DOMINO - Eustass Kid x Reader

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT: Kid

***KILLER POV - 15 Years Ago***

I wasn't sure what I was looking at.

Head tilted back, bangs brushed out of my eyes, I stared up at the defeated looking shrimp that hung from an outreaching branch, matted red spiking out from its crown.

"O..Oi! What're you starin' at, punk?!" It squawked down at me, and I couldn't help but snort. Was the brat being serious, calling me a punk?

"An idiot. That's what I'm staring at." I replied casually, snickering when the child began flailing about angrily. If we wasn't careful he was going to set himself loose and break his neck, but that wasn't my problem. "What the hell are you doing up there? Building a nest?"

The young boy stopped struggling for a few moments and glared at me. I had to hand it to him, he had a fierce attitude, but he definitely didn't have anything else to back it up.
"I was hungry, so I was gon' kill a bird. Flew away." He announced, far too proudly for someone in his predicament.

It was late afternoon, so it wouldn't be long before the sun started to set. It was late Autumn, and it would be getting cold out. Still, wasn't my problem. I didn't have a hand in making the little shit.

"How'd you get stuck, then?" I had no idea why I was sticking around to converse with an idiot like him, but I didn't really have much else to do.

"None of ya business, sheep dog head!" Yep, he had the attitude of a rabid badger, and I wasn't about to keep dealing with that. Especially not when he dragged my hair into it. Shrugging my shoulders, I turned and lifted a hand to wave farewell to him.
"Whatever. Have fun up there, kid."

I continued walking, but for some reason my steps were small and slow. I wasn't actually concerned, was I? No way, no how. I had myself to worry about without getting involved with some snot-nosed tot. The cold was something I had to be careful about too, after all. Finding somewhere to sleep was at the top of my list.
"W..Wait..! Come back..!"

Dammit...

The boy's tone had changed drastically. Vicious to pitiful and weak at the drop of a hat, and I groaned loudly, reaching to rake a hand over my face. Now I had no choice but to lend the brat a hand. There wasn't anyone else around, and there was no telling whether the next person to pass by would be a decent human being.

Back-tracking, I craned my neck again and sighed, beginning to pull up my sleeves.
"So, you want my help? You need to ask for it. Nicely." Was I being petty? Absolutely I was. If I was going to risk bumps and bruises, maybe even a broken bone or two, he needed to earn it.

I was sure I heard him mutter some unsavoury curses under his breath, but eventually his arms fell limp below his head.
"I need you t' help me...Please..." That was good enough for me. Stepping forward, I patted at the tree to check its structural integrity before I began to climb, unphased by the splinters that started to burrow beneath my skin.

"What made you think you'd be quick enough to catch a bird, anyway?" I questioned him as I made my way up, spitting out flecks of bark that tried to pass my lips.
"Dunno. Just hungry." He responded flatly, and I could relate. Food was for the strong and the wealthy, and by the looks of him, his family was as poor as church mice.

It didn't take me long to reach him. The tree wasn't all that tall, but it still would have been a feat for him to climb all on his own at his size. Once I had myself straddled over the thicker end of the branch, I began to shimmy towards where his ankle was wedged.

"Okay, kid, I'm gonna snap the parts that have you caught, and you need to reach out and grab my hand when I do, okay? Otherwise you're gonna wanna hope you bounce."