I don't know you.
The statement twisted inside Eustass Kid's chest and wrenched it, but Kid maintained a steady smile and crouched down in front of Law. He draped his fur coat overhead as an awning to protect them from the rain. Kid wanted to warm up this shivering child.
But he stayed still, feeling those icy-cold little hands on his skin. Right now, Law seemed content just by holding on to Kid's hand and resting his cheek against it, his eyes closed.
And he was smiling.
That smile was peaceful, a contrast to the distress that emanated from Law when Kid found him.
There must be at least a trace of memory left somewhere inside Law that prompted him to act this way in front of Kid. Otherwise, the boy might have attempted to kill him by now, like Law had done when they first met on Victoria Punk's deck.
No words were exchanged between them. The air was filled with the steady rhythm of rain. Kid finally decided to suggest, "You're going to catch a cold. What about getting out of this rain first?"
Law's eyes fluttered open. His smile vanished and those swollen yellow eyes were sharp and scrutinizing. The boy didn't react for some time until he suddenly jerked away, his back bumping against the building wall. "Who the hell are you?" Law bared his teeth, unsheathing Kid's dagger he had stolen and kept hidden in his clothes. He brandished the weapon in front of him. "You love me? You don't make a fucking sense."
It took an ample amount of self-control for Kid to not snap in return and intimidate the child. "Yeah, I don't make sense," he agreed in a low voice, "so tell me what makes sense to you right now."
Law's grip on the weapon weakened. "Nothing," he admitted.
"You've lost your memories," Kid stated, "what can you remember?"
The boy only shook his head.
"You were wandering without direction, probably thinking that you've been thrown into a different world or something. You think you have no place to go back to, not even to Doflamingo," he paused, "but yer wrong. You have a home to go back to." Kid pointed at himself with his thumb, "Me. I'm Eustass Kid, a pirate. I'm your guardian, and I truly meant what I said."
Something glinted in Law's searching eyes. He seemed to be considering whether to believe Kid or not. "How do you know about me and Doflamingo?"
"I know a lot more about you," Kid said. "You're from Flevance, lost your parents and little sister Lami. You collect anniversary coins. You want to be a surgeon. You love a man called 'Cora-san' and you're looking for him."
After Kid had realized Law was missing and had gone to search for him, he had asked—sometimes to the point of intimidation—the townspeople he met to tell if they had seen Law anywhere. Some of them confessed that they were approached by a boy who was frantically searching for a 'Cora-san'.
Law stared with surprise. The dagger trembled in his shivering hand. "How do you know—"
"I'm your guardian," Kid repeated. "How about I give you a choice? I'll let you go. It's up to you to continue blindly wandering around these streets without a clue or direction, or you can come back with me to Victoria Punk and everything will eventually make sense. Before you falsely accuse me as a kidnapper, I'm giving you freedom."
He waited for Law to make the first move. He glanced briefly at Law's feet. This child had been walking for a while without shoes, so he intended to carry him if Law decided to come along. Kid opened his arms as a gesture to welcome Law in.
The boy was clearly conflicted. "You're giving me weird feelings," Law confessed, "so I'll go with you for now."
"Weird feelings?"
Law shrugged. "Not telling."
Kid had an idea about these weird feelings. They were the feelings that had pushed Law to hold his hand before, the feelings that prevented him from lunging at Kid and strangling him, the feelings that made him believe Kid, even if only a little. "Alright." He grinned with a sinister look. "Come. I'll carry you. I bet your feet hurt."
"Not a chance, Metal-ya." Law rolled his eyes. Kid's heart jumped at the familiar nickname.
"D-d-don't call me 'Metal-ya'," Kid protested, but his mouth was still grinning. Law stared at him like Kid was screwed in the head.
"Then why the hell do you look so happy?" Law exclaimed. "Whatever." He shrugged. "I'll come along, but don't touch me."
"Aye." Kid straightened up, still holding the fur coat over them. "You gotta stay close unless you wanna be soaked to the bone and catch a cold."
"I'm already soaked. I'm not staying close." Law stood up and maintained at least a meter between them as they walked. "Rain is not a direct cause to a cold. Getting exposed to the virus is. If you're sick, then staying in close proximity to you will increase the chance of me getting a cold than any type of freezing rain—"
"Aye, Doc," Kid interrupted, "then just take my coat." Kid threw his coat at Law. It fell over the child and covered the entirety of his small body. "Stay warm in that."
"It's already freaking wet, and what if your coat's covered in cold germs?" Law's voice was muffled as he struggled to get out of the heavy fabric.
"There are no cold germs!" Kid shouted, "I'm not sick!"
Law's head finally popped out of the coat. He was laughing against the pattering of rain. "You're weird." He grinned at Kid, holding on to the red fur coat around his body. "You remind me of Cora-san."
Pleasantly surprised by that sweet laughter in his ears, Kid felt warmth and butterflies flutter in his stomach. "What makes me weird?"
"I mean, it's like I've known you, and you make me feel so—" Law caught himself from confessing. He quickly turned his head away from Kid. "I-I'm not telling. I'm still figuring you out."
"Figure me all out. You have my permission," Kid said playfully.
Law didn't reply to him after, but Kid noticed how the boy tried to hide a smile behind the thick red fur of his coat.
"This is your room—well, our room. The captain's chamber," Kid said after he guided Law around Victoria Punk. "You live here with me. Ring any bell?"
"Yeah," said Law with a nod, "your ship's familiar. This room too. It feels like I've been here before and not just this morning. So Victoria's her name?"
"My pride and joy."
"My memory's hazy," Law told him, "so I can't fit her anywhere in it, but everything feels familiar."
"Stay here as long as you like. Dry yourself and get changed. Feel free to use the bathroom. Your clothes are in the drawer. I won't lock you in, I promise. Take your time figuring things out," Kid instructed. "I'll be in the lounge to talk with Killer, so you can find me if you need anything. Do you remember Killer?"
"I don't, but I'll learn about Killer. And even if you dare to lock me in, l can destroy your door." Law wandered around the room, brushing his palm over the stuffed polar bear's fluffy fur as he walked past it. He found his spotted hat and set it on his head. "Huh." Law curiously played with the visor.
"Alright, call out to me first before you destroy stuff," Kid approached him, took off that spotted hat, and ruffled Law's wet hair. He half-expected the boy would jerk away from the touch, but Law silently let Kid do it. If he didn't just imagine it, Kid could swear that Law was actually enjoying the gesture. His small body relaxed and he leaned a tiny bit closer to Kid. Smiling in amusement, Kid pushed the hat back down on Law's head and left the room.
They were startled by an abrupt, loud cry.
"Kid," Killer said in alarm, "that's Trafalgar."
"Damn. He's wailing." Kid jumped off the sofa and rushed toward the source of the voice, Killer following close behind him. "I've never heard him cry like that—" he slammed his bedroom door open. "Law! What's wrong?"
Law was on his knees near the stuffed bear and crying loudly, uncontrollable tears streaming down his face.
Without words, Kid wrapped the wailing child in a hug. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked in alarm. He couldn't imagine anything that could make Law cry the way he was doing right now. His eyes moved toward Killer, who had crouched down near Law and shaken his head in equal confusion.
"Cora—" Law whined between hiccups, "C-Cora-san's g-gone. He's d-dead. I w-will never s-see him again."
"Skies above," Kid sighed. That was probably the worst memory that could unexpectedly come back to Law when he was still confused and alone. Kid repeatedly rubbed his palm over Law's quivering back, cradling him. Law's tears rapidly soaked Kid's dark vest. "T-there, there?" Kid tried. He probably sounded awkward as heck.
"His memory's unstable," Killer said quietly, "this probably happened long in the past, but the event just came back to him as if it happened recently."
Law was squeezing and nearly choking Kid as he wept. Kid coughed, feeling a little difficulty breathing. He carefully and gradually loosened Law's arms around his neck while keeping the boy still tightly pressed against him.
Kid and Killer stayed in the room until Law stopped crying and went out like a light.
Days had passed since they had returned to the ship and Victoria Punk had set sail. Law had decided to stay with them. To Kid's relief, the boy seemed to be comfortable around the Kid Pirates despite not remembering much about them.
Grief was ravaging Law's state of mind in these times. Kid had to witness Law relive the painful loss of Cora-san. Law was dealing with the pain as if his death happened yesterday.
Law barely ate anything. He had difficulty caring for himself. He often woke up at night crying or screaming from nightmares that haunted his dreams. Kid continuously attempted to physically and mentally care for him and provide his close presence, but Kid, too, was slowly descending to frustration and fatigue. It was tiring and painful to watch Law this way. He appreciated Killer and the rest of the Kid Pirates who helped him care for Law and tried to be there for Kid when his mood plummeted.
And yet grief wasn't the end of it.
During and after the initial grief, Law often blanked out. He got disoriented and his gaze empty. He kept forgetting what he had learned about the Kid Pirates and his surroundings and didn't respond well to questions. Sometimes it wasn't even easy for Kid to simply ground him back to the present.
"He's in the worst cycle," Killer told Kid after he had gathered more information about the marine who had gone through a similar phase as Law, "there seems to be a discrepancy of his recovered memory and the timeline of his current body. Those recovered memories seem to come jumbled and in random pieces to form anything coherent. At the same time, his current memories won't last long, so he gets lost in the in-between. He has to make sense of what's going on every time."
"After he woke up, Law has forgotten me again, and the rest of our crew, and what he did yesterday," Kid growled with irritation. This morning, Kid impatiently bombarded Law with questions the moment the boy sat confused on the bed, yelled at him for not remembering anything, and stormed off, leaving Law behind. "What is even the point of telling him over and over, Killer?"
"He's lost and confused. You getting angry over it won't help. Kid, remember that on top of all this, Trafalgar had been grieving. I know it hurts—"
"I can't bother with this right now. He'd just space out again today, forget everyone and drown in whatever's still left in his head." Kid left the room and angrily slammed Killer's door behind him.
Kid was walking toward Victoria's awning to destroy something out there. His anger had burned and accumulated enough in his system that he felt the need to channel it out. He kicked the door open, looking for something—anything—a fruit crate, a bench, a table, anything he could smash or turn over.
But what he encountered had to be Trafalgar freaking Law, the source of his irritation and pain, of all the people he needed to see at this time. The boy was sitting alone on a bench, the spotted hat placed beside him. The wind breezed through his hair. The soft sunshine was kissing his lightly tanned skin. Law was scribbling listlessly on a notebook. That empty gaze lifted up to look at Kid.
Kid knew deep down that the best thing he could do right now was to ignore Law, turn around, and find another place to vent. If he stayed, he might say something he would regret. Kid grumbled an unintelligible sentence and turned, his palm pushing the door behind him.
"Eustass-ya," Law's voice called, "will you help—"
Irritation got the better of him. "What the hell you want?" Kid swung around and glared at the child. "Can't leave me alone for a few minutes? Do you have a fucking idea how much time and energy I've spent caring for you when you weren't even bothered to care for yourself? I have a life too! I'm a captain of a ship, not your damn babysitter! And all you did in return was stare into the damn space and say you don't remember every single fucking time!"
Law immediately looked down, snatched his hat, and pushed it to cover as much of his face as possible. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Kid initially thought he should leave Law alone so he wouldn't hurt the child any more than he already did. He should channel out these feelings somewhere else before he came back to Law in a clearer state of mind.
But the sight of Law sitting alone and hurt by his words tugged at Kid's heartstrings. He felt as if his feet were nailed to the flooring. Kid couldn't turn away and leave the child behind in that state. He allowed his body to move on its own, and the next thing he knew, Kid was already kneeling in front of Law.
He placed his hand over Law's slightly trembling shoulder. "I'm sorry, Law," Kid sincerely apologized. "What I said—I didn't think. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Those misty yellow eyes hesitantly peeked out from under the visor of his hat. "Fine," Law mumbled, "I forgive you."
"What do you need help with?" Kid forced a smile.
"Sit by my side." Law tapped on the empty spot beside him. Kid relented and sat by his side. The boy took Kid's hand in his, gently caressing his thumbs over Kid's palm. The gesture reminded Kid of what Law had done to comfort him before.
"What are you doing?"
"Are you still angry?" Law asked.
"No," Kid said, bending his fingers to hold Law's hands. "No more." He truly didn't. Anger had left him the moment he saw Law pick up his hat to cover his face from Kid.
Law sighed in relief. "So you're no longer sad?"
Kid stared at Law for a quiet moment before laughter unexpectedly emerged out of him.
"You're laughing." Law blinked in confusion, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips.
"I've been a fool." Kid placed a hand over his face and clenched his teeth. His laughter had died in his throat. "Why does you forgetting even fucking matter?"
Law was still himself, with or without memory. Something inside him still recognized Kid even when it wasn't from memory, and yet Kid had unnecessarily fussed over this. The time they had was extremely limited. It wouldn't be long until this little boy he loved was no more, and yet Kid had lashed out at him as if Law had been wasting Kid's precious time, while Law was the one who was running out of it. Kid had tainted the little time they had left with unnecessary anger and words that pained them both.
"I-I'm trying to remember. Look." Law opened up his notebook for Kid to see. "How's this?"
The page contained a drawing of a mysterious, terrible-looking creature with red streaks of lines that Kid suspected to be hair or fur. Its lips were equally red and wide. A black armband stuck around its head and it had arms of two different sizes and colors. "Whoa," Kid smiled hesitantly, keeping in mind how Law really liked compliments and thrived from them, "that's a… creative… drawing of a… a…"
What the hell was this terrifying creature?
"This is you." Law smiled proudly. "I drew Eustass 'Captain' Kid."
No way in freaking—
"Me?" Kid managed to prevent himself from growling.
"Pretty good, huh?" Law's chin lifted slightly. "Giolla taught me art."
Whoever Giolla was, they must suck at teaching or either an overly-lenient or overly-creative artist. "Very creative," Kid choked out a compliment.
Law's face lit up. "Looks just like you," he chuckled, excitedly flipping over to the next page while Kid silently told himself that Law didn't mean to insult him. "My past self just made a few notes about you, so when I forgot again, I could refer to this." He showed Kid a series of short little notes put randomly on a different page.
The notes read: 'Captain', 'Eustass Kid', 'Eustass-ya', 'Likes cabbage rolls', 'good at crafting', 'impulsive', 'scary', 'cool', 'soft-hearted', 'takes good care of me'.
On the next several pages, there were drawings of horrifying beings that Kid guessed as Killer, Heat, Wire, and the rest of the Kid Pirates, although they didn't contain much information. "I want to learn about you and the Kid Pirates before I meet all of you for the day," Law told him, "so you won't get tired telling me over and over, but this information doesn't seem sufficient. Will you help fill them in?"
"Law." Kid placed his hand over the notebook and pushed it down. "We will remind if you forget. I know I screwed up by lashing out at you just because you didn't remember. We don't want you to study your notebook like you're preparing for a freaking exam. Whatever the state of your memory, just relax, greet us, and stay. Will you stay with me a little longer?"
"Is it really okay?" Law asked quietly, "For me to just be here, not remembering you?"
"Yes." Kid pulled him close. "Just stay by my side."
Law's body relaxed against his.
They spent the afternoon together in the comfort of each other's presence.
Kid had scribbled little notes on Law's notebook when the boy wasn't looking, leaving a message instructing Law to simply come find him when Law was confused or lost. Even when Law couldn't find him, he had written, Eustass Kid would always find Trafalgar Law.
"Do you want to sleep with me outside tonight?" Law asked Kid when it was close to Law's bedtime. "I don't know why. The room feels a bit suffocating."
"Hang on." Kid pulled three of his fur coats out of the wardrobe. He came back to Law and covered his small body with one of the coats. "Want me to carry you?"
"I have legs, in case you didn't notice," said Law, walking away while dragging the excessive fabric of Kid's red coat across the floor.
"I can't see your legs, just a long red furry tail," Kid teased before he scooped Law up. The rest of his coat hung in the air. "Now you don't have to drag your tail around."
"Sheesh, you're too much sometimes." Law shyly looked away with a subtle blush on his face, but he didn't struggle.
"How about Victoria's awning?"
Law nodded in agreement. Kid proceeded to take him outside. It was cold and a little windy, their breaths were lightly visible, but the night was bright and cloudless. Under the awning, Kid placed a couple of coats under them as bedding. He positioned himself and Law on top of it before snugly fitting them both in the remaining coat. Kid pressed his back against the inside of the fish's mouth, holding Law who was leaning on him.
"It's bright," Law said, looking out to the ocean beyond the railing, "the moon's reflected in the water."
"Yeah," Kid tightened his grip. "You probably don't remember, but during a night like this, we went out here and I sent you to the sky with a metal nut."
"Sent me to the sky?"
"Aye, so you'd be closer to the stars. You were laughing." Kid smiled. "Can't get enough of your laughter."
"Eustass-ya." Law shifted against him, pressing his head on Kid's chest. "You're really like Cora-san."
"I do?" Kid asked, not surprised. Law had once told him that his eyes and lipstick reminded Law of Corazon, which he had assumed to be the same person. "My makeup, huh? Though I don't wear any right now."
"Makeup? Well, that too, but I was talking about how odd you both are. Cora-san tried so hard to make me laugh, too, even when he was probably hurting inside. Were you hurting inside?"
Yes, he did, but Kid didn't need to tell Law that. It hurt him that he only had so little time left to spend with this boy he loved—that he couldn't watch him grow up.
"And not just that," Law continued softly. The moon was bright enough that when Law looked up to him, Kid could see a small smile pulling at his lips. "You've been giving me weird feelings, Eustass-ya. You make me feel… happy, safe, and loved. As if Cora-san and my family are here." Law pushed himself to stand up within their shared coat to face Kid directly. He held Kid's cheeks with his palms and gazed into his eyes. "I'm going to tell you what these weird feelings have been telling me. Maybe it won't make sense to you, but will you believe me?"
"Yes," Kid answered in a breathy voice, "I'll believe you."
"I love you," Law confessed. "Do you believe me?"
Law's arms squeezed around Kid's neck. He asked softly, "Hey, can you love somebody without a memory of that person?"
Kid paused. He didn't know the answer, was never put in such a situation. However, he wanted to believe that it was possible for the two of them. Kid couldn't imagine not loving Law, even if Kid ever lost his memory of him."I don't know," Kid answered honestly, "but I want to believe that you can."
"Then I'll believe it too," Law replied firmly, quickly, without hesitation. Then he pulled away, but their gazes were still locked against each other. Law's eyes were beautiful, shimmering like the most precious gold. Law's lips parted open and he said something Kid couldn't hear. The loud hissing of fireworks being shot in the air blocked the little boy's voice.
Kid saw those gorgeous eyes look up to watch the fireworks bursting in the sky, but Kid didn't leave his attention off Law's face. He didn't care about fireworks. He wanted to see the person he loved as much as possible before their time was up.
"I love you. Do you believe me?" Law had asked, his soft breath was visible between them.
"Yes—" Kid pulled and held Law in an embrace, "yes." He positioned his chin on top of Law's hair, so the boy couldn't see his face. Kid smiled, his vision blurred with tears. He felt the tears dissolve and roll down his cheeks. "I believe you." He tightened his hug around Law's small body. "And I love you," Kid choked out. "I haven't told you enough. I didn't remind you of this when you forgot. I love you. I am proud of you. I want to watch you grow up."
He wished in the last days they had spent together, Kid had at least told Law every day of these feelings.
"I know," Law replied quietly. "Somehow, I know." His body began to tremble in Kid's embrace, trying to push away.
Kid held on at first, but then he reluctantly loosened his arms around Law. When the boy leaned back to face him, Kid didn't do anything to hide that he had been crying.
A smile bloomed on Law's quivering lips. "Eustass-ya," he called. Even through his blurred vision, Eustass could see the love that was radiating warmly in Law's eyes. The boy continued, "Thank you for caring for me."
In a dream, the world was white. Law stood in front of Corazon. The man was smiling that ridiculous smile at Law. It looked so funny, but the joy it carried was truly the one that caused Law to laugh. Corazon crouched down in front of Law, turned him around, and gave a push on his back.
Law wanted to see Corazon again, but his neck felt stiff. He couldn't even turn his head to have a last look at the man he loved.
Far in the distance stood a group of pirates. Law recognized them as the Hearts. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin stood in front of the rest of the crew. Jean Bart's huge body was standing tall behind them. They were all waiting for him.
As he walked forward, a pair of arms—one flesh-and-blood, the other made of hard metal—suddenly swooped Law off his feet. Law looked up in surprise and saw the playful and sinister grin of Eustass Kid. Law giggled in delight and wrapped his arms around Eustass' neck. The man he loved carried him forward.
However, it didn't take long until Eustass suddenly stopped. Without words, he leaned close and kissed Law on the forehead. He squeezed Law lightly before loosening his grip and lowering him back to the white ground. Eustass also turned him around and placed his palm against Law's back, gently pushing him away.
Again, Law couldn't turn back. Even his eyes couldn't shift to look behind. He was now standing closer to the Heart Pirates.
A figure stood among the Hearts. After he walked closer, Law recognized the figure as his adult self. He had the same tattoos and the same gold piercings on his ears. His adult self was wearing spotted trousers and a long, thin brown coat that Law somehow knew had the name 'Corazon' embedded on its back. Law hesitated before he proceeded, approaching the figure whose yellow eyes were fixed against his own.
Once he was close, his adult self knelt down to level with him. His expression didn't give anything away until his lips began to pull a thin smile. He opened his arms the way Kid had done before to welcome Law in an embrace.
Law walked into those arms. As they began to hold him, Law was enveloped in lights that seemed even brighter than this white world. He looked down at his hands. They were slowly disappearing, but strangely, he didn't feel afraid. Law closed his eyes, feeling that everything would be alright.
Out of a sudden, Law was holding a young boy. He looked down in surprise at his twelve-year-old self in his arms. The child was hugging him back, his eyes closed and he was smiling. The boy was gradually disappearing. Law kept embracing him until the child was no more. In his place were pieces of bright little lights that gently scattered around him.
Eustass Kid woke up alone.
He was lying on a bed of fur coats, staring blankly at Victoria's awning over him. Kid reached out to find the familiar presence of a twelve-year-old he had been caring for, but Law was nowhere to be found. He sat up, feeling gaping emptiness in his chest. Kid had to look down to make sure his chest was in fact still intact.
"Eustass-ya," a voice called. That voice was deep and familiar. It was a voice he loved, that he hadn't heard in months. Kid lifted his chin and stared ahead.
Law.
The adult Law. The twenty-six-year-old Law was standing by the door, dressed in a pair of blue spotted trousers and an unzipped black long coat with golden patterns.
Kid sat there in awe. This was the man he loved and had missed dearly. His presence delighted Kid, but at the same time, his chest beat with crushing pain. Kid immediately stood up and ran toward Law. He grabbed Law and locked him in an embrace. "I miss you," he breathed, inhaling Law's familiar scent. His scent was the same as his twelve-year-old self. Tears began to pool in Kid's eyes. "I m-miss him too."
"E-Eustass-ya?" Law sounded confused and surprised. His arms held him in return, "Are you okay?"
"Yes—no, I don't know. Fuck, I don't know," Kid choked, "you're back. He's gone." Kid hadn't imagined he would be so delightfully happy and devastated at the same interval. It was a weird clash of feelings. He finally pulled away to have a good look at Law. This man was so beautiful that the sight of him still took Kid's breath away, and yet this was also the man the twelve-year-old Law had grown into. Kid was damn proud of that.
Law sighed, "What is it?" he took Kid's flesh-and-blood hand in his and rubbed both his thumbs over it. It was the same gesture the little boy had done to comfort Kid.
"I can't handle this," Kid pulled his hand away and placed it over his eyes. "Sorry, Law, but I need a quiet time alone. I love you." He gave a peck on Law's forehead before retreating away from his confused boyfriend.
A few days ago, before the twelve-year-old Law disappeared, Kid discovered a carving on the side of a drawer.
Trafalgar D. Water Law, twelve years old, was here
and he loves Eustass Kid.
The carved wood was only a few inches from the wall. That was how the message had been hidden. Law didn't need to say it out loud, nor that he had to carve a message. Kid already knew Law loved him.
But Eustass Kid also realized now that he had forgotten that even though Law had lost all memories of him, Law's heart still loved him permanently. It was the reason he followed and stayed with Kid, even in all his confusion when Kid found the boy on the street. Law had said to Kid on that cold, rainy morning, that Kid was giving him weird feelings, and that it was the reason why Law chose to go with him until he could make sense of the world.
Law's confession to Kid, with or without memory, spoken or carved, remained true.
Trafalgar Law first woke up disoriented and almost disturbingly naked. He certainly did not remember sleeping without clothes although he did recall spending the night with Eustass, so he wrapped himself in his boyfriend's fur coat and shambled straight to their shared bedroom. Law was taken aback by the man-sized stuffed polar bear staring at him after he teleported, the amount of children's clothing and necessities in the drawer, and a few more items that Law didn't remember ever acquired himself. It was as if he was just transported into the future, and Eustass suddenly had a child who had been living with him for some time.
The absurdity of it all had Law approach Eustass once he was dressed to question what the heck was going on, but the moment the redhead saw him, he began to tear up and spewed nonsense about missing Law and missing somebody else.
The Kid Pirates had then helpfully explained to Law that he had been de-aged for several months. Eustass had been taking care of him, and now Law's boyfriend was currently dealing with the loss of his twelve-year-old self. Some kind of devil fruit had reset not only his body, but also his memory. Their explanation made sense, judging from the amount of children's items and clothing in the room that Law himself would love as a child.
During these odd times, the redhead seemed to have difficulty looking at him, as if the sight of Law hurt him, so the surgeon mostly left Eustass alone. At the same time, Law had been experiencing weird feelings when he thought about Eustass Kid. He had occasionally recalled a random memory of spending time with Eustass that Law couldn't identify as something that had actually happened.
When they had arrived at yet another island, Law was considering getting something from the town for Eustass to help cheer the redhead up without having to disturb him with Law's presence, so he walked out to Victoria Punk's deck. Law didn't bother using the plank to get himself down. He simply stood on the railing and jumped.
His eyes widened at a glimpse of Eustass rushing to the spot where Law had intended to land. The man opened up both his arms and caught Law's body before he could reach the ground. "What the—" Law breathed in confusion.
"You do know," Eustass smiled at Law, "that I'll catch you when you fall, right?"
Law stared questioningly at him. When did he hear that statement from Eustass before? Law was almost positive the redhead had said that to him, but he couldn't place when. "I didn't fall," Law replied, "I jumped. Purposefully."
"Oh," Eustass blinked, "right." He lowered Law to the ground. "You're as agile as a cat now, huh? Your adult self is very steady. You can't easily 'fall'."
"Your choice of words is pretty weird," Law commented. "Rest up, Eustass-ya. I'm going out to town. I'll be back before nightfall." He hesitated for a few seconds before he stood on his toes, kissed Eustass lightly on the cheek, and walked away in a hurry before he could see how Eustass would react to that.
Law was browsing crafting tools and materials at a shop in town that he thought might be helpful for Eustass. A casual surprise gift could go a long way, Penguin had once told him.
He bought the newest set of crafting tools and had it wrapped in red paper. When he exited the shop and made a turn, somebody grabbed him from behind and locked him in an embrace. Law's haki had told him it was a familiar, friendly presence, so he wasn't alarmed. Otherwise, he might have cracked a few bones before actually seeing who had dared to ambush him.
"Found you," Eustass' playful voice whispered in his ear. "Wherever you hide, I'll always find you. Remember?"
"I'm not hiding, Eustass-ya," Law replied, feeling warmth in his chest at the familiar words. Law had heard this from Eustass before, but when? Somehow, Law also knew the words rang true. He knew that Eustass would find him, whether he was hiding or not. Law felt like Eustass had promised him, but couldn't remember when. "You seem to be wandering around the town without problem. Feeling better?"
"I was looking for you," Eustass said, "now I feel better because you're with me."
Law couldn't help smiling, so he tried to hide his face by tipping the visor of his hat down. Eustass poured fluttering butterflies to Law's stomach unexpectedly at times. Law never disliked that feeling. "I thought seeing me has been giving you the opposite effect."
"No, I realize staying away from you only made me miserable," Eustass confessed. "I've been selfish. When I looked at you, I only thought of a part of you that I couldn't have. But I was blind. Now my eyes are opened, and I see that all I want is right here in front of me," he cupped Law's cheeks and lifted his face to look into his amber eyes, "you. All of you."
Law's heart rammed against his ribcage.
"Will you stay with me for the rest of the day?" Eustass asked.
"Yes," Law suppressed a smile, pushing the wrapped gift of crafting tool set on Eustass' chest, "I'll stay."
A couple of days had passed and tonight the Kid Pirates was planning to set sail again. It was a rainy afternoon. Eustass Kid and his crew were in town, getting a few more extra supplies before they would continue on their journey and exploring the area for fun while they were at it.
Law stayed in Victoria Punk, sitting by Eustass' desk in the captain's chamber. He was going to write his research progress in a medical journal, only to find his journal had already been filled with drawings. He studied the pages with fascination. This was totally his art style. His child self must have created them and Law was actually filled with pride at the results. Only a brief glance was enough for him to recognize these drawings as Eustass Kid and his pirate crew.
He smirked, wondering if Eustass had seen these awesome drawings his child self had made. He was definitely going to show them to Eustass tonight and see his reaction. Maybe Eustass would even compliment his artistic side. Oh, how he would love that. Law coughed, holding down that childish excitement, and encouraged himself to focus on his medical notes.
Law accidentally found a note before all the drawings and recognized it as Eustass' handwriting.
'Come find me when you're confused or lost,' the note read, 'but even if you can't, Eustass Kid will always find Trafalgar Law.'
Law was sure he had seen this message before. When did Eustass write this in his journal, and why? He shrugged it off and continued to work.
He couldn't concentrate on his work.
Something had been bothering him from the inside. His heart was urging him to move, but Law didn't even know what his heart wanted him to do. It was beating quicker as the image of Eustass Kid invaded his mind. Out of a sudden, Law missed him dearly. He sighed, massaging his temple in confusion. He was taken aback by the sudden urge awakening in his heart to follow the message Eustass had written in his notebook. He wanted to find Eustass Kid.
Law hadn't even figured out what he was doing when he picked up his hat, rushed out to Victoria Punk's deck, and jumped off the ship. The rain was falling on him, quickly soaking him wet. As he was running across town streets, following his heart, everything finally became more and more clear.
Images came to him. Not fitting in logical time and place in his memory, but they seemed real. Fireworks. Colorful lights. The moon. The stars. The local island children. Heat's fire. Laughter.
Eustass Kid.
More and more of Eustass Kid. Finding him, holding him, caring for him.
At the familiar sight of Eustass Kid and his red fur coat spreading around his back, Law called out, "Eustass-ya!"
Eustass had just turned around when Law nearly jumped at him. "What—" the redhead struggled not to stagger backward at the sudden force. "What? What's going on?"
"Eustass-ya," Law breathed, pressing his forehead against Eustass' shoulder. Something inside Law had taken over from the moment he started running. A playful, almost childish smile stretched on his lips, "Metal-ya."
Eustass' amber eyes widened with disbelief and recognition. Then the man he loved burst into laughter. "Come here, you brat," he choked out and wrapped his arms around Law. They laughed with each other, uncaring of their surroundings, and the rain was washing away their tears.
"So I found this," Law handed Eustass a hand-drawn ticket. They had come back to the captain's chamber and had just dried themselves after getting soaked in the rain. "This isn't my art. This messy drawing must be yours."
"Did you even look at your own—" Eustass gritted his teeth, "never mind." He took the piece of paper. "I gave this to you when we were celebrating your supposedly thirteenth birthday and your twenty-sixth birthday, but you didn't use it."
"You'll do whatever I want, right? You wrote it on the ticket," Law's smile turned sinister, "I want to use it now."
"As your current self?" Eustass asked nervously, "W-what are you planning to do to me?"
"Don't look so horrified," Law said, "and not really. I already wrote what I wanted as a twelve-year-old, so this is what the child in me wants, and I agree with him. I would want that too."
"Alright. Whaddya want?" Eustass turned the ticket over, looking for the handwritten words the twelve-year-old Law had left on it. When the redhead found them, he stared long at them. "T-this—this—"
Law looked away as a light blush adorned his cheek, "I never got the chance to return this ticket to you, but apparently I wrote an important message in there, so I want you to see it."
Eustass' body trembled slightly. "I have a message for you too," he approached Law, "but this is gonna be verbal, so remember it well." He leaned close, his red-painted lips gently brushing against Law's ear.
The ticket in Eustass Kid's hand was laid flat against the mattress. On its surface, in a child's handwriting, were the words, 'let me experience growing up'.
But these words were crossed with a big red 'X'. Beside them was the correction: 'Stay by my side. I love you'.
"I'll stay by your side," Eustass Kid whispered in Law's ear, "always."
Trafalgar D. Water Law smiled, but the little boy inside him laughed in pure happiness.
A/N:
Hey, this is CinderSkies!
So, what actually caused Law's de-aging? I think it's not really the point of this story, so I'd like to leave it up to your imagination. Personally, though, I like to think that a fluffy cute animal ate a potentially dangerous devil fruit and Law, being weak to cute animals, made the mistake of getting too close.
Have you ever seen the way Law drew Bepo in OP Party? He's very creative, isn't he? And proud of his drawing, too. Giolla taught him well.
Thank you sooo much for reading this story and even dropping reviews! I appreciate you following this fic until its completion! I want to specially thank my friend riel-chi from Tumblr. She drew the cover art for this story and she listened to me and supported me when I expressed doubts about this story.
Thank you again. Take care!