Hello!

Sorry for making everyone wait so long between updates! I promise to try to update sooner next time! m(_ _)m

Please enjoy the new chapter~~

Betaed by the lovely beposbutt.

Original fic (pixiv,net/series,php?id=277975) Replace all commas with full stops~


FORTUNE: CHAPTER 2

~Misery loves company.~

XxXxXxX

After that first night in Kid's house, Law had wanted to leave as soon as morning came. However, after the alcohol had worn off and he could think properly once again, the prospect of renting the room from Kid suddenly seemed extremely tempting.

The apartment was situated at quite a good location and was within commuting distance to his workplace. Furthermore, though Kid had discovered the secret Law had worked so desperately to keep hidden, the other man had shown none of the usual signs of disgust or hatred.

Should he leave now, he'd surely return to spending his nights at a hotel. If that was the case, Law was all too happy to feed off Kid's hospitality, at least until he found more suitable living accommodations.

And so began their days of living together as flatmates. It was a simple life in which both men would leave for their respective jobs during the day, then return in the evenings to shower and sleep. Kid had insisted he cover the utility bills, so Law only had to contribute half of the monthly rent. Since he was just starting out on his own again after the break-up and needed the money to get back on track, Law thanked his lucky stars for Kid's generosity.

However, Law knew that he shouldn't rely too much on the redhead. Kid had no obligation to accommodate him, after all, they had never been particularly close friends to begin with. The dark-haired man wondered if Kid would soon tire of sharing his living space and kick him out without warning one day. The thought drove Law to redouble his efforts at searching for an apartment to rent.

But with the burden of work and other affairs eating up his time, weeks passed and Law found himself still without any options. In fact, he had settled down nicely at Kid's place, which further depleted his motivation to move.

This was because Kid was more generous than Law had ever imagined. When Law brought up the issue of moving, Kid had looked genuinely baffled, asking why the smaller man wished to move. To have his place invaded by a random acquaintance -a homosexual at that- during a drunken party... Law wondered if Kid had a screw loose somewhere. Did he really not care? Law honestly had no clue.

After that conversation, the search for new housing dropped off Law's priority list. He tried not to think of himself as weak-willed for giving up so easily.

And before they knew it, an entire year had gone by. In that time, their relationship had progressed from simple acquaintances to friends. But their affinity had not shifted beyond that.

Though they had known each other since high school and spent the past year as flatmates, they had not become close friends. The fact of the matter was that the two spent most of the time living their own separate lives.

True, work took up a large portion of their schedule, but they'd never considered spending their free time during the weekends with each other.

It was mostly because Kid had gotten another girlfriend, and Law himself had also started a relationship with a new man. Sometimes, Kid would bring the girl home, and Law would take the hint, packing a small overnight bag and crashing at a friend's place. In contrast, Law never brought his new boyfriend back to the apartment.

With their time and efforts focused on their respective lovers, the two gradually grew apart again and their relationship shifted back to that of mere flatmates.

But there was one problem; both Kid and Law had no luck with romance. Neither of their relationships lasted more than a month. The usual length was two weeks; sometimes only one. Law held the record for the shortest relationship: one that only lasted three days.

The break-ups usually occurred after the other party cheated or became physically violent. It was as if the two men were magnets for trouble.

It happened once again when Kid agreed to break up with his latest girlfriend the previous day. She had been using his money to finance numerous shopping trips and her extravagant lifestyle, and now, she had finally asked for him to become a guarantor so that she could take out a loan from the bank. When Kid refused, she had threatened to end the relationship, certain that the redhead would give in. However, she had not anticipated that Kid had felt discontented for quite some time. Knowing that he didn't have the means to make her happy, Kid had agreed to the break-up with graciousness.

Before he knew it, she had flung her drink at him, cup and all. The glass shattered as it hit him on the temple, and Kid felt a sharp pain over his eye.

He had not expected the attack, and the shock from both her anger and his injury left him rooted to the spot.

"You've never loved me, have you?!"

Those were the last words she said before she stormed out of his apartment.

But it wasn't true. She was a charming girl, and Kid had always found her really cute and beautiful. When they first started dating, he had resolved to work hard to make her happy; he wanted to do the best he could for her. Yet it had all meant nothing. In the end, his resolution never came to fruition, and she had never felt his love.

He knew he could have averted this whole situation by becoming her guarantor, but Kid couldn't bring himself to do it. It only served to highlight their different priorities in life, so Kid had chosen to let go of the relationship. On hindsight, he guessed he couldn't blame her for assuming that he'd never loved her.

The next day, Law came home sporting a large bruise on his cheek.

The previous day, Law had made his way to his boyfriend's apartment to spend the night, as was their weekly custom. However, his lover wasn't alone; there was an unknown man clinging to his boyfriend's arm. Law had stood frozen at the door in shock, and before he knew it, his boyfriend had rushed forward, aiming a punch at his face. Having no time to defend himself, Law had taken the blow, falling to the ground at the impact. In a daze, Law heard his boyfriend speaking to the other male.

"Don't worry about him, darling. He's just a desperate stalker who just won't leave me alone."

It was a cold voice, filled with hate. Law felt his boyfriend grab him by the shirt and yank him upwards. Lifting his gaze, Law met the other man's eyes. In that moment, he sensed the murderous contempt the other felt for him, and fearing for his safety, Law had fled.

He couldn't recall how or where he spent the night. But now, as Law stood before the entrance to Kid's apartment, he felt almost dazed and took a few deep breaths. He didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, but having experienced so many failed relationships, his mind had already moved past the shock. Instead, he was working hard to come up with a plausible reason why he had been dumped again.

Perhaps he had cared too much. Throughout their relationship, Law had made it a point to cook breakfast and dinner for his boyfriend every day, as well as packing boxed lunches for him to take to work. He had also taken it upon himself to clean the apartment whenever he could. However, his boyfriend had not appreciated his efforts, and would frequently get angry over how Law had "messed up his things". He was also often yelled at over the way he did the chores; the man was never satisfied with the way Law did the laundry, down to the way he folded the clothes and arranged them in the closet. Law had done his best to adjust to his boyfriend's demands, but now, it seemed like it had all been in vain.

Opening the door, he entered the apartment and moved to Kid's room, quietly joining the redhead at the low table set in the middle of the room.

"I got dumped again," he whispered as he gave Kid a bitter smile.

The TV was on, but Kid was staring out the window at the sky, smoking a cigarette. The lights were off, but the sunlight illuminated the room, and that was when Law spotted the bruise forming on Kid's temple.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen Kid like this, nor was it the first time Kid had witnessed a bruised and battered Law. Even without speaking, they could guess what had happened to the other.

The smell of cigarette smoke filled the room. Law pulled a pack out from his back pocket and lit up a stick of his own.

"Don't."

"Speak for yourself."

There was nothing funny about the exchange, but Law giggled all the same.

"Eustass-ya... Are you hungry? I can cook something."

Their eyes met.

"Did you get that bruise yesterday? You ok?" Kid asked brusquely.

"It's alright. I'm used to it."

It was true, Law was used to violence. The realization made his heart clench a little in pain.

"How about Eustass-ya, are you ok?"

"My finances are intact, I've been working lots of overtime, after all."

Law knew about Kid's frugal nature. The redhead took his job seriously, frequently putting in overtime and even working on holidays. Thus, it was typical of the redhead to gloss over his failed relationships, choosing to focus on an aspect of his life that gave him security.

When Law had first moved in, Kid had apologized the mess in the spare room. In actuality, there was not much clutter at all, and over the year, the room had slowly filled up with Law's things. Looking around Kid's room now, the fact that there was not a single excessive item stood out all the more starkly.

That was just how Kid was. He would scrimp and save on himself, yet spend extravagantly on his lover. It was even reflected in his wardrobe; Kid owned little else aside from the suits he needed for work. His shoes were mostly worn to the sole, a testament to how he chose to walk everywhere, as opposed to getting a car or taking public transportation.

"Such a waste..."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing..."

But yes, it was a waste. Kid was definitely not your average guy, but he was truly a good man inside. It was really too bad none of his girlfriends had appreciated that.

"You have the worst luck with women, Eustass-ya."

"You're not any better. Be more careful next time."

Kid stubbed out his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray, then released a sigh. Law extinguished his own stick shortly afterwards.

"You said you'll cook, but I don't think there's anything in the fridge."

"Then let's go out together to get some groceries. Anything you wanna eat?"

"Hotpot...?"

It was cute, how Kid always chose dishes that usually served two. Law was also thankful that Kid had chosen something that required minimal time and effort to prepare. The redhead must be hungry.

Law stood, and Kid followed suit after switching off the TV. Grabbing their wallets, the two put on their jackets as they headed for the entryway.

"How about the soup?" Law asked.

"Miso will be good."

Law glanced at the kitchen clock. It was almost evening, the time when most groceries went on sale. The supermarket would surely be crowded.

"If we're having miso, then let's get the normal cabbage instead. It'll taste better than chinese cabbage."

"Sounds good. We'll get some beer too."

"Some rice as well. I can make it into a gruel to add to the hotpot."

Opening the door, they stepped out into the cold evening air.

"You're making me real hungry..."

In the fading light, Kid looked even more exhausted. Law wondered if the redhead had eaten anything at all that day. Probably not, judging by how the usually neat man hadn't even bothered to empty the overflowing ashtray in his room.

"Why are you hungry?"

"Because... I'm alive...?"

Despite his exhaustion, Kid remained patient with Law, even supplying an answer to his silly question, like a doting parent would to a child.

"By the way, there's nothing good on TV tonight."

"Let's rent some DVDs then."

The thought of hotpot and beer while watching DVDs lit a spark of happiness in Law's heart.

"How about that movie that just came out?"

"Which one?"

Unable to recall the title nor the lead actor's name, Law could only supply a vague summary of the plot.

"I really don't know which one you're talking about," Kid finally said with a chuckle.

"I wonder if they're still having that sale, where you'll get a discount for renting 5 DVDs."

"What are we gonna do with 5? There's no time to watch them all."

"Oh, that's true."

Their light-hearted banter continued as they walked down the street together. The sun was slowly setting over the horizon, and Law briefly wondered if the next day would be sunny.

And thus, carrying their slightly heavy burdens of misery, the two continued on with their lives.


Please leave a review or comment if you can. All of them will be translated and presented to the original author. (・ω・*)

darkimpulse: I knowwwww! This story's gonna be really cute so I hope you'll enjoy it~

Shiina Yuki: Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! ^_^

LittleScarlet: Do let me know how you predict the story will progress. Would love to hear your thoughts!

omnomnom: Haha totally true! Let's hope this turns out well for Kid and Law!

snoopypompom: Thank youuuuu! Haha this story is actually already completed on pixiv, with 60 chapters, and the author is currently writing a sequel now. So you'll have to stick around for quite a while. ;)

ladyevilbunny: Really hope you'll like this story! *smiles*

Famelia Ly: Do look out for the coming chapters to see how these two will progress~ ;)