Demonik

With careful steps you made your way to the workshop and knocked once before sliding the door open. You were able to side step Kid’s boot as it was thrown towards you. Blinking in surprise at the shoe on the floor you slowly looked towards your Captain. Your head tilted slightly and regarded Kid who was taking slow, haggard breaths. With a sigh you scooped the boot off of the ground and stepped into the workshop, closing the door behind you. “What’s the problem, Kid?”

“I’m fine.” Kid growled and his eyes narrowed slightly when a satisfied smirk twitched at your lips. 

“Didn’t ask what was wrong with you. I meant what was wrong in here to make you lash out.” You explained stepping closer and Kid tensed, knowing you’d already caught him. “Is there an issue with you that I should know about?”

“I’m fine.” Kid’s voice emphasised the repeated lie, still not ready to admit he was struggling to cope with the pain in what remained of his arm and through his shoulder. “Am I needed for something?”

“Nope.” You hummed and dropped Kid’s boot down on the floor, just out of arms reach. “Put your boot back on before you get hurt. Make sure to tie the laces.” Kid turned in his seat to glare at you, his eyes untrusting. He hated you coming to him, your methods of getting him to lower his guard. Why couldn’t it have just been Killer? Under his fierce glare you refused to shrink away, as fierce as your Captain was, your concern for him won out over any other emotion you felt. Deliberately you dropped your gaze to the still untouched shoe and returned your challenging stare to Kid. It was clear you weren’t going to leave until he did as you wished. 

Muttering under his breath, Kid stooped down and snatched the boot, pulling it on and tightly grabbing the laces to begin tying them only to jolt when your fingers lightly pressed into the offending shoulder blade. A growl of pain built in Kid’s chest and he managed to choke out the urge to yell and swear at you. “You don’t need to say anything Captain. Saying nothing means you’re not admitting to any weakness you think you have. Just nod when I’m where hurts the most.”

Kid glared down at the ground, caught so easily by you and your keen instinct. With a small sigh he slowly straightened up in his seat and nodded. He ground his teeth together and nodded each time your fingers pinpointed the areas dealing him the worst pain. When your assessment was almost over you lightly tapped his metal arm, an unspoken request for him to remove it. With a click of his teeth Kid used his ability to make his arm drop loudly to the floor. 

Your fingers lightly pressed against the stump and Kid hissed sharply, instinctively pulling away but forced himself to stay in his seat. With a shaky breath he nodded hard and you knew to start there first. Slowly you worked your fingers into the scarred and tense tissue, letting the heat of your hands and precise movements begin to alleviate the source of Kid’s pain. A low groan of relief slipped out of Kid’s mouth and a small, smug hum slipped through yours. Kid’s eye cracked open and he scowled at you. “Gloating doesn’t suit you, Doc.”

“Gloating implies I’m doing something to be proud of. However since I’m not doing something because you insist nothing’s wrong then I can’t be accused of gloating can I?”

“You’re far too smart for your own good you know that?” Kid grumbled, leaning more into your touch as his eyes slipped closed once more. You were also far too good at easing the pain and tension he’d been trying to ignore. Outside of these moments that you treated him, there was always a fun give and take between you both but still refusing to step beyond that line of Captain and crew and into a real conversation of feelings. With every spike of pain that your commanded and controlled out of his body, the more he relaxed and felt his mind calm, pulling him into an almost trancelike state. “Thanks Doc…love you.”

Kid hadn’t realised the words that slipped out until your fingers paused in their movements. For a moment Kid frowned that you’d stopped and blinked as his mind caught up with itself and then he was hit with his statement. His head whipped over to stare at you with widened almost panicked eyes. Your lips were parted and your eyes held their own guarded panic, your expression was almost disbelieving, uncertain that you’d heard him right. “I-I-I mean…”

“Relax Captain…” You broke the tension with a soft smile, trying to keep your voice light and teasing. You took a small step back and lifted your hands. “My hands are magic, too powerful for their own good. Love spell’s over.”

“Heh, yeah…you’ll have to be careful with them. Dangerous.” Kid returned your smile with his own half smirk, lifting his own hand to experimentally press against his stump, finding he could move so much better now and his mood was lifted, apart from the embarrassment gnawing at him. Swallowing hard he made his metal arm lift from the floor and rejoin against his stump. “Thanks again.”

“Anytime.” You smiled, quickly leaning in to press a small kiss against his cheek. “I mean it, anytime.” Kid watched you leave with a softened gaze and quickly turned in his seat to return to his worktable. With every passing day you were on this ship, you were getting faster at making him lower his defences and your gaze was getting sharper at seeing that which he hid so well. With his slip up today, it was only a matter of time before you got a full confession of his feelings out of him. Just not yet though, but soon.

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