Original fic (pixiv,net/series,php?id=277975) Replace all commas with full stops~
FORTUNE: CHAPTER 11
~Love and coughs cannot be hid.~
XxXxXxX
"There is someone who really needs me now."
"You promised me you won't cheat, and now you're betraying me!?"
With that, Law's lover had hit him, spewing dirty insults and vulgarities as he ordered Law to get out of his life.
It was unfair. The man hadn't given him any chance to explain the situation. But maybe it was for the better. Who knew what kind of horrible conclusions he would have drawn had Law tried to explain his unique relationship with Kid.
And while there was nothing to hide, most of Law's relationships were based on his boyfriends' carnal interest in him. Thus, the fact that he lived together with another man was something Law knew would cause grave misunderstandings. As such, he always kept his living arrangements with Kid a secret, fearing that the men he dated would suspect him of cheating on them with the redhead. The less they knew, the better.
After all, Eustass-ya was just a friend.
That was what Law always told himself.
Yet he couldn't forget how Kid had looked at him that day when he returned home after an all-nighter at work. It was a few days after his mother's funeral, and Kid had looked at Law with such empty eyes, as if he no longer existed in this world.
Especially when he spoke those words in a defeated whisper.
"I thought...you weren't going to ever come back…"
It was a notion that any rational person would immediately dismiss as ridiculous. Why would Law leave for no reason? Besides, if he'd really wanted to go, Kid would have seen him packing up his stuff.
But the fact that he'd said it meant that it was something Kid believed, deep down in his subconscious mind. It meant that he'd assumed everyone would abandon him. That he wouldn't be surprised if he was left all alone in the world.
But if that really happened, Law was sure the man would die.
Law was angry at himself for not noticing the extent of the redhead's defeatist mentality sooner, but now that he thought back on it, he was shaken to find that hints of it had been present all along throughout the years they lived together.
It was just that Kid's pain was so overwhelming now, that he had allowed the mask to slip. And once the grief had passed, he would realise that he'd shown this side to Law, which might cause him to break and withdraw even further into his shell.
Law was having none of it. For now, he was determined to stay by Kid's side, at least until the wounds on the man's heart had healed a little.
That was why he had spoken to his lover. And if the man chose to break up with him, then maybe what they had just wasn't meant to be. Law knew he wouldn't be regretting his decision.
That was when he first realized it.
Losing a lover no longer hurt him the way it used to…
XxXxXxX
Kid was back after an exhausting night out with his work buddies, and was currently passed out in his room. Law decided that the housework could wait until tomorrow. He didn't want the sounds of him puttering about the apartment to disturb the other man's much-needed rest.
Closing the door to his room, Law smiled at the mobile strap grasped tightly in his hand. Much as he wanted to attach it to his phone, he wasn't sure he wanted to take the risk of losing this one as well.
But won't Kid be happier if he saw Law using his gift? That was why he got the strap in the first place, right?
Yet it would be embarrassing if he put it on right away. That would make him seem too enthusiastic.
After much hesitation, Law gave in to his impulses and opened the plastic packaging, tipping the strap out onto his palm.
"Dammit… It's so cute…!"
He was going to make sure that this one never gets lost.
Sitting on his bed and picking up his phone, he attempted to thread the strap through the hole to secure it in place, but for some reason, his fingers were trembling and it took him more than a while to get it on. Once that was finally done, he glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already noon.
Law sighed. He couldn't seem to understand himself well lately, nor could he keep his emotions under the same control that he used to have. Nowadays, anything the redhead said or did seemed to trigger an extreme reaction in him, and honestly, it was embarrassing.
He was sure Kid's words were just random comments, and the man wasn't trying to tease or upset him, but that just made the entire situation even more puzzling.
Law had spent his entire childhood studying hard under his parents' stern eye, leaving him with precious little chance to make friends. After being disowned, he'd escaped from his hometown, moving from place to place looking for odd jobs to support himself. Back then, survival took a front seat, and the people Law met during this time of his life were often nothing more than mere coworkers or acquaintances.
It didn't help that he was into men. Throughout the years, he'd had the fortune of meeting a couple of great guys whom he'd felt comfortable with, but the mere idea of trying to bring these relationships to something beyond friendship was a river Law had never dared to cross. Yes, there was always a chance that those men might have felt the same way and reciprocated his feelings, but the chance of rejection and fear of losing those hard-earned friendships had always gotten the better of Law, so he'd never taken the leap.
Maybe that was why he found it so hard to interact with Kid these days. Before he'd realised it, the redhead had managed to barrel through Law's barriers, getting closer to him than anyone else ever had.
This could not go on. Kid had voluntarily, if unwittingly, crossed a line, and Law knew he needed to pull back. If he didn't, their friendship could be in jeopardy.
Law knew what he needed to do. He needed to get them back to status quo. Kid could continue being kind and gracious, but Law needed to stand firm, needed to seem as if what Kid was doing was normal. Random compliments, surprise gifts, these were nothing special, coming from a close friend. Law just needed to return the other man's consideration with a smile and a simple word of thanks. It sounded so easy, there should be nothing to it at all.
So why couldn't he stop the small rush of joy and hope each time these incidents occurred?
The redhead had bought him a gift, without expecting any form of repayment. Nobody had ever done that for Law before. Yes, that was it. That must have been why he overreacted.
He had to make sure it didn't happen again. With that determination, Law stood up and headed to the kitchen. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't had a bite to eat all morning.
Opening his room door, he was surprised to see Kid emerging from the washing area. The taller man was toweling his face dry, but the exhaustion in his expression was clear to see.
"Good morning… You're up already…?"
"If I continue sleeping, I won't be able to fall asleep tonight."
"I see. That'll be bad."
There was a brief silence as Kid gave his face a final wipe with the towel, before looking at Law and frowning.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"Oh! No…"
Law's face heated up, having been caught staring. He had been worried about the other man, but now, he somehow couldn't make himself voice his concern.
With a shrug, Kid turned and headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge to stare at its contents before turning back to Law.
"You had lunch yet?"
"No."
"OK, I'll make you something."
Law was surprised. He knew the redhead had basic cooking skills, but he'd always been in-charge of cooking for the both of them, so this offer, especially when the redhead was obviously tired, was indeed unexpected.
He wanted to decline, to tell Kid to let him cook instead, but a small part of him wanted to try the man's cooking.
"But we don't have much, so I'll only be able to make fried rice."
With that, Kid started to pull ingredients out of the fridge. Law cursed his own hesitation, it was too late to reject Kid's offer now.
"May I watch you?"
"If you wanna…"
Law smiled. It was rare that he got the chance to watch others cook.
His parents never cooked meals for the family, leaving the task to the housekeeper instead. However, the lady always did the cooking in the afternoon, and by the time Law got home from school, the dishes would already be arranged neatly on the dining table, ready to be eaten.
None of his past lovers were proficient at cooking either. Even if they were, Law had always offered to make meals for both of them, which probably explained why no one had ever offered to do the same for Law.
And though he'd had lots of chances to watch his senior chefs cook back when he held jobs in restaurants, it had been more effort than leisure, since he had to observe the process closely in order to learn how to replicate the dishes.
Now, he finally had his chance. Kid seemed a little on edge at being watched at first, but soon, he started to relax and enjoy the act of cooking, while Law stood to the side, always careful to mind his distance so that he didn't get in the redhead's way.
Kid's fried rice dish was beautiful and looked mouth-wateringly delicious, but Kid only retrieved one plate and piled it full. He'd expected the food to be divided between the two of them, but it seemed that Kid had cooked this solely for him. Maybe he was still hungover from last night, and had no appetite. Either way, it was much more than the amount Law usually ate.
"I don't think I can finish all that..."
Law whispered, staring at the steaming plate of rice. Kid just shrugged.
"You don't have to eat all of it."
"I don't wanna waste it, idiot."
With that, Law picked up a spoon and dug into the meal, determined to finish as much of it as he could. The dish was fragrant and delicious, and he relished every bite, but in the end, he could only manage to finish two-thirds of the plate.
Kid had taken a seat opposite Law, looking on in amusement as Law ate with gusto. Now, watching Law put down his spoon in defeat, the larger man let out a chuckle.
"I told you you didn't have to eat all of it."
"But… It'll be a waste to throw it away… Especially since you made it for me…"
Law's voice dropped to a whisper at the last part. If Kid heard him, he didn't give any indication. Instead, the redhead reached over and picked up Law's abandoned spoon, his other hand grabbing the dish and pulling it in front of himself before he started to finish the leftovers.
Law could only stare in shock. The man was eating his leftovers as if it was the most natural thing in the world. In addition, he hadn't even gone to get a new spoon, and was using the one Law himself had used just a moment ago.
"Do you...do that with anyone…?"
"Do what…?"
"Nothing… Forget I said anything…"
Kid cocked an eyebrow, clearly confused as to what had caused Law to get all flustered. There was no point in quizzing him further. In the end, Law was left with nothing but a deeper fascination for this man named Eustass Kid. He was just so unlike anyone he'd ever met before, his every word and action a puzzle that Law just couldn't solve.
Finishing up the rice, Kid gave a satisfied sigh as he took a sip of water, then reached for his pack of cigarettes. Law watched as the man lit up a stick, took a deep breath, and exhaled, allowing the white smoke to drift up towards the ceiling and slowly dissipate. The two sat in silence, Kid enjoying his smoke and Law lost in thought, until the former discarded his stub and reached for his pack again.
"May I have one too?"
Without missing a beat, Kid tilted the pack in his hand towards Law, a silent offer for the other to help himself. Drawing out a stick and putting it between his lips, Law leaned in as Kid stretched forward, lighter in hand.
Usually, Law would lower his eyes, focused on getting the cigarette lit, but for some reason, he couldn't tear his gaze away from Kid today, his eyes taking in the other man's features in vague wonder, as if seeing him for the first time. The end of his stick flared briefly, then settled into a dim orange glow, but Law did not notice.
All he could see was Kid's face.
Flaming red hair with eyes to match, a slightly crooked but strong nose, thin lips, and further down, pale skin stretching over a defined Adam's apple, broad shoulders, and prominent collar bones.
The man's eyes were focused on the lighter as he held it steady for Law, his expression speaking of tiredness but also just a hint of peace.
Law had never noticed how handsome he was.
"Erm, your stick's lit…"
Law jumped and pulled back, heart thumping wildly as he reined in his thoughts. Looking down, he saw that a good third of his cigarette had burnt into ash from the lighter's flame, and hurried to tap it off into the ashtray before it fell onto the tabletop.
In an attempt to collect himself, he took a deep draw of the stick, surprised at the bitterness that spread in his mouth, leaving a harsh aftertaste on his palate even as he exhaled. He never knew Kid preferred such strong flavors.
It had been a while since Law last smoked, so it took all his effort to slowly go through his stick. With each inhale, he allowed the smoke deep into his lungs, letting the flavors seep into him.
When was the last time he'd smoked? Probably when he was still together with his latest ex-boyfriend. That said, when did they break up? How long had he been single? Had he ever gone for so long without a romantic interest in his life? Law could not remember.
It had to have been at least a month.
What had his ex's preferred brand of cigarettes taste like? He couldn't recall. The pack's color, its size, its design. Nothing came to mind. In fact, the memory of that man's face and voice was nothing more than a blur, just like how the smoke from his stick melted away before it could reach the ceiling.
Yet thoughts of finding someone else hadn't crossed his mind.
He stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray. The taste that lingered on in his mouth was somewhat fresh and new.
Suddenly, a thought came to his mind.
Is this what Kid's mouth tastes like?
Law's cheeks flushed with guilt, as he stood up abruptly from his seat.
"I'm gonna get some ingredients for dinner."
Deliberately keeping his steps measured, Law made himself step out of the room, gather his keys, wallet, and grocery bag, and head out the front door. Faintly, he heard Kid's call of "See ya later" as the door shut behind him.
The sun was on its descent towards the horizon, but there was still plenty of time before twilight came around. Law could head to the supermarket now, but the evening bargain sale had probably not yet started.
But he couldn't stay in that house for another second longer. Couldn't stay in Kid's presence.
Slowly, Law started to walk.
Even if the sales were not on yet, he could use the spare time to really peruse the items, choosing the best ones without having to jostle with harried housewives.
He recalled how Kid had talked about having fish for dinner tonight. Yes, he could get a couple and grill them tonight, but there were so many types of fish. Maybe he'd choose something that wasn't so fatty. Kid's stomach would probably welcome something light after a night out drinking.
Law tapped a finger against his lips, mind filled with thoughts about dinner, when he caught the faint whiff of cigarette smoke on his fingertip.
His deliberate attempt to lose himself back in the minutiae of everyday life was blown away in an instant, his mind dragged back to what had made him flee the apartment in the first place. He felt his body grow hot as his cheeks flushed with color. He forced himself to cough, hoping to hide the blush from any passersby who might have been looking his way.
It must be the cigarette, Law told himself. He hadn't had a stick for so long, so his body was just reacting adversely to the nicotine. This emptiness and sudden need that was overwhelming him, it must be his body craving for more of the substance.
But no matter how he tried to explain it, Law could not convince himself.
He knew why his lips craved the touch of a cigarette, why he'd been so out of control of his own body and emotions lately. Why the thought of looking for a new partner had not bothered him. Why the very thought of it now repulsed him.
He could only force himself to admit the truth.
He had fallen in love with Kid.
Please leave a review or a comment if you can! ⁽˙³˙⁾
Leenahanwoo: Haha the author was kind, she made both of them fall at the same time d(_･ )
haidogirl1406: Lol he is a softie inside, isn't he? ( ´艸`)
Childerika: This chapter is all Law's POV, so we gotta wait a little while more to see how Kid's gonna handle the situation (･∀･)
lazygreycloud: We all need cute stories once in a while! （ ∀ ）
Guest: (￣▼￣*)