Work Text:
The lost soul returns home
The ghost called Law had been gone for real. The redhead couldn’t do it in the end and he went on with his life. It had become quite lonely in the little apartment of him. Slowly but surely Kid finally found his footing in his life. His ghostly roommate had shown him something he hadn’t been able to see before:
Love!
He opened up even slower to people around him at the new work he had found himself a few months later. He even found himself a person whom he could love romantically. She wasn't like he had been completely, but he he had learned to love her. She was fierce and also sweet, she was his little snowflake in the middle of his desert like life. She was just there and she stayed with him, till he had fallen ill. Even then. She was still beside him. They had two kids. The little boy was sitting on the side of his bed.
“Promise me something, little ….” “Dad! I’m no’ little a’more! I’m already seven!”
Kid smiled softly and even a bit proudly at the boy with the soft reddish brown hair. He had her face but his burning ember eyes and he was so proud of him.
“I’m sorry, my big boy. Just promise your old man two last thing, hm?”
The boy nodded slowly and Kid stroked through his soft hair. With this serious gaze he looked like someone else he had once kind of knew, before he went away. Left him alone.
“Always protect your mommy and your sister. And… also.. Be happy and live a life without regrets, little one… my big boy. Dad is so proud of you.”
The redhead smiled weakly at the boy beside him. He knew it wasn’t and will never really be easy for his family, but he was sure they will always stand together.
“I love you…. Law.”
He kissed the forehead of his son and hugged him one armed to his chest. His left arm had been numb since a half year thanks to some failure in his nervous system, but he had worked around it, so it won’t affect his daily life after a while. Kid smiled weakly at his wife, who was holding their little girl against her own chest.
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t give you more time, Lamy.. but…. Thank you for loving me anyway like you had.”
She just smiled, eventho she was almost as pale as he was and tears were already streaming down her face. She made a step closer towards him, helping the tiny boy down from the bed and leaned down towards her husband herself.
Kid gave Kira a soft kiss, making the baby girl giggle happily and patting his face with her soft baby hands. Lamy leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes and sighed softly. She still smelled so sweet and warm. Even if he could also taste her salty tears on his own lips, when she was so close to him.
“I will miss you, idiot.” “I will miss you too, snowflake.”
She still smiled slightly and looked up a bit confused at first, but with a soft nod the next moment. There had been a knock at the door and both adults knew whom it will be. It could only be them. After Kid had given the permission, three tall men entered the now rather small looking room of the really tired looking redhead.
Kid smiled tiredly at the men. They had become part of his family. All four of them had found each other at one of those self-help groups. The men nodded at him and Kid gave Lamy a kiss and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt hands at his shoulders, as a last goodbye. A little later, when he opened his hazed amber eyes for maybe the last time he smiled, while looking straight ahead.
“Took you long enough already, Eustass-ya.”
“The other lost soul is on it’s way home now.”
And the bearded ghost smiled, while he greeted the other, reaching out with his pale hand, taking Kid’s hand and finally Kid could feel him. Finally they could feel each other and they left everything behind. Hand in hand and leaning into each other with soft chuckles leaving him. Kid not minding the constantly beep of the monitor as he went into the light with the other man.
And that’s how Eustass Kid, who had struggled most of his life to live, died with a soft and tender smile on his lips, surrounded by the ones he had found to love as the family he never really had.
But now he was finally at home with the first person whom he had found to love. Even if, the other hadn’t been a person himself, when they first meet. He had given him the last needed push.
“Welcome home Eustass-ya.”
“Thank you, Trafalgar.”