Hello!

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 3

~Misfortunes always come in pairs.~

XxXxXxX

It was one of those rare days that both Law and Kid happened to have a day off from work, so the two decided to spend the day shopping together. While both men had already started new relationships, their respective partners were busy that day, leading the two men to rely on one another to stave off their boredom.

In truth, it was a weird relationship they shared; both understood the kind of horrid luck the other had with love, as well as how terribly often they fell in and out of relationships. As such, there was a sort of unspoken agreement to never talk about how many failed relationships the other had, or what had happened to the previous lover, or how things were going with the current one. It felt like a dance, one where both parties were wary not to step on each other's toes. On the other hand, it could just be that both men were simply too involved in their own affairs to bother to ask about the other.

Even so, Kid found it easy to tell when Law had started or ended a relationship. Law had a strange habit of adopting his lovers' likes and dislikes, such as the other man's actions or catchphrases, and especially his smoking habits.

Kid didn't know if Law had a thing for smokers, or if it was just pure coincidence, but all of the dark-haired man's past lovers shared that same characteristic. Whenever Law started a relationship, he would begin smoking his lover's preferred brand of cigarettes; it was a unique behaviour that Kid had picked up on over the past year of living with the man. It seemed that every time he bumped into Law, he would see the smaller man smoking a different brand, a hint at the disturbing rate the other male fell in and out of relationships.

The last time he saw Law, the dark-haired man had been carrying a thin blue box of cigarettes. Yet as they entered the convenience store to do some last-minute shopping, he noticed that the other man had picked up a green packet instead this time.

Unlike Kid, Law never bought cigarettes by the carton despite it being the cheaper option, something Kid had never really understood until today. Judging by how quickly the shorter man burned through romantic partners, they'd probably break up before he had even finished the first pack he'd bought. It was slightly unsettling how Law had adapted his habits to suit such a life, as if he expected each relationship to fail before it had even barely begun. Kid wondered if that subconscious assumption had affected Law's relationships with his lovers, and that was why he'd never had a successful relationship. But then again, it could be that Kid was just reading too much into the situation.

The redhead silently regarded the smaller man as he watched Law shop. Through their interactions in the past few hours, he concluded that he did, in fact, enjoy spending time with Law. The dark-haired man was the one who invited him out in the first place, and throughout the day, he'd been nothing but gracious and obliging. Not once had the man made an impulse purchase, or spent his money without consideration and thought. This was something which Kid, who was used to being dragged by his spoiled girlfriends on lavish shopping trips, found exceedingly refreshing.

"Eustass-ya, have you forgotten to buy something?"

Kid started at Law's soft enquiry. The smaller male was standing a few paces before him, and Kid realized that he'd been so caught up in his musings that he'd stopped walking.

"No, I'm fine," he replied as he hurried to catch up, and the two started walking again, side by side.

"Tomorrow's my day off too. What about Eustass-ya?"

"Nah, I have work."

"That's too bad."

He'd initially had the next day off work as well, but an urgent call had come in a while ago. It happened so often that Kid was no longer surprised.

"How about I cook extra for tonight's dinner, so you can pack some in a bento for lunch tomorrow? It'll be fine if we leave the food in the fridge overnight," Law offered with a smile.

"Well, but-"

"It'll be no trouble at all. And it's cheaper than if you eat at the cafeteria at work, right? Plus, I'm sure my cooking tastes much better," Law cut him off with a chuckle.

Before he'd landed his current job, Law had held many temporary ones at restaurants during his school days. As a result, he was a great cook with quite an impressive repertoire of dishes. Kid was amazed every time he tasted Law's cooking; not only was the food delicious, but Law certainly knew the best and most appetizing ways to present his dishes.

"What are you planning to make today?"

"Hamburger steaks, with vegetables and sunny-side eggs."

"Sounds good."

"It will be, so make sure you don't snack before dinner."

Chatting happily, the two made their way back to the apartment. Once home, Law immediately padded into the kitchen to start dinner preparations. Kid was surprised; it was still mid-afternoon, and he'd expected the other man to take a short rest after a full day of shopping before commencing the cooking.

"Hey, don't you wanna rest first?"

"Why? Aren't you hungry?"

"Well..."

That wasn't true, but Kid wasn't a child. He could hold out till dinnertime. But before he could say anything, Law beat him to it.

"It's alright, just wait for a bit. I'll be done real soon."

With that, Law turned back to the stove. For a moment, Kid felt like he was chatting with his mother, instead of his roommate.

Kid knew that once Law started cooking, he'd probably get no rest till dinner was done. He thought back once again to how the both of them had spent most of the day out shopping, and felt a slight pang of guilt for not insisting that Law take a break.

But the smaller man remained in a good mood throughout, even as the two dined together, and the smile on his face when Kid praised his cooking finally eased the redhead's mind.

XxXxXxX

After work the next day, Kid returned to an empty house. As he entered his room to remove his suit jacket, he heard the front door opening. Puzzled, he poked his head out of his room to see Law removing his shoes at the entryway. He recalled that Law had told him the previous night that he would be spending the night at his lover's place, and wouldn't be home today. The dark-haired man's presence now sent a cold sense of dread running down Kid's spine.

"Welcome home," he called out tentatively.

Law remained standing by the door, silent as he stared at the floor. Kid spotted a plastic bag filled with groceries in the other man's hand, his knuckles white as he gripped the carrier tightly in his palm. After a moment, he looked up, a forced smile on his face as he whispered, "I'm home".

Kid's eyes widened as he caught sight of a distinctive redness coloring one of Law's cheeks. Before he knew it, he'd rushed up to the other man.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... I'm used to it."

Casting his face down once again, Law shuffled past Kid to place the groceries on the kitchen counter, before moving into Kid's room and settling on one of the cushions before the low table. Retrieving the pack of cigarettes he'd bought the previous day, he took out a stick and lit up, before throwing the rest of the mostly-full pack into the trashbin. Kid's heart twisted at the miserable implication of that action.

"I made her cry..." Law suddenly whispered.

"Huh? Who?"

"I think... she is his girlfriend...?"

His words made Kid want to throw up. He could only imagine the pain Law was in, to find out that his lover was already attached, and to a woman no less.

"She was so angry... She said that I had seduced her boyfriend..."

"Did you?"

"No, he was the one who came after me."

Kid could already picture the bastard in his mind. He'd probably been bored of his female lover and chased after Law to experience the thrill of a homosexual relationship, and when outed, had pushed all the blame to the hapless dark-haired male.

Law looked exhausted as he continued puffing on the cigarette absentmindedly on the cigarette.

"A man should be with a woman... That's what the world sees as right... People like me will always be wrong, and I made her cry... She had every right to hit me..."

Stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, Law sighed. Kid took the chance to examine Law's face. Fortunately, there was no bruising, only redness and some slight swelling. She must have slapped him.

"She was so shocked that it was a man who stole her boyfriend. I feel so bad for her."

Kid didn't understand. Law was the victim here, why was he saying all this?

"I hope she'll be happy now..."

Kid scoffed internally. How could she be happy, knowing her boyfriend was a liar and cheat? Even so, it was just like Law, always wishing well for others, while sweeping his own miseries under the rug.

The two sat in silence for a while, before Law dragged himself to his feet.

"Eustass-ya, would you like omelette rice for dinner?"

Kid nodded. Law probably didn't want to waste the groceries he'd bought, and working in the kitchen would give the smaller male some time to cool down.

In the end, the two had omelette rice together for dinner, a meal that was orginally intended for Law's now ex-boyfriend.

The egg was moist and fluffy, and the rice was truly delicious. Law's cooking always looked like something one could find at an expensive restaurant, yet it still managed to taste lovingly homemade.

"This is really good."

"I know. It's my best dish."

The smile on Law's face was small but genuine as if it hurt to smile too widely; his cheek was probably still tender. Guilt raced through Kid with the knowledge that this meal was not meant for him weighing heavily on his mind. In that moment, he sensed the distance between them, and loneliness pulled at his heart.

After the meal, they retreated into Kid's room with several cans of beer. Law usually preferred Chuhai, but they had unfortunately run out of it at the moment. Kid mentally reminded himself to stock up tomorrow.

The smaller man's melancholy had returned in full force as he blazed through several beers and cigarettes at a pace Kid had never witnessed from him before. Before long, the table was piled with empty cans, the ashtray overflowing with smouldering cigarette butts. He was also much more talkative, though it was mostly a one-sided monologue that seldom required any input on Kid's part. It was as if Law was just trying to get things off his chest, to relieve the pain pressing down on his heart; it didn't matter if anyone was there to hear.

But Kid was there, listening as Law spouted seemingly nonsensical stories and thoughts, ocassionally making half-hearted jokes at his bad luck with men.

"If only someone would really love me for once..."

Kid stared at the other man, the sudden seriousness of his tone catching his full attention.

"Hey, do you think homosexuals will ever find happiness?"

Kid held no biased views against queer people, but he knew the rest of the world could be cruel. Society as a whole was steadily becoming more open-minded and yet the discrimination had not entirely disappeared. Thus, there were still people who held on to the more traditional views regarding sexuality.

Kid wondered at the amount of pain and hurt this must have cost Law all his life.

But to think that he would never find happiness was an extremely depressing mentality.

"Maybe I'll end up dying alone, a pathetic old man who's never found love..."

Law had stretched out on the carpet, staring blankly at the ceiling as he whispered to himself. Kid thought that the smaller man would start crying, yet his eyes remained dry.

"Who told you that?"

It was the most personal question Kid had ever asked of Law, his voice carrying all the concern and care he felt for the other. But Law only gazed at him silently, a pitiful smile on his lips. Kid tried again.

"Who told you that? Your parents?"

Law looked back up at the ceiling, the forced smile still plastered on his face.

He didn't speak another word that night.

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

Childerika: Yes, this story moves at quite a leisurely pace, so it really gives a sense of peace and calm~ And I love kind and gentle Kid here!

Shiina Yuki: Law just has the worst luck with men. I guess he just invests his whole soul into every man, but it just keeps backfiring on the poor dear. :( And yes, I will definitely finish this story, all 60 chapters and sequel!

Ma-lyn14: Sorry to keep you waiting! I promise to update sooner next time!

loogoo: Yep, the two of them just have the best chemistry, though they haven't figured it out yet. ;)

kurapika247: Thanks! Glad you love the story too~

WolfirePrincess: Lol their luck is not really gonna get much better until they start to realize that their ideal lover is literally right in front of them! XD

yoo: Yeah, they just have the worst of luck, but that just means maybe they'll start looking in the right direction the next time round~