As always, thanks to my dear beta that I am killing with so much work and stupid doubts, but who likes to fangirl with me over stupid things. Love you darling, thanks for apreciating my stupid ideas. For music for this chapter we have: (church garden) for the first and fourt part, (castle of the howling dark) for the second, and (castle chamber fireplace) for the third. Go to ambient mixer and search them since I can't share the links, but as always, it's voluntary and all that.
For the anons:
-Nightcloud: Nooooo I need more of iiit xD Please continue as quick as possible. Law needs to safe him from himself. Isn't there a way that kid can live by law in his house?
Well, It took me longer than necesary, but I don't have this story planed and I have just finished a stressfull season. As for Kidd's life, you will see soon muahaha.
-Guest: Your stories are absolutely fantastic! I can't get enough of them. Especially since kid x law is like one of my otps (other then killer x kid). Your a fantastic writer, I wish u the best.
I'm glad you are liking them cos I don't have any idea where this is going and it's gonna end very bad for sure, in any case thanks for the compliments, I life from them and from people suffering.
Hope you enjoy this
Law watched the redhead sitting under the willow tree in his little garden. The place had never been large or beautiful, nothing could grow in the north for long, but with a little patience and some old spells, Law had managed to grow what was necessary to make his potions. The mandrakes now thrived with huge blue flowers, beside the vines of poison ivy and the ancient tombs of Law's ancestors.
The place had always been quiet, a shelter against the great forest, with the high stone wall surrounding the small place and with the tall trees of the forest hiding almost all the light over their heads. Law had learned there the secret runes with his mother, read a thousand books under the little willow tree, and watched fairies and fireflies dance in the air as if protecting that tiny garden from all evil.
It had always been a special and quiet place for Law, or at least it had been so far.
Law stared at the huge warrior under the tree, his face still wet with tears of desperation, his stance looked defeated, and the huge, bright, white knife was still thrust deep into his chest.
Law clenched his teeth and tried to contain the rage that grew in him at that pathetic and totally unnecessary scene.
Approaching the old king who was sitting on a stone bench that was covered with bright green moss, Law leaned against the tree, glared at the warrior, and crossed his arms as he insulted the man in a thousand languages in his head. God, he'd barely have time to dress when he realized what the other was about to do, and with his thin pants as the only garment the cold morning air was freezing his body.
The redhead, however, only looked up and stared at him, still with the tears in his eyes and the horror on his face, as if he didn't understand what was happening.
"I don't understand"
Law wanted to strangle him.
"You are already dead, idiot. You can't die twice" he said in a tense, angry voice not standing the other's bullshit for a moment longer. "You just hurt yourself and poked a hole through your heart for nothing"
Kidd frowned, still with the dagger nailed to the hilt in his chest. Sitting in the middle of Law's peaceful and sacred garden, with the runes shining with pure and dark magic, and with the sun beginning to rise and assuming another new danger. But even so the sun would not kill him, Law had noticed this little detail the day before while he had been studying all the books he had found about the Draugr.
Kidd represented the darkness, the sun represented the light. That's why he couldn't tolerate it, but even if he laid face up in the sun Kidd would not die. Maybe he would end up with fifth-degree burns, an impressive headache, and some other trauma. But he wouldn't die.
There was only one way to kill a Draugr.
"I...don't get it" Kidd continued, looking at his hands and the dagger on his chest covered by a strange black liquid.
Law gritted his teeth. Very pissed. With two long, swift steps, the raven boy came up to the redhead and, grabbing the hand with which Kidd still held the dagger against his chest, pulled it from the other's chest without delicacy.
Kidd tensed his whole body waiting for pain, waiting for something to make him scream, but instantly the runes brightened with a strange black light, and the huge hole in the other's chest disappeared as if it had never been there.
Law turned his back on the other and started going back to the house. Ignoring the redhead, only containing his anger and avoiding to turn around again to scream at the idiot. He was a magician. The wizards couldn't lose control, magic wasn't something that could be faced if he didn't have a clear head or they risked to lose control of it. So Law would not scream, Law would not scold the other like a mother and he would just ignore everything.
Law simply opened the back door of the house and hissed at the redhead still sitting on the bench: "Enter the house before dawn"
And then he decided to slam the door shut.
…oOo…
The northern forest was a much larger place than people normally thought, spreading far and wide in all directions from the little valley to the dark mountains of the end of the world. The huge forest also had its own ancient mind, had enemies and its own dark secrets.
Law, having grown up in the forest since he was a child, having heard the howls of the wolves every night and the sound of the branches, knew each and every one of these secrets.
Without problems Law walked through twigs and roots avoiding the deadly traps hidden in the forest: the lagoons with small selkies and sirens, the huge burrows and holes of strange animals that went miles down into the earth, or the strange mushrooms of vivid colors that could turn one crazy by just smelling them.
Carefully, taking his time, Law headed south, toward the edge of the forest, as the sun barely managed to rise between the clouds and the tops of the trees.
The light was weak, almost nonexistent, but Law knew that the shadow that was lurking in them would not dare to go hunting anyway. Like Kidd, the light wouldn't kill it, but it would leave it incapacitated for a few hours, and that was a great risk to take in a forest where everything could become an enemy.
He was safe until the night came.
After a few hours of walking between the thick, ancient and forgotten paths, Law finally reached his destination: an old palace built against a small mountain, and darkened by the immense forest that surrounded him. Huge vines climbed every wall and tower, covering the gray stone and the windows, and darkening the interior to protect who lived inside from the odious light.
Law had never liked this place, the millenary creature that inhabited its interior seemed to deserve something far better than the ruinous walls, but getting out and moving from there almost seemed like an impossibility to task from him.
Dracule Mihawk owned the biggest and largest library that had ever existed. Taking out all the books he owned and taking them to another place would take several decades and a huge waste of time and effort.
So Law walked silently down the big causeway that led to the huge door of the haggard palace as he thought about what he had come for and the reason he had come here: how to break Kidd's curse for once and for all.
What had happened this morning in the garden had opened his eyes in a way he hasn't expected.
What Kidd had done that morning had hurt him.
After leaving the house Law had stood for a moment outside and had analyzed the reason of his anger. This wasn't normal for him, Law didn't lose his temper in this way no matter what happened.
And then he had understood.
He was angry because he had been afraid that Kidd was really going to hurt himself, because Kidd had made him feel weak and powerless for a moment, and because he had hurt him. The fact that Kidd had lied to him, that he had tried to suicide and disappear after what they had done together, after what had happened in those last two nights, had hurt him in a way he didn't want to understand. Kidd had told him a thousand and one things that had made him feel loved and appreciated for the first time in years, he had promised Law that he would wait for him to find a way to break the spell, had told him that nothing happened and that he shouldn't worry, and then he had done that.
'You can't trust anyone.' Law had forgotten the first rule that his mother had taught him, the only one Law had vowed to follow after she had died. And as punishment the pain and the stupid feeling of betrayal had now arisen.
A feeling that should never have been there.
So Law would end Kidd's curse, destroy the shadow and bury the warrior in his eternal tomb letting him rest in peace as it should have been. There was no other choice. At the beginning, after the incredible first night, Law had known instantly that he would fight anything to have a man like that by his side, he had even swore that he would risk his own life for Kidd's shake after all the man had suffered, he had thought that Kidd worthed it. But not now. Kidd had lied and betrayed him, Law would forget everything that had happened and continue to live his life as always.
Alone. As it should be.
The huge doors of the palace opened and Law entered through them with a breath of fresh forest air. The interior was as dark as ever, cold, damp, with that smell of dust and old house. Law barely stepped inside as the door closed behind him, hiding the little light that came in from outside and plunging him into utter darkness.
Law sighed, slightly uneasy with the darkness, but Mihawk had always liked to have control over the things, to be the one to handle the situation, and to see his guests shake with fear and uncertainty.
Law supposed it was part of being a thousand years old vampire, living alone in a forest. He had to get the entertainment from somewhere.
However, after a while, when Law didn't see the vampire receive him with one of his usual stoic faces and a huge candlestick lighting the place, the mage began to worry. Raising a hand, Law conjured the familiar ball of light and looked around curiously.
But there was nothing there. Only books stacked by the corners of the huge hall, along with dirt and cobwebs covering the high ceilings.
Law advanced through the palace, beginning to worry about the lack of reception. What if the shadow had also attacked Mihawk? What if the vampire had died because of him? Mihawk had always been a constant in Law's life, had always been there, as a neighbor and a friend, comforting him when his mother had died, helping him in his worst times and arguing with him about one book or another.
Law walked through the various rooms in silence, dodging book after book piled on the walls and looking for the vampire in the known rooms.
When he had been small, Law had once asked the old and fascinating creature why he had so many books and what it was he was looking for so desperately. The man had only looked at him frowning for a moment, making him tremble, and had quickly told him that he was not looking for anything, that he had everything a man could ever wish for.
That had been his first fight.
Law had known from the first moment that what the old man said was a lie, but he had said nothing ever again and over the years he had discovered the real reason behind so many books.
Mihawk hated being a vampire.
Year after year, after year, the millenary and elegant creature had sought a cure, not surrendering, not risking to return to the world and kill again with the strange thirst of blood that he was suffering.
Law felt a slight pity for him ever since. His mother had explained to him years ago that there was no cure for what the vampire had, that it was not a disease that could be fixed.
Finally, Law managed to reach his destination, the enormous library of the house where it was difficult to move by the amount of books stacked on top of each other and scattered on the floor without the slightest organization. Read and discarded forever in a corner without containing the data that the vampire wanted so much.
A small fire in a fireplace flared in the distance in one of the chimneys of the palace and in the middle of the darkness of the place, right in front of two large old sofas where a well-known figure was found.
Law almost gasped with relief at seeing the vampire alive.
"Mihawk!" Law called him, quickly approaching the small fire and trying to get rid of the strange cold from the castle.
But as soon as Law approached, he knew something wasn't right.
The vampire was in one of the chairs of the place, sitting in what looked like a relaxed way, but instead of the controlled and calm posture the man normally had, the vampire was tense. Incredibly tense. His hands were clenched over the armrest of the chair with sharp nails digging into the old fabric as if Mihawk was holding himself back still in order not to pounce on Law right there. His skin was much paler than normal, almost translucent and covered with sweat and strange black veins Law had never seen. His clothes were a mess, his shirt ajar revealing the tanned muscles of his chest and his hair was messy and tangled, giving him a wild hot look.
Law could even see his fangs descended and those strange red eyes glowing in the dark completely focused on his person.
Law frowned annoyed by the scene. The vampire had never cared for himself, never fed as he should, and there were times he neglected himself more than he needed, clearly punishing himself for his murderous nature.
But Law had never seen him like this. He had never reached this limit.
"When was the last time that you fed?" Law asked in a hard, angry voice, as if he were scolding a child who didn't want to behave.
Mihawk just grunted low in his chest, a sound that was not entirely human and that made the hair on the back of Law's neck rise at how desperate and hungry it sounded.
His red eyes remained fixed on him, not moving at all, and the vampire's breathing suddenly became much more fanatical and heavy, as if he was intoxicated by Law's scent only a few feet from him. As if he were slowly losing what little control he had left.
"What do you seek, Trafalgar Law?" His voice sounded like an angry hiss, strange to be uttered between the long fangs, without the velvety, almost seductive tone it normally had.
His red eyes continued to travel over his body from head to toe.
Law looked away frowning and feeling his cheeks redden beneath that almost possessive look. But it was inevitable, Mihawk had been Law's teenage fantasy years ago. In a world where he barely spoke with more than two people in a month, the old vampire had been almost a cult for him. Perfect pale skin and dark hair messed in that way that way that made women sigh. The vampire possessed a body toned and plagued with powerful muscles after centuries practicing and perfecting the art of fencing, which had made a teenager Law tremble as he imagined himself licking them all. But the worst thing had always been those strange red eyes that had made him shudder since the first day they had met.
Nothing had ever happened. If the vampire had ever realized the magician's attraction he had never done anything to solve it, and after years of living together and meeting more people, Law had lost the interest. But the old attraction was still there, and it was at times like this, with the other staring at him in this way, where Law was sadly once again feeling like a hormonal teenager.
Because Mihawk's gaze right now was not pure and innocent at all.
"I've come for books..." Law murmured quickly, trying to distract himself and clenching his fists to calm himself and the annoying blush "About the Draugr. And how to kill it ... I found myself- "
But his speech was quickly interrupted when the vampire rose abruptly from his seat and, at the next instant, he was millimetres away from his face, with one hand firmly grasping his jaw, and tilting his head to the side forcing him to expose his neck.
Law felt the vampire's breathing in the sensitive skin, making him shudder, savoring Law's richer scent there, and purring low in his chest as if Mihawk could barely control himself any more. The vampire's skin felt cold against his own warm one, dead, pulseless, but tremendously arousing with his force and intent. The fantasy of Mihawk biting him had been Law's greatest dream when he had been young, and this was looking increasingly like any of those stupid fantasies.
"You know there is always a price to pay, little one" whispered Mihawk against his neck, almost with hatred, as if he couldn't control the words that came out of his mouth, and he was hating to even say them.
Law knew about the dealings with the vampire. They had done them a thousand times, but they were usually equitable exchanges. If Law took a book, he had to bring another. If Law asked one annoying question, Mihawk could make another equally hateful one. However, this time, with Mihawk panting against his neck Law had the intuition that the vampire was not going to ask exactly for a book.
This time the vampire had fallen like Law had never seen him fall.
Law felt his pulse quicken beneath the other's grasp, unable to avoid it, not just in anticipation or fear, but in a strange and utterly inconvenient pleasure. Mihawk practically roared against his neck pressing him even harder against his body.
Yet the vampire managed to control himself at the last moment without touching him any more, letting him make the final decision.
Law had always admired the dark-haired man for that tight control, for his intelligence, and for the arrogant air he had always had and which had driven him mad several times. But seeing him reduced to this, to a lustful beast, wasn't helping Law either with the situation or his now not so small erection.
Shit. And more shit.
"I know. It's ok. I accept the deal "
Law could barely finish the little sentence before the other grabbed the little hair at his nape and pulled his head back sharply to lick at his neck just above his carotid. Law could barely contain the moan, a mixture of pain and pleasure, at the sudden and hard movement, and for a moment he just hold his breath as the other man gently nibbled at the sensitive skin beneath his ear.
"You are covered in love marks Trafalgar, did you found a lover?" Mihawk whispered as he repeated the movement now downwards, slowly lowering his mouth to Law's collarbone and causing the mage to cling tightly to the vampire as he felt his legs melt "What would be his opinion about this? "
Law whined as he felt the other's tongue press against his pulse in a slight advance of what was to come. But then, for a moment he remembered Kidd. The promises. The dagger. The lies.
The rage and a feeling of betrayal flooded him again and he pressed against Mihawk's body even harder in a clear hint.
"It's not like that" he hissed with hate in his voice.
"I see" Mihawk almost purred against his neck, sounding almost satisfied with Law's answers "Mmm Law, you have always represented such a temptation"
Law felt the other's arms wrap around him then, hold him in place as he finally felt the other's fangs tighten against his weak skin. Impatient, strong and sharp. Prepared to mark him at last after years of restraint.
The last thing Law heard before falling back into the darkness was the groan of pure satisfaction from the vampire.
...oOo...
When Law opened his eyes he was lying on the large sofa with the fire crackling reassuringly at his side. The table in front of him was covered with new, abundant books, and Law knew immediately that the were those were the books he had asked at the vampire for for moments ago.
Law wanted to get up to examine them instantly, curiosity had always been something powerful in him, and his need for knowledge immense, but, as he tried to get up from the old sofa, his head began to throb and he could do nothing but lie down again with a grunt of pain.
Apparently Mihawk had been very thirsty.
"I apologise for my behaviour" the vampire said coldly and finally composed beside him.
Law turned his head to watch him then sitting on the floor at the feet of the mage. His skin had slightly recovered its color, his fangs had disappeared, and his eyes were once again a precious gold color like the oldest coins. The one Law had always liked. Even so, despite the obvious improvement, Law couldn't help but notice the small frown on his face, or the tense lines of his shoulders.
Mihawk wasn't normally an expressive person, Law sometimes doubted if the vampire even had feelings, but with time Law had learned to read the small changes in his body language. That was another reason why moments before he had been so surprised to see the other man so out of his mind, expressing his hunger and emotions so openly.
Pathetically turning him on with just that.
Mihawk had never lost control that way, he had never been so thirsty. Law had never known where the vampire got the blood he was drinking, but the other had never reached such extremes. Maybe he was finally giving up, maybe he could not stand being the monster he thought to be and he'd been torturing himself.
Law bit his lip and frowned, slightly worried.
"It was nothing. I gave you my consent. The pay for the books" Law watched the other tense his muscles again and clench his fists. They both knew that this deal had no foundation and that all this had been a farce.
Law couldn't help smirking then, slightly pleased with himself for being, for the first time, the one who had have the control of the situation and not be the one defeated and humiliated at his feet.
He was going to scrub this on the other's face for the rest of eternity until the vampire stopped pitying himself.
"Why do you want books about the Draugr?" Mihawk asked however, quickly changing the subject and distracting his mind with something else as if he knew what Law was thinking. "That's black magic Trafalgar, and conjuring a dead man out of his grave is deeply forbidden"
'Conjuring?' Law smirked again.
They had to talk about what had just happened, and not just for Law's own personal fun, but for the man's own shelf. But maybe now wasn't the best time for that talk. Law could barely move yet and it was not a good idea to piss off a vampire, friend or not.
So for the moment the raven boy let him be, and in a calmly tone he told the vampire what had happened the previous two nights with the Draugr. Of course omitting the small details of what Kidd and Law had been doing in a bed with each other, and the little incident that morning. Mihawk definitely didn't need so much details or more reason to look at Law as if he was an idiot.
The vampire didn't say anything as Law told him the facts, but he brought a small plate with food and pushed it to him. Subtly forcing him to eat something after losing so much blood.
When Law finished the story, they were both silent for a while. Law eating and trying to put his ideas in order, and the vampire clearly thinking about what he had just told him.
"Be careful this time," Mihawk whispered, his voice still tense and serious, almost dangerous, as he absently stroked one of the books on the floor as if it were an old pet.
"Then come with me," Law offered as if it was the most normal thing in the world, putting another grape in his mouth and bursting it against his palate before swallowing it whole.
"Excuse me?"
Law smirked again. Waoh. Mihawk sounded almost surprised and terribly confused. Law nodded slightly pleased with himself at gaining a reaction from the vampire.
"I don't like you being here alone with that thing prowling around the forest," said the wizard. "If you die, I will lose my only source of knowledge, and besides, you have read about the subject much more than I did, having you there will help me solve the problem much faster." And get rid of Kidd sooner.
Mihawk watched him from the foot of the sofa for a long moment, frowning as if utterly unable to understand Law this time. For a moment Law thought he would refuse, he was almost certain, Mihawk never left his palace, no mattered what happened. But then the vampire's eyes lowered to Law's neck where he still had the marks of his fangs and to then looked at the trembling Law was eating with with.
His eyes shone red again for a moment.
"Alright. I do not trust the creature in your house or your ability with dark magic anyway. I don't wish to lose my palace for your incompetence"
Law nodded amused despite the brief insult. He did not trust Kidd either. Not anymore.
….oOo….
Getting back to Law's little house took them much longer than necessary. Law still couldn't move as he wished, and in the end, to the wizard's humiliation, Mihawk had to carry him in his arms while Law also holded the books so that they could move forward at a decent pace and reach the place before nightfall. Law meanwhile, refusing only to be charged like a princess, took care of creating a simple dark spell to protect the vampire from the sun, like the one he had created over the house before leaving and leaving Kidd in it.
Mihawk was still acting weirder than usual. Law had lost count of the times the vampire had watched him for a while in that intense way, as if worried that Law would be all right.
At first it had been almost funny and Law had gotten teased him about it, but then it had become slightly worrisome and now it was only annoying him.
Law was not that weak. He had destroyed a Draugr by himself, and had survived a starving vampire. He didn't understand why Mihawk was worrying so much about him.
When they returned to the house, it was almost night, Law undid the protection spells against the sun, and Mihawk gently lowered him to the ground, however still leaving a hand in the lower part of his back to support him as if Law was going to fall if he let go.
Law glared at him, starting to get angry.
However, at that moment the door of the house opened with a heavy blow and Kidd go through it running to where Law was.
"Law! I'm sorry, I didn't want to-" But instantly, the redhead stopped dead in surprise as he saw Mihawk next to Law.
As if he had been struck by lightning or slapped in the face.
Law also felt the vampire tensing behind him, and a weird chill ran through Law in the reigning silence.
Maybe this had not been such a good idea as he'd believed.
Kidd watched them both in silence. Law could see his gaze lingering on the hand Mihawk still had on his back, the way Law seemed to lean on the other as if having trouble standing, the mark of the vampire's teeth on his neck... and then Law watched Kidd slowly clench his fists and glare at Mihawk clearly misunderstanding the whole situation.
Although it was not as if Law cared what the redhead thought.
Unfortunately, Mihawk also seemed to notice some things. Kidd had left the house only with his pants on, and even though there was almost no light, the scratches and bites marks from the night before could still be seen on his skin. Between that and the very bruises Law had on his body and on which Mihawk had eloquently commented, the vampire had no difficulty in summing two and two.
"Ah. I see, the lover" Law could swear to hear a strange satisfaction in the vampire's voice, as if he were rubbing something at Kidd that Law couldn't understand, as the hand on his back seemed to squeeze him almost possessively.
Which made no sense at all.
This had definitely been a bad idea.
"Kidd, this is Mihawk, an old friend, he he will stay with us for a while and help me solve your problem," Law quickly mumbled unable to look at their face right now, though it wasn't as if that mattered, they other two seemed to be killing each other with their eyes.
Pretending not to see the new disaster in his life, Law walked with difficulty to the entrance of his house without looking at the other two who pacifically shaked hands and murmured something that sounded like a tense and unkind greeting. Law simply entered his beloved house cursing all his ancestors for his own stupidity.
Soooo, I saw this picture on Tumblr, and I'm to weak for hot guys, and things happened, and surprise! we have a new ship. I know it's weird, I know you are all gonna hate me for this, but let's see the good point: this it's gonna be fun, and kill me if you don't also think MihiLaw is hot!
And I haven't killed Kidd either, I'm a good person, you can't say bad things to me, I deserve this little new ship!
