Trafalgar slipped into the bedroom that he shared with Kidd, and closed the door as silently as he could, in case his red haired lover was already asleep. He hadn't spoken to Corazon for that long, so he doubted that would be the case, but still...

"Took your time, huh? What the hell is up with that guy? He's kind of weird." Kidd said as he watched Trafalgar stand before the closed door.

"And you aren't?" Trafalgar asked, as he turned from the door to face Kidd. And stared, his thoughts lost for the moment as he studied a grinning Kidd on the bed. A grinning Kidd who happened to be naked, and quiet comfortable sprawled out on the bed. Trafalgar allowed himself a smile as his eyes roved over the redhead, before he added,"Corazon has his reasons for how he acts. I'm not going to try and tell him to act differently." Trafalgar's eyes lingered on Kidd's waist, before they briefly looked lower before his gaze traveled up to eye Kidd's chest, and then higher to lock eyes with the still smiling redhead, "In any case...I guess that you are not going to go to bed right now, are you?" Given the nakedness, Trafalgar knew he already had his own answer.

Kidd snorted, knowing that the other man was playing dumb, "Obviously not." Kidd looked Trafalgar over, before he grinned toothily, "Join me?"

"You attempts to seduce me are astounding. I am unable to resist." Trafalgar deadpanned, as he walked away from the door and toward Kidd.

"Stop being an asshole and get the fuck over here already." The redhead grumbled. He was already tuned on enough as it was at the mere idea of holding Trafalgar skin to skin after such a long time. Among other things. Trafalgar delaying things was frustrating. "Don't make me go over there and get you, you son of a bitch."

Trafalgar laughed softly at Kidd's impatience, "That's better." The dark haired man pulled off his shirt slowly, one hand trailing over his skin lightly as he tossed the piece of clothing into a corner of the room with a flick of a wrist, his hands dipping down to his waist soon after. Trafalgar inwardly smirked at the hungry look that had crossed Kidd's face, and the way his amber eyes were riveted on him as he unbelted his pants and wiggled out of them with a shake of his hips. Teasing Kidd was something that Trafalgar loved to do, and he could see that the redhead was getting more frustrated and aroused with every passing second.

"Taking your damn time, huh?" Kidd asked sourly as he shifted on the bed. But his gaze remained fixed on his lover as the dark haired man slipped the pants off the rest of the way and kicked them aside, shoes and boxers soon following to be lost in the semi dark of the room. Kidd stopped short of touching himself, because he just knew, instinctively, that that was what Trafalgar was trying to get him to do. He wasn't going to be fooled that easily. Trafalgar was just looking for a way to get the better of him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Trafalgar said idly as he stretched, though he could tell that the actions he had done this far had aroused his red haired lover more than he had already been.

Kidd nearly groaned in pure agitation, but didn't bother getting up to drag the other man to bed. Fucking tease. If the skinny son of a bitch didn't get on the bed, Kidd was going to go and drag him onto it, whether Trafalgar liked it or not.

Trafalgar approached the bed and sat down on it, smiling as Kidd reached up and grabbed his arm. "Something you want to say, Eustass-ya?" Trafalgar bit back a laugh as Kidd tugged him down and laid him out flat on his back. He supposed that there was a limit to the amount of teasing he could lay out on Kidd before the other man just moved things along on his own. Trafalgar tilted his head to look up at his lover, "Well? What is it?"

Kidd loomed over the dark haired man, "You need to stop being such a fucking tease."

Trafalgar rested a hand on Kidd's right forearm as the red head settled over him, obviously eager to get things moving along, just as he had thought. Trafalgar offered a faint smile at Kidd's heated gaze, "No bondage tonight."

Kidd all but pouted at that, as if that completely ruined his plans for the night. "Doflamingo?" He asked irritably.

"Yes." Trafalgar said simply in return, "So none of that for now. Later." The dark haired doctor raised his brow as he looked Kidd in the eyes, "Is that going to be a problem?"

Kidd gave an irritable jerk of his head as he leaned in close to place a kiss against Trafalgar's throat, "No, but that bastard is ruing all of my fun."

Trafalgar gripped Kidd's upper forearm lightly, amused at the disappointment in Kidd's voice, "I could ruin your fun by sleeping in another room for the night."

"Fuck. No, you aren't. We haven't had sex for two weeks. You aren't gonna get away that easily." Kidd responded as he nipped along Trafalgar's jawline.

"You have been remarkably patient with me." Trafalgar admitted, and Kidd had been, what with his issues with Doflamingo invading his dreams. Trafalgar squeezed Kidd's forearm tightly, before he let his arm drop down to rest on the bed. With a sly smile, the dark haired man let himself sprawl out on the bed as he tilted his head to the side to kiss Kidd lightly on the cheek, "And since I can tell that you want to top this time, you had better be sure to take good care of me."

Kidd drew back to eye his lover and the way that he had all but bonelessly stretched out. Kidd stopped short of letting his mouth hang open, but it was a close thing. "Fuck." Trafalgar looked fucking sexy as hell the way he was lying, his tanned and tattooed skin standing out against the pale sheets.

"Are you going to stare at me all night or are we going to have sex sometime this evening?"

Kidd scowled at the mild way that Trafalgar had spoken, and leaned in to kiss the other man, "Such a fucking tease." Kidd murmured against Trafalgar's lips, swallowing a response from the dark haired man as he sneakily slipped in some tongue. The moan that Trafalgar made in response damn near made Kidd come, because the other man was being unusually sensual tonight. Not that that wasn't something he would try on occasion. Kidd hummed into the kiss in thought, before he nibbled the other man's lower lip before drawing back. Seeing the way the kiss had left Trafalgar slightly breathless made Kidd confident that he would be able to get more noises out of him.

Trafalgar seemed to pick up on Kidd's thoughts, because he let out a breathless laugh, "Do try to keep it down.. Corazon said that he doesn't want to hear us."

Kidd colored slightly as he slid down along Trafalgar's body, leaving kisses here and there that made the other man wriggle in impatience. Kidd kissed Trafalgar's taut stomach, right hand trailing lower, "Can't he mind his own damn business? If he doesn't wanna hear us he can always go out of the house."

Trafalgar shifted and let his head fall back onto the sheets as he felt Kidd's hand wrap around his member to trail along it slowly, "I am not kicking him out of the house because you can't keep quiet. And it is night out."

"We're fucking dead, remember? Who the hell's going to jump a freaky looking guy in the middle of the night anyway?" Kidd muttered, "He was just fine before he showed himself to you. Maybe people thought he was a serial killer."

"Don't make fun of him, or I'll leave right now." Trafalgar grit out, even as his eyes half shut as Kidd's hand started to move along at a steady pace.

"Fine. But I doubt you'd leave anyway." Kidd poked his lover in the back until Trafalgar turned onto his side. Kidd moved so that he could lean up against the dark haired man's back, hand still moving and making Trafalgar writhe. Kidd bit the side of Trafalgar's neck, drawing forth a faint groan. Kidd smiled against the skin, before he released the bite, and breathed against the skin, "Who was making too much noise the other night, the last time we did it?"

Trafalgar's hand dipped down to flick the hand Kidd had around his member, "If you're just going to hold on, let go of it. You're the one who is being the tease, you know."

"But you like it, don't you?" Kidd asked, flicking the tip with a thumb and making Trafalgar arch against him.

"Tease." Trafalgar insisted, as he reached beneath the pillow and tossed something over his shoulder that bopped off of Kidd's forehead.

"What the hell?" Kidd growled before he realized that it was lotion that Trafalgar had tossed at him. Kidd gave the other man's dick a light squeeze, "Somebody's impatient."

"Somebody is dragging things out." Came the sharp retort.

Kidd's hand left Trafalgar, which caused the other man to let out a sigh of disappointment as Kidd fumbled with the lotion bottle, "Are you trying to be an asshole tonight?"

"Me? You're the one who couldn't wait until tomorrow." Trafalgar shifted as Kidd's right hand, slick with lotion, went down his back in an agonizingly slow line, "And if you're trying to be cute by going more slowly, you will find yourself sleeping alone for the next week."

"Shit. Seriously, why the hell are you being so damn pissy?" Kidd griped as he went about preparing Trafalgar at a somewhat slower pace than he normally would. If only to get back at the other man in return for his impatience.

Trafalgar might have said something had Kidd not started to add more lotion, and whatever other protest Trafalgar may have had was lost as Kidd started to move his fingers along at the same slow pace, which nearly drove the dark haired man up the wall until Kidd bit down on his shoulder, which elicited a strangled yelp from Trafalgar. Shaking slightly from the rather harsh bite, the dark haired man let out a sigh of exasperation, "Dammit, Kidd. I'm fine. Doflamingo-ya wasn't rough with me in my dreams. Just fuck me already and stop acting like I'm going to have a breakdown or something." Trafalgar winced as the bite vanished, before he felt Kidd press up against him from behind.

"I never thought you would have a breakdown." Kidd pressed closer, his artificial left arm curling around Trafalgar's waist, "You aren't gonna try and say you aren't ready?"

"I may just screw you instead if you keep delaying things." Trafalgar let out another moan as Kidd took him at his word, and let out a shaky breath as soon as he felt Kidd get all the way in. Trafalgar wriggled as Kidd adjusted slightly, and groaned again, "Damn it, Eustass-ya. Move."

"I know, I know. You're just still so damn tight." Kidd groaned in frustration, though it was mainly because Trafalgar wouldn't stop squirming.

Trafalgar shifted backward, "Move." He insisted. Being quiet was not on his mind anymore, and if he'd have given it more thought, he would have been more embarrassed as Kidd took his words literally and started to thrust. Which in turn made Trafalgar let out a loud moan and move as well, trying to get a rhythm going to make up for Kidd abandoning his dick in favor of fucking him into the bed.

"Slow down." Kidd muttered against Trafalgar's neck, but knew that it was useless since the dark haired man didn't appear to be listening to him anymore. "Who's a tease now?" Kidd murmured as he continued to thrust, wondering just why the hell Trafalgar wanted to move things along so quickly. Was he still thinking about Doflamingo? Had the older man taken his time with him, and Trafalgar hadn't wanted a reminder of that? Something Kidd supposed that he would have to ask Trafalgar about later. But right now, he was going to make his lover cry out. He wasn't the only one who made embarrassingly loud noises.

At a particularly sharp thrust, Trafalgar bit his lip and wrapped his own hand around his member, unable to take it any longer. That Kidd didn't stop him made the dark haired man think that it had been Kidd's plan all along to make him get off on his own. Trafalgar moved his hand along faster, determined to reach his peak before Kidd, because it would make his red haired lover get off harder. Trafalgar felt it approach, and let out a breathless gasp as Kidd's hand suddenly closed over his to help him.

The resulting orgasm made him blank out momentarily, but when he came to, he could feel Kidd still buried in him, and laughing wearily against the back of his neck. Trafalgar let out a sated sigh, "Eustass-ya, pull out already. You are not going to sleep like that."

"Don't be an idiot. Of course not." Kidd grumbled, as he shifted his hips and pulled out, both men shuddering at the loss of contact. With a sleepy yawn, Kidd turned Trafalgar over so that he could wrap his right arm around his back, and held him to his chest. "Good?"

Trafalgar couldn't help but laugh, "I don't know why you even have to ask. Of course it was. I wouldn't let you top otherwise."

Kidd held Trafalgar closer as he closed his eyes, hiding the goofy grin that he now wore because of Trafalgar's words.

"Stop grinning. I'll get you back for this tomorrow." The dark haired man said drowsily against Kidd's chest.

Kidd colored slightly, before he rested his head above Trafalgar's, "You just have to ruin the mood, don't you?"

"Love you too, Eustass-ya. Now go to sleep."

"Fuck, you are embarrassing." Kidd grumbled, but merely closed his eyes and held still as Trafalgar snuggled closer to him.

Nothing else was said between them the rest of the night, because it didn't need to be voiced aloud. The two of them were happy to be together, so there was no need for any words.

-x

Corazon nodded his head at Kidd and Trafalgar as they entered the kitchen. He was standing in front of the stove, and was currently attempting to make breakfast. After all, he needed something to occupy his mind with, as he was desperately trying to shake the image of Kidd and Trafalgar having sex the previous night. Contrary to what he had hoped, the two men had not been very quite during their shared passion. The shaking coming from the upstairs bedroom was hard to put from his mind. Corazon checked the stove for the third time in the past few minutes. He had left his dark feathery coat lying over the arm of the couch in the living room, as he didn't think that flames and feather were a good mix.

"You're cooking? I thought you didn't know how to." Trafalgar commented as he sat down on one of the chairs. "Or was Doflamingo lying when he said that you half burned down the kitchen before I met the two of you?"

Corazon's back was to the other two men, but he merely gave a shrug in response to Trafalgar's question. He didn't really have a good answer for that. He could cook if he wanted to, but there was only one problem. He tended to get things caught on fire, which had banned him from the kitchen altogether when he had been living with Doflamingo and the rest of his family. As Trafalgar had said, he had accidently burned half the kitchen down. And he had only been trying to boil some noodles, which should not have been that hard. Corazon smiled inwardly as he leaned over to check the eggs. His brother's face had certainly been well worth the hell he had been given by the rest of the family. Doflamingo's exasperated yet fond shake of his head at the sight of a scorched and slightly guilty younger brother standing next to a still burning stove.

"Cora...your hood has caught fire." Trafalgar said the words with fond exasperation.

Trafalgar's words mirrored what Corazon had been thinking of his own brother, before the dark haired man's words registered. Corazon immediately backed off from the stove and the open flames, realizing that yes, yes his hood was on fire. It was a good thing that he had many more hoods, because it unfortunately seemed to be a regular occurrence that he went through so many hoods. At least his hair had not yet caught fire.

"Chair." Trafalgar commented sharply in warning.

Corazon was still distracted by his burning hood that he had whipped off to smack the flames out to prevent it from being ruined. It was only a moment later that Trafalgar's words were taken in, but by then, it was too late. With a grunt, Corazon hit the chair and went down. Sprawled out on his back, the older man gave his hood a critical look. Scorched, but still wearable. Twisting, Corazon sat back up and plopped the hood back down over the top of his head, fingers trailing along the end of the straps that held a heart shape. Not burned. Good.

"Cora..."

Corazon's lips quirked into a tiny smile beneath the lipstick he wore, and he lifted his head to peek up at Trafalgar from beneath his hood with a sheepish expression. He knew what had prompted the tone change, and really wasn't all that offended.

Trafalgar sighed, but he couldn't hide the smile, "I'll finish breakfast."

Corazon nodded his head, the tips of his hood smacking against his shoulders as he did. It was probably a good idea. He could handle microwaves, but an open flame stove was another thing altogether.

Trafalgar went over to the stove to save the bacon and eggs from being burnt, as Kidd watched Corazon get to his feet and settle in the chair he had tripped over. Corazon was silent until Trafalgar gave him one too many concerned looks over his shoulder, and spoke softly, "I am fine, Law. It is nothing. We are dead, so it doesn't really hurt."

"You have to feel something, because last night I sure..." Trafalgar bit off that comment and with a faint color to his cheeks went back to the food.

Corazon couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that, "We can feel pain, yes, but that is just in our minds." Corazon noted that Kidd was staring hard at him, and tilted his head in an inquiring way.

Kidd frowned, "How come you only talk sometimes? You were talking a lot earlier." Kidd flinched as Trafalgar wacked him over the head with a spatula, "What the fuck?"

"Leave him alone." Trafalgar turned to Corazon, "And you don't have to answer that if you don't want to. You never did give me a clear answer why, anyway. I just never questioned it."

Corazon smiled, but it went unnoticed by both men in the room with him. Perhaps he would, at some point, but Trafalgar was right. He didn't feel comfortable saying the reason why. It was odd that he could say much of anything to begun with, and around a near stranger at that. Corazon had never met Kidd before he had seen him and Trafalgar dead.

Trafalgar finished cooking and dished the food out, and the meal was eaten in near silence, each man left to his own thoughts. Once finished, however, Trafalgar broke the silence, "I want to go explore the city. I am curious whether anyone else we know is here."

"I will stay here." The expression Corazon wore clearly meant that he expected both men to go out exploring, "Have fun."

Kidd was embarrassed at that but ridiculously pleased to see Trafalgar look so happy, and allowed the dark haired man to lean across the table to kiss him on the cheek.

"Let's get going then, Eustass-ya." Trafalgar stated as he got up out of the chair and headed for the front door, "I'll do the dishes later, Cora." Trafalgar left the house.

Corazon watched Trafalgar leave, before he turned his head to study Kidd from behind his shades, "Don't worry."

Kidd wore a confused expression, but since he did not want to linger, he merely nodded and turned to leave. Corazon made him uneasy for some reason, but it was probably just because he was not used to the other man's appearance or presence yet.

Corazon watched as the door closed, before he got up and entered the living room to sprawl on the couch and allowed his thoughts drift. He had hoped that he could have Doflamingo join him in the land of the dead, but for now...For now, Corazon would just have to watch over his brother's progress, and watch for signs of change. He had made quite a lot of progress already, as Trafalgar and Kidd being there with him in the land of the dead was a testament to the fact that Doflamingo was changing.

Corazon let out a sorrowful sigh. It was hard to do this Doflamingo, but after he'd been killed in his and Doflamingo's first lifetime…and Doflamingo had made that deal years later, when he'd learned of Trafalgar's death…

Corazon turned over. His continued existence was the only way to ensure that his older brother didn't lose his soul to something malevolent. Something that should never have existed to torment individuals in the first place. Corazon had made a deal of his own, one to make sure that his brother didn't condemn himself to eternal damnation by losing his very being, his very identity as an individual. Corazon would continue to do this until Doflamingo was no longer in danger of losing his soul. Corazon was so very close to pulling his brother free of the foolish bargain he had made so long ago.

Corazon glanced over at the front door that Kidd and Trafalgar had left through. After what had happened between Doflamingo and Trafalgar, Corazon would do anything he could to protect the dark haired man from experiencing any more torment at the hands of his brother.

Because both of them had been careless.

Corazon turned his attention to the nearby clock on the wall. Time was ticking, but the younger Donquixote brother knew that everything would turn out fine in the end. He was patient, had been patient for so long, and soon enough, he and Doflamingo, as well as Trafalgar and Kidd, could sort things out between them.

Until that time came to pass, Corazon only needed to watch and wait.

Watch like he had been all along, ever since he had first died, at all the events that unfolded before him. Watching over Trafalgar, Doflamingo and Kidd.

Corazon closed his eyes briefly. He hoped that the change would come sooner. For himself, and for Trafalgar, but most of all for Doflamingo.

Doflamingo, who was worse off in the constant, never ending cycle of life and death.

Corazon removed his hood and set it on his chest with a sigh. He had one person to look after now, and then there would be only the continued existence in the land of the dead, until someone decided to change it. However long they would happen to be there, whether for eternity or hundreds of years, he wasn't sure. The being he had made the deal with had been a little vague on the overall time. The former seemed more likely for the time he would spend in this place. But Corazon didn't mind knowing that he would likely never live again in the world of the living, because he would be able to be with both Trafalgar and Doflamingo.

For Corazon, that would be more than enough.

-x

Two shadowed figures sat across from one another, a half played chess match on the table between the two of them. The absence of light appeared to not overly bother them, as they were both clearly able to see the pieces of the chess set.

The first figure reached out and picked up a piece. A black knight. They took a rook, and a half smile was thrown at the figure across from them, "That's check, old man. Are you having second thoughts?"

The second figure snorted at that and surveyed the pieces with a critical eye, "Brat. Don't be so confident when the game is far from over." The figure paused before they reached out and used a white bishop to take a pawn. Eyes raised to the other in the shadowed room, "And now I have check. Do you remember our wager?"

The first figure sighed as they studied the board, "Release the curse over that one man who's been around in an infinite loop for hundreds of years? Yeah, I remember. But it is amusing that he thought he could get what he wanted with a deal. I can't do miracles, you know."

"Because you don't see everything as one picture." The other figure rumbled, his bigger frame towering over the other figure. "And you like to trick people in the first place anyway."

The first figure moved a rook carelessly across the board, "I don't even see why you would care in the first place. And besides, didn't you make a deal with the guy's brother?"

"I did, because I dislike seeing a certain someone toy with other's lives. And due to it, the deal is done on my end once you release the curse." The second figure stated, and picked up a white knight and placed it on a space in a final sort of way, "Checkmate."

The second figure tsked. "Damn."