Trafalgar Law sat silently on the couch in his living room, his legs tucked up underneath him with his nose buried deep in a book of medical anomalies. He was dressed comfortably in his favorite set of long sleeved pajamas (the blue ones with a polar bear print) and his dark hair was mussed from sleep. The house was silent except for the soft swish of a page as the young man turned it to continue reading.
It was early Saturday morning and the seventeen year old was determined to enjoy this moment of silence for as long as he was allowed. He glanced at the clock next to the television, the digital display reading 9:56 am. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his friend rolled out of bed and dragged that lazy ass of his out here to whine about Law leaving him alone.
The rays of the morning sun spilled through the front window, bathing him in natural light and showcasing his darkly tanned skin. Patches of pale flesh could be seen on his hands, face, and bare feet, the tone a sharp contrast to the rest of his body. While his vitiligo was a source of contention between Law and many of his classmates, he'd managed to find a few close friends who looked past the condition and got to know the tanned boy as a person.
One such person had slept over last night, the redheaded idiot taking up way too much space in Law's bed and eating far more food than necessary. The dark-haired teen would be angry if he wasn't already used to it by now. He'd been fully aware of what he was getting himself into when he'd invited the other boy over, and knew he only had himself to blame for the mess of dishes currently in his sink.
All well. He'd bully the redhead into cleaning up the kitchen later.
Law yawned, scratching at his elbow idly as he read. He shifted his weight on the couch, moving to lean against an arm rest as his eyes scanned the page in front of him. He sniffed softly and rubbed at his nose, irritated to find that it was starting to run. Was he getting sick?
"Stupid Eustass-ya," he grumbled, closing his book and leaning forward to set it on the coffee table. Unfolding his legs, Law clambered to his feet and stood with a long stretch, his arms held high up over his head. Yawning once more, the teen began the short trek to the bathroom to grab a piece of toilet paper so he could blow his nose.
He'd only made it halfway into the hall when he heard the creak of his bedroom door, followed by a sleepy murmur of, "Law?"
Sighing, the young man turned to look down the hallway, spotting the bright red of Kid's hair as the other boy poked his head out of Law's room to gaze bleary-eyed at him. "What are you doing up?" Kid asked, pushing the bedroom door open further and walking out to meet the shorter boy by the bathroom. "It's not even noon yet."
Eustass Kid was another boy in his grade, and someone Law had met over a year ago. He was younger than Law by a few months, but was slightly taller than the tanned boy, with a muscular physique, bright red hair, and skin as pale as marble. A dusting of freckles was visible on his cheeks, arms, and bare chest, the markings disappearing beneath the hem of the other teen's grey drawstring pajama bottoms. His bare feet tapped lightly against the wooden floor as he came to a stop at Law's side.
"You're right, it isn't," Law replied, sniffling again. "Which leads me to ask you the same question, Eustass-ya. Why are you up and about right now? Usually you're in there sawing logs until well into the afternoon."
"That's because it's Saturday, you weirdo. You're supposed to sleep in," Kid stated matter-of-factly, never able to understand why his friend rolled out of bed at such ungodly hours on the weekend. This was when they were able to laze about without catching flak for it, so why not enjoy the extra rest? The shorter boy didn't even use an alarm to wake up, either. He'd get up on his own accord, bright-eyed and wide awake.
Kid didn't understand it at all.
"Hey…," he muttered, forgetting about Law's earlier question as he moved into the young man's personal space. "What's wrong? You don't look so good." Raising a pale hand, he rubbed his thumb along the other boy's cheek, following the edge of one of the patches of lighter skin on Law's face.
"What do you think is wrong with me, you big dummy?" the tanned boy asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a show of irritation. The image of hostility was slightly dampened by the adorable way he sniffled to try and clear his nasal passages, though Kid would never say it out loud. He enjoyed his balls attached to his body, thank you very much.
"You look like you caught a cold," the redhead replied, his hand hot against the shorter boy's cheek.
"Of course I caught a cold, Eustass-ya. Yours, in fact. You were the one sneezing and coughing all over me last night," Law grumbled, silently pleased to have Kid so close, even if he was a walking germ factory.
The redhead rolled his eyes and dropped his hand back to his side. "Oh please, it was just the one time!" he groaned, tired of being hounded for 'giving Law his diseases.' Honestly, a guy doesn't cover his mouth for a single cough and you'd think the CDC had been called in. Thankfully Law's adoptive father was away on a work assignment for the weekend, so Kid was saved from being babied by one over-bearing figure while he was berated by the other.
"Remember what they said in health class, Eustass-ya," the dark-haired teen said, opening the bathroom door and walking over to tear a piece of toilet paper off the roll. "Once is all it takes."
Rolling his eyes again, the redhead waved off his friend and moved to stand in front of the bathroom sink. Snatching his borrowed toothbrush, he began the task of brushing his teeth. He listened as Law blew his nose and continued to complain about being sick, trying to hurry along so he could get out of there as soon as possible.
Kid finished in record time and wandered back out into the hallway toward the kitchen. If he was going to be up this damn early on a weekend, he could at least spend his time watching trashy morning television and eating sugary cereal. Granted, Law's dad didn't buy any of the really good stuff, but he usually kept a box or two of Kid's favorite cereal around just in case the teen popped by to steal food.
Kid smirked to himself. He'd trained the man well.
While the redhead made himself a bowl of cereal and sat down on the couch to watch T.V., he listened to Law trudge back and forth in the hallway. It took a few minutes for the smaller boy to return, but when he did Kid noticed that his hair had been tamed into its usual style and he'd pulled on a black and yellow hoodie. "You cold?" he asked, scooting over to make room for Law on the couch.
The other teen sat next to him, immediately folding his legs underneath his body and tucking his feet between the couch cushions. "Yeah," Law said, leaning against the taller boy and laying his head against his bare shoulder, "it's your fault I'm sick, so take responsibility," he demanded, snuggling closer.
"Tch, fine," the redhead conceded, stretching to put his half-empty bowl of cereal on the coffee table without dislodging the other boy from his shoulder. After setting the bowl down next to Law's book, Kid relaxed back into the cushions and wrapped an arm around the shorter teen to pull him flush against his side. Law settled in as Kid raised the remote in his free hand, perusing through the channels in an attempt to find something worth watching.
The two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, Kid focused on the reality show on the screen while Law traced shapes into the freckles on the redhead's chest. The taller boy sighed gently, placing his feet up on the coffee table and resting his cheek against the dark-haired teen's temple. "What are you doing?" he asked absently, the touch on his skin starting to become ticklish. He almost regretted asking when Law stopped his ministrations, but instead of pulling away, the other boy laid his palm flat against Kid's chest to feel the heartbeat underneath.
"Nothing," Law said, eyes growing heavy. His nose was still stuffy, but the medicine he'd taken while he was in the bathroom was starting to kick in, making him feel groggy. Between Kid's body and the thick material of his hoodie, he was feeling plenty warm, too, the sensation lulling him into a light doze. Before he could completely lose himself to a mid-morning nap, the dark-haired teen nuzzled against the pale shoulder under his cheek and hummed contentedly.
"I like your freckles," he whispered, eyes drooping shut. Within a minute he was asleep, body heavy against Kid's side. The redhead grinned down at his friend and wrapped his arm tighter around Law's trim waist.
"Thanks," Kid murmured, running the pad of his thumb over the knuckles of Law's hand laid flat against his chest. Gently prying it off, the redhead brought the hand up to his lips and kissed one of the patches of pale skin that stretched across Law's delicate fingers. "I like yours, too."