Three [Eustass Kid × Reader]

Three

You wake up earlier than him, but still by his body. You rub your eyes and carefully try to move his huge arm, but the man groans in his sleep and pulls you closer. You blush slightly and tense up. The heat of his skin dried your clothes and warmed you up.

"I'm sorry, Killer," he whispers silently, pain deforms his features. You scowl at how differently he looks compared to when he's awake. While dreaming, nobody can hide from their demons.

You watch his changing features for a few minutes, but they don't seem to calm down.

All his muscles are tense, his eyes moving under the eyelids. Sometimes he flinches like he's hurt.

If he has been here for a long time all by himself, no wonder he's in this state.

He may be hiding it awake, but he is caring about his crew. They could be all dead by now. I doubt they tell him anything.

Kid growls in his sleep and huddles himself up. You're unbelievably tiny in his embrace, but his tight hug still squeezes the air out of your lungs.

You start coughing silently and shiver as his heart beats like crazy, so close to your ear.

When you look up, you see a tear leaving his left eye. You tremble, then hug his head and hide your face in the bright hair.

I shouldn't.

His breath calms down slowly, but the grip of his arm won't loosen up.

You don't care about the pain in your ribs anymore. You want to help him to feel better.

Because even Eustass Kid has more chaining him to this world than I do.

He is... more human.

You lean back a little and push your forehead against his, whispering silently to him.

Your friend taught it when you couldn't sleep well from the starving. He said that it was a spell that keeps away anything that hurts you.

With your ability, you know how useless it is, but you believe.

Like a lullaby.

It has nothing to do with magic, but words gain power if one truly believes in them.

A name can be gifted to a loved one.

A name can be earned by a number on a shackle.

After you finish your mantra, you stay close to him for a few seconds. His scent fills your mind, his breath dances between his mouth and yours.

You close your eyes and cup his face with your hands, repeating your whisper to make sure he finds calmness.

His shaking slowly tones down, and you lower the volume of your voice until it fades away.

You snap back to reality in the last second when your lips brush his. You startle and move his arm, then hurry back to the corner and look at him with widened eyes.

Kid moves and shivers after you leave, but his face is peaceful now. You turn your head and look up at the sky, reminding yourself to be more careful.

You smile as the sunshine strokes your figure, but then frown as you hear the guard's footsteps.

The man behind you yawns and sits up. You tilt your head when you recognize the almost exact movement of yours as he rubs his amber eyes.

Then he looks around, and a shadow falls over his features as he sees the place.

He doesn't remember a thing of what happened a few minutes before, but somehow his tense body relaxes as he turns to you.

The guard arrives at the grating and opens the door. Kid lifts his chin and grins.