Eustass' place fell into a routine as the days turned to weeks. Emma and House would come and visit while Hip and Mosh slept during the day. Other members of the crew would show up with Emma or House on days when one or the other didn't arrive. You met Gig, Pomp, Reck, Dive and Boogie over the course of the next few weeks. Killer seemed to keep himself busy with cooking, considering the house was full more than empty, and Kid, Heat and Wire were consistently getting back home just before you woke up.
Your healed arm was mapped on Monday, and you were scheduled for the connector surgery the following Monday. Killer and House had gone along with you, and the whole thing had been easy.
The Friday before you were scheduled for your surgery you woke up and meandered downstairs to see an unusual sight. Eustass Kid was sleeping at the dining room table.
You sat down across from him, watching his shoulders rise and fall steadily. The goggles he used more as a headband than as goggles were on the table near him, and the mess of red hair fell over his face. It was the most peaceful you'd seen him in all the time you'd known him. Some part of you wanted to do something bratty, like tie his boot laces together or something, but he was sleeping so soundly you felt a bit bad for having the thought at all.
Eventually Killer came out of the kitchen with two plates. He tilted his head toward you in silent greeting, before setting a plate by Eustass and the other one in front of you. He put a finger up to his lips, and then pointed to his eyes before pointing to Kid.
Killer waved his hand over Eustass' plate, fanning the steam toward the red head's face. You were already trying not to laugh at the show, but once Kid's finger twitched you were nearly in tears trying to keep quiet. Seconds later he was awake, albeit groggily, looking around before he pulled the plate of food closer to himself and began to eat. You had your hand over your mouth, trying not to laugh, barely able to keep your composure.
"Wasso funny, Mouse?" Kid slurs, brushing the hair out of his face.
"N-nothing, ab-so-lute-ly nothing." You assert, taking a few deep breaths and trying to avoid looking at him. "What're you doing up?"
Kid chugs half the cup of coffee Killer had brought and shakes his head. "Readjusting my sleep schedule."
"Wha' for?" You ask, hand over a mouthful of food.
"Your surgery's Monday, right?" He asks, and you nod. "They told you how that'll go, right?"
You pale a little a nod. Neural prosthetics worked off nerve connections, which meant the base was connected with minimal to no pain killers. You needed to be able to verify the connections were connected, and there was going to be a lot of communication between you and the surgeon.
"Unless you're against it, I was going to sit with you through it." Kid says. He's not looking at you, instead he's focusing on the food in front of him. "If you're more comfortable with Killer or Emma or-."
"No, it's – I mean," you interrupt. "Thanks. I appreciate that." You manage a smile even though the thought of the procedure does have you a little unnerved. "I just need you to promise me something."
"Sure Mouse, fire away."
"Don't let them stop. They said something during the prep appointment that in certain cases they'll stop the procedure. I think I'm tougher than what the threshold is, but-."
"Don't sweat it, Mouse, you'll be done with it Monday and have your connector and everything, I promise."
You smile, "Thanks." Kid grunts, mouth full of food, and you manage to dive into your own food as well.
Friday Eustass Kid went through an impressive amount of coffee, and you were surprised he hadn't started vibrating himself into a new dimension or something. You'd be bouncing off the walls after a third cup, and by dinner he'd had almost 3 pots.
Even with Kid awake during the day, the usual routine didn't stop. Emma and House would come by during the day, and Hip and Mosh would be more active at night. Hip and Emma both had you doing stretches and exercises with them while you were waiting for your hand. Hip said it would help give you a good foundation for the stuff she'd teach you later. Emma said it was good to build up stamina if you were going to be "friends" with the Captain.
You had been eternally grateful that no one else had been around to hear that exchange or see the look on your face because of it.
Inevitably, Monday came around and you weren't having an easy time of it. It seemed the entire collection of people you'd become friends with were available that day to help you. Emma and House helped you get up and going in the morning. Hip and Mosh gave you hugs and wished you luck before they gave into their sleepiness and went to bed. Heat and Wire traded off on rubbing your shoulders and offering to bring you drinks and snacks.
Killer made sure your breakfast was light, and Kid made sure you ate it.
When you got into Victoria for the trip to the hospital, Kid even buckled you in without a word. The proximity required for him to do so was an unexpected distraction, but even if you would've rather be focused on those kinds of thoughts, you could only focus on the impending procedure.
You surgeon was one Dr. Potsun, an old man with a stern face that softened as he spoke to you.
"Alright, Miss (L/N), you've been informed of how this process is going to go, and I want to make sure you and I are communicating well. There are going to be varying levels of pain associated with this, but I promise it will come to an end, so try not to get overwhelmed by it. In my experience it's best if you hiss at small pains, growl at medium ones, and swear if it's really bad."
His explanation made you chuckle a little, and the doctor's countenance brightens more.
"With me so far?"
You nod. "I think I can manage that, yes."
"And it looks like you've brought your emotional support victim," Dr. Potsun says, nodding toward Eustass. "If you break his hand we're already in the hospital, so I can set it before you leave."
You actually laugh this time, and the doctor smiles at you.
"Now, that's what I like to see. A little less nervous, Miss (L/N)?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Good. Let's get down to the hard questions. First, do you want to watch the procedure?"
"Absolutely not." You answer immediately.
"Do you want to provide a phrase which will end the procedure immediately? You'll be allowed to try again, but you'd be limited to non-neural prosthetics in the meantime."
"... I don't. I don't want to stop this procedure over pain." You answer, doing your best to keep your self and your voice steady.
"That's a rare answer, Miss, but I admire your resolve. Alright, we'll work within those parameters, but I will warn you, that if you black out I'll be forced to stop."
"I understand."
The process began with the doctor creating more defined baselines for your pain using a numerical system. He explained that you could re-state where a number fell, since it was hard to know if a six was a six or maybe only a four until you learned what an eight felt like, and not to feel ashamed for any of it.
It turned out that Eustass Kid was maybe not your best Emotional Support Victim. Your hand wasn't big enough to actually wrap around his, and you didn't want to crush his fingers. You had grabbed his wrist, and the look that crossed his face at the idea of having a fractured wrist was comical. After a second he intertwined your fingers with his, though he had to sit a little awkwardly to accommodate it with you both using your right hand. You'd offered to just hold onto his prosthetic arm, but the doctor warned you could break your own fingers if his hand didn't give, and Kid wouldn't let you risk it.
The hardest part was suppressing the desire to heal yourself when they pain got worse. Knowing it would be counterproductive and having spent your entire life trying to make sure know one saw you heal in the first place, were a tremendous help. But being awake and aware for such pain was a rough experience.
You hissed, growled, cursed, screamed in frustration, and squeezed Kid's hand so hard you could feel your fingers ache. Dr. Potsun asked you for numbers at certain points, and Kid reminded you to breathe – if you didn't breathe, you'd pass out and you didn't want to have to try and do this a second time.
Halfway through the doctor informed you that he had identified all the connections and since you hadn't opted to stop the procedure due to pain, you only needed to focus on staying conscious.
"Talk to me, Mouse." Kid orders, catching your gaze. Something about his tone of voice was hard to argue with, and you absently wonder if it was why people called him Captain sometimes.
"About - fuck – what?" You hiss. You are covered in sweat and your whole body aches from having tensed over and over with all the pain jolting through your arm for the last hour or so.
"Why's Victoria your favorite car?"
"Cause she's old," You hiss and squeeze Eustass' hand. "She's old, and the se-sedans are under appreciated. Old c-cars are signs of love. Com-compassion. Cause they ca-augh-fuck!" You growled. "They can't repair themselves! So, someone had to look after 'em, y'know?" You were almost starting to laugh, the idea of having this sort of conversation in the midst of what you were going through. But it gave you something to focus on, and Kid didn't look away. "Even the ones that fell apart, cause sometimes you, you can't keep things the way you want 'em no matter how hard you try, an' sedans are usually working cars, you know?"
You look up to the ceiling and breathe out into the room. "Y-you don't get a coupe or a convertible to take the kids to school, or ha-help your friends move. You get s-something like that to show it off." You squeeze his hand again and swear before continuing. "So, an old sedan that survives... when people weren't gettin' 'em as an investment – that's something. Even if that survival means ya' had to pull it out of the ground and fix it back up from nothing."
"Why the Bel-Air specifically?"
"Ah – haa, don't laugh, or I guess, you can." You chuckle, squeezing his hand again before your smile twists into a series of swears. You stomp your feet on the floor for the first time and are grateful your left arm is secured enough to keep your fit from bothering the doctor. "It's 'cause the design makes me think of a quirky aunt. She's classy, still says f-fuck, and can probably beat someone's ass with-without chipping her nail polish."
"... Is that how you see Victoria?" Kid sounds a little confused.
You shake your head. "Victoria's more like a... a d-duchess, than an aunt. She's elegant, an' punk, an' probably m-murdered her husband by making it look like an accident when she real-realized he was useless." You laugh and you see Eustass start smirking. "It's those velvet seats th-that really make it."
Eustass gets you through the rest of your time in a similar way. He argues with you about music, calls you names so you're mad at him and not paying attention to the pain, plays 20 questions with you, and more. By the time it's all done you're hoarser from talking than you are from screaming swears due to the pain.
"You're... the nicest jackass," you grumble, as the painkillers from Dr. Potsun start to kick in.
"Rest up Mouse, I'll get your paperwork sorted and get you home." He assures you as the meds slip you into a deep sleep.