Hello and welcome to my first longfic, 'Waiting Game'! :D

I picked this date to post my first longfic as today is an important day! That's right! Today is EUSTASS KID'S BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday Captain and I hope you're having a better time in the New World than in this chapter, but to sweeten the deal I made you a cake! :D

Now, enough from me! -pops on my tophat- And on with the show! -pulls back the curtain with a flourish-

Law reclined slowly in his chair with a sigh, loosening his tie. He closed his eyes for a few moments before giving himself a slight mental shake to refocus and look at more of the applications spread out on his desk in front of him.

Picking another hopeful student's application form, he idly skimmed over it and dropped it on the read through pile, not finding anything of interest in the file, just another student with almost perfect grades. He reached for the remaining files and took a handful, leafing through them in hopes that something would catch his attention, but dropped them back down on the desk when that didn't happen.

There were still many applications to be sorted through and he had no doubt tonight would be another long one, so he decided he may as well be comfortable.

He picked up the stack of yet to be read resumes and moved to the coffee table before the very comfortable leather couch he had bought for times like this.

Lightly dropping them down on the table, he sighed when he heard some of the papers slide to the floor. Before sitting down or picking them up, though, he eyed the bar and the whiskey tumblers on it and decided he really could use a drink.

Long gloved fingers grasped the bottle's neck and removed the stopper before selecting a glass. Once he'd served himself and returned everything to its proper place he took a moment to sip and enjoy the strong flavor before swallowing slowly. He exhaled softly before returning to the tedious but necessary task awaiting him.

Striding over to where he'd left the documents, he placed his glass upon the low rise table with a subtle click before kneeling down to pick up and reorganize the fallen application forms.

Once he'd sorted and straightened them into something manageable he made to stand up, only to stop when something caught his attention.

Laying the folders he held aside and shifting a bit, he lifted almost half the small stack of documents that had remained on the table to reach the one that held what he now realized was a picture, which had apparently slipped somewhat out of its respective folder. Though he could only see the applicant's hair, its color alone was enough to peak Law's curiosity.

The folder's cover had the red sticker his secretary placed on the applicants' forms designated as 'bottom looks'. Those that due to their grades, or any other 'undesirable' factor, didn't stand a real chance of obtaining a scholarship at their school.

His eyes moved to look at the name written on the tab, and he smirked slightly, amused at what he read. Curiosity now peaked twice, this time at what kind of parents would name their child that way, he opened the file.

He wasn't sure what he expected to find, maybe a hopeful boy who went through a rebel phase and didn't have the good sense to hide the evidence of it when he sent out his applications to avoid being instantly discarded by the more elitist schools, but he certainly wasn't expecting what met his eyes.

When it rained this hard, many, if given the choice, preferred to stay inside. Maybe curl up in a blanket and watch TV with their loved ones. Those who believed themselves to be decent would send a sympathetic thought to those who may be trapped outside in such miserable conditions.

The idyllic thought made him want to punch something.

'I'd like to see one of them walking in this shit right now.' Kid shook his head to rid himself of the strands of hair that kept falling into his eyes, seemingly just to piss him off.

Fucking rain.

Fucking bus routes and the rich assholes who decided them.

Fucking rich assholes who think they get to decide who gets to go where.

Kid sighed. 'Fucking college execs.'

Though as much as he'd love to curse everyone else for his problems he wouldn't place blame on others for his own faults. Real men didn't blame others for their own fuck ups. It was his own damn fault he didn't try harder in school, despite the shitty teachers and even shittier environment. His lack of effort to show something resembling a brain in the academic department was what was causing his own damn trouble.

Maybe if he'd tried harder. Paid attention more...

But fuck that shit. It was here and now. And right now the only thing that was going to save his record and any hope of a future that didn't involve him breaking his back or walking the streets, busting skulls for territory and cash, was busting his own ass on these finals.

The last one had been today and he hoped the headaches and all-nighters Killer helped him pull would be worth it. If they didn't, then at least he had tried and would have no one to blame but himself.

That didn't mean he couldn't bitch about it.

And if it meant it kept his temper in check enough not to get picked up by the cops for property damage again, and Killer not having to take time out of his job to pick him up and haggle with those military drones disguised as police, then he'd fucking mentally degrade and dismember every single person and object he could think of.

With that thought in mind he continued to curse everyone and everything that pricked at his already raw nerves.

After what felt like ages but was really just over an hour, he spotted his street and felt the rain begin to let up.

'Figures it would stop just when I finally get home.' Kid grumbled to himself. It would have been too fucking convenient for it to stop, forcing him to walk the two miles in the pouring ass rain and came out of it feeling like a drowned cat.

He almost regretted turning down Killer's offer to drive him home.

But he knew Killer most likely had work he had put aside to help him so much this past week and didn't want him getting into shit with his boss over him. Especially after Killer had given up the better part of three hours of his day, and that was after waiting over two hours for him to finish his last exam, to talk about applications for student loans and payment plans for when the acceptance letters started arriving.

Only they hadn't.

Kid had been avoiding telling Killer yet as he was hoping that at least a few would come in soon. The only letters he'd gotten so far were all formal and very politely written ways of saying 'go fuck yourself'.

He sighed, pushing back the hair that had fallen into his face for the umpteenth time in the last hour as it was completely soaked. He didn't know why he even bothered as it slid right back into his face.

At least the coolness of the rain had helped his flaring temper to keep from exploding on the nearest object in frustration.

Finally refocusing on his surroundings, and somewhat irritated at his own negligence as letting his guard down was not the smartest damn thing to be caught doing in this area, he stopped at his corner's mail dropbox.

He knelt down and scowled at the cold that seeped through his jeans from the concrete. Pulling out the chain holding his keys he jammed one into the rusty lock, having to struggle to jerk open the faded blue door to see whatever had been delivered that day.

Prying open the damn scrap metal could be a pain in the ass, but it was better than having to open it like they used to, the lid having rusted so much that crowbars were doing more harm than good. A mailman's protection for the price of a key saved a lot of hassle.

Having gathered up the handful of letters along with a small package, he took care to hold them away from his waterlogged frame, as he slammed the door shut. Kicking it to ensure it closed properly, he twisted the key again before yanking it out to return the keys to his pocket.

Glancing at the package to check who it was addressed to, he started sorting through the letters as he stomped across the wet cement of the sidewalk over to the seemingly abandoned building only a few feet from the dropbox.

He shouldered open the door and winced at the almost screeching noise it made. He made a mental note to come back down later and oil the hinges again.

Glancing around the rundown yet clean lobby, he noted from the silence that no one was here. The quiet felt a bit unsettling. He was long used to there being someone around when he came back. Usually in a situation like this, there would have been someone like Wire to welcome him home with a warm cup of coffee. Or in Heat's case, someone quietly fussing over the state of his watered down form. Though in others he would probably be tackled by an over enthusiastic pair of brothers. Half the time ending with him knocked flat on his ass, which would start a broken record of horrified apologies, arguments of whose fault it was between the brothers, and pandering adoration directed towards him.

On second thought, quiet could be nice sometimes.

Snorting, Kid made his way to the staircase, skipping the second step almost instinctively, and started up to the rooms. There was an elevator but the redhead didn't see the point of using it when he could just walk up one flight of stairs.

He flipped through the letters again to make sure they were in the right order before he reached the landing. Kid looked up to see the empty hall lined with doors, small tables placed next to the entrance of the occupied rooms, the doors of which were painted in a different color each, also decorated in the twins' case.

He walked down the hallway, dropping the mail on its corresponding table. The package was for the twins, and Kid could only hope it didn't contain fireworks this time.

After delivering the mail, he paused to look at the single envelope that was left, addressed to him. The redhead scowled down at the obviously expensive paper as he checked the sender's address. Another college letter, and, without a doubt, another rejection.

With a huff of irritation, he decided to read the undoubtedly negative contents of the letter after a shower.

He walked over to his own door and, without bothering to use a key, he pushed open the door, not minding when it stuck only slightly. He did take note of the faded red color and reminded himself to scrounge up some paint for another coat later.

'Just another thing to add to the damn list.' He thought tiredly.

Heading inside, he closed the door with his foot and walked towards his bedroom. Stopping only to toss the useless piece of paper on the kitchenette's table, he determinedly headed for the shower in hopes of both warming up and maybe actually relax.

All the studying and exams had left him tense and tired as hell.

'But at least I'll have a break for now.'

With a sigh, he removed his jacket and dropped it on the floor to be picked up and put away the next day. His boots came next, toeing them off and sending them flying in opposite directions with loud, and highly satisfying, thumps emitting from wherever they had landed.

He stopped to tug his plain t-shirt over his head and unbuckle his belt before pushing the soaked jeans down to his ankles, tossing the shirt and kicking the jeans away from him. He hadn't had the time to grab a pair of boxers that morning so that left him free of clothing.

He walked into the bathroom and switched the lights on.

He padded over to the shower stall and wrenched the hot water on full blast before mixing in some cold to make it bearable. He tested the temperature once, then stepped in and closed the stall's door behind him.

He sighed, resting his forehead against the false tile and let the warm water wash over him. In just the first few seconds he could feel it working on getting rid of the chill that had set in from the rain.

Suddenly, he growled irritably, wanting to punch something but not in the mood to add patching the shower wall to his seemingly endless list of shit to do.

Despite the physical comfort the hot water offered him, which he was thankful for as his muscles had managed to loosen up a good bit, the chairs at the exam room had been crap, better suited for interrogations. Damn thing had been so uncomfortable, he hadn't been able to sit in one position for more than a few seconds without the risk of his legs or his ass falling asleep.

Thoughts drifting back to the letter waiting for him on the table, he snarled.

'High and mighty fuckers. Surprised they'd even give me the time of day to send me a rejection letter.'

There was nothing else it could be. The address clearly stated which school it was from, and Kid knew his chances of getting into a high class college for the rich and brilliant like that one were less than zero. Killer had said to send in an application anyway as Kid should be open to every option, even the ones that seemed impossible.

But Kid understood things fairly well, despite what Killer might think. He knew his background and less than shining record would be more than enough to get him disbarred from pretty much any decent school.

That was without taking into account that fucked up incident.

The thought made Kid clench his fists so hard he could feel his nails digging into his palms.

But as quick as it came, all the anger just seemed to drain from his body, and he leaned back against the shower wall. Face angled upwards with eyes closed, he sighed and ran his fingers once through his hair, tsking when they caught in a knot.

Remembering what he came in there for, he snatched up some shampoo and began scrubbing his scalp harshly.

'Why do I even try? The odds are against me. No matter which way I turn. Every time I think I'm making progress, suddenly there's another roadblock pushing me back. I'm tired... Maybe it's time I just let it go. Just start a garage, or something.'

As he finished that thought and the shampoo was rinsed from his hair, his eye caught sight of his arm. Specifically, a scar.

It had been roughly a year since he had gotten it, but it still weighed heavily in his mind.

"So? I'm doing it cause I want to. Why should anything else matter?"

He smirked, the expression soft but too defiant to be called a smile.

For now, he'd keep trying, at least until term started and he knew there were no more options. If only not to get shown up.

Feeling slightly better about things, and after a quick scrub down his body, he shut off the water. He decided to skip conditioning his hair for now, to just get comfortable and get something eat.

Pushing open the door and walking out of the stall, he grabbed a towel and used it first to wipe away some fog from the mirror, then to dry himself off. He caught sight of his reflection and frowned. He didn't mind not having to go through the lengthy routine of applying his usual cosmetics, but he always felt naked without them.

Killer had warned him about wearing any of his usual outfits or make up, and said that his nails, while eccentric, could pass as an acceptable fashion accessory if not drawn attention to. Anything else risked attracting the wrong kind of attention. Just his hair had been enough to raise some not so good flags already.

Killer hadn't asked him to change, just to tone it down enough to not give the school officials a seizure. He still wasn't sure of whether or not he should be offended by that last bit.

Another plus to the exams being over was that he could start feeling a bit more like himself again.

His thoughts were interrupted by the growling of his stomach.

'The boys better not have raided my fridge while I was gone, their compliments on my cooking won't save them this time.'

He slung the towel around his neck and headed for the kitchen, stopping just to grab a pair of soft gray sweatpants from his dresser and pull them on.

Once there, he opened the fridge suspiciously, then actually smiled when he saw that not only were all his leftovers where he left them, but that the guys had apparently picked up a small cake with 'Congrats Captain!' written on it in bold red frosted lettering.

"Bastards." He said while grinning, the deceptively harsh word full of affection and warmth.

He knew they'd probably drag him out at some point to celebrate and that this was his due warning. He would eat some later, after getting some real food in his stomach first.

Rummaging past the baked dessert to grab the leftovers wrapped up from last night, Kid just rolled his eyes when he noticed that there were a few decent mouthfuls missing.

He ripped the plastic wrap off the bowl, and scowled when it stuck to his hand. It then took him ten full seconds to be rid of it, before finally managing to throw it into the trash. Tossing the food into the microwave and pressing a button to heat, all he had to do now was wait.

He leaned back against the counter to wait, only moving to reach over and grab a fork from one of the drawers.

Turning to place the piece of silverware on the table, his eye caught on the envelope and he scowled.

The damn thing looked like it was taunting him.

He thought grimly of just burning it to at least get some satisfaction out of it, but knew he had to at least read it, if just out of curiosity of how the fuckers had decided to phrase their undoubtedly polite way of saying 'rot in hell'. It probably involved a lot of 'thank yous' for considering their oh so 'humble learning establishment', followed by their 'sincere' apologies that he would not be able to attend their school due to a 'lack of distinguished requirements' and they hoped to see his application again once he'd 'refined his studies'.

'More like once I hit the lottery, become a millionaire, and then discover I'm the long lost fucking heir to the great kingdom bumfuckegypt, home of the fucking red haired fairies and royal pale skinned fuck ups.'

His bitter attempt at humor was interrupted by the microwave going off and alerting him to come and get his damn food.

Grabbing his food, he sat in one of the two chairs. Kid rubbed a thumb over a random groove of the table while taking a bite of the garlic chicken.

When over half his plate was empty, his gaze settled once again on the innocent letter. Had it been sentient, it would more than likely be fearing for its existence with how the red haired youth was glaring at it. Not to mention how he was holding his fork like a shiv.

With a sigh, Kid took one more bite before he dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter, and reached for the envelope.

He took no care with ripping the top open and retrieving the contents. He honestly couldn't see why people would spend so much money on pretty paper that would just be thrown away once it had served its purpose.

Kid shook his head free of the useless thoughts, what the rich did with their money didn't involve him, and so long as it stayed that way he wasn't really inclined to give a fuck.

As mentally prepared as he believed he was going to be, Kid unfolded the letter, smoothed it out, and started to skim the words.

Only to stop, and do so again, slower this time.

He choked on his own saliva.

Once his coughing fit calmed down, Kid shot up from his chair, clutching the letter in a death grip, and ran in search of his cell.

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Where is it?!"

Tripping once over one of his damn boots, nearly taking his eye out on a doorknob, and just barely missing landing on some scrap metal he hadn't had the time to put away, Kid all but dove for his coat and yanked out his phone.

Heart pounding and slightly out of breath, he dialed a number he'd memorized years ago.

"Killer?! Yeah, it's me. No, I'm fine, look, just shut up for a second. No! Just SHUT UP! You're not going to fucking believe this!"

He stared at the letter again, feeling slightly light headed.

The automatic doors to the main office slid open before him, and Kid walked calmly, or at least he hoped so, into the large lobby of the building.

He waited in front of the desk for a few moments until she acknowledged him. When she didn't even look up, he spoke.

"Excuse me, ma'am? I'm looking for a 'Trafalgar Law'?"

She looked up with a smile fixed on her face, only for it to freeze when she got a look at him.

"What?" The tone was flat and the smile seemed forced.

He wanted to snap at her, ask if she was deaf or simply fucking stupid. Just before he did, he remembered what Killer told him.

'Be polite, don't cause a scene, don't curse or be crude, and, please, watch your temper.'

"I'm here to see Trafalgar Law. I have an appointment."

Lips pursed like she'd tasted something bad, she said:

"I'm going to need to see some proof of it."

It was a good thing he'd brought the letter just in case something like this happened. He wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't say he hadn't half expected it.

Handing it over for her to inspect, he felt an eye twitch when she held it up to the light.

"Eustass Kid?" He really didn't like how much distaste with which she said his name.

"Yeah, that's me." 'Patience, patience.'

"May I see your ID?"

'Uppity fucking bitch.'

Kid jerked his wallet out of his pocket, chain jingling as he opened it and yanked out his ID. He just barely refrained from throwing it at her.

The way she took it with just the tips of her fingers as if to avoid touching his own was just plain ridiculous. He had the sudden urge to just reach over and run his hands over her keyboard and pencils. Bitch would probably have a seizure.

His attention was brought back to her when his card was set down in front of him.

"Dr. Trafalgar is currently out, but will return soon. You may wait over there."

A manicured fingernail pointed stiffly to some chairs a ways from the desk.

He grabbed his ID and put it back into his wallet before tucking it all away.

"Thanks." He mentally added. 'Bitch.'

He walked over to the chairs and picked one with a good vantage point of the room.

Now, with nothing to do, he took stock of his surroundings in detail. Though there really wasn't much to look at, same as any high class business place. A bunch of fake plants, too bright lights, plastic smell, and the chairs were more for looks than comfort, which he could personally attest to.

Already bored of looking around, Kid directed his attention to his feet. The boots were his best, with no holes, hardly any scuffs, and shone from the quick polish he'd given them. The reason he didn't wear them more was simply because he didn't like how the backs dug into his heels.

He thumbed the white fabric of the dress shirt Killer had lent him. He hadn't liked the implications of Killer having felt the need to bring it, but had accepted it when he'd had it shoved into his arms almost the moment Kid had opened the door to let Killer in. After he'd just finally settled on a shirt of his own no less, but he could admit it probably fit the occasion better, so he'd changed into it.

The black jeans had been an easy enough choice.

He shifted nervously in his seat, looking at his watch while fighting the urge to run his fingers through his combed hair, and thought about calling Killer.

What if he screwed this up? What if this was all just some misunderstanding and they'd put the wrong name in the letter? That would just be awkward, not to mention humiliating. He could take a punch with no problem or spit in some murderous thug's face and not give a fuck, but he could not stand embarrassing situations.

'Maybe I should just leave before he gets here...'

He was suddenly torn from his thoughts, having zoned out while he stared at his own feet, when another pair of shoes appeared close to his own.

He looked up, and froze.

"Good morning, Eustass-ya. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Nyahahahaha! Cliffhanger. ;D -hit in the head with a brick- DX I hope to have the next chapter up in the near future. Letting everyone know ahead of time that, while I have the whole story pretty much plotted out (I even have a plot calendar all nice and typed up! :D), it's NOT written as of yet. So for now I'll probably update every two weeks, but I will do my best to increase updates over time. Please be patient with me. -bows-

If anyone has any issues with any seemingly OOCness, please do tell me. However, to make it clear, this IS an AU. Personality traits will be kept, but this is an Eustass Kid who has not lived the life on the seas and, therefore, will have reasonable differences. That said, I will do my best to stay true to the foundation of the characters themselves. :)

Thank you for reading this chapter and I hope you will stick around for more. If you feel up to it, please tell me what you think in a review. :D And, PLEASE, no review is too short, you will absolutely NOT be bothering me! If you have any questions or advice, or just want to chat about OP or how the moon may be full of unicorns, please go right on ahead! :D I love making new friends! -flutters social butterfly wings- Just don't pin me and put me on display in a glass case. D: I'm fluffy and don't do well in tight places!

For anyone who is interested, feel free to drop by my tumblr account. :D It'll be posted on my profile.

Also before I go, I want to thank everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed my first story 'Flame To Flame'! :)

Little shoutout to:

Aerle, MyLadyDay, TheAnalei, SadEcho, The Blonde Beagle, SadlyButShortlyBefore, xXNightly RainXx, roo17, kage kitsune 14, and, my lovely guest reviewer, Vera. :) Thank you all so much for your wonderful words and support. I hope this chapter, and this story, will live up to your expectations! :'D

And, of course, a special mention to my amazing and asskicking beta, Mai Kuskabe! :D She puts up with my typos, my deranged sleep schedule (I honestly think the only reason we get anything done is because of the huge time difference of where we live. XD), my randomness, and my goldfish attention span. XD She's pretty much my shepherdess, as I would be a lost little lamb in a pasture full of rabid plot bunnies without her. X'D -laughs cause I know she'll kill me for all of this later.- :D BUT IT'LL BE TOO LATE! SO MWAHAHAHAHA!

But in all seriousness, thank you for pushing me this far. :) Couldn't have done it without you.

Again, thank you for reading and I hope you'll stick around. ;)