Disclaimers: Don't own.
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Trafalgar Law, the infamous Surgeon of Death holding an impressive bounty of two hundred million Beri was actually surprised, or even shocked by the sight displayed in front of him, though he most definitely wouldn't gossip anything about it as he treasured his reputation a little too much to do so. No matter how juicy that piece of information seemed to be, no matter how much Hawkins promised to pay if he shared.
At first it was just his beautiful jaw line slacking a little due to the initial shock, followed by the slight widening of grey orbs when the low rumbling purr was heard, and finally dropping his sword unceremoniously onto the ground when he saw the other occupant of the dark alley kissing the nose tip of that tiny, fluffy little kitten. Light clacking sound as sword met ground caught the attention of the other man who was holding the feline, making said man looked up and the well-defined features all too familiar to Law dreadfully confirmed his earlier suspicion.
It was Eustass Captain Kid.
It was Eustass fucking Captain Kid who was cuddling a fucking cat.
The sight itself might be considered as cute actually, or even warm if one managed to ignore the sight of mutilated corpses scattering down the alley, dark red splattered all over the ground as well as the grungy wall in a weird and almost artistic pattern. Law didn't make a sound, heck he didn't even dare to move a single muscle because if he did, he was so sure that he was going to holler in laughter until he couldn't stand straight, let it be his back or his mind. Then the red-head would kill him just for the sake of it, having absolute advantage as he would be too busy laughing to put up any real fights.
So he kept quiet, staring at the man who was equally stoned, neither made a move nor a sound except for the kitten who knew nothing and started to mewl in that sickening sweet way yet again, squirming a little in Kid's hold. That broke the silence between them, with Kid immediately returning his full attention to the kitten in his arms, with Law trying very, very hard but failing a little not to laugh.
"Never knew you liked cats."
He opted to start a conversation, the sides of his mouth twitching so bad he just had to find something for his mouth to work on, aside from breaking out laughing of course. The other man did not bother to answer him at first, too busy placating the fussy feline which was starting to be more irritating than cute in Law's opinion, mewling and meowing way too much for his likings. Few knew, but Law was a dog person rather than the other way around. Often he heard comments on his actions and looks - proud, elegant and never gave a fuck - resembled so much of a feline people would simply judge him as a cat person without giving the idea a second thought.
Well, not that he didn't like cats, it was just that dogs with their unfaltering sense of loyalty struck his preferences a lot more than the arrogance of a cat ever did, ever would.
"Fuckin' assholes were tryin' to skin her alive, got so pissed and ended up killin'em all."
Kid's words were slurred, as if he was half-drunk or very close, but even Law who was well-equipped with remarkable medical knowledge couldn't identify whether the light blush sporting on the other's man cheeks was an indication of exertion in fights or just plain intoxication. It was a good blush though, making the pale man looked a little healthier, not to mention sexier than usual. The huge maroon-coloured coat was nowhere in sight and the angry mane of red drooped a little covering half a pale forehead, with the familiar pair of goggles getting blood stain splattered all over them. Never did he see Kid in such a condition before, but he certainly wouldn't mind to see more.
"So cruel, Eustass-ya."
Settling down beside the other man proved to be a hard task, he was too reluctant to get blood stain all over his jeans, not to mention the horrible stench of intestines even though he was more than used to it, which was something he didn't like even for a tiny bit. Law settled for standing on top of a cracked brick, his now dirty sword held loosely between his slim fingers, long sheath slung over his shoulder in a lazy manner. Careful to keep his sword a small distance apart from his hat, he didn't want to leave any stain on that fluffy white fur.
"As if you're not… Trafalgar."
The lack of comments about how he didn't just leave but instead choose to linger around did perk Law's curiosity for a little, but he knew this wouldn't be the right time to make any witty remarks. Kid was in a good mood, rare, and when the kitten chose the very right moment to paw lightly on the pale chest while mewing oh-so-adorably, that was when Law got to see that smile for the very first time.
It was a huge grin on the pair of thin lips painted in red so dark it appeared black, not the usual arrogant and conceited laugh he had saw and heard too often, but instead it was cute… childish even, with the pair of protruding canine teeth being a little sharper than the rest. To smile like a kid getting his new toy, Trafalgar Law certainly didn't expect this from a pirate with bounty higher than his own.
"You really do like cats, don't you."
It was more of a statement rather than a question, with Kid ignoring him yet again, paying full attention to the kitten which was currently showing its belly to Kid without the level of alertness a cat should have displayed. The red-head was obviously contented with that, scratching the white expand of belly absent-mindedly, fingers sometimes smoothing the fur on the kitten's back when it started to squirm. Kid's response was slow again, talking only when he managed to divert his attention away from the kitten, but Law actually enjoyed the silent intervals so it didn't matter much.
"They're nice."
"Are they?"
He was being a little too sceptical for Kid's likings, he could see that from the scrunching of the other man's brows, though Kid didn't have that much hair on top of his eyes to start with. Muttering a low apology, not sincerely meaning it, Law was merely trying to make the other man maintained the rare good mood, which he reckoned the red-head bought it somehow.
Smiling as the kitten put a paw on his held out palm, Kid continued, "they leave you alone most of the time, it's nice."
"You have weird taste, Eustass-ya."
"See who's talkin'."
It was silence again after that, save for the eerie, sloshing sounds of intestines being ripped apart by flock of crows in the alley, totally oblivious to their presence. He didn't mind too much, Kid who was grinning like a child from time to time seemed to mind even less. Law wasn't too sure how the whole thing started but it was almost like a reflex action when he decided to mimic Kid's ministration on the kitten, which during that time happened to be scratching the top of the kitten's head. He started off careful, switching his sword to another side of his shoulder, tentatively placing a palm on the fiery mane, allowing his fingers to run through the unexpectedly soft locks.
Reaction was one stuck-up bitch showing up real late, it was a good five minutes before Kid finally relaxed his cross-legged sitting position which was about as tense as a rock. Letting his shoulder fell while leaning his back to the blood-splattered wall, Kid shivered a little as pale skin made contact with cool, rough surface, arching his back a little before settling down for good, soft sighs leaving the pair of thin lips unknowing to their owner.
Almost like a cat.
Both remained silent after that, Law carefully moving his palm while studying the face which he couldn't see too well with him standing and the other sitting. Kid's hands never stopped moving on the kitten, the occasional purring lulled them into a false… or maybe true state of comfort which obviously lacked the alert they should have shown to each other.
Being rookies with bounties over one hundred million each, yet one of them was petting a cat and the other was petting the one who was petting a cat, Law forced himself not to think over the absurdity of the situation and just… continue petting. If this was what he was going to get by stopping at an island simply because he saw the all too familiar pirate flag, he would happily do the same thing again and again in the future no matter what Bepo said about red-head, metal and unresolved sexual tension. Law wouldn't deny the affection he had towards the other man, with said man being strong and powerful, yet sometimes childishly proud, making him so desired to pin the other man down. It might be the slight sadistic streak running in his blood, but he reckoned it was more like the red-head actually managed to capture his attention, strangely with just a couple of meetings and without many reasons.
And now that he knew the little secret about Kid being a cat person, it didn't help anything aside from making the red-head ten times more desirable than before. Law liked fluffy things too, dogs or not.
"Why're you here anyway?"
It surprised him a little that Kid actually started a conversation with him after all the long silence, eyes closed, obviously enjoying the feeling of being scratched behind the ears.
"I saw your ship and I thought I'd land."
"… Tch."
The single syllable signifying signs of impatience was never so bearable to his ears, with the usually gruff and grumpy voice sounding a little sleepy, if not docile. Law crouched down, carefully avoiding the drying puddle of blood in front of him, and that was when his nose caught up with the slight smell of alcohol along with the mild scent of perfume, taletelling the encounters of the other captain with some ladies earlier in the night.
So he drank… I see.
Law stopped petting, opted to just look, not being deliberate but still earning a foul scowl from the man who now seemed to be a lot closer to him.
"Why won't you sit down? Scared to get your clothes dirty? … Sissy."
The last word of that sentence made his brows twitched a little, Law promptly sat down beside Kid on top of the brick he was standing on a couple of moments ago, their shoulders bumping and their knees met. He sat half cross-legged, one knee held up in front of his chest where he hugged it along with his sword, the other resting comfortably on top of Kid's sinewy thigh. Uncomfortable wetness from the floor and wall permeated his clothes faster than he imagined, making him a little irritated but Kid's childlike grin made everything better in mere seconds, that pair of canine teeth showing themselves once again.
"Continue."
Law didn't quite catch up with what the red-head was trying to mean, but as soon as Kid titled his head a little to the side, almost mimicking the kitten which was still in Kid's arms purring in content, he realised that was a tactful way of asking for more petting. Smiling a little, he reached up to the mane of red, this time putting a little force while he pressed the other's head onto his shoulder, adjusting a little due to the height difference.
"You're being awfully obedient, Eustass-ya."
As soon as the word obedient left his lips, a sharp pain on the juncture between his neck and shoulder made presence and Law didn't even need to look to know what was happening. Fiesty, he thought, but he didn't mind. Getting more and more accustomed to petting the huge feline by the name of Eustass Kid, Law actually pushed his luck by sliding his palm down the nape of the other man's neck, feeling a small but enticing shiver as he purposely pressed his fingernails into the tender skin, leaving half-moon shaped marks which wouldn't stay for too long. He then travelled all the way down Kid's spine with the tip of his forefinger, touches light and careful, until he reached the blue sash which didn't appear to be properly tied and stopped all of his movements, aside from the insistent pressing of his thumb on the other's back.
"Mmm… "
The low grumbling he heard this time around was definitely not from the purring kitten, and he reckoned whatever he was doing, he was doing a very fine job with Kid liking every single bit of it. That brought a smirk on his face, making him realised that luck was a very good thing to push around when he had a half drunken pirate sitting beside him being more docile than menacing, and that was the sole motivation he needed to grab the other man by the hair and yank lightly with just enough force to gain the other's attention.
"Wha- "
Kissing a half drunken Kid who just finished a fight not too long ago was apparently not a very good idea as it first seemed to be. The other pirate actually stank of a weird combination of alcohol and perfume, with lips tasting like dried blood crisps, mouth cavern hot but tongue too stiff to move, not exciting. Yet the tiny noises that sounded very much like low grumbles enticed Law to no end and he thought that deepening the kiss might not be a very bad idea when his instinct made him pushed Kid away and back to the wall, sword grabbed tight, stance ready to fight.
It surprised him a little though, when he saw the person who was standing at the entrance of the dark alley, expression and face hidden under a weird-looking headgear, golden hair long and a little messy. It didn't take Law very long to figure out the gold-haired man was one of Kid Pirates as well as the Supernovas, bounty not as high as himself but close enough – Massacre Soldier Killer. Setting down his sword to the side of his right leg, Law raised both of his hands slightly, shrugging in a nonchalant manner while doing so.
"He's drunk."
"You're quick to notice."
Killer moved past him in perfect stealth, footsteps making absolutely no sound as the pair of low-heels boots stepped on the filthy ground, pair of scythes now kept safely out of sight. Hauling Kid up onto his narrow shoulder without much difficulty, showing apparent strength despite the lean body frame, Killer simply nodded as he walked past Law yet again, long hair sporting some dirty patches of dark brown.
"How did you know?"
"About what?"
"Him being drunk."
Law leaned against the wall, ignoring the pitiful mewling of the kitten which Killer promptly removed from Kid's arms despite the weak protesting, wondering about how Killer noticed Kid's state of insobriety even without the need to get near to the other man.
"Never pets anything in front of anyone when he's not drunk… Don't tell."
The second half of the sentence was added as an afterthought, almost like the hand Killer raised after he walked towards the port for a small distance, signalling a "thank you for taking care of this bastard" in an almost nonsensical way. Law snickered then, silently congratulating the other man for being able to find such a good shipmate who would watch after his back, his antics, his everything.
And that was when the Captain of Heart Pirates thought that he ought to start planning how to get Kid drunk yet again.
- The End -