Chapter Text
“Shit.” Law slammed his fist on the hood of his car. Smoke plummed out the sides, surrounding him in gently mockery. He held up his phone, higher than his own 6 feet, willing a bar to emerge on his blank screen.
He was about an hour from the university his GPS last told him, the road meandering through deep country roads. Corn surrounded him, almost tall enough the blot out the remaining sunlight.
Shit. He cursed again, scrolling through the detailed schedule Zou University had sent him. He was supposed to be at the dorms in fifteen minutes where he would be shown where to unpack his stuff and then promptly driven to his first lecture. The window was rolled down and his lecture bag lay forgotten in the back seat, stuffed with notes on the latest discoveries in cardiac surgeries.
“Means shit now,” he muttered to himself. Didn’t matter if he knew how to operate on a torn aorta with a laser, if his rental car was going to shit out on him in the middle of bumble fuck. He gave the tire a vicious kick before wincing, the act doing more damage to his Gucci sliders than to the worn rubber.
Sun beat down against his suit jacket, and he finally removed the heavy tweed coat, throwing it over his briefcase. He never should have come, Bepo had begged him not to leave the city, but Law was determined.
This was a chance to visit a town he had only heard about in stories told next to a rickety space heater.
Idiot. He rolled up the sleeves of his white button down and looked around. A stick poked through the corn fields and he picked it up, determined to brave the smoking beast in front of him. Barely had he touched the hood of the car, when smoke bloomed, black and thick. A flash of red danced and Law dove just in time as an explosion sent bits of car hurtling in every direction.
He uncovered his hands from his face to see the sad carcass of the car hood lying feet away.
“Shit, FUCK.” The curse morphed into a scream as Law hit the ground with his fists.
“What the hell?”
Law had to shield his eyes at first, the sun shone across the pavement as a man exited his car.
“Hello?” Law said, self preservation burning alongside the car hood. He just wanted to get the hell out of the sun and the pervading sense of idiocy. If he got eaten by hick town cannibals at this point, it was his own damn fault. “I could use a hand.”
“No shit.” The man finally stepped into view, and first thing Law could see jeans slung low on hips. His eyes traveled up, and up, over a toned stomach, stalling for a moment over a built chest, then up to a grin that split the man’s face in two. Finally landing on yellow eyes staring down at him, full of condensation. “The fuck did you do to your car?”
“Not my car.” Law muttered, but he accepted the hand reaching out to him, larger than his and calloused. The man stood at least half a foot above him. Law wasn’t used to being shorter than most men, he straightened from his perennial slouch to meet the stranger’s eye. “I just need a ride to Zou University, I can pay.”
They stared at each other for a moment as the stranger’s gaze darted across Law’s face.
“Huh.”
“What’s huh.”
“Don’t look like a student.”
“That’s because I’m not,” Law said, teeth grit as the man broke their gaze. “I’m a visiting lecturer.”
“Hope you’re not planning on going anywhere soon?” The stranger meandered towards the front of the car, before walking towards the still smoking remains of the hood. “Your cars fucked.”
“No shit.”
“You need to bring it to a garage. Or call the mechanic.”
Law let out a strangled yell. “Well where the hell is the backwater mechanic in this hellhole hick town?”
The man’s grin split wider, as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. The jeans dragged precariously lower and Law had to blink his gaze to the corn fields. “ Backwater mechanic, huh? That would be me.”
Shit. Shit, shit.
Law felt his knees crumble as he sunk into a crouch. He dropped his head in his hands, willing himself not to just fall face down on the pavement and give up. He had been driving for hours, nerves jangled and he was so damn tired.
“Hey,” something brushed his ass, not ungently. “C’mon, it’s fine.”
He shot a glower up. “Did you just kick me?”
“Stop crying and get in the car.”
“I don’t even know you,” Law said.
“Eustass Kid.” The man stuck his hand out, and Law took it for the second time, allowing himself to be pulled back up. “Let’s go.”
“What about my car?” Law gravitated towards the smoldering metal, melancholic in the setting sunlight.
“Leave the car for tomorrow, barely anyone comes down these roads anyway. Only reason I saw you was cause of the explosion.”
“Fine,” Law rubbed at his eyes as he leaned into the open window, rescuing his suit jacket and briefcase. “If we head straight to Zou, I won’t have missed too much of my lecture.”
“Zou?” Kid barked a harsh laugh. “Like hell I’m driving to the city tonight, got too much to do.”
“W-what?” Law turned towards him, but the man was already walking towards his car. “Where the hell am I supposed to go then?”
“Huh.” Kid stopped, like the thought hadn’t occurred to him where to house this gangly academic. Law was sure he was an idiot. “Guess you can crash with me.”
An absolute idiot.
“Yea, no,” Law gave a strangled laugh.“That’s the start of every horror movie where you lock me in the basement and chop off all my limbs one by one.”
“I ain’t gonna kill you.” Kid snorted, like it was the most insane idea in the world.
“How do I know that?”
“Bad for business.”
“Absolutely not.” Law leaned against the car, arms folded across his chest. “You will take me to Zou tonight.”
“Sorry, princess, but some of us have work to do.” Kid leaned towards him, the tone of his words clear and Law couldn’t help the flush that burned through him.
“Fuck you.”
“Yea, you don’t have to worry about that either,” Kid barked a laugh. “Ain’t that desperate.”
And Law wasn’t sure if he was relieved or insulted, but before he could form a retort Kid was already opening his car door.
“C’mon, I promise I won’t bite, unlike the animals you’re going to meet if you sleep in that piece of junk tonight.”
Movement flashed in Law’s periphery, highlighting Kid’s ominous words, and Law tore towards the passenger door before he could second guess his insanity.
“Fine, but we’re leaving first thing tomorrow,” he hissed as he settled onto the worn leather seats.
“Fine.” Kid punched the ignition, hand settling on the stick shift in the center consul. He turned a fiendish smile on Law. “Hang tight, princess.”
“I’m not a princess-“ Law words muffled in a clenched teeth yell as the hurtled forward. Nausea churned in his stomach and it was all Law could to do lean back and close his eyes.
Breath, he said to himself. He was the preeminent researcher in cardiothorasic surgery. There was no way Zou would let him go missing this long. They would send someone to find him, he was sure of it.
“Here.” Kid’s voice pulled him out of his spiral and he opened his eyes to see a one level house sitting on a neatly trimmed lawn.
Law unfolded himself from the seat, if a little stiff and clutched his briefcase. Realizing with belated despair that he had left his suitcase locked in the trunk.
“Could this day get any worse?” He muttered low.
His question was answered when the door was opened by another man. Almost as tall as Kid, thick blonde hair hung to his waist, blue eyes stared down at Law.
“Hello?”
“Kil, this is…” Kid turned to stare at him, eyes suddenly wide. “Shit, what’s your name?”
“Dr. Trafalger. Law.” Law sighed, but extended a hand out to the man in front of him. “Sorry to impose.”
The man took a long look at Law’s extended hand before turning back to Kid. “Kid. A word.”
“Wha?” The last syllable cut off as the blonde haired man wrapped a fist in Kid’s worn leather jacked and pulled him inside. The screen door slammed in front of Law’s face with a bang.
Great. Law watched as they disappeared into the house. Every impulse told Law to get the hell out of there, but once glance at the deadbeat brick of a phone in his hand and he remained rooted to the front step.
This was a terrible fever dream of a day, and the sooner he went to bed, the sooner it would be over.
“Kid, what the hell did I say.” Whispered words drifted out the door.
“C’mon Kil,” Kid’s voice was loud.
“What did I say about bring strays back to the house?” The other voice said. “We have enough as it is.”
How many people where in this house? And stray? Law frowned at the insinuation.
Something clacked across the wooden floor, and Law looked down to see a black eye staring up at him from behind the door.
“Bark.” The dog huffed a warning. Its one eye blinked once, the other eye closed shut with a ugly wound scratched down half its face.
“Stupid dog, I don’t want to be either,” he muttered. The dog seemed to accept this because lay down across the entrance and proceeded to emit an earth shattering snore.
“Don’t ‘Kil’ me, find a motel to fuck him like a normal human.” Voices rose again.
“He’s not a whore.”
“Couldn’t tell from the way you’re talking.”
“BYE!” Law yelled through the screen door to no one in particular and turned on his heels. He didn’t know where the hell he was going to sleep, but a bus stop bench would have more respect for him. A whore. He seethed.
“Wait.” Kid appeared at the door, face flushed.
“Sorry, whores don’t wait for anyone.” Law bit out, and the dog seemed to agree because it emit a exicited yip before shooting into the yard.
“Zoro! Shit.” Kid called before turning back to Law. “Sorry ‘bout that. Killer is sensitive.”
“Fuck off, Kid.” A voice called from inside followed by the slam of a door.
“Killer?” Law parroted, incredulous.
“It’s a joke.”
“Sure.”
They stood there for a moment. The fight flying out of Law as quickly as it spiked, cold began to seep under the hem of his shirt and the light in the living room looked suddenly inviting.
“C’mon, we got a nice pullout couch in the living room. It’s private,” Kid said again, eyes darting everywhere but at Law’s face. “It’s getting dark.”
Law hesitated. Something howled in the distance, a low mournful sound that sent a shiver up Law’s spine. “Promise to take me to Zou in the morning.”
“Scout’s honor.” Kid held up two fingers.
“That’s a peace sign,” Law said after a moment “Scouts is three fingers.”
“Just get inside, genius.”
And Law, despite every horror novel and children after school program warning, followed Kid into the house.
It wasn’t as disgusting as he expected, was Law’s first thought. A little messy, if surprisingly sparse. The couch in question lay in the middle of the room, across from a tv on a rickety stand, half a dozen cardboard boxes were stuffed half open in a corner. Video games, and various empty bottles of alcohol crowded most of the available shelving. A poster hung against the wall with a skull surrounded by flames and two guitars for crossbones, the words “Victoria Punk” emblazoned across the top.
“Nice poster.” Was the only thing he could come up with.
Kid flashed him a surprised look before grunting out a quick “thanks.” He swiped at a empty pizza box and a few empty beer cans, depositing them in a garbage bin in the hallway. “Make yourself at home.”
“For a few hours.” Law finished, but set his briefcase on the bed. Someone must have pulled it out, the yellow floral sheets were neatly folded over. There was something quaint about it, a small domesticity in the midst of male chaos. It pulled a memory from Law. A yellow floral table with a cake on it, used and reused candles sat half lit in a semicircle. The sound of laughter echoed around him.
“Beer?”
Law frowned at the green glass bottle held out to him. He rarely drank, and when he did it was usually wine. He never liked the feeling of being out of control.
Seemed a fitting end to a disastrously out of control day.
He accepted the bottle gingerly and took a sip. It tasted like bread and vomit. He almost gagged.
“Too poor for you?” Kid was leaning against the door, his own bottle half finished, staring at Law with a challenging smile.
“Shut up.” Law took another drink, ignoring the way is burned down his throat and hit his stomach like acid.
“Ha!” Kid’s laugh was loud, ringing through the low ceiling. “Got something to prove?”
“No.” Law bit out, hiding the lie as he brushed the back of his hand against his lips. Was it that obvious?
He tried not to look at the man, at the beer in his hands, at the furnishings that spoke of a world he had only ever heard of. They would sit there, his father and him, in their one bedroom apartment and his father would tell him about the little rickety town he had grown up in. The fields of corn and the days of labor under the hot sun, and the summers that smelled like lavender and tea.
Was this the town from the stories? He almost wanted to ask, but held the question under his tongue. It was half the reason he was going to Zou University, wasn’t it. He was determined to find out more.
All the while he felt Kid’s eyes on him, like he could read the memories flashing through Law’s head. “I forgot my suitcase.” Was what he said instead, breaking the silence. His clothes and toiletries were folded neatly in the suitcase in the back of his trunk, as was the medicine he took everyday to keep his heart still beating. "Shit." he rubbed absentmindedly at his chest. He'd never forgotten a day. One couldn't hurt though. Too late to go back now.
“Here,” Kid reached into a drawer to pull out a white undershirt and pair of sweatpants.
“So you do own a shirt.”
“Only for special occasions.” Kid flashed him a sharp toothed smile and Law felt the beer churn low in his empty stomach.
“Get some sleep princess, we’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
The door slammed before Law could reply.
He wedged himself in the space behind the door so he had some semblance of privacy, and changed. The t-shirt was indeed huge, and he had to double knot the sweat pants just to get them to stay up.
He felt like a child again.
The sheets were cold as he slip between them, and he wrinkled his nose against the faint smell of oil and old beer. Curling up on himself he whispered low.
“I’m back, Cora.”