Transparent (Eustass Kid X reader) (Modern AU)

Twelve

       "Come play poker with us while you wait, ____-chan." Heat offered, sitting at a table with Wire, Killer, and a few other men ____ had never met before.

"Sure."

"That's a bad idea!" Kid shouted from the office, the door wide open as he prepped the prosthetic for connection.

"Ignore him." ____ huffed, ignoring Heat as he ripped out a seat from one of the underlings. He put it down next to him, offering it to her. She took it wordlessly. "He's just mad because he has a shitty poker face."

"You cheat!"

"Sore loser!"

"I'll deal you in." Killer ignored their bickering, and the rest of the crew decided to follow suit. He handed her some cards and she eyed them, other hand patting down her leather jacket.

"I don't have anything to bet with, I left my wallet at home."

Wire didn't hesitate, scooping up some bills he'd clearly been winning and handing them over.

"Oh, thank you."

____ didn't really say much that day, to their surprise. She was dressed casually in some lazy clothes, and Killer could swear there were light bags under her eyes.

"You okay, ____?" He finally asked, making her look up from her hand. She blinked rather emptily, but then titled her head in confusion. "You look out of it."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." She shook her head dismissively, tossing down a few bills into the pot. "Head in the clouds, I guess."

"What's on your mind?"

"Pfffff...." She blew an exasperated raspberry, head falling to rub her brows tensely. "Zoro's girlfriend wants to move in with him and the idiot told her no because I'm in the spare bedroom."

"So I'm looking for a flat while also trying to make sure my boss doesn't find out because I just know that old pervert will seize the chance to have me stay with him," she took a deep breath, and the crew readied themselves for the worst of her rant. "While also insisting I take on a full time shift as a waitress because he is so certain I'll made triple my pay in tips-"

"He's right." Heat nodded, but she pretended not to hear.

"I've got people on my ass everywhere I look and I can't even take a break at the bar to loosen up without some guy coming up to bother me." She picked her head back up, but kept her eyes low, avoiding their gazes. "Eustass lost his arm and believe it or not I actually give a shit about wether or not he lives to see the sunrise so that definitely scared the abustle fuck out of me- and to top it all off with pretty red ribbon I shattered my seven-hundred-thousand dollar bottle of Masseto."

There was a moment of silence.

"Wow, you are not having a fun time." One of the lower ranks at the table drawled, his thin brows raised high. ____ looked at him, recognizing him as the guy she made thread a needle.

"Could not agree more."

"____! Killer!"

The duo threw down their cards and stood, ___ tossing Wire the bills back. Inside the office Eustass sat on his desk, holding the splicer and prosthetic. Killer closed the window blind and shut the door.

"Here." Eustass handed the splicer to ___, who gave it a once over before looking to his mutilated arm with a grimace. "What?"

"I'm not going to be strong enough to connect it." She answered, frowning. She looked to Killer instead. "Come here and I'll show you how to do it."

The blond hesitated, but did so. _____ handed him the hunk of metal and began unwrapping the bandages. When that was done, she wordlessly began to disinfect the area, grimacing the whole time. They watched her with curious eyes.

"Ok, come here." She waved Killer forward, pointing at the sleeve. "Once it's on the stump you need to pull this lever all the way to this side, right here. Then you need to latch it."

"That's all?" He asked, mildly confused. "That's surprisingly easy."

"It's going to hurt like a son of bitch." She answered, placing her hands over his to tilt the cap. She showed him the inside. "That blade is going to shave off the outer layer of skin and fat that's healed over the injury in order to connect the nerve endings. You need to do it fast."

She looked to Eustass, eying his lazy clothes and lack of makeup. Killer put the sleeve up to his stump and waited for her motion, waiting be told it was ready. ____ circled the desk to come to Eustass' other side, sighing at his tensing muscles. Like he was getting ready to be punched.

"You need to relax of the nerves won't correct right." She frowned, and he looked up to her with a nervous glare. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed it lightly, trying to decide the best way to relax him quickly. "Loosen up, Kiddo."

"I'm trying." He grit, scrunching his eyes shut as he took a deep breath. His flesh hand clenched and unclenched, he was stressing out.

_____ didn't really let herself think after that.

She reached out and took his chin, pulling his face to meet hers for a surprise kiss. Eustass felt all his worries be replaced with pure shock, but decided quickly not to let the moment pass unwelcome. He kissed back and shut his wild eyes, face scrunching in concentration and confusion as his good hand raised to touch her waist.

Killer didn't waste a second to pull the lever and latch the sleeve in place.

Eustass let out a grunt, accidentally biting down on her lower lip in an attempt to grit his teeth. He let go as quickly as he could, and watched in a daze as she pulled away. Her nimble fingers slipped from his chin and came up to touch where he had bit down, coming away bloody.

"I didn't mean to do that." The red head frowned, wincing when she turned her flaring eyes up to his. She glared, clean hand coming round to smack him on the back of the head. He let her, eyes shutting tight and chin ducked down in case she decided to hit him again. She didn't.

"You fucking suck."