A/N: I wanted to try and write a story for me, to see if that will break me out of the writer's block I have on my other WIPs. I am anticipating 15 chapters for this fic, but I know with the way I write that might change later on.

Warnings: violence, blood, and swearing. Character death. Note that this is a slow burn kid x law fic (strangers to lovers trope)

Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece.

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Kid was royally fucked, though no one was around to see him in all his fucked up glory this late at night.

Not that it didn't seem like he was getting screwed over continuously most of the time, but this particular night was the worst by far in recent memory. Not only had he lost the match and his money, but he got his ass kicked in the process. Broken or bruised ribs were likely, and the punches to Kid's abdomen and other parts of his body were no doubt going to bruise, making it a bitch to move. His head was the most painful at the moment, making Kid believe he took a few knocks to the head as well. The red haired man wasn't dead, no, but he figured he must have looked like hell as he staggered along.

"Son of a bitch." Kid growled under his breath as he slowed down. The beating he had taken must have been worse than was usual, because he was beginning to feel light-headed. His vision was blurring, in any case, one eye more so than the other, and that signaled to Kid that he needed to get his ass home before he passed out right there on the sidewalk.

But where was home from here, anyway?

Kid sagged heavily against the nearest wall of a building as he blearily looked around, a scowl on his face when he realized he couldn't recognize a damn thing.

That was just the ice on the fucking cake, wasn't it?

With a low groan, Kid pushed away from the wall and continued his slow progress. Yet with every step, the pain grew until Kid could do nothing more than stop where he was and rest. Which was apparently on a sidewalk leading to someone's home, but fuck if he was gong to move again until he didn't feel like he was going to pass out. Whoever was in that house was probably asleep, anyway, and wouldn't witness Kid's stupidity due to of a series of bad decisions going to shit. Kid figured that he just needed to catch his breath and he'd be able to continue on.

Hopefully.

Kid let out a wheeze of laughter, before coughing into a hand and coming away with blood. Well, shit. That couldn't be a good sign. Kid stared at the blood on his hand and wondered if this was a sign that he should quit fighting illegally for extra cash. The extra cash he didn't have in his pocket tonight, meaning he wasn't going to be getting himself fixed up at a hospital. No, he would go home and lick his wounds, and hope that he would get well soon, so that he could try again and retake the money he desperately needed.

"Fuck." Kid wheezed out. He hadn't been this messed up in a fight in years. That son of a bitch that had kicked his ass had fought dirty, and then had proceeded to kick him while he was down.

Literally.

Kid made an attempt to steady himself on his feet, yet couldn't work up the energy to prevent himself from swaying the faintest amount. Shit, he felt like hell. No wonder no one tried to stop him when he left that underground arena. No one likely expected him to get very far, and what would have been done to his unconscious body was something Kid would rather not dwell upon. He had made it a fair distance from where he had been fighting that night, and as soon as he could figure out where he was, he would get going. Or make a call to Killer, though the idea of another scolding lecture made Kid reconsider the idea.

"You're in the way."

Kid tensed up at the sound of a voice cutting through the haze that was his mind. The red haired man wanted to tell the unknown individual off, but considering the fact that he couldn't even raise his head, Kid knew he was in trouble. His body wasn't responding to him, and that was never a good sign. Apparently the other man didn't notice anything amiss, because he spoke again, voice heavy with sarcastic ire.

"I've had a long night, and I'd appreciate getting into my house."

Kid couldn't even work up the energy to laugh at this point, and instead did the next best thing to show his displeasure at being harassed while he felt like shit. Kid fell over sideways, vaguely wondering what the man was going to do about him further blocking the way as the red head passed out.

-x-

Trafalgar Law had not expected to find an injured and now unconscious man practically on his doorstep. It was most inconvenient that the red haired man in question was in fact sprawled across his sidewalk, as that meant Law would have to either go around him or over him. It was not something he was prepared to deal with, especially not with the warning he'd received minutes ago still ringing in his ears.

'You're going to have to pay up, and soon, doc. You had your extension; it's time to settle your debts. Don't think he won't come after you if you don't settle with him this time. No more delays.'

"You're still in my way." Law commented aloud, as if the wounded man could hear him.

Naturally, there was no response.

The dark haired doctor let out a slow breath before he stepped forward to carefully crouch down next to the red haired man to check him over. Damn Law's instincts to want to help someone who was hurt, even when it was painfully clear from the sore spot on his back that he wouldn't be in much better condition if he didn't do as he was asked.

"You had better not have left a blood trail." Law murmured crossly to the unconscious man, trying to cover up the discomfort of having a gun jammed to his back as the threat from before was delivered to him. The doctor didn't want any unsavory and potentially illegal things being brought to his doorstep after that unfortunate encounter, though considering the shape the red haired man was in, it could very well be likely that he was being followed.

"If I die from something I'm not involved in, I'll come back and haunt you." Law grumbled in a dead kind of voice, as he took in and mentally listed the man's injuries. From what Law could see, the red head had taken quite a beating, which was most certainly the reason why he had collapsed. One cheek was bruised up, and the left cheek had a long gash that went dangerously close to an eye. The tank top the man was wearing was torn in several different places, and one leg of the pants was torn and bleeding near the knee. Potential concussion, and perhaps a sprained left wrist. Law lifted his head to look around, and seeing no one else in the vicinity, frowned as he weighed his options. The doctor knew that he could call the police and let them deal with the stranger on his sidewalk, or Law could bring the man into his home to treat his injuries.

"Get up." Law muttered as he made the decision to take the man into his home. It was a long-shot, but the dark haired doctor kind of hoped that the other man was a bodyguard, because Law had a feeling he was going to need one of those soon. The memory of a gun pressed to his back was fresh, and one that Law could do without experiencing again. It didn't even matter to Law that the red head looked like he had gotten the shit beaten out of him either. The doctor was getting desperate, and there were very few people he would trust to watch his back. Law didn't want to risk his friends being drawn into his problems, so if he needed to help someone in order to get their help in return, the dark haired doctor would do so. It really was unfortunate that Law had run out of time and was going to have to settle his debts soon, one way or another.

Therefore, having a bodyguard around would help to ensure that nothing went wrong when it came time for that debt to be collected, as there might be a bit of a problem with the price Law knew that he had to pay.

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A/N: Updates likely to be slow due to trying to work around writer's block.