When you woke up it was Tuesday. The pain meds, and the exhaustion of the procedure itself, kept you out cold for just a few hours shy of a full day. Your screaming bladder had you bolting out of the room, and you activated your healing. You'd be sore and raw for at least a week, but you wouldn't have to worry about knocking anything loose or having to have anything redone if you healed it up as fast as you could.
When you came out of the bathroom you were surprised to see Kid coming into the room, and he was just as surprised to see you up. He had a tray in his hands with a covered dish on it.
"Good to see you up and about, Mouse. How're you feeling?" He asks as he lifts the tray and motions back to the bed. "Eat up before you head downstairs."
"It feels like I should be able to move fingers I don't have, and my whole arm is on fire again." You admit, coming over and hopping onto the bed, accepting the tray as Kid sits down on the floor. "I swear I brushed my hair with my left hand, but I had to have dreamed it. Speaking of my hair, it was clean – er?"
"It was House, Emma and Hip." Eustass says with a grin, "I was going to take credit, but I didn't need that tray of food all over the bed."
"So, now what?"
Kid raises a brow.
You swallow before you clarified. "When can I have my hand? I wasn't exactly lucid when you were getting me out of there."
"The doc said two weeks. Even if you heal up before then, you want to give the nerves time to acclimate properly. It'll be a month of a rehab after that before you're back to some sort of normal."
You smile, "I guess I'm stuck here for six more weeks then." Your face drops a bit. "Well, I mean – what's happened with Decken?"
Kid's face twists into a scowl and he growls. "He's a slippery bastard. We haven't nailed him down enough yet to have a talk, let alone anything else. Oh, right, that brat called while you were sleeping, I hope you don't mind that I answered your phone."
"Brat?"
"Yeah, that officer Colby or whatever."
"Coby, okay – I mean, whether I minded or not I wasn't in a position to protest. What'd he say?"
"He says according to the public records, his family is cursed." Eustass explains, scoffing at the idea even as he says it. "It sounds like they've been passing a Devil Fruit down through the family and writing it off as a curse to keep from registering. Decken's dad died a few years ago under suspicious circumstances, and now that bastard has the curse."
"Any ideas what this curse does?"
Eustass shakes his head. "Something about bringing 'misfortune to the things they hold dear'. Whatever it is, I'm assuming it's how that paper airplane homed in on you, but I figured that was a devil fruit ability from the start, so nothing Coby said changes anything."
"... What if I can't go back to work because of this?"
"You wanna work Mouse, we'll make sure you can work." Eustass promises, standing up. "Almost done?"
"Mm, yeah, thanks." You say as he collects the tray.
"Get changed if you want, or chill in your pjs all day. Just don't go outside by yourself until we've nailed this bastard down." Eustass says as he turns to leave. It's a rule you've been following so far, but there's an extra layer of concern in his voice.
"Kid... what did that letter say?"
Kid's shoulders drop and he looks up to the ceiling for a minute before sighing.
"A lot of really dark shit I don't think you need to read, Mouse, but-." He practically growls and looks over his shoulder at you. "He did mention a couple times that he held you dear."
You sigh. "Well... fuck."
.
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.
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You didn't see much of Kid after Tuesday morning. Killer said he was in his workshop most of the time, spending just a couple hours at the shop, and probably not getting as much sleep as he needed to. He'd still show up for meals, but that was about the most you saw of him, and even then, he'd scarf down whatever he was given and then disappear again.
Almost two weeks passed like that, and by the second Friday since the procedure, you were finally starting to feel decent. The pain in your connector had become more manageable, and you weren't spending most of your daylight hours asking Killer when it was time for your next painkiller pill or sleeping because of it. You did end up spending most of your time in your pajamas, just because trying to change was a pain.
Thursday you had asked House and Emma help you get cleaned up. They'd already done so before when you were unconscious, so you were pretty sure you could handle having them help you again. You'd done most of the work on your own, but they helped get some tricky spots on your left side so you could give your arm a break.
Friday at breakfast you didn't see Kid, or again at Lunch. After lunch you asked Killer if you could take him something to eat, assuming he was working in the workshop and not at the shop.
"Sure, (Y/N)." Killer agrees, "Let me make some sandwiches, and I'll go with you."
You insisted on holding the basket of sandwiches when Killer was done. You'd felt like you were next to useless lately. Even if you knew it wasn't something you could control, but healing was stressful business when you were relying on the hospitality of so many other people. Especially considering your stalker problem on top of it.
Stalker? Or crazy never-was-a-boyfriend-ex? Whatever. Two people crashed into you in one day, and the results of that crash couldn't have been more different if you had tried.
Killer hits the intercom of the workshop, and after a second Kid's voice crackles through.
"What?"
"Your mouse has brought you some food, Kid." Killer says, and you can feel your ears go hot.
"She's not-."
"I'm not-!"
You both started and stopped at the same time, which didn't improve the situation.
"Come out here and get your damn food!" You shout, trying not to let your voice crack. The last thing you needed to do right now was squeak.
"What in the – KID GET OUT HERE NOW!" Killer bellows and before you could ask him what was wrong, he yanks you so hard you almost thought your shoulder was going to dislocate.
There was a heavy thud behind you as what looked like a shot put had embedded itself into the side of the workshop. You hear Killer swear and turn to see dots arcing through the sky. The blonde has an arm around your waist and has lifted you off the ground.
"What?" You watch in horror as the dots took on different shapes as they drew nearer. "Is that a boat?!"
"Looks like a rowboat, yes." Killer says tensely. You can feel the muscles in his body go taut before he steps and turns, dodging an arrow that you hadn't seen as it buries itself into the concrete of the workshop.
"What in the hells?!" You practically screech and watch with horror as Killer moves with you, and the items in the air adjust course to follow you.
You, specifically, you were certain of it. You could feel the greasy sensation of Decken's hand sliding up your stomach.
"Killer, put me down."
"No."
"YES! It's all coming after me, put me down!"
"No."
"Dammit you – hurk!" Your voice was clipped short when Killer moved so quickly that you grabbed onto him just to make sure you didn't go flying off.
"You can't move as fast as I can, (Y/N). I'm not putting you down."
The workshop door slams open, and Kid comes out with the biggest metal prosthetic you have ever seen him wear. It was so impressive you almost didn't notice the thick fur coat hooked over his shoulders. You can feel something rolling off him, part anger part murderous intent, and a strange sense of joy – like he was looking for a fight and was glad one had found him.
It wasn't the first time you had considered yourself lucky to be Kid's friend, and not his enemy.
Kid's massive arm knocks everything that comes toward him from the sky. You were starting to understand why he was so big, as his whole body moved to move the custom prosthetic he was using.
Killer was moving to keep the two of you behind Kid as much as he could. The two of them coordinated without a word and eventually Killer stepped into the workshop. He sets you down inside the door and grabs a couple pipes before he heads back outside to help Kid.
"The less you move, the easier it'll be for us." Killer says, and you nod in understanding.
The next few minutes are a cacophony of sounds as Kid and Killer play the strangest game of baseball, knocking as much stuff away from the workshop as they could, and leaving whatever they couldn't to crash into the concrete. You heard the rowboat shatter against Kid, and you were only sure of that because you heard him grumble about it.
"... Think it's done?" Killer asks after a few seconds of silence.
"Maybe. Where in the fuck did he get so much stuff?"
"Been collecting it all this time?"
Kid grumbles and turns toward the workshop. "You alright, Mouse?"
"Yeah." You peek out from behind the wall. "I lost your sandwiches at some point."
"My... what?"
"Your food, dumbass." Killer reminds him, looking around. "Oh, hey it survived."
You step out further as Killer goes to collect the basket. The ground was littered with all sorts of shattered things. Polearms, axes, bent swords, pieces of the wooden rowboat, and pieces of things you couldn't easily identify. The concrete wall of the workshop was pock-marked with various sizes of marbles and shot puts.
Panic welled up in you and you grab Eustass, pulling his arm and turning him around, looking to see if there were any wounds. You looked over at Killer who was coming back with the basket of sandwiches and look between them almost frantically.
Eustass grabs your arm and bends low to be at eye level with you. "We're okay, Mouse. Cheap crap like that isn't going to hurt anyone on my crew." He leans down a little further and makes sure to catch your gaze. "We're gonna protect you, okay?"
You shake your head. "I – if you..." You feel miserable, and you're trying not to insult the people who have kept you safe so far. After a minute of dodging Kid's glare, you sigh. "Why?"
"'Cause I want to." Kid scoffs. "You think I've ever done anything I didn't want to?"
"... Don't get hurt."
"I can't promise that, but I promise I won't lose." Kid says with a grin. "I can take a helluva beating, Mouse, so don't panic."
"Kid." Killer says, and there's tension in his voice. You and Kid look up and see a small swarm of paper airplanes heading toward you.
"I... I need to see something." You say with a shaky voice, walking away from Kid and Killer.
You move far enough away to see the indisputable truth as the paper airplanes shift their trajectory. You had already known, but seeing it was like a cold ball of iron in the pit of your stomach. The greasy feeling hits you again and you feel your stomach turn.
Eustass walks over and stands between you and the paper airplanes. There's silence between the two of you as you hear the paper crumple against the thick fur coat on his back and watch as the crushed paper airplanes fall to the ground. You catch sight of one that misses his back and move to watch it as it lazily turns in the air, falling into the ground before it can reach you.
"You want to read any of these?" Kid asks. There's anger in his voice, you're not sure if he's mad he's giving you a choice, or mad about the situation in general.
"Yes... and no." You admit. "I don't think I could read them right now."
"Alright. Killer, take her back to the-."
You reach out and grab his shirt before you even realize you're moving. "No! - Uh... I..." You look over your shoulder to the basket of sandwiches, before looking up at Eustass. "You come with me. I... want to make sure you eat."
"I'll eat, so you can- hey!" You tug his shirt harder.
"No! Y-you – you're mad and you're gonna stay out here and be mad and collect all these airplanes and you're gonna forget about the sandwiches. So, I want to make sure you eat. You missed breakfast and lunch. I don't know what you're doing in there all hours of the day and night, but you're going to eat before you do anything else."
"Are you seriously ordering me around, Mouse?" There's a smile on Kid's face, but the growl in his voice doesn't seem to be playing around. The mix of signals is a little unnerving, but despite his demeanor at times, he's never actually done anything bad to you.
"Yes?" You wanted to sound more confident, but you hadn't put your foot down with anyone like this before, never mind with Eustass Kid.
Kid glares at you for a moment, and you manage to at least look back at him. With a sigh he clicks his tongue and takes the basket from Killer. He pulls the fur coat from his shoulders and tosses it around you before scooping you up into the large prosthetic arm.
"I'll send Hip and Mosh out to help, Killer." Eustass grumbles.
"Aye, aye, Captain." Killer replies in the most even tone you've ever heard from him.
Kid stomps back to the house, and you stay quietly in place. You already feel like you've pushed the line on what's acceptable, so silence is best, and the massive prosthetic is, at least, comfortable. Kid yells for Hip and Mosh like he's a retired drill sergeant when you get inside and barks out order for them to go help Killer.
With you still in his arm he sits down at the kitchen table, setting the basket down and reaching in to pull out one of the sandwiches. He doesn't look at you as he eats, and he doesn't say anything. After a couple sandwiches have been eaten you open your mouth to say something, but Kid cuts you off.
"Gonna complain, Mouse?" He asks, and his tone is a little more dangerous than you expect.
"Ah... no." You say, pressing your lips together and resigning yourself to your position for the time being.
After he eats a couple more of the small sandwiches, he hands you one before reaching back in and pulling out another for himself. You almost point out that you've already had lunch, but you decide to keep the statement to yourself, and quietly eat the offered sandwich carefully. You didn't think you wanted to get breadcrumbs on Kid's coat right now.
Once the sandwiches are all eaten, Kid tilts the basket to show you it's empty. "Satisfied?"
"M-marginally." You say in a very small voice, pulling the fur coat closer to you as you see Eustass' eye twitch.
"Marginally?" Kid repeats incredulously.
You nod, barely able to look at the golden eyes boring holes into you. "You weren't eating, so I thought you probably weren't sleeping, and you seem... more... stressed than usual," you couldn't meet his eyes at all anymore, but you knew that irritated grin was pulling at his lips. "I was just worried."
Kid pinches the bridge of his nose, sighs and swears under his breath.
"Fuckin' hells, Mouse."