Chapter Text
The red house down the street sat empty for a long time. Light illuminated its hollow insides during the day, and darkness filled it at night. One muggy summer day the faded for sale sign tacked to its front porch is finally removed. What soon follows is a fresh layer of paint to hide it’s shabby looking wood shingles and then a moving truck.
Perched on his front porch Law can see amongst the movers carrying boxes and furniture, is a shock of bright red hair. A boy has moved into his neighborhood.
Law wanders over, barefoot and sucking on a melting ice pop. He leans up against a tree by the side of the road to get a better view of the action. The family’s old wagon has a license plate from South Blue. A woman with auburn hair directs the movers into the house and amongst them is the new kid. For a while Law watches the boy carefully move several cardboard boxes with the name “Eustass” scrawled on them from the truck into the garage. Once the boy is done with this important task, he turns to notice his new neighbor.
Law nods at him, gnawing on his popsicle stick. “Hey. Cool goggles.”
“Thanks,” says the boy, reflexively touching the goggles strapped over his forehead. They hold his messy red hair back.
Judging from his height, the boy was definitely younger than Law. Law was tall for his age — already over six feet, the boy barely came up to Law’s shoulders. Freckles graced his high cheek bones and a perpetually creased, almost hairless brow made him look like he was concentrating, or angry. His overall build is kind of stout, a barrel chest with large hands and feet that gave him the look of a gangly puppy.
“I live over there,” Law nods towards the modest colonial style house further down the street. At the outskirts of Sabaody the houses are spaced wide apart, each one sitting upon a large tract of land that backed up to fields of tall grass and oak tree forests.
The kid fiddles with his worn looking shoes for a moment. “I’m Eustass.”
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“You okay?”
“Yeah, m’fine,” mutters Kid, spitting blood into the dirt. He has a bloody lip and a gash on his forehead. His shirt is torn at the collar and hangs over one side of his pale freckled shoulders. Without a second glance Kid grabs his backpack and starts walking down the road with a slight limp.
Law pedals slowly behind Kid on his old yellow bike. It had only been a matter of time before Kid encountered Bellamy. Bellamy was a prime example of someone who’s never left Sabaody. He was the biggest fish in the pond and he liked it that way.
“I didn’t need your help!” Snaps Kid, obviously in a bad mood.
Behind Law, Shachi and Penguin snicker, which only pisses Kid off more.
Law snorts. “A little shrimp like you wouldn’t stand a chance against Bellamy.”
“What’d you call me?!” Growls Kid, taking a swipe at Law as he pedals past him.
Shachi swerves past Kid, leaving a plume of dust in his wake. “Little guy still wants to fight eh?”
The trio pedal on ahead, laughing and jeering with Kid’s curses fading behind them. They pull up to the side of the road where it dips down and a small stream passes underneath. Law shrugs his hoodie off. There’re the beginnings of a large purple bruise on his shoulder where Bellamy had managed to get one on him. Penguin pokes it with a stick and Law shoves at him in good humor.
When Kid reaches the part of the road that crosses the stream, he spots Law dozing under a tree. The dappled light breaking through the trees decorates his tan skin with bright blotches. Shachi and Penguin emerge from beneath the road, carrying frogs and crawdads
“Hey it’s the shrimp! Hey!” Penguin hoots and waves at Kid. Kid flips him off in response.
The commotion wakes Law up. Kid watches him run a hand through dark tousled hair, tan skin stretching over h e stretches, wincing a bit when his shoulder hurts. He turns to fish a soda out of his bag and waves it at Kid— a peace offering.
———————————————
“Wow, these are really cool,” says Law, brushing a dragon’s metal wing with his finger tip.
They’re in Kid’s “workshop”, situated in the red house’s dusty garage. He has his tool box open and is working on his latest project, a mechanical bird that could flap its metal wings. His previous creations are lined up on an old work bench.
“T-thanks,” mutters Kid, hunched over the robot bird. He tries to keep his hands steady even when he feels his face flush hot. He hated it when that happened. It seemed to be happening a lot around Law lately.
“You made all of these yourself?”
“Yeah, I like building stuff,” shrugs Kid, trying to come off nonchalant.
Kid watches Law examine his robots at the other end of the bench. His hands are narrow and slender, nails trim and clean for a teenager. They look nice holding the polar bear Kid had made a few days ago, carefully turning the key on its side to wind it up. Kid looks away before he’s caught staring, returning his focus to tightening a screw on the robot bird’s wings. Since when did he ever care about the way someone’s hands looked? The polar bear totters across the table, its tiny wheels whirring inside its metal shell. Kid’s hand slips and the tiny screw falls to the floor, rolling somewhere out of sight. Annoyed, Kid pushes the metal bird aside.
“You like that one?” Kid barks, his voice coming out louder than he had intended.
Law nods, watching the little bear move. “I like polar bears.”
Kid nods, brows furrowed. “Y-you can have it, then,” he mumbles, suddenly distracted by a stray nut on the table.
Law looks up, surprised. And then a beautiful smile breaks his passive features. “Thanks.” He scoops the small polar bear up carefully in his hands, joy crinkling his eyes.
Kid can’t help but smile in return, and it doesn’t even matter that he’s blushing.
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“Tulip head. Hey, Tulip head!”
Up ahead, Kid stops and finally turns around to glare at Law. His nearly hairless brow is bunched up and heavy over flashing eyes, fists balled up at his side. “What’d you call me?”
“Your head’s like a tulip,” grins Law, reaching out to pat Kid’s head. It was fun teasing Kid, he got riled up so easily.
Kid smacks the larger teen’s hand aside, bristling. He takes a threatening step towards him. “Shut up, say that again and I’ll kick your beanpole ass!”
“Try it, shrimp,” sneers Law, shoving at Kid’s shoulder and jostling him.
“Damn beanpole!!” Shouts Kid, charging Law.
Laughing, Law easily side steps the angry boy but Kid manages to snag his hoodie. They both go tumbling down by the side of the road in a cloud of dust. Using his height to his advantage, Law cages the smaller boy with his long limbs and easily forces him onto his back. But he’s not prepared for the surprisingly strong blow to the ribs Kid manages to get in.
“Ow, that hurt fucker!” Hisses Law, adjusting his grip on the furious boy pinned beneath him. Kid kicks and curses, trying to throw the heavier teen off but it’s no use.
“Just give up!” grins Law, pinning both of Kid’s small wrists down into the prickly grass on either side of his shoulders and sitting on his legs. “You can’t win, Tulip head.”
“NO!” Kid grits his teeth and lets out a deep growl, thin arms shaking with effort as he pushes back hard. He’s just as surprised as Law is when he manages to throw the larger teen off.
With a triumphant shout Kid scrambles on top and tries to pin Law down, but he’s still too small and light to do that. Law has a longer reach and he easily flips them over. They both flatten the grass in a frantic tangle of limbs, accented by an occasional growl, giggle, or insult as the mood becomes more playful. When they finally break apart they’re gasping for breath, covered in bits of grass and dirt.
Law spits some dirt out of his mouth. “Tulip head,” he mutters under his breath.
“Stupid beanpole,” snorts Kid, picking grass out of his hair.
The distant ring of an ice cream truck draws their attention and they run down the street, Law ahead and Kid running hard to keep up.
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“Boo!” Law leaps out from behind a tree, startling Kid who is crouched at the base of it.
Kid shouts in surprise and then reflexively flings the small lipstick and compact mirror he has out into the field. And then he curses inwardly because those were both his mom’s. It wasn’t the first time he’d messed around with her make up so she’d be suspicious if anything went missing. Just as he turns to punch at Law for surprising him, Kid realizes his lips are still smeared with lipstick. He quickly does an about and tries to rub it off, but only manages to smudge the waxy color all over his face and onto the backs of his hands.
The day could not get any worse.
“What’cha doing?” Asks Law, his voice a teasing lilt. He places a hand on Kid’s shoulder to turn him around.
Kid turns to face him with a red faced scowl, daring Law to laugh or make fun of him. When Law see’s his angry and smudged red lips, he doesn’t laugh but he can’t hide his smile. Kid looks ridiculous.
“Go ahead and laugh, asshole!” Shouts Kid, girding himself. He really didn’t want Law to ever catch him in a situation like this. So he’s surprised when the teen tucks a hand into his long hoody sleeve and then uses it to wipe the mess around Kid’s mouth.
“You’re not very good at putting on lipstick, Eustass-ya.”
“Shut up,” mutters Kid, trying to swat Law’s sleeve away. Now his face was burning from embarrassment, not anger.
“Where’s the lipstick?”
Kid sighs and looks off into the field. The two spend a half hour recovering the lost items.
“Don’t move,” says Law, tipping Kid’s head back.
Kid watches Law lean in, so close he can feel the ghost of his breath on his own skin. Something inside him squirms uncomfortably when Law’s slender fingers settle on his jaw and neck, the sensation sends goosebumps up Kid’s arms. The lipstick brushes against his lips in light little swipes, Law’s calm gray eyes making small minute movements as he works carefully.
Kid doesn’t even realize Law’s done until he’s staring at his own reflection in the small compact mirror. Law had applied the lipstick more lightly, staining his pink lips a darker and richer shade. Kid studies his face for a moment in silence.
“How—“
“I have a sister,” shrugs Law.
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There’s an ancient oak tree to the side of the red house. Kid has made it his lookout post. From up on his perch he can get a pretty good view of the surrounding area. Even Sabaody’s main street was visible from up there. Pulling his tinted goggles over his eyes, Kid scans the area near Law’s house. He catches some movement under a tree a few yards away from where he is.
There’s a recognizable mop of black hair and a hoody Kid could recognize from anywhere. But there’s someone else with Law, someone he’s never seen before. Kid crawls further out onto the branch to look around some branches obstructing his view, moving carefully so as not to shake the tree too much.
The other teen isn’t wearing a shirt, it’s crumpled on the ground next to them. Law is turned towards the other boy, his eyes hooded. Kid stops breathing when they lean in to kiss, eyes closed.
When they pull apart, the other teen brushes Law’s hair aside. For a brief second Kid sees the whites of his eyes, and he’s certain he’s been spotted. But instead of saying anything, the teenager turns his focus back onto Law and murmurs something against the tan skin of his neck.
With bated breath Kid watches the older teen’s hand reach between Law’s legs. Watches the way Law twitches in response and then jerks his hips up for a moment, digging his feet into the crunchy leaves. When a soft moan reaches his reddening ears, Kid’s face flushes hotly and his entire body tingles. He’s gripping the oak branch so tightly now his fingers are going numb.
Once the kiss ends, Ace moves lower and pushes Law’s hoody up, lapping a wet trail up his smooth stomach. Law’s eyes flutter open and he glances over Ace’s shoulder. That’s when he spots Kid up in the tree.
“E-Eustass-ya, get the hell outta here!” Squawks Law, red faced and mortified. He quickly adjusts his rucked up hoody and interrupts Ace’s exploration.
Surprised, Kid’s hand slips and he yelps, limbs flailing as he tumbles off the tree. He hits the ground with a dull thump and lays dazed amongst the fallen leaves, the wind knocked out of him. Groaning, Kid manages to prop himself up onto his elbows and look towards where the two teens are. He can see Law looking his way but he can’t hear what’s being said.
“He’s fine,” drawls Ace. “C’mon, let’s go somewhere more private.” He takes Law’s hand and tugs him along. Law glances over his shoulder, meeting Kid’s eyes for a second before following Ace. They both hurry off into the woods and out of Kid’s sight.
Kid stays where he is for a moment, the beginnings of a chill autumn breeze tumble papery leaves around him. His right knee stings from a scratch, but he ignores it.
On his way home he picks up a branch and flings it as hard as he can against a tree, watching it splinter against the trunk.
————————————
Law’s bags are all packed. His room is the most clean it’s ever been. Tomorrow his dad was going to drive him to Dressrosa, the closest city to Sabaody but almost six hours away. Shachi and Penguin had left last week, he’d be joining them shortly at Dressrosa Uni.
After lunch he walks down his street, thinking about how it may be the last time he sees this place in a long time. His dad was planning to move to Spider Miles, a small town closer to Dressrosa. Sabaody feels at once too small, too placid for his liking, and yet it was also like a favorite shirt he’d outgrown.
When he passes the red house, Kid is sitting on the porch with a small plastic bag. Law waves at him. Kid looks a bit more angry than usual but comes down to walk beside him. They walk in silence for a bit, just the wind and the cicadas singing.
Kid kicks at a few stones on the side of the road. “Guess I’m not gonna see your stupid face for a while, huh.”
“Yeah, you might just miss it,” Law grins, ruffling Kid’s hair.
Kid ducks out from beneath his touch, indignant. “H-Hell no!” He snaps, voice cracking. Annoyed, Kid clears his throat and continues, trying to make it deeper. Like a man’s. “I’m gonna get out of this shitty town too.”
Law nods, looking at Kid in a way that makes the boy uncomfortable. He feels genuine affection for his angry, foul mouthed little friend.
They take a detour through a field to a small abandoned shed they sometimes visited to smoke weed or drink stolen beer.
When they go inside, Kid seats himself on one of the wooden crates and pulls something out of the small bag. “Here,” he says gruffly, shoving the rice ball into Law’s face. “My mom made these.”
Law’s face lights up, he loves rice balls. They eat in silence, washing it down with soda. The sun slowly drifts down the blue hills in the distance, and Law takes in the open grassy fields and creaking wood. Kid sitting silently next to him.
“…do you like Ace?”
Law turns to look at Kid, but he’s busy pushing some dirt around with a stick. “We’re just friends.”
“Why did you kiss him?” Kid asks, voice slightly gruff. Kid hoped he wasn’t blushing.
Law stares ahead of him at nothing in particular and then shrugs. “Just felt like it.”
Kid doesn’t say anything, just continues to draw aimless things in the dirt. The wrinkle between his brows is deeper than usual, rust colored lashes shade averted eyes. Law can’t help but smile at the familiar, delicate pink blush blooming up underneath the boy’s freckles.
“Have you kissed anyone, Eustass-ya?”
Kid feels his face flush hotter. “N-no, why would I?” He mumbles through gritted teeth.
Law watches Kid keep his eyes glued to a spot on the floor, his entire body stiff and still. Sighing softly, Law leans over. “Wanna try?”
Kid looks up in surprise, wide glassy eyes and mouth open. Law is so close already, he can almost feel his warm skin
Law interrupts the moment with a laugh, but it’s soft and gentle, not mocking. His mouth’s a soft curve when he silently leans in.
Law’s familiar warm scent washes over Kid and he breathes it in deep, filling his lungs. His lashes flutter when dry lips brush against his, touching for just an instant. It’s electric, and it sends a jolt through Kid’s body, making his fingers curl into a fist in order to quash down all the embarassing, squirming emotions going wild inside of him. This is what he’s been wanting to do for so long — he wasn’t going to back down now. Lunging forward he presses back into the kiss with a growl, mashing his lips against Law’s to swallow the teen’s surprised grunt.
Kid’s sudden enthusiasm bowls Law over, his head knocking against the wooden wall with a muted thump. His hands come up to Kid’s shoulders, but instead of pushing back Law lets his eyes slide shut. What was going to be just a peck on the lips was now an open mouthed kiss. Their clumsy, unpracticed tongues sliding messily over teeth and lips. Kid’s hands fumble awkwardly, gripping the soft material of Law’s baggy hoody.
Just as quickly as it happens, the kiss ends. Kid pulls back abruptly, gasping for breath. Skin hot and sweat cold, mind swimming as he looks at Law’s parted and spit slick lips. Climbing up unsteadily to his feet, Kid takes a few steps back before his tingling limbs urge him to run. And he does. Kid turns and dives out into the field, tall grass nipping at his arms as he flies through the blades. The sunlight stings his eyes. He runs without looking back, leaving the boy he loved far behind.
Frozen in place on the dusty floor, Law watches Kid disappear into the field. The boy’s name is lodged awkwardly in his throat, until he swallows and it kind of hurts. A chorus of cicadas sing as the sun slowly dips behind the oak trees, the dusty insides of the shed going dim. Law gingerly brushes his lips with his finger tips.
It’s the last time he sees Kid for a long time.