Summer didn't visit The Heart Seat at all after her rather heated argument with Law. She was too angry at him for wanting to dictate what she could and couldn't do with her life. By the sound of it, he hadn't interacted with Kid in a long time, and he'd seemed nice enough upon their first meeting. That led her to believe that Law was just being stubborn and a jerk.
Why couldn't Law just be happy that she was able to get a date? Couldn't he see that she was trying to move on with her life and be happy? Couldn't he see she was trying to come to terms with the fact that he himself just wasn't interested? It was partially his fault for all this happening anyways, she thought.
Maybe she'd been holding out hope for too long, those past few years, that Law would somehow turn around and notice her genuinely for the first time. It wasn't her fault that he was just so damn gorgeous and mysterious…Nor was it his, she supposed. But she was in no mood to think he was faultless, and so she stubbornly refused to believe he was in the right.
The day before, Kid had called and asked to go to dinner the next day. Summer had eagerly agreed, actually looking forward to seeing him again. He'd been rather intriguing when he'd showed up the first time, and she was sure that the night would be filled with interesting conversation.
Now that the day was here, she scrambled around her closet for something nice to wear. The lime green sundress she'd worn for the date with Basil Hawkins was dirty, and so that was out of the question. She wanted to dress to impress, so anything short of a skirt and blouse or a nice dress was out of the question. He'd mentioned he was taking her to his favorite place, and so she decided to wear her favorite thing in accordance.
In her inability to wait patiently for something anticipated, Summer found herself ready to go an hour before Kid was even supposed to pick her up. She paced her kitchen, idly petting Max on the head as she stared out into her apartment. Nerves were beginning to get to her, and the butterflies wouldn't leave her stomach.
So many things could go wrong, but she worried most of all about embarrassing herself in front of not only him but the patrons of the restaurant as well. She let out a slow breath, forcing herself to calm down.
There was a gentle knock on her door and she quickly glanced at the clock. It was only 7:12. Way too early to be Kid. She walked to the door and peered out the peephole, smiling at who it was.
"Hitomi, how are you?" The olive-skinned girl gave a smile back, stepping into the apartment when Summer invited her in.
"You look especially fancy tonight. Going somewhere?" She questioned, which made Summer blush.
"I'm…actually going on a date." Her eyebrows arched up, amusement dancing in her red eyes.
"Well, would you look at that. I knew you'd get one pretty easily. What's his name?"
"Eustass Kid." She nodded slowly, unfamiliar with the name but sure that she was in good hands. Because if she wasn't, things wouldn't go too well for whoever this man was. She'd be sure of it.
"Well, I'm sure you'll have fun. But what I came over to ask was if you happened to see Soma's rubiks cube anywhere? He hasn't been able to find it and I wondered if he brought it over for his birthday."
Summer frowned, thinking back to that Saturday. Then, she shook her head. "I don't think so. He didn't have it out at all and never mentioned it. Maybe he left it at school?"
Hitomi gave one more quick glance around. "Hmm. Maybe." Her focus returned to the blonde. "Anyways, I'll get out of your way. You'll have to tell me how your date goes when you get back."
"Will do." Summer assured with a grin. The two started towards the door, and Hitomi gave her friend a little wave before heading down the hall to her own apartment. Summer watched her leave before shutting the door, taking a deep breath. She glanced at the clock again. Only 7:18. Dammit, this was taking forever.
Being in such a nervous state that she was, she wandered back to her bedroom and checked her makeup once more. Everything looked fine, with mascara in place and eyeliner making her eyes pop. It wasn't often she wore formal makeup and anything that took more than five minutes to do in the morning, so the application of foundation and some eyeshadow made her look…really good, she concluded. She grinned at the results of her handiwork after slaving in front of the mirror for half an hour making sure it was perfect.
After getting worked up again over how wrong the evening could go, she decided to plant herself in front of the tv to distract herself. She told Kid which apartment building and door she lived in, so he'd probably knock when he got there. Besides, one of her favorite shows was on.
By the end of the show, the clock on the stove displayed 7:58. Summer double checked her phone, seeing no missed calls or texts. She bit her lip, wondering if he would actually come.
Another five minutes passed, and by then, she was getting worried. In her worry, she even stepped out of the apartment and looked out over the small amount of parking lot she could see, on the off chance he'd be standing there waiting for her. There was nothing.
Yet another ten minutes went by, and she was just about to call and ask where he was when suddenly her phone vibrated. She jumped, surprised by the sudden noise. The caller I.D. showed Kid, and she answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, sorry I'm late. I'll be there in about five minutes." She smiled, relieved that he hadn't stood her up at least.
"Oh, no worries. I'll be waiting here."
"Cool, see ya." He said, and he hung up a moment later. She stared at her phone a moment, finally shrugging it off. Kid seemed like the brash type anyways. His brisk nature didn't surprise her all that much. The big and burly men she'd known in her life tended to be rough around the edges. But they always turned out to be sweethearts underneath all that tough exterior.
It took ten minutes for him to finally get there. Summer marked it off as traffic. He called again, stating he was in the parking lot below and for her to come down. She raised a brow at that, slightly irked he hadn't come and gotten her at her apartment door. Still, she let it slide. It wasn't that big a deal anyway. Maybe Summer was just too much a stickler for details.
She made her way down the stairs, walking across the walkway to the parking lot. She spotted a running car in one of the closer spots. It was a black Lexus, with darkened windows so she couldn't see inside. Though, when she got closer, the driver honked twice to let her know it was him.
She sauntered up, opening the passenger door and peering inside. Kid held up a hand, patted the passenger seat.
"Get in!" He called with a smirk. Smiling back, Summer climbed in and closed the door behind her. An overwhelming smell of cologne assaulted her nose, but she was able to hold back the initial face of repulsion. Slamming the door closed, she managed a smile.
"Bad traffic, huh?" She asked with a grin. He shrugged, backing out of the parking spot.
"Not really." And that was all he said. He didn't give an explanation as to why he was almost thirty minutes late, and judging from his continuous behavior she doubted he'd ever provide one. Summer glanced out the window, thinking that this date wasn't starting off very well. Still, she had hope for it to recover.
He didn't seem to want to chat very much in the car, for every conversation she started up, he ended with a few sentences. After awhile, Summer just gave up trying. So much for those lengthy conversations she'd been looking forward to…
He drove them through the city, past restaurants she frequented regularly, and even past the university itself. It took them about ten minutes to get to the place, and the only reason she knew it was the place was because he parked.
"We're here." He'd said, already starting to climb out of the car. She looked up in surprise, noticing the half-burnt-out neon sign that proclaimed the establishment as 'Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.' Summer raised a brow at the titled, wondering how such a business existed with a name like that.
Nonetheless, she followed Kid up to the door, and when they entered, she stepped into a dimly-lit bar of subpar quality. And that was putting it lightly.
The walls were painted either shades of gray or black, depending on the part of the room. Pictures of sports team hung along the walls, with a dart board in one corner and two pool tables in the other. A large tv took up the middle side of the room, with tables and chairs scattered around it.
The room smelled like booze and sweat, and of some damp smell that couldn't be anything good. Summer suspected mold, which wasn't a comforting thought. An open bar was on the opposite side, and a tall, thin woman stood behind it.
"Shakky!" Kid called, waving to her as he entered. The woman looked up, giving a little wave.
"I'll have Heat take care of you." She answered back, disappearing behind a door near the bar. Kid, meanwhile, wandered over to a table by the wall. Summer silently followed, glancing around at the other patrons.
They didn't look so…friendly, she noted, frightened when a couple of them scowled at her presence. Most were covered in dark and graphic tattoos, or sporting clothes that looked more like they'd been through the shredder. She swallowed thickly, glancing down and feeling awfully overdressed for the occasion in her knee-length spring skirt and white, long-sleeved shirt.
"Take a seat." Kid offered, gesturing to the chair opposite him. She did so with as much of a smile as she could muster considering the circumstances. If he noticed her apparent discomfort, he didn't mention it.
"So, this is your favorite place to go?" She asked, and he grinned.
"It's got the best liquor in town, though the prices are nothing short of awful."
"Ah." She nodded, thinking back to the company's name. Just then, someone came up and stood beside the table.
"What'll it be?" The man asked. Summer glanced up at his face, noticing his short and narrow eyes and blank face, almost like a scarecrow. Kid held up two fingers.
"Two bottles of scotch and an appetizer." Nodding, Heat walked off behind the bar, leaving the two alone.
Summer frowned. Now he was ordering for her. Things were going downhill pretty fast. And the worst part was she had to stay the whole time since he'd picked her up from her apartment. There was no escape besides completing the date in its entirety.
"So, you take pictures for a living?" He asked suddenly. She glanced up, glad that they were finally actually getting to a conversation.
"Oh, yes! I'm a photography major like I said before, and I do freelance photography on the side. You know, weddings, graduations, birthdays…"
"Hmm…ever take pictures of naughty things?" He asked with a wide grin, waggling his eyebrows up and down. Her face turned red, and she held up a hand to shoot down his assumption.
"No, no! Mostly scenery and modern shots." She finished quietly, watching him laugh at her embarrassment.
"Hmm…cool." He concluded, turning his attention to the tv on the wall. Summer's smile turned into a tight-lipped line. Heat took that moment to return with the alcohol and french fries as the appetizer.
For the next half hour, Kid's main focus was on the basketball game being played on the tv, interrupted by random questions directed at her. Most of them were downright rude. Summer munched unhappily on the french fries, deciding that they were probably the only things he'd be ordering that night. And as time went on, so did the alcohol.
By the time Summer had finished her first scotch, which had admittedly taken a long time since she wasn't used to such strong stuff, Kid had consumed at least three. He was working on his fourth by the time the game had finally ended. And by then it was already 9:30. Still, Heat had replaced her empty bottle with a margarita by her request. She'd failed to touch any more alcohol though.
Kid was obviously drunk. He couldn't quite sit still, and his shouting at the tv had increased as the night wore on. Summer could smell the alcohol on his breath from across the table. And when the game finally ended, he turned to Summer with a wide grin.
"Hey, the hot blonde across the table." She raised her eyebrows, as if expecting him to be talking to someone else. Which she was. "Yeah you. What cup size you rocking?" He asked blatantly.
Summer's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?" She asked heatedly. He chuckled, leaning forward across the table.
"I'm talking to you, pretty thing. How big are those tits of yours? I'm guessing…a C at the least?" His slurred voice said. Her cheeks were burning up from the embarrassment of the question.
"I don't think that's very appropriate." She breathed deeply through her nose, trying to keep herself calm. Kid's voice carried, and already one or two sets of unwanted eyes were staring at the noisy exchange at their table.
"I prefer D's myself but I can settle for a smaller fish."
Summer was feeling more and more insulted and…violated by his vulgar comments, but what he did next set her over the edge.
"Come on, just let me have a feel." He reached forward and gave her left breast a squeeze. She squeaked, slapping his hand away in anger.
"Don't touch me!" She shouted, standing from her seat. Kid stood too, anger plainly visible on his face.
"What's the deal? If you aren't putting out what's the point to this date? Chicks the are hard to get aren't worth my time." He asked pigheadedly.
Summer had had enough. Lip quivering in anger, and embarrassment, she grabbed the full glass of her margarita and threw it into Kid's face, drenching him all across his shirt as well. The room seemed to quiet down and all eyes were on them. Kid pulled his hand back, wiping away the liquid from his face with a deep frown.
"I'm insulted you think that way of me. And frankly, I think you're rather insufferable." She huffed, going to grab her purse from the back of her chair. She turned back to him, intending to bid him a goodnight, but suddenly the back of his hand sailed across her face and she was sent stumbling back from the force of the blow.
"How dare you talk to me like that!" He roared, alcohol-smelling-breath hitting her full in the face. She was stunned, shocked that he had actually hit her. She'd never been slapped before. The force of his slap had caused reflex tears to begin at the corners of her eyes, and she backed up another step.
"This bitch should learn her place!" He shouted again. His ferocity had frightened her, and now in his drunken rage, he began towards her again, his hand raised. Heat grabbed him from behind and looked at Summer.
"Go!" He called, nodding towards the door forcefully. She took a tighter hold on her purse and wasted no time in belting out the door.
Once outside, she found to her surprise that it had began raining sometime in the hour and a half she'd been inside. Actually, raining was a bit of an understatement. It was a full-out downpour. People hid under umbrellas or avoided walking in the open altogether. Unfortunately, Summer had no protection from the rain. Nor did she have a ride home. Standing under a ledge from one of the roofs nearby, she dug out her cell phone and sighed in frustration. It had died.
"Dammit." She muttered, sticking it back into her purse. So much for that…
The street sign told her she was on Herriman and Fifth Street. It wasn't too far away from The Heart Seat. Though getting there on foot would take much longer. Still, there was nowhere else she could think of to go. Her apartment was a good half hour, maybe 45 minutes walk from Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
Resigning herself to a very cold and wet walk, she started off in the direction she thought the bar was.
Law scowled. Paul had sauntered up to the bar again, demanding several rounds of drinks.
"I should just get a divorce, I tell ya. That'll show that bitch to cheat on me with her secretary." He slurred, knocking back his fifth shot.
"Then why don't you?" The young man asked in a bored tone of voice. He really wished the man would take his problems somewhere else. Paul most of all bothered him to no end. Especially when he was already in a rotten mood.
Summer's date was tonight, and he hadn't seen her since he'd yelled at her about not going. Looking back, especially after a few days to think about it, perhaps he'd crossed a line. But he knew Kid. And he knew exactly what he'd try to start with her. Summer was sensible. As long as she didn't allow him to drink too much, she'd be alright. He hoped.
Paul continued to rant on about his problems, but Law tuned him out. There was still that spark of worry in the back of his head that not everything was alright. Or maybe it was just his jealousy again. Who really knew? Still, his mood already soured, it was the most he could do not to start hurling shot glasses at the shouting man occupying his bar.
Corazon had left early that night, meeting with a man who claimed to want to buy his bar and convert it into some money-lending business. Legal, of course, as he stated. And so the clumsy owner was nowhere to be found that night, which meant no one to scold him for his less-than-pleasant behavior. He supposed a bit of brooding wouldn't hurt anyone, necessarily.
He was too busy dealing with the bitter Paul to notice a dripping-wet Summer wander through the front door. Her hair hung in limp strands on her shoulders and back, and she shivered in her drenched clothes.
"Summer?" He heard Zoro ask out of nowhere. Law glanced up, seeing the security guard walking towards the door. Then, swinging his gaze over, he saw the disheveled state the blonde was in and immediately felt his heart drop. Paul forgotten, he straightened up where he stood and tried gauging what had happened to her.
She sniffed loudly, and Zoro talked quietly with her, holding her shoulders gently. Again, Law felt that spark of jealousy at him touching her. It should be him comforting her, not the marimo-head.
Zoro looked up and locked eyes with the bartender, and he steered her in the direction of the bar. "I think you'd better take this one." He muttered, glancing around at the room. "I'll cover for awhile." Summer hiccuped, trying her best not to cry. Law took that as his cue to step in, and he placed an arm around her shoulders.
"Let's get you cleaned up." He said gently, guiding her into the back hallway and to Corazon's office. Since the older man was absent that night, he figured it would be a good place for her to calm down in relative privacy.
He opened the door and sat her down in one of the chairs. Then, letting her know he'd be right back, went in search of a few towels to help her dry up. He returned with two, fluffy white towels, unfolding one and wrapping it around her torso. She shivered from the cold, and he got up to turn the heat up a little more on the thermostat.
"Summer." He said gently, earning her attention. She looked up, and it was then he noticed the runs of black makeup down her face from around her eyes, and the smudges of green that had once been her eye shadow. She sniffed again, grabbing onto the edges of the towel and hugging herself with it. Once he'd gotten her attention, he took the other towel and began wiping away at her face. "What happened?"
"You were right." She said thickly. "Eustass…he is a scumbag." She choked back several sobs, and he wiped away the few tears that slid down her cheek. "He took me to this bar and was rude, inconsiderate. After things got bad I had to walk in the rain. My phone died so I couldn't call anyone." She explained. "He barely payed attention to me at all, drank so much alcohol, and then he…he…" She shook her head, but he narrowed his eyes. Her hesitation was concerning. Law's hand stopped moving the towel, staring at her face.
"He what?" He asked gently but with enough force to display the anger that was building. So help him, if that bastard did anything to her…
"He…touched my chest." She admitted, as if she were the one doing the awful thing. It was just too embarrassing to admit. She closed her eyes and wept then, burying her face within the towel around her.
Unseen by Summer, Law seethed. His grip on the towel tightened, his knuckles growing white. The anger was all but evident on his face, the muscles in his arms and legs tensed as he shook with rage. The fact that it was Kid that made Summer cry like this, feel violated in such a way, it was too much for him.
'That piece of shit…I'll kick his ass…He'll fucking pay for this…' He thought, his heart breaking for the mess of a young woman in front of him. Then, realizing that being angry in front of Summer wouldn't help anything. He had to gently force her head out of the towel in her hands, but she allowed him to.
He was so gentle with her, patient and caring, and all she wanted to do was curl up next to him, feel safe in his arms. The anger she'd felt before long forgotten, she only sought his comforting presence to help her calm down. Law seemed to sense this, because he took his towel and draped it over her hair, letting the strands begin to dry off.
"You were right." She muttered. "You were right all along, and I didn't listen."
"Hey." He said in that soft voice she loved so much. "This isn't your fault."
"Yes it is! I should've listened to what you told me." She cried. He shook his head, holding her head between his hands so she would pay attention.
"Don't you dare think that way. You did nothing-" He stopped, staring at her face intensely. Now that her makeup was gone and out of the way, he could distinctly see a bright red outline on one side of her face. Just the right size to be a hand. His thumb gently brushed the edge and Summer winced, which didn't go unnoticed by him. "That fucking idiot hit you, didn't he?" He asked deadly quiet. It was a miracle that he was able to keep his anger in check at this new revelation.
"Yes…" She hesitantly admitted, not wanting to say it out loud and make it true. And the way Law was handling all this had her scared. "H-he called me a bitch and yelled at me." She'd never been struck before but it felt…dirty, now that she had. As if she were some weakling who couldn't defend herself. Her confidence was shaken.
"What am I doing wrong? Why can't I just find one good person out there who wants to date me? What is wrong with me?" She sobbed, tears beginning to flow again, Law wiped them away, shaking his head.
"There's nothing wrong with you, Summer." He paused, his face full of confusion and emotions. As if he were making a decision. "You're just not looking in the right places." He finished quietly.
She sniffed, too distressed to look him in the eyes. "And where am I supposed to look?"
There was a pause, then he spoke quietly. "Right here."
It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, her heart skipped a beat, just one. She glanced up, seeing the pain on his face. Not quite understanding where it came from, searching his eyes for any indication of pity or obligation.
"What do you mean?" She asked eventually, not wanting to get her hopes up and misinterpret what he was saying. He looked away and then seemed to decide something. When he returned her gaze, it was intense, but gentle.
"I'll take you out on a date. So you know what's it feels like to have fun with another person." Her eyes widened, ears focusing on the word 'date.'
"You will?" She asked meekly, wiping away the snot that threatened to fall. That would be the worst of her problems now. He nodded with a little shrug.
"Sure." Then, he grabbed the towel on either side of her and began wiping down the front and sides of her neck. "But first things first. Let's get you cleaned up, alright?"
Summer nodded, allowing him to help her for a moment until the places that needed drying were in areas he didn't dare touch, then left to go get Vivi so she would have some female company. He did come back to give her his leather jacket though, stating that her white shirt was a little see-through when wet. She looked down to find that her bra was easily visible under the fabric as it stuck to her skin.
Vivi had offered to drive her home, seeing as how Law only had a motorcycle to get around, which would only drench them even more in the pouring rain. After Summer had calmed down enough, she quietly thanked everyone for their help and had left out the door with the blue-haired beauty.
As soon as she'd left, Law's smile for her sake vanished in an instant. Zoro noticed his sudden change in attitude, and raised an eyebrow as he started heading towards the back door. He crossed his arms.
"Oi! Where are you going?"
"Out." Was all he'd said, and then he disappeared into the back alleyway.
Eustass scowled at the half-empty bottle of alcohol in his hand. It was so dark outside, and his vision had become so blurry, he couldn't remember what he'd been drinking in the first place. Angrily, he tossed the glass container sideways and into the wall of the alley. It shattered upon impact, the pieces scattering all over the ground. Kid's steps teetered as he uneasily made his way to the next street over.
The rain came down but in his drunken state of mind he barely registered it was there. The downpour from earlier had gone away, with only a soft shower to replace it. So saying, he couldn't hear the footsteps as they followed behind him.
Kid reemerged from the alley and onto Van Buren Avenue. Still not quite sure where he was, he scratched the back of his head while glancing up and down the road. Where in the hell was his car?
"Eustass, you look lost." A voice said behind him. He swung around, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Standing in the alleyway he'd just come from was a tall man, but in the dark, rainy hours of the night he couldn't be sure exactly who it was.
"Who're you?" He shouted, turning to face him. Whoever it was kept their head down and face hidden. They walked forward slowly. When the figure came up beside Kid, he placed a hand on the back of his shoulder and steered him up the street.
"Let's take a walk." He said reasonably. Kid wasn't in any state to refuse and, figuring it was one of his friends trying to help him get home, he shrugging a little and followed where they took him.
They walked for a couple minutes, Kid still confused as to who was helping him, but every time he attempted to ask a question, the stranger would only reassure him some more with words like 'Almost there, now' and 'Just a little longer.'
Finally, it seemed they'd reached their destination, and the stranger urged him to go a sudden right. Without really looking to see where that led him, Kid followed obediently. Straight to the end of the dark alley.
He stopped, seeing the wall blocking his path, and frowned.
"What the 'ell is this?" He slurred, turning to face the stranger. Maybe something about the situation had started to sober him up, or maybe the passage of time had started to dilute his blood alcohol level, but he was able to see a little better now, and so stopped when he saw a very pissed off Trafalgar Law walking up towards him.
"Well, if it isn't Trafalgar fucking Law! Last time I saw you-" He could say no more than that, for Law's punch had sent him sprawling to the ground. "Urgh!" He cried out, face hitting the concrete.
Law obviously wasn't finished. He kicked at the man's side several times as he lay there in shock, grunting with each blow. Kid clutched the sides of his chest, trying to ward off the attack but he was too uncoordinated. Then, unsatisfied with how easy this was turning out to be, Law grabbed the back of his jacket and hauled him onto his feet.
Kid tried throwing a weak punch, still unable to catch up with the events that were unfolding before him. Law easily dodged it and slammed his back against the alley wall with as much force as he could muster. It was enough to knock the wind out of the confused drunk, and cause his head to smack against the hard brick behind him.
"Don't you ever," He growled at him, "lay a hand on her again, you bastard. You go near her, talk to her, or even look at her in a way I don't like and you'll be wishing I did more than just kick the shit out of you tonight." He hissed. Law's face was only inches from Kid's, and at that range the redhead could see the danger coming off the raven-haired man in waves. To any other person, it would've been enough to scare them shitless. But this was no regular person.
His threat only served to make the redhead angrier and, being the man he was, grinned cockily back at the bartender. "If Heat hadn't of held me back, I would'a taken her to an alley and had my way with'er until she screamed my name." He chuckled to himself, satisfied at seeing the rage on Law's face.
Unable to contain seeing Kid in less than a state of unending pain. He scowled, growling low in his throat as his fist connected once more with his face. And where that first one came, there were plenty more.
Law used the opportunity as a sort of stress-reliever, sending all the frustration he'd felt over the years straight into Kid's body. Each punch, each kick, felt more and more satisfying. And the only reason he stopped was because he began to feel a sharper pain in his fist each time it connected. He stopped after several minutes of unrelenting attacks, letting go of the front of Kid's shirt. The now-unconscious redhead fell limply onto the ground.
Law inspected his hand, seeing the nasty red marks along the ridges of his knuckles. They bled, and the prolonged closure of his hand was beginning to make it ache. Though most of the blood covering his hands was probably from the other man. Looking back at Kid, he decided that he'd gotten his point across well enough. His face bled in several places, he had a broken nose, and he may have bruised several ribs in the process.
"I'll kill you next time." He muttered the threat, straightening his clothes and walking back out of the alley.
Unbeknownst to either of the men, a lone figure watched from the shadows, his cool gaze watching as the tall young man walked away from the bloody mess of a man on the ground. He'd heard the whole conversation as well.
Slinking away, he put a distance between the dark alley and himself, off to find the street's most notorious drug lord.
ns 15.158.61.23da2
