep heading east - well we did - now where the fuck are we?!” he angrily tapped at the parchment paper.

Instead of giving an answer, Law grabbed the Log Pose on Vencar’s wrist and stared at it. The little arrow dizzyingly spun around. “Yeah, we’re going the right way. Just don’t stop heading east.”

“That - that doesn’t answer my question, you fucking string bean. I’m controlling this ship and I demand to know where it’s taking my captain.” Wire maneuvered out from behind his desk to stand at full height in Law’s face. “This better not be a trap.”

Law sighed. “It ain't a trap, Wire-ya. We’re headed towards the Island of Zou, which is where the rest of my crew is waiting for me.”

“Zou?” Kid said, ducking through the doorway of the small room. “Never heard of it.”

“This would be easier if you gave us a map,”

“Or some more direction other than ‘east’,”

“Or-”

“Alright!” Law yelled, putting his hands up. “Alright, I understand your concerns.” Kid came up behind him and brushed against his back as he squeezed passed to stand by the window. Law tried speaking his next sentence but lost his train of thought at the touch from Kid. “Uhm…?” he asked, looking around the room for help.

“Zou?” Wire snapped.

“Yeah, Zou. You’re going to need to know what we’re dealing with anyway when we get close. I don’t want any of you hurting Zunisha. I won’t hesitate to kill any of you if you appear hostile towards her.”

Kid spoke up, “I’ll make sure no one lays a finger on your girlfriend. Go on,” He said, waving his hand for Law to continue.

Casting a murderous look over at the redhead, Law reminded, “Zunisha is not my girlfriend. She carries the Island of Zou on her back, the island where my crew awaits me.”

The three Kid Pirates stared at Law waiting for him to explain. Vencar coughed in his hand to indicate they had no idea what the other was saying.

“Zou is carried by the biggest living creature you will ever see in a thousand of your lifetimes. Her name is

Zunisha

. She’s a beautiful elephant that travels the ocean and has for centuries.” Kid cocked his head to the side while Wire threw an eyebrow high onto his forehead in skepticism. Law blinked, waiting for a verbal response but they all stayed silent. “Zou is the island where the Mink Tribe are born and raised.”

“What is a Mink,” Vencar asked with a finger up. “I’ve heard the word but I don’t know.”

Before Law could answer, Kid said. “They’re a race, like the Fish-Men, ‘cept they got fur all over’em.” He laughed, “Traf has a bear in his group. Pepper? Peppo?”

“Bepo,”

Law said through gritted teeth. “Don’t fuck with my polar bear,” he said turning the room’s atmosphere from playful to serious. “Keep heading east. Get some cold weather equipment out before tomorrow. If everything goes smoothly, we should be hitting a cluster of winter islands. It will take five days to get through it.

Three and a half

if it were the Tang.” he mumbled on his way out of the navigator’s room.

The three remaining pirates stared at the doorway where Law disappeared through and waited before speaking. “Whelp!” Kid started with clapping his hands. “You heard’em. Don’t hurt the elephant or the bear!” He said ruffling Vencar’s hair as he walked by.

As Kid was about to leave the room, he heard Killer growling something like, “keep your hands to yourself,” so he stopped short of the door to eavesdrop.

“I saw that shit you left on my captain. Don’t

fucking

touch him. I

will

gut you.” Killer threatened. Kid peaked around the corner and saw Killer was inches away from Law’s face, who seemed unfazed.

What a pompous dick,

Kid thought as he watched on.

At this point, Law was so sick and tired of hearing the same old shit from the blonde. As if he was the one coming onto Kid in the first place? As fucking if! He only came to this ship because Kid was the only one in a mile radius that could help, his own crew gone. Honestly, Law was kinda bored with all the threats, so he decided to have a little fun.

Looking around to make sure they were alone, Law stepped up, closing what little space there was between them, and said real low, almost low enough Kid couldn’t hear, who had to strain, He shushed Wire and Vencar, who also tiptoed over to listen. The dark pirate towered over Killer, smiling into the small holes of his helmet. “Listen here, Kill-ya. I don’t give a shit what you do or don't want me to do

.

If I wanna stand nice and close to Eustass-ya, I’m gonna do it. If I wanna mark him up all over for you to see, I’m gonna do it. And if I wanna fuck your captain, you bet your ass I’m gonna fuck him hard enough you’ll hear him scream my name from your bedroom, where you’ll be sleeping

alone.

” He finished, pushing past with a purposeful knock to the shoulder, leaving Killer frozen in place.

Kid turned around to face Wire and Vencar, his eyes bulging. “I-I can’t believe he just said that.”

Vencar mumbled, “Poor Killer,”

“Nah, I can’t believe Trafalgar said he’d fuck me hard!” he squealed, smiling from ear to ear.

The two others rolled their eyes at their captain’s back as her left. Law had left down into the ship, leaving Killer alone. Kid went up to his First Mate to try and ease the sting. “Hey, Kill!” He said, clapping him on the back.

“Captain,” the blonde answered, leaving no trace of the conversation that just ended.

“Even though it’s nice out today, it’s supposed to be freezing tomorrow, like with snow and shit. I don’t think the noobs know how cold it can get on this hunk of metal in the cold so make sure they have winter gear for me, please?”

“Of course, Captain,” Killer confirmed.

Kid shined a toothy grin at his friend and thanked him. “Maybe we can play soon?”

Killer grabbed Kid’s arm with a tight grip, “Really?”

“Yeah, really. But Law will be there, too. And you’re gonna play nice or not play at all.” Killer shook his head up and down to agree which made Kid happy to see. “Great! Prolly tomorrow when it’s nice and cold and we’re all cooped up with nothing to do.” One of Kid’s big hands cupped the back of Killer’s helmet and pushed it forward to meet his own forehead. “I love you, man.”

“I know.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Later into the night and after dinner, the Kid Pirates lazily lounged around with full bellies. Law was sure to eat his fill and drank enough for a five-hundred pound man. Remembering the insanely, out-of-character moment he had last night was making him sick, wanting to forget it ever happened. Wandering around, he broke into the alcohol stock.

The whole thing with Kid confused him, turned him on, disgusted him, pulled on the strings of his heart, and every other mixed emotion Law never had. Alcohol was usually a great solution to rid your mind of your problems and so he did just that.

Law was full of food and drink, probably

too much

drink. His insides were warm and toasty. He wanted to drink enough to rid the stupid memory from his head. Though, with no one really supervising, he drank well past his limit. Feeling his body sway to the side too far too often, Law figured it was time for bed.

He smiled at the Kid Pirates as he walked passed them to go to his room. To better help him walk, he used Kikoku as a cane, slowly dragging himself down the spinning hall.

“God, you’re a lightweight. Can’t even walk on your own.” Kid teased, coming up behind him and pulling his arm over his shoulder to support the dark pirate.

“I - I definitely drank - hic! - a lot, okay? I am not...m’not a lightweight, okay? I’ma...strong guy.” Law started to giggle but cut himself off, clearing his throat. “Men do not laugh like that!” He said, puffing his chest out. “Men...can hold their drink - hic! - and they don’t giggle. No giggling.”

“What that fuck are you rambling on about?” Kid groaned as he guided Law down the stairs to the third floor.

“Wait...this is not the way to my room...sneeeaky bastard!” Law slurred. “You are gonna take advantage of me! Hic!”

Kid ignored Law’s rambling and brought him into his room. Gently letting Law down to sit on the bed, he squatted in front of him to untie his boots. He was sure to not snag the metal cuffs around his ankles, holding them in place as rid him of his shoes.

“See!” Law accused Kid and started swatting him away. “Trying to get me naked! Noooo way!”

Again, Kid didn’t reply and untied the other boot, tossing them both by the door. He stood in front of Law and gave a harsh push to his chest forcing him onto his back, which came easily from the drunken pirate. Law objected by squirming around and flailing his limbs, but Kid continued to work at unbuttoning his pants, sliding them off along with his t-shirt.

Now in his underwear, Law started to give Kid questioning looks, as if he was expecting the other to pounce on him and ravish him whole. Instead, he scooted Law over in the bed and pulled the blanket over him.

“Stay here.” He told Law and left the room. Not soon after, he came back with a pitcher of water and a glass. He filled the cup and handed it to Law, “Drink,”

Law greedily grabbed it, chugging the whole glass. “T-thanks. Didn’t really real - hic! - realize how thirsty I was.”

Taking the glass back, Kid undressed himself and proceeded to take his makeup off in front of his mirror. The last thing to go before slipping into bed were his goggles. He pulled them off, letting his hair flop down into his face.

“Yer hair is kinda long, innit,” Law said, tugging at some strands once Kid was next to him.

“Sure is,” he answered with a smile. “Now go to sleep,” he told Law, staring into his dark eyes.

Law held his gaze, slowly letting his hand fall from the red hair to grazing across a pink cheek. As if carefully thinking his actions over, Law leaned in at a snail’s pace and pressed his lips to Kid’s, breathing his familiar and lovely scent in.

After the passionate filled kiss, Law fell limp, already asleep. His hand slid from Kid’s cheek while his head drooped forward, lightly bumping into Kid’s shoulder as it dropped.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Kid sighed and rubbed Law’s back.
 
___
 
The early morning sun squeezed its way through the small window at the top of Kid’s room. Law squinted his eyes tight trying to rid the light away but the small veil of his eyelids wasn’t nearly thick enough to block out the sunshine.

As the rest of his sleep faded away from him, Law was expecting a headache knowing damn well he drank way too much last night. Though his head felt fine, normal in fact. Migraines were the first to follow a long night of drinking for him and he fully expected the penalty, but here he was awake and sober with not a tinge of pain.

That reminded him of when he was just a few inches tall. He remembered being in pain all night and Kid had soothed him to sleep with the electrical current of his powers. Law lifted his left wrist in front of him and observed the metal ring that he still wore for some reason.

Why haven’t I taken these things off? There’s no reason to wear these anymore,

Law thought to himself. Twisting his hand over he inspected the cuff.

Just a regular piece of metal, huh? So why do I still wear it?

Almost subconsciously, Law’s other hand came up and grab hold of the cuff as he activated a small blue Room around his wrist. He pulled the ring off himself and turned it in his fingers. “It’s just a piece of scrap metal. I watched him make it.” He said quietly and put the cuff back on with another Room.

It doesn’t hurt to keep them on, really. I don’t have to take them off. They’re not bothering me.

In his sleep, Kid grunted and rolled over to face the ceiling, breaking Law from his thoughts. The dark pirate rolled his head to the side and stared at the messy red hair.

His sunburn isn’t as bright anymore, it’s toning down…

Law reached over and hovered his hand over Kid’s head as he intended on touching him, instead deciding to retract and groan in annoyance.

I had sex with him. Clearly, this should be okay then, right? I mean, that’s as far as you can go! So why does something as little as brushing my hands against his face seem almost too intimate?

Racking his brain, he tried to think about what happened last night. He felt he was in his underwear still and he didn’t feel sore or dirty, so...nothing happened, right?

I was pretty drunk and he didn’t even do anything with me?

Am I disappointed? Relieved? Impressed? Annoyed?

Law felt his neck for hickies and such only to smile at himself.

You wouldn’t be able to feel them, idiot.

He rolled his eyes.

So, I get drunk and Eustass-ya takes care of me instead of taking advantage?

Law had to be honest with himself, he wasn’t expecting that reaction. He didn’t get drunk to initiate anything or to trick Kid, but a small part at the back of his head told him Kid might try to do something, yet he never did.

Like, respect or something?

Like...care?

And then a wave of thoughts crashed into his brain at the same time.

Caring? Does Kid care about me? Obviously, he bickers with me, but he’s been helping me more than a normal friend should, an enemy should! Do I consider Kid an enemy still? After I get back to my crew, will things change between us?

He has spent a lot of his time on me. He’s carried me on his shoulder for fifteen days, and even after I could depend on myself, he still was right there when I needed him...without even asking for help. That’s called ‘caring,’ right? And we have been intimate together. It wasn’t just sex, it couldn’t have been.

Law

really

thought back to how Kid has taken things slowly with him, making sure he was alright, making sure he was comfortable.

Why is that attractive to me? Why does something like that entice me to give something back to him?

I’ve never thought so much over a person before that wasn’t my mother...my father...my baby sister...Cora-san...Those are the people I’ve loved in my life. No one has even come close to entering my mind as intricately as Kid has. His hooks are deep in me and I can’t even understand the emotions I’m feeling about it.

Returning to face Kid, Law held out his hand to hover over his head. Instead of pulling away again, he gently ran his fingers through Kid’s long, red hair.

It’s soft.

A smile tugged at the corners of Kid’s face as he slept.

How fast...

Law thought.

How fast can someone fall for another?

Without answering himself, he sat up on his elbow to get a better look at the man next to him. He had high cheekbones that angled his face making him look powerful.

And he is powerful. And that power is so...

Law could barely think the next thought, he tried

not

to think about it. But the more he thought to avoid it, it forced its way through making the idea surface anyway:

Power is sexy as shit.

God, what am I even thinking? How could I think literally any of this about Captain Eustass Kid-ya? He’s a selfish, murderous prick of a pirate.

But aren’t I? And is he

really

selfish or is that just his image the media gave him? I would know, he’s been anything but selfish.

And that’s truly sexy.

Like his lips. Those lips that always hide behind the paint. Look how beautiful he is, sleeping peacefully in the morning sun.

Law sighed deeply as he pointed out all the things he liked about Kid.

Maybe it’s not so bad to like a man. What is it hurting? It feels no different than liking a woman. In fact, it feels better. I really feel something deep within me when he stares into my eyes.

Which is sexy.

Ungodly sexy.

His large frame over me the other night...and controlling me with these cuffs…

“Fuck, he’s hot,” Law said under his breath. He could feel himself getting harder the more he thought about how strong Kid was, his milky skin stretching over his chiseled muscles. “Fuck, he’s really hot,” Law admitted again.

Scanning down Kid’s form under the sheets, he checked to see if Kid was

ready to go,

and sure enough, morning wood had already gotten to him, his bulge tenting the sheets enough for Law to moan thinking about it.

“Fuck,” is all Law could think right now. Suddenly, he felt warm all over and started to whine and pant. Without thinking, he Shambled both his and Kid’s underwear off from their bodies and brought the bottle of lube towards him, catching it in his hand.

God, I feel so dumb. What do I even do to prepare myself? Do I have to? We did it two nights ago, shouldn’t that be enough? Is it the same way a woman works? Why have I not read more into this?

Uhm, gee, Traffle-ya, prolly cause you didn’t know you were into guys?

No, I’m not into guys.

Then what is Eustass-ya? Sure as hell looks like a guy to me.

OKAY, he’s a guy and I’m into him. But I’m not into

other

guys. Regardless of who I’m into, I wanna get fucked and I don’t know what to do with this lube.

After his internal battle with himself, he squeezed a little of the clear gel onto his fingers and sat there looking at the liquid as it slowly crept down his hand.

What the fuck am I doing?

Sitting up against the wall and feeling overly stupid and disgusted with himself, Law pulled his knees up and put his lubed fingers between his legs. He stopped right at his entrance, cringing and hating himself.

Thinking about Kid doing it though wasn’t so bad. Also thinking about Kid’s cock inside him sounded even better. Who knew it’d feel so good to get fucked like that? Before Law knew it, he already had two fingers inside, opening himself up for what he

really

wanted.

Except Law couldn’t stop. While one hand was busy between his legs, his other started to jerk himself off to the rhythm. He bucked his hips up and down, moaning and groaning.

Deep in Kid’s mind, something started to poke at his instincts telling him to wake up. He could feel an energy surge around him, but it wasn’t strong. It was very fast, leaving as soon as it appeared. Then that same itchy feeling happened again. It irked him to not know what it meant. The short surge started pulling him from his sleep, he tried grabbing onto that strange feeling but it has slipped away too fast.

The more he tried to wake himself, the more he heard noises in his room where they shouldn’t be. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t think they sounded hot, though.

The energy surge and the noises sound familiar, somehow. Almost like it’s a person rather than a thing.

Kid’s bed was slightly moving and that was the last thing that brought him fully awake. He blinked a few times ridding the sleep from his mind and looked over to his left.

There, Law had his head back against the wall, moaning into the ceiling with eyes shut tight while he masturbated. Kid had no words. He thought he was still sleeping but he definitely knew he was awake. “Thinking about me, I hope?” Kid chuckled after watching the other.

“AH!” Law shouted, immediately stopping and covering himself with the sheet. He avoided eye contact and could only look straight ahead.

“I guess we’re even now, right?” Kid said. “But you couldn’t do that somewhere else? Had to do it next to me?”

“Fuck off,”

“Could have at least let me do it for you,”

“Fuck off,”

“But I guess watching you was pretty hot, too,”

“Fuck OFF, Eustass-ya!”

The redhead laughed, sitting up on his elbow, the sheets slightly falling off his hip. The cool air in his room touched his skin where his underwear should have been. “Did- did you take off my briefs, dude?”

“Fuck off,”

“I’m not mad!”

“Fuck off,”

“You did, didn’t you! What did you do to me?”

Law’s jaw dropped. “I- I didn’t do anything to you!” Though part of him felt horribly guilty. He

planned

on climbing on top of Kid after he opened himself up but he didn’t make it that far.

And after he didn’t even try anything with me while I was piss drunk...

Law felt ashamed. “I really didn’t do anything...but I did take them off.” He admitted.

“Hmm, interesting. And then you decided to touch yourself?” Law stayed quiet still facing forward. Kid tried remembering the image he had of Law masturbating. “I am pretty sure you weren’t just jerking off. You had your fingers in you, didn’t you?”

Law could have died from embarrassment. Slowly closing his eyes, he sighed in defeat. Kid knows already. “Yeah.”

“Also interesting.”

“So what if I was?” Law said with a pout, mad he was found out.

Kid laid back down and stuffed his hands under his head. He kicked the sheet off, exposing himself, and stretched his body out. His erection was at full attention and he in no way was trying to hide it.

Law tried not to look. He

wouldn’t

look. He wouldn’t give in to Kid’s game.

But look at him, look how inviting he is. He’s awake so I can do whatever I want now.

Law started to sweat and groaned as the pain in his dick reminded him he needed to finish. He was so close, too, before Kid interrupted him. The dark pirate licked his lips.

“Fuck me, Law.” Kid said. “I know you want to. Just hop on.” The confidence dripping from his voice. He didn’t even have his eyes open, he laid there knowing damn well that Law wouldn’t say no.

“I already finished,” Law lied. Even just

saying

that his dick felt like it was going to explode like it was punching him in the gut telling him he better fucking take that statement back!

“Well, that’s too bad, then. I’m gonna have some breakfast if you’re all set.” He lazily said and tried to swing his legs off the bed and sit up. There was a hand on his arm in a flash, tightly pulling back with no room for him to leave.

“Eustass-ya,”

“Yes, Trafalgar? What can I help you with?” Kid asked. He yanked his arm hard to shake Law’s grip. He stood, stretching up high to the ceiling. Law’s jaw fell slack as he gawked at the perfectly sculpted body. It was so much easier to admire someone when you admitted you wanted them. And he wanted Kid bad.

“Okay, I lied. I didn’t finish. And I want to fuck you.”

“Didn’t I say it was too bad? I’m already out of bed, Traf. Now you really will have to finish yourself.” He scolded the other and turned to face him. Heaving a leg up onto the side of the bed, Kid slowly stroked himself while watching Law watch him.

Law’s eyes were fucking

glued

to Kid’s dick at this point. His own dick aching for a release. “Yeah, but…” he tried saying as he crawled towards the thing he wanted most right now. Reaching a hand out, he tried grabbing Kid’s dick but Kid activated his power freezing Law in place.

“Naughty! What did I just tell you, Law? I said do it yourself. I’m doing

this

for

me.”

Law fought against the magnetic hold and whined when he couldn’t move. He was so close to Kid’s cock yet so far.

What if he seriously finishes himself off right in front of me and won’t fuck me? Is he fucking serious right now? Is this how he really is going to be?!

“Eustass-ya! I said I lied! Just get back on the fucking bed!”

“Nah,”

Again, Law was floored he was

actually

denying him! “I’m not joking! It’s starting to hurt, just fuck me already!”

“Don’t want to. I’m fine doing this,” Kid said as he played with himself.

What the fuck?!

Law thought. He still tried fighting against the hold Kid had on him but it was no use, the stupid metal rings he left on were holding him back. “Did you want me to beg you, is that it?! Please fuck me, then! Please fuck me, Eustass-ya!” Law pleaded. He was starting to become desperate and angry that Kid still refused him.

Kid hummed as he pleasured himself. “Fuck, this feels good.” he moaned to himself. “It’s a shame you can’t have any of it.”

“I want to! Let me!”

“Nah,”

“Please!” Law begged again, stretching out. All he could think about was the other night when Kid fucked him hard enough he couldn’t walk. He wanted that again.

“No thanks,”

No thanks? No fucking thanks? Who does he think he is?

Law growled out, yelling for Kid to fuck him. When Kid still shook his head no, Law brought up a Room and Shambled his cuffs off himself and throwing Kid onto his back, holding him down tight against the bed. The redhead yelped in surprise and out of pure instinct started fighting against him.

"I'm going to fuck you so quit moving!"

Law snarled as he tried pinning Kid down.

The redhead started laughing while he tried to get out from underneath Law like this was some kind of fucking game. "I won't let you!" Kid said pushing Law up.

"Stay down!" Law yelled and Shambled Kid to his stomach and held his neck down to the pillow. Law lowered his voice and brought his face close to Kid's ear, "unless you want me to fuck you like

this

then I suggest you better stop resisting me."

Surprisingly, Kid did slow his squirming. "Don't you dare, Traf."

"I could, you know. You can't fight against my power if I don't have metal on, ya?" Law jammed his cock against Kid's backside. "look how close I am and I'm not even

trying,

"

All at once, Kid stopped and calmed down. "Okay, you win, Traf. You win."

"Now we wanna play nice, huh? Good. Now roll over."

Obeying Law, Kid did as he was told. As soon as he was flat, Law immediately mounted him sitting straight on Kid's rock hard cock. The redhead moaned out and grabbed Law's hips giving them an affectionate squeeze, but Law smacked them away.

"Don't do whatever you want." He snapped and started moving up and down to get himself off. "I'm in control here. I'll tell you what I want you to do. Right now, just fucking sit there and take this."

Kid had no idea Law could even

pretend

to do anything like this, let alone

actually do it!

He was so turned on by the strange and new behavior he almost gave in and let Law fuck him from behind! Almost...

"Eustass-ya," Law breathed as he bounced up and down. His long fingers traced over Kid’s abs then scratched down his stomach, welting the skin below his nails. "I'm stronger than you." He said with a devious smile.

"Maybe," Kid moaned back, "maybe not."

Between breathy moans, Law laughed at the man below him. "I can -

ah, ah

- I can overpower you." Law's pace quickened and he started slamming his ass down harder onto Kid's thighs. The sensation of Kid’s girth stretching him open was exactly what he was so desperate for. Every time he sat up, the head of Kid’s dick just barely inside him made him shiver, but the best part was sitting back down, feeling it reenter over and over again.

"Doubt it!" Kid shouted from the sudden heightened pleasure. "Jesus, Traf, wha- what's gotten into you!?"

"Grab me," Law said as he threw his head back, whining at the ceiling. "Grab me!" he repeated when Kid was too slow.

One of Kid's large hands came up to pump up and down on Law's dick.

"Yeah,

ah, ah!

I'm….I'm gonna...!" Law couldn't finish his sentence as his orgasm overcame everything about him. Law squeezed his eyes shut and yelled out as he bucked his hips a few more times before falling forward onto Kid's cum splattered chest.

"My turn," Kid laughed and quickly turned them over, taking advantage of Law's weakened state. Kid wrenched his arm under Law’s middle, pulling his ass up higher and gave it a hard slap.

Law cringed from the sting. He was exhausted. He couldn't believe how needy he became so fast. All Kid did was fuck him once and now he's hooked deep wanting his dick more every day. As Kid pressed himself inside of Law and pounded into him, Law moaned, the noise muffled into the pillow below him. "Not so hard, Eustass-ya," he said, wincing.

"Nah, you were gonna penetrate me. I ain't forgiving that." Kid answered with another harsh slam inside.

Law's back muscles were noticeably tensing from the pain, his hands grabbing fists full of sheets. He knew it hurt but he couldn't ignore how his dick started to harden again. He felt so overly stimulated still he didn't know how he was even able to get it up again.

Relaxing into the forceful rhythm, it started to hurt less, which Kid noticed. Reaching forward he grabbed a fistful of dark hair and pulled backward.

"Ah!" Law shouted. He could feel Kid's thrusting becoming less organized and more sporadic. Kid was getting close already.

Just as Law thought, it didn't take much to throw Kid over the edge as he completely came undone inside of the dark pirate. The hand that gripped Law's hair slid down and around to the front of his neck, squeezing as he bucked the last few drops he had to give.

Kid rolled off Law and onto his back, panting. "Jesus Christ, ya fuckin bastard." Swallowing back the cotton ball in his mouth, he asked Law what the fuck has gotten into him.

"You," was all he managed to say.
 
___
 
The buzz on the ship was the snow had started to fall and the wind was picking up. The Kid Pirates readied their boat to keep it as warm as possible in the freezing sea water as they headed towards Zou.

Insulating the inside of the rooms by putting up foam pieces, it helped keep the temperature above freezing. The rest of the ship would get well below zero.

The sky darkened as the sun finally went down for the day, extinguishing all light and heat that it barely provided for the world below.

Only that morning, the sky was clear and the sun was already hot before noon. Then, not even two hours later, the weather morphed into this blizzard mess.

Heat was freezing his ass off, shaking as he asked Wire if he needed anything in the navigator's room. The speaker system had died from the wires freezing and cracking apart.

"I'm good. I'll send Vencar if I need anything.” Wire answered hiking a thumb over his shoulder at the younger pirate. Vencar about cried thinking about leaving out into the cold. “Get back inside where it's warm. Well, warm-

er,

I guess

,

" he corrected.

Heat didn't have to be told twice. He jolted back to below deck and dived under a pile of blankets he gathered to the lounge area next to the kitchen. "What's the use of even being out there if there's no visibility!" Heat said from under the blankets. You could hear his teeth chattering as he tried warming himself. "Wire should just drop anchor and come down until morning."

Under a brown fuzzy blanket that looked a little too similar to a certain captain's jacket, Killer assured Heat that Wire would be fine. "He knows he can do that. Pretty sure he's mad because of what Law said. He wants to drop the skinny bastard off as soon as possible."

"I wasn't making it a competition," Law interjected to defend himself from the dining room table. "The Polar Tang simply is faster, is all," In the cold weather, Law seemed to do okay now that he was big. As a tiny pirate, the cold went straight to his bones, but right now he didn't feel too chilled. It reminded him of home with his fat polar bear of a best friend.

Killer sighed hearing Law speak. "Can't you go somewhere else?"

"Not really. Eustass-ya told me not to follow him."

The blonde perked up, turning his head to Law. "He did?"

"Yeah, about an hour ago," Law said, waving a hand behind him towards wherever Kid was.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Nope, but he turned right instead of left from his room if that helps."

Hearing that, Killer was in a better mood. "He'll ask for us soon." He said with a hidden smile under his helmet.

"Sure," Law said, not caring to know why. He turned back to picking his nails in the silence of the room. Law didn't care what the hell Kid was doing. To be honest, he was still mad at Kid for holding out on him - again. Even after he fucking begged!!!

Stupid redheaded bastard.

Making him beg and still not giving him what he wanted.

It’s like he was torturing me like he got off on it.

Another hour had passed before Law started to feel annoyed Kid had left him alone.

The fuck is he doing?

Glancing up from the table he saw Heat dozing off all wrapped up in his blanket fortress. Killer sat in the exact same spot, barely moved an inch.

Fuckin freak,

Law thought, grimacing. “You sure he’s going to come and get us? It’s been over two hours since he’d left.” Killer turned towards Law. “Maybe he froze to death somewhere on the ship.”

“He’s preparing The Room. He’ll call.” Killer answered.

Heat pried his eyes open, “You - you get to play? Am I invited?” He inched forward in anticipation. A slow shake of the head from Killer had Heat deflating. “I wonder if I could watch, at least?” His tongue snaked out and licked at the stitches across his cheek.

“He specifically said Law and I would be involved. He didn’t include an audience.” Killer answered.

Law looked confused as to how he was involved with this at all. “Uh, preparing a room? And playing what?”

Sitting back against the couch and fluffing the blankets around him again, Heat pouted. “Fuck you, Law. Captain likes you so you get all the attention.”

“Eh????” Law felt even more confused. He was sure Heat kinda liked him and was a little sad to hear him talk to him like that. Heat was the only one on the ship that didn’t seem to hate his guts just for existing. Although, Christoph was nice when he helped him with the dishes.

“I s-s-said fuck you!” Heat stuttered through chattering teeth.

“Fire-ya, if you’re so cold, can’t you light up some torches for warmth? Or maybe do you guys have a fireplace?” Law asked, looking around. Both Killer and Heat turned their heads to stare at Law.

A smile grew on Heat’s face. “I wasn’t given permission to use fire today.”

“Permission?” Law asked. “Don’t you just use a fluid to create fire? Why would you need permission for that? Is it expensive?” Law sat in confusion as Heat cackled and Killer grumbled a laugh under his helmet. “I don’t get it, what’s so funny?”

Before Heat could explain any more, there was a terribly loud whistle that echoed against the metal walls. The pattern was different from the other times Law had heard it. Killer jumped up from his seat and waved for Law to follow.

This is literally the weirdest fucking pirate group I have ever encountered,

Law thought before following after the blonde.

As Law tried keeping up with Killer’s quick pace, he asked questions that any normal person would have been curious about. “How do you know what the whistle meant?”

“It’s my call.”

“And why didn’t he use the intercom?”

“Cold weather broke the system.”

“Where are we going?”

“To The Room.”

“The room? For what?”

“To play.”

“What do you mean, ‘to pl-”

“Jesus, do you ever shut up?!” Killer snapped turning a corner. “You’ll see. Hurry up. I’ve been waiting over a day for this.”

Law shook his head extremely annoyed at the lack of explanation from literally anyone. Kid abandoned him, Heat seemed to know what was in store for him and wanted to participate, and Killer was itchy to play with Kid. “I’m surprised you’re not trying to dice me up, Kill-ya. You’re being so nice, I feel honored.” Law said sarcastically, hoping to rile the other up to get some more information from him.

Stopping in the hallway just before a red door, he turned around to speak to Law. “I still hope you die, but I would murder a thousand men to save you if it meant I could get in this room right here,” he said knocking on the door three times before continuing. “With this man.” He finished as Kid answered the door.

Killer immediately went inside leaving Law alone in the hallway. Kid leaned against the door frame curling a finger, motioning for Law to get closer. Law was suspicious of what was happening. The door was only open the width of Kid’s body, which blocked the rest of what was inside.

The captain of the ship was in tight leather pants with his boots buckled up. No shirt covering him, though his skin was shiny like he had been sweating. There was a flickering light source behind him, the shadows ever changing on the surface of his shoulders. Law was still not entirely sure what was going on. “You’re dressed weird.”

“I’m dressed

appropriately.”

Kid corrected him.

Rolling his eyes, Law walked forward and entered the room. Just barely through the frame, Kid shut the door behind him. The flickering lights he saw were about a hundred candles on the rafters of the room. Along the walls were numerous containers that held some sort of soot, a fire hovering above it. The temperature of the room was a little too warm for comfort from all the fire, even while floating through the freezing cold water.

“Put these on,” Kid said, handing him a pair of thick, black leather bands. The redhead stretched gloves on up to his wrist, springing his hand in and out so they fit better. The material creaked under the pressure.

Law took the bands, starting to understand what was going to happen. In addition to the cuffs and Kid’s pants, there were various other things hanging on the wall made of leather, there was an excessive amount of metal around, and hooks and harnesses hanging from the beams towards the back of the room. Law looked to Killer for an answer but he already had his cuffs on and was pulling his helmet off.

Not able to control his stare, Law’s eyes stayed glued to Killer, waiting for him to turn around. Long, wavy, blonde hair fell down as the metal mask was lifted and set on a nearby table. He turned to face the other two, a chaotic grin spreading across his face. “I’m excited,” he admitted with a strange giggle.

Law was frozen in place. Killer was fucking

gorgeous.

Everything about him looked perfect. His full, rosy lips were pouty and smooth, his eyes were bluer than he’d ever think possible, and he had long, thick eyelashes. As he continued to gawk at Killer, a hand touched the bottom of his chin, pushing it upwards to close his mouth. “Easy there, Traff. No matter how hard you stare, he won’t play with

you.”

Kid laughed. “Now put the cuffs on.” 
Shaking his head to rid the trance he seemed to be in, Law looked down at the leather bands he held. They were about three inches long and were thick with padding. Shrugging away the uneasiness cuffs should give people, he put them on with a clear mind knowing he can easily jump out of them if shit went south.
Except once Law pulled the last buckle tight, Kid clapped a pair of Sea Stone cuffs on him.

“What the fuck!?!?” Law yelled.

“Can’t have you sneaking away like you did this morning, can we?” Kid reminded him.

Law looked around, freaked. The door was closed and had a huge lock on it. There were no windows. Just dancing flames climbing the walls, candles above him, fire on all walls, and a whole hell of a lot of other scary stuff lying around.

Glancing to Killer, he saw him holding his clasped wrists above his head, waiting. Kid lightly pushed him and Law on the chest a few steps backward. Kid was watching the ceiling and when the two pirates were lined up, he stopped them.

Law still stood completely dumbfounded this was actually happening to him. This was out of nowhere and he didn't even ask if Law wanted to participate! AND HE HAS SEA STONE BLOCKING HIS POWER!!!!

Kid reached up to a beam and pulled a hook down. The cord on the pulley made a whirring noise as he tugged for slack. Safely securing Killers cuffs to the ceiling hook, Kid easily hoisted him up until the blonde was standing just on his toes. Killer very subtly swayed back and forth an inch or two until he came to a stop.

Law was shocked when Killer threw his head back and laughed. He tightened his muscles up and pulled his body off the ground in excitement, only to drop down again.

What the fuck??? Is this the same guy under the helmet?

Without speaking, Kid came over to Law and motioned for him to put his arms up as Killer had. "Uhm, I'm not playing this shit. This is too much." Law tried saying, backing away.

Kid reached up for a new hook and yanked the rope down. He snatched Law's wrists pulling him back in place fastening him to the hook.

"Put your arms up."

"No! Fuck this shit! Undo this!"

Kid shrugged and pulled hard on the pulley to teach Law. Since his arms weren't at the right angle, it hurt when they were suddenly jerked upward and pulling him off his feet. Law yelled out in pain.

"You really should listen better, Traf."

"Fuck you!" He spat.

Killer continued to laugh in the background, swinging his body around.

The two pirates were now both successfully hanging from the rafters, swaying on their toes. Law was shaking in anger. His eyes followed Kid while he turned his back to mess around on a table. When he turned around, he had a two and a half foot riding crop in his hand. The stiff rod was tightly braided leather with a flat, trapezoid-like shape at the end. Testing it out, Kid swung it hard in the air with sharp,

whoosh, whoosh, whoosh

noises every time Kid swung it.

Killer pulled his legs up again to hang entirely by his arms. He hadn’t stopped laughing since Kid first hoisted him up. Kid thought that was funny, too. “You really are excited, aren’t you, Kill?” He asked, whipping the air some more to rile the blonde up.

Feeling extremely powerless (literally) and exposed, Law went pale. Does he plan

on using that on us?!

Changing his mind, Kid returned the riding crop to the table and looked for something else. He turned with a familiar looking dagger. It was Kid’s favorite, the one with the metal snake scales for a handle. With much practice, he spun it around in his hand as he approached Killer. The blonde came down from his laughing high but continued to breathe heavily from excitement.

“We gotta get rid of these clothes, Kill.” He cooed and touched the tip of the knife to Killer’s clavicle. “I’ll get you a new shirt,” He said as he arched the knife downward, tearing through the shirt’s buttons keeping it closed. The black and white button-up lay open baring Killer’s chest. Becoming too eager, Killer brought his legs up and wrapped them around Kid hugging him close.

Kid growled as he leaned his upper body backward away from Killer’s face. With one great swing, Kid backhanded Killer across the face, splitting his lip wide open. The blood sprayed far enough to fall onto Law, who stared blankly at the scene in front of him.

Law wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing Killer grab Kid like that, but he shook the feelings away. There were more important things that needed to be dealt with. “Eustass-ya, I’m not interested in this like Kill-ya is. Let me down.”

Being reminded of his place, Killer let go of his captain after receiving the hit. Kid stared at him for a moment before winking and walking around Killer to his back. Grabbing a fistful of the dress shirt's collar, Kid gave one fast yank and ripped the rest off the man. He threw the scrap wear towards the wall and into a fire, it igniting making the flames burst and temporarily raising the temperature.

Killer licked his wound, sucked on his lip to pool the blood into his mouth, then spat it at the flood, laughing with blood stained teeth. “I’m sorry, Captain,” he smiled, shaking his head like a mad man.

“No, you’re not. But you will be. You’ve been really bad lately. I told you to be nice to Trafalgar and you did the exact opposite.” Kid inched closer to him to rest his chin on the man’s shoulder. “You really got on my nerves.” He said and wrapped his arms around Killer’s stomach and let his hands slowly slide down until they reached the belt holding Killer’s pants up.

Law’s eye twitched.

And Kid noticed. He smiled as he rubbed his face into Killer’s soft hair. “I’m not gonna go easy on you just because Traf’s here, you know. You won't be able to walk outta this room.” Kid whispered. His fingers undid the belt and pulled it out of the loops. Instead of tossing it aside like Law thought he would, he stood and looped it around Killer’s neck, pulling tight.

Trying to cough and catch his breath, Killer’s face gradually turned red, but still, he wore a smile, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Law gawked, surprised to see Killer like this! He was so serious and murderous behind that helmet, yet give him a little pain and he buckles.

Kid dropped the belt, letting it sag until it eventually fell from Killer’s shoulders. Killer gasped for air, a few stray strings of blood sprayed as he coughed. “Captain,” he breathed. “I’m sorry, I should have listened!”

“It ain't enough. You know I like him,” Kid said with a tone of sadness in his voice. As Kid came around to the front, he was also pulling Killer up higher until his waist was at eye-level with Kid. Taking his time untying his boots, he continued to reprimand his First Mate. “What if you scared him away?” The right boot tossed to the door behind him. “What if I wasn’t fast enough and you actually killed him?” The other boot flew through the air. Kid reached up and unzipped Killer’s jeans and pulled them off along with his underwear, exposing him completely. “Man, I don’t think I would have let up on your for a week.” Kid tsked and walked away.

Law felt uncomfortable seeing Killer naked. Averting his eyes he instead focused on Kid who went back to the table grabbing the riding crop. Law felt his body twinge just thinking of what was coming for the man strung up next to him.

“I’m sorry! I was jealous! I don’t like when you give attention to anyone else but me.” Killer whined as he crossed his legs, moaning.

“That doesn’t make it right, Kill.” Kid said, and raised his arm with the whip in it, “I thought I trained you better than that.” and swung down on Killer’s already erect dick, making him cry out in pain.

Kid laughed and spun the pulley system around so Killer’s ass was facing forward, allowing Law to see what was happening. The redhead waited until Killer stopped swinging before continuing.

Law tried looking away, he really did. He did

not

like what Kid what doing, he felt horrible for Killer. Though, seeing Kid take control...

No, no. This isn’t right.

“I hate it when you act like that!” Kid yelled and slammed the crop down on Killer’s ass, the sting already welting up, redding his fair skin. “How many fucking times do I have to tell you, I ain't interested!” Another hit. Another. And another.

Moaning his yells, Killer pleaded for forgiveness that never came.

The sweat slicked over the redhead’s body made him look more intense than he already was. Law eyed his muscles straining as he beat down on Killer. Watched the fire reflect off his shiny body. Admired the powerful stance he held...

Hot...

Law thought for only a moment.

“Listen to what I fucking say!” Kid yelled, hitting Killer across the ass again before taking a break. Both cheeks were severely red and welted. A long, thin line went from invisible to pink to red as blood started to seep through an open cut.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Kid got closer and gently tugged on Killer’s long hair that covered his back. “You hear me, Kill?”

Killer nodded, breathing hard trying to catch his breath from all the screaming.

Kid grabbed a handful of hair and yanked down, Killer’s head falling backward. “I said ‘did you fucking hear me’!?” Kid repeated.

“Yes! Yes, Captain!” Killer verbally answered.

Letting go and stroking Killer’s hair down so it wasn’t tangled anymore, Kid smiled to himself, satisfied. He gave a soft pat on the blonde’s tortured butt and gave Law a grin. “This is what happens when you go easy on’em for too long. They get cocky. But I’ll always be here to put them back in their place.”

“Kill-ya…,” Law said, amazed he was able to control his own anger. Imagining Kid doing that to Killer just made his blood boil. “I think he’s had enough.”

Before Kid could speak, Killer started throwing curses at Law, telling him to fucking die and stay out of his business. Thrashing within his cuffs had the candles on the rafter their shackles were connected start to shake in place. The accumulated liquid wax spilled over and
rained down on almost all three of then, Kid taking a step back as they started to drip.

“SHIT!”

Law yipped as some fell on his arms, slowly easing its way down until it hardened again. Once it was dry, it didn’t feel so hot, but it was still extremely uncomfortable. Law rubbed his arms together to rid the wax off.

Next to Law, a whole different scenario played out. Upon the hot wax making contact with Killer’s skin, he moaned out, yanking his legs upward as his body began to shudder and shake.

“Don’t you fucking

dare

cum, Killer, I ain't done with you.” Kid warned Killer, reaching up and smacking him across the face with the whip.

The vicious act caught Law off guard, “Not the face!” he protested, immediately regretting saying anything. He looked away from the two Kid Pirates in embarrassment, appalled he’d say such a thing.

“What’s it to you, Fucker?” Killer spat. Kid glared at him in warning before approaching Law.

“Traffy, why don’t you want me markin up my mate’s face?”

“Nevermind,”

“It’s cause he’s pretty, innit it? You think it’s a waste.”

“I didn’t say that,” Law said through gritted teeth, still avoiding eye contact.

Kid shrugged. “He is really pretty, though. No denying that.” Once behind Killer again, he rested his chin back on Killer’s shoulder and nuzzled his head keeping his gaze fixed directly on Law.

Of course, Law knew what he was doing. He was trying to fuck with him.

Well good fucking luck, bastard! Cause I’m not falling for it.

Peeking wouldn’t hurt, though. Law moved his eyes to face the others and saw Kid was sensually rubbing his hands up and down Killer’s abs.

What the fuck does he think he’s doing?!

Turning his entire head now, Law furrowed his brows and shot the dirtiest look he could at Kid, who only smiled at him.

“Something the matter?” Kid asked innocently. He licked up Killer’s neck and sucked on an earlobe.

“Don’t!” Law shouted, mad that he let out an outburst again.

Why can’t I keep my fucking mouth shut?! He’s just playing a game and I’m falling right into his pace.

“Don’t what?” Kid cooed into Killer’s ear, who was practically

dying

at this point. Kid continued to twirl his fingers over Killer’s sweaty skin, forming circles around his nipples and twisting them when he knew Law was looking.

“K-Kid,” Killer breathed, “I’m g-”

“Don’t call me that!”

Kid warned and pulled hard on Killer’s hair, stopping him from reaching his orgasm again.

“Captain! Please let me finish!” Killer whined, he panted, he pleaded. His body squirmed under Kid’s playful groping.

Law watched as the man was trying to let loose but was continuously being denied. Law knew

all too well

how that felt and it was all because Kid is a sick fuck!

Even though he felt for Killer in many different ways, he was also really annoyed Kid was making him watch what he was doing to the man. It was different when he was being smacked around, but touching him with his hands?!

With the hands that touch me?

“Stop touching him,” Law heard himself say.

“Oh?” Kid smirked. “Like how? Like this?” He asked and let his hands slide down Killer’s stomach, inching their way closer and closer to his weeping cock.

“DON’T!” Law yelled again.

Hearing that, Kid let go and put his hands up like he was never touching him in the first place. “Okay, have it your way. But now I’m gonna touch you instead.”

“Captain! Captain,

please!

I need release!” Killer begged in the background.

Kid pulled out the riding crop that was shoved in the back of his tight pants and whipped it across Killer’s ribs. “Shut the fuck up. It’s Law’s turn.” Killer quieted.

“Don’t come near me, Freak,” Law warned.

Pondering for a moment, Kid put a finger to his mouth thinking about what Law said. “Mmmm, nah,” he laughed and pulled the small knife out, opening Law’s t-shirt up and ripping the rest off.

“That’s my only shirt!” Law yelled and swung his feet at Kid trying to kick him. “Goddamn shitty red bastard!”

With a single twirl, Kid flung the shirt into a wall, letting that one burn up, too. “I’ll buy you a new shirt, too, sweetheart.” He said, swatting Law’s long legs away. With a single pull, he heaved Law up higher so his waist was at eye-level.

Law saw this as the perfect opportunity to wrap his legs around Kid’s neck and pulled him in, suffocating him with his crotch. Kid annoyingly only laughed, his voice muffled by the jeans around his face.

Kid let Law do as he wanted for a few more minutes and then he started getting tired of this brat’s bullshit. The laughing ceased as Kid grabbed the sides of Law’s waistband and pulled his feet up, dropping all three hundred pounds of raw muscle for Law’s small wrists to hold up.

Law groaned in pain but still held onto Kid, somehow still holding Kid up. He grit his teeth trying to hold on, but eventually, it was too much for his arms to hold. He dropped Kid who caught himself standing on his feet.

Kid laughed through a few coughs to catch his breath, patting Law’s butt. “Good job, you did me good on that one. Gotta give you a little credit, didn’t think you had it in ya.” Law answered by swinging his boot up to swipe it across Kid’s face, but the redhead caught it in his large fist. “You are

such

a brat, you know.”

Killer had come down from his high and started to laugh with Kid. Killer was all too familiar with what Kid meant by that, though Law was clueless.

It’s been over an hour since the three pirates had started their play time, and Law was spent. Not only has he been hanging for too long, but he was stupid and held Kid’s fat ass up almost popping his arms out of their sockets.

Stupid!

Law cursed himself. His arms ached and the pain started to reach his head, a migraine forming. There was a tingling sensation in the base of his skull where the pressure was building. Law quietly groaned wishing for this to be over. He was tired. Killer seemed to be having the time of his fuckin life! But Law was over it.

Law seemed to have calmed down for the moment, leaving Kid to continue his mission. Untying his boots and tossing them aside, Law knew Kid was going to take his pants off. “Don’t just do whatever you want! Leave my pants alone!” he said, fidgeting around to keep Kid away from his zipper.

“Hold still, will you?!” Kid laughed. “You’re so disobedient, it’s driving me crazy.” He grumbled to himself wrenching Law’s pants open. Law wiggled the whole time as Kid pulled the snug jeans down to his ankles and threw them over his shoulder. “God, finally!”

“Don’t you fucking dare taking my shorts off, Eustass-ya,” Law said, still kicking.

“Only cause you asked so nicely.” Kid said, placing all ten of his fingertips on Law’s ribs.

The dark pirate felt a jolt in his body. It was the same electrical current he felt that Kid soothed him to sleep with. Except this one was turned up a bit, startling Law. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

This made Kid and Killer laugh. Law felt his cheeks redden.

“Awww, Traf, you’re scared. I can see you shaking.” Kid said, wrapping his arms around Law’s ass and resting his face on his crotch. “I’m sorry,”

“I’m not fucking scared, you bastard! I’m tired! Get me down from here!”

“But I wanna plaaaay,” Kid said, squeezing Law’s cheeks and rubbing his face on his soft dick. “Play with me,”

“Get offa me!”

Kid inched his left hand up the back of Law’s shorts, “Captain wants Traffy to play with him,”

Law clenched hard before Kid could get his fingers between his cheeks. “W- what do you think you’re doing! Don’t fucking do that here!” Law was exasperated! How could he do that shit to him in front of someone else?! Especially when that person hated his very existence - and was buck ass naked!

How awkward can this get!

“But I wanna plaaaay,” Kid whined and gently bit Law’s dick through his shorts. He continued to wedge his fingers in enough he could just barely touch the entrance.

“Don’t d-do that in front of Kill-ya! He’s watching!”

Of course, Kid knew that. He could feel Killer’s raptor gaze judging their every move. Kid also knew Killer wasn’t objecting...the First Mate had never seen his captain do something like this to one of his playmates. He never

inserts

with his playmates. Killer was very interested in what he was seeing. “But Killer wants to play, too,” Kid whispered into Law’s front.

Not exactly sure what Kid meant, Law looked over, despite being hella embarrassed, and to his surprise, Killer’s eyes were

glued

to them, his mouth curved into a manic smile, and his aching dick hard again.

Against his will, Law felt the pressure in his underwear tighten knowing Killer was enjoying what Kid was doing to him.

Fucking - NO!

Law cursed himself internally. It didn’t help, especially with Kid nuzzling his face all over him and his fingers trying to pry inside.

It was all too tempting, so easy to give in. He was tired. If he just relaxed…

Law felt Kid’s middle finger make its way inside him. He couldn’t help but let out a moan, enjoying it way too much. Kid quietly laughed, playing with his new toy just like he wanted.

With his other hand, Kid fished Law’s dick from the open hole in the front of his shorts, swallowing him whole. The redhead turned just enough that he could make eye contact with Killer. Even while sucking a dick, Kid managed to smile at his first mate.

Killer whined just watching. This is the most sexual thing he was able to witness of his captain, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Anything he’d ever known of his captain to do was always behind closed doors, only noises letting him know what was being done to the person below Kid. It always drove him mad that he didn’t know

exactly

what was going on, the

details

of the situation.

But here he was, watching Kid deepthroat his new plaything. “Captain,” Killer said. “I need help,” He was getting too turned on but needed more attention if he planned on finishing.

Speaking with his mouth full, Kid said, “Mm bithy,”

“Eustass-ya, q-quit….he’s...

hah,

he’s watch...

hiiing

…”

Honestly, who fucking cares anymore.

Law wrapped his legs around Kid’s head again and rolled his body onto him, thrusting into his mouth, desperate for more action.

Kid groaned when Law’s dick hit the back of his throat, but let it happen, inserting another finger and letting the electrical current trickle deep inside of Law, just enough for it to be noticeable and take effect.

Law could have died from pure bliss feeling the strange sensation, his orgasm inching closer and closer. “Shit,

ah,

do it

ah-ah

-again,”

The captain did so, letting his metallic power overtake Law’s insides, the current coursing through his body. Feeling Law start to arch his back and his dick twitch inside his mouth, Kid released him and stepped back. “Nah, you don’t get to finish like that. You’re a brat.”

“GOD DAMMIT, THAT’S THREE TIMES YOU’VE DONE THIS TO ME!”

Law screamed out and kicked Kid across the face, this time his foot hitting its target, Kid too slow to react. “You fucking BASTARD! Let me down! I’m gonna fuck you!” Law wrestled against the cuffs that held him to the rafters, making them slightly rock and causing more wax to spill down on all three of them.

Law ignored the pain, the wax burning his back and shoulders, and crazily flung his body back and forth making it sway. “I’M GONNA FUCK YOU LIKE A MAN!” Law repeated over and over, his entire body straining against the cuffs.

Kid shook his head and blinked away the dizziness he got from Law’s fierce kick. He felt his face for blood but Law was lucky he didn’t draw any. Practically rattling his brain inside his skull, he was too dazed to react to Law going wild. He reached out for Law’s body to calm him down.

Law had been swinging his body enough that before Kid could grab hold of him, he managed to fling his legs up on the rafters where Kid couldn’t grab him. With his weight off the hook, Law pulled his cuffs from the pulley and jumped down to the metal floor stumbling a little. “You’re dead.” He said before he launched himself at Kid.

“What do you plan on doing with those cuffs on, Traff?!” Kid said, genuinely interested in Law’s escape plan. Law swung his restrained fists like a bat at the man, angry Kid would hold out on him again.

Kid seemed to have had enough of Law’s antics because he looked at Killer and jerked his head, giving him the signal to wrap this shit up.

Killer did the same as Law by pulling himself up onto the rafter and unhooking himself, except Killer also wrenched the belts loose on the cuffs and dropped them. With ease, Killer hooked his arms under Law’s armpits and wrapped his hands on the back of his head, putting him in a Full Nelson hold. Law struggled but Killer had him under his control now.

Opening the door and giving another unique whistle, he waited until Heat showed up in a hurry. “What the?!” He said, looking at a naked Killer restraining a half-naked, half-feral Law, and a smiling captain. “What’s the matter with Law, Master?” He asked, looking to Kid with concern.

“He’s horny.”

Heat gave an agreeable shrug and entered the room. “Take care of Killer, Master?”

“Yeah, I gotta put this dog down,” Kid said, glaring at Law as the man violently struggled against Killer’s hold on him. Killer handed Law off to his captain, who used his powers to keep Law from struggling his way out of Kid’s hold. He threw him over a shoulder and began walking out of the room, but before he was on the other side of the door, he turned back to Heat. “Oh, I promised he wouldn’t walk outta this room. Don’t disappoint him.” Kid said and left.

The last thing that could be heard was Heat and Killer laughing like psychos as Kid carried Law back to his bedroom.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kid may have been able to restrain Law’s limbs, but he wasn’t able to stop the man from biting. Law chomped down on Kid’s back, taking hold of his rib meat and shook his head back and forth like a rabid animal. Both pirates yelled at each other the entire way down the hall. Between mouthfuls of skin, Law would threaten Kid to fuck him as a man and Kid would return by swatting Law on the butt to make him shake his teeth loose.

The two were so loud, Christoph came running down the metal stairs to the bottom floor wondering what was going on. Kid stopped in front of his room, illuminated by a single light above him, he waved with a free hand. “Sorry, did we wake ya?” he asked with an innocent smile.

“Uhm,” Christoph said, pointing to Law in his boxer briefs going absolute ape-shit over Kid’s shoulder. “Is everything okay? I heard yelling…” He trailed off, not sure how to read the situation. The noobie knew something was going on between the two captain pirates but wasn’t sure if that something he was seeing was good or bad. Kid was dressed differently too,

definitely

not nighttime attire. “Did you uhm... need help?” He finally asked, craning his neck to the side to get a glimpse of Law’s face.

“Oh, with this?” Kid laughed, shrugging his shoulder so Law’s body bounced upward. Law continued to curse his name, threaten him with everything, bite him, though Kid ignored it, even if he winced when Law sunk his teeth into him. “Nah, I’ve got the brat covered.

Hey, I know you’re being a good boy by checking up on me and all, but don’t come down to this floor unless you’re invited.” Christoph cocked his head to the side, unsure of what that meant. “And if you ever hear distress from this level...well, I guess you’ll soon find out when it’s your turn.” Kid winked and turned the circular lock to his room and closed it behind him leaving Christoph confused in the dark hallway.

With the door securely shut, Kid slumped over to let Law stand. The moment Law caught his footing, he swung his cuffed hands across Kid’s face. “You fucking

prick!

The fuck do you think you’re doing to me?!”

Holding a hand to his lip and checking for blood, Kid smiled. “You seem mad, Traf.”

Law’s face visibly turned red. He couldn’t believe Kid was acting so casual after stringing him up and denying him a third orgasm. As an answer, Law swung his hands back over Kid’s face, ripping the lip open this time. “Undo these fucking cuffs!” Law demanded.

Pain wasn’t exactly something Kid felt most of the time. Of course he could

feel

it, but it was less bothersome to him than it was to others. He liked it. Made him feel alive. So instead of blocking Law’s throws, he let the man hit him.

Turning his head, Kid spat out blood onto the metal floor and smiled. His long tongue jutted out and licked down his chin and up the side of his cheek before he started to shake with laughter.

“What’s so fucking funny!” Law yelled and threw a roundhouse kick to the side of Kid’s head. The redhead was dizzy for a moment but still stood. Law was beyond irritated and came after him, kicking, hitting, scratching, anything to fuck this guy up. Kid was backed up against the wall laughing.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it!” Kid said between the hits. He laughed even more when Law growled out in frustration. “You’re like a little baby tiger without your powers, aren’t you?”

That irked Law to the core. Not only was he messing with him sexually, but now he was insulting him, insinuating he was

weak?!

“You wear the sea stone cuffs, then! See how much strength you have left!” He yelled and shoved his forearm to Kid’s neck and continued pushing him against the wall.

Kid let Law choke him a little before he pushed him backward and grabbed the cuffs with one wrist, gaining complete control over the dark pirate. “Mkay, you’ve had enough fun.” Kid spit another mouthful of blood onto the floor before holding Law close. With his free hand, Kid gently cupped the side of Law’s face which shocked the other for a moment. “I want you to calm down now.” he cooed bringing his face close to Law’s.

The gesture seemed to work to Kid, Law stopped his rampage. Although, Law wasn’t quite finished. He threw his head back and thrust it forward with incredible force, headbutting the redhead. A loud

crack

indicating his nose had broken. Blood flowed down the bottom half of Kid’s face and his bare chest. Law sneered while he waited for Kid’s reaction.

Smirking, Kid brought his hands to his face and pushed his nose sideways, fixing his nose back into place for the time being. It’s been broken before, he ain't worried about his face getting fucked up, honestly. Just wanted to make sure the bleeding slowed so he didn’t swallow too much making himself sick. The cartilage cracked a few more times while he messed with it. He waited for the bleeding to slow before he wiped his hands on his abdomen to clean them the best he could. “Done yet?” He asked Law impatiently.

Law was starting to think that nothing he did could hurt this guy. Kid was full of sporadic scratches, bite marks, bruises, and blood, but Kid still was smiling at him.

Is this guy fucking serious?

Law thought. “Yeah,” he said quietly, but it seemed to echo in the small metal room.

Kid stepped up to Law and held his face up to meet his own. Law said he was done but there was still a fiery look in his eyes, a raging waiting to be let loose. Ignoring whatever punches or kicks that could be next, Kid deeply kissed Law and sucked on his lips before he pulled back to stare down at him. Law hadn’t objected to his embrace but his lip twitched as he audibly growled again at Kid.

Without breaking eye contact, Kid held his left hand out towards the metal draws on the other side of his room until a thick piece of iron popped out. It was rectangular and almost two feet in length. He bent it so it was in a deep J-shape and tossed it at the ceiling, it being held up by Kid’s power. A makeshift hook.

Continuing to hold Law’s stare, he gently brought Law’s arms up above his head and waited to see if he objected, which he didn’t. Kid gave him another deep kiss while he grabbed Law by his waist, picking him up and placing his cuffs on the iron hook. Law’s feet grazed the floor as he waited to see what Kid was up to this time. He made sure not to look away from the redhead’s intense gaze.

Kid wrapped his muscular arms around Law while he slowly kissed around his neck and ear. He massaged his hands down his back until he reached the waistband of Law’s underwear, then proceeded to pull them down and off the doctor. Kid raked his fingers over Law’s thighs and up to his abdomen while he attached his mouth to Law’s neck again.

The dark pirate sucked in a breath,

fuck this bastard,

he couldn’t help thinking to himself. He was supposed to be mad at him but Kid was doing a damn good job to make him forget that. All this tender bullshit was turning him on.

Law felt Kid’s warm hands leave him and heard a zipper being undone. Kid opened up his tight leather pants just enough to yank his cock out and with great kindness, pulled Law’s legs up to wrap around his waist. He caressed over his backside, squeezing his ass before he placed two fingers inside the man.

A sultry moan escaped Law’s mouth, he didn’t even try to hide it. He was sure Kid wouldn’t deny him anymore, so he made sure to enjoy every second of this to get the best experience. The way Kid worked his fingers in and out of him was making him melt already. He’d been so pent up from all of Kid’s games he was beyond ready to go, he whispered, “Kid-ya,” into the other’s ear.

“Mm?” Kid answered quietly, still taking his sweet time fingering him.

“Nothing, I…” Law tried finding the right words. “I like what you’re doing,”

Kid replied with placing his mouth over Law’s, kissing him while he inserted a third finger.

Law didn’t even realize he was grinding on Kid, wanting

any

sort of friction on his neglected cock. He had to release from Kid’s mouth to catch his breath. He closed his eyes, moaning as he let his head fall onto Kid’s shoulder.

Kid’s dick had been dripping with precum this entire time. He liked the waiting game, he liked the teasing, but he was ready now. He grabbed himself with his free hand and smeared the cum around, then lined himself under Law to gently press himself inside. They both moaned, letting each other know how good they felt.

The punk pirate wrapped one arm around Law’s middle and the other held him in place by his ass. Slowly, he started to move in and out of Law.

Throwing his head back in ecstasy, Law shook with pleasure, his whole body vibrated. He’d been

dying

for this moment. He didn’t think Kid would ever do this again with the way he acted. All tease

, tease, tease,

Law thought Kid was done with him, only messing around with him, toying with him. But Kid was

into

this. There was passion behind every thrust inside him, and Law welcomed it.

Taking advantage of Law’s neck being laid bare, Kid kissed the length of it. His arm traced down Law’s back and held up the other side of Law, both hands on his lower waist.

“Faster,” Law moaned to the ceiling.

A breathy laugh left Kid hearing Law’s request. “M’gonna fuck you nice and slow,” he said, giving small little bites on Law’s neck meat. He felt Law’s body tremble and heard him groan in frustration, but he didn’t say anything back. Kid smiled to himself knowing Law liked it. And so Kid continued at a slow and even pace. He was sure to go deep inside. Law grinding himself back onto him, deepening his cock further than Kid could do alone.

He wanted to fuck Law slow, it made the build-up take longer. Kid wanted the sex to last longer than their other sessions, though he could feel himself creeping closer and closer to the edge. Law squeezed himself around Kid’s cock making him buck inside hard, pulling a surprised moan from Law.

“That feel good?” Kid asked in Law’s ear. Law couldn’t answer properly, he was too lost in the moment. Even simply nodding his head up and down seemed a difficult task. Kid muffled laughter into Law’s shoulder. Before he knew it, he heard himself saying with gritted teeth, “I’m gonna cum soon,”

Law whined. He was close, but not close enough. He needed more attention. His mouth still couldn’t voice words to tell his partner what he needed. Instead, he squeezed his thighs tighter around Kid’s waist and whimpered his frustration.

As if that’s all he needed to say, Kid grabbed Law’s cock and pumped up and down in time with his movement inside Law. The dark pirate cried out, the pleasure finally catching up to Kid’s and he came not too long after the touch. Kid continued to stroke Law, his orgasm lasting much longer than before. Law bit his lip, scrunching his face as he felt the last bits of his pleasure leaving him.

Just as he was coming down from his high, Kid grabbed his ass again with both hands and leaned his head onto Law for support as he came inside Law, filling him completely. A few more thrusts and he stopped, only heavily breathing into Law’s chest.

Kid pulled himself out and lifted Law enough for his arms to come up and over the iron hook on the ceiling and brought him over to his bed. A small

clang

sounded as Kid released his power on the hook and it fell to the floor.

Looking down at the depressing ass pirate made Kid smile. He was a mess. He couldn’t even open his eyes as he was still feeling the pleasures of moments ago. Kid wiped a few stray strands of hair off Law’s forehead before he unlocked the seastone and leather cuffs. His two thumbs rubbed over Law’s wrists to ease some of the pain he was sure Law was feeling.

Finally, Law opened his eyes. He stared up at Kid, who was already looking at him. “I hate you,” he said.

Kid smiled. “I know.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The next day on the Kid Pirate’s ship seemed like any other day, minus the cold weather that had slowed the ship immensely. Wire had fallen asleep next to the wheel and let Vencar take over.

Law was writing out a generic inventory of medication, ointments and salves, and various supplies that Doc should get when he had the chance. Almost every line had a number next to it referencing a footnote at the bottom of the page. Law was very detailed in his work, leaving no question about a single thing he wrote.

Kid found it quite admirable to watch him work in deep concentration, his nose almost touching the notebook.

“You look like utter shit,” Doc said to his captain when he entered the dining area.

Kid grinned from ear to ear. “I know, right?”

The lead to the pencil Law wrote with snapped when he was reminded of how much bullshit Kid put him through last night. He didn’t regret the childish rampage he went on one bit. He was glad Kid’s appearance was affected.

The ship’s captain was smugly leaning backward in his chair with his boots propped up onto the table. He had on a long-sleeved shirt and his brown, wooly coat to keep him warm in the icy room. His hands were lazily tucked behind his head as he hummed into the air trying his best to annoy Law.

Which was working. Law’s eye twitched hearing Kid act so nonchalant about everything.

Fucking dickhead,

Law thought as he pulled out a pocket knife and sharpened the pencil to a point again.

Doc tried to ignore the horrible bruising across Kid’s face. His nose had a huge gash in it and under his eyes were a deep purple. His bottom lip had a cut that was swollen up nice and fat. “I’d hate to see what other injuries you have under those clothes, Captain.” Though, he was curious to see everything, everything that Law did to him.

“Then don’t look,” Kid said. He knew his crewmate wouldn’t

entirely

like what he saw, so he was sure to finalize the moment with a wink leaving Doc nothing but whatever his imagination thought up.

Doc whistled his

yikes

and decided he should ignore what he saw and instead help Christoph prep some food for later.

It was silent between the four of them in the dining area long enough for Law to become comfortable again. His concentration was broken by the idiot redhead but he finally fell back into his groove and continued with his list. He was now writing notes for himself when he got back to the Polar Tang, jotting down some book titles he knew he didn’t need anymore and Doc could benefit from.

A well-wrapped Heat came shuffling out from the dark hallway and into the eating area joining the rest of his crew and Law. Normally slinking around the ship with an exposed chest with light coverage, Heat wore a fat sweater that looked to be a bit itchy under the wool.

Kid peeked an eye open to see Heat smiling at him as he passed by the kitchen and into the lounge area. He plopped on the couch and cuddled under a blanket. “I hate the cold. When will we be out of this blizzard mess, Trafalgar?”

A few moments passed until Law realized he was being spoken to. “Hm?” He asked without looking over. He was just remembering a series that would be perfect to take care of this particular crew and their particular likings.

“How much longer until we pass these frozen islands?!” Heat said with hysterics. The blanket he wore was wound tightly around him, leaving only his face exposed. His eyes bulged the longer he had to wait for Law’s reply.

Pursing his lips together, Law set his pencil down and straightened in his seat. “I predicted around five days but if this ship goes any fucking slower, it will be a week. We

should

have four days left as we had just entered this atmosphere early yesterday morning.” Law glared at Heat, waiting if his answer satisfied him. The stitched man mumbled curses into the blanket that no one could hear. “Honestly, I’d have thought the only one to bitch would have been Kill-ya. He seems to find just about anything to complain about if it involves me.” Law spat, still sour from Kid’s good mood and Heat’s annoying questions. “Where is he, anyway? Surprised he’s not up my ass for the way I’ve treated Eustass-ya.” Law finished.

This made Heat and Doc laugh. Kid laughed so hard he almost fell backward off his chair, barely catching himself in time. He flung forward, clutching his stomach as he barked more laughter.

“The fuck is so funny,” Law asked as his eyes darted around the room.

Kid waited until Heat and Doc had quieted down to speak. Christoph had slowed his prep work to listen in. He, too, was unsure of what exactly went down on the third floor. “Killer won’t be joining us for a while, Traf. Prolly won’t see him until tomorrow if Heat did his job right.”

Law suddenly remembered as he was being carried away from The Room what Kid had said in passing to Heat,

I promised he wouldn’t walk outta this room.

The dark pirate wrinkled his nose, “Is he going to be okay? Does he need medical attention?” Law asked with genuine concern. He wasn’t quite sure what could have been done to him that he’d not be able to leave his room for a whole day.

“Nah, don't worry about him. Some good old fashioned rest will do him right. Plus, he wouldn’t want any treatment. He’s a good healer on his own.” Kid said with a smirk and shook his head thinking of his stubborn First Mate.

When Law desperately looked over at Doc to chime in with some professional authority, he raised both hands and said, “Hey don’t look at me! I’ve offered my services plenty of times and he about bit my head off. I don’t ask anymore.” The disappointment on Law’s face didn’t fade from Doc’s attempt at weaseling out of taking care of his crew. “Captain is not lying when he says Killer will heal on his own. He has a tremendous healing ability.” Before Law could interject about a Devil Fruit, Doc quickly added, “Like luck, he has really good luck.”

Law wasn’t entirely convinced luck would help him at this point. Turning back to Kid, Law asked if he could personally take a look at him to be sure he was okay. Also...he couldn’t deny that he was curious to know what the aftereffects of “playtime” with Heat looked like. The images his mind made up made his pants tighter.

Kid became very serious now, all smiles and giggles gone. “No. Don’t bother him. It was punishment for the shit he pulled with you.”

Before Law could respond, Heat spoke up. “I did well, Captain, yes?” His creepy, sunken eyes shined bright as he waited for Kid to answer, who smiled back at him. The blanket seemed to be vibrating from Heat’s excitement. His eyes flicked between Law and Kid eager for praise.

“Yes, you did.” With a coy grin, he looked to Law and stared at him, silently letting him know

he

runs this crew.

“Ah, shit!” Christoph yelled and sucked on his cut finger. He turned to look at his captain, “Sorry...I was uh...distracted.” 
 
___
 
The cold weather had come and gone in a little over five days, just as Law had said. As they approached the outskirts of the snow flurries, you could see a bright and shining sun up ahead as if all they had to do was simply cross a line and they’d be out of the bad weather.

Once into iceless water with a clear sky safely overhead, Vencar and Wire practically crawled to their rooms from exhaustion. The long voyage through the winter islands was not something they normally had to do. It was gruesome and tiring on their bodies, but Wire had made sure to make a point that he could bring the ship in and out of the blizzard in the allotted time Law had predicted.

Piece of shit string-bean,

he had muttered to himself day-in and day-out.

Law had volunteered to take over as they would need his constant assistance for the remaining days anyway. He was sure to remind everyone to keep their cool when they would eventually see Zunisha come into view. Also, the Kid Pirates were acting weird and it irked him more than anything, so he took advantage of his opportunity to separate himself. The others began to talk to him more, stand closer to him, and make sure to ask him his opinion on anything and everything. It drained Law to be so socially involved - the pirates that surrounded him are very creepy.

Ducking his head to come into the navigation room, Kid squeezed passed the desk and stood behind Law. “Yes?” Law asked with annoyance. He was trying to avoid the redhead as he was still annoyed every time he looked at his face. The bruising under his eyes wasn’t as dark anymore, the edges were slightly turning yellow indicating it was on its way to recovery. Law had stitched his nose and lip closed for him, which looked to be healing fine as well.

Kid leaned his body over Law’s back, squishing him forward a bit, and rested his head on top of the messy dark hair. Gently massaging his shoulders, he asked, “So how long now, Mr. Navigator?”

Law didn’t like the sarcastic nickname. “Should be just another week now.” he started. Double-checking the Log Pose and the paper map in front of him, he confirmed the time. “If we don’t run into any trouble, I think around eight more days.”

“Ehh? You

think

eight more days?! Are you gonna get us lost er somethin!?” Kid looked over Law’s shoulder and saw the paper map he had in front of him was mostly empty, a vast sea of nothing. Where did he plan on taking them?

Shrugging out from under Kid’s hands, Law stood to face the man. “No, I’m not going to

get us lost er somethin-ya,”

Law said, mocking Kid’s tone. “I’m not a navigator, Eustass-ya, I am a captain. We will be there in eight days.”

Law wasn’t expecting Kid to be shirtless.

Does he even

own

a shirt?

Law thought. The sudden temperature change must have had Kid’s body going through whiplash.

All the scratches and bite marks on the other’s body were almost completely gone. The evidence of Law’s rampage was slowly fading away.

Kid held back a smile. He didn’t mean to get on Law’s nerves but it was just too easy. The guy was really sensitive. “Ya still mad at me, I take it?” Kid asked. Law rolled his eyes. “Aw, c’mon, Traffy. It’s been days since you’ve talked to me about anything other than business.”

Law tried to look elsewhere, he did. He wanted to turn away. It was hard to peel his eyes away from Kid’s chiseled chest. Against his will, Law’s hand felt up Kid’s front over a bite mark that seemed pretty ragged still. “This one might scar.” He said as a doctor. Running his fingers over another mark, he pressed down on it, feeling for uneven tissue below the skin. “But this one will disappear.”

“I don’t mind the scars. Reminds me of the fun we have.”

Law’s hand froze over Kid’s clavicle. “I wouldn’t exactly say it was “fun” the entire time, but yes, yes it was fun. You have a strange way of having a good time, though,” he said while letting his hand drop to his side.

“Welcome to the Kid Pirates,” Kid said with a devilish grin.

“Yes, speaking of that. I’ve made a note of some books that would help your doctor with your crew's ...

specific needs

...when a real injury appears. I don’t think he’s trained well enough to handle the insane amount of spilled blood on this ship.” he finished, making Kid laugh. “It’s not funny, Eustass-ya. You had some serious blood loss that night. I’m sure you swallowed more than is healthy. Your doctor needs to know these things, they’re important. It’s insulting that he knows so little.”

Kid waved his hand, “Yeah, yeah. Get him the books, he’ll fuckin read’em. God, ya buzzkill.”

The Heart Pirate turned back around to lean over the desk and measure out the distance on the map. As he said, he’s not a navigator so he wanted to be extra sure things were right. He didn’t want to be on this ship any longer than he had to be. There was a strange feeling itching under his skin that the Kid Pirates were slowly closing in on him.

“It’s kinda hot out here, don’t you think?” Kid cooed into Law’s ear. His fingertips played with the bottom of the shirt Law had borrowed from Killer, inching it upward. “Too hot for this, at least,”

Law sighed. He let Kid pull the shirt off seeing as how it didn’t hurt him any.

At this point, why fucking bother.

“Doesn’t that feel better, Traf?” Kid asked again. He snaked his hands around Law and felt up his abs, pressing his chest to Law’s back to feel skin against skin. Kid swirled his pointer finger over the dark skin, feeling gooseflesh rise.

They stood like that for a long while, their bodies slightly swaying to the ocean’s waves as it rocked the boat across the sea. Law didn’t mind as long as Kid let him do what he needed to do.

Staying quiet and not letting his hands inappropriately wander, Kid settled for keeping Law company while he led the metal ship onward. He liked Law’s company.
 
___
 
Nearing their fourth day out of the winter islands, Kid had told Law to find an island where they could grab supplies. Killer butted in, “Sir, we have plenty of supplies left from that thief's ship. We could go for another two months without docking.”

Turning on Killer, Kid said with gritted teeth, “Maybe I wanna stretch my fucking legs, Kill. Is that okay with you?”

The ship’s captain was getting restless. There was nothing but endless water around them for days. He thought for sure after they came out of the blizzard that they’d see a few ships here and there but only they occupied the water for miles upon miles. He needed to kill something, stab something - shit, he’d take getting into a bar fight at the very least! Kid was bored out of his fucking mind and he couldn’t help snapping at his crewmates.

“You’re in luck, Eustass-ya,” Law said, bringing Kid out of a manic episode. Pointing in a random spot on the empty map, Law continued, “There is only one island out this far. We would have passed it within the day if you hadn’t mentioned anything.”

“Thank fuck. Please, for the love of Anything, fucking land us there!” Kid begged. He waited until Law nodded his understanding and left to sulk somewhere alone, pushing past his First Mate without a second look.

Killer stayed leaning against the wall of the navigator's room. After he healed up from Heat’s punishment, he was curious how Law would act the rest of his days on the ship. The stranger had witnessed so much happen that was clearly out of his norm. Killer couldn’t help but like Law now for the sole reason when he was around, Killer got some nice attention.

Though Killer hadn’t started shit with Law since that night. He stayed quiet around him, studying him, sometimes finding himself following close to the dark pirate like a silent shadow.

When Killer had finally come out of his room and was able to see his captain, he saw the remains of abuse left all over his body. He had great respect for Law’s work. Not many people could do that to Kid and live to see the next day. It meant Law did it in the

right way

for his captain. Law wasn’t throwing punches just to hurt him or to win, he was doing it with a vengeance which turned Kid on. Fighting with bare fists was Kid’s favorite way to fight, he only used his Devil Fruit power when he wanted to deal real damage or when it was absolutely necessary. Killer wouldn’t forget this silent accomplishment of Law’s.

Law went to the window on the right of the cabin and squinted out towards the horizon until he saw a tiny green speck in the distance. A tight smile grew on his face as he mentally patted himself on the back knowing he made it this far on his own. The green island indicted they were on the right track and only days away from Zou. Law was days away from seeing his crew again, he missed them so much.

“Turn slight port,” Law said as he situated himself behind the table again to mark the distance they’ve gone.

Without arguing or even so much as a grumble, Killer left the room and turned the ship’s wheel. Law raised his eyebrows in surprise. He wasn’t expecting Killer to listen, he only did it to rile the man up. Law had also grown bored and was hoping Killer would retaliate, but instead, he listened and stayed out at the wheel like a good boy.
 
___
 
By nightfall, the ship was docked and the Kid Pirates and Law had swarmed the city. The others had practically begged to come with Kid and Law but weren’t invited.

Once Wire had recuperated from sailing the ship for five days straight, Heat and Killer told him in full detail what went down while they visited inside The Room. Wire had expressed his curiosity to the other two to see it all in person but of course, they had no say in the matter. All three had pawed at Kid and Law asking to be apart of their night out, wanting so much as a single

glimpse

of action between the two. It was only when Law snapped, yelling out that he wanted some fucking privacy, did Kid tell his mates to back off.

The Heart Pirate was way, way too close to backhanding Wire off him.

Fucking weirdos! Fucking strange ass people.

___
 
“I could use a drink,” Law said, his mind thinking of the Kid Pirates again. He and Kid had just come out of a restaurant with full bellies but the night was still young. As much as Law wanted to go back to Kid’s ship and be alone until they reached Zou, he also felt a tug on his heart to hang out with Kid before they parted ways for the rest of their pirate journey into the New World.

“I will always drink. If there is a day I refuse alcohol, shoot me right here,” Kid said and pointed between his eyes. Law laughed and shook his head at the man.

Finding a relatively quiet pub to spend the rest of the night in, Law and Kid sat up at the bar and ordered their drinks. While waiting, Law was quick to bring up Killer.

“I’m curious,” Law started while picking his nails. “Why has Kill-ya been less of a piece of shit suddenly?”

Kid barked a laugh, throwing his head back. “So you’ve noticed, eh?” Law nodded. “Cause he’s a good boy and knows his place.”

Law waited for more information but Kid gave none. Internally thinking more about what Kid said he decided he still didn’t quite understand what he had meant. “He is the First Mate, I’m a Captain of another crew. His standing on your ship is still higher than mine. I have no power there.”

Again, Kid laughed. “No, no. Not the

ship’s

hierarchy, dumbass.” Law blinked at him, still waiting for more information. Kid rolled his eyes that he had to spell it out for him. “Killer ain't an alpha male by any sort. He’s a cranky beta that gets his pannies in a bunch over shit and huffs and puffs around until an alpha comes around and knocks’em back into place.”

Law began to speak but the bartender came over and slid them their drinks. Law waited until the man left to start again. “Okay? And?”

“Jesus, Traf! You! You’re the alpha!”

“Hah? I’ve done nothing to him to claim such a thing!”

Kid slapped his forehead. “I thought you’d have caught on to how my crew works by now, man. You may be a super cool doctor and all, but yer seriously dumber than shit sometimes.”

Law’s mouth hung open a little, shocked someone could call him stupid. “Stop being a prick and explain it properly.”

Kid threw back his entire drink and slammed the mug on the counter loud enough for the bartender to hear, signaling him for another. “Yeah, I guess I gotta, don’t I? What I’m saying is, you showed Killer you’re above him cause of what you did to me.” He said and gestured at his face. “Kill can’t do that.”

“Kill-ya can’t throw a punch?” Law asked confused.

Kid smiled. “Nah, not what I mean. Kill isn’t

allowed

to do that.” He emphasized by leaning into Law.

Law thought about it for a moment and started to understand a little of what Kid had meant. “Kill-ya respects your...taste?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Kid said and sat up straight again.

The two remained quiet, even when the bartender came over with another mug full of ale for Kid. Law picked at the little napkin his drink was sitting atop of while Kid absently scratched doodles into the soft wooden counter.

Kid broke the silence first. He resituated his body on the barstool to face Law, patiently waiting for his full attention. For a moment, he watched the man crinkle the straw wrapper into knots until a boot nudged his seat.

“Hmm?” Law asked taking a sip of his cocktail.

“You think we can still be fuck buddies after you’re back on your ship?”

Law choked on his drink hearing such a blunt question in public. With a smack to his chest and a loud gasp for air, he quickly rounded on Kid and grabbed his coat collar. “Don’t fucking say a word to my crew about that shit, you got it? I’ll fucking cut you to pieces if you even

think

of uttering a single word to them.” Law spat and shoved Kid away.

Kid smiled, fixing his shirt and coat back into place. “That wasn’t a ‘no’ though,” he mumbled into his drink.
 
___
 
With a good buzz going, the two left the bar, Law guiding them back to Kid’s ship. It was getting pretty late and they said they’d be back not long after sundown.

The streets were beginning to empty as the night continued. A few men stumbled out of bars hanging on each other for support, a beggar here and there asking for spare change, and maybe a stray cat or two was all they saw on the quiet street. The lights that lined the streets shone brightly, making it easy for the two to head in the right direction.

While walking and occasional brushing against each other, Kid wondered about something, something he’d always admire about Law. “Who did those tats on you?” he asked and poked Law’s shoulder.

“I did,” Law answered without looking over.

“And who did the ones on your back?”

“I did,” Law repeated.

“Hehhhh? Fuckin shitty liar,” Kid said and gave Law a shove, annoyed he wouldn’t just tell him who the artist was.

“Are you forgetting my Devil Fruit power, Eustass-ya?” the Heart Pirate asked. “All my tattoos are done by me.”

Remembering the capabilities Law possessed, Kid nodded his understanding. “They’re fuckin sweet. Thought someone else did most of 'em.”

“Y-you got any?” Law found himself asking. He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t curious to know. He didn’t remember seeing any on Kid anywhere but he also wasn’t exactly

looking

for any. Maybe he missed a small one while he was ...

busy

with other things.

“Nah, never trusted anyone to do it. I’ve seen so many bad tats that I’ve just resigned m’self to never gettin any.”

Law nodded. He could agree to something like that, which is why he became the artist for his body art. He’d never let another person have a try because there was always that small chance they would fuck it up. “They’re addicting. Once you get your first, you’ll already be thinking of your next one before the ink has time to settle. Shachi told me I needed to slow down on’em if I wanted any space left before I’m thirty. Told him I’d only do one a year if it made him ease up on me.”

Kid noticed Law talked freely about his tattoos. Either it was the booze or he really liked them. “Gimmie a tat, Traf.” Kid said, grabbing Law’s arm to stop him from walking on.

Law looked down at Kid holding onto him and then back up to meet his gaze. “What? Why?”

“Cause I’ve been want’n one,”

“You just said you gave up on getting any.”

“Yeah, cause all I’ve seen are shit tats meaning there ain't any good artists out there. But I like yours and I want you to gimmie a tattoo.”

“Uhm…” Law was dumbfounded. No one had ever asked him to give them a tattoo before, he wasn’t prepared for an answer. “Alright, I guess I can do that. When we get back to my crew, I have some equipment on the Tang.”

“Naw, I want one now.”

“I - what? - I don’t have my equipment, Eustass-ya,” Law said with annoyance.

Kid threw his arms out and spun around, “I’m sure there is a tattoo joint around here! Let’s go find one!”

Frowning, Law said, “It’s almost midnight, everywhere is closed.”

Kid raised an eyebrow at the other. “We’re pirates, Law. We’re gonna break into one.”
 
It took some nagging but eventually, Law gave in. He couldn’t deny he was itching to get some ink flowing again, so they began their search for a tattoo shop and eventually found one.

“Yessssssssssss,” Kid said as they approached with a bounce in his step.

Law went up to the front glass and put his hands around his eyes as he peered inside. “It’s too dark to tell if it’s clean,”

“Then let’s take a closer look!” Kid said with a wink and waved for Law to follow him around back. The door for employees only had a single padlock on it. Kid grasped the lock tightly, it easily became hidden away in his giant fist. Squeezing down, the bar holding the lock closed snapped off, thus unlocking the creaky door.

Once inside, Kid found a switch and turned the lights on. It didn’t seem too shabby inside. The redhead watched Law look around the tools and go through the cupboards. Once he felt satisfied he came up to Kid and said this place will do.

Kid shrugged off his coat and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing both garments over a waiting chair. While Law prepped the tools he told Kid he would only be using black ink as it was what he preferred. Kid shrugged he didn’t care.

Once Law was done getting things ready, Kid was already getting comfortable on the tattooing bed, laying on his stomach while his chin rests on his crossed arms.

“Do you know what you want?” Law asked. Kid had talked so much about getting a tattoo but had never mentioned what he wanted it to be.

“Yeah, actually, I do.” Kid said quietly. “Do you know what a hoverbike looks like?”

Law wanted to punch Kid. Why would he know some gearhead shit like that?

But that struck a memory, something he vividly remembered studying when he was still a small, shrunken pirate. On Kid’s work desk a drawing was dated from years ago and it looked like it could pass as a hoverbike. “The bike that’s drawn on your desk?”

Kid leaned his head down into his arms, hiding his childish smile. “Yes,” he said, still covering his face. “That one.”

Seeing Kid blush made Law’s heart stutter. Before he read too far into the feeling, he shook the thoughts from his head and continued. “Did you want it on your back, then?” he asked from the way Kid was laying. There was an entirely blank canvas in front of him and Law was itching to start.

“Nah, do it on m’left arm.” Kid said and slapped his shoulder.

Law felt a surge of electricity for a moment as he thought of giving Kid a tattoo.

His arm, huh? If he wants a tattoo so bad, I’ll cover the whole fuckin thing.

The rest of the night Law worked on Kid’s tattoo. He drew it up on his arm with a marker and asked if the redhead liked it or what he wanted to be changed. Once he got the ink flowing and ready to be drilled permanently into Kid’s pale skin, he didn’t let up. Law worked off his drunken state as he concentrated on his artwork.

Kid wanted to sleep but Law kept pulling his arm in stupid directions. He thought tattoos would have a little more bite to them but it seems they didn’t sting as much as he had hoped. Though slightly bored, it didn’t stop Kid from watching Law when he could. The way he worked from the top of his shoulder down to his wrist in some magical, fluid motions was beyond him.

Kid had only asked for a single hoverbike but Law had added so much more. Kid felt a slight warmth on his face when he realized Law was adding things he’d had seen on Kid’s ship. He recognized his favorite knife with a snake hilt, lots of fire, hooked swords, and a trident all tucked away around gears, metal shards, and welding supplies. Law took the liberty of taking over the rest of the design going off only one thing he wanted. Kid decided the warmth was him blushing again, touched that Law would include his crew members within his ink was something he had never thought of himself.

The redhead slightly flinched when he saw a second tattoo gun hovering from the small table making its way over his skin. Before he could ask what the fuck was going on, the gun had started to make a small whirring noise and began coloring in the larger areas with black. Kid was impressed Law was so efficient.

Before the two knew it, the sun was starting to come up. Law leaned backward and tugged on Kid’s arm, twisting it this way and that to make sure all was perfect. When he felt satisfied, he cleaned off the excess blood and began the aftercare.

Kid beamed. It was

perfect.

When Law had turned around to pick everything up and disinfect the tools, Kid sat up on the bed to admire the work with awe. It was way cooler than he'd expected. “Traf, this is….fucking

sweet,”

he complimented and raised a hand to feel the ink below his fingers.

Law was quick to smack his hand away, “Don’t touch,” Kid smiled while Law wrapped the fresh tattoo. “That feel okay?” Law asked.

“Yeah,” Kid answered breathily. He looked into Law’s eyes who held his gaze. His hand lifted to brush the side of Law’s face and snaked its way to the back of his head, pulling the brunette in for a kiss.

Law fell into Kid’s flow easily. He was tired from working hard for so long. Kid’s lips were so soft...Before he knew it, he felt his legs climbing up on the bed to straddle Kid’s lap. His long fingers felt up Kid’s chest and around his neck. Law felt slightly high at the moment, dizzy almost as he ground his hips into Kid for some friction between the two.

The redhead moaned his agreement, ready to take Law right here on this shitty pleather bed. One hand still held Law’s face tight to his own, the other reached under the man and grabbed a handful of his ass.

Behind them, the door handle seemed to jiggle as a key was inserted into its lock. The two broke their kiss and looked to the door waiting to see who would come through. It was an older gentleman who had a few tattoos himself who was opening the shop for the day.

The moment he laid eyes on the two pirates twisted in a form of intimacy, he froze still in his place, one hand still on the door handle. With the strange clothing and rebellious nature, the man knew exactly what they were. Before Law or Kid could stop him, the man ran out to the streets and screamed, “PIRATES!”

Kid and Law stayed put, too shocked to move yet. They saw through the window the old man running in circles screaming and letting the entire city know there were pirates on the island. Law jumped off Kid’s lap and jolted to the door. His hands were gripping the doorframe tight enough for his knuckles to turn white. “Why is that always everyone’s first reaction?!” He said through gritted teeth. Turning his head over his shoulder, Kid hadn’t made any action to get his ass moving. “C’mon! He’s gonna make it harder for us to leave shore.”

With a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes, Kid pulled his shirt back on and grabbed his coat before he followed after Law. The two walked past the shop owner who just about fainted seeing them so close to him. The way the man acted made Law shake his head in disbelief. Kid thought it was funny, though. Before they rounded a corner, Kid stuck his tongue out and flipped the man off.

Running towards them were two marines with their guns at the ready but had stopped in their tracks realizing they had come across the very pirates someone was yelling about. They were making their morning rounds on their block when suddenly a man was screaming at the top of his lungs that there were intruders in his shop - pirates.

“Hold it right there!” One warned and pointed his gun at them.

“Wait,” the other had said quietly. Slowly, he put his hand atop the barrel of the gun and pushed it downward. A signal to not shoot just yet. “Those...are not just any pirates.”

Kid smiled as he watched the marine piece together who the two men were that stood in front of him. He nudged Law in the ribs with a laugh. Law just facepalmed as the situation got worse.

Now we’re recognized - together!

“What?” The first marine asked. “Who are they th- HEY!” he shouted as Kid pulled their guns out of their grip.

The second marine knew they had no chance. As he felt his gun leaving his hands, he barely resisted. “Part of The Worst Generation ...Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid and Trafalgar Law…” he answered with a slack jaw.

The redhead turned the gun backward to face their owners. “Maybe you two should forget what you just saw,” he said with a suggestion. A grin as wide as his face showed giving him a crazed look.

Seeing the guns were pointed at the marines now, Law wasn’t happy. “Eustass-ya, don’t shoot them.”

“I ain't gonna! If they leave.”

“We will.” The second marine said before his partner could interject. He knew too well of Kid’s reputation of having no mercy, his lust bloodlust high on the murder meter. He knew this would be his last day on earth if he didn’t comply.

“We won’t let pirates run free!” Yelled the first marine and took off to find backup, running back the way he came.

Law growled under his breath about how much he hated stupid people. It was too early in the morning for anything fun and he was tired from tattooing all night. He waved the marine away and tugged at Kid’s elbow gesturing for him to forget them and go. Kid looked over and dropped his power making the guns fall on the ground.

“Hold on,” Kid said. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small golden chain, holding it up for the marine to see. Hovering it over to the man he said, “This was that bitch- I mean that one lady marine’s necklace, the one with the devil fruit that could make people small,”

“Kenny Lental,” Law said.

“Yeah, her. She’s dead. Found this on her body. Thought you could give this to her family er somethin.” Kid said.

The marine held his hand out for the chain. He stared at it while Kid spoke to him. “Did you kill her?”

Kid answered with a shrug and turned to follow Law again. What did it matter what the navy knew about her death? Kid was already a pirate, it couldn’t be worse than that in their eyes.

As the two began heading back to the ship, they heard multiple running footsteps following after them. “Seriously?” Law asked with a glance behind him.

Marines.

“Let’s fight’em.” Kid said.

“Let’s not,” Law said with a tired, sidelong glance.

“C’monnnn. I wanna have fun.”

“Eustass-ya, please. I just want to get back to the ship.” Law pleaded. Ahead, more marines were coming into view. Before they could notice them, Law side-stepped into a tight crevice between two buildings and snatched Kid by the collar of his shirt to join him.

The two stood in the alleyway waiting for the marines to pass, their knees touching. Law against one building, Kid on the other. A smile grew on Law’s face as he watched five or six marines run past calling out for more backup. Backup because they recognized the sudden intensity of the danger on the island.

Law watched Kid who was looking out towards the open road. Law could tell Kid was annoyed with his decision to not defend themselves against the threat. The muscles in his jaw moved under his skin as he clenched his teeth together, itching for the fight. “Isn’t it more fun to see them run around like chickens with their heads cut off?” he asked. Kid didn’t look away, he still looked outward. “They’re afraid,” Law said and poked Kid’s chest. “Afraid of you.”

Kid wanted to keep a stone face. He was mad that he couldn’t have any fun. He liked to play around with people’s lives. Though hearing Law say that made him crack a smile and look over at him. “Nah, it’s your depressing face. It’s scary, man.”

The dark pirate rolled his eyes. He knew Kid would say something stupid like that. This whole thing was preventing him from getting sleep but it was still fun to tease the marines. He liked hiding from the authorities. Just the chance they could get surrounded was getting his heart rate up. He liked that feeling.

He also liked the feeling of hiding with Kid, their bodies a foot apart in the cramped space. Law leaned forward so his nose was just barely touching Kid’s. Slowly cocking his head to the side so he could lean further in, he brushed his lips to Kid’s letting them make slight contact. The feeling of Kid’s hot breath against his skin made him tingle.

Kid was shocked Law was making a move but he wasn’t going to complain. Before he could fully connect his lips to Law’s, a glowing blue hue enveloped them both and

popped

them somewhere else on the island. “Will you warn me before you do that?!” Kid snapped, holding his stomach. “Fucking turns my insides.”

Law didn’t reply. Instead, he looked around to see if he recognized where they were. They walked for several minutes before he noticed a shop they passed last night. When he was sure they were headed in the right direction towards the ocean, he

popped

them closer and closer to the ship.
 
Once their boots hit the warming sand on the beach, they were greeted by Heat who jumped from a nearby tree. “Good morning,” he said with a wide, stitched smile. The leathery skin on his face looked to be quite tired, bags forming under his eyes. He must have stayed up all night waiting for his captain to safely get back.

Approaching the two captains, Heat stared only at law, boring into his soul. Law wanted to look away, break the intense eye contact he was given, but held his gaze. He’d be lying if he didn’t feel creeped out but he sure as hell would not be backing down. “Fire-ya, did you sleep?”

Ignoring the question, Heat licked his lips before saying, “I was thinkin about that scar on your leg again,”

Kid growled as a warning but Heat let his eyes wander down toward the giant hole in Law’s jeans which exposed the ragged, pink scar.

It’s too early for this weirdo,

Law thought. Raising an eyebrow he asked what Heat was thinking about it for.

“I just wanted to look at it closer, I was never able to. I wanna touch it,” Heat answered.

“Y’aint gonna touch it, so lay off!” Kid said. He reached out, putting his hands on Heat’s shoulders to twist him around and march him straight to the ship. “Let’s go. M’sure everyone is wondering where we're at.”

Though Heat was being forced to continue on, he looked over his shoulder to Law giving him his strange smile.

Law shivered when Heat finally looked to the front.

Why is this dude always up on me like that?

Once on the ship, Kid’s crewmates voiced their concern that he stayed out all night and didn’t tell anyone. Kid knew they’d be whiny when he came back, of course, they would have. The way they all acted before they left was given that they were hungry for attention. Law was certainly stirring up the Kid Pirates in ways Kid hadn’t seen in a long time. If must be the fact Law is fresh meat that only Captain gets to eat that makes them so desperate for him.

Kid thrived on that feeling alone. Law was

hot.

Law was dripping with sex appeal making his crew feel like horny teenagers, even Killer himself did a full 180 on his opinion of the man. As Law took over the story explaining he was too tired to fling soldiers into the air, Kid panned over his crew, watching how they grasped at all the details. He knew they didn’t care about what he had to say, they only cared about Law speaking.

The last person Kid landed on was Heat. Something seemed off about him this morning but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Shrugging the strange feeling away, he interrupted Law with an obnoxious yawn. “Is Christoph gonna make food er what? I want something in my belly before I sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah! Let’s get some food!” Wire said, slapping his stomach a few times before turning to go below deck. “We waited for you two, you know.” He grumbled as he fell in line with his captain.

“Don’t make me feel bad, Wire. You know how long I’ve wanted a tattoo,” he reminded his navigator. He genuinely did feel bad about leaving his crew overnight but once he explained it was because Law was inking up his arm, they nodded their heads in understanding. It didn’t mean their grumpiness would fade as fast, but they still understood. The sound of boots

clanging

down the steps echoed in Kid’s mind. “I’m sure I can make it up t’ya, right?”

Wire stared at the back of Kid’s head as he descended the stairs. “Yes, you can,” he said with a sly smile.

Overhearing such a beautiful promise, Heat pushed his way down the stairs to meet his captain. “Can I come? Please?!”

“Agh, get off me!” Kid said trying to peel Heat from him.

“Calm down, Heat.” Wire said while his huge hand wrapped around Heat’s skinny neck and pulled him back to give Kid some room.

Law had been in the back, the last one to get off the stairs. He’d had seen the whole thing but didn’t pay much attention to it. How was he supposed to know how strange the other pirates were acting?

Maybe they’re just warming up to me and showing their true selves.

The entire crew plus Law sat at the dining table while Christoph made up fluffy, blueberry pancakes and bacon. While they waited, Kid listened to everyone telling him what they did on the island while he and Law were off on their own. Even if Kid was tired, he didn’t show it when he listened to his crew. Law, on the other hand, could barely keep his eyes open. With an elbow on the table holding his chin, he swayed back and forth trying to stay conscious.

Occasionally Law would jolt awake when the pirates roared with laughter, but not much longer after his heavy eyelids would droop closed, desperate for sleep.
 
Breakfast hit the spot and made everyone on the ship lazy with sleep - except one. Just one of the pirates still had things on his mind, things he’s been thinking about for a while. This pirate paced back and forth outside the bathroom as he waited for Kid and Law to finish up in the tub.

Once he heard them getting out of the bath, Heat started to breathe heavily with hysterics. He pulled out a knife and did what he’d been dying to do since Law was still a tiny pirate.
 
It was Law who opened the door first. He had put his jeans back on and the shirt he borrowed from Killer slung over his shoulder as he dried his hair off. The towel covered his face so he wasn’t prepared when hands grasped at his belt, weighing him down. “Ugn!”

“Please, Trafalgar!” Heat begged. He was on his knees looking up to the other. “Help me!”

Removing the towel and seeing what the hell was going on, Law was too shocked to move. He stammered over words, nothing able to come out. He tried to step backward away from Heat but the man was pulling him downward.

Law could feel his chest swell with anxiety, his heart on fire and beating hard against his ribcage.

“C-Cora-san,”

he managed to breathe as he tripped over his own feet and landed on his backside. Heat made no hesitation to crawl up Law’s body begging for help.

Two long gashes ran across Heat’s mouth opening it up to his ears. The blood oozed down his jaw resembling a certain painted face of a man Law knew long ago.

The smile Heat wore was what set Law into his fit. Despite having his face sliced open, Heat wore a sadistic smile that thirsted for Law’s magical surgeon touch. “Help me,” Heat asked again. Blood fell from his face and landed onto Law’s naked chest.

Kid had still been pulling his pants up while this was happening. He just about tripped over himself as well when Law was knocked down, exposing the bloodied state of Heat. “Wha-what the fuck!” Without button his pants up he raced over to Heat and pulled him off Law. “What did you do?!” Kid yelled with his hands covering the cuts on Heat’s face. He felt hot tears welling up in the corner of his eyes seeing his crew member like this, “Why did you do this!?”

Behind Kid, Law was gasping for his breath, choked up on who he saw in front of him. He hadn’t seen that face in so long he was beginning to forget what he looked like. Out of nowhere, Cora-san looked up to him, begging for help with a smile. He always wanted Law to smile, even in his death did he remain happy just for him so he’d never remember him in any other way. Cora-san grasped at his pants, blood flinging everywhere when he spoke to him, “Help me,”

Law choked on his tongue, gagging as he tried peeling his eyes away from the scene in front of him. Kid was there, now. He held Cora-san with care asking if he was okay. Law was thankful someone else was capable of helping Cora-san when he couldn’t. Instead, he laid there helplessly like a fish out of water, unable to breathe correctly. His gut twisted tightly making him wretch out his breakfast next to him.

He had to get away. This bathroom seemed to get smaller the longer he stayed in it. He needed air. His muscles were sore with tension and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stand to his feet. The surprise of seeing Cora-san in such a horrific state through Law off entirely.

Hearing Law vomit, Kid turned around and saw Law’s eyes were fluttering open and shut while he violently shook trying to breathe.

“Shit!”

Kid spat under his breath and frantically looked around. Shoving two fingers in his mouth, he whistled loudly for Killer.

Law tried to summon the strength to move, to do anything. Raising his right hand, he cast

Room.

The entire ship lit up in light blue before Kid saw a pile of chains replace Law on the floor.

Not too long after, Killer and Wire appeared. “Shit!” Killer yelled when he saw the blood pooling at Heat’s knees. Heat laughed and asked for Law to ‘help him with his problem.’

Immediately after seeing the mess, Wire scrambled off to warn Doc of his incoming patient. Killer looked around and saw Kid was shirtless and had his pants slightly falling down his butt, no Law, a wounded Heat, and a pile of chain laid out next to them. Killer was on his way to the third floor when he heard his call but bolted when he saw the blue of Law’s power light the ship up.

Something had to be wrong.

“What’s going on!” He yelled and helped Heat to his feet. “He needs to see Doc, he’s bleeding a lot,” Killer said mostly to Kid to snap him out of his trance.

Even when Killer tried to pick Heat up, Kid wouldn’t let his hands fall from his mate’s face. He held pressure to the cuts as best he could, though it seemed it made it worse, squeezing more blood out as it oozed past his fingers and down his arms.

“It’s okay, I have him. Let go, Kid.” Killer said in his most calm voice.

“Why does he do this to me,” Kid asked his friend. “Why does he do this to me?”

“Stitchessss!!! I want stitches!” Heat begged the other two.

Wire called out from the top of the stairs for them to bring him, Doc ready with his supplies.

Hearing he was going to be taken care of by Doc, Heat started to flail and shake his body loose from Killer’s hold. The blood from his face sprayed up the blonde’s arms and over Kid’s face. The more he yelled the more blood spat from his mouth everywhere. “I want Trafalgar to do it! I want him to do it!” Heat pleaded over and over as if he asked enough it would come true.

Kid was

livid

Heat did this again. He couldn't help what he was about to do next, it all came naturally as if this was the only reaction that was possible. He gripped Heat’s jaw in one hand and the other swung backward and proceeded to slam directly into the bridge of Heat’s nose. Putting most of his strength into it, he knocked Heat out cold. His nose was broken now but at least he’d no longer flail around.

Where the fuck is Law,

was Kid’s next thought. “Get him to Doc and make sure to sedate him entirely. I don’t want him to feel

anything.”

Killer understood that sedating him was the punishment, not the reward. Still unsure of what exactly happened, he gave a single nod and brought Heat up the infirmary.

Pulling at his hair and squeezing his eyes shut, he didn’t realize how much his head was hurting from grinding his teeth together so hard. Finally turning his attention to the chains on the floor, he examined them to see where they came from. A light dusting of salt was coated to most of the chain.

He’s on the deck,

Kid concluded.

In no time Kid was swinging the door open to look outside. By the main mast next to other piles of the extra chain was Law on his hands and knees coughing. Kid ran over and dropped down, “Are you okay?! What’s going on with you?!” Kid had never seen Law in such a weakened state from something that was only

visual.

He was sure he had no wounds on him, so what? Did Law freak out from the blood? That can’t be it, he’s a doctor, a

surgeon,

there’s no way the site of blood tripped him up. “Law, talk to me!”

Law grabbed Kid’s shoulder meat to try and hold himself up. “Cora-san needs help,” he whispered between labored breaths. “He’s hurt,”

“What?!” Kid hissed.

Who the fuck is he talking about?!

Law continued to shake and gasp for air. Kid was starting to recognize his symptoms like some sort of anxiety attack. The only thing he knew how to do to help was release his powers into the metal cuffs on Law’s wrists and ankles and spread out the electric current through his veins to soothe his spasms.

It took several minutes of Kid running his energy through Law for him to calm down. The dark pirate felt the familiar lulling buzz course through him. His ragged breathing slowly became more even and he was finally able to speak enough to give a coherent thought. “I thought I saw…” Law started to say but instead changed his mind. “Thank you, Eustass-ya. How...how is Fire-ya?”

Relieved Law was okay, Kid slowly shut his eyes to calm himself before he spoke. He was infuriated Heat would pull that bullshit again. “He’ll be fine. He’s fine. Are you good?” He asked, trying to change the subject. If he thought about Heat right now he was sure he’d tie this metal ship into a fucking knot and sink it.

“Yes,” Law said, feeling embarrassed now that he realized what he had done. A small groan escaped his lips. “I’m sorry for freaking out.”

Kid patted Law on the back. “Let me take you back to the bathroom and clean you up. You’re - well, both of us - are covered in blood.”

“NO! No,” Law shouted. “No. Just a rag in the kitchen sink will do. I...can't see the blood...just yet.” He said a little wearily. He didn’t want to make it sound like he was being a pussy, but how else could he explain how he was feeling? The blood jogged his memory of Corazon being shot. So much red against the snow.

“Uh, yeah. Sure. We can do that.”
 
Kid helped Law sit down on his bed before sitting next to him. He wrapped his tattooed arm around the skinnier pirate and rubbed his back up and down while he waited for him to speak.

“I suppose you would like an explanation.”

The rubbing on his back hesitated for just a millisecond before it continued. “You don’t have to.” Kid lied.

Law figured he’d never get a decent sleep if he knew Kid was still itching to know what had happened. It would bug the shit out of both of them and all Law wanted to do was lay back and sleep for a day or two. “It’s fine. I’ll make it short.” He said and looked down at his lap. The images of Corazon’s and Heat’s face aligning over each other still fucked him up. He was so sure it was Corazon in front of him. It was stupid to think that now. Taking a deep breath, Law started with who Corazon was. “A man helped raise me. He was a fatherly figure to me when I needed one most. One of the things he liked to do was wear paint on his face,” Law felt a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he thought about him. “Kinda like you, Eustass-ya. He wore this red paint over his mouth,” and Law gestured with his pointer fingers in a ‘smile’ motion so Kid understood the correlation between the man Law talked of and Heat. “And for some reason, the way Fire-ya looked up at me...with a smile...I -” Law tried to talk but he felt that suffocating feeling rising in his throat again. When he opened his mouth, no sound left.

It was hard to watch a strong person break down over a ghost from the past. This man next to him was deemed a member of The Worst Generation, someone worth taking note of for his strength. Yet here he was, barely making it through five minutes without choking over the mere memory of someone. Kid released a small current of his power for Law to relax into hoping it would help.

Feeling able to speak again, Law continued. “Seeing Fire-ya’s smile with the way his mouth was cut up like that just wasn’t good for me,” he said and finished with that.

Kid let the story sink in. “This man, his name was Corasan, then?”

“I called him Cora-

san,

it is a play on his name of Corazon. But his real name…” Law looked over to Kid and waited to see he had his attention. “Did you know I was apart of a pirate group before I formed the Heart Pirates?”

This caught Kid completely off-guard. He remembered Law saying he was only twenty-four years old and he had known of Law’s pirate group for years now. He had to of been at least a teenager, then. “Nah, didn’t know that.”

“Didn’t expect you to,” Law said and looked back down at his hands on his lap. He picked at his nails. “Can we sleep now? I’m exhausted and we still have a few days left before we get to Zou.”

Recognizing the conversation was done, Kid nodded and pulled Law back on the bed with him. Together they napped to well into the day. Kid had gotten up a few times to check on Heat but always came back to lay next to Law who slept with a furrow in his brow.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Cora-san, I’ve missed you so much,” Law whispered. In front of him was a happy and very alive Rosinante smiling back at him. With each step he took closer to Corazon, the further away he seemed. “Please, don’t leave me again.” Law’s hand reached out…

A gunshot sounded behind Law making his eardrums hammer inside his skull. The sudden pain had him slapping his hands over his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. When the echo of the shot faded away, he peeked his eyes open only to see Corazon lying on the ground with a red circle forming in his chest. “NO!” Law shouted.

Another gunshot froze Law in time as he saw more bloodstain the button-up shirt. Another bullet to the chest. Another.

Instead of helplessly crying like he did when he was a child, Law took action. He was powerful now. He could extract the bullets and save his Cora-san! It’s not too late for him! But first, he had someone to take care of.

Rounding on the killer, Law was face to face with none other than Donquixote Doflamingo. His wide, cheshire smile shined so bright against the bleak blackness of Law’s life. Releasing Kikoku from her sheath, Law swung his katana back and forth to kill Doflamingo. The first few swings Doflamingo dodged but then grabbed the blade with his bare hand the next time it slashed at him. The steel sunk deep down in Doflamingo’s palm. “Wake up!” the blonde cackled maniacally.

Doflamingo deserved to die. He murdered his own brother, Law’s favorite person in the world. He stole Cora-san from his life and now it was time for Law to avenge him! Yanking the katana from Doflamingo’s grip, he hacked the blade across his abdomen, splitting it open enough for blood to spill.

Doflamingo stuttered for a moment but still was able to grab ahold of the sword again to prevent further damage. “Wake up, Law! Please” He said with a sadistic smile. Even as an adult, Law felt chills run up his spine being this close to the infamous Warlord.

“Die!” Law yelled with another swing of Kikoku, but he was still too weak to overpower Doflamingo. The giant fist easily grabbed hold of the blade and wouldn’t let it go, even as Law struggled to pull it back.

To Law’s surprise, Doflamingo’s other hand smacked him across the face, breaking his trance.

“NO!” Law yelled. His chest fell up and down as he tried to catch his breath. His head hurt like hell.

“Drop your sword,” Kid coughed.

Blinking away his nightmare, the room he was in came into view and so did the scene before him. Kid straddled him to the bed, his heavy weight no match for Law. The dark pirate’s eyes traced Kid’s body and over to his arm which was holding Kikoku in a death grip. His arm was shaking, clearly indicating he was struggling to hold the sword in place. Thick trails of blood oozed out from Kid’s grip and down his arm.

Kid coughed again as he clutched his stomach. He was holding a gaping wound right below his belly button. “Drop your sword,” Kid repeated with a hint of agony in his voice.

The realization hit Law like a ton of bricks. The buzzing of his Room was loud, how had he missed that? Without a second thought, Law dropped his Room and Kikoku all while trying to sit up under Kid’s weight. “Shit,” he said under his breath.

Even under the circumstances, Kid still found time to make the moment light-hearted. “Your Devil Fruit is definitely….” he started while stumbling off the bed. “It’s definitely strong.”

Law racked his brain trying to understand why there was blood and pain involved if his Room was up.

It shouldn’t be like that, that’s not how it works!

Law’s mind raced. Instead of trying to figure it out any further, he jumped out of bed and put his shoulder under Kid to help him stand. Without a second thought, Law teleported them to the infirmary.

“It’s not that bad,” Kid said with a sad smile as he sat against the doctor’s bed. “It just looks like it.”

“Shit,” was all Law could say. The word he was looking for was ‘sorry’ but the only thing that seemed to fall out of his mouth was the exact emotion he felt like.

The longer Law was awake, the more his surroundings came clearer to him. It was almost as if Law had to find the missing pieces of reality and put them together before he was fully aware of everything that was happening. Beyond the walls of the infirmary was shouting, people running up and down the hallways, and pounding on metal.

Seeing Law’s confusion, Kid decided to explain. “You cut the ship up, too, Traf.” All Law could do was widen his eyes in disbelief.

This is not happening!

A twitch in the corner of Law’s eye irritating him.

What the fuck happened?!

The yelling on the other side of the door was too distracting. “Is anyone dead?”

Kid let out a small laugh through his nose. “Nah,” he said and tightened his grip on his stomach. “Just got me’n the ship. Could you close this up?” He asked gesturing to the gash, hoping Law would come back from his thoughts entirely.

Words tried to make their way out of Law’s mouth, though he said nothing. Deep in Law’s chest was a

pang

of hurt seeing Kid wounded because of his stupid nightmare problem.

He has done nothing but help me since the beginning and this is how I repay him.

Waiting for Law to do literally

anything,

Kid scootched up and onto the bed and laid backward. His face scrunched in a wince of pain. If Kid was being honest, he was afraid to look down at himself. He’d only told Law it wasn’t that bad to keep him from freaking out any more than he already was. Under his fingers, he could feel things trying to pop out of the wound. Kid was sure those “things” weren’t supposed to be doing that. The pain was unbearable. If it were anybody else who did this to him, Kid would have retaliated with a mighty fury and murdered them. But who else on the ship can sew him back together again?

A wave of realization washed over Kid. Law was right, his ship’s doctor simply wasn’t capable of performing heavy surgery like this. None of the Kid pirates have ever

needed

it so far, but look what happened when encountered with one

sleeping

pirate - absolute chaos, and Kid was paying for it. He was lucky Law was on his side.

I can’t believe how strong his power is,

Kid thought.

Even while sleeping, Law was still able to pull every ounce of my strength from me. Imagine if he were an enemy to me? I’d be dead once he woke up. He’d have cut me in half and laughed!

Silently damning himself for being so weak, Kid rolled his head over towards Law to see what the fuck was taking him so long. “Oi,”

Staying frozen in the middle of the room, only Law’s eyes twitched over to look at the redhead. Kid never said anything but Law got the point:

fucking do something!

It felt hot on the ship. Really hot. Law wiped beads of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and looked around the white room.

Get things ready. Move your feet. Move, move!

Law’s body seemed to fall forward as he finally broke the spell holding him in place. He stumbled around the room, tripping on his own feet. Ripping open the drawers to get the right equipment, he thought how stupid he’d been acting.

Eustass-ya is bleeding out right in front of me and I’m acting like a fool! Get it together!

Kid closed his eyes with relief after seeing Law take action. He’d wanted to keep his eyes closed and let himself fall unconscious but he couldn’t quite trust Law finishing the job on his own. There still was this strange feeling that the dark pirate wouldn’t be able to get through the whole job without something else going wrong in his brain.

Which may be true. Law fished through the clean scalpels and couldn’t seem to pick one out even though they were all the same. Needles fell to the tiled floor when he tried picking one up, his shaking fingers incapable of holding still.

Fuck, all this noise is too distracting!

Law thought as Wire yelled out to another crew member beyond the walls. The metal ship echoed noises and amplified them to make them louder than they were. Or was Law just imagining everything so loud? Either way, he could barely concentrate.

Hearing a groan behind him, Law knew he had to snap out of it if he wanted Kid to make it by the end of the day. Standing as still as possible, Law pulled a Room up so he could see everything all at once. In the Room was Kid lying on the table holding his lower abdomen with both hands, pain written all over his face. On the counter was the scalpel and needle he’d managed to grab. In the top drawer to his left was the thread he needed for sutures. Disinfectant to the right in a cupboard, middle shelf. Gauze and bandage wrappings on the shelf below.

After locating everything and prioritizing the order he needed to grab them in, Law made no hesitation now to start on his mission to fix Kid up. Once all the supplies were on the small metal table next to the bed, Law pulled up a stool and raised it high enough to see over Kid’s body.

“Remove your hands,” Law told the other. Kid did so and pulled his shirt up out of the way. After the reveal of the foot-length gash, Law’s stomach sank. The cut sliced through the fatty and muscle layers like butter leaving nothing to hold back his large intestine. Law undid the buttons to Kid’s pants, opening them up and pulling them down a few inches to give proper room for him to work. Pushing past the disgraceful feelings for himself, Law switched into surgeon mode.
 
___
 
The surgery wasn’t hard once Law snapped out of his panic-induced trance. It was a simple clean and sew job that was fixed up in no time. He’d done a thousand of these types of jobs in small villages the Heart Pirates had passed through. Law was a bitter, rotten asshole, but he still couldn’t leave a town without asking if anyone needed professional help.

To Law’s surprise, Kid had forced himself to stay awake through the entire process. The copious amounts of blood loss should have had him feeling faint enough to sleep. It would have done him well to do so. Instead, once he mustered enough strength up in his arms, he sat up on his elbows and watched Law dig around his insides. Kid could still feel the pain of the wound, but whatever Law was doing didn’t hurt at all. The needle pressing through his skin multiple times seemed invisible to him like he was watching it happening to someone else’s body. He imagined this is what Law’s power was

supposed

to feel like while under the blue haze of his Room. He remembered when he asked the brunette to pull his heart out of his chest over and over and how there was no pain whatsoever.

A very strong Devil Fruit indeed,

Kid thought.

The wheels on the stool squealed as Law pushed back from the bed and sat up to grab the gauze and bandages from the counter. “Your intestine was cut, too,” Law said with his back turned. “I’ll have to get back in there to take the stitches out before we part ways as there were no dissolvable sutures here.” Law gestured around him as he made his way back to Kid.

Without any warning, Law lifted Kid to hover above the bed so he could start wrapping up his lower abdomen without making Kid do any work. Kid wiggled for only a moment before realizing what Law was doing. Every time Law stretched his long arm over Kid’s body to reach around the underside and pull the bandage around, Kid felt the warmth of Law’s body heat. With every stretch, Law’s chest touched against Kid’s side.

“Hey,” Kid said.

Law didn’t reply or even acknowledge that he had heard the other.

“Law,” Kid said again and put his hand on the man’s shoulder.

Law didn’t reply until the bandage was taped closed nice and tight. Once Kid was hovered back down onto the bed, he spoke. “Yes, Eustass-ya?” he asked before dropping his Room for the first time since he’d begun.

“Is everything okay, dude?” Kid asked. He didn’t plan on asking that. He’d originally wanted to say ‘thank you’ for closing up that big hole in his stomach, but his concern for Law seemed higher than he had thought.

“Everything went well. Like I said, your intestine also had a few lacerations that I had to take care of and your external wound may have been large but nothing unmanageable. Everything is closed properly with a zero-percent chance of infection. I will look through my stock on the Tang to see if I can spare a few boxes of dissolvable sutures, they are quite handy for situations like these.”

Before Law could continue to rattle on about other doctor stuff, Kid interjected, “Yeah, thanks for all that. But I wanted to know if Trafalgar Law is okay.”

Law was pulling the latex gloves off when Kid asked. He didn’t realize Kid’s main question was about him. “Of course,” he lied. Even his voice had betrayed him by slightly wavering.

“There were two holes in my ship earlier because of you. You were sleeping, man. I’d say that’s not okay.”

“Were?” Law asked, hung up on the past tense.

The redhead nodded as he sat up and got off the bed. Law let him knowing the stubborn idiot wouldn’t listen anyway. “The holes were thin, you see, cause the blade. I closed them with my power but the boys had to weld them shut. They did that while you welded me shut.” Kid smiled, already back to his stupid, bad humor.

“How do you know it was done properly?”

Kid didn’t think he could roll his eyes any harder. “I don’t know how many times I have to remind you of my power?”

“Mm,” Law replied.

Makes sense. He made good use of his time. While I did my job as a surgeon, he didn’t hesitate to continue being this ship’s captain.

An arm was suddenly on Law’s waist, pulling him close to the other man in the room. The dark pirate hated himself for the serious trouble he’d caused. Instead of meeting Kid’s intense stare, Law turned his head away to look elsewhere.

“Yer dodging the question. I ain’t stupid.”

There was no plan on coming back to the question. Law didn’t like to express his feelings like some type of girly teenager. He was fine with how he coped with his fucked-up nature.

No need to worry, Eustass-ya.

“Hey,” Kid said and grabbed Law’s chin. He gently guided Law’s attention back to him and pulled him flush against his front, crushing his wound at the same time. Two strong arms curled around Law’s small waist and hugged him close.

Color Law shocked because he hadn’t had a real hug in years. Not an intimate hug, at least. All his crew was touchy-feely who loved to hang all over their captain, especially his Mink, but this was a different hug. Law didn’t know how to react to such intimacy.

Uncaring if Law reciprocated or not, Kid buried his face in the crook of Law’s neck and lightly kissed the tan skin. “Still dodging,” Kid mumbled between pecks.

It took everything Law had to not completely melt into Kid’s pace all over again. He had this strange magnetic pull -

wow, go figure

- that made it extremely hard to resist. Without realizing it, he felt warm tears running down his cheeks.

When did I allow that to happen?

Law raised a hand to wipe them away, but Kid had grabbed it and tangled his fingers between Law’s.

With no reaction at all from Law, Kid understood that he wasn’t ready to speak. With a heavy sigh, Kid broke away from Law and made his way towards the door and without a second look back, left the room. Law stayed behind still staring where Kid was moments ago.

Shit, Fire-ya fucked me up good.

The room needed cleaning before he felt the right to leave. Law made sure the tools and surfaces were disinfected properly and tore the soiled bed liner off and threw it in the hamper in the corner before replacing it with a clean one. Looking around to make sure he didn’t forget anything, he nodded to himself in approval. The least he could do was this…

Was there anything else he could do before opening that metal door up? The stool was tucked away under the desk, the utensils were washed and dried, the floor mopped...what else, what else?

I guess the only other thing that’s left to do is to leave. It’s easy. Just grab the handle, twist, and walk out.

But what of Fire-ya? What do I do if I see him? What does his face look like?

It won’t be that bad. Doc took care of him and that means there shouldn’t be any remaining blood. He will look like normal. There were already stitches on his face, remember? He’ll look the same.

Time ticked by as he paced the infirmary, debating to himself if death was easier than dealing with what lay outside. Though, the internal battle came to an end as Law finally made that next step to walk out.

The ship was quieter now as it had been for hours after Kid’s surgery. The ship’s activity continued while Law holed himself away in Doc’s lab which made him feel a little better. So far, things were normal.

After performing surgery with the

Ope-Ope

power, Law was drained. The only place he wanted to be was back in bed. Was that the right thing to do, though? Law decided it wasn’t, he couldn’t ignore the mess he made. Before passing out, he’d have to apologize - which he hated doing to people he didn’t care about.

But Eustass-ya is out there and he deserves to hear it.

Continuing forward, there was small banter and

clinking

of glasses and forks against plates as Law approached the kitchen area. A heavy pit formed in his gut the closer he became. Once he rounded the corner and could see the Kid Pirates eating their dinner, Law was ready to throw up. This was not his thing, he did not do

people

and

socializing

and

blagh!

“Traf, you came out! Musta smelled the food, yeah?” Kid said, already feeling Law’s movement from the infirmary through the metal cuffs he continued to wear. “Sit there,” he said and pointed to the open chair between Vencar and Christoph.

“Nah, I won’t be eating. I came to apologize for the work I put you and your crew through.” Law started and turned to face the rest of the table. “Please forgive my actions,” he said with a low bow.

The table quieted once Law came into view, but it was dead silent now that he gave a formal apology. The Kid Pirates weren’t exactly used to having such proper manners, let alone manners being used

at

them. This sort of behavior left them feeling somewhat awkward, unsure of how to react.

Breaking the tension, Heat stood and came around the table to stand next to Law. His leathery hand tugged at his shoulder to pull him up out of his bow that he still held.

Facing the ground, Law knew whose feet those were. It was Heat. Trembling, Law held his breath.

It’s not Cora-san, it’s not Cora-san,

he repeated to himself as he let Heat pull him upward.

“Sorry,” Heat said with a sad smile. “Master says I’ve caused a great deal of trouble for you and it wasn’t nice to do what I did.”

In his peripheral vision, Law didn’t see a bright red smile painted across Heat’s face. Giving direct eye contact wasn’t something he could do just yet, though. “Ya,” was all he could spit out before he turned on his heel and went straight to the third floor for Kid’s room. A safe place for him.

As he walked the dimly lit hallway, he saw the two gashes Kid had spoken of. The outside wall of Kid’s room and the one across from it showed past signs of damage, all welded up now. If it was possible to feel any worse, he did. For some reason, he traced the lines with his fingers as if touching them would make them go away.

In the back of his mind, Law wondered how deep the slices went.

Did they reach the other side of the ship and beyond? Did water come in at all?

Questions he had no answers for swam through his mind as he plopped into Kid’s familiar bed face first.

___
 
Only an hour had passed before Kid came back to his room. Even though he wanted to give Law his space to figure his messy emotions out, he couldn’t. In fact, he’d have never left him in the first place if it weren’t for Law’s apathetic actions of ignoring everything Kid tried to offer. It frustrated him to be dealt that hand. The Kid Pirates are easy to read because they’re all open and comfortable with who they are.

But Trafalgar? God, he sucks! I ain’t askin for him to tell me his whole fuckin life’s story, but Jesus Christ, he almost tore my ship in half! I think I deserve some sort of explanation of how someone can do that from a single nightmare.

The metal door

creaked

open and Kid poked his head in to see if Law was awake, which he wasn’t. Instead, the dark pirate lay close to the wall in a little ball under the covers. His white, spotted hat lay atop the desk and Kikoku seemed to be on the other side of the room, as far away as possible from Law. The sight made Kid feel good, he liked that the skinny bastard still slept in his room well after becoming a normal-sized pirate again. After a good fuck, Kid was sure Law would have eventually started to sleep in the spare room on the ship. But to Kid’s surprise, night after night, Law returned to him.

Despite feeling good about Law in his bed like that, Kid knew he couldn’t grow attached to it. The ship was almost at their destination to drop Law off. Kid found he was constantly having to remind himself that Law wasn’t a Kid Pirate and he had his crew to be the captain of. That doesn’t mean Kid wouldn’t savor every moment he had left with him.

Standing at the edge of his bed, Kid stared at the lump that was Law and felt over his wounded abdomen.

I planned on fuckin him real good before he left, but it looks like I can’t do anything crazy without splitting myself open.

Kid gave up on the thought of any action in his future and resigned to stripping down to his boxer briefs and crawling into bed with Law. It was nice that the bed was already toasty warm. He scootched his body to curl around Law’s backside, spooning him.

“Mn?” Law moaned as he stirred awake.

“Hey,” Kid said quietly into Law’s ear. “It’s just me.”

“Mm,”

Kid nuzzled his nose into the back of Law’s neck, kissing it lightly. “Christoph wrapped a plate up for you to eat whenever. It’s in the icebox.” A small mumbling noise of ‘thanks’ from Law. “You gonna talk to me about what happened, or no?”

Law tried to speak but his mouth felt numb, so he tried again. “M’so tired, ya. M’power is draining if I use it for long periods.”

That made Kid smile.

There’s

the catch to that overpowered fruit.

Learning that small piece of information made Kid feel better about being weaker than him. Kid’s power didn’t tire him out, he could go for hours upon hours using it. It was second nature to him. Apparently, Law’s was not like that. “First thing in the morning, then?”

“Sure,” Law mumbled before he fell asleep again, unable to hold a conversation anymore.
 
___
 
Exhaustion was useful sometimes. Law loved the heavy feeling that overcame him when he used his power too much. In the back of his mind, he knew the sleep would be amazing as it wasn’t very often he got a good night’s rest. Although, he was sure he’d have had no trouble staying asleep with Kid wrapped around him like he was now.

Law lay awake in the morning sun waiting for Kid to rise. It was only fair to let the man sleep as long as he wanted, no matter how tingly Law’s arm was under Kid’s head, it being asleep for as long as Kid himself! Honestly, his arm probably wasn’t even attached anymore at this point. The numbness was more similar to a paralyzation than anything.

While Law thought about how he’d have to amputate his dead arm over and over, Kid finally stretched himself awake. The moment he lifted his heavy head, Law grabbed his arm and pulled it out from under him.

“Oh, hey. G’mornin,” Kid said behind a yawn.

Law opened his mouth to reply but Kid had already wrapped his lips over the other’s and closed the small gap between them. Law felt the warmth of Kid’s bulky arms drape around his waist. It was...nice...to wake up to a companion like this.

Companion? That sounds like a title and I don’t like the idea of

this

having an official name slapped onto it.

Before he could change his mind, Law gently cupped the sides of Kid’s face to return the embrace just as deeply, if not

more hungrily,

as Kid. Even though he most certainly wanted to kiss Kid, he also wanted to change the subject that was bound to come up; what the fuck happened yesterday.

Between them, the morning wood was hard and ready for the day. Kid groaned as he softly dry-humped over Law’s body, the light friction enough to get him going. “Ah, ow ow” he whispered when his pelvic area

panged

reminding him of the long slice across his stomach.

Well, there goes that distraction,

Law thought as he pulled away. “Careful, Eustass-ya,” Law said in his doctor's tone. With his left hand, he pulled the blanket up to check the wrappings to see if it had bled through overnight. In a sitting position, Law noticed a little pink stain on the gauze. It made him wonder if he didn’t sew tight enough in one area and it had leaked when Kid moved a certain way while sleeping.

Calling a small Room up over the wound, Law checked the internal parts. Kid flinched from the sight of his power which made Law feel like absolute shit.

He’s afraid of me,

he thought. Maybe a month ago that reaction would have been exactly what he wanted from a member of the Worst Generation. Everyone should be afraid of him and his capabilities for he was a force not to be trifled with. He’d have given a wide smile followed by a sinister laugh into the air, absolutely welcoming the fear of him.

But now? After being around Eustass Kid and seeing he’s a pretty decent guy who’s funny, caring, and hella attractive - yeah, that stung to see Kid recoil away from him. Since everything on the inside of Kid was doing fine, Law presumed the pink simply was a leftover mess he didn’t clean well enough and had dyed the white gauze. “Might as well just get this over with, then,” he sighed.

The bed creaked when Law pulled his legs under him and faced Kid. The pounding heart in his chest was distracting in the silence of the room. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard to slow his breathing before he started talking about things he doesn’t tell many people. Law was thankful Kid understood something was up and stayed quiet.

“I had a disease when I was a child.” He said carefully, purposely leaving out that

everyone

from Flevance had this horrific disease. “I was destined to die at thirteen. No one on earth had the capabilities of saving my life, and I know that information first hand. A man, Corazon, took me all over the world to find the cure, yet no one could. It was hopeless.

But then he got wind of a Devil Fruit that had the potential to separate the contamination from its host. And so he retrieved it, forced me to eat it, and I eventually managed to extract all the pieces of the disease off my insides, thus fully curing myself - which is why I’m here today.” Law appreciated Kid’s concentration and patience for his story even though he was not sure how he’d react to the rest. “Cora-san meant the world to me.”

The pain of the memories shaded Law’s face as he looked down as his hands twisting the sheet covering Kid’s legs. “He risked his life to get this power. He got it for me and made me eat it knowing his brother would kill him if he found out, and he

did

find out, and he

did

kill him.” An agonizing pang crept its way into his chest. A tattooed hand applied pressure to hopelessly ease the pain away. Law wished Kid would stop him from telling more of the story. It hurt too much. He hasn’t had to share this part of his life in a long time. Only a few of his crew members knew his past and no one else ever bothered asking.

“Corazon wasn’t his real name,” Law said after coming back from his dark thoughts. Kid sat up against the wall and pulled his legs under himself. He could see Law was uncomfortable but he wasn’t sure how to comfort someone in this type of situation, so he instead stayed silent. “His real name was Donquixote Rosinante.” Law looked up to see if Kid put that information together.

Furrowing his brows together, Kid finally spoke. “Donquixote? The same name of that insane Warlord?”

“The very same, yes. Cora was Donquixote Doflamingo’s brother. I was considered part of his pirate crew when I was ten, which is how Cora-san eventually became my new...my new father.”

Can this bullshit be done already? Please?

Law ached to end his thoughts down memory lane but the crushing weight of hurting Kid in his sleep because of his repressed trauma made him continue. “I loved him. And Doflamingo shot him to death. So...so many times…” his breath hitched as he tried to suppress a sob.

Fuck, I’m so weak.

A warm tear gathered at the corner of his eye and made its way down his cheek. With a sniffle, Law turned away to hide his stupid, crying face. “Look, Fire-ya just looked like’em, kay? And I wasn’t ready to see’em.”

He ended the telling there. Tears freely flowed down Law’s face as he was fully reminded of how amazing Corazon was to him. He freed him from his own body’s prison and was murdered because of it. He couldn’t even give his own life up to repay the man because he was already dead.

Kid got the gist of how important this guy was to Law and pulled him closer to so their crossed knees were touching. “Hey, it’s alright, man.” Kid said and cupped Law’s face. The tears were wiped away with his thumbs. “Shhh,” he cooed and pulled Law’s forehead to his own. “I’m sorry Heat did that. He’s a fucking psycho.”

It was too hard to look into Kid’s eyes right now, especially while so close. The intensity of the fire in his eyes was too much for Law. He felt vulnerable for showing such weakness to a fellow pirate enemy.

Frenemy. Complicated person with the same interests as me. Companion. I don’t fucking know who Kid is to me but I sure hate to have him see me like this.

“I’m gonna end him, you know.”

The redhead sat up. “End who? Heat?”

A quiet, dark laugh escaped Law as he shook his head no. “Doflamingo. I’m gonna bring him down from the inside out.”

“You gonna kill’em?”

“No, no. Someone else will do it for me if the plan succeeds. He’ll be ruined.” Law continued to chuckle at things Kid had no idea about.

The creepiness of the other sent shivers down Kid’s spine. “Thanks for telling me all that, by the way. I can understand your...

mishap

in your sleep now. I...I’m sorry for your loss?”

It was clear to Law that Kid had no idea how to console a hurt person. Honestly, though? Neither did Law. There was no blame put on Kid for that one. Again, Law laughed but this time the rain cloud around him had lifted and a real smile was forming on his face. “Yeah, thanks. I know I’m all kinds of fucked up in here,” he said, tapping his temple, “but I’ll be better when I know I bring that bastard down. For now, I am still haunted.”

That ended the conversation. Kid felt satisfied with the explanation. Of course, he couldn’t relate to his exact feelings as he has no attachment to this Corazon man, but he’s still a human and can understand feelings. Hell, he’s an emotional man himself! Just he doesn’t have childhood trauma to hold him down.

To ease Law’s mind, Kid made sure to change the subject completely. “Only a few more days left, then? You’ll have to get up in the navigator’s room if we’re gonna continue. I had’em keep the ship close the island while we slept since no one knows where we’re headed.”

Law nodded his understanding. “Yeah, I’ll get to it. Suppose you’re all a little tired of me.”

A barking laughed boomed through the metal room. “Nah, I like to fuck with you. I could deal with you for a little while longer.” Kid said with a wink. What he really meant was that he didn’t quite want Law to leave. Not only did he keep things interesting in various ways, he was also a

hot

fuck.

Kid sort of groaned remembering he wouldn’t be able to get any from Law before he left for good cause of this fucking cut.

God, even if he rides me I think it might burst open. Dammit, this sucks. I really wanted to fuck him hard enough to screw his walking up.

Kid was dead set on making the Heart Pirates concerned for their captain. He

wanted

them to find out about them. It was all apart of the game Kid liked to play; Intimidating other people with his sexual desires always got him off. Knowing how straight and uptight Law was, his crew has

got

to be just as bad.

Prolly a bunch of prudes.

The boat wasn’t going to sail itself, so Law began to shuffle off the bed. “Wait,” Kid said, grabbing Law at the elbow.

Law looked down at Kid’s hand. “Yes?”

Ugh.

The redhead sighed his frustration and let his hand drop. “It’s nothin. Let’s go.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Only two more days until they reached Zou if everything went how it should. The waters seemed lazy and the sky was clear. In the New World that meant nothing at all, but Law had a strong feeling it all would be alright from here on out. The ocean’s waves caught Law in a trance, stuck in his thoughts about what happened, or more importantly, how it happened. It was important to him to figure out how his sword had cut with blood spewing if his Room had been up. Ever since he realized it was up while he was dreaming, it had stuck to his mind like glue. That’s not how the Ope Ope no Mi works. Once outside the edges of the operating room will you begin to take the real effects of a sword, but not inside. Before Law had known it, the day had turned into night and Kid had come up to bring him some dinner. “Sorry I didn’t keep ya company. I was workin on somethin and lost track of time.” Kid said meekly. The plan was to work on the project for only a few hours and then spend the rest of the time with the depressing bastard, but he’d gotten lost in the details of his work. He’d only stopped because Killer had come and got him for dinner just as he was now doing for Law. “It’s fish. You like fish, right?”Law shrugged. “Yeah, thanks.” He said and reached for the plate. His fingers barely brushed the plate before Kid pulled back and shook his head back and forth.“Ah-ah, Traffy. I want a kiss first.” Kid said with the utmost confidence but the look he received from Law was not doing his pride well. The dark pirate had a look of horror like Kid had kicked his polar bear. “Gee, thanks, dickhead.” He said and dropped the plate on Wire’s desk. Law didn’t mean to make such a sour face and it’s not like he didn’t mind kissing Kid, playing his game in exchange for the food. It’s just...how could he forgive him so easily? He ripped his guts open just the other day but he’s acting like it never happened. Kid went ahead and dug into his own dinner as he leaned against the wall. Once he’d eaten about half, he looked over to the other who occasionally picked at his plate. “You alright, man? You’ve been quiet since...you know.”Hearing Kid bring the ‘incident’ up made Law visibly wince. “M’fine.”“I mean, I know your look of constant constipation is just your thing, but it’s more than that. I can tell.” He said after swallowing his last bite. “So what’s up, Traf?”Law’s eye twitched in annoyance a few times before he could answer. “I said I’m fine, Eustass-ya.” He said between gritted teeth. He pushed his plate away and sat up to go look out the window at the dark sea and billions of stars that shone down on them. If that wasn’t a sign of things weren’t okay, then what was? Kid rolled his eyes so hard they did a 360 in his head. “Stop bein a brat and tell me what’s wrong.” He said and set his plate down before pushing off the wall and making his way over to Law. Coming up behind him and putting his hands on his shoulders, he spoke more softly. “Talk to me?” Sigh. It’s so hard to be an asshole when he’s so nice. It took all his strength to not shrug Kid’s hands off and jump overboard. I don’t deserve his friendship. “If I tell you, will you stop pestering me?” He snapped. Fuck, why did I say it like that? Luckily, Kid didn’t take offense to Law’s retort. “Maybe. Maybe not. Might as well spit it out.” He said. Gently, Kid tugged at a shoulder to turn Law around to face him. He backed Law against the window and trapped him with his arms on either side so he couldn’t escape. The redhead looked at him with hooded lids for a moment before burying his face in Law’s collar. Trailing kisses up and down his neck, he spoke between kisses. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”Shivers ran up Law’s spine feeling the electricity of Kid’s power coarse through his veins. Fucking asshole, buttering me up like this! His knees trembled like they were suddenly made of jelly. “Yeah, alright,” He whispered. Clearing his throat to get rid of the signs of being under Kid’s spell, he spoke at regular volume again. “I want to know how you can still do this even after what I did to you. It is something that shouldn’t be easily forgiven.”The kissing stopped for a moment while Kid thought about what Law meant, then he let out a breathy chuckle to continue his kissing. He moaned into his kisses and sucked on Law’s earlobe before he answered. “Cause it ain't that big of a deal, Traf. You were sleepin.” Kid pulled away to look Law in the eyes. “You wanna cut me up at all?”“What?”“Wanna cut me again? You got any plans on finishing me off?” Kid clarified as he looked down his nose at the lanky pirate beneath him.“What? No! What kind of question is that?”Kid took Law’s lips into his own. While deeply kissing him, he rubbed his hands up and down Law’s arms for comfort. Once he pulled away, he said, “And that’s why I can forgive you. Ya didn’t mean it.” Kid said. He almost laughed at Law’s reaction. The look of utter shock that the answer was so simple had Kid smiling like a goof. Though, the smile left as soon as it came when Kid suddenly yanked Law’s chin into his grip. “But, if you do it again, I’ll kill you.” Kid said with all seriousness. He held his eyes until Law knew Kid meant it, then rubbed his fingers over the spot he roughly grabbed. Kid couldn’t help but notice how long Law’s facial hair had become. Between his sideburns and goatee was growing in nicely. He’s...kinda hot with a beard. Law didn’t need Kid to elaborate. He knew what he meant. If you come at me like an enemy, I won’t hesitate to take you down. Law could respect that about him. He was soft, but not soft enough to die. Kid was a survivor just like he was. “Deal,” Law said with a half-smile. It made him feel a little better but it would take some time to rid all the feelings of guilt he had stored up. “So, ‘Surgeon of Death,’” Kid mocked. “When can I expect these things to not pop open?” he asked and moved his big, fluffy jacket to reveal his pale torso and the stitches that ran across his lower belly.“Probably a few days after we get to Zou,” Law answered monotonously. “Why?” The redhead licked his lips like an animal and growled, “Cause I ain't done with you,”“Excuse me?” Law blurted. Then a sudden heavy, familiar tingling sensation in Law’s body grew, it lingered for a brief moment before the cuffs on his wrists were pulled above him by an invisible force and attaching him to the ceiling of the small room. Law objected by kicking out at Kid, who let him have his fun before he moved in. “The fuck are you doing, Eustass-ya?!” Kid bared his teeth as he stared a hole into Law’s crotch. All he could think about was Law, Law, Law. He wanted to be balls deep in him but the stitches holding his guts in would burst and, as much as he liked sex, he was sure those intestines were there for some important reason. As much as he hated Kid throwing him around like a god damned ragdoll, Law refrained from using his own Devil Fruit powers to break himself free. He recalled himself making the distinct decision to keep the metal cuffs on specifically for this type of situation.“I’m really, really horny, Traff.” He whispered into the crotch of Law’s jeans. He nuzzled his face against the growing erection and kneaded Law’s ass like a newborn kitten. “I really wanna hurt you, too.”“Fuck you, ya!” Law spat and thrust his hip bone to knock Kid away. “Get me down from here. I need to guide your ship even at night.”Kid’s big hand toyed with the hem of Law’s pants, twirling his finger around the man’s happy trail. “Nah, it can wait. If I can’t fuck you, I want you to suck me off.”Law’s jaw almost touched the floor. “ WHAT?” “Shhhhh, you don’t want Killer to come up here, do ya? Quiet down.” A foot made its way to the side of Kid’s head but the metal cuff hidden below the pant leg sang it’s little call warning Kid of its coming long before Law’s boot came close enough to hit him. Without much effort, Kid caught the foot with an impish grin. “Whaddya say, Traf?” He asked and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “As-fucking-if! I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole!” Law snarled as he started shaking against the shackles. “You can go fuck yourself for all I care!”“I could do that but it’s not as fun,” Kid whined. He stomped his foot like a child to continue his act. “I want you to do it!” He could barely hold back his grin as he fake-pouted waiting for Law to answer.The navigator’s room was silent except for Law’s heavy breathing and occasional growling. The waves were picking up only enough to be heard crashing into the side of the metal ship. The dark pirate then let his head drop until his chin met his chest. An evil, grumbling laugh bubbled its way out of Law’s mouth. Kid dropped his child act and watched to see what was so funny. In a burst of laughter, Law threw his head back and released himself from the cuffs with his Room.There was a loud thunk as his boots hit the metal flooring and it echoed around them. “You want me to suck your cock, ya?” Law asked the other, still laughing as he slowly approached him. “You sure you want that?” he asked, showing a wide smile full of teeth.That gave Kid gooseflesh just thinking about Law biting down on his dick. “Yeah, yeah I do,” he said hungrily. His arms came out to wrap around Law’s small waist but were quickly smacked away. “Feisty!” he playfully said and tried again. After his hands were smacked away a second time, Kid realized the low hum of Law’s Room never stopped. Around them still glowed a pretty, powder blue. “Law…” Kid warned. “What do you plan on d- OOF!”Kid was cut off from violently being flipped over the desk with his hands flat against the surface. His cheek was mushed so hard to the wood that his vision in his right eye was impaired. “Law, don’t you fuckin do it!”“But I wannaaaa,” Law mocked in a tone that sounded like Kid. “I’m hornyyy,”  “Don’t!” Kid shouted, fighting against the Ope Ope Fruit with all his might. The door to the room slammed shut at the same time as Kid’s clothes were plucked off with a pop and reappeared somewhere else in the room. Kid’s breathing was ragged and harsh as he couldn’t see Law at all behind him. Suddenly being naked made Kid feel overly exposed, especially because he couldn’t see what Law was up to. He tried kicking out to feel for the other man but the power holding him down was greater than him. “Law! What do you plan on doing?!”To answer his question, Law’s hard cock standing at attention came into contact with Kid’s backside. He rested himself there to let the other know who was in control. The tattooed man let his body lazily fall over Kid’s back, blanketing him with the warmth of his chest. “Mmmmm, you feel so good,” He cooed into his ear and rubbed his face into the back of Kid’s head. Kid grit his teeth when he was abruptly yanked back by his hair. “I bet you feel even better on the inside.”Kid couldn’t help it, he barked a burst of angry laughter out before saying, “You don’t have the balls to fuck me. I’d like to see you try,”  Before he could close his mouth, Law’s left hand fish-hooked around his cheek, shoving his first two fingers inside to wet them. Kid attempted to bite down but just above the skin of Law’s fingers, he couldn’t move anymore. The muscles in his neck were tensing, but he couldn’t move his jaw even a centimeter. Kid could hardly believe how much complete control Law had over him.“That’s good, nice and wet,” Law whispered cooly. Kid’s backside clenched tight trying to avoid what was coming next. Even with Law’s dick merely resting against his cheeks had him hyperventilating of the possibilities. “You ain't got the guts.” Kid spat with venom in every syllable once his mouth was finger-free. Part of him was very sure Law had all the guts but the other part of him nagged that Law was good at bluffing, as he was a conniving fuck-head like that.Law’s pelvic area was removed and Kid expected long fingers to enter inside him to loosen him up, but they never came. Instead, he heard Law mumble, “It’ll have to do” and then something was poking its way between his cheeks. Swiftly, Law kicked out one of Kid’s legs to open his stance wider for him making Kid grunt in the process.Without much warning other than the obvious of what else could be next, Law forced himself inside of Kid. It didn’t hurt either of them at all but it was difficult pressing in as Kid’s saliva barely passed as lubrication. “Ahh, Law,” Kid hissed. “I’m gonna fuckin kill - hah,” he tried saying but the man shoved into him all the way until he had nothing else left to give. Kid clenched his teeth together fighting the urge to yell.Law was on fire. He felt high off his power over Kid that the mere grand entrance inside was going to send him over the top. Kid was tight. Too tight because he hadn’t been loosened up ever in his life. Law’s fingernails dug into pale hips as he waited for the redhead to adjust. Kid’s back heaved up and down as his breathing was fragmented. The longer Law waited, the more Kid tried to wriggle under him. He started to pant heavily while his walls clenched around Law’s dick. Letting up on his power just enough for Kid to move a little more under him, he felt the redhead pressing himself backward onto Law’s dick, seemingly eager to get started. A smile curled at the corner of Law’s mouth. He likes it, Law thought. That was enough of a cue for him to begin. Since he had total control over every fiber of Kid’s being, he didn’t start off easy. He pulled back until only the tip was still inside and then rammed back in at a grueling pace. “Hah, ah, ah!” Kid moaned out with each thrust, already overwhelmed. He tried a few times to form words but failed. Licking his lips, he tried again. “Law - ah!”“Ya?” Law said between breaths. What Kid wanted came short because all he could do was feverishly pant as Law continued to pound into him. Law waited for Kid to tell him but he only managed to say his name. The dark-haired man leaned forward and grabbed both Kid’s shoulders to help him thrust harder. “Aggnnn, Eustass-ya. You feel good on me,”Kid gasped for air, “Law, hah!”Law released his grip on Kid’s shoulders and raked his nails down the length of his back to return at his hips again leaving long, pink lines to welt up. “You like me in you, ya?”The red-haired man didn’t answer right away, only managing his vulgar moans. “Yessss,” He hissed while he could. The agreement was angry but it was a pleasured angry. The dark pirate couldn’t help but chuckle seeing how pissed off Kid was but still couldn’t deny how good it felt.To cheer up the grumpy man, Law reached his hand around to Kid’s front and touched his weeping, neglected cock. Multitasking was one of Law’s many talents and he used that to his advantage right now. Still fucking Kid, Law managed to rub his thumb over the slit in the head of Kid’s dick a few times before he began stroking it in time with his thrusts. Under the power of his Room, Law could tell Kid’s legs were beginning to shake and could very well give out, but Law had him. The fact Kid was so easy to exhaust when the tables were turned had Law shivering in ecstasy. His balanced thrusts stuttered a few times while the thought of Kid being completely helpless against him. “Thought you didn’t want me to fuck you?” Law said between ragged breaths.“Fuck….hah, hah...fuck you,” Kid moaned out. His voice was thick with lust, deeper than normal. Once Law had started jerking him off, Kid had fewer things to say as he could barely comprehend a thought. Though he said fewer insults, that didn’t mean he was any less quiet. Kid was loud. With each moan, Law could feel the vibrations inside Kid’s body down to his very core. Sex under the Ope Ope power was exotic as Law could feel so, so much more than he normally would. Every scream he pulled from the punk pirate ran through every inch of Law’s body which was just about collapsing as he felt Kid’s abdomen clench into a knot, tightening and tingling. The inside of Kid constricted over Law’s dick and Kid twitched in his hand.“I-I’m... hah, I’m gonna cum,” Kid wheezed between breaths.Law straightened his body to make sure he finished him good. “I know,” he smiled at the back of Kid’s head. Even if he couldn’t feel the trembling of Kid’s body, all of his insides were exposed for Law to feel under the power of the Room, giving him away in any sense.As if he was only waiting for confirmation, Kid’s dick jumped again with a twitch in Law’s hand before he cried out and came, shooting semen onto the floor under Wire’s desk. To Law’s surprise, Kid’s orgasm was anything but short. Kid’s fingernails scratched at the wood as he squeezed his eyes shut, moaning deeply as Law helped him ride out the entirely of his orgasm.The moment he felt Kid’s body relax indicating he had finished completely, Law returned his hand to grab onto the porcelain hips for support while he thrust all his might into Kid. He only had to pump into him a few times more before the tingle of his own orgasm crept upon him. Hissing under his breath, Law harshly bucked his hips against Kid’s backside, filling him to the brim. The last few slow and broken thrusts inside had basically blinded Law. There was nothing else in the world around him except for a helpless Kid and himself. “S-shit…” Law finally said after all he had to give was gone. He flopped over onto the man below him until he caught his breath. He could feel his cum escaping from around his dick and down Kid’s thigh. He wanted nothing more than to comfort him but he couldn’t move. He didn’t even have the strength to pull himself out just yet. It took all his remaining energy left to keep his Room up to keep Kid locked down against the desk in case he wanted to retaliate.Pushing himself up, he carefully pulled himself out which released the rest of the cum. He winced knowing Kid had to be furious with how much of a mess he was right now.The only way Law knew to help the other pirate was to wash him as he was a hot, sweaty mess, but he couldn’t leave from here. He decided to use up the remainder of his strength to light the whole pirate ship up in his Room and transfer the captain to the bathroom, gently setting him down in the tub.Alone in the navigator’s room again, Law fell backward into the chair behind him and slid down until his ass was barely resting on the seat. He was exhausted from holding his Room up for...what? Ten minutes straight? Normally it was up for only a second or two at a time. Then adding the exertion of fucking on top of that? Yeah, Law was spent. All he wanted to do was sleep but he knew he had to stay awake. Tomorrow was probably the last day of sailing and then they’d be close enough to see Zunisha from there. If the wind stayed this steady, they could probably make it tomorrow night instead of two days from now. A surge of excitement filled Law’s chest up from the thought of seeing his crew again. He missed his fat polar bear and Shachi and Penguin and Ikkaku. He sighed to himself with a smile across his face, though it soon disappeared as he felt vulnerable while thinking of them as he sat there entirely naked with jizz on his dick from fucking his enemy. God, what is Ikkaku going to say if she finds out about Eustass-ya... What the fuck am I going to say in general when I show up with another Supernova? Law thought, rubbing his temples with a tattooed hand. I’d send the ship flying but I can’t turn them away before that wound on Eustass-ya is healed up. I’m responsible for it, after all. He also didn’t quite trust Doc to get back inside and take out the sutures once the wound had healed. It would be a mess if Doc did it, but it’d take seconds for Law with his power. No way I’m letting that guy touch Kid. Regretfully, Law pulled himself out of the chair to clean himself up. He had to stay awake until at least morning. Wire could guide the ship for a few hours while Law caught some Z’s, but for now, he had to make it through the night if he wanted to see his crew any time soon.Finding his pants and lazily sliding them on, Law came across Kid’s clothes, too. There was a pang of guilt welling up inside him as he thought about if it was right or not to do what he did. He could tell Kid liked it but it was only after Law had started in on him. Guess he’ll have to cross that bridge when he gets there.  ___ Kid suddenly appeared in his ship’s bathroom and felt the freezing porcelain of his tub under him. With a cringe, he hurriedly turned the water on and slammed his foot down on the plug at the bottom. The hot water began to pool up as Kid processed what just happened to him. Awkwardly sitting cross-legged in the small confinement of the tub, he grumbled under his breath that he would murder Law for what he did, but in the back of his mind, he knew he wouldn’t. Fuck, if that didn’t feel hella good, Kid thought to himself. He leaned back against the tub’s wall bringing his knees up to his chest as the water was up to his waist now. Watching the steam rise in front of him, Kid trailed a hand down his front, passed his dick, and stopped at his entrance. He swallowed, nervous to touch himself in a way he never has before. His pointer finger traced the outside. It didn’t hurt at all. I’m sure it was supposed to hurt. The fucker didn’t even use any lube, dammit! He thought. But it didn’t hurt… In fact, the more Kid thought about it, nothing on him hurt while they had sex. He was sure his stomach wound being pressed up against the desk being constantly rammed into the hard wood would become heavily bruised or tear open, but neither happened. Once the water had made it up to his shoulders, it finally dawned on Kid that being under that blue orb of Law’s must have been the reason.Kid was jolted from his thoughts from a knock on the door. “Kid?” his second in command said behind the metal. “Come in,” he said and moved his hand away from his genitals.Killer stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. “Is everything alright? There was yelling, then the ship lit up. Makes me nervous to see that light, you know.”Kid breathed a laugh through his nose knowing Killer, and everyone else, had good reason to think that. Law’s power was scary and after messing him and his ship up, he can understand Killer’s worry. “Nah, s’all good,” he said, debating to tell the truth about what happened. Normally he was entirely open with any of his crew, that’s just how Kid was. But he’d never let someone dominate him like that - even though he didn’t have much choice in the matter.On this ship, he was the dominant one. This was his ship and his crew. The crew that followed him because he was the one in control. And now? Trafalgar Law waltzes into their lives and fucks that all up, fucks him up in ways that Kid was still trying to process. That brought him back to when Law was physically fighting him after Kid strung him up next to Killer in The Room. He shivered even though he was submerged in hot water from the neck down. Killer cocked his head to the side but stayed silent. While Kid thought about Law he had taken up a seat on a washing stool.It was hot to have Law come at him like that. How many times has he had others fight him? Shit, even when he and Kill butted heads, or when Heat got out of control, none of that sexually riled him up. But when a skinny, depressing, piece of shit doctor does it - he’s all for it?! Fuck that. That’s stupid. How was he supposed to keep his mates in line if he buckled for Law?  Flicking the water around, Kid stewed in his anger. He hated Law for fucking up what he had. He was good! He had everyone wrapped around his finger until Law showed up. Now they quite literally paw at string bean, begging him for playtime. “Hey,” Kid finally said.“Mm?” Killer answered. He knew something was on his captain’s mind but he also knew he’d say something once he was ready.“You like Law, yeah?”There was a long pause before Killer spoke again. “Unfortunately.”“You like how he got me, didn’t you? I let him, you know,” he mumbled as he fingered a fading bite mark on his chest from that night.“I know,” Killer said. “Is there a point to this?”Kid quieted for a moment while he contemplated his answer. “Do you think I’m weak?” Killer couldn’t help but laugh, even when Kid shot him a glare full of daggers, he didn’t stop. With both hands, he pulled his helmet off and set it on his knee while he rested his forearm on it. “Is that what this is about? You think you’re weak cause you let him have his fun?” The redhead looked away, instead staring at the faucet that periodically dripped into the tub. A low grumble formed in his chest before he moaned out a “maybe,” still avoiding eye contact.Again, Killer laughed. “How does that make you weak? If you let him, then you let him. It was your choice. Honestly, that makes you stronger because you took all those punches without slicing his throat.” The blonde scooted the stool closer so he was at the edge of the tub. “You’re Eustass Kid, the man who tamed all these men,” he gestured to the rest of the boat behind him, “and they only listen to you. They fuckin love you, man. You’re hot and you get them off. That’s why they follow you.”“Yeah, okay, but now they’re all up on Traf - including you, yanno!”“Ah,” Killer started, sitting up and straightening his back. “You think because Law got you, that you aren’t strong, that-”“He’s stronger than me, Kill.” Kid interrupted. “I did let him come at me and physically I am stronger, but his Devil Fruit is fucking insane. I don’t know how he hasn’t already conquered the New World with that shit. I - he - fuck!” Kid shouted. “He could easily find the One Piece before we’ve even started!”Seeing his captain become so distraught over Law genuinely shocked him. “Whoa, whoa, where is all of this coming from, Captain?”Kid ran his fingers through his hair and gave his roots a small yank. “I don’t know, man! He’s got me all kinds of fucked up! He’s so much better than me!” he yelled and those last words echoed against the walls of the bathroom, ringing their ears. Kid’s chest heaved up and down before he finally calmed himself to speak again. “He’s strong, tactical, and knows what he’s doing. Just when...he came at me throwin’ fists with all that fire in his eyes, I was… I was like, shocked. He wasn’t afraid of me even though he had the sea stone cuffs on 'em. I could have killed him - easily - cause he’s so fuckin weak. I mean, look how skinny that fucker is! I could break him in two with just this hand,” Kid said and balled his right fist up in front of his face. “Yet he was determined to get revenge on me for stringin’ him up and not letting him finish.”Killer stayed quiet and listened to Kid speak his mind even though his thoughts weren’t making much sense. It was clear that Kid was speaking as his thoughts were currently forming, only giving them a voice as things occurred to him at the moment. The blonde could see Kid needed to get whatever it was he was saying off his chest, so he silently nodded while his captain continued his monologue. “I dunno. It was weird. I’d never let someone treat me like that, you know that! I think I was just...shocked...that someone so lanky had the balls to try. It was hot, Kill. Fuck, it was so hot. I let him kick and scratch me, even break my fuckin nose. The more he tried, the harder I - the harder I - I fell.” Kid finally said. “I made love to him after that.” Kid looked to his best friend. “I love him.”“Fuck,” was all Killer could say.“I know! I’m fuckin screwed, man.” Kid nervously picked at his nails as he spoke. “I ain't gonna tell’em, though, if that’s what you’re wonderin. I don’t need him to love me back, just like you don’t need me to love you back.”The room fell silent again. The water in the tub was losing its warmth and the ends of Kid’s fingers were becoming wrinkled. Kid closed his eyes and ducked his head under the water. When he came up, he raked his hands through his hair to slick it back. The water formed a small wave as Kid sat up, hunching over so far his nose was hovering centimeters above the water. He sighed. “He fucked me.”There was a choking sound and then an immediate, “WHAT!?” from Killer.“Yeah, I know.” Kid couldn’t help but close his eyes and smile thinking about it. “Just now .” “You just let him take you like that?!” Killer blurted out.“He forced me. I couldn’t have fought back if I wanted to. It was amazing.” Kid smiled at the water.“You just said he isn’t strong enough! You let him, Kid!”Kid whipped his head to look over at Killer with an icy glare. “I didn’t let him do shit. He used his power on me. That’s what I’m fuckin sayin, Kill! He’s-” the venom left his voice, “...got me good.” He had to hide his face in his hands to prevent Killer seeing his stupid blush. “I’m in love with him, I really am. He’s got his hooks deep in me. You know my weakness is a man who can overpower me,” he whispered more to himself than to his Second.The blonde shook his head in disappointment. “I didn’t think you’d ever bend over for anyone.”That boiled Kid’s blood making his shoot out of the water in a split second and attack Killer. He jumped on top of the blonde and straddled his chest, both hands stretching over his neck squeezing tight. “Don’t forget who’s in charge here,” he growled between gritted teeth. Even if Killer’s helmet was off and he had no other metal to control him by, Kid was still the strongest on the ship.Though his airflow was being cut off, Killer kept a smile on his face. Here his captain was, buck ass naked, choking him. The smile turned into hysterical laughter, coughing as he gasped for air. Knowing Killer was getting off from this, Kid let go and instead backhanded him across the face before sitting up. “Don’t you fucking forget,” he repeated as he walked away. He exited the bathroom, leaving Killer lying on his back, laughing. ___ Law was nodding off when the Navigator’s door burst open making him jump out of his skin. He instinctively reached for Kikoku, but his hand touched his belt and nothing else, forgetting he left her back in Kid’s room where she couldn’t hurt anyone. It was Kid. Naked.Seeing Law give him a sour look when he realized he had nothing on, he pointed at his clothes on the floor in the corner. “Couldn’t have sent these down to me, huh? Had to make me walk my ship like this?”“You were closer to your room, why didn’t you go there instead?” Law asked sleepily.Kid smiled. “Guess I just wanted to see you again before I went to bed,” he said while stepping into a pant leg. He wobbled a bit before getting his footing. After shrugging into his captain’s coat, he approached Law’s side. “Come to bed with me.”Law blinked slowly when he looked up at the redhead. “I have to be up here, Eustass-ya. I’ll sleep in the morning. Wire-ya will be able to do the rest from there.”“That’s at least another five or so hours, man. You’re exhausted.” Kid placed a hand on Law’s shoulder and rubbed it. “You look like shit.”“Yeah, thanks,” Law said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I’ll be fine, though.”“So you won’t come down with me?” Kid asked. The brunette shook his head. “Alright, I’ll stay awake with ya then.”“Don’t bother, I don’t need the company,” Law said flatly. Kid didn’t look tired but he knew the man was always down for sleep. Plus, it would be a boring night. All he was doing was making sure the wind carried them in the right direction and they didn’t come across any threats.Completely ignoring him, Kid sat on the floor against the wall behind Law. He crossed his legs and pulled his coat closed for warmth. “S’alright. I don’t mind.” ___ It’s funny how time flies when you have good company. Law was thankful Kid stayed with him for the remainder of the time until the sun came up and a sleepy Wire walked in to relieve Law.The two pirates lazily made their way down to the depths of the metal ship to Kid’s room. Law had twisted the giant lock to Kid’s door and when he turned around, the redhead already flopped on the bed in his underwear. Law gave a small smile at the site. Kid was pretty simple when it came down to it. He liked fucking, fighting, eating, drinking, sleeping, and pissing Law off. That’s all that made up the entirety of Kid. Just a big, furry red ball of anger trying to make his way through the New World.Giving a single, side-long glance to the other side of the room from Law to check on Kikoku, he sighed and climbed into bed with Kid after discarding his clothes. Once he was tucked under the blankets and forced the fat oaf under as well, Law lay there in silence. The morning sun was shining into Kid’s room through the small window, though it lit the room completelyLaw was tired, but things tend to nag him for longer than normal keeping him awake. Kid rolled in his sleep and curled his body around Law’s, nuzzling into his neck before deciding that was most comfortable. The dark pirate pulled his arms out from under them and placed them behind his head. Sleep dangled itself in front of Law, so close to grasp yet so far away. His eyelids were heavy but his brain refused to shut off. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact he forced Kid into sex he wasn’t sure he wanted that kept him awake, or maybe it was the giant slash marks from his sword on the opposite wall, all welded up and glaring at him, reminding him of what an absolute shit-show he truly was.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Law had already been up, bathed, ate some food, and come back to lay next to a still sleeping Kid. There was a lot on his mind and he wanted to make sure that Kid knew all of it before they hit Zou. God knows there’d be so much to distract them both once they arrived. Law’s crew would be up his ass and the Kid Pirates would no doubt stir shit up with the Minks.

Time slowly ticked by. Or maybe it felt slower than normal because Law wanted to get some shit off his chest. He also told Wire he’d be back up soon to help with navigation.

The skinny pirate rolled over to face Kid who lay on his back, limbs sprawled out everywhere. Law’s dark eyes wandered to that special little crook in his neck, a place he felt all too familiar with. The memories of him being tiny and tucked away within the blanket of Kid’s hair washed over him and he felt a

pang

of guilt. So many horrible things happened to Kid since then and it was because of Law. Deciding he couldn’t wait any longer, Law lifted his hand and gently caressed Kid’s milky white cheek. “Hey,” he said quietly.

The redhead didn’t stir and he should have expected that. He looked so peaceful when he slept that Law barely had it in him to try again. But there was a schedule to keep.

“Eustass-ya,” Law said a little louder in Kid’s ear. He gave his sharp nose a few taps at the end and pinched it closed to cut off his air. “Eustass-ya.”

For a few beats, Kid lay motionless. Then with a burst of coughing, Kid woke. “SHIT!” He said, shooting up and looking around. Once he saw Law next to him, he raked his fingers through his hair and said, “S-sorry, musta been a nightmare. It felt like I couldn’t breathe for a second there.”

Law laughed. A real laugh, which felt nice to do. This stupid meat-head was enjoyable to be around. “Really? Well good thing you woke up, then, huh?” He said to the man. Law patted the bed for Kid to lay back down, which he did. “Awake now? Can I say a few things to you before I head up to relieve Wire-ya?”

Cocking his head to the side, Kid looked to Law in confusion.

What is there to say this early in the morning?

Kid thought more about the time of day.

Okay, ‘afternoon,’ whatever fucking time it is now. God, my sleep schedule is wrecked.

“Yeah, course. Sup?”

As if already losing his confidence, Law closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before he could make a sentence come out. “I...never properly thank you, you know. For taking care of me when I was stuck at six inches tall.”

“Oh, yeah. It was kinda shitty at first, but it became well worth it in the end,” Kid growled through a smile and leaned in for a morning kiss. Law welcomed it but soon pushed him away to prevent any further man-handling.

“I’m serious. I am truly grateful for your kindness. I would have died back on Sabaody if you hadn’t come back for me. You went out of your way to get me back from that boat bandit, too. You didn’t have to do that, Eustass-ya, but you did. Thank you.

“And I never truly apologized for hurting you. I know I said I said I was sorry a hundred times, but I was still under the spell of shock, not truly knowing the full extent of what I did. Now with a clear head, I can’t imagine the betrayal you must have felt while a sword went through you...all while you

still insisted

to wake me from my sleep. I’m so,

so

sorry I did that to you. Even though it was an honest accident, you still did not deserve it. You’re too kind to me, you really are. I…” Law trailed off and looked away from Kid’s intense gaze. “I don’t deserve your company.”

The sincerity in Law’s words held a deeper meaning like he was going to say something Kid didn’t like. Law’s monologue sounded more like….“Yer not breaking up with me, are you?” Kid said jokingly.

Half

-jokingly. He wanted to keep this all casual but it honestly sounded like Law was building up for something else - like the guy was trying to push him away.

Law raised an eyebrow. “Break up?” he asked and turned his head back to face Kid.

“Yeah, like not be fuck buddies anymore.” Kid lied.

“Ah, you mean this ‘thing’ we’re doing. I never wanted to label it…” Law said, trailing off in thought. Kid waited with a pit in his stomach. “No, I guess that’s not what I’m getting at. Unless you wish to cease this ‘thing’ we have, then by all means, I will leave you alone.”

“No!” Kid shouted and jumped on Law’s pelvis to hold him down. “No, I don’t want that at all.” He didn’t care if he sounded desperate. Kid was a man who said his thoughts no matter what. “I like you. Even if you tried to tear me in half, Traf. It’s alright.”

The glint in Kid’s eyes sparkled like a child’s fairytale, but it worked to make Law feel better. “Alright, alright. I’m not gonna run away.” He said, feigning his loss and holding his arms up in defeat. “But I’m not done talking, I still have one last thing to say.”

Kid made no effort to move from atop of Law, but stilled his wiggling and gave him his full, undivided attention, nodding for him to go on.

“I’ve never been so sexually stimulated in my entire life until I met you, but I am

dying

inside because of what I did to you last night. I’m sorry if it was too far.”

“Huh?” He asked shaking his head, not quite understanding. “What was too far?”

“I forced myself on you.”

As the wheels turned in Kid’s head and clicked into place, he realized Law felt bad for fucking him ‘like a man,’ as he always put it. He couldn’t help it, he knew Law was being genuine and trying to have a heart-to-heart moment, but he just

could not

hold back his sharp bark of laughter. Holding his belly and falling backward onto the bed, he continued to laugh.

Law felt like nothing he said was funny at all. He didn’t move from his spot, instead taking this time to cross his arms and scowl until Kid decided he was done.

“Wow! You are fucking stupid, Traf.” Kid said between coughing the rest of his hysterics out. “Do you really think I didn’t like it?!” He asked, pulling himself forward and climbing back onto Law, who sighed very dramatically.

“I know you liked it, Eustass-ya. I could

feel

how much you liked it with my Power. But I can’t help but wonder if you only liked it

after

I had already started. Multiple times you’ve told me not to do it, but I did anyway and-”

Kid held up his hand to cut him off, “and it fucking rocked my world.”

“What?”

The redhead rolled off the dark pirate and laid next to him, placing a hand on Law’s chest. “I’m gonna say something, and I’m only gonna say it once.

Only

because you’re obviously in some sort of turmoil over this will I say it, alright?” Confused, Law nodded his understanding. “And it’s sort of a secret from my crew, save Killer, so don’t go spewin this shit to just anyone!” Law nodded again. The redhead let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he said, “I’ve always wanted to be overpowered like that, but no one has had the strength to do it. It was

so. God. Damned. Hot.”

Kid shivered thinking about how

easy

it was for Law to take over.

Law stared over at the other. “So...what you’re saying is you’re weaker than me?” he said with a wink. Kid punched him in the chest, maybe a little harder than he should have seeing as how Law was cradling it now. “Okay, okay,” he said apologetically. “You mean to say, you know, since

you’re batshit crazy,

that you actually...enjoy that type of thing?”

“God, Law, yes! Yes, yes, yesssssss” Kid hissed before he ravished Law’s mouth with his own. All this talk about sex was getting him hard again. An eager hand felt its way down to the hem of Law’s pants before it was stopped.

“I don’t have time, I have to go up top,” Law said between kisses. “Trust me, I want to.” Law moved Kid’s hand over his growing erection to prove his words true. “I just can’t right now.”

“Alright, fine,” Kid said with a pout. “I still want you to suck me off, though.”

“You can’t always get what you want,” Law said with a smile, teleporting out of Kid’s room to the top deck before he could get strangled.

___
 
Wire jumped at the sudden change of air in the Navigator’s Room, his surroundings covered in a powder blue hue, then a human

popping

out of thin air. “Goddammit, I hate that shit!” He yelled, clutching his chest. Law smirked. “I wasn’t expecting you so early, Trafalgar. You’d only left less than five hours ago.”

“I know, but we should be getting there early tomorrow morning,” Law walked to the window and peered outside. He craned his next to see if the sails were taught. “Maybe even before sundown tonight if this breeze stays steady enough.”

Wire sat back into his chair and crossed his arms in annoyance. “If we’re gonna be there later, then why are you in here now?”

Law walked back over to the desk and peered down at the map, which was now crinkled due to the previous night’s excitement. Ignoring Wire, Law used the compass to calculate in his head how many more hours it would take to get there. Wire leaned in to watch but there wasn’t an island on the map anywhere Law was pointing to.

“I know you told us before that we’re going to an elephant island or some bullshit, but you haven’t told us why it’s not on the map. I bought these maps less than six months ago, they're up-to-date.” Law could hear Wire’s teeth grating against each other as he spoke.

Without looking up, Law mumbled, “It moves.”

“It moves. The island moves.”

“Yeah,” Law confirmed and stood tall again. He flashed a toothy smile that made him look more crazed than friendly. “The island is on the back of an elephant so it moves when the elephant wanders.”

Wire sighed and pulled his hood off to rest on his back. Running his fingers through his short hair, he said: “I guess I’ll have to wait to see what the hell you mean because you’re not making any sense.”

“How does it not make sense? There is no hidden metaphor disguising my description. It’s an island on the back of an elephant, Wire-ya.” Law said, anger growing in his voice. He didn’t like repeating himself and he sure as hell didn’t like the way the man looked at him while he elaborated.

The Kid Pirate growled under his breath, “Can you at least leave until nightfall?”

“Nah,” Law said with another psycho-smile. He turned and propped himself up on the desk to face Wire. “I’m gonna stay here. I have a feeling we’re gonna get there sooner than later.”

“If you weren’t my Captain’s pet, I’d stab you in the gut just for annoying me.”

“Your Captain’s pet, huh?” Law chuckled. “Is that what the rest of the crew is calling me?”

Wire looked straight into Law’s sleep-deprived eyes with a devilish grin. “Yeah, maybe even sayin you’re his bitch,”

Hearing that, Law couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He loved the drama! Wire may be saying all this right now, but Law distinctly remembers when he and Kid returned from that island, all the Kid Pirates, including Wire, pawed at him,

begging

him to play. He knew it was bullshit. It was in Law’s nature to know when someone was trying to be the dominant one in the room and Law wouldn’t yield. “Is that so?” He asked cooly. Scootching over to sit directly in front of Wire, Law set his boots on either side of him atop the arms of the chair. Lighting a Room up, Law twisted the necklace on Wire’s neck, flaunting how easy it was for him to control the other just as his captain controls him.

Keeping his head still and only moving his eyes, Wire glanced downward at the necklace. That was

his

necklace that Kid

made for him.

“Don’t you dare.”

“Dare to do what, ya? I’m just somebody’s bitch, I can’t do anything,” Law taunted. A smirk etched at the edge of his mouth while he began twisting the chain tighter, the opening between it and Wire’s neck became smaller and smaller. “Or are you understanding that I

can do everything?”

As the chain twisted closed and was now pinching Wire’s neck, Law began to lift the necklace from the back causing the other pirate’s eyes to bulge in surprise. “Don’t!” Wire shouted, trying to resist, but he was under Law’s Room, rendering him useless. Any movement of muscle from Wire and Law would know.

“‘Don’t’ what?” Law smiled with a cocked head. Wire began to lift out of his seat, his entire weight now resting on the necklace. Law

might

have stopped sooner but he couldn’t help but continue once he saw the other man’s eyes start to roll with excitement and his breath quicken. Clearly, Law was still riding his power high from last night. “You want me to stop?” Law asked in a low, sultry voice, the sound caressing Wire’s ears.

“N-no….I mean yes!”

“Which one is it?” Law said, pulling higher on the necklace.

A choking noise gurgled from Wire’s chest. “Yes, please stop!” he begged. And with that, the Room vanished and Wire plopped back into his seat, the chain loosely dangling from his neck again. Regaining his composure and hiding his tented pants, Wire glared at the dark pirate. “Fuck you,” he spat.

“Whose bitch am I again?”

Wire turned his head away in defeat. Embarrassment heating his cheeks. “No ones.”

“That’s right. Now that that’s cleared up, I’ll be taking the navigation from here. You'll stay and keep me company.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“What the ever-living fuck is that?” Kid said as the entire crew stood on the main deck looking out over the ocean. Off in the horizon was a mound of dark against the sky. “That,” Law started and smiled triumphantly, “is Zunisha.”“The elephant?” Killer asked, coming up to stand next to Law. “You said the elephant’s name was Zunisha...but that is... large. Very large.”  The dark pirate chuckled. He was in a great mood, too happy to be impatient with their ignorance. His crew was less than a day away, he’d see them by tonight. “Yes, she must be large because the island she carries on her back. The Mink Tribe lives there.”The Kid Pirates began talking amongst themselves about how bizarre this was. They had all heard Law tell them where they were going but it never actually registered to be true. As if Law was a little cuckoo in the head to think there was actually a creature that colossal. Seeing it now had confirmed Law was sane.Kid smirked as he clapped Law on the shoulder. “Well, guess you weren’t lyin! That bitch is huge!” Law glared at him. “Sorry, sorry.”“Anyway,” Law said, rolling his eyes, “we should be there in a few hour's time.” ___ With only an hour or so left until they arrived, Law gathered everyone to go over their next moves. “Listen up,” he said. When Wire scoffed at the idea of Law speaking to them as a captain rather than their actual captain, Kid shot him a look that shut him up real fast. “I’m going to need you to dock the ship by her back left leg, as that is where my submarine will be. Since we are coming up on her from the front, we’re going to need to give a decent berth around her to stay safe. If she moves her front leg forward, the waves will devastate this ship. Behind her is the safest to be.” Law looked around and waited to see if anyone had anything to say. Killer was unreadable while hiding below his helmet, but looked to be paying attention. His arms were crossed over his chest and he leaned on a hip. Wire looked like Law had poisoned him, his face turned into a frown and his eyes were mere slits as he glared at the dark pirate. Heat looked to Law like he normally did, fire in his eyes that was ready for anything, whether it be Play Time or bashing someone’s skull in. Kid leaned on Killer’s shoulder and played with his long, blonde hair while Law spoke.The crew members in the back stayed quiet, even Doc. Law was hoping he would speak up about maybe learning new practices while he was there, but he stayed silent, slightly disappointing Law that he wasn’t even the least bit curious to meet a whole new race and witness an island that almost no outsider ever gets to see.“Once we’re close enough, Eustass-ya will be able to hook your boat up to her ankle. Her wrinkled skin is perfect to wedge anchors into and Eustass-ya will be able to do it without hurting her.” Law looked to Kid with a raised eyebrow to reinforce that he would be sure he would not hurt her. Kid smiled and waved him away. “I’ll be visiting my sub before we head up top, but I won’t be long.”The crew around him nodded their understanding. Law asked if anyone had any questions, which no one did, and that was that. Much easier than Law had thought it would be, though it would seem he had made a bigger impact on Kid’s crew than he originally thought. He had won their captain over by a long shot and claimed dominance over anyone who thought it was smart to challenge him. Honestly, it was strange to be able to use his power the way he did on Kid’s ship. He’d never in a million years would think of forcing his own crew to do things as he did with The Kid Pirates.The redhead came up to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, hugging him close. “Look at you, actin like a true captain. Kinda makes me horny to hear you takin charge.”“Ugh, quit that,” Law said and shrugged out from under Kid’s arm. “Naw, I’m serious,” Kid whined and grabbed at Law’s waist before he walked too far away. “You looked cool.”Law couldn’t help the face he made next, it twisted in annoyance. “Don’t mock me, Eustass-ya. I’m in a good mood and I’d like to keep it that way.” He tried prying out of Kid’s hold but the other wasn’t letting up that easily.“I said I was serious!” Kid groaned and turned Law around in his arms to face him, who leaned backward to stay clear of his face, but Kid didn’t let him for long. He grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in for a forceful kiss. Embarrassed, Law tried pulling away but eventually gave in and kissed him back. When Kid parted his mouth to lick at Law’s bottom lip, Law quickly chopped him in the neck. “Oi! We’re out in the open!”The redhead laughed as he rubbed where Law hit him. “Yeah, yeah, ya boner killer. Let’s go have a quickie in my room, then. You actin like a captain on my ship got me all hot.” Kid said and leaned in to grab Law’s hand. “We don’t have time for that, Eustass-ya!”“That’s why it’s called a quickie, Traf,” Kid sighed, but resigned the idea of getting any. “Fine, we will stay here and watch the elephant get bigger and bigger. Nice and exciting. I can’t wait. God, I’m overjoyed. Wow, this is really fun. I am so glad I’m doing this instead of being balls deep inside my boyfriend.”Law stiffened and immediately looked around to see if anyone heard, then grabbed Kid’s tattooed arm and pulled him further away from everyone. “Oi! Don’t call me that!” Law growled through gritted teeth. “I’m not your boyfriend!”Curling his lip in a pout and turning his eyebrows up, Kid tried repressing a smile when he said, “Aw, don’t be so mean, Traffy. That’s no way to treat your boyfriend.” “Shhhh!!!” Law screeched and covered Kid’s mouth with both hands. They were chest to chest while Law glared at the other. “I don’t want your crew to hear you use that word, got it?!” He waited a moment to release his hands.“So you’re just gonna fuck me like that and then up and leave?” Kid said, more jokingly than anything. It was true, Kid definitely wanted Law to be his, but he wouldn’t force it. It wasn’t something he needed to be happy, just like it wasn’t necessary for Law to love him back. Kid was a big boy and would survive with or without Trafalgar Law.The dark pirate looked away in thought, watching the waves bring them closer to their destination. When a wind picked up and rustled through Kid’s hair and threatened to toss Law’s hat, he turned his attention back to the redhead. “I’m not very good at this,” he said seriously. His hands loosely grabbed the edges of Kid’s fuzzy coat, his thumbs rubbing over the black buttons. “I don’t know how to do this type of stuff very well.” While waiting for Kid to reply, Law stared at the bandages wrapped around Kid's lower abdomen, unable to look him in the eye.Understanding that Law was trying, Kid could only smile. He brought his hand up to cup the man’s face and rub at his unkempt beard. “It’s fine. I’m only teasin ya,” he said quietly and kissed Law on the forehead.Law gave a weak smile. He liked Kid, he really did. But boyfriend? How utterly elementary did that sound? A label will only make things more complicated, he thought. The idea of sharing more of his time with Kid didn’t seem too bad if he didn’t have a mission in his life already. Law was dedicated to getting revenge on a man and he wouldn’t die without carrying that one last thing out until the very end. A ‘relationship’ would have to wait. If Kid was still interested in him after he fulfilled his promise to himself, then maybe they could get back in contact and see where it goes from there. But as of right now, a boyfriend only seemed to complicate things. And now that Law thought about it, he was sure if Kid and him were ‘together’ he would have every right to know his plan never involved him coming back safe and alive, so the two of them were better off being separated. ___ The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, blackening the ocean below. The sconces across Kid’s ship were lit to give off as much light as possible, though it wasn’t enough to ease the creepiness of Zunisha.An enormous silhouette blocked their view of anything in front of them as Kid maneuvered their anchor tight in the elephant’s wrinkles. The waves crashed against her legs making it impossible to talk at a regular volume. Law approached the men.“Alright!” He yelled so everyone could hear him. “I’ll just be a few minutes. I want to check everything is in order and then I’m going to grab those books I promised Doc-ya. You’re going to need them if you plan on surviving in The New World.” He looked across the glowing faces, everyone looked antsy to see more of the strange phenomenon. “Then I’ll get us up there,” he said and pointed a finger to the sky. Law began to walk over to the edge of the boat when Kid followed him. “I’ll only be a minute or two, Eustass-ya. I’ll be right back.”The man rolled his eyes. “You think I’m passing up an opportunity to check out your metal submarine? You’re out of your mind, Traf. I’m coming with.”As it made sense to him, Law shrugged and immediately brought up a room large enough until he felt his sub deep within the water. Once the boundaries gave enough room to fit both him and Kid, he switched out a piece of charcoal in the boiler room for their bodies, them appearing in the sub in a blink of an eye.Kid bent forward with his hand clutched to his stomach. “God, that seriously feels weird.” The funny feeling didn’t last long, though, as he was more intrigued by running around looking at everything. Law left him to wander while he went over each room to double-check things were in proper order. He could tell no one had been here for most of the time he was gone, the ship was stone cold, the furnace wasn’t full, and the small layer of untouched soot in the hallway told him his crew docked and never came back down. The overwhelming amount of dedication his crew had for him sometimes annoyed him. What if he had died back on Sabaody! How long would they have waited for him until they got a confirmation he was dead - if they even got a confirmation! He had done nothing to deserve such devotion, but he was glad to have it. A pang of guilt hit him when he thought of his master plan to bring Doflamingo down. He’d have to tell them all goodbye sooner or later as Law had never made a plan to ever return, sure he’d die in the fight. Law shook his head of those dark thoughts as they didn’t matter right now. He had to live his life in the now and care for his crew as a real captain, as they expected of him. As Law made his way to his room to gather up the medical books he no longer needed, Kid familiarized himself with the metal of Law’s submarine. All metals had a different song they played to him, and he wanted to memorize this one in particular. He wanted to remember it so if they ever met again, he’d know. Kid dragged his hand over the walls of the hallway, fingering the bolts that held the sheets of metal together. He was impressed with the ship, he’d say that much. When he let his power feel outwards, he could tell the sub was much larger than he initially thought. He must have a decent sized crew.  Walking along, Kid came to the end of a hallway with a huge, metal door. It had a large, round swivel lock on it just like his room did, but this one was two or three times larger. Curiosity overtook him, so Kid approached and began turning the lock to see inside. The door opened from the middle, splitting in two. When he looked inside, it was too dark to see anything, so he felt around the nearest walls for a light.Fluorescents flickered on and the low hum of their power filled the room. He was taken aback as he wasn’t expecting a full-on medical room. He really is a fucking surgeon, isn’t he, Kid thought. The room had multiple operating beds, medical tools on tables at the side of each, a cleaning room for scrubs, and lots and lots of machinery that Kid could only assume was to keep people alive with. Realizing he could easily fuck this room up with how dirty he currently was, he flicked the light off and backed out, closing the door behind him. As he walked on, he ended up finding the only other room with a light on - Law’s.Cautiously entering as to not spook Law, Kid made sure he could hear his footsteps coming. The room wasn’t big, smaller than Kid’s at least. Single bed, way too small for the both of them, and a long desk that had papers littered across with books stacked high. Kid looked around and saw other than a short dresser, the rest of the room was shelves upon shelves filled with books. “Hey,” he said, staring at Law bending over. “Don’t tease me like that,” he came up behind the man to grab his waist.“Just a few more minutes, there were more books than I thought,” Law said as he stood and thumbed through a particular volume. “I had a series in mind for your crew but now that I’m looking at my library, Doc-ya could benefit from thi- oi!” Law yelped as Kid tossed him to his bed. Law landed with a bounce and a shocked expression, only to be replaced with a furrowed brow.Kid stood in front of him so his cock was at mouth level. “I wanna fool around,” he said. Being alone on Law’s ship, the ship he controlled as a captain and seeing all that medical shit had him itchy to taste the dark pirate. His inner need to fuck something that had a proper authority was driving him up the wall. Law looked up at him with a sort of sadness, a turmoil. “Eustass-ya…” he whispered and grabbed at Kid’s waist. “Can we wait to do this type of stuff until later? I...really want to see my crew,” he finished. That was something Kid could understand. It’d been over a month since he’s seen them, only calling them every few days to let him know he was still alive. Even though he was still revved up, he nodded and helped Law to his feet. “Sorry, I didn’t think about it like that,” he said shyly and scratched the back of his head. Law waved him away saying it was fine, then stacked the books he wanted to take with him and pocketed small medical supplies he’d grabbed before he came to his room. As if it only just now, Law said, ‘oh!’ to himself and got clean clothes from his dresser, then Shambled Killer’s off and climbed into the new ones. Of course, seeing Law naked for those few seconds was not helping Kid whatsoever.  ___ Back on Kid’s ship, Law handed Killer his clothes and Doc his books. Standing tall in front of the other doctor, he leaned down close to his face and growled, “Read them all. Front to back. Over and over until you’re better.” The other man nodded his head frantically, afraid to disappoint, but Law continued to glare down at him. “The next time I see you, you better actually know what the fuck you’re doing, or I’ll get Eustass-ya a proper doctor myself, stripping you of your title.”“Hey, don’t fuckin say crazy shit like that to him, Law,” Kid said, pulling on Law’s shoulder to leave his crewmate be.Law ripped his shoulder free without breaking eye contact with Doc. “He needs real medical education to be a doctor. Right now, he’s just a man who does first aid.” Law turned to Kid. “If you want to find the One Piece and sail on this sea, you’re going to need real medical attention sooner or later. If something tragic happens to any of you, your lives will be in his hands, and if he can’t pull his weight, you’ll die.” Leaning back into Doc’s face, he said, “Read them all.”“I - I will, thank you! Thank you for the material,” Doc stuttered. The rest of Kid’s crew stood idly by. They didn’t particularly like the way Law was talking to their crewmate, but Kid was the captain, and if he wasn’t making any more of an effort to shut Law up, then they had no say. Law looked around and smiled as if he hadn’t just told someone he was replaceable and asked if everyone was ready. Kid’s face lit up and asked for Law to wait while he went below to grab something, then rushed back up top saying he was ready. Law looked at the other captain to see what it was the man had grabbed but saw nothing. He shrugged and created the biggest Room Kid had seen him make so far, the circumference as tall as Zunisha, and popped them all at the tail end of the elephant. Once they landed, Law fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air. Once Kid’s stomach stopped doing flips, Kid knelt next to Law with a hand on his back, “Traf, you okay?!”Still trying to catch his breath, Law grabbed at Kid’s shoulder, indicating he needed help up. “Yeah,” he wheezed. “Saps my energy to do big Rooms like that.”Kid pulled Law’s arm around his shoulder and hoisted him up by the waist, holding him close. “You need to work on that shit, you know. You make yourself vulnerable to enemies.”“Fuck...off,” Law huffed, the venom in his voice non-existant. "Towards that stone entrance, then, I presume?" Kid asked, pointing in the distance. Law nodded and they headed out.Before they were able to walk ten feet, they were surrounded by Minks. Their subspecies varied but their uniform was the same. They were the guard of the city.A wolf-man spoke up with a bow held taught. “Who are you and how did you find this place?” he barked.In answer, Law fell forward out of Kid’s hold and expelled his stomach contents onto the cobblestone pathway. It had been quite some time since he had to make a Room so big and it hurt more than he remembered.“Trafalgar Law?” A buck had asked. He waved his hand out for the others to lower their weapons. “Law?” he asked again.Kid looked around to see everyone had focused their attention to Law, all forgetting he had company with him. It seemed safe for the moment but he was sure to feel for every shred of metal he could find on the minks just in case anything went sour. Since Law was shaking after throwing up a second time, Kid bent to help him up.“Yeah, it’s me,” he said with a wavering voice. The confirmation had all the animals around him barking, hooting, and crying into the night’s air while jumping on the poor guy, bringing Kid down with him.After regaining his composure and pleading for the minks to give him some space, he finally was able to stand on his own. While the crowd moved into the city, Kid couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous when the minks nuzzled into Law’s neck and chewed on his ears. In fact, it pissed him off. He wanted nothing more than to push them away, but he knew that Law wasn’t entirely his to begin with, so he stayed quiet - even if he grit his teeth at the sight.Once inside the city, the Wolf, Cazzy, had told him his crewmates were further in where the guest huts resided. Law nodded saying he remembered where it was, thanked him, and went on. His chest felt like it was bursting the closer he got, he could hardly wait to see all of them.Kid turned violently to jump in front of Law, protecting him from a huge, white bear that had come barreling towards him from the woods. He’d already searched for metal anywhere at all on the bear but since there was none, he had to use his hands to hold it back. He grunted as the blow was heavier than he thought.“Bepo!” Law said with enthusiasm. “Eustass-ya, it’s fine, this is Bepo.” His tattooed hands were pulling at Kid’s arms to let his bear free.When Kid looked him over, he nodded as he started to vaguely remember the strange creature. Again, the jealous feeling boiled inside him as Bepo rubbed his face all over Law, smothering him in his thick fur.It even gave him sudden pangs in his stomach because Law was laughing and smiling. There was genuine happiness on his normally constipated face. Kid had to look away to make himself feel better. Pulling out from under Bepo’s grasp, Law gestured to the people around him. “You remember Eustass Kid-ya, the captain of the Kid Pirates?” he asked his polar bear.Bepo looked at the others quickly, then stared at Kid who had grabbed him with such force before he could hug his captain. He wrinkled his nose when he smelled Kid’s scent. “Y-yes, I do remember them.”“I’ve been with them this whole time. I’ll tell you more about it over some food and a fire?” He asked. His navigator perked up.“Yes!!! I’ll wake everyone!”Normally, he’d hate for his crew to be bothered, but he couldn’t help how much he wanted to see them. Bepo raced off and Law guided the other pirates to the middle of a few huts that sat neatly nestled in the trees above. There was a decently sized fire pit that looked like it had gone out hours ago. Law rearranged the logs until they were stacked in a triangle, then asked Heat for some fire. The leathery man looked to his captain for permission, who nodded his approval, and proceeded to fish in his pocket for his flask. He slurped a mouthful of oil down and spit it out over a torch, igniting the pit in seconds. The whoosh of fire made Law step back in fear for his eyebrows. As the others sat around to get comfortable and wait for the Heart Pirates to join, Kid pulled Law aside. “How long am I gonna be here?” he asked, a little impatiently.“A few days,” he said and gently brushed the redhead’s stomach where the fresh bandages were. He looked down at them with sorrow in his eyes before he met Kid’s gaze. “I need to take the sutures out from inside you. Your doctor isn’t skilled enough to do that just yet.”“Fine.”“Is something wrong?” Law asked.“Yeah, actually. Why did those animals molest you?!” He said through gritted teeth.For a moment, Law stared, wondering what the hell the other was talking about. He looked around at the other Kid Pirates who were talking amongst themselves. “Uh, what?” he finally asked.Kid rolled his eyes. “Nevermind,” he said angrily and stomped over to his crew. Law would have asked what the hell all that was about but Bepo came running down the stairs from one of the bigger huts with everyone. The Heart Pirates yelled and whooped and squeezed their captain, showing all their affection for him as they’ve missed him dearly.“Get around the fire, will ya? And grab some food - quickly!” he ordered, getting impatient to start his tale. “Oh, Jean-ya, I’m surprised you stayed,” Law said with genuine shock. He’d freed the man on Sabaody, telling him he could join his crew, but without a captain right as he was recruited had Law thinking the man would have left long ago.“Yeah, you saved my life, man.” Jean Bart grumbled.Nodding, Law turned his attention to the now huge pile of pirates. The Heart Pirates made themselves comfortable by squeezing in where they could, sometimes right next to a Kid Pirate, who seemed to recoil from their affection.Law began his story from the beginning, telling them how he was turned into a six and a half inch man from a fruit and how Eustass Kid saved his life. As he went on, Kid was surprised to hear how grateful Law was as he spoke. He had told him he was grateful just the other day, but he didn’t tell him with that look on his face. It made him feel heavy as the love he had for the man only grew. Law’s smile literally glowed as the fire lit his face.The story was barely halfway through and Kid felt...embarrassed? Law talked about him as if he was a nice guy. Where was all the blood, guts, and fights they’d suffered through in their short time together? Though, Kid didn’t have the heart to butt in and correct him because the faces Law was making had his heart wrench in awe.Even if Law left out all the dirty stuff, even the simple hand holding, Kid still was appreciative the other captain gave him every single ounce of credit for being alive. It was like Kid was listening to a whole different person as Law told his crewmates of their shared journey. They all listened with such awe, leaning in close to not miss a single bit of it.By the time the tale had ended, the polar bear was crying for some reason and rubbing himself on Law again. As much as it annoyed Kid...it was kind of cute to see Law so vulnerable. This hard, dark pirate who was moody and mysterious was actually complete mush for his crew.“I really could not have survived without Eustass-ya,” Law said one last time, turning to his right and clapping a hand over Kid’s shoulder. He ruffled the fuzzy coat and looked at him for the first time in a few hours. “Thank you.”The way the fire lit the side of his face, showing off the thick beard he’d grown over the time, his perfect smile...Kid’s chest hurt again. “Of course,” was all he managed to say.When Law had turned back to tell his crewmates they all should get some sleep, Killer scooted closer to his captain. “You alright?” he asked quietly.“I am…” Kid began to say, just as quiet. His gaze lingered on Law’s back, unable to tear his face away to look at his Second. “I am so in love.”“I know, that’s why I’m asking if you’re okay.”“Hmm?” he said, finally looking to the helmet.“We’re going to be going our separate ways eventually, remember?”Yeah, he knew that. It didn’t matter much. He’d be okay. “I know.” ___ Law had filed the Heart and Kid Pirates back into appropriate lodging and was going to head to a private place for himself when Kid grabbed him by the elbow. “Hm?”“You’re gonna make me sleep alone now?” he asked.“Oh, uhm.” Law looked around. He hadn’t thought about ‘them’ this far. He’d had his mind so set on seeing his crew that he’d completely forgotten how he’d handle the situation. The torch nearest to them allowed Law to see the hurt look on Kid’s face, which had him deeply considering his next words. “I don’t mind if you join, so long as no one se -”“Law,” a female voice sounded from around the corner. Ikkaku came into the light and looked between Kid and her captain. “Came to check on you.”“Yeah…” Law said and Kid noticed how deflated he became. The once bouncy pirate, high from the happiness he felt after finally being reunited with his crew, now slouched and looked to the wooden balcony at his feet. “M’fine. Was headed to bed.”Ikkaku pushed her bushy black hair over her shoulder and eyed the redhead up and down. “Thanks for taking care of him,” she said rudely, almost sarcastically. Kid couldn’t help but frown at the small woman, grimacing as her cheap metal earrings glinted in the light. Ikkaku then looked Law up and down, too, accessing his appearance. “You look like shit.”“Thanks,” Law grumbled.“What’s with the beard?”“Hair grows, Ikkaku-ya,” Law grumbled. He tried looking up at the woman but turned his gaze over the railing to look down at the red coals in the dying fire below. Her small hand came up and felt his scruffy face, caressing his cheek, making Kid stiffen. “It don’t suit you. Shave in the morning.”“Yeah,”“Night,” she said, giving Law’s cheek a light pat and turned to her quarters.Once he was sure the woman was out of earshot, Kid opened his mouth but Law held his hand up. “Wait,” he said and gestured for him to follow. Together they climbed more stairs to a smaller cabin that sat above the rest. When the door shut, Law sighed. “I know what you’re going to say.”His anger rising already, Kid said, “And what would that be?”“You’re going to ask if there is something between me and Ikkaku-ya,” he said, and when Kid raised his eyebrows with bulged eyes as in ya fuckin think? He continued. “There was. A long time ago.”Never did Kid think Law’s heart belonged to someone else. He was honestly fine with the man never loving him back, fine if they went their separate ways. They’d see each other again someday, he knew that. But adding in a third person made his heart ache. It tempted him to tell Law how he felt, tell him how he has never felt this way about someone before. The confession would hopefully draw feelings from the dark pirate and hopefully, they’d be together, right?“Do you still love her?” Kid heard himself asking instead. He didn’t even want to know the answer, but his mouth moved before he could stop it.“What? No!” Law said holding his hands up. “No, I never loved her. That’s why we didn’t work out. I’m not good at relationships, remember? I told you I didn’t have a lot of experience doing anything.”The air felt heavy. The thick heat of the island seemed hotter in the hut. Kid shrugged his coat off then reached for Law’s hand. “You’re doing just fine with me, Law.” Kid said, feeling his cheeks redden at how stupid he sounded.The other laughed but didn’t pull his hand away. “She’s in my crew because she refuses to leave. Says it doesn’t bother her that we’re not together anymore,” Law looked into Kid’s eyes.“Does she still love you?”“I...don’t know. I never asked because…” Law trailed off as if he were trying to find the right words. “Because it’s not my business anymore. She’s my crewmember, not my girlfriend. I told her she didn’t have to leave if she didn’t cause me any trouble.”Kid thought of Law’s words. “But she still cares for you.” Law nodded and said he cared for her too, just not the way she wanted. “You know, I didn’t like her touching you like that.”“I know.”“You gonna tell your crew about us? Since you conveniently left all those parts out of your story?”Law winced. “What do I tell them?” Kid stared at him making him wince even more. “You... want me to say something in particular, don’t you?”“Yeap.” Kid said, unable to control how annoyed he was. He couldn’t believe some ratty haired girl was getting the better of him like this.“You want me to tell them you’re...my boyfriend?” Even just hearing himself say those words had Law grimacing. “I don’t like titles.”Quick to reply, Kid dropped Law’s hands and said, “You and her had a title! Why can’t you and I? Are you embarrassed because I’m a man!?” he jabbed, remembering Law had initially told him that men don’t kiss.  And Law hesitated. Even if it was for a second, it was long enough to confirm Kid’s suspicion. Throwing his arms up, he walked away, stomping to the other side of the room.  That didn’t feel right, Law thought. Slowly, he made his way over to Kid, who had his back turned to him and his arms crossed with annoyance. Bringing his arms to snake around Kid’s middle, he leaned into Kid’s warmth, his cheek pressed against his shoulder blade. “I didn’t mean it like that. Please be patient with me. This is new,” he whispered.As if he could stay mad at Law, Kid turned himself around in the man’s hold and cupped his face. “I will,” he confirmed. He let his fingers run through the dark facial hair and smiled. “Keep the beard until I leave, at least?” he asked.Law smirked. “You like it that much, huh?”Kid nodded with a childish grin. It was true, he did like how gruff Law looked with his overgrown facial hair, but part of him also wanted the beard to stay just to piss that girl off. Yes, I am that fucking petty! Kid thought to himself, glad that Law agreed. ___ The two captains slept in the small bed sweating for the remainder of the night. When the sun had risen to announce the day was beginning, the two woke up almost in sync.“Sleep alright?” Law asked, stretching his long limbs out. The two were tangled together as they kissed until they fell asleep, so Law’s back was aching and he was sure Kid couldn’t be any better off from their weird positions.“Oh, it was the best,” Kid groaned sarcastically. “It would have been better if you would have sucked me off, though.”To Kid’s surprise, Law laughed. “Still on that, huh?”“I’m dying over here, man! I wanna get off but I want you to do it.”“Nah,” Law said lazily with a yawn. “But you can suck me off.”Even though Kid was more than willing, it wasn’t what he was asking. “What part of getting off do you not understand? How will that get me off? That is the exact opposite.”Rolling to place his feet on the straw mat on the floor, Law stood and gave another stretch towards the ceiling. “How about you suck my dick right now and tonight I’ll let you do whatever you want with me?” he suggested and peeked over his shoulder, seeing he had Kid’s full attention. The man lay there in his boxer briefs with wide, hungry eyes. “And maybe...since you were so good yesterday...I’ll…” Law trailed off for a moment trying to find the courage to say what he was thinking. He pulled his jeans on and turned to the other. “I’ll say something to my crew.”“About us?”“About us.”“Gimmie that dick,” Kid panted, and scooted to the edge of the bed, pulling Law towards him. Immediately feeling up his naked torso and kissing under his belly button, he undid the jeans Law had just buttoned, and pulled his hard cock free.Law gasped as Kid quickly swallowed him without hesitation, wasting no time to get started. Bringing both hands to run through his unruly red hair, Law moaned at the sight of him bobbing his head back and forth with high enthusiasm. One hand pumping along his shaft while the other held his ass, slightly shoving Law forward to thrust into his mouth.It was then that Kid’s power tingled with a particular metal he familiarized himself with. It was a habit of his. When he saw a metal, he’d memorize it. And it just so happens that cheap metal earrings were on the move. The earrings walked the deck around the shack below and instead of turning to go down the main set of stairs to the ground, they continued to the stairs that lead to this very room. Kid couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at the thought of that girl walking in on the two of them like this.But Kid knew it wasn’t how Law wanted them to find out, so he let up, “Someone - mmpf!” he tried to speak but Law had gripped his hair and forced him back over his dick.“I didn’t say stop,” Law moaned as he rocked his hips into Kid’s mouth. “I was close,” he whispered and squeezed his eyes shut, slowly letting his head fall back.Internally shrugging, Kid kept sucking just as he was told. In fact, he put more effort into it to draw more noises from Law. The earrings were at the top step, slowing as they approached the door. They stood still as if the deep groans from inside the room were painfully obvious of what was going on.Each time Kid pulled back so his lips were at the head of Law’s cock, he could see the door. It wasn’t like it was some thick barricade, it was a simple bamboo door with bamboo walls. All of Law’s sounds could be heard if you were where those earrings were. It was hard for Kid not to cum right there at the mere thought of being caught, but he held it together. Though, he wasn’t expecting the door to push open ever so slightly…A woman’s face could be seen through the open slit, her large brown eyes peered through to see what was going on. Kid made eye contact with her as he kept sucking her captain dry. Her mouth slightly parted with shock as Kid let Law’s jeans go and gave a small wiggle of his fingers, waving to her. The door softly closed again.“I’m gonna cum,” Law said through gritted teeth and shoved himself deep inside Kid’s mouth.With a moan, Kid swallowed everything Law gave, then licked him clean. “Someone came up the stairs,” he was sure to mention right away, avoiding this coming back to bite him in the ass.Law wavered from his post-orgasm high and sat on the bed. “Huh?” he asked, doing his pants back up and flopping backward in exhaustion.Kid rubbed his painfully hard erection through his underwear while he thought of Ikkaku watching. “I said, someone came up the stairs just now. They’re gone, though.”“Oh?” Law lazily said, still panting. Law didn’t seem like he cared too much, but Kid still felt like he should know who it was. His hand snaked under his underwear’s waistband and he began jerking himself off. He was already on the verge of finishing, the images of the shock on that girl’s face as he tasted the saltiness of Law’s sweat and precum in the back of his throat flashed in his mind. “Yeah,” he moaned his confirmation to the dark-haired pirate behind him. “Yeah, they...they… hnn!” he tried saying but his orgasm sprang, interrupting his sentence. There was a soft laugh behind him but it ended with a sad sigh. “They heard me, is what you were gonna say?”Kid wiped himself off and threw his underwear across the room and pulled his pants on while he spoke. “Yeah, they definitely heard you. And they saw.”Law sat up, a little concerned. “Saw?” he asked, and looked over to the closed door, then noticed the two windows facing the deck had the shades drawn. As Kid tied his pants closed and pushed his feet inside his boots, he scratched his head to tell Law who it was. “Yeah, it was that bushy-haired girl. She opened the door and saw me choking on you.” With a silent nod, Law rolled his eyes and fell backward onto the bed again, giving another soft laugh. “That’s not the reaction I thought you’d have, Traf,” Kid said with a raised eyebrow.“I...don’t know how to feel about it.”“Are you mad I didn’t stop you?” Kid asked with a wince. “You tried, didn’t you?” Law asked, referring to when Kid attempted mumbling a sentence around his length. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to her.” Law covered his face with his arm. “I’m so embarrassed I was literally caught with my pants down.”Kid stayed quiet while he finished adding his bandolier, guns, and goggles on, leaving his hot coat behind. After ruffling his hair to get his perfectly imperfect look just right, he turned to Law with a hand out to help him off the bed. “Ready?” he asked.The lanky pirate sighed but grabbed ahold of the offered hand. “Hold on,” he said and waited for Kid to look at him. “Your makeup is all messed up from sleeping on it.” Law thumbed over the smudged eyeliner a few times under each eye, then cleaned the edges of Kid’s faded lipstick. Law smiled before giving Kid a gentle kiss.Dumbstruck from the other’s sudden affection, Kid blinked a few times before he suddenly lurched forward, ravaging Law’s mouth with his own. Both of his hands cupped the side of the man’s face to keep him still while he smashed their mouths together, tasting him. Law easily fell into Kid’s heated reaction, clawing at his naked back. They moaned while they kissed with a fever passion. The morning air was already steamy enough without their added hot panting filling the room. Kid slid a hand to the nape of Law’s neck to force their faces impossibly closer making their teeth clank together. The only thought that ran through his head while he tasted Law’s tongue was how much he absolutely loved this man. He was so close, so utterly close to just telling Law how he felt, but instead decided on busying his mouth differently.Except when they slowed to a stop, gasping for much-needed air with their foreheads resting against each other, Kid whispered, “I love you,” without even realizing it.Law chuckled. “Don’t mock me.” Pulling away, Kid regained his composure, shaking his head of his dizzying thoughts. “What?”“You’re only saying that because of what I told you about Ikkaku-ya. Don’t mock me.”Kid had to think about what Law was saying because he honestly had no idea. One minute they’re sucking the life out of each other and the next Law is saying… what? “Huh?” he asked again, too confused.Law looked into Kid’s eyes for a moment to search for an answer as to why the redhead was so confused. “Right? You said you loved me to mock me?”If it was possible, Kid’s skin paled an even lighter shade of white. “I - I said what?” he asked shakily. He was so sure he had said it in his head! So sure the overwhelming feeling that swelled in his chest had stayed inside and wasn’t let out. The room was quiet while the two captain’s stared, each waiting for the other to speak.“You said you loved me,” Law finally said. “You didn’t mean it, right?” There was no way Kid was telling him this after he had just explained what happened between him and Ikkaku! When Kid didn’t answer, it was painfully obvious that yes, he did mean it. “Oh. I see.”“I’m not asking for you to love me back,” Kid quickly said and broke their eye contact, finding interest in the wall instead. “I wasn’t planning on saying it...it’s just…” the redhead pushed his palms in his eyes and rubbed hard. “It’s just - fuck!” he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. The dark pirate stood stone still, watching Kid start to pace the room, muttering under his breath. After what felt like a century, Kid stopped in front of him and held his hands. “Please don’t let this change anything between us, Traf. Please. I’m being honest when I say I don’t need you to love me back. Just don’t...leave me.”Looking at the large hands covering his, Law opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to find the right words. Eventually, he decided on, “I won’t.” ___ Law had shown Kid the way to one of the mess halls for breakfast. There they found the two pirate crews and a pile of minks that ate in this section of the city. Law scanned the large room for his female crewmember but she didn’t seem to be anywhere around. “Hey, Bepo,” Law asked. When the polar bear looked up from his fish showing he was listening, Law continued. “Have you seen Ikkaku this morning?”Beside him, Kid ceased his eating to listen in. If Law knew any better, he could have sworn he heard the man growl under his breath. Kid knew Law had to talk to Ikkaku, though, after what she had witnessed. She deserved an explanation.Bepo swallowed his mouthful. “Yes, actually! She finished eating a few minutes before you entered. I think she’s back by the river. She’s been catching fish with the baskets she’s been weaving since we arrived.” The bear looked a little sad. “We were just trying to keep ourselves busy while we waited for you.”It seemed fair enough. “Which way?” Law asked.“If you go further north of here you’ll walk right into it,” Bepo said cheerfully and spooned another mouthful of fish into his mouth. While he chewed, he looked at Kid.“The fuck you lookin at?” Kid grumbled.“N-nothing! S-sorry!” Bepo squeaked.Law bapped Kid on the head. “Oi, oi! Don’t talk to him like that, Eustass-ya.” Law furrowed his brows looking at the side of Kid’s face. “You better be nice to my crewmates or I’ll throw you off this elephant.”Happy to have Law’s attention again, Kid turned and smiled at Law. “I’ll be nice...for a price,” he said, his grin turning feral. To anyone else, it sounded like a threat between two enemy pirates, but Law knew this was Kid’s strange way of flirting with him. Law replied by bapping him on the head again and throwing a Room up to Shambles himself away.Law appeared outside the mess hall. Looking up to see where the sun was, Law turned to go north. When he left the open areas and entered the forest, he would throw up a Room once in a while to Scan the area. Eventually, he found the river and walked along it until he found Ikkaku.She knelt next to the river pulling up a large basket that seemed to vibrate in her hold as the fish inside wiggled desperately to get away. Hearing the twigs beneath Law’s boots snap as he approached, she lazily turned her attention to him. “Knew you’d seek me out. What do you want.”He hadn’t even spoken yet and she was already giving him an attitude. Law didn’t think she wasn’t justified for feeling so bitter, though! He just wanted at least a few minutes to explain himself before she resigned to anger. “Listen,” he said quietly. “Can I please talk to you?”“Yeap.”Law sighed. He might as well get right to it, no reason to beat around the bush. Sitting down a few feet behind her where the grass was dry, he began. “Uhm, so Eustass-ya said you saw...uh...him and me?”Once the fish were pulled on shore, Ikkaku turned to him. “Yeah, a nice sight to see! I about lost my fucking appetite.”Law winced hearing that. “I - I’m sorry.”“What are you sorry for? My fault for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.”“I mean I’m sorry because I’m with someone else,” Law said sadly, correcting himself.This set her off. “So you are with him?! You said you didn’t want to date anymore!” Ikakku yelled. A few birds in the nearest trees cawed before flying away. “You told me you didn’t want to be with me anymore because relationships would get in the way with your - your plan or whatever you said you needed to do! What’s changed, Law?!”The dark pirate couldn’t look her in the eye. Instead, he took great interest in the ants that crawled around boots. “It’s...different with him,” he said softly. Law didn’t know exactly what he had planned on saying to Ikkaku when he came to talk to her but he never expected to tell so much. “I don’t know why, but it’s different.”“That makes me feel wonderful!” She yelled. “I thought I made you happy! I thought I could mend your healing heart!” Law winced again. As a woman, Ikkaku had picked up on the turmoil that picked at his insides from the very start. Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo were his best friends! But they were guys and even though they were close, guys just don’t seem to notice that type of stuff. They didn’t see the subtle discomfort Law would get when talking about people’s pasts or family. Ikkaku did. And she was quick to wiggle her way into Law’s heart to mend it, just as she said.It had worked for a while. He genuinely felt better when they spent time together. But then she had dropped the L-Word and Law freaked. That feeling had never even occurred to him! There was never a moment where he even thought of the L-word! How could he love someone with how fucked up his mind was? There wasn’t room in there for a new feeling. There was only hate, disgust, and revenge that boiled over and over. Those few emotions charred to the edges of his mind, blocking anything else from blossoming.“And then you get in bed with a man?!” Ikkaku screeched. “A fucking man, Law?! Are you kidding me?”“Hey, don’t say it like that,” Law said quietly and looked up to peer into her eyes. There was more anger than hurt across her face, which helped him speak again. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. I’m trying to apologize.”“Harder than it has to be?! How do you think I’m supposed to react after seeing that bullshit!? It’s been years since we’ve been together and I haven’t seen you with a woman once! Not once! But you leave for a few months and come back liking men?! What the hell is up with that?!”“Don’t say it like that,” Law said just as quiet. It was hard to defend himself because she was right. He hadn’t been with a single person since Ikkaku. They had sex and it was good, but after they had split apart Law didn’t need it to go on - so he didn’t. Which was strange because it’s almost the exact opposite when it came to Kid. Every day they desperately clawed at each other for release and it was fucking awesome. Law liked sex with Kid. It took him a while to come around to the idea of being with the same gender, but it eventually had stopped bothering him. “It’s not about him being a man.”“Well - he’s a man and you’re a man - how is it not about that?! Women aren’t good enough for you or something? Had to turn to cock because you hated me so much?!” “That’s not what I meant at all!” Law shouted and got to his feet. He towered over Ikkaku. “You know that’s not what this means!” Law closed the gap between them and grabbed the front of her jumpsuit, yanking her upward. The way she made it seem like Kid was gross for being male didn’t sit well with him. “I didn’t ask you to love me! And if this is going to be a problem, we can leave you here. I told you if you created a problem for me that you would have to remove yourself from The Heart Pirates.” When he finished, he was seething. He didn’t release his hold on her.Ikkaku looked up to him, her eyes went glassy. “I just want to know something,” she said quietly. “What about him was so appealing that piqued Trafalgar Law’s interest?”“I don’t need to tell you,” he said and shoved her away. The thing is, he would have told her if he knew the answer himself, but he didn’t. He softened his tone when he spoke next. “I didn’t come here to be reprimanded, Ikkaku-ya, and I certainly didn’t come here to make you feel worse. I came to tell you I’m sorry for what you saw, and to explain what was going on between Eustass-ya and me because you had the right to know before I announced it to the crew. I -”Ikkaku interrupted. “You’re - you’re going to say something to the crew?! It’s that serious?!” she gasped.Law ignored her statement, sighing instead. “I don’t want you to leave The Polar Tang. I want you to sail with us still because I care for you, you’re apart of my crew and I can’t imagine making our way through the New World without you.” Ikkaku looked away, unable to meet Law’s eyes. “Plus, who is gonna keep those idiots in line when I’m busy, huh?” he said, trying to lighten the mood.“You really don’t feel anything for me?” she asked, turning her large, brown eyes back to him. Law sadly shook his head no. “But you feel something for Captain Kid?”Unsure of himself, Law felt his face crinkle. “I...think so,” was all he managed of the ‘thing’ he had with Kid. When Ikkaku didn’t speak, leaving the silence to deafen him, Law tried to reassure her. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. It’s just that I'm trying to figure out my own emotions as well. I’m being honest when I say I don’t want you to leave my crew. I would hate for this to ruin our friendship, but I don’t want you to feel bad. Will you be able to stay?”Again, Ikkaku didn’t speak for a while. She wiped a few tears away that had formed in the corners of her eyes and sniffled. “No, it’s alright. I’ll be alright.” Law smiled. “I’m sorry for overreacting...it was just shocking to see that…”Law laughed uncomfortably. He didn’t care that someone had seen him and Kid like that, but of course, it had to of been Ikkaku, right?! It couldn’t have been Shachi or Clione, nope, it just had to be his ex-girlfriend. “So we’re okay then?” he asked one more time to make sure. “Yeah, it’s alright.”Law brought her into a tight hug. “Thank you.” ___ This island was cool and all, but Kid was already bored. He became a pirate for many reasons, one being he liked to sail the sea - not be stuck on an island. Even if that island was a giant elephant. When Law had left him alone at the table with his….his bear, he became bored pretty quickly.Since he didn’t know anyone else besides his crew, he wasn’t sure what to do with his time. Though, he didn’t have to wonder long because a group of Minks had come up to him and started pawing at him, asking him tons of questions. He tried shaking them loose but there were so many of them! And then they started chewing on his ears and licking his face and he felt a tingle run through his body that went straight to his dick. “Alright, alright!” he yelled. “Get the fuck away!” Kid swung his arms around and brought out the knife from his boot. “Don’t fuckin touch me like that! The fuck is wrong with you!”A tiger Mink slinked its way over to him and grabbed at his arm again. “We were just saying hello, garchu!”  “Yeah! We don’t get many visitors here. You look super strong, garchuuu!” A dog-like Mink whined and licked his face again. Did these fuckin animals have no boundaries!? Kid thought as he swished his knife in front of him. “Get fuckin back!” he yelled, suppressing his hard-on. The fuck! “Leave him be, you guys,” Law said lazily as he walked up to the Minks surrounding the other captain.“Law!” they shouted and jumped on him, proceeding to lick and chew on him now. “Where were you, garchuu! We wanted to catch up! How have you been?”“Oi, oi,” Law laughed as he tried prying the animals away. He was used to their touchy behavior since he had Bepo as a best friend, but he knew Kid was getting irritated. His face was as red as his hair and his knuckles were white as they gripped the knife in his hand. “Come on, guys, I’ve gotta check Eustass-ya’s bandages.”This got the others to eventually stop manhandling him. As they filed away and only Kid and Law were left, the surgeon nodded for the other to follow. The two walked in silence until they reached a part of the city Kid hadn’t been in yet. They climbed a few sets of stairs and entered into what looked to Kid to be a first-aid room.“Oh, Tristan-ya, hello.” Law gently greeted to a squirrel Mink. The Mink turned from the counter, her fluffy, bushy tail swaying from the sound of her name. “I was expecting to see Doc-ya, I didn’t think you’d be here so early.” Kid raised an eyebrow when he heard Law say ‘doc-ya’ as that was what he called his ship’s doctor.Once Tristan’s eyes had fallen on Kid, she backed up into the counter, her tail brushing a few items around. “D-d-d-doctor Law!” she stammered. “W-who is that?!” her voice seemed to squeak.Law covered his face with his palm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. He forgot Tristan was a little jumpy and here he was bringing a terrifying new person into her workplace. Kid was taller and wider than Law by a considerable amount, a heavily tattooed arm, spikes on his bandolier and goggles, and resting bitch face. “This is Eustass Kid, captain of The Kid Pirates. He helped me get back to my crew. He’s a good guy,” he reassured her. His hand grabbed ahold of Kid’s bare shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. “Right, Eustass-ya?”Kid resisted the urge to raise his lip in a snarl and flinch at the poor girl, but he wasn’t entirely heartless. “Hello,” he said as kindly as he could. He made sure not to smile with his teeth, knowing that always made people uncomfortable. “Hello, Eustass Kid,” Tristan said meekly, not meeting his eyes.“Please, just Kid is fine,” he replied with a wave of his hand.Law approached a clean bed and asked if Tristan didn’t mind him using it for a few moments. She nodded and told him he was more than welcome to. Law tapped the bed for Kid. “Lay down.” Kid did as he was told and waited. Law had gone to the cupboards and fished around until he found some new gauze then came up to him. Without a word, Law brought up a Room and hovered Kid a few feet above the bed so he could comfortably reach him while standing. The surgeon reached under Kid to undo the knot in the wrappings until they fell loose. Law pulled them off and discarded them into the bin. “Scan,” he said and moved his hand over the straight, pink line across Kid’s lower abdomen. Kid watched Law as he concentrated doing whatever it was he was doing. They were both enveloped in a blue hue and Law had his brows furrowed as he looked at Kid’s stomach. “What does a scan do?” he asked, still trying to look down at himself. Even after Law had used his power on him so many times over the past months, he still didn’t know the limits of it. Before Law had made him float above the bed but that was so the doctor could wrap him up easier. Now, he seemed to be staring intently at his body as if he could see something other than the little staples that held his stomach closed.“Let’s me see inside without opening you up. It’s similar to an X-Ray,” Law mumbled as he continued staring. “You can see inside me right now?” Kid asked as nonchalantly as he could. He hated to admit how cool Law’s power was. I mean, the guy could play volleyball with your head while you joined in - how fucking cool is that!?“Mmhm. Which everything looks fine,” he said and dropped his hands. Law grabbed some cotton swabs and antiseptic to give the wound a good cleaning. The liquid was cold, making Kid’s stomach twitch. There was a faint smile that tugged at the corner of Law’s mouth. It would have gone unnoticed if Kid hadn’t already been looking at him.Law began unwinding a generous amount of gauze, then leaned over Kid’s middle to wrap him. It was painfully obvious how unnecessary it was for Law to lean so far over, his body rubbing against Kid. The warmth between their bodies was nice and the sentiment made Kid feel good, all fuzzy and stupid and stuff. Once Law had tied the knot under Kid again, the redhead grabbed the doctor by his elbow. Law didn’t have time to question because Kid gave a quick tug, pulling him into a kiss. Law stood up almost breathless with pink dusted across his face. “Idiot,” he mumbled, and slowly lowered Kid back onto the bed.Kid sat up and watched Law take care of the supplies he used, then offered to change the sheets so Law didn’t have to. The two said their goodbyes to Tristan and left.  ___ Night had fallen and the pirate groups sat around the bonfire again, eating, drinking, hooting and hollering, being generally obnoxious in their special ways. The two crews mixed quite well to Law’s surprise. Before Kid had been sliced open by him, the crew had no reason to even come up to the island. Law would have teleported himself up and they would all be on their merry way by now. But since Law felt responsible for what happened to Kid and needed to see his injuries through, he would be the first to admit he was not excited to have his crew meet Kid’s crew. They were entirely different! One group was completely sadistic, masochistic, horny, angry, hostile, and 110% bat-shit insane. While the other was happy, fun, fluffy in some cases, warm, silly, loving...even if he were a little biased, it was still super strange for Law to see them willingly mingling together.Uni, Clione, and Ikkaku continuously rematched Killer and Wire for arm-wrestling matches, losers having to take shots - which his crew was fucking plastered . Heat seemed to be deep in conversation with Jean Bart about something exciting by the looks of Heat’s arm gestures. The others seemed to be in their own little world.Kid sat on a different log than Law. He had joined up too late and Penguin took his right side while Bepo stole his left. The only seat open where he could squeeze in was almost on the other side of the fire. The redhead stared into the fire for most of the time, quietly sipping his drink. Once in awhile, Law would catch his eye and the two would share a smile. It was nice, comfortable.Law was expecting for Kid to bring up the L-word again throughout the day, or maybe act differently around him, but he never did. When Kid first had told him ‘I’m being honest when I say I don’t need you to love me back,’ Law was skeptical because it was quite similar to what Ikkaku told him all those years back. After she had confessed to him and Law didn’t reciprocate those feelings, she had tried to play it off saying it didn’t bother her. Eventually, it did bother her, but it didn’t for Kid. It may have been less than a day since he said it, but he hadn’t shown any sign that he felt different. True to his word, he didn’t pressure Law into more than he was ready for. “Yeah, they could arm wrestle!” Law heard Shachi drunkenly sputter while he wrapped an arm around Wire’s shoulders. “But I’m putting my money on yer captain, shhhhh!!!”“Oi, I can hear you, Shach-ya. You’re going to hurt my feelings,” Law said as he looked over the fire, feigning offense. Kid barked his booming laughter into the night’s air. “What? It’s true, though. You stand no chance in any sort of raw strength contest against me.”A sly smile grew on Law’s face. “Did you hear that, guys? He had to specify ‘raw strength’ because he knows my Devil Fruit is better than his.”The pirates erupted in laughter. Kid growled and raised his lip in a snarl. He didn’t like being the butt-end of jokes. As quick as lightning, the punk pirate slipped his knife from his boot and flicked it towards Law, using his power’s force to make the knife zip through the air at an impossible speed. The act would have gone unnoticed if Law didn’t bring up a small, glowing orb to catch it before it punctured his eye. The Room highlighted the people who sat closest to Law, their bodies that once glowed orange were not illuminated in a powder blue. The group had gone quiet, especially Law’s crew. They didn’t know the special relationship the two shared. Law twisted the knife around in front of him and smiled. “Too slow.”There was a collective sigh of relief from The Heart Pirates once they saw how casual their captain reacted to the attempted assassination! Their murmuring slowly began to rise again but Law decided this was the best time to talk to them. The Room expanded until it reached around Kid, and Law switched places with Christoph so he was now sitting next to the redhead. The sudden movement grabbed everyone’s attention again. Law looked around and began. “So, I guess you’re probably wondering how I really survived such a long period of time with this freak show of a crew.” The brunette looked around to make sure all of his crew was present and listening. Once he counted the last member, he continued. “Eustass-ya and I have developed some sort of…” his eye twitched as he felt the pressure to not fuck this up. He could feel Kid’s intense gaze on him, burning a hole into the side of his face. Law didn’t have to look over to know Kid’s eyes were bulging out of his skull right now. “Some sort of relationship. We’re partners.”Clione raised his beer and shouted, “Hell yeah! An alliance!”“Yeah!” a few others chimed in, throwing their mugs into the air as well. Their glasses tinked together as they said cheers to one another.“No, no,” Law said while his face grew hot with embarrassment. “I mean, yes, we have an alliance - at least I’d like to think we do,” he added and looked to Kid, who rolled his eyes. “What I mean is we’re...we’re...romantically involved.”The Kid Pirates wore smiles on their faces hearing Law admit to such. They knew Kid had wanted to hear those words as if he didn’t make it obvious their entire voyage together. Though, The Heart Pirates looked at each other with confusion before their gazes fell upon Ikkaku, which made Law’s stomach turn. He felt so bad that they had reacted that way, immediately turning their attention to the only other person they had seen him with.Then Ikkaku did something Law would never have guess she’d do in a million years. She smiled and raised her cup. “Cheers!” she shouted, giving the cue for her comrades to follow suit. The bonfire was lively again with happy cheering and stupid sexual jokes and slaps on the back. It was kind of anti-climatic if Law had any say in it.But Kid was beaming at him. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Law. “Thank you,” he said quiet enough for only the dark pirate to hear.Law looked down and fidgeted with the red string tied around the hilt of Kikoku. “Yeah.”Kid leaned in. “Wanna get outta here?”When Law looked back up to the other, it was obvious what was on his mind. Law rolled his eyes with annoyance and for a second, Kid thought he was being turned down. A large, blue orb appeared, lighting up them and the surrounding forest, and teleported them far away into privacy.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Are we not going back to the room?” Kid asked skeptically as he blindly followed Law deeper into the forest. It seemed darker than it was from the trees blocking the moonlight above. The Heart Pirate silently continued onward, carefully stepping over gnarly roots and ducking under low branches. “Yo, did you hear me?”“I did,” Law said without turning. They soon rounded on a thick tree that stood out from the rest. Law bent over to grab something behind one of the large roots and threw it over his back.“Whatcha got there?”Smiling, Law said, “Supplies.”Kid wasn’t entirely convinced if that was a good smile or if he should feel worried, but deciding he liked it either way, he left it at that. The deeper into the woods they went, the thicker the air became. Kid was glad he left his shirt and coat behind now, the idea of the furry garment grazing against him made him pant with exhaustion. In front of him, Law seemed to be just as affected by the heat as he was. He had shucked his shirt and fished it through a belt loop to hang at his side. After walking for what seemed to be an hour, Kid didn’t think he could take it any longer. “Where are we going, Traf?”“Somewhere private.”Rolling his eyes, Kid scoffed at the way Law had to stay ‘mysterious.’ “Can’t you just use yer powers or whatever to teleport us closer?”Stopping in his tracks, Law turned to Kid. “I need to save my strength.” The smile he wore was too wide, too maniacal. Kid shivered.In the distance, Kid began to hear the steady flow of a waterfall. Not long after, Law had mumbled they were getting close and Kid couldn’t help but feel a jolt of excitement. His mind wandered thinking of the possibilities of what Law had in store for them. They had left their crewmembers behind to finish off the party without them. Kid was happy to see his crew get along with Law’s so easily. Upon reaching Zou, he had to admit he was slightly nervous for them to meet each other as his crew tended to dislike outsiders.“We’re here,” Law said after stepping out from under a thick pine tree into a small clearing. Once Kid emerged, he looked around and saw they were in front of an entrance to a cave. After pulling out a torch from the side of the pack and lighting it up, Law waved his hand for Kid to follow and said, “Let’s go.”Kid wondered what the hell was in store for them inside this cave. Almost immediately entering under the stone, the air was impossibly thick. Kid found it hard to breathe as if there were a weight pushing on his chest preventing him from taking his next breath. He’d have been wary if Law wasn’t doing the same as him. A few times he had heard Law’s ragged breathing struggling against the air over his own. The path through the cave was narrow, sometimes forcing them to move single file until it opened back up enough for them to walk side-by-side again. The torch flickered from the hot wind blowing past them when they approached a fork in the path. Without hesitation, Law took the right one and continued. After walking for another ten or so minutes, a green glow began to light the cave around a corner. Kid could feel his heart thumping harshly in excitement against his rib cage but he remained quiet. If Law wasn’t going to tell him anything earlier, there was no reason to ask about it now. The damn skinny bastard was keeping quiet up until the very end. Once around the bend in the rock, the cave opened up into an enormous pocket of glowing turquoise water. It was stunning. The two pirates stood in awe as they caught their breath. The air was slightly cooler than in the tight confinements of the path, but just barely. Kid let a low whistle out. “This is awesome.”“I know,” Law said in a low voice, but Kid could hear the smile behind it. “Let me ignite the other torches to give us more light. As Law went around the cave and lit various sconces, the greenish hue to the space slowly faded to orange from the flames. Law approached Kid with a smile before squatting to dig around in the pack. When he stood, he shook a bottle of whiskey in his hand. “Thirsty?”Kid licked his lips as he eyed Law’s sweaty body up and down, “Parched.”“Take off your pants.”“Hah?” Kid objected, though Law never even gave him the chance to obey because a blue orb swallowed them and in an instant, both their pants and boots were gone. Kid took the hint and undid his bandolier and dropped his guns and knife leaving them in only their boxer briefs.Law twisted the cap of the bottle off and tipped it back to chug it down. Kid’s jaw dropped with surprise, totally not expecting the man to be able to take such a heavy drink. He remembered back when they visited that bar together, Law had a prissy fruit drink. And while residing on his ship, Law always preferred wine rather than ale. Kid couldn’t believe how fast Law downed the alcohol. “Oi, oi, take it easy!” Kid said.The dark pirate let up with a sigh and a shake of his head. “Shit, that’s strong.” He held the bottle out for Kid to take. “Drink the rest,” he ordered. Kid swirled the last half of the brown liquid in the glass and tipped it back. Law took the empty bottle from him and set it next to the backpack, then without warning, slammed his fist onto Kid’s stomach just above his wound making the redhead double over. “What the fuck,” Kid wheezed. When he looked up at Law, he was in a fighting stance. Both hands curled into fists in front of his face with his legs slightly bent.“I said I’d let you do whatever you wanted with me tonight as a reward, but I didn’t say I’d make it easy.” Law flashed a smile baring his teeth and threw another punch at Kid to which he swiftly dodged this time. “Come get it.”“Oh, you’re fuckin dead, ” Kid laughed and lunged at the other. The two went toe-to-toe quite evenly for a short while. Law managed to hold his own solely because he was quick to evade many of the attacks but that didn’t mean he went unscathed. Law panted in the hot air and wiped under his nose at the feeling of a trail of blood leaking its way down. He knew Kid was having a good time because he wouldn’t stop laughing which in turn, made Law laugh, too. To win against the punk pirate meant having to avoid getting trapped in his arms which was easier said than done. Law had already once been pinned by the man and received a heavy hit to the gut and a good backhand across the face before Law managed to swing his long legs upward and wrap them around Kid’s to fling him off.The two were back on their feet walking in a circle around each other gasping for air. The heat in the cave was almost unbearable, the stone under their feet warm to the touch. “Why is it so fuckin hot in here, dammit,” Kid asked as he tried taking a swipe at Law’s face.The brunette quickly leaned his head backward out of Kid’s reach before saying, “It’s a hot spring,” and jerked his head towards the huge pool of water. When Kid looked over, Law pulled a dirty move and swiped his foot into Kid’s ankle, knocking him off his feet. He landed with an oof on his side, Law quick to straddle him. “The mist in the air is full of seawater.”Kid rolled over onto his back and rubbed up Law’s thighs. “Aren’t hot springs supposed to be freshwater?”“You are smart, aren’t you?” Law teased with a laugh. He leaned forward to give Kid a light kiss and then sat back up. “Yes, you’re right. But all the water on Zou is from Zunisha. When she bathes, she takes the ocean's water and sprays it over her back. So this water,” Law gestured around them, “looks like it should be fresh, but it’s actually salt water. Have you noticed your strength is slightly sapped?”Kid tried feeling around him with his Devil Fruit and realized it wasn’t as powerful as before. “No wonder I’m so out of breath. You’re a brat for this, you know.”Law swayed a little from the alcohol in his system. “Ya, but it’s fun, isn’t it?”Kid nodded his agreement and let his gaze fall on the backpack off to the side. He jerked his head towards it and asked, “So what else you bring with you?”“Go see for yourself,” Law said, a sly smile appearing and stood to let the punk pirate up. He watched Kid make his way to the bag before he waded into the water. He stood waist-deep waiting for the other to join him. The water seemed as if it were boiling him alive but it felt amazing. The bubbles forcing their way up from the bottom caressed the muscles in his calves and thighs.Kid knelt and pried the bag open, his eyes bulging in surprise. Atop a bedroll was one of his smaller riding crops, padded cuff restraints, and his bottle of lube from his room. This little bastard had this planned way ahead of time - nothing about this was a spur of the moment, Kid thought to himself. Though, he couldn’t suppress the smile as he thought of Law grabbing these specific items. He grabbed the switch and cuffs then made his way over to the edge of the water. He set the crop on the stone and stepped into the water approaching Law as he twirled the cuffs around his finger. “So you did like this after all, huh?” Immersing himself in the water felt like a heavy blanket was weighing over him. The light buzz he barely felt from the surrounding iron in the cave’s walls immediately shut off and left him feeling empty inside. He knew Law must be feeling the same in some sense.“Maybe,” Law said, a slight blush across his face. “You didn’t use that switch on me...so I wanted to give it a try.” Law felt so lame bringing it up. He looked away to avoid eye contact.“You didn’t seem like you wanted it after I used it on Kill,” Kid said quietly once he stood a foot away from Law. “Front or back?” he asked and lifted the cuffs. Law thought for a moment and then raised his hands to the front letting Kid wrap the padded restraints around his wrists and tugged them tight. Once secured, Kid eagerly guided Law to the edge of the pool and gently pushed him into a comfortable leaning position. One of Kid’s hands nudged Law to slightly bend forward and the other moved his hands to rest against the rock. “Are you sure?” he said quietly into Law’s ear. Law nodded his consent so Kid gave a lick and a suck to the skin on his neck, sending a shiver down Law’s spine. “If it’s too much, tell me to stop and I will.”“As if you could ever get the best of me,” Law said cockily and shoved his shoulder into Kid’s sternum, slightly knocking the wind out of him. Kid laughed through a growl while reaching for the riding crop. He didn’t know which part of Law he wanted to mark up first, all he knew was he wanted to get started immediately. “What will you say to get me to stop?” Kid panted, eager to get this going but still wanting to give Law an out if it came to that.Law looked over his shoulder to the other and thought about it. What was a word he could use that he wouldn’t sound silly saying but also still be a clear way to tell Kid it was too much? This type of lifestyle was new to him. Then Law remembered a name Kid had used a few times while using their intercom system. “Red.”With a wicked grin, Kid nodded and pulled his arm high above his head to swing the crop down aiming for Law’s upper back. Swiftly, Law zipped to the left and kicked up out of the water into Kid’s groin. The redhead moved back enough to miss most of the blow, but Law’s toes still managed to graze the tip of his dick. Kid yelped as he cupped his junk and curled into himself. “You fuckin dirty brat,” he coughed. A few feet away, Law stood with his restrained hands in front of him ready to strike again. Seeing Law’s smile was turning Kid on. Behind the top layer of a sinister snake laid a genuinely happy Law. This game they were playing was all Law’s idea and he was having fun with Kid. The redhead’s heart swelled with the deep fondness he felt towards the other. Kid lunged at Law, slapping him across the chest with the flat triangle piece at the end. Law’s eyes squinted shut from the contact but he didn’t make a sound. A perfect pink outline already began to form. Taking more and more swipes at him, Kid realized Law was good at evading his hits. He only managed to hit Law three more times out of the dozen he’d gone for. And this didn’t leave out that Law was holding his own against him even in the seawater. The brunette had grabbed a fistful of red hair and pushed his head into the water.Kid shot forward, tackling Law into the water, holding him under even though Law kicked out at him. He pulled Law up watching him spit out the water in his mouth. “Prick!” the dark pirate shouted and tried catching his breath. Kid loved the way his hair was now slicked back, taming his unruly black hair.The two wrestled about until Kid managed to push him against the side of the pool again. He forced him to stay still by yanking the hair at the base of his neck and forcing his face into the rock. With him now subdued, Kid laid into him, smacking his back over and over, pulling gasping cries from Law. He was sure the other would have begged him to stop but it never came. Kid switched the angle of the crop and whipped him harder, hoping to make Law give in.To Kid’s surprise, Law let out a throaty moan between cries. Law’s deep voice echoed against the cave’s walls with each hit. Kid felt all the blood in his body rush to his cock. He fucking loves it, he thought and jerked Law’s head backward. “You have enough, yet?”“Fuck you,” Law spat, thrashing his body in an attempt to free himself. “I love a good brat,” Kid told him and released his hair. Law took advantage of his freedom by climbing out of the water on his elbows and knees. “Where you think yer goin?”Kid stepped up the rocks following after and stood over Law’s crawling body. Law was panting and began to turn over to face Kid above him but Kid placed his foot between his shoulder blades to pin him down. Kid bent to grab the waistband of Law’s underwear and peeled them down his long legs, tossing them aside and exposing the other completely. Continuing his fun, Kid slapped the riding crop across Law’s ass, giving each side a fair amount before switching to the other. Kid was a little disappointed when he heard Law restraining his cries but knew he was doing it to piss him off, so Kid forced his weight on Law’s back until the man below groaned out the remaining breath in his lungs. “Bad dogs need strict training, and you’re very disobedient.” The dark pirate wiggled under him, still defying Kid even when there was nowhere to run. Kid hit Law again on the side of his waist hoping the pain to the thin, sensitive skin would draw out a cry but Kid didn’t get so much as a whimper. Law’s hands had been stuck under him, wedged tight under his chin and practically choking him when Kid applied more pressure with his foot. The longer his backside was abused, the harder it was to hold a moan back. It felt way better than he had expected to receive a beating from the switch and the salt water stung the few cuts in his skin. After holding out for as long as he could, Law moaned a cry of pleasure, his body twitching beneath Kid’s foot.“Much better...and hearing you like that…” Kid started to say but his voice trailed off as a shudder ran through his body. With great struggle, Kid began dragging Law across the cave floor by the metal rings with the remaining power he had while wet until he dropped into the water. When the brunette got to his feet and pushed above water, Kid was sitting naked on the edge of the pool, having discarded his underwear. “C’mere,” he said gently.Law felt slightly suspicious but waded closer until he was in reach of the other. Kid grabbed a hold of his shoulder to guide him between his legs then lightly grazed his hand up Law’s neck until his fingers were under Law’s fuzzy chin. He lifted for Law to expose his neck for him, allowing Kid a full view of his perfectly tanned skin. With his head facing upward, Law jumped at the sudden feeling of the wet crop gingerly skimming across his chest. He wanted to see Kid’s face while he did it but the hand holding his chin was firm, his only view was the ceiling of the cave.The new sensation of the leather brushing over his taught nipple forced a breathy gasp out and swallowing back any more noise that could escape. “You liked that, didn’t you?” Kid cooed. Law frowned and tried to wriggle away only to have Kid tighten his grip on his chin and wrap his legs around Law’s middle to keep him in place. Even under the constriction, Law continued to try and break free. Slapping the riding crop over Law’s shoulder, the brunette froze in place. “Good dog,” Kid praised and returned to circling the switch around Law’s left nipple. Kid’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he watched Law’s lips slightly part when he crossed over to the other nipple. He delicately tapped the leather against them, applying only a small amount of pressure. Once Law bit his lip to suppress a whine, Kid couldn’t take it.Setting the crop to the side, Kid cupped Law’s face with both hands and rubbed his thumbs through the long facial hair then guided his head down into his lap. Now able to see what was going on, Law understood what Kid wanted and stiffened in the man’s hold as he tried backing away.“No, Eustass-ya,” Law said faintly, his eyes pleading for Kid to choose something else to do, but Kid didn’t budge. “I-I won’t be any good at it…”“Shh, you’ll do just fine,” Kid told the other. His voice sounded considerate of Law’s feelings, though his actions told otherwise. Using his muscle now, he coerced Law’s face down until his lips were at the head of his cock that was begging for attention. This time, Law didn’t hide the whine, letting out a noise that told Kid he didn’t want to do this at all. Kid felt as if he was going to cum just looking down at Law’s face that was oh-so full of worry. His dark brows furrowed upwards, troubled with fear. Kid waited for Law to say the word to end this, all he had to do was even whisper it and he would stop...but the dark pirate remained silent. Moving forward to the next event, Kid slid one hand to the back of Law’s head and gripped his hair to gain complete control over his movements. The other hand clasped under his jaw to crank it open. To Kid’s surprise and utter pleasure, Law’s tongue lazily made its way out and waited. A low groan could be heard coming from deep within Kid’s chest from the anticipation. “Go ahead,” he said, wanting to see Law willingly take him.As Kid had predicted, Law closed his mouth in defiance making the punk pirate chuckle with amusement. Of course he’s a damn brat the whole damn time. Giving another yank in black hair, Kid pried Law’s jaw opened again and shoved his mouth over his cock until he felt the tip hit the back of his throat. Law coughed over the mouthful. Kid laughed and let up enough for Law to get comfortable, but not enough to get rid of the dick in his mouth.  “Law…” Kid warned when he felt the man’s teeth rapidly applying pressure. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. Just be a good boy and suck.” Law grumbled his annoyance, though his tongue began moving around the underside of Kid’s cock experimentally while his lips tightened over it. Kid had to will himself to calm down because this was too hot, too sexy, he was going to fucking spill over way too fast. Trafalgar Law’s filthy mouth was finally wrapped around him. It was almost too much.“Good job, Traffy. Now move your head up the length...yeah, just like that,” Kid said as Law obliged. “See, you’re a-ah...a natural.”Between Kid’s legs, Law brought his cuffed hands up and wrapped them around the base of Kid’s cock and pumped in time with his mouth. Kid was quickly falling apart in his hold and Law could feel the grip in his hair loosening. This would have been a good time to break free but Law found enjoyment making Kid moan for him. Giving head wasn’t as complicated as he thought it would be and even though it was his first time, the red-head seemed satisfied with his ability.“Okay, s-stop,” Kid panted. “I don’t wanna -ahh- wanna cum like this!” His hand gripped Law’s hair again and tried pulling him off but Law only tightened his hands around Kid and bobbed his head faster, swishing his tongue at the head. “Dammit, Law!” Kid huffed. It was too late to try and stop Law now, Kid was past the point of no return. He threw his head back and cried out as his orgasm was sucked from him and shot down Law’s throat. Subconsciously as he trembled, he had been holding Law against him even as he came down from his high. Only when the other struggled under his hold did Kid realize and let up.Licking his lips, Law said, “Don’t tell me to do something and then change your mind halfway through, Eustass-ya.”“F-fuck you,” Kid breathed as he caught his breath. “I didn’t want to fucking cum like that, you bastard.”Lazily wading backward and floating on his back in the water, Law smirked. The seawater made him feel boneless and weak. “And how did you want to cum? In me, I’m assuming?”“Yeah, you idiot. Now I’m gonna take longer to finish.”“I doubt it,” Law said while closing his eyes. His head was tilted back so the water had covered his ears making whatever Kid was saying all muffled and distorted. “Can’t hear you.” A wave had Law standing to his feet knowing Kid was heading towards him.“Get yer skinny ass over here,” Kid growled. Law laughed and did not attempt moving, curious to see what Kid would do next. The greenish glow of the water illuminated the punk pirate’s fair skin while ripples of white danced across his muscular chest. When he approached the brunette, he pulled him into his arms and locked his lips over Law’s to taste himself, licking the inside of his mouth. Separating, Kid stroked Law’s cheek and said, “I didn’t hurt you too badly, did I?”Law closed his eyes with a smile and rested his head against Kid’s shoulder. His restrained hands pinned between them rubbed Kid’s chest with the tips of his fingers. “It was fun,” he admitted. “You’re fun.”Kid’s hands wrapped around Law’s back and felt over the welted wounds to see if he had broken the skin. Law jerked under the touch and Kid knew they would have to put a salve over the open cuts to soothe them. The salty water could not feel good. As erotic the events of the night had been, Kid was in pure bliss because this all meant Law trusted him. Over the short time he had come to play with the man, he never had real fear in his eyes, never truly backing down from any challenge Kid offered. Even when they had sex the first time, Kid remembered choking Law as he came hard inside him and the man stayed strong. It was unbelievable how fast Law fell into Kid’s strange pace of sexual desires, not that Kid was complaining. Law was strong-willed and fought back just as fiercely as Kid had ever hoped, clutching his heart in his tattooed hands.Kid nuzzled his head against the side of Law’s face affectionately and gave his cheekbone a few kisses before whispering in his ear, “I love you.” Law answered by reaching up and pulling Kid’s face into his for a passionate kiss. After Kid had tightened his hold around his body, Law lifted his leg to climb up and waited for Kid to help. The redhead slid his hands down and hoisted Law up while long, slender legs wrapped around his middle.Without releasing Law’s mouth, Kid turned in the water to walk to the edge and skillfully stepped up the rocky sides, carefully making his way to the pack. Law rolled his hips into Kid, grinding his erection against the healing wound across the redhead’s lower stomach. Blindly reaching inside the bag, Kid grabbed the lube and bedroll and tried shaking it free with one hand, laughing in the process because Law wouldn’t allow him to turn his head to see what he was doing. “Mmm, lemme - mm! - lemme get this ready for us,” Kid said between kisses. Finally, Law released his mouth and moved to bite Kid’s neck, tightening his arms and legs around him. It was difficult, but Kid managed to spread the thick blanket out with a full-grown man clinging to his front. Laying Law down on his back, Kid undid the restraints and tossed them aside, returning all his attention to his needy partner. Wasting no time to give him what he wanted, Kid slid his hand over Law’s neglected cock and sensually began jerking him off, rubbing his thumb over the slit and smearing precum around. Law was already bucking his hips ready for more. Kid’s free hand reached over for the bottle of lube and popped the lid open. He sat back on his knees to maneuver Law’s legs over his thighs, then scooted him closer. Law started to jerk himself off, unable to wait any longer. Kid allowed him the pleasure of doing so because he was going to make him pay for it later. A large glob of liquid oozed out of the bottle and onto the tip of Kid’s fingers. Grinning down at Law, he gave no forewarning before sticking two fingers deep inside him. Law gasped. “Is this what you wanted?” Kid asked as he fingered inside Law to prepare him for something larger. “You want me inside you?” A few moments passed with silence between them, only the sounds of running water and Law’s low moans filling the air around them. Kid curled his fingers and rubbed against Law’s tight walls until the man arched his back and yelled out. “Ah-ah, not yet!” Kid said and stopped his movement altogether.Law looked down his nose at Kid who was smiling back at him. “Don’t start that shit,” Law growled.Ignoring the dark pirate, Kid lubed himself up, stroking up and down his cock slowly while Law hungrily watched him. Once both parties were properly prepped, Kid lined himself up and leaned forward to hover over the man below him. Carefully pushing inside, he swallowed Law’s whine and rocked his hips in and out.“Do me faster, you bastard,” Law growled, clawing at Kid’s back. He thrust himself upward to gain more friction, hoping to get Kid deeper inside. “C’mon!”Kid muffled a laugh into Law’s ear. “No,” he cooed and sucked on the skin under the beard he loved so much. He continued his moderately slow pace, pressing in entirely and pulling out until only the head of his dick was sheathed. Each time he slid back in, Law squeezed his legs around Kid and met him halfway. As long as he stayed at the correct speed, Kid was fine with Law trying to gain control.Knowing the dark pirate wouldn’t last much longer, Kid shimmied his hand between them to continue jerking him off, just as agonizingly slow.“Sh-shit,” Law hissed between clenched teeth. His tattooed fingers raked their way through Kid’s knotted wet hair. His thrusts were more sporadic, less controlled, and Kid knew it was only a matter of seconds before he would -  “Not yet,” Kid said again and squeezed the tip of Law’s cock, applying heavy pressure just under the head. Law’s jaw dropped as he shut his eyes and silently screamed from Kid blocking his orgasm. “Just a little longer. I wanna cum with you,” he said and kissed over Law’s insult.Making love to Law for a second time was just as intoxicating as the first, if not more. Kid felt as if his mind would be lost in the intimate feeling of their bodies melding together. The air was hot and even hotter with their strenuous activities. Both were covered in a sheen of sweat again not long after leaving the water. The tightness constricting around Kid was enough to make his eyes roll to the back of his head, especially when he felt Law clenching over him. Flashes of Law sitting on his knees in the water looking up at him while his cock was less than an inch away crossed Kid’s mind, driving him absolutely wild. That long tongue presenting itself so willingly, eagerly waiting to get a taste of Kid.“Law,” Kid breathed and took the man’s erection into his hand to pump him fast to catch him up to Kid’s racing libido. Thinking of Law’s worried face had him sporadically thrusting harder. The hot feeling of Law spilling over his fist immediately had him filling the man to the brim. He rode his orgasm out while stroking Law, finishing them both off.Coming down from his high, Kid pulled out and flopped over next to the dark pirate and once he caught his breath, he rolled onto his side and propped himself up on an elbow. “Taste yourself,” he told Law and held his hand up to the man’s mouth. Law grimaced and backed his face away. Kid laughed and instead, put the fingers in his own mouth to lick Law’s cum off. He was sure to keep his eyes locked on him when he did it. Kid laid back down and rested his arms behind his head. “Now what?” he asked.“Clean me off,” Law growled and pointed down. Kid waited to see if he was joking but the angry, stern look on his face told him he was, in fact, not joking whatsoever.The redhead sighed before he picked Law up and carried him back into the water. With great delicacy, he was sure to take care of Law better than the other would have expected of him. He used tender hands, slow motions, and pressed light kisses to his shoulders. Law stayed quiet and occasionally hid his reddened face that never went unnoticed by the other.Back on the bedroll, Law said he had planned for them to sleep there, and so they did. ___ There was no way to tell if the sun had come up while being this deep in the cave. Law was the first to wake. He checked their boxer briefs to see if they had dried overnight and seeing as how they were as good as they were going to get in the humid air, Law shimmied into his and pulled his pants on. The sounds of running water echoing against the walls was a perfect white noise for Law to lay there silently while he waited for Kid to rise.A groan next to Law let him know Kid was feeling the same way as him - sore as shit from the lack of padding on the cave’s ground. Despite his discomfort, the redhead remained asleep. Law began to grow impatient. Sitting up, Law cupped a hand over Kid’s mouth and pinched his nose closed. A few passing moments of nothing.“BLAGH!” Kid snorted, wheezing into his fist as he caught his breath. “Shit, I thought I was gonna die! I think I stopped breathing for a sec.”“Well, it’s a good thing you woke up then, huh?” Law chuckled. “Get dressed so we can head back. I’m starving.”Kid nodded his agreement and together they packed up their fun and made their way back through the cavernous maze until they finally reached daylight. The forest was still extremely thick but the air had immensely thinned out. The two of them took a lungful of fresh air. It almost seemed easier to trek through the gnarly woods the second time around.Before making their way into the main mess hall, they made a pitstop to drop off the supply bag in the room they stayed in the other night. Law pulled on his shirt to hide the marks on his skin, Kid did not. They passed many of their shipmates who had already eaten, indicating it was well after breakfast time. Law had to beg the mink behind the counter to still feed them even though the chef was almost done cleaning up.“More fish?” Kid said as they sat down with their trays. “Ain’t got other meat around here?”Law looked around them before continuing in a hushed tone. “Eustass-ya, the ‘other meat’ have brethren similar to some of the minks here. Fish is one of the meats that does not have any correlation to a species of mink.”Kid slowly chewed his food while he mulled that information over, then stuck two fingers in his mouth to pick a bone out. “Makes sense,” he said and flicked the small spike onto his plate.The two chatted while finishing up their breakfast. Even after their food had been long eaten, they sat at the table by themselves laughing and swearing. Law knew they couldn’t dwell for much longer because the two of them were captains of their own crew and had missions in life that needed attending to.Law wondered what Kid would think if he knew about his plan for Donquixote Doflamino. Would he try and stop him and say he is stupid? Mad, even? Or would he fist-pump the air and yell, ‘hell yeah’ in a way to cheer him on? He’ll never know because he didn’t plan on telling him. He didn’t plan on telling even his crew. It wasn’t time for that plan, yet, though. There was still much to put in order before he ordered his men to come back to this very island without him. They would find out if he lived or died in the paper. The same way Kid would find out. Law winced internally imagining Kid’s reaction once he read the headliner of the paper: Trafalgar Law, Former Supernova of the Worst Generation - Dead. He shook the thoughts from his head. It was just too early to think of that path.“Something wrong?” Kid asked.Law thought that question over carefully before answering. There was plenty wrong with Law but not much he cared to talk about. “Yeah, something has been bugging me, is all.” Kid waited for Law to go on. “I’ve had plenty of time to think this over and no matter how many angles I look at it, I can’t seem to wrap my head around how the hell…” Law trailed off and pushed at the bones on his plate. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t know how Kikoku was able to cut through you and extract blood when my Room was up. It’s driving me crazy. It’s just not possible.”The redhead stared at Law. Tattooed fingers bent the soft bones until they lightly snapped, then he moved on to another one. He wouldn’t look at Kid. “You say it ain’t supposed to hurt when the blue is around, right?” Law nodded. “It flashed.”Law looked up. “Hm? What did?”“You Room Thingy. It was flashing, wasn’t always up.”Crinkling his brows, Law sat up and deepened his frown. “You didn’t tell me this. Why didn’t you tell me this? Explain what happened. Now.” Law waited less than a second for Kid to elaborate before shouting, “Now!”  Kid waited until the last echoes of Law’s voice died out before answering. He didn’t like doing what people told him and he wasn’t going to start suddenly just because some sexy pirate was the enforcer. “You never asked.” Kid could hear Law grinding his teeth from across the table, but it was true, Law never asked him to explain what he saw that day.Law had launched across the table to grab Kid’s neck with both hands. “Fucking asshole!” he repeated as he shook the redhead. Kid’s eyes felt heavy and his cheeks tingled the tighter Law squeezed. God, he’s so fucking hot, he thought with a smile, but that only served to piss Law off more. “Alright!” Kid choked. The long fingers let up enough for him to speak better. “Alright, I’ll tell ya what ya want to know.”“Asshole,” Law spat one last time before settling back into his seat. “In detail, tell me exactly what happened.”Kid rolled his eyes. “I got up to piss and on the way back, the ship just started flashing blue like crazy. It scared the shit out of me cause I was still half asleep but then I remembered your freaky power. It looked like a damn nightclub when I was runnin down the hall.” Law listened intently, never hearing this side of his powers before. “By the time I was in front of my door, the wall on the other side of the hallway was already torn through once, this huge gash - you saw! Then I got this like, hair prickling moment that I knew if I didn’t move the fuck out of the way, I was going to die. Just in time, too, cause another slash came from my room-” Kid made an exaggerated motion with his arm in a horizontal manner to show Law, “-and right past me! I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. I’ll admit, I was afraid to go in there, but I did. You were...convulsing of some sorts. Your Room Thingy flashed on and off a lot, there wasn’t really a particular pattern it was following, either, so I couldn’t gauge when to jump in.”“I’m sorry,” Law winced. He knew what was coming next. He needed to hear the rest but it didn’t mean he was any more prepared to know exactly how he cut Kid.“It’s fine. You know it is.” Kid reminded him. “Anyway, I tried my best to grab your sword with my power but every time the blue was up, I could hardly contain you. But then the Room was down for a good while and I had yer sword steady so you’d stop swingin it everywhere. I was yelling for you to wake up and tried slapping you but your damn sword is so long I was like - a fuckin mile away from you! I had to climb on you and that’s when the blue came back and you broke free and, well, I wasn’t prepared when it suddenly went down. That’s when ya gut me.”Law stared, a glaze over his eyes hearing how a simple nightmare had badly hurt Kid. “Right...that would... explain it perfectly.” Law felt sick. He needed something to do, needed some fresh air. Since Kid was fine with it and had forgiven him for slicing him open, Law pushed the guilt back down. They had already been over this and what’s done was done. He pushed up from the table. “Come,” Law said and beckoned for Kid to follow. ___ They traveled across the dirt paths and climbed up to the medical bay. Tristan was there, still skittish of the redhead. Her eyes darted over each scratch, bite, and bruise on Kid before looking to the surgeon. Law avoided eye contact. “Could you give us the room, please?” he asked the squirrel. Her tail twitched anxiously as she gave a curt nod and left.“Oh man, did you see her face?” Kid teased. “She knows exactly what you did to me, Traffy. I’ve got hickies all over.”Law flipped him off over his shoulder as he rummaged through the cupboards for a salve. Once finding it, he shoved it into Kid’s hands and pulled his shirt off. “Take care of your mess,” he said and turned his back to the redhead. Lightly trailing his fingers over the few areas where he broke the skin, Kid admired his handiwork. “That was fun, you know,” he said and began to rub the cool gel over tan skin. Law sucked in a breath from the sting. “I might have messed one of your tattoos up, though,” he said sadly. “This one here looks like it got hit a few times, it’s kinda deep.”“It’ll be alright,” was all Law said to him about it. He could always recolor the broken skin, blackening the scar with new ink. It didn’t matter to him if he did or didn’t. He’d always taken good care of his tattoos but suddenly, he didn’t think it made a difference if they were pristine or if they showed evidence of him finally living his life. Kid was a reminder that Law had learned to live his life, to step out of his comfort zone, and do whatever he wanted to - as a real pirate would. For so long he lived as a prisoner in his mind. He didn’t know if he loved Kid or not, but one thing he did know is his life will forever be changed.They will go their separate ways on the sea and Law will have to give in to himself, something he had never found much need to do, and masturbate. There was no other way of getting around it. Kid had fucked his entire libido up, his sexual drive was alive. He craved release and Kid was to blame. And what was worse, he made him all fucked about it, too. He’ll probably have to choke himself to properly get off. Law laughed at the idea of him becoming a fan of autoerotic asphyxiation.“What’s so funny?” Kid poked the dark pirate in the side. Law waved him away indicating it was nothing so Kid let it go. “Everything is covered.”“Thanks,” Law said and put the salve away. He told Kid to sit on the bed and hold still. “I’m going to take the stitches out. You healed quite quickly.”“Surprised they didn’t fuckin burst open with the way you were layin into me back there, dickhead!” Kid spat and reached to pinch one of Law’s nipples. Law retaliated by grabbing a fistful of Kid’s hair, but the punk pirate only smiled a wicked grin from the strain. Law couldn’t hold his own smile back as he admired Kid’s makeup-less face. All the paint had washed away in the cave’s waters last night leaving pale, pink lips behind. Law liked those lips. Pulling Kid in, he connected with them, tasted them. Morning breath and fish, but Law didn’t care, he couldn’t have tasted any better. Kid maneuvered Law between his legs and rubbed circles in his hips. “Seriously?” Killer said in the bamboo entryway. Behind him was Penguin who had his jaw dropped to the floor. Law released Kid and looked to the voice. When he saw his crewmate, he took a step back from Kid and was sure to keep his back turned away. “Didn’t you two get enough while you were out?”“Not really,” Kid said and put a hand to his chin in deep thought. Kid and his First Mate shared a laugh but Penguin looked terrified.“Captain, what happened to you?! Are you alright?” he asked and wedged himself around the Kid Pirate to get into the room. He held a hand out as if to help his poor leader but Killer had swung his huge arm around him and held him in a half hug tight against his side. “Argh! Quit doing that, will you?!”“Never seen his skinny ass get some?” Killer asked Penguin, then turned to his captain. “How come you didn’t invite me? Thought it went well last time.”Penguin was ready to die hearing that. “W-what does that mean?! What did he mean by that, Captain?!” he asked and pried himself from Killer.Law glared at the striped helmet. “Dammit, Kill-ya, look what you did. Now he thinks you and I had sexual relations.”Kid barked a laugh into the air and slapped a hand on his leg. He was loving every minute of this entertainment. Killer looked between Law and Penguin. “We did, though.”In a blink of an eye, a blue Room was up and buzzing. A scalpel from a drawer was now pointing at Killer’s neck. “Don’t lie,” he hissed between his teeth. The tip pressed into the skin and a small drop of blood welled up under the pressure. “Get out. Both of you.”The Room dropped and Penguin all but ran to get away from the crazy pirates and Killer took his time leaving. As he moseyed away, you could hear his muffled laughter from under his helmet.“You’re so mean to him! But, even so, he will miss you,” Kid said with a sigh.“Yeah, yeah. He’s a snake. Now let me get these out of you,” Law said and formed a small Room around Kid’s abdomen. He held it there and looked inside after whispering ‘scan’ to himself. Once he was satisfied with the results, the strings that had been used to sew Kid up on the outside and inside of his body were now in his hand. He twisted them around, inspecting them close up. “Blagh!” Kid said, gagging and covering his mouth. “Those fucking stink!”Still looking at them, Law mumbled they did indeed stink. “But I like to look and see if anything came with them, which, nothing will. Not with my power, at least. It leaves no room for error,” he sighed with boredom and nonchalantly tossed the sutures into the bin at the end of the bed. After wiping the suture holes with an alcohol wipe and wrapping it one more time for good measure, Law scruffed the red hair and said, “You’re good to go.”“That’s it, huh? Kickin me out?” Kid said, feigning hurt though his smirk gave him away.“Yup. Right over the edge of this elephant.”“Not fair, I can’t swim,” Kid whined. He stood and kissed Law on his lips. “But yer right. We should be going. Gonna help me down or are you really gonna toss us over?”Law openly laughed. “Yeah, I’ll help you down. We will probably stay for a few more days so I can gather some intel and set forth a plan. The shit at the Auction House fucked up my schedule.”“What were you doing at the Sabaody, by the way?” Kid asked, his curiosity piquing. Law traced Kid’s wrappings on his stomach. “Not telling,” he said quietly. When Kid scoffed, Law flicked his skin then put his shirt back on. “Let’s get your things.”“Wouldn’t need to get my things if you didn’t steal them,” Kid grumbled, but they both knew there was no venom behind the accusation.  ___ Penguin caught up with the two captains as they descended the stairs from Law’s room. He said hello and tried making small talk but it was apparent in his body language that he had something else on his mind.“What is it, Peng?” Law said, giving a sidelong glance down at his crewman.“Hm? Nothing just wanted to hang out.”Law stopped in his tracks and turned to face Penguin. “Out with it,” he said with a scowl. Under the brim of his hat, Law saw Penguin’s eyes flicker over to Kid who stayed silent to let them talk. Taking a deep breath, Law rolled his eyes and asked Kid to gather his crew up and meet him at the entrance of the small city. Kid’s smile was genuine as he waved goodbye to Penguin, though the Heart Pirate shivered the moment the redhead turned away.“Uhm,” Penguin started. Talking to his captain about anything other than business was strange because the tall, dark pirate was so cooped up in his own mind most of their lives together. Ever since they were kids Law held back a part of himself that seemed to stop him from ever becoming truly close with anyone. Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo may not be as smart as him, but that never, ever meant they weren’t aware a section of his soul had been locked away so no one could ever touch it. “Uhm?” Law repeated, waiting.“Right, sorry. I wanted to ask how you were doing?” Penguin asked. He pointed at Law’s face which had a deep bruise around the side of his mouth where Kid backhanded him last night. Up and down his neck were dark circles, marks only a lover leaves. He then pointed at Law’s wrists. The metal rings he still wore were perfectly fit so they didn’t dangle.Law raised an eyebrow. “You’re worried?” He didn’t mean for it to come out incredulously, but he had to remind himself they didn’t know Kid was a huge, soft teddy bear in reality. The rest of the world only saw him as a vicious grizzly. Penguin nodded with bulging eyes as if he was saying we all are worried! “I’m fine, Peng. I’m...having...fun,” he said slowly, careful to choose the correct words.Penguin seemed to relax into their conversation now that he knew Law was willing to talk to him about it. He smiled and slapped a hand over Law’s shoulder. “That’s good to hear, Cap’n. As long as you’re happy I -”“I am,” Law interrupted. He didn’t know why he felt the need to say it. No, it wasn’t a need, Law wanted to say it. He wanted Penguin to know he was happy. He wanted his crew to know he was happy. A sudden feeling of dread filled the pit of his stomach knowing the source of that happiness was hours away from leaving him. “I really like him, Peng.”Penguin pulled Law into a tight side-hug as they walked. He said he never knew Kid would be in his line of tastes but dropped it when Law didn’t take the bait to spill any juicy details about their relationship. After realizing that, he went on to talk about things that happened while he was gone over the month and Law listened as they made their way to see Kid off.“By the way,” Penguin said. “Where’s Kikoku?”Law’s next step faltered from being caught off guard. The guilt he felt the day he sliced Kid open washed over him at the memory. “I...didn't want to hurt anyone.”Knowing when his captain was closing himself off, Penguin simply nodded his understanding. ___ The stone gates to Zou were nearing. Beyond the archway, Law could see the Kid Pirates waiting for him. Kid’s back was to him as he talked to Heat, his arms moving to the story he was telling. A warm sensation caressed his skin as he approached. He was unsure if it was the muggy wind or something else.“There you are,” Kid said with a wide smile. Law waited a few steps away from his crew so he could give his goodbye in a semi-private way. Their relationship had been established but that didn’t mean he was ready to be open about anything else. He and Kid were made of entirely different parts when it came to their personalities. The redhead broke away from his crew to step up to Law. “Still gonna be shy?”Law scowled and rolled his eyes. “Just because I’m not a barbaric animal like you doesn’t mean I’m being shy. Can I not have a few words with you without your crew being a part of it?”“Alright, alright,” Kid laughed. “Guess I don’t have to worry about anyone gettin on you because that stick up your ass won’t leave room for much else.” Law’s mouth set in a flat line which confirmed the stick had definitely returned. “Are you ready to leave, you bastard?” Law groaned with annoyance.“I have something for you.”“I’m sure you do,” Law said and waved his hand. “C’mon, quit being gross and let’s go.”Kid grabbed Law’s elbow to stop him from leaving. “No, I made something for you.” Law faced Kid with curiosity now. When Kid saw Law was taking him more seriously, he continued. “While you were navigating, I took some time to make something for you. I want you to wear these,” he said and pulled out four small hoops earrings from the depths of his pants pocket.Law looked down at Kid’s outstretched palm and inspected them before transferring them into his hand. Bringing them closer, he saw they were much more detailed than he expected. The golden earrings had swirls resembling the curves of the tattoos lining his body. Law glanced up and saw Kid was intensely staring at him as he waited for an answer. “Alright. These aren’t special anyway,” he said pointing to an ear. For the next few minutes, Kid helped Law switch out his current earrings with the new ones. Kid thought Law was only being nice when he said his old earrings weren’t anything special but when Law threw them over his shoulder to get rid of them, he had to say he was genuinely shocked. Kid gave him a tight hug as a silent thank you and clapped him on the back. “Alright, I’m ready.” Law made no move to leave, only looked at Kid with sadness. “What?”“I feel bad.”Kid raised his eyebrows at the other. He could hear his crew laughing loudly at something someone must have said. “Uh, about what?” he asked.“I don’t have anything to give you.”That Law was experiencing guilt over this present exchange meant the world to Kid. That was a gift in itself right there. He had won Law over so many times about many different things. It was safe to say Kid possessed two Devil Fruit powers; one to control metal and the other was to wrap the infamous Trafalgar Law around his finger. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t make them fer you in hopes you’d give me something back. I made’em because I wanted you to have something to remind you of me while we’re apart.”Hearing that made Law’s face turn red. “Don’t say sappy shit like that!”“I’m being serious! Who knows when our paths will cross again,” Kid said. He looked into Law’s grey eyes and searched for his next words. “Yer the only person I’ve fallen in love with. I mean it when I say I don’t need you to return those feelings. Just having you with me is enough. Now let’s go, my crew is prolly gettin antsy.”“Wait,” Law heard himself say. He looked down at his right hand. “I do have something for you,” he said slowly under his breath. Kid stepped closer saying he couldn’t hear him. “I said, I have something that I want to give you.”A faint smile grew on Kid’s face. He waited patiently, curious to know what Law suddenly had for him when not moments ago he had told him he had nothing. He watched Law flex his hand a few times while staring intently at it, then he rubbed over his chest as if he were massaging a cramp away. Law seemed to be working something out in his head so Kid stayed silent.A small, blue orb expanded over Law’s chest. He made a quick pulling motion and his heart came out with a pop. In his palm, a gelatinous cube pumped in time with the blood circulating through Law's body. “Here,” he said and extended his hand. “Keep this safe for me.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Two years later…

In the distance, the unoccupied island the Kid Pirates had been aiming for was slowly coming into view. The metal ship lazily rolled over the waves as the wind took its time to carry them closer. Kid had been spending the last hour leaning against the railing and looking into the open sea beside them.

The sun was high in the air but it was blocked out by wispy, grey clouds that weren’t quite heavy enough to threaten with rain. The breeze coming off the ocean combined with the blanketed sun made Kid shiver with goosebumps. He lazily blinked when he heard his First Mate coming up beside him.

“You okay?” Killer asked and gave a playful elbow into his captain’s ribs. “You’ve been over here on and off all day.”

Kid shrugged. “Yeah, m’fine. Just bored.”

“Ah. Figured. We haven’t done much for a few months, have we?” Killer said. The two were silent for a moment, neither feeling as if the space needed to be filled. It was when Kid sighed that Killer decided he should dig deeper knowing all-too-well what was

really

wrong. “Did you have something in mind for us?”

The punk pirate rubbed his right hand over his face and readjusted his goggles across his forehead. “Look, I don’t know, man. I’m scared, Kill. Look what happened? I did that to us.” He brought his hand down to cover his eyes and felt himself trembling. “Cause I was arrogant...I did that to us.”

“Don’t think like that,” Killer said sternly and grabbed a hold of Kid’s shoulder, forcing him to turn his way. “We follow you because we believe in you and we know the risks.”

Kid jerked his shoulder out from under Killer’s touch and clutched his coat tighter over him. “I heard you the first million times you said that. Just leave me alone for now. I’m fine,” Kid said and returned to leaning against the railing. “I’m fine.”
 
___
 
The sun moved as they went on but the grey clouds stayed. The Kid Pirates were nearly to the next island, less than twenty minutes away. Kid stayed at the side of the ship and looked outward. The plain ocean seemed far easier to concentrate on when you were trying to forget things.

In the distance, Kid saw a tube suddenly pop out of the water. It was so small he wasn’t even sure if he was seeing right so he squinted his eyes to get a better look.

“What the?” he said under his breath. It looked like, “Metal?”

Feeling outward as far as his power could go, he felt a

huge

source of metal. He wasn’t expecting the small tube to be connected to such a giant piece that when his power touched the surface of it, he physically jumped backward in shock. Then immediately following his shock was pure joy because he knew that metal. He made

sure

to know it.

Less than five-hundred feet outwards and five-hundred feet down was a yellow submarine holding his favorite person in the world. “No fucking way,” Kid said. He couldn’t believe who he was running into after all this time. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest at the mere thought of being this close to the person he loved.

Jumping onto the railing, Kid readjusted his coat and then held his hand out in front of him. He aimed his palm where he felt the hunk of metal and activated his power to pull. It resisted at first but not for long because Kid was

strong.

His Devil Fruit was hardly even the same as it used to be. He was a different man now. His ship began to slightly dip down at the invisible weight Kid was forcing out, making his crew filter above deck to see what was going on.

The submarine slowly made its way toward Kid. The water rippled into strange waves coming towards him and he laughed when he saw the periscope suck down under the surface. He laughed even harder when he imagined the Heart Pirates panicking at the strange force controlling their home. The sub was close enough that Kid sharply pulled upward and the

moment

the door was above water, none other than Trafalgar Law burst through with Kikoku unsheathed.

Law whipped his head around ready to murder whatever it was that had his crew and sub. Bepo and Shachi were hot on his heels. When Law saw a ship dangerously close, he held his hand out ready to defend them but grey eyes locked onto the captain of said ship.

“You’re shitting me,” Law said barely loud enough for Kid to hear. He sheathed his sword and waved his crew away. “It’s just Kid. I’ll be back.” A blue orb opened up large enough for Law to transport himself onto the edge of the metal ship. Kid hopped down from the railing and stood in front of the dark pirate.

“Hey,” Kid said breathily.

“Hey,” Law echoed. He briefly glanced over Kid’s shoulder and saw Killer staring at him from under that same damn helmet. “Kill-ya is huge now.”

“Aw, really, Traf?” Kid whined. “That’s the first thing you’re gonna say to me? Something about that brat?”

Law chuckled. “I missed you. Is that what you wanted to hear?” Kid’s smile was enough of an answer for him. “Well?”

“Yes, it’s what I wanted to hear,” Kid said, thinking his nod was enough.

“Not that, you idiot. Did you miss

me

at all?” Law asked, ducking his head. He’d like to think he was over being embarrassed about

feelings

and

relationships

but apparently not.

Kid rolled his eyes. “You know I did.”

“Still got it, I’m assuming?” Law asked with a raised eyebrow. Kid lifted the side of his coat to show a metal box that looked to be big enough for one human-sized heart hanging on a small chain that was hooked through a belt loop. Law knew his heart was safe because he was alive but maybe Kid pawned it off to some voodoo witch. Or maybe he was simply wondering where Kid kept it because he knew the man would never let it out of his sight. Subconsciously, Law rubbed over his chest where his heart was supposed to be. “How long has it been there?”

“Two hours after you gave it to me,” Kid said.

Law silently nodded, approving of Kid’s idea of taking care of his gift. Kid scanned over his ears and saw he still wore the golden earrings. Law wanted to change the subject. It was too mushy and he was getting embarrassed. “Nice coat,” he said and grabbed the side of the fuzzy red captain’s cape. “Still don’t wear it right, do you?” he asked, pulling at the left side. Kid liked to wear his coats with only one arm inside while the other hanging off the shoulder. Law knew his wardrobe was strange but Kid’s was just as weird.

When he billowed open the coat, Law furrowed his eyebrows with confusion, but Kid gripped the edge to hold it closed. The air around them had changed, Law knew that much was obvious. Kid had turned his head away to look elsewhere and his smile had disappeared.

Law stepped closer to the other captain and slowly opened the coat back up, Kid letting him after hanging his head in shame. To his surprise, Law saw Kid’s left arm was

royally

fucked up. “Eustass-ya…” he whispered.

The arm Law had spent a whole night tattooing was now half gone. There was nothing left under Kid’s elbow except an insane infection, which crept its way up the rest of his arm just below the shoulder. Even under all the black ink, Law could see Kid’s skin was tainted yellow and green. There was gauze tightly wound at the end but Law could still smell the spoiled blood.

After taking in the sight, a thought occurred to Law. He leaned around Kid to face his crew in search of a certain face. “Where the fuck is Doc?!” he asked anyone. He was directly responsible for the lack of treatment. The wound on Kid’s arm was

heavily

infected and could easily still kill him. It should have been fixed ages ago! There was no excuse for this! “Where is he?!” he repeated with a shout. No one answered.

“He’s not here,” Kid said quietly. “He’s dead.”

Law returned to the redhead with a puzzled expression as he tried reading Kid’s face. Realizing there was no punch-line, Law let his shoulders drop. “Oh.” The dark pirate scanned the crew again and noticed among the familiar faces were a few new ones...and some missing. “I see.”

“It hurts,” Kid whispered. Law knew he didn’t mean his arm.
 
___
 
Kid lay on his back on a bed inside Law’s operating room on the Polar Tang. The fluorescents that hung from the ceiling were off while a few lamps on extendable arms were on and pointed at him. Kid tried slowing his breathing so he didn’t hyperventilate while Law reprimanded him.

“I can’t believe you went after a Yonko,” Law mumbled as he pulled his long, white coat on and yanked two latex gloves over each sleeve. “You’re so irresponsible. So fucking stupid.”

Any normal person would have lashed out hearing someone berate them over and over because they made horrible decisions, but not Kid. He deserved to hear it and more. Even Killer hadn’t given him a speech like this because he, too, was in an emotionally dark place. The Kid Pirates aimlessly floated across the sea after making their escape from the Red Hair pirates, all clutching onto the memories of their lost comrades, too afraid that, if even for

one second

they stopped thinking of them, they would fade from their minds for the rest of their lives, forgotten for the rest of time.

Law pulled a wheeled stool over and adjusted the height to work closely on Kid’s arm. He sighed deeply then began unwrapping the old bandages. With each turn as Law unwound around the forearm, the bandage became stickier, slowly peeling away from the blood it glued itself to. The very end of the gauze had been tied in a tight knot to keep it from slipping off. Law reached over to the small portable table that held various tools and grabbed a pair of scissors to cut it away.

With the only thing holding back his circulation, the wound began to slightly ooze again. Most of the wound had been closed up by a horrendously large scabbed area, but after tugging on it, some of the scabs had pulled away with the gauze.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to use my Room?” Law asked for a second time.

Kid insisted he felt everything through the procedure. Said a little pain now was nothing to what he had felt the day he lost his crew members. They lost their lives because of him. It didn’t feel right that he lay here alive and they were somewhere dead. He couldn’t even give them a proper burial because the Red Hairs didn’t give them time to retrieve the dead. They were chased to the island’s edge and Kid had to make the tough decision of leaving them behind lest he lose more people. Whatever Law was going to do now was nothing compared to that pain. “I’m sure.” Law nodded. He wouldn’t ask again. He could respect Kid’s small tribute to Doc and Christoph. The absence of his left arm would always be a reminder of their deaths.

“Alright, then. I have to remove more of your arm. Up to here at the least,” he said and formed a line over Kid’s bicep. “The infection is deep, Eustass-ya. I’m surprised you’ve made it this long.”

“I know,” Kid admitted, knowing damn well what state his health was in. Over the months he could feel himself growing weaker but he pushed through it anyway. He could still use his power to its full extent though he didn’t have much of an appetite anymore and he had migraines that had knocked him unconscious a few times. “Just cut it off, I don’t give a shit. I don’t need it.”

And so Law did. He sawed through the meat and bone then sewed it closed, it tightly knitted together by a professional. The discarded, rotting flesh in a nearby plastic tub had removed the smell completely from Kid’s skin but the infection was still coursing through his bloodstream. He could hardly believe Kid suffered

months

with his arm like that. “Go wait in my room while I clean up,” Law ordered. Kid grabbed his coat and left. Law waited until the doors fell shut before he ran over to a trash bin and hurled.

Law had been holding back rising bile the moment that smell first made contact with his nostrils. It was atrocious and Law had never smelled anything as bad as that, and this was coming from the guy who hid under dead, diseased bodies to escape his homeland. The way the scab revealed a wave of rancid fatty tissue and putrid pus had made Law’s skin crawl. Dead bodies weren’t as bad as spoiled wounds.

The doctor wiped at his mouth once he was done as he still held himself up over the bin. Kid had to have been suffering more than he was letting on because there was no way something could bring The Surgeon of Death down so easily. Regardless of the punk pirate’s tolerance, Law shook the messy images from his mind and began cleaning the room to be ready for the next job.
 
___
 
Law walked down the narrow hallway that led to his quarters when he was intercepted by Bepo. The polar bear was deep within the shadow of his room before he took a few steps into the minimal light. “Captain, is everything alright? Captain Kid didn’t say anything as he walked by when I greeted him. Are you two fighting?”

That brought a smile to Law’s face. It was so like Bepo to be worried about his and Kid’s relationship. To assure his Mink everything was fine between the two of them, he reached up to scratch behind the bear’s ear. “It’s not that, Bepo. He’s in mourning.”

The news didn’t give Bepo any time to enjoy the feeling of his captain's fingers in his fur. “Oh. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I asked.”

Law gave him a pat on his big belly and continued to his room. Upon entering, he had to say it felt

very

weird to see someone laying in his bed. Now that he was thinking about it, not even Ikkaku had been invited back here. Since she was the only female on the crew, she was boarded separately from the others and the two spent their alone time there instead.

Maybe that had to do with the differences between Ikkaku and Kid. There was no hesitation from Law when he told Kid to wait in his room, it was the obvious place to go. The space seemed warmer somehow with Kid filling it. Law shut the metal door behind him.

Kid lay in the twin-sized bed on his good side, facing the wall, his coat hung over the chair at his desk. The new bandages over the amputated arm were bright white, evidence he will be better soon. “Eustass-ya,” Law said. Kid grunted. “I have a prescription here you need to take twice daily. It will flush the rest of that infection out of your system. Take some now.”

The man on the bed didn’t roll over and Law expected his stubborn behavior. Instead, he kneeled on the mattress letting his weight on the edge help sink Kid’s body towards him. Law pulled at Kid’s hipbone to turn him over the rest of the way.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see red rings under Kid’s eyes, but it still threw Law off. He didn’t do well in these situations. He barely had emotions himself, he tossed them away long ago. Only this past month had he really ever

felt

and it was all thanks to this man right here. He had to at least try and comfort him.

Law popped the prescription bottle open and ticked a pill over his palm then presented it to Kid. His eyes flicked to his hand and stared at the pill before he looked back towards the wall. “You’ll die if you don’t,” Law pressed and forcefully fingered the medicine into his mouth anyway. “Swallow,” Law said with a glare and waited until he knew Kid did so. “I’m giving this bottle to Kill-ya since you can’t be trusted to take them. You can’t protect your crew if you’re dead.”

“Thanks,” Kid said and rolled away.

Law sighed. He set the bottle on his desk and shimmied next to Kid to sit against the headboard. “C’mere,” he said and maneuvered his hands under Kid’s armpits to pull him between his legs. Once they were torso to torso and Kid was comfortably laying his head against Law’s chest, he cried in the safety of his lover’s arms.

All Law could do for Kid now was to let him release whatever it was he needed to get out. He rubbed Kid’s back, letting a hand stray away to rub over what was left of his bicep. He needed to let Kid know it didn’t bother him that he was missing an arm now. It was important Kid knew nothing had changed. Flashes of rotting flesh crossed his mind and the thought of losing Kid to infection made his stomach turn. As Kid silently wept against him, Law fell victim to his own dark thoughts and felt tears running down his face, too.
 
___
 
The two pirate groups spent the next week together on the island. Law paid close attention to the Kid Pirates and their behavior regarding their two deceased crew members. He had talked to Kid and Killer about a replacement doctor.

It took almost the full week to properly convince Kid to let Law personally be involved with his crew. It ate Kid to have an outsider, no matter who it was, intervene on his crew’s matters, but once Law had mentioned it would make him feel better knowing there was a new doctor aboard, Kid loosened up. Law expressed his concern and even if he didn’t outright say it, Kid could read between the lines: he was worried something as serious as the infection, or worse, would happen again.

The moment Law had permission, he immediately made some calls to get in contact with an old friend that had an assistant to his ship’s doctor. His crew wasn’t big enough to need two medically trained people and besides, Law remembered his friend mentioned he was a bit...

different.

The guy would certainly fit right into this creepy-ass crew for sure.

“I gave him your coordinates. He should be here within the next two weeks,” Law started explaining after dinner one night. Law and Kid were walking down the beach, the moonlight guiding their path. “Why don’t you stay here for a while, Eustass-ya?” he asked, stopping in his tracks.

The redhead walked on a few steps before noticing his partner was no longer next to him. “Where? Here?” Kid asked, gesturing to the rocky beach.

“No, I mean this island. Just a few months until your crew can get back on their feet again.” Law watched for Kid’s reaction. The moon highlighted his pale features making him almost glow.

“I can’t,” Kid said flatly.

“Why not?”

“Because!” Kid screeched, throwing his hand up in exasperation. “I’ve already fallen behind in the race to get the One Piece! I can’t afford to lose any more time. You saw the papers with Straw Hat in the war, he’s ahead of us all!”

“You’ll have time, Eustass-ya,” Law said lazily. He had forgotten over the years how important the One Piece was to Kid. Almost all the captains of the Worst Generation were interested in becoming the next Pirate King, but not Law. “Build a base here, recruit more members, and make a bigger ship. You’re going to need it for the rest of the New World. That hunk of metal out there won’t do.” Kid’s jaw dropped at Law’s offensive words. “I mean it. While you recuperate here, why don’t you gain some allies? Some other crews you can trust?”

“I trust the Heart Pirates,” Kid said and put his hand on his hip. “Where are you going with this? Why is it so important to you that I sit out of the race?”

Law leaned his head back to look at the stars in frustration. Again, feelings weren’t his thing and Kid was trying to drag them out for him to see. “I want you to…” Law began, trying to find the right words to express himself. “I want you to be more prepared...mentally.”

Kid scoffed and pushed Law in the shoulder. “The fuck is that supposed to mean? You think I’m crazy er something? You think cause I got some of my own killed that I can’t handle myself anymore? That it?”

“No!” Law shouted at the other. He didn’t understand why Kid was being so ignorant about the whole situation. Taking a step back, Law pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Look, if you can give me a good enough reason for my next question, I’ll drop it. But if you can’t, you have to do as I wish.”

Kid’s lip curled before he spat at the rocky ground. “Fine. Let’s hear it.”

“If you were mentally healthy about what happened, why did you not seek a new doctor yourself? Why did you not seek any professional treatment for your arm?”

Jutting his jaw out, Kid raised an eyebrow. “That’s two questions.”

“Answer me!”

“Alright!” Kid yelled and turned away from Law. His voice echoed down the beach. “Alright. I get it.” Behind him, Law waited patiently and he hated it. Hated how he was hard to stay mad at. And more importantly, hated how he was right. “I’ll stay here. Three months! That’s it!”

Law let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Thank you.”

“And what will you do?” Kid asked. When Law waited for more information, Kid went on. “What is your plan after you leave here? Is this your way of getting ahead of me?”

Laughing, Law shook his head. “No, no, definitely not. You and I do not share the same goal.” Kid prompted him to go on. “Remember the story I told you of the Warlord, Doflamingo?”

“How could I forget? Heat had you fucked up real good.”

It was true, his crew member really did take Law down a peg. It was embarrassing to remember and Law hated that the bastard caught him off guard like that. That type of shit won’t happen again. He can’t let something so menial ruin his plan. “Right. Well, I’m in the works of bringing his ass down from the inside.”

Kid cocked his head to the side. “The inside? You gonna work for him?”

Law nodded. Then a thought occurred to him and he wondered what Kid would think once he found out he became a Warlord. He was still waiting on confirmation for the position from the Government. Once that was done, he could finally head to Punk Hazard without being interrupted. “If you read something about me in the paper regarding my status, promise you won’t think I’ve sold out. No matter how ridiculous it is, promise you will know I wouldn’t betray your trust.”

Kid scratched the back of his head while he thought about Law’s words. “You gonna get married or something?” he asked, his voice losing the anger from earlier. Law noticed he couldn’t keep eye contact.

“No, thankfully. You’ll see soon enough. Maybe in the next few weeks if you get any News Coo out here.”

“Mkay. I promise, then,” Kid said with a smile wide enough that Law knew everything would be alright between them.

Law closed the space between them to share a kiss.
 
___

Several months later…

Law laid against Bepo in the sun on the island of Wano. He had his yukata untied and open to soak up the sunshine as much as possible. The past few days there had been a heavy overcast. In the distance, birds and insects could be heard making their little sing-songs, enough to lul Law into a nice nap.

“CAPTAIN!” Penguin screamed from afar. Law wrinkled his nose and squeezed his eyes at the intrusion. Maybe if he ignored Penguin, he’d go away. “Captaaaain!!!” he called again.

“Captain, I think Penguin is calli-”

“I KNOW!”

Law yelled at Bepo, sitting up in frustration. “I fucking know. I can hear him.” Law tied his robes shut and rested his arms on his knees while he waited for Penguin and Shachi to fully come up to them. “What is it now, Peng? I told you to leave the Mugiwaras alone for now. They’re fine with their-”

“No! That’s not it,” Shachi said out of breath. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as the stitch in his side grew. “It’s not about them!”

“It’s Captain Eustass Kid, sir! Here’s here on Wano!” Penguin explained.

“He’s in prison but in the paper, it said he’s here!”

Law couldn’t suppress his smile. There was just no way he had magically run into that damn pirate again. He wasn’t sure how he ended up here, but seeing as how he was in prison on Udon gave him a few ideas. Regardless of the reason, it was quite convenient he showed up here. “Good,” Law said, getting to his feet. He wiped off his backside and looked to Penguin and Shachi. “I believe I have something I want to tell him.”