#ekwfics

Before you even open your eyes, you know you’re not aboard the Sunny. Which technically makes sense, since the last thing you remember is watching your crew be sent away by Kuma before it was your turn and everything went black.

The ship you’re on currently rides the waves rougher than the Sunny, which Franky built himself with ‘super smooth sailing’. That’s the first thing that alerts you to your unfamiliar surroundings.

You keep your breathing slow and even, mimicking sleep to give yourself time to feel out the situation. Where are you? Better yet: where is the rest of the crew?

With your eyes still closed you canvass the room you’re in with your Haki, and to no surprise, you sense another person nearby. But you’re not tied up. You’re actually warm and comfortable, for some reason.

Against your better instincts, you slowly flutter your eyes open, squinting at the light coming in from what you assume is a porthole.

“-ah, shit” you hear a rough voice mutter, and the sound of fabric shifting and boots on the ground gives away their movements as you feel the light disappear from your face.

Finally able to open your eyes without an assault on your retinas, you blink a couple of times to adjust to the sudden chance in brightness before coming face to face with the source of the voice.

 Your heart skips a beat, and your eyes go wide at the man standing in front of you.

Eustass Kid, who you briefly met (i.e. told off) at Sabaody stands tall, one arm out to the side holding up the side of his coat, acting as a wall between you and the window. A voice in the back of your head screams something about soulmates as the logical part examines the situation. You ignore the way your heart is racing as you think.

You’re assumingly on the Kid Pirate’s ship, judging by the man in front of you and the room around you, a chaotic but clean infirmary.

How did you get here? No clue. But you’re guessing that you’re safe.

Looking around the room, then down at yourself still tucked in the cot, the alert part of you starts to calm down at the realization that you’re not in immediate danger. You take a breath of relief before looking back at Kid. When your eyes meet again, it’s no use ignoring the way your heart stutters and your cheeks flush, completely flustered without either of you having said a word.

You press your lips together in a mix of nervousness and consideration as you look up at him through your lashes before glancing to the side, unable to hold eye contact. Your heart is banging against your ribs, and you feel almost lightheaded, but you risk another glance at him, this time opening your mouth to speak.

“Kid,” the door creaks open and a man you recognize from Sabaody enters, freezing when he sees you awake and seemingly about to speak.

Kid’s head snaps to the door, his eyes flashing with annoyance as he grits out: “What.”

The man in the doorway, broad-shouldered and wearing a mask, peels his gaze from you to Kid. He sheepishly lifts one hand holding a plate of food. Kid scoffs and turns back to look at you.

He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, heat spreading up the back of his neck. You tilt your head patiently, and he lets out an annoyed breath at the action.

“Right.” He says, before crossing his arms and shifting to the side to make sure he’s still blocking the sun. “Name’s Kid. You’re on my ship.”

You blink.

“Yeah,” you say, head still tilted as you flick your eyes over him. “You’re the one who nearly got sliced up by some greaseball marine.”

It’s almost embarrassing for Killer, who’s still watching from the doorway, to see you both failing so badly at playing casual and blushing like schoolkids.

At your reminder, Kid scoffs again, shifting his weight on his feet.

“Yeah, yeah.” He mutters, rolling his eyes and examining you again. The silence that follows is… different, as the two of you watch each other. His gaze feels like a physical presence dancing across your skin, leaving heat in its wake.

After a long moment of that silence, you glance away with warm cheeks and introduce yourself quietly.

Kid watches you, his heart clenching at the sight of your nervous behaviour. Letting out a slow breath, he speaks again, his voice low as he repeats your name back to you as if testing the weight of it on his tongue.

The sound of your name on his lips sends a jolt through you, and your eyes dart back to his face. You try very hard to ignore the way he’s fighting off a smile.

“of the Straw Hats,” you add, nodding. Then: “Kid. Good to meet you when you’re not almost dying.”

You know that the jab is probably pushing it, if his reputation is anything to go by. What you don’t expect, though, is the way he snorts and lets himself smirk.

“Mm. That tracks.” He nods to himself as if confirming something about you, and when you squint suspiciously at him he actually laughs, shaking his head in disbelief.

Killer, who is still in the doorway, pauses at his captain’s unusual reaction before turning on his heel and leaving, deciding that this is obviously above his paygrade.

“What’s so funny?” you ask, frowning in annoyance. Neither you nor Kid notice that the masked man has left.

Kid shakes his head, his arms still crossed. “Nothing,” he says, a small smirk still playing at his lips. Then, as if he caught himself being won over by you, he schools his expression into his typical scowl.

You watch him manually change his expression and let out a quiet snort of your own.

Kid eyes you for a moment before speaking. “Ya feelin’ alright?” he asks. “I mean, I dunno how you got here, but you kind of hit the deck pretty hard.”

Pushing yourself up and swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you stay seated and test your body, stretching your neck to either side and your arms above your head.

After a few movements, you drop your arms back down and look at Kid, nodding. “I’m okay.”

He nods, turning on his heel and striding towards the door without another word.

“C’mon,” he calls over his shoulder when he gets to the door, his voice once again laced with authority only captain of a pirate crew can have. “Should be food in the galley.”

~~~

The next hour is made up of meeting Kid’s crew, answering questions about Luffy and the rest of your crew (resulting in Heat getting smacked by Kid more than once), and eating a thankfully hot (and surprisingly edible) meal.

When Kid first led you into the galley a handful of his men were already there, and you assume that you got lucky enough to wake up close to mealtime.

The stares you get are expected, but Kid is quick to glare at anyone who gawks too long. You don’t mind answering questions, really. You’re proud of your crew more than anything, so you take any opportunity to brag.

Kid sits beside you, just in your peripheral vision, and you can tell he hasn’t taken his eyes off you the whole time. Even if you couldn’t see him, you’d still know by the warmth simmering just under your skin.

“So, how’d ya get here, anyway?” a man with long light blue hair and a Glasgow smile who was introduced as Heat asks. When you shrug, he raises his eyebrows. “What, you don’t know? You literally fell from the sky!” his hands shoot up, gesturing you falling from the sky and making a ‘BOOM’ sound effect when you hit the ground (his other hand).

Kid hits him in the head again.

Across from you, Killer leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “It was Bartholomew Kuma, right?” the mask tilts curiously. “Me and Kid saw what happened.”

You glance down at your folded hands and chew your bottom lip worriedly; eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“I don’t know what happened,” you admit, voice low. The room around you goes quiet, even crewmates further down the dining table sensing the change in atmosphere in the galley. Kid watches you with his own expression of concern as you take a shaky breath and speak again.

“Kuma, he just, touched everyone. With that paw.” Your hands clench in your lap before looking up and meeting Killer’s gaze through the eyeholes in his mask. “Then I woke up here about an hour ago.”

The silence thickens at your statement as everyone realizes that you lost the last four days. Kid scoffs from beside you, and you lift your head to look at him.

“Sabaody was four days ago. The fuck were you at between then and when you crashed into my deck yesterday?”

Your brows knit together in confusion as you absorb his words. Four days?

Kid watches your confused expression and lets out an annoyed breath, because Eustass Kid is nothing if not perpetually irritated.

“Doesn’t matter.” He snaps before you get the chance to respond. He crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head, side-eyeing you. “What’s the plan?”

When he asks you that, you can’t stop the surprised look that crosses your face. What’s the plan? You meet his gaze, and your chest tightens. You ignore it.

“I need to get back to my crew.”

Heat leans over again, getting into Kid’s space. “Yeah, your crew. Where are they?” He asks. “You’re the only one who showed up here.”

Your eyebrows knit together in thought, and you look back down at your hands. “I mean, Luffy’s bound to show up,” you say, before shrugging. “I guess I’ll make my way back to Sabaody.”

Heat snorts and immediately moves out of Kid’s reach (because even he can only take so much abuse) and asks a valid question: “How’re ya gettin’ there?”

“We’ll bring her.” The answer comes immediately, and the silence that follows the captain’s declaration is deafening.

“Boss, what do you mean?” Heat asks from beside Kid, and Kid doesn’t even glance at him. Looking back at you with that already familiar weight, he nods at you.

“You want to go back to Sabaody?” When you nod, he nods back, his expression still pulled into a scowl, but you don’t miss the softening around his eyes. “Then we’ll go back.”

“But boss, we barely got away! We can’t go back.” Heat argues, but it’s almost half-hearted, since he knows how one-minded his captain is.

Noticing the way the muscle in Kid’s jaw twitches in irritation, you speak up again.

“Everyone’s gonna need time to regroup. I mean, the others could be anywhere.” You manage a reassuring smile, even as the pit in your stomach grows. “We can let the marines clear out first.”

Heat lets out a ‘whoop’, making Kid’s scowl deepen.

“Got a good head on yer shoulders, huh?” he grins.

Kid scoffs and mutters something under his breath about ‘loudmouthed  idiots’ before he stands up and heads to the door. For some reason, you know he expects you to follow. You do.

He leads the way through the ship, eventually ending up at his quarters instead of back in the infirmary. Once inside, you stand in the middle of the room and turn to face him, fidgeting nervously with your thumbs.

Closing the door, Kid turns to face you. The room feels like it’s a million degrees, which is definitely not because his attention makes your skin heat up instinctively.

Now that you’re alone again, this time with the added weight of meeting his crew, the tension comes back twice as heavy. You look at him, and he looks at you, and neither of you know what to say.

Biting your bottom lip again, a nervous habit you inherited from your mother, you take half a step closer and, still holding his gaze through your lashes, you lift an arm and hold a hand out towards him. Risking being pushed away for the possibility of the soulmate bond you’ve always dreamed of.

You ignore the way his breath hitches audibly when you step closer and his eyes shoot to your offered hand like a cornered animal. You don’t press, but you don’t pull away either; you just hold your hand in the space between you, a silent plea for connection that only he can give you.

The room is quiet. Quiet enough that you’re sure he can hear your heart pounding against your ribs. That lightheaded feeling starts creeping back, and you’re about to give up and drop your hand when he scoffs and steps forward, face pulled into a scowl yet again.

Eustass Kid has a certain reputation for being loud and violent and cocky. That’s why you’re not surprised by the roughness with which he grasps your hand. Actually, you don’t mind.

His large hand wraps around yours, his skin rougher and warmer than yours, and you keep your eyes on the contact as that same feeling from Sabaody floods through you, and suddenly, the only thing that matters is the tall red-haired man standing in front of you.

Kid lifts his free hand hesitantly and lets his knuckles brush your forehead, mirroring the way he touched you when you landed unconscious on the deck the day before, unbeknownst to you.

This time, he doesn’t pull away, instead tracing down your temple and the curve of your cheek, and you don’t think your heart can take any more when he turns his hand and finally cups your cheek, his fingertips touching your ear.

Without your permission, your body reacts instinctively to his touch, your face pressing into his palm and eyes fluttering closed as you soak up the attention. The way he makes you feel is addictive, and you smile slightly at the way your chest always seems to warm in his presence.

And Kid?

He can’t take his eyes off your face, his pupils blowing wide at the sight of you leaning into his palm so trustingly. Something primal flares in his chest, a storm of pride and protectiveness, and he suddenly has no trouble accepting the whole soulmate thing.

The more he watches you, eyes closed and vulnerable, the more he wants to protect you, to keep you safe and to himself. He lets go of your hand and lifts it to cradle your other cheek, holding you between his palms like you’re something precious.

His thumbs are warm and rough as he traces under your eyes, and you open them to look at him.

Kid lets out a shaky breath and his hands press a little harder on your cheeks to cover up the slight tremor in them.

“…I never wanted this.” He admits after another beat of silence, and for a moment it feels like the floor disappeared from under you, your heart dropping to your stomach like lead.

You bite your bottom lip again and Kid’s eyes flick to the motion before snapping back up, his cheeks heating up.

“I mean it,” he says, his voice low and rough. “This soulmate shit? Nah. Not for me.”

Those words are enough to make your shoulders deflate slightly, gaze dropping to the floor. Noticing this, Kid grits his teeth at his lack of tact.

“No, I didn’t mean-” he cuts himself off, growling under his breath in frustration. “Well, no. I did mean it. But that’s not what I’m trying to say.” He groans and looks at the ceiling when you look rightfully confused.

When he drops his head to look back at you there’s something vulnerable in his expression. One of his thumbs moves across your cheek again, his eyes following the contact.

“I never wanted this,” he repeats slower, voice steadier this time, “never wanted a soulmate. Never wanted you.”

Without giving you a chance to take that at face value he tilts your head gently, forcing you to look up at him fully. The new position makes it impossible to miss the way his gaze drops to your lips, no matter how fleeting.

He meets your eyes again, before saying your name, every letter laced with meaning.

“…fuck.”

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, but before you can ask what’s wrong, he’s leaning forward and kissing you.

His lips are dry but soft, and the second he makes contact your brain short circuits, apparently completely unprepared for meeting your soulmate, let alone linking with him.

It’s hard to describe what it feels like when two halves of a whole find each other. Most people aren’t even actively aware of their souls, restless and cracked and lonely under the surface. Which is why they don’t realize that they’re missing something.

It’s everything you’ve always fantasized about, and more. You didn’t realize how hollow you were before now as a tingling warmth spreads from your lips through your body, filling in all the fissures in your soul perfectly.

You let out a soft sigh and melt further into him, lifting your hands to hold his wrists, keeping his hands pressed to your face. After a few moments, the kiss breaks and neither of you pull away. Kid presses his forehead roughly against yours, his eyes squeezed closed, and you huff in amusement, already used to it. Already used to him.

~~~

The next few weeks consist of aimless sailing as Kid puts his own plans on hold to get you back to your people. Having spent your whole life on ships even before the Straw Hats, you make sure to stay useful during your stay. You even get close with the crew, surprisingly.

One evening when the sky is clear and the stars are shining overhead, you and Killer are playing cards on deck. Kid is sitting next to you, because Kid is always sitting next to you, his arms crossed and face cold, but his knee is pressed to yours under the table, and that’s enough to make you hide a smile.

After that first kiss, Kid hasn’t made any more advances like that, but you get it. Ever since then, just being near each other brings a sense of peace neither of you thought possible.

Though, it doesn’t help that Kid is… emotionally constipated, to put it lightly. You smile to yourself at the thought before playing your next card, setting Killer up to lose.

Glancing sideways at Kid, you nudge his knee with yours. When he looks at you, still scowling (always scowling), you grin, and he lets out a low ‘tch’ and looks away.

Under the table, he nudges you back.

Before Killer can make his next move (or before he can tease Kid), he’s interrupted by someone shouting your name. You turn to look towards the noise and see Heat running towards you.

He gets to your table, breathing heavily as he slams a newspaper down on top of the cards. Kid opens his mouth to scold Heat for being loud, but he’s cut off by you sitting forward abruptly and snatching the newspaper from the table.

On the front page of the newspaper, clear as day, is a picture of Monkey D. Luffy. You break out into a beaming smile.

“Ah! I told you he’d show up!” you turn the paper towards Kid, who sits forwards to look at what’s making you smile like an idiot.

You lean into his shoulder subconsciously, tapping the picture excitedly. “Look,” you say, before pointing at the writing on Luffy’s arm.

3D2Y

“The fuck does that mean?” Kid asks, shooting you a glance, but you don’t look up from the paper yet.

“Three days,” you explain, “that’s when Luffy said to meet back at Sabaody.”

Kid furrows his eyebrows and looks back at the picture, squinting. “So, what?”

You tap the second half of the writing, 2Y not crossed out. “Looks like the Straw Hat reunion is rescheduled.” You turn to look at him and tilt your head.

“You wouldn’t happen to have room for a temporary crewmate?”

Kid raises an eyebrow and looks back at you. “You stayin?” he counters, as if it’s your decision if you stay on his ship for two years. With him.

You hold his gaze and the world goes out of focus again as you get lost in his pupils, which have been wide more than not since the kiss.

Then, you nod, and Kid doesn’t react at first. His eyes slide from yours to the curve of your lips smiling at him. He examines your nose, your cheeks, your eyebrows, and when he meets your eyes again, you’d give anything to know what he’s thinking, why he’s looking at you like he’s trying to memorize every inch of you.

A loud, totally subtle cough from beside Kid signals that Heat is done being ignored.

Surprisingly, Killer is the one to assault Heat this time, kicking his calf hard enough to make the taller man yelp.

The masked man turns back to his captain, the two sharing an unspoken conversation. Killer nods. “She’s staying.”

You laugh, leaning back in your chair and stretching your arms over your head, sighing wistfully. “Does this make me an honorary Kid Pirate? Or am I just a freeloader?”

Kid snorts and your smile grows, eyes crinkling at the corners. When he crosses his arms over his chest, you can practically smell the playfulness rolling off him in waves. “Let’s go with… temporary cargo.”

You roll your eyes and nudge his knee under the table again, but the new lightness surrounding you is impossible to miss, so Kid his smirks to himself and keeps his leg pressed against yours.

There are many different stories told across all four seas about what it’s like to experience your First Touch. One thing that’s pretty consistent between every variation: the way the whole world seems to fade when you touch your soulmate for the first time, everything hyper-focused on the point of contact.

Some people describe the feeling as a warmth flooding through their chest. A sudden sense of completion. That’s the side that you fell on that day.

On the other end of the spectrum, however, are the people who have been running from this moment their whole lives. People like Kid, who think having a soulmate is an unnecessary, useless fact of life, and that they’re better off without their other half.

When someone like Kid meets their soulmate, it feels like the ground has been ripped out from under them. A deep sense of dread pools low in their gut. Not because they don’t want it. It’s actually the opposite: they spend their lives convinced they don’t need it, but all they can think when it happens is why does this feel so right?

Regardless of which side you fall on, the First Touch is a pivotal moment. It’s terrifying, really. Even if you’ve been waiting for it, the feeling of being connected to someone so strongly is just so… overwhelming.

That’s why both you, the hopeless romantic who’s been fantasizing about this your whole life, and Kid, the hot-headed soulmate denier, remain frozen in the middle of the battlefield. Your back is still pressed to his chest, his heart pounding against your spine as his palm stays hot and firm on your shoulder.

The marine captain is still a few feet away, taking this lull in the fight to get his bearings. Neither you nor Kid notices him. Not even when he takes a breath and moves to attack you again.

You finally snap out of it when you feel your captain yell your name, his rubber arm looping around you and yanking you back out of the line of fire. From the other side, Law steps in to take down the marine captain.

Once you and Kid are separated thanks to Luffy’s interference, the strange soulmate-induced fog seems to slowly release the both of you from its grasp, subsequently allowing the fight to continue.

You go back to fighting with your crew, putting aside the adrenaline from meeting your soulmate to focus on getting out of Sabaody.

 ~~~

Later in the fight, you and your crew finally take down a Pacifista, a cyborg designed in the image of Bartholomew Kuma. The single Pacifista put up an unexpectedly tough fight, requiring assists from nearly all of the Straw Hats before it goes down. Of course, there isn’t a chance to react before Sentomaru appears with yet another Pacifista.

Having spent all your energy on taking down the first cyborg, Luffy calls for you all to split up and run, knowing you simply can’t win this one.

You end up in a group with Luffy, Robin, and Chopper, while two other groups form: Sanji, Nami, and Franky in one, Usopp, Zoro, and Brook in the other. Sentomaru targets your group, and you and Robin watch Luffy’s back as he jumps into action.

Sentomaru easily deflects Luffy’s Gatling attack and lands a particularly hard hit, sending the Straw Hat captain flying. The sound of him hitting the tree, nearly getting knocked unconscious, makes something click in your brain. With a sudden, devastating sense of despair, you only have one thought: we can’t beat them.

You can’t tell what happened to the other groups, but by the sounds of the battles and explosions all around, you don’t think things are going according to plan.

“EVERYONE FOCUS ON ESCAPING!” you hear your captain’s voice ring out. “WE CAN’T BEAT THESE GUYS AS WE ARE NOW!”

You all turn to stare at Luffy for a moment, expressions a mix of terror and surprise, before kicking into gear. All three groups start running, trying to escape from Kizaru, who has been fighting Zoro’s group, along with Sentomaru and his Pacifista.

The next few moments are a blur of chaos. It seems completely hopeless for the Straw Hats, with everyone taking hits and not making any headway in escaping.

Unbeknownst to you at the time, the tides are about to change at the appearance of the real Bartholomew Kuma, who intercepts a Pacifistas attack on Chopper and Zoro which likely would have been fatal.

“If you were to take a trip, where would you want to go?” the giant man asks an injured Zoro, who was sprawled on the ground after being dropped by Usopp.

As he speaks, Kuma slowly removes the glove from his right hand. Zoro grits his teeth, both in pain and at the recent memory of his encounter with Kuma at Thriller Bark.

“Come on, Zoro!” Usopp says from behind him, his voice shaky and laced with desperation. “We gotta get outta here, quick!”

Before Zoro can open his mouth, Kuma lifts his now bare hand, swiping it towards Zoro.

POP!

When Kuma’s large paw-like hand makes contact with Zoro’s arm, the green-haired man vanishes. An icy hush settles over the battlefield at the sudden disappearance, thick and heavy.

One-by-one, your nakama are sent away. Brook. Usopp. Sanji. Nami. You scream, yelling at Robin and Chopper to run as you turn back to face Kuma, blade drawn and expression icy even as your breath comes fast.

But what can you do against Kuma that the others couldn’t?

From further down the archipelago, the Kid Pirates are using the Marines’ focus on your crew as a cover to flee. He freezes as he at the sound of your voice.

Kid couldn’t tell you why he did what came next. Maybe it’s because of the soulmate bond. Maybe it’s because of that hit to the head he took earlier in the fight. Obviously, something is making him act in spite of himself.

Killer and Heat, who were previously flanking Kid as they fled, don’t even have time to react as their captain skids to a halt, nearly losing his balance at the sudden change in trajectory. He turns on his heel, and suddenly his feet are pounding against the dirt in the opposite direction, carrying him towards Grove 12. Towards you.

If you had asked him, he would tell you that he wasn’t in his right mind. That he was being controlled by something else.

Killer and Heat yell after him, completely thrown through a loop by their captain’s sudden change in demeanor. Killer turns to Heat.

“Get back to the ship and get ready to set sail. I’ll get him.” He jerks his head towards Kid.

Killer sets off in pursuit of the red-haired captain, trying to get his attention by calling out to him to no avail. Kid doesn’t stop. He doesn’t even make any indication of slowing down.

Finally, his steps come to a stop when he finally spots you. You’re standing in a fighting stance with your feet spread apart for balance, one foot turned to the side. Your chest is heaving as you stare up at who Kid quickly identifies as Bartholomew Kuma, your blade drawn horizontal in front of you.

He doesn’t notice the fact that over half of your crew is gone. He doesn’t notice anything, can’t notice anything but you, the feral look in your eyes and the terror you’re trying to hide.

He steps forward, ready to step in. Then, he freezes.

What am I doing? He asks himself. Why should I care about some Straw Hat freak?

He knows he should turn around and leave while he’s still out of the spotlight…

But again, his body betrays him. He takes another step towards you, the air around him crackling as he generates his own magnetic fields.

Kid doesn’t get the chance to step in.

He can only watch as Kuma’s large hand lifts towards you, making a swipe in your direction. Your wide eyes dart to the side and lock with Kid’s where he stands some way behind Kuma, his expression mirroring your own terror.

POP!

The man’s large paw-like hand makes contact with your shoulder, and the space that you had just occupied is unexpectedly empty, just like the other Straw Hats before you.

Kid doesn’t move; his eyes stay locked onto that spot. He doesn’t look away or even blink at the following three pops as Robin, Chopper, and Luffy are also caught by Kuma, signaling the complete annihilation of the Straw Hat Pirates.

It’s not until Killer grabs Kid by the arm and drags him away that Kid forces his legs to move, though his eyes are reluctant to do the same.  

“Kid!” Killer growls from under his mask, his fingers digging painfully into Kid’s left bicep. “Snap the hell out of it! We gotta move. NOW.”

Kid stays frozen for a moment longer, forcing Killer to physically drag him away. Kid blinks back into reality, forcing his eyes away from where you vanished and stumbling after Killer towards the docks.

By some miracle, Kid and Killer don’t get caught as they slip away,  since Kuma is seemingly not concerned with anyone but the Straw Hats.

The anchor on the Victoria Punk is already raised thanks to Heat’s earlier arrival, and when the crew spots their captain and first mate approaching, they begin raising the sails.

~~~

The air on the deck of the Kid Pirate’s ship is tense as the crew scrambles to escape the Archipelago. Kid stands at the helm, the cloud of rage surrounding him thick enough to make even the strongest pirate keep their distance.

Unfortunately for Kid, Killer doesn’t give a damn about his captain’s so-called rage. He can see through the tense shoulders and strained vein in his forehead.

When the ship gets a safe distance from the Archipelago, Killer approaches Kid, ignoring the look of warning the younger man shoots him.

“So,” Killer says casually, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning a hip against the railing near the helm. “What the hell was that?”

The nonchalant aura that Killer exudes is enough to make Kid’s eye twitch. He hates the way that his first mate isn’t afraid of him.

“Tch. I don’t know what you’re talkin’ bout.” Kid spits, his tone clipped in an attempt to signal to Killer to drop it.

Killer does not drop it.

He tilts his head, eyes narrowing into slits behind his blue-and-white striped mask. “Bullshit.” He says plainly.

Kid’s head snaps to the side so he can glare dramatically at Killer again, trying to intimidate him into silence.

After a long, tense silent standoff, Kid growls angrily. He turns and strides away, his long black coat flailing behind him. Killer pushes off the railing, shoving his hands in his pant pockets and following Kid silently.

Kid stomps down the corridor of the ship, making his way to his private quarters. Kicking the door open, he storms in and sits on the edge of his bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. Killer knows that the open door is as good as an invitation as he’s going to get.

Entering the room, he closes the door behind him before dragging the desk chair across the room and sitting a few feet away from Kid’s bed.

A few minutes later, Kid is still sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor between his feet. Killer sits with his legs stretched out in front of him. He doesn’t speak first, knowing his friend well enough to know that pushing will only make him shut down.

Kid exhales, loud and drawn out, before lifting his head to meet Killer’s gaze. The mask does nothing to muffle the quiet sound of Killer’s breath hitching when their eyes meet.

He has never seen his captain like this. Over all the years of knowing him, fighting by his side, suffering through losses unimaginable, Killer has never seen this.

Kid’s golden eyes, usually so fierce and full of self-absorbed confidence, are raw with a sort of vulnerability that no one thought possible from him. Even when Victoria died, it was never like this.

His brows are furrowed as if he’s in some sort of agony, and Killer notices that his friend’s eyes are getting glossy.

When a tear falls down his hard-headed captain’s cheek, Killer’s eyes go wide behind his mask. His chest clenches in sudden sympathy, but for what he doesn’t know.

Before he can ask, Kid speaks up, his voice hoarse and broken, barely above a whisper.

“…that woman…”

Killer closes his mouth, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

“What woman?” he asks, leaning forward in his chair slightly, sensing that this moment is about to be more intense than he bargained for. “The Straw Hat one?”

Eustass Kid, usually one to run from emotions and hide from vulnerability, doesn’t look away from Killer, even as another tear slips down his cheek. The nod he gives is barely perceptible as the flurry of emotions behind his eyes seems to be tearing him apart.

When he speaks again, both his voice and expression are filled with complete and utter fear.

With wide, wet eyes, the usually loud and arrogant Captain Kid seems less like the ruthless supernova and more like a man who just had his world ripped away from him after learning it existed.

Unlike most pirates in your generation, who were raised in a dog-eat-dog world where you either fight to survive or die trying, your story is a little bit different. Your parents are not only alive, but supportive and loving.

You were born on a small island in the East Blue to a fishing family. From a young age, you learned how to be useful on the homefront: gutting and cleaning the fish when the boats come back in, learning how to salt, dry, and store them for the winter, even learning how to cook once you were old enough to be trusted around the fire. Once you hit your teens, after months of pestering, your father started taking you out on the boats, teaching you the basics of sailing, navigation, and fishing.

It wasn’t just your mother and father who taught you and raised you, however. Growing up on such a small fishing island, your community had always been tight-knit. There was never a question of where your next meal would come from, or who would keep an eye on you while you’re parents were busy. No one was forced to struggle alone.

One of your earliest memories of this deep-rooted community was when you were just a toddler at the festival that your island holds once a year, aptly named ‘The Festival of Souls’. The festival, like many others, is a celebration with food stalls and performances and fireworks. Historically, the festival lets joined soulmates celebrate and solidify their connection by taking the time to appreciate having found their missing piece. Those that haven’t met their soulmates yet use the celebration as a time of learning from those that are linked, listening to stories and sharing in the love of others… which is probably why you’ve always been such a romantic.

The people of your island, for as long as anyone remembers, have always held the notion of soulmates and true love highly. Many believe that your soul can’t find peace until you experience the first touch with your soulmate and link with them. And if the emptiness that you’ve felt in your chest your whole life is anything to go off, then this theory must hold some weight. The festival, then, is used to celebrate soulmates and encourage the youth and unlinked to seek theirs out.

On the evening of the festival, you were sat on the grass somewhere in the middle of a crowd of toddlers, your little 6-year-old face bright with amazement as you listened to an elderly couple recount their story.

“The universe created you and your other half from the same atoms,” the woman explained once they were done telling the children how her and her husband met, the details of their first touch as young adults. She turns to her husband, her eyes warm and smile soft. She reaches out and covers one of his wrinkled hands with one of her own. “How lucky we are, to have someone to belong to.”

~~~

From that point on, as young as you were, you’ve dreamt about having a love like the one those two showed that day. You get a warm, giddy feeling in your chest every time you think about the fact that someone, out there, is meant just for you, and you for them. Every festival that goes by as you get older just solidifies your hopelessness and yearning even more.

Years go by and you grew into a strong, self-sufficient woman, working with your mother and the other women in processing the fish, and sometimes heading out on the boats with the men. But despite staying busy, ever since that first festival where you learned about soulmates, you’ve dreamed about meeting yours every night. What do they look like? Are they nice? What will it feel like to finally be whole?

You haven’t thought a lot about the future and where you’ll end up. Aside from fantasies about meeting your soulmate, you’ve never thought about leaving your home. Do I need to travel to meet my soulmate? You’ve never been on your own before, and the fear of leaving everything you know and love to sail the seas alone is too intimidating at your young age. So, you stay at home, working with the fishermen and sticking to what you know. After all, you have to meet your soulmate at some point, right?

Maybe that’s why, when you’re 19, your plans were quick to change when a 17-year-old boy wearing a straw hat, leading a crew of misfits, showed up on your island.

You were already on the docks that morning when the pirate ship pulled up to the island, helping your father and the other men unload their haul. You wore a pair of green overalls over a black t-shirt, your hair pinned back in some sort of messy-bun-turned-birds-nest from the salt water.

“Got it!” you said loudly once you had a good grip on the fish crate that one of the men lowered down to you from the side of the boat. The man let go of the crate and you carried it across the dock to the storehouse nearby. You just put the crate down and dusted off your hands when you heard an unfamiliar voice calling out.

 "HEY! You!” The voice rang out, and you turned towards the doorway, looking outside. “The woman with the fish! You’re strong!”

When you stepped fully out of the storehouse back into the early morning sun, you spotted the source of the voice. A young boy was bounding towards you, a bright grin on his face. He was wearing a red sleeveless shirt and blue shorts. Most notably, however, was the straw hat on the top of his head. You noticed that behind him are four others, three men and one woman.

Before you got a chance to respond, the boy spoke again.

“Join my crew” he said, and the orange-haired woman behind him immediately facepalmed and groaned.

“Luffy, no! How many times do I have to tell you; you can’t just invite every person you meet to join the crew!” she yelled, hitting him in the back of the head. The boy, whose name you smartly deduced was Luffy, just grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

“Why not?” He asked, before gesturing at you. “She’s strong!”

The orange-haired woman sighed. “Because, Luffy. She’s a stranger.” The other three men watched with varying degrees of interest; the green-haired one watched boredly with half-lidded eyes, his arms crossed; the blond one smoked a cigarette and rolled his eyes at his captain before turning back to stare at you with heart eyes; the one with the long nose eyed you warily, standing behind the green-haired man and peaking over the larger man’s shoulder at you.

At the woman’s argument, Luffy spun on his heel to face you again and shot his hand out toward you, grinning. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy,” he introduced. “I’m going to be king of the pirates!”

You looked between his face and his hand, then the faces of his friends behind him, searching for some indication that this crazy encounter wasn’t some elaborate joke. After a beat, long enough for you to have determined that they aren’t there to hurt you, but not long enough to confirm that they aren’t crazy, you huffed softly in amusement and lifted your own hand, smiling and introducing yourself.

Luffy’s grin somehow widened at your politeness, and he shook your hand enthusiastically. “YOSH! Now you’re not a stranger!” He declared, dropping your hand and putting his hands on his hips as if he just did something impressive by introducing himself. The orange-haired woman facepalmed again.

You had turned down the invitation at the time, having no real interest in becoming a pirate or leaving home. However, after two days of thinking about your soulmate possibly being out there somewhere, you realized that this was an opportunity. To you, meeting the Straw Hat pirates felt like a sign from the universe, leading you to your other half. Being the hopeless romantic you are, when the Going Merry pulls out of your islands dock, you’re on board, waving back at your friends and family on the island.

That’s how, two years later, you ended up at Sabaody Archipelago with your crew, which has grown since you joined. You and some of your other crewmates, including Nami, the orange-haired woman, Zoro, the green-haired himbo, and Sanji, the curly-browed cook, stood at the back of the Sabaody Auction House.

Currently, the moment playing out in front of you feels like it’s in slow motion. One second you’re watching some Celestial Dragon treat his slave like trash and try to buy Camie, the crew’s mermaid friend, at the slave auction. The next second there’s a crash and Luffy is blasting through the roof into the auction house.

When Luffy’s fist slams into the Tenryuubito’s face, the room seems to freeze. You and Nami meet eyes, an exasperated look passing between you at your captains’ actions, before all hell broke loose.

You just finished fighting off some mid-level marine when you hear your captain’s excited voice. Turning your head, you see him pointing at the red-haired pirate captain that Nami told you was named Eustass Kid. You see your captain’s awestruck face as Kid uses his devil fruit powers to create a giant swarm of weapons and metal in the sky, the man’s arms crossed over his chest as he preens smugly at Luffy’s amazement.

You scoff lightly under your breath, rolling your eyes at the egocentricity of it all. Of course they’d take this as an opportunity to show off, you think.

Since the men are distracted and the rest of the crewmates are in their own fights, you’re the first one to notice the marine captain taking advantage of this moment of weakness and sneaking towards Kid.

You shift your feet, changing directions and dashing forward, your own sword drawn. You slide in front of Kid just in time to stop the marine captain’s blade from making contact, the impact of steel-on-steel ringing loudly through the battlefield and sending a shockwave through your hands.

You grit your teeth as pain shoots like electricity through your wrists, and you can feel the red-haired captain’s attention finally turn back to the fight, his taller frame casting a shadow over your back.  

Keeping your eyes locked on the marine captain, you snap over your shoulder. “If you’re just going to stand around like an idiot, go get yourself killed somewhere else.” You shift your feet and keep the pressure on the marine’s blade, not giving him room to breathe or drop his guard as you hold him off.

You hear Kid finally speak from behind you. “Huh?!” his tone is icy, and you know his ego took a hit from being told off by a woman. You can’t help but scoff, even as most of your attention is on the marine in front of you. “And who the fuck are you?” Kid asks.

Before you get a chance to open your mouth to respond, the marine suddenly pushes his blade harder against yours, shoving you backwards so he can take a step back. Since you rushed over to block the hit, your footing wasn’t very good, and you stumble backwards into Kid’s broad chest.

The moment you two make contact feels exactly like what you always dreamed it would feel like. The cold, hollow crater in your chest begins to fill slowly from the bottom up, the feeling warm and tight and overwhelming. All your senses dull, heightened to the points of contact: his chest to your back, his large hand on your shoulder keeping you steady. Everything beyond the man behind you seems to cease to exist.

Your heart skips a beat, before slamming back into action, beating so hard you know he can feel it. Every inch of your body tingles warmly, and you remain frozen, eyes wide.

Eustass Kid was never one to believe in soulmates, despite knowing that they’re scientifically real. He remembers being a child and seeing adults gush about finding their soulmates, telling him the same old stories as if he gives a damn.

“I was like you, ya know. When I was your age.” The man sitting across from a 19-year-old Kid looks to be in his late forties, judging by the greying hair and the bald spot. Kid and a few of his crewmates, namely Killer, Heat, and Wire, were at a tavern near the docks, drinking off the adrenaline from a recent scuffle with some Marines. Kid glares at the man, his golden eyes narrowing in annoyance.

“Who the fuck are you, anyways?” Kid snarled at the man, taking a swig from the tankard in his hand. He shoots a dark look at Heat, who’d been blabbing loud enough about soulmates to draw attention of randoms in the tavern. He turns back to the man, expression icy. “Do we look like we want to talk to you?”

The man takes a swig of his own drink, leaning against the bar a little way away from Kid and his men. “Names Randy,” the man offers, not reacting at all to Kid’s hostile demeanor. He turns on his bar stool to face Kid.

“Your friends right, by the way.” Randy nods towards Heat. “Just because you think you’re too good for a soulmate doesn’t mean you don’t have one. I used to think the same thing.”

The four pirates go silent for a moment at his words, before Kid scoffs loudly, downing the rest of his drink and slamming the tankard down violently.

“I don’t care if I got one,” Kid tells him, his voice deep and aggravated, “I’m still not interested. I got more important things to do than worry about some bitch. I’m going to be king of the pirates.” He snaps at the bartender for another drink when he’s done talking.

The older man laughs, shaking his head slightly to himself. “Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that.” Randy slides a bill across the bar towards the bartender, paying for his drink before standing up from his stool. Despite the intimidating aura coming off this 19-year-old boy and his friends, Randy claps Kid on the shoulder roughly. “You won’t believe it ‘til it happens to you, son. An’ then you’ll realize you’ve been afraid of nothing.”

As quick as it happened, the man drops his hand from Kid’s shoulder and walks away, shoving his hands into his pant pockets. Kid gapes after him, his typical anger bubbling just under the surface but silenced briefly by the audacity of the man. Before he can react, however, a loud laugh rings out from beside him. Snapping his head to the side, he sees Heat with a hand on his stomach, bent over with laughter.

“The fuck are you laughing at?!” He snaps, reaching over to slap Heat on the back of the head roughly.

Heat winces and rubs the back of his head, still laughing and not at all offended by being hit by his captain. “That guy,” Heat says, gesturing wildly at the door where Randy just exited the tavern. “He had balls of steel!”

Kid stares at him blankly for a long moment before smacking him up the side of the head again. “Shut up, Heat.” He grumbles. Heat laughs again.

The moment settles, and all four of them fall back into normalcy after the disruption. The peace doesn’t last, however, when Killer decides to speak up.

“He was right, though.” Killer points out casually, gesturing vaguely with the hand holding his tankard. “I mean, what’s your problem with soulmates, anyways? You’ve been like that forever.” At the question, all three sets of eyes turn to Kid, waiting for his answer. Heat looks like a kid on Christmas, his eyes glinting in excitement at the scent of drama, while Killer’s eyes are calm behind his mask, as always. Wire stays quiet but keeps his eyes on Kid curiously as he sips his drink.

Kid scoffs again, turning forward in his seat so he doesn’t have to look at any of them. He stays silent for a moment, muscles in his jaw working as he wars with himself. “You know what my problem is,” he mutters, tone still harsh, obviously annoyed that they’re even asking him about this again. “I don’t have time for it. You know yourself that there’s no place in a pirate’s life for that shit.”

Killer watches Kid’s side profile as he speaks, before making the smallest shake of his head in disagreement, the motion barely noticeable if you weren’t looking for it. “Why not?” He asks plainly. “Why can’t you have both?”

When Killer asks that, Kid seems to pause. It isn’t dramatic. It isn’t loud. He just… stops, going eerily still. Anyone would miss it if they weren’t watching for it, but Killer was. So, when Kid grumbles unintelligibly under his breath, downs his drink, and storms out of the tavern, Killer lets him. When Heat and Wire slide their eyes back from the door of the tavern to Killer’s masked face, he just shrugs one shoulder.

~~~

Life on the Victoria Punk goes on as normal for years after their encounter with Randy. Kid kept acting like whole soulmate thing didn’t apply to him, and the crew continued to let him. Even when one of his men met their own soulmate during a random supply stop, his fingers brushing the woman’s as he purchased something from her stall, Kid just turned his nose up at the sentimentality of it all and ignored it. Feelings are a weakness, he thinks to himself. Just another thing that can be used against you.

With the idea of soulmates completely pushed out of the realm of reality for Kid and his crew, they continue to follow their path, making their way towards the New World. Like many young pirates from the Worst Generation, this path eventually led to Sabaody Archipelago, the gateway to the New World and Fishman Island. Currently, Kid, Killer, Heat and Wire are standing in the back of the Sabaody Auction House, watching as people are auctioned off like objects.

“How about we buy anyone who seems interesting?” Kid chuckles darkly, his arms crossed as he leans against the wall. Heat leans in, voice lowered.

“Boss, look.” He murmurs to Kid, nodding towards the seating area in front of them. “I recognize him.” Both Heat and Kid look down towards the back rows of seats, spotting a man sitting there, elbows resting on the backs of the chairs beside him, flanked by what appear to be his crewmates standing behind him.

“Trafalgar Law from North Blue, Captain of the Heart Pirates.” Heat says. “He’s worth 200 million. I’ve heard pretty bad rumours about him.” As if sensing the eyes on him, the man, Trafalgar Law, turns to glance at them over his shoulder. With a smirk, he flips them off before turning back to face forward.

Kid grins maliciously. “He’s got a bad attitude, too.” He says.

~~~

The next couple of minutes go by in a flash. A Celestial Dragon shows up at the auction house, some greasy, obese rat-looking man dragging his bloodied slave behind him. A mermaid is put up for auction, drawing the attention of said world noble, and suddenly, Straw Hat Luffy bursts into the auction house, most of his crew having already been there waiting. Before anyone can even react, Luffy’s fist is slamming into the Tenryuubito’s face, and all hell breaks loose. When the auction house descends into chaos and is subsequently surrounded by Marines, a temporary truce between the Straw Hat Pirates, Kid Pirates, and Heart Pirates forms as the three captains and their crews fight off the Marines.

Electricity crackles from Kid’s arm as he activates his devil fruit powers, magnetizing the nearby marines’ weapons and ripping them away, forming a giant metal extension on his arm. He swings his arm, knocking down a couple now-defenseless marines. He cackles maniacally, throwing his head back and causing a swarm of metal weapons above his head.

“How do you like that?” he yells, grinning wildly as he looks at Luffy and Law across the battlefield. Law looks unimpressed, like always, and Luffy beams at Kid, eyes wide.

“WOAH!” He yells, pointing at Kid with one stretched-out rubber arm. “That’s so cool!”

Kid smirks smugly, folding his arms over his chest. “Of course it’s cool.” He brags. The moment causes a lapse in concentration as Luffy praises Kid and Kid soaks it up. Law watches them for a beat, his hand on the hilt of his blade over his shoulder. He rolls his eyes, before scanning the battlefield again. It’s too late when he notices a marine captain making a lunge at Kid, seemingly coming from nowhere.

“Eustass-ya!” Law snaps, unsheathing his blade and stepping forward, ready to step in. In a blur of movement, Law steps forward, Luffy’s grin drops as he stretches his arm back to hit another marine approaching from the opposite side, and the marine captain’s attack is just barely blocked by a third party, the clash of metal ringing out loudly as someone steps in between Kid and the marine. The marine grits his teeth, shifting his blade against the blade of the person who interrupted. Kid notices that it’s a woman, one he spotted with Luffy’s crew earlier.

“If you’re just going to stand around like an idiot, go get yourself killed somewhere else.” the woman snaps, her back to Kid and eyes on the marine as she holds him off. Kid’s expression darkens.

“Huh?!” he asks, glaring down at the back of her head. “And who the fuck are you?” Before she can respond, the marine captain, who’s still blade-to-blade with the woman, shifts his feet and pushes the woman away so he can step back and get his bearings. The force of his shove knocks her backwards into Kid’s chest.

Like a switch being flipped, everything seems to both disappear and get incredibly intense at the same time. Kid’s hearing goes, ears ringing as he gets almost lightheaded. His body locks up and his breathing stops. He can’t hear anything, can’t see anything, can’t even feel anything but the point of contact between the woman’s back and his chest and his hand on her shoulder as he steadies her reflexively.

The next few days aboard the Victoria Punk are oddly tense. Captain Kid, who can always be found at the helm or somewhere on deck, spends them instead locked away in his quarters. Even though his absence brings a sort of peace and quiet to the crew, it results in a tense atmosphere surrounding the ship.

Obviously, emotional regulation is not the captain’s strong suit. If it wasn’t for Killer forcing his way into Kid’s room with a meal every day, he probably would have forgotten to eat at all. But he eats (at Killer’s insistence), even if he won’t talk about what’s bothering him.

But Killer knows.

That’s why he keeps the ship sailing. That’s why he waits for the News Coo to come, hoping for word on the status of the Straw Hat Pirates. Because even though he doesn’t even know your name, even though he frankly couldn’t care less if you were alive or not, he cares about his captain. And right now, it doesn’t seem like Kid will get his head out of his ass until he finds out you’re alive.

Immediately after the Straw Hats are split up by Kuma, however, none of them are reported either dead or alive. Just ‘Missing In Action’. Killer doesn’t tell Kid that update.

~~~

It’s the third day after the events of Sabaody when something changes.

In all regards, it was a normal day. The crew kept the ship sailing despite their captain’s neglect, with Killer leading them in his place. The skies were clear, and there were no signs of marines or enemy pirates nearby.

Currently, Kid is still in his quarters sitting on the edge of his bed, ignoring the sounds of his crew outside as he stares at the floor between his feet.

He doesn’t lift his head when the door to his quarters open, having grown used to it over the past three days. Besides, no one besides Killer would be stupid enough to enter without knocking, even on a good day.

When he places a plate of food on the table beside Kid (moved there two days ago by Killer), Kid moves just enough to start eating, if only to avoid his friend’s nagging.

Killer steps back and leans against Kid’s desk a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest as he examines his captain through the holes in his mask.

Kid chews silently. Killer watches him just as quietly. The atmosphere is tense as always.

“…Kid,” Killer finally speaks after Kid is almost done eating, his voice low and almost gentle, as if he knows it’s one wrong move and the redhead will kick him out.

Kid exhales sharply through his nose, and for a minute, Killer thinks that’s the only reaction he’s getting. But then Kid tilts his head, glancing across the room at Killer from the corner of his eye, waiting.

Killer lets out a breath, before slowly lowering his arms and standing up straight instead of leaning against the desk.

He opens his mouth, then closes it, debating his words before sighing again, his shoulders dropping another inch.

“…you can’t stay like this, Kid.” He says.

Unexpectedly, Kid groans and runs a hand down his face. Behind his mask, Killer’s eyebrows shoot up.

When Kid drops his hand from his face, he glares at his masked friend, a look so heated it would make any other man flinch.

“You don’t get it.” He says firmly, crossing his arms, one foot tapping restlessly on the floor. “I mean, Killer, you really don’t get it” he uncrosses his arms, gesturing vaguely but forcefully, “it’s fucked. It’s got my whole head fucked up.”

Killer watches Kid jab his own temple in emphasis; his eyebrows still raised in shock at his friend’s sudden outburst. Then, he huffs. That was the wrong reaction, obviously.

Kid’s golden eyes shoot back to Killer’s masked face, his eyebrows drawn together as he squints grumpily at the other man.

“What’s so funny?” he snaps, but Killer doesn’t miss the way the tips of his ears seem to darken. When Killer doesn’t respond fast enough for his captain’s liking, Kid shoots up from the bed, jabbing a finger towards Killer. “You got a problem?”

Killer can’t help but chuckle, lifting his hands in surrender.

“Woah, captain. Take it easy,” he says, before folding his arms across his chest again. “I’m just surprised. I mean, you haven’t spoken in three days.”

Kid scowls and sits back down. “Shut up.”

Killer tilts his head as he examines the other man, noticing the way his usually stoic captain seems almost flustered. He’s about to ask Kid about it, about this whole soulmate thing now that he’s finally talking.

Before he can get the words out, the ship jerks violently, almost throwing him off his feet, accompanied by a loud crash outside on deck. He catches himself on the edge of the desk, his eyes snapping to the closed door.

“Are we under attack?” Kid asks, already back on his feet and heading to the door for the first time since they left Sabaody, the threat of a fight switching him back into captain mode.

Killer follows close behind him, eyebrows furrowed. “No. I mean, we shouldn’t be. We were alone out here, last I checked.”

The two men rush out of the captain’s quarters and onto the deck, searching for the source of the disturbance. The first thing they notice is a majority of the crew gathered around something in the middle of the deck, smoke rising from the area.

“Oi! The hell is going on?” Kid calls out as he stomps over and pushes through the group, Killer right behind him. When he gets to the front, he freezes.

Of course, the deck is wrecked, but he expected that from the force of whatever hit it. He doesn’t bat an eye at the damage; his gaze is locked instead onto the cause of it.

And of course, of course, laying there in the middle of his deck on his ship is the one thing he didn’t want to see. The one thing he desperately needed to see.

You.

Though you’re not looking too great, most likely due to the combined efforts of being knocked out, flying through the sky for three days, and hitting the deck hard enough to break it. You’re unconscious, a little bruised and bloody from the impact. And probably worst of all, you’re vulnerable on an enemy pirate ship.

Killer takes one look at your curled-up form on the deck before his gaze locks onto Kid, watching warily for his reaction.

The crew also notice their captain’s silence, and now all eyes are on him, everyone besides Killer confused at their captain’s silence.

Kid doesn’t speak. No one does. Not for what feels like minutes.

Then, he takes one step forward, then another, until he’s standing over you.

And when he drops to one knee beside your shoulder, every single person on the ship freezes like prey caught in a web, as if this out-of-character action by Kid has manually reset every one of their brains.

Either oblivious to the sudden tension or ignoring it purposefully, Kid doesn’t react. He doesn’t look up at any of them.

Instead, he lifts one hand slowly, hesitantly, until the back of his knuckles brush your forehead. And when his breath hitches loud enough for everyone on the ship to hear, even the most idiotic among them knows not to mention it.

After a moment, he yanks his hand back as if touching you burnt. He looks up at Killer over his shoulder; his expression poorly pulled into an attempt at nonchalance.  

Killer holds his gaze for a moment before nodding sharply and, without a word passing between them, he lifts his head and starts barking orders at the crew.

“Prepare the infirmary! We need water and blankets!” After a pause, the crew scatters at Killer’s authoritative voice even if they don’t understand why they’re going to help this stranger instead of throwing you overboard or tying you up.

On the ground, Kid turns his attention back to you. He stares at you for a long moment, his eyes scanning your face like you’re the most interesting thing he’s ever seen. He reaches out and carefully slides one arm under your legs and the other behind your back, lifting you off the deck and strictly ignoring the way his heart pounds against his ribs.

Once he’s stood, Killer turns and leads the way to the infirmary. The door is already open and the lights on as men move around quickly, throwing sheets haphazardly onto the cot in the corner and finding extra blankets. Heat is standing beside the cot, making a show of fluffing a pillow.

Kid strides in, scowling yet again at the half-assed attempt at making up a bed. He jerks his head at Heat, who sets the pillow down on the cot theatrically, patting it twice for good measure. Kid glares at him (no, the corner of his mouth did not just twitch up, thank you very much) before setting you down gently.

He takes a blanket from another crewmate, and everyone in the room watches in shock as he spreads it over you, pulling it up to your chin and tucking you in. Heat snorts, and Killer smacks him up the side of the head before Kid can even react.

“Ow! What was that for?” Heat asks, rubbing the back of his head. Killer just stares at him.

“Get out.”

Heat’s eyes widen, and he slaps his hand over his chest. “Get out? Why do I have to get out?” he asks Killer, before turning to Kid, who’s standing over you with his back to the two of them. “Captain, tell Killer I don’t have to leave!” he whines.

Kid doesn’t respond, and after a couple moments of that thick silence, Heat’s bravado falters, and he sheepishly mutters some excuse and heads for the infirmary door.

Killer watches him go and nods at the other crewmates that are still lingering to do the same before taking a step towards Kid, standing just behind his shoulder.

The two men examine your sleeping form, your expression more peaceful now that you’re comfortable and warm.

“…what’s the plan?” Killer asks, his voice quiet. Kid keeps his eyes on your face, before pulling a nearby chair closer and plopping down into it. He scoffs and leans forward to touch you again, this time brushing a lock of tangled hair from your forehead with two fingers, letting them linger on your temple.

“Plan?” he murmurs, head tilting as he traces his fingers down from your temple to your cheek. “I dunno. See what she says when she wakes up.”

Killer’s eyebrows shoot up for what feels like the millionth time in one day. “What?”

His eyes flick between the side of Kid’s face and his fingers on your skin. When Kid just shrugs, Killer clasps one large hand on his shoulder and gives him a shake.

“Kid. What do you mean, you don’t know?” He asks incredulously. “You’re going to wait for her to wake up and, what, let her decide what happens?”

Kid nods. “Yeah,” he states, as if that’s the only answer.

Killer drops his hand from Kid’s shoulder as the realization hits him that, yeah, that is the only answer now, isn’t it? You’re the captain’s soulmate, and for someone who spent his entire life convinced his soulmate didn’t matter, Kid is awfully captivated by you right now.

“Is it really that…real?” the masked man’s voice is quiet when he speaks again, almost unsure. His eyes stay on Kid’s fingers on your face, something akin to awe in his eyes.

Kid glances up at Killer from where he’s sitting before looking back at you. “…yeah.” His voice is quieter than anyone has ever heard it, and Killer can tell that the vulnerability is killing him.

He doesn’t pry further.

The moment lulls back into silence, and eventually, Killer slips out of the infirmary, using ‘needing to check on the crew’ as an excuse to give Kid some time alone.

Kid doesn’t lift his head at the exit of his first mate. He stays sitting in a chair beside your cot, his hand resting on yours now instead of touching your face, his thumb stroking subconsciously along your knuckles.