Thinking of stoic, touch-starved Eustass Kid as he slowly but surely looses his mind the longer you're on his ship.
At first he wasn't interested in you beyond supporting his goals, but the more you spent time with his crew the more he realized he liked you.
And the more he grew to know you, your quirks, talents, and hobbies, he realized he was slowly falling in love.
So he backs off, tries to avoid you or keep himself busy so you couldn't casually pull his attention away. You noticed. You didnt know what you did wrong but you hoped he'd get over whatever was bothering him. You wouldn't say aloud but it hurt you.
And what was bothering him was his own entrapment. The less he was around you, the more he craved it, the more it drew his attention from planning or tinkering. Until he couldn't stand it; the sudden hollow feeling he had now that you weren't around to light up his mood. And it was his damn fault you weren't there.
And in typical Kid fashion, he overcorrects to steer this weird dynamic between the two of you. Or what he hopes is happening between the two of you.
Next he was always around. Always finding ways to make sure you were in the same room or going on the same missions. To keep you safe because youre his crew is his claim.
You didnt know what to make of his sudden shift. From barely being around to suddenly always behind you, brushing up against you even when there's more than enough space to stand. Plus, you still felt tender about his withdrawal period.
You didnt intend for your pain to surface but it did and he couldn't say anything. His arm twitched, reaching for you then suddenly pulling back - unsure of what to do or say. How to react.
His arms fall to the side and he lowers his head.
"Sorry about that. You didnt do anything, it wasnt about you."
"Sure," you reply hesitantly.
He steps forward with his arms spread and gives you the stiffest hug you've ever experience.
He unclenches the tension in his body when your arms tentatively snake around his torso in acceptance.
And thats when he decides to take it slowly.
Small touches to your shoulder or waist in passing. A hand on your arm as he laughs when hanging out. Twirling a lock of your hair at the bar as you listen to someone tell tall tales.
It only takes the crew a matter of days to notice, but the killer (heh) of it all was that despite him becoming openly affection, you still hadn't shared more than a kiss.
His touches were lingering longer, traveling further on your body but not actually initiating intimacy.
You wouldn't know this, but he's deeply insecure that if he 'rushes' this, you will get scared off. He knows hes so much bigger, rougher, damn near a feral animal. Youre not fragile, but he still needed to keep himself in check. He never wants to hurt you.
His sweetheart, he calls you later that night, placing a kiss on your cheekbone, then tilting your chin and kissing your lips with a tenderness youd never known before.
You hear a short, breathy sigh, and then he kisses you again. And again.
When he breaks it off, he presses his forehead on yours for a moment. He places a small kiss on your skin when he pulls away and bids you goodnight.
