#Muses can be such assholes or make snide comments things on stuff

[clown-demon]

((Seeing somethings.. I think some people forget mun =/= muse and take some muse's comments way too seriously...

[words-and-fangirling-wonder]

A is for Apartment

Finally got this chapter done, woohoo! Sorry for the delay, and for any mistakes. It is unbeta’d and all the editing I did was done at the tail end of an all-nighter, so please let me know if there are any glaring mistakes. 

Author: fangirlwonder (wordsandwonder on AO3)

Pairing: Kid/Law

Prompt: Apartment

Rating: Teen, but only for swearing and stuff, I don’t know I’m bad at rating

Unbeta’d

“Well Mr. Kid, it looks like I have some good … news …?”

The doctor trailed off as neither of the two men in the room stopped what they were doing, or even acknowledged his presence at all. Based on the fact that they seemed to be packing up his patient’s belongings, though, he could only assume they already knew Kid was getting discharged today.

“I am throwing these away, Eustass.”

“What? Why?! The cute nurse from third shift got me those.”

“Which is exactly why they are going in the garbage,” Law retorted with a scowl, dropping the flowers, vase and all, into the trash can.

Kid only shrugged as he listened to the glass shatter on the metal bottom of the bin. “Someone’s jealous,” he muttered, resuming his search under the bed for his computer charger. A light slap on the ass made him jump and almost hit his head on the bedframe, but he figured he probably deserved it, and besides, it got an uncomfortable noise of protest from the doctor he and Law were ignoring.

“Gentlemen, if I could just have a moment –“

“Eustass, get out from under there, your charger is over here,” Law interrupted.

“Oh, really? Shit, okay, just a sec.” Abandoning his efforts, Kid began scooting backwards on his knees to get his head cleared. That is, until a camera shutter sound effect made him freeze and turn to shoot a glare at his unapologetically grinning boyfriend.

“What?” Law asked, lowering his phone. “I’m supposed to ignore an opportunity like that?”

If Kid hadn’t already known that Law was practically giddy (well, as giddy as it was possible for him to get, anyway) about Kid finally being discharged, the surgeon taking pictures of his ass like a teenager would have confirmed it. So instead of protesting, he just rolled his eyes and continued to wiggle his way out from under the bed, ignoring the pinch to his shoulder from his prosthetic.

“If you would just –“

“Trafalgar, where’s that laptop bag you got me?”

“I’m putting your laptop in it right now.”

“Mr. Kid, PLEASE.” Both men finally stopped and stared at the slightly purple doctor in the doorway. “If we could just go over some things I can get your discharge finalized, and we can all be rid of each other!”

Kid and Law exchanged a look before they both began talking at once.

Kid threw his hand over his heart dramatically. “Hey, I’m wounded! And here I was thinking we were pals.”

“Must I remind you that I work here as well, doctor? You won’t be rid of me until you quit, retire, or tragically perish.”

“Really no need to shout, y’know.”

“Not to mention that it was extremely unprofessional to do so,” Law agreed. “I suggest you leave a note about it in the comment box on the way out, Eustass.”

“Alright, enough! I have had it with the two of you! Let’s just get this over with so you can go home,” the doctor growled.

“Well, as it so happens, doctor, someone far more competent has already taken care of all the necessary paperwork,” Law replied, raising an eyebrow judgmentally before turning back to his packing.

“Damnit, Trafalgar, how many time do I have to remind you that you aren’t his doctor!? You can’t do his discharge paperwork!”

“Yeah, but that nurse with the blue hair and the weird name –“

“Vivi.”

“Right, thanks, Law. Nurse Vivi came in and took care of it already,” Kid informed the increasingly frustrated looking doctor.

“She’s very good at her job. Easily worth several of you, doctor,” Law called from the bathroom where he was neatly arranging Kid’s toiletries in a pouch.

“Uh … well …” the doctor floundered. “I suppose that … if she’s already … well …”

“I think the word you’re looking for is “goodbye,”” Kid offered.

“Yes. Well then. Goodbye, Mr. Kid. It’s been a –“

“Don’t you lie to me, now, doctor,” Kid warned teasingly. “Look, I know I’ve been a difficult patient. Thanks for not killing me.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Kid. I wish you all the best.”

“Yes, yes, we appreciate you. Sorry Eustass proved you wrong every time you underestimated him and made you look like a fool. Goodbye, now,” Law added, slipping an arm around Kid’s waist and glaring at the doctor until he nodded briskly and fled the room.

Kid smiled and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s temple. “Ah, lighten up, doc. He was just doing his job.”

“No, the nurses were doing his job. I was doing his job. He was giving up on you, so I will not ‘lighten up,’ because I hate him.”

“You hate everyone, babe,” Kid replied with a chuckle, moving away to search for any stray clothes or belongings that might have escaped their first sweep.

“I don’t hate you,” Law mumbled, drawing Kid’s attention. He’d just been joking, but the way Law was looking at him and his tone were making Kid think he meant something … more.

“Well … I don’t hate you too, Law.”

The silence stretched between them as they just stared awkwardly at one another for what felt like hours, but was actually only a few seconds before Law coughed and resumed tucking things into the suitcase he was loaning to Kid.

“So, uh … how’d so much stuff get in here, huh?” Kid asked lamely, desperate to change the subject.

“Yes, Eustass, that’s quite the riveting mystery.”

“Well look who found their snarky pants after all this time,” Kid muttered good-naturedly. If he was being honest, he’d missed this side of Law; the side that was a snide little asshole most of the time. It was one of the many qualities that had made Kid fall in … not hate with him.

“Hello boys! Al’s downstairs with the van if you’re ready. I’m just … oh, I’m just so happy you’re finally getting out, Eustass!” A pair of thin but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around Kid’s waist and he heard his mother sniffle into his back.

“Aw, mom, you make it sound like I did a stint in prison, not the hospital,” he protested, turning slightly to return her embrace.

“Well, either way! I’m just so happy you’re going to be home!”

“Just for a little bit, mom. Until I can find my own place, remember? In and out.”

“But –“

“No, mom. No buts.”

“Oh alright, Mr. Independent!” she pouted. “But I am going to make you both a fantastic home-cooked dinner tonight to celebrate!”

“Ah, Mrs. Lane –“

“Oh Law, please do call me Annie.”

“Annie, then,” Law adjusted. “I actually only have time to see Eustass to the van. I’m on my lunch break.”

Annie considered this for a moment before giving up with a sigh. “Alright. But we’ll be seeing you soon, won’t we, dear?”

“Yes, Mrs … uh, Annie. Very soon, I imagine.”

Before Kid could stop her, his mother had wrapped Law up in a tight hug. He opened his mouth to tell her to let Law go, but before he could get the words out he was shocked back into silence by the sight of his boyfriend returning her hug with a warm smile. Well would you look at that; all Kid’s worries about Law meeting his family were for nothing after all. And he had to admit, he really didn’t hate the sight of his boyfriend and his mom getting along so well.

“Alright then, Eustass. Let’s finally get you out of here.” Law pulled away from Kid’s mom and picked up two of Kid’s heavier bags, nodding his head toward the door with a lopsided smile.

Kid took a moment to look around the room one last time. He’d grown to hate these sterile white walls, the view of a grimy brick building out his window, the uncomfortable bed and tiny TV. But now that he was leaving, he couldn’t help but feel almost … afraid. After Law’s freak-out Kid had made amazing progress with his physical therapy, and he was finally feeling sorta comfortable with is new arm (though he was still a long way from used to it). But that was within the confines of this place, this hospital where there was always someone there to help him if things went wrong. He’d resented the constant hovering, but now he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to be without it.

He didn’t know how long he’d been lost in thought, but a gentle hand on the small of his back snapped him out of his musings. Law’s eyes were surprisingly understanding as he smiled gently up at his boyfriend.

“You’re strong, Eustass. You’re going to be okay.”

How Law seemed to know what he was thinking was beyond Kid, but he appreciated not having to explain. Instead he returned the smile momentarily before kissing the raven-haired man.

“Okay lovebirds, let’s get going!” Annie chirped happily. Obviously she approved of Kid’s choice in significant other; a first for the surprisingly picky woman.

Kid picked up his last bag and gave a decisive nod. It was time to move on, and Law was right: everything was going to be okay.

++++

“Aaaaayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

The banshee-like war cry of one of his little brothers was the only warning Kid got before the three-year-old landed knees-first on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

“Jesus Christ,” he managed to croak out, resisting the strong urge to push the child off him.

“Waaake up!”

“Kyler, it better not be six in the morning again,” he warned groggily.

“No! I an not Kywer! I an Austin!”

“Am,” Kid corrected automatically. “I am Austin.”

“Nooooo, you are Bubba!”

That did prompt Kid to push the boy off his chest, though he was careful to make sure he landed on the bed and not the floor. “Ugh, don’t call me that. Where’d you hear that, anyway?”

“Momma say it.”

Kid groaned and squinted blearily at his phone. 7:15 am. Fuck, he really needed to move out. “Well, you don’t get to call me that, okay? Is anyone else up?”

“Nope!” the boy replied cheerily. “Only me. An Kywer. An we are vewy vewy hungwy.”

“Fine, I’ll make you guys some breakfast.”

“Yaaaay! Kywer! Bubba makin’ pancakes!”

Well, Kid had actually been planning to “make” them cereal, but apparently that wasn’t going to fly. Shit. He knew once the twins got their hearts set on pancakes they would not rest until they got their damn pancakes. With one last wistful squeeze of his pillow, Kid tossed the blankets off and climbed out of bed. It had only been a few days since he’d left the hospital, but he was already more than ready to get the hell out of this house. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate his mom and step-dad letting him stay here, but he really missed waking up to a phone alarm, rather than a child jumping on him. And the general chaos of an overfull house was starting to get to him a little bit. Not to mention it was really putting a cramp on his romantic life. He’d been looking forward to spending some quality time with Law now that he was finally out of the hospital, but that hadn’t been possible with his crazy family always being around. He’d tried going over to Law’s for the night, but his mom kept texting him asking him when he was coming home and fussing over him and it had been so annoying and distracting he’d finally just caved and gone home. And now he was up at 7:15 in the damn morning making pancakes for disgustingly awake and perky three-year-olds. Joy.

While he was waiting for coffee to brew and the little circles of batter on the skillet to bubble, Kid contemplated texting Law. The doc was probably up, after all, considering he never fucking slept.

Kid: You up?

Barely a minute passed before Kid’s phone buzzed with a reply from Law.

Law: Yes, surprising no one, I’m sure. You being awake at this hour *is* a surprise, though. Are you in pain?

Kid: Yeah, but not in my arm. I think Austin broke a damn rib jumping on me with his bony ass knees.

Law: Please tell me you are joking, Eustass.

Kid smirked at that response before quickly reassuring the doctor.

Kid: About the rib part, yes. Not about the jumping or the bony knees though.

Law: That is an extremely unpleasant way to wake up. My sympathies.

Kid: Thanks. So now I’m making the little rugrats some pancakes.

Law: Ew

Kid chuckled.

Kid: You should come over.

Law: For pancakes? I’ll pass.

Kid: Nah, I’m good on seeing you try to eat bread, thanks. I’ll make you some eggs or something. Seriously, you should come.

There was a pause as Law apparently considered his offer, and Kid took the opportunity to pass food out to his brothers and pour himself a cup of coffee before starting to clean up the mess he made. His phone buzzed again and he tried not to get his hopes up as he flipped it open to read the doctor’s answer.

Law: Alright, then. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.

Kid: Cool, see ya soon.

In a considerably better mood, Kid went about setting things up to make a batch of eggs while the twins threw food at each other and got syrup on every available surface. Between getting them to stop that and finish their breakfast and cleaning up after them, Kid had only just put the eggs in the pan when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

“Damn, doc, you look like hell,” the redhead said by way of greeting. And it was true, the circles under the man’s eyes did seem darker than usual.

“Well, you’re not exactly fresh as a daisy yourself,” Law shot back. “What is that stuck in your hair?”

Kid ran his fingers through his hair and grimaced when they caught on a sticky mess of syrupy pancake. “Touché,” he replied, stepping aside to let his boyfriend inside. “Eggs are on the stove. Should just be a couple minutes.”

“I’ll watch them, you go take a shower,” Law suggested. Kid was tempted to argue, but then his fingers snagged on yet another piece of pancake and he thought better of it. A shower was probably a good idea.

He returned to the kitchen freshly showered just in time to see Law setting out two plates, one with eggs, bacon, and toast, and another with just eggs.

“Wow, doc, you made me bacon and toast? You sure know the way to a man’s heart.”

Law simply raised an eyebrow and set down a fresh mug of coffee by Kid’s plate before sitting down in front of his own and gesturing for Kid to do the same.

“You know, I meant for these to be over easy, not scrambled,” Kid commented as he added a sprinkle of salt and what many would consider an excessive amount of pepper to his breakfast.

“Yes, well, things don’t always go the way we plan, do they?” Law retorted somewhat defensively.

Kid grinned. “So what you’re saying is that you fucked up trying to flip them.”

“Oh shut up, Eustass.”

“Yeah! Shud up, Bubba! Be nice to Law!”

Kid just about jumped out of his seat at the exclamation from under the table. Two pairs of eyes gleamed up at him when he lifted the table cloth to investigate. “What the fuck?”

“What’s fuck?” Kyler asked with an innocent tilt of his head.

Law chuckled while Kid flushed. “Oh shit, look, don’t, uh, don’t say that word. Why don’t you guys go play with your toys in your room?”

“Don’t wanna!” Austin insisted with a pout of his lips.

“Okaaaay,” Kid sighed, massaging his temples. “Then how about you go jump on Bonney?”

The twins exchanged a look and nodded in unison with a cry of “Yeah!” before rushing off to bother their sister.

“You’re an evil man, Eustass,” Law commented with a smirk.

“Ugh,” Kid groused. “I swear, I’m going insane here. I gotta get out of this house.”

“Yes, how is the apartment search going?”

“Not great. It’s a weird time of year to start a new lease, apparently. All the places I’ve found that have units available only have two bedrooms and that’s out of my price range unless I can find a roommate somewhere.”

Law poked at his eggs with his fork. “Well, you know … you could always … move in with me.”

Kid froze. “Uh, sorry, what was that?”

Law finally looked up from his plate, and Kid was surprised to see the barest hint of pink on his cheeks. Was Law blushing? “I said you could move in with me. If you wanted.”

Kid frowned down at his toast. “I mean, that’s … a nice offer and everything, but …”

“Too soon?” Law guessed quietly.

“Nah, not really. Just … I don’t need charity, you know? I’ll be fine. I can find something on my own.”

“Charity?” Law hissed, and Kid was surprised to hear the abrupt shift in his tone from embarrassed to upset. “Are you kidding me, Eustass?”

“What? Is it so crazy that I wouldn’t want a pity offer?” Kid snapped. Honestly, he would have thought Law knew him better than that. If he was going to move in with his boyfriend he didn’t want it to be because the man felt sorry for him, or thought he couldn’t handle it on his own.

“Do you really think I’m the kind of man to make such an offer out of pity? Don’t be stupid.” Law picked up his still mostly full plate and swept angrily to the sink, dumping the eggs and angrily flicking the switch for the garbage disposal.

“Well what am I supposed to think, Trafalgar?” Kid demanded. “Do you really expect me to think you’re not just offering to try to help because you think I can’t do it?”

“I’ve given up trying to expect you to think at all, Eustass. But I would think it might occur to you that I’m offering because I actually want to live with you, and your current living situation makes it convenient for me to extend the invitation.”

“Oh yeah, convenient timing is a real romantic reason to move in together,” Kid sniped.

Law glared at him and threw his fork into the sink. “Damnit, Eustass, stop twisting my words. Yes, the timing is convenient, but even if it wasn’t I’d still want you to move in with me because I love you, and I find it extremely irritating that you’re so insistent on being a stubborn ass about it.”

The realization of what he’d said dawned on Law’s face as Kid simply stared at him, speechless for a moment.

“You … love me?” Kid asked finally, knowing his face was probably just as red as Law’s currently was.

“Well of course I do, you idiot,” he mumbled.

Kid couldn’t stop the huge grin spreading across his face as he practically leapt out of his chair and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, ignoring the man’s protests as he buried his face in the other’s neck. “I love you too, you know.”

“I do know. I don’t need everything spelled out for me, unlike some people.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m an idiot, whatever,” he murmured.

“So is that a yes?”

“Yeah, doc. That’s a yes.” Kid closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together, enjoying the fact that he could feel Law smiling into the kiss.

“EW!” a small voice shouted. “Bonneeeeeey! Law an Bubba are kissinnng!”

Kid pulled away from Law with a good-natured sigh. “So,” he whispered, resting his forehead on the doctor’s, “how soon can I move in?”