***(Y/N) POV***
"Your spaghetti reminds me of my Mama's cooking."
It had been the better part of a week, and I had hardly moved from the bed Kid had dropped me into. Whatever medication they had given me had kicked in after a day or two, and I was slowly but surely recovering. I could even eat properly again, which was a relief.
"I'm sure your mother is a better cook than me." Killer replied, leaning on the dresser, arms folded as he waited patiently for me to finish. Swallowing another bite, I shrugged my shoulders, uncaring whether my face was covered with sauce or not.
"Meh, I wouldn't say that. It just has a...I dunno, a comforting effect, y'know? Makes me feel warm and comfy."
I was sure Killer was looking at me as though I were an idiot, and whilst he was, in walked Wire, nodding in agreement.
"She's right. You make good grub, man." He confirmed my analysis, and the blond waved him off with a limp wrist.
Still shovelling food into my mouth with one hand, I used the other to tuck my hair back so Wire could use my ear to take my temperature.
"I bet you're blushing under there. You are, aren't you?" I snickered, wincing a little at the uncomfortable pressure of the thermometer in my ear hole.
"I think I liked you better when you were half dead. Way less annoying..." Killer grumbled under his breath, running a hand down the smooth surface of his helmet as we were joined by yet another person.
Stopping at the foot of the bed, Heat placed a small bundle of black clothing on the mattress, starting to sort through it.
"Okay, so, I did what I could to get some of this stuff to fit. It's not gonna be great, but it'll do the trick until we can get you some proper clothes. I hope you like charcoal, grease, soot, obsidian, and, my personal favourite, crow."
They're all doting on me now...What a one eighty...
I wasn't complaining. No, they had all been so kind to me since I had fallen ill, but I couldn't help but be sceptical. Was it because I was a woman? Did they just pity me? That was likely the case. Still, it was better than the alternative.
"What the hell is this?! The headquarters for the bitch worshipping cult?! Get the hell out of my room! Out!" Then there was Kid. He had been...better. Not great, but not as bad as he had been before. He'd mostly made himself scarce, unless I'd needed actual assistance. Now, however, he was growing impatient.
Both Heat and Wire scurried out, the latter handing the thermometer over to Killer as he passed, leaving the three of us in the room.
"Low fever. You're getting there." Killer announced as he read my temperature, pocketing the thermometer. "Just take it easy for a bit longer and you'll be back to normal."
Whilst I nodded, my focus was on Kid, who seemed less than enthused about the whole situation. I don't think I'd ever seen him not pissed off, but he was quickly moving up to a whole other level.
"She can take it easy somewhere else! I want my damn bed back!" He snapped, pacing back and forth, seemingly fighting the urge to pick me up and throw me out of the room.
"You reap what you sow, Kid. Deal with it for a few more days." Killer sighed, patting his captain's shoulder on his way past. I kind of felt bad. Not because I was causing a great annoyance to Captain Kid, but because the rest of the crew were having to deal with his hissy fits.
"Uh, if you want I can just go chill in the infirmary? This bed kinda smells, anyway, so I don't mind moving..." I piped up, barely flinching when the red head slammed his hands either side of my legs on the mattress, leaning over with a fierce scowl.
"What the fuck are you saying it smells like, bitch?!"
Well, it ain't smelling like roses, that's for sure...
Maintaining defiant eye contact, I lifted the sheets and gave an over the top sniff before letting it drop back to my lap.
"Like a metallic asshole."
This time around I flinched a lot, Kid pressing his forehead right up against mine, almost forcing me down through the mattress. He had all but headbutted me.
"The second you're not dying anymore, I'm gonna kill you!"
Seems counter-productive, but okay.
"No you're not. Calm down." Killer soothed the aggressive man with his deep timbre, slipping his hand between our foreheads and prying him away slowly. "We'll be at home base in a day or two anyway, so go pout somewhere else. If you're so pissy without a bed, take mine. I'll sleep on the floor."
Visible steam could have been blowing from the top of the man's head and I wouldn't have questioned it with how angry he seemed. Still, biting his tongue, likely clean in half, he stalked to the other side of the room in a huff.
It may have been the effects of my fever talking, but looking at him, I thought that maybe he could have been somewhat handsome if it wasn't for that attitude of his. Tall, broad, with that bad boy aesthetic that wasn't half bad. I could've even gotten past his lack of eyebrows if he hadn't been such a dick.
"Take her to the damn infirmary." Kid turned to leave, but Killer already had one foot out the door, waving over his shoulder.
"Not my problem. Got shit to do."
Wait. No. Come back. You're nice. He's-
Watching Kid's fist squeeze by his side, I thought about just how quickly it could have snapped my neck if it was around my throat. It wouldn't have taken him much effort, which caused me to realise that even when when he thought I was a boy he still hadn't been using his full strength against me.
Muttering exotic obscenities under his breath, Kid marched over to me and threw me over his shoulder without so much as a warning. The quick movement made me dizzy, but I didn't complain. I deserved it.
"Your hand's on my ass cheek." I pointed out as he stomped his way out of the room. His hand lowered a few inches to the back of my thigh the moment I had finished speaking. "That's better. Thanks. No offence, but my ass is reserved for real men, like Hawkeye Mihawk, Silvers Rayleigh, Jinbe Son of the Se-"
I hadn't expected his hand to return to my rear, especially not as roughly as it had, and I couldn't stifle the startled squeak that escaped my lips.
"I'm more of a man than all of those old sons of bitches combined." Kid growled, and much to my horror my cheeks began to grow hot.
Lord have mercy...
It was relatively quiet up on deck, but I couldn't miss the few stares and murmurs as some of the crew members spotted where his hand had made itself comfortable.
"Uh, s..speaking of Mihawk...Can I please have my hat back..? I know it's kinda smooshed, but it holds sentimental value."
I hadn't seen it since I had been in the cell, so I was hoping nobody had thrown it away or taken it for themselves.
"Don't know where it is, don't care where it is. You talk too much." He muttered, jostling me a little on his shoulder as he began to climb the stairs.
"At least I don't have an entire tree trunk up my ass twenty four seven..." I mumbled in return, yelping out loud when he yanked me down off his shoulder, keeping me pressed against his chest with one arm as he opened the infirmary door with the other.
"Ever stop to wonder whether it might be you that's pissing me off so much?" He asked sarcastically, rouge lip curling back over his teeth. Curiosity getting the better of me, my finger moved to touch his bottom lip. I wanted to know whether it was actually lipstick, or his natural lips.
His teeth seized my finger in an instant, but he didn't clamp down too hard. Just enough to warn me of my idiocy, but it also made my chest tingle. Just a little.
"Sorry...I just wanted to know if it was lipstick..."
His teeth are sharp...
I felt his growl around my finger, vibrating up through my hand and arm before he released me, all of me, down onto the bed. His expression wasn't as vicious now. It was almost suspicious.
"Obviously it is..." He grunted, using the back of his hand to wipe away the non existent residue I had left behind on his mouth.
"It suits you." I commented as I struggled to climb under the blanket of the infirmary bed. Sure, I was getting better, but I was still weak, and I had already been awake for much longer than I had since falling ill.
Narrowing his eyes, Kid grabbed hold of my tangled legs and freed them from the twisted blanket, not quite tucking me in but at least covering me over.
"I know it does. Hurry up and pass out again. I'm sick of looking after you, you dumb bitch..."
Actually, Killer, Heat and Wire have been doing most of the looking after...
Kid hadn't been terrible, though. Awful, but not terrible. It was, at the very least, a step up from his usual self. Angry? Yes. Loud? Yes. Violent? A little. He could have been much worse, but he was holding back. I knew it was likely due to Killer's request, but still.
Rolling onto my side, I offered Kid a small smile, for once without any sarcasm or teasing implication.
"Thanks for carrying me, Kid. Oh, and for not killing me..." I finished with a yawn, momentarily blurred vision stopping me from seeing the man's face before he turned away.
"Yeah...well...there's all the time in the world for that...Just shut up and sleep, before I change my mind..."
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***I'm still sick but meh.
I got inspired by hearing 'Headliners', the song Kid and Law's VAs did for one of the OP albums. I swear to all that's good, Daisuke Namikawa's (Kid) voice does something to me.
Also drew a rock au kid cuz I've been bored shitless while trying to get better.
Next Time: Home is Where the Harm Is***