I told myself that I wasn't going to write any romance themed stuff for One Piece, but I couldn't resist, so…here, have some Kidd x Law. This first chapter is an attempt at a plot, and it is rated T. The rating will change when I post the second chapter (as it is basically the two of them making out for like 3/4 of it).

Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece. I just have weird (?) ideas that occur in the middle of the night.

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Eustass Kidd found that while the new world offered a variety of challenges, anything noteworthy of his attention was incredibly sparse. Because of that, Kidd often found himself with a lot of free time, and nothing to do but seethe on his ship at the lack of activity. Some days it was a chore to keep his temper reined in until something interesting came along.

It was only after another string of disappointingly boring days that something finally caught his attention. Kidd just hadn't realized at the time that he was about to involve himself in quite a different kind of encounter than he was used to.

-x

Kidd glowered ferociously around at the assorted group of cutthroats in the tavern. Their bright, merry chatter was beginning to get on his nerves. Kidd hunched sullenly over a tankard of some swill that was absolutely vile, thinking dark and violent thoughts. He was currently in a highly destructive mood, and the only reason he hadn't begun to kill the people around him was because Killer had managed to convince him it would be a very bad idea. For now.

Kidd sneered and pushed the disgusting drink away, not caring when one of his very shitfaced crewmates scooped it up and downed it amid a lot of good natured heckling. Kidd stiffened as a pirate from another crew bumped into him as they passed behind, and he clenched his right hand into a fist. Nope. No matter what Killer had said, there was no other way around it. He was going to murder someone tonight. It was just a matter of time, and that time was apparently now, as the drunk had bumped up against Kidd's back again.

Just as the red headed captain was about to seize the unfortunate drunk by the throat, someone gripped his shoulder lightly. Kidd swung his fist around at the unwanted touch, only to have the hand on his shoulder snap up and hold the limb fast. The redhead's target changed instantly, the drunken man forgotten. Kidd flexed his trapped hand, and that was when the person bothering him decided to speak.

"Stop, Kidd. The marines are checking this place regularly, looking for trouble to start."

Kidd relaxed minutely when he recognized that the voice belonged to Killer, and snorted as he freed his hand from his crewmate's grasp, "Who the fuck cares about the marines? This island's neutral territory, ain't it?"

"That doesn't mean that they won't use a sudden brawl as an excuse to exert their authority. Especially if that fight were to involve someone with as high a bounty as yours." Killer kept his tone reasonable, hoping that his captain could keep his temper under control, at least until they left the tavern. Dead bodies were greatly frowned upon in a public establishment, and it would mean even more bodies to get away, than if one were to kill someone in the alleys.

Kidd laughed mirthlessly as he sneaked a bottle of wine from Wire, who was seated on the other side of the table. Kidd took a swig from the bottle, "Bastards. I'd kill 'em all if they started anything. I'm bored anyway." Kidd waved the bottle in the air as he glanced over at Killer with a grin, "Nobody'd cry if a few of them turned up dead in the streets, would they?"

Killer hated the fact that he could read his captain's mood, but it made it easier to try and defuse the red head's temper when caught early. It was exhausting to deal with Kidd when nothing stimulating had happened in the past few days. All the excitement had happened nearly a week ago. Killer tuned his captain out momentarily as he noted a new group enter the tavern, and realized with a hint of dread that it was Trafalgar Law, along with most of his crew. The dread wasn't due to the idea of getting into a fight, but rather his captain's reaction to the sight of the Heart Pirate captain. Kidd had seemed particularly grumpy as of late, and liable to destroy something within reach whenever the doctor was mentioned. Killer and the rest of the crew hadn't quite figured out why the mere mention of Law's name drove their captain into a furious rage.

Killer thought it would be in everyone's best interest if he could get Kidd to go to the upper floor of the tavern. But Killer knew it was useless as soon as he saw that Law had caught sight of Kidd. There was no hope of keeping the two from not noticing the other's presence now. Killer slipped away from the table to pull Wire and Heat aside. They did not want to draw attention to themselves with the marines peeking into the tavern on occasion. But with the inevitability of Kidd and Law catching a glimpse of one another, Killer needed to make sure some of the other Kidd pirates were sober enough to intervene should their captain decide to start a fight.

Kidd didn't give a damn that Killer had up and left, because it allowed him to contemplate murder and mayhem without his crewmate nagging him about discretion. Kidd swirled the wine in the bottle absently, his smile widening the more he thought about causing destruction. But it was dashed when he became aware of someone approaching him from behind. It obviously wasn't some no name pirate, because the red head had realized that his crew had fallen silent. Weird, but he didn't care enough to look over his shoulder. Kidd was about to take another drink from the bottle, when said bottle was plucked from his grasp. Kidd let out an indignant growl at the loss, when the voice that spoke up threw him for a loop.

"Eustass-ya."

Kidd turned slightly to glare at the Heart Pirate captain, not amused in the least. He stopped short with a comeback when he realized that Law lacked any kind of a smile. The two of them made brief eye contact, but Kidd was utterly taken aback when Law merely took the bottle of wine with him and went to join his crew a few tables away. What the fuck? Kidd twisted further in his seat so that he could stare at Law, who seemed to be pointedly ignoring him after the curt greeting. Kidd didn't appreciate it one bit, and the fact that Law was wearing a glum expression, like someone had died, pissed him off. The red headed captain had expected a smug smirk for succeeding in taking the wine from him, and for the Heart Pirate's voice to be a little condescending. It had been flat instead, like he couldn't be bothered to put any effort into it.

But back to being ignored. It didn't sit well with Kidd at all, because he knew that it was damn near impossible to overlook him from his muscular body structure and height alone. Kidd found it irritating as hell that it even bothered him that Trafalgar was giving him the cold shoulder. The red head had no good reason for why it bothered him so much to be ignored by the other captain.

Kidd scanned the area briefly, and realized that the marines were still stealing glances into the tavern. Kidd made a grunt of annoyance. So starting a scuffle right now would be useless, since it wouldn't last very long without some interference. Not to mention he was in no mood to have Killer nag him needlessly. The red headed captain stole a glance at Law again. Kidd still felt he had to do something to get back at Trafalgar, so he did the next best thing that he believed might draw a reaction. Kidd stared. Very intently and with a scowl of displeasure to show how just how he felt at being snubbed.

Kidd didn't know how long he stared, but it must have been for quite some time, because instead of just fixing Law with a glare, he had started to study the other. Kidd found it a little odd that Law didn't once crack a smile around his crewmates, even though they were making a loud nuisance of themselves, just like his own crew was doing around him. It was strange. Maybe Law had changed in the past two years since he'd last seen him. Well, Kidd supposed he'd seen Law in a cage with Straw Hat and some others on Punk Hazard, but that didn't exactly count.

Kidd's efforts of single mindedly watching Law seemed to be paying off, because the Heart Pirate finally seemed to realize he was being stared at. Kidd offered a smirk when the two of them made eye contact. He was a little disappointed when Law just looked away, his deadpan expression still firmly in place. Kidd settled back against the table, spreading his arms out comfortably on the table top, drawing forth protests from his crew as he upset their plates of food and drink. Kidd didn't give a fuck as he stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. He'd found something amusing to do to pass the time.

It soon became clear that Law wasn't as entertained with the staring as Kidd was.

It started out nearly unnoticeable, with a few irritated looks thrown the redhead's way as a poor attempt to get the other to stop staring. Law then began to glare in return at brief intervals, still trying to get him to stop, but Kidd's dogged determination to get some sort of rise out of the Heart Pirate won out in the end.

After what must have been an hour of constant leering, Kidd was ridiculously pleased that he'd finally gotten the Heart Pirate to crack. The red head saw Law look across the table at him, and his expression, which had been neutral, was now a delightful combination of ire and exasperation, as he flipped him off. Law was obviously wondering why he'd been staring at him for such a long time without a word.

Kidd took it that he had won whatever kind of contest they had gotten into, and responded accordingly, since he had Law's attention. Kidd smirked triumphantly, before he childishly stuck out his tongue. He'd accomplished what he'd set out to do, and Law's reaction to his juvenile act was worth it. Not only had he gotten the Heart Pirate to notice him, he'd gotten the other to get up out of his seat. Kidd eyed him challengingly, waiting to see what Law would do.

Law lifted his hand, his eyes locked on Kidd's, as he gritted out one word, "Room."

Kidd lurched out of his lounged position, as Law was suddenly a whole lot closer, and not at all happy. He also had his weapon drawn, and that alone told Kidd that something was up. Kidd ducked swiftly and heard the Heart Pirate's sword whip over his head. Kidd grinned. Law moping around was a boring sight; this was just what the redheaded captain needed to make a mundane day much more interesting. Kidd twitched his hand, ready for the sudden brawl. He didn't realize that his own crew was going to ruin his fun. Kidd's first clue was Law coming to a halt mid swing. The second hint that the abrupt clash was over before it had even begun was a change in the Heart Pirate's expression. The dark look had changed into a very faint, genuine smile.

That smile made Kidd stumble to a halt himself, momentarily sidetracked. Before he could wonder why a faintly smiling Law was so distracting, Kidd's crew pounced. Kidd let out a snarl of protest, as Killer, Wire and Heat had set upon him. The redhead was forced toward the tavern exit, his crew trying their hardest to keep him from lunging back at Law.

Kidd's last glimpse of Law was the Heart Pirate giving him a smug little smirk, before the door closed, and he was herded in the direction of the inn he and his crew were staying at for the night. Kidd let out a few choice curses as he finally shrugged off a few of his crew mates. The red head rounded on Killer with a scowl, not at all pleased that his authority had been challenged. The rest of the crew had wisely slunk off, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Kidd's anger.

Killer stood his ground, though it was unclear how he was feeling, due to the mask, "I suppose you didn't notice the marines running off, did you?"

Kidd shot him a glare, moodily sulking about his fight with Law being interrupted. He had, however, noticed the amount of marines that had come back to the tavern. Kidd grunted, obviously not seeing the problem. One marine or ten didn't make a difference to him if it had meant he got to relieve his boredom.

Killer didn't attempt to explain things, as it seemed that his captain was still fuming, and would therefore be unreceptive to reason. "You can deal with us tomorrow if you want, but try to cool off and think before you do something like that again. We wouldn't have been able to get supplies tomorrow if you'd started a fight with the marines tonight."

Kidd scowled at Killer, but didn't say anything, as he pointedly looked away.

Killer figured that meant he was being dismissed. He turned and headed down the hall to his room, "Don't go back to the tavern, Kidd. We really do need the supplies. We're short on everything."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, Killer." Kidd hissed dangerously, watching as the other pirate disappeared into the room. The door closed with a click. Kidd glowered at the door, not sure which one of them had been dismissed. Still in a very irritable mood, the red head prowled a few paces to the room where he would be sleeping, and slammed the door shut for good measure. Kidd didn't care if it was an immature act.

-x

Trafalgar Law had gone back to the table where his crewmates were settled, and ignored the curious looks they threw his way. The Heart Pirate captain took a few sips of wine, pointedly ignoring a sudden influx of marines as he thought about what the hell Kidd thought he had been doing. Why had he been staring at him like that for so long?

Law took a few more gulps of wine. At first, it had seemed like Kidd was making fun of him, but when he continued to do it without much change of expression other than a leer, Law couldn't help but find himself wondering why. Surely Kidd would have figured out what kind of state he was in after last week. The red head had to have been reading the newspaper, but as it was Kidd, Law wouldn't be surprised if he only skimmed it. Law wasn't sure why the gaze bothered him, but it was obviously some twisted game to Kidd. The Heart Pirate figured that was the case, because as soon as he'd looked Kidd in the eye, the other had seemed ridiculously pleased with himself. When Law had finally cracked a smile at the sight of Kidd being herded off like a misbehaving child, he'd been taken aback that Kidd seemed to be stunned.

Law sneaked some more alcohol from Shachi, and flicked his gaze in the direction Kidd had gone. He wondered why the scarred man had looked at him like that. The staring had been so intent that it had begun to make Law rather…

"Captain Law? Can I have my drink back?"

Law studied the absconded drink. He was a little curious about the other captain's intentions, but it was a complication that Law wasn't sure that he wanted to have. He was tired out from last week's events, and he wasn't fully recovered from his injuries. Law's gaze was drawn back to the tavern exit unwillingly, his expression settling into one of thoughtful contemplation.

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Um...a little AU-ish?

The sole reason this fic even exists is because one day I was wondering if the skin around Kidd's scars were sensitive. I then added Law to the mix, and the next chapter is the result. I should be able to get it up before I go to bed tonight. There were a few parts here and here that needed more time to edit (I also have some other things to take care of today). I just needed to get the yaoi stuff out of my mind about these two before updating my other One Piece fanfic, which is not yaoi.