Three [Eustass Kid × Reader]

Eleven

You stay silent by his side for a long time as the two of you keep walking. The man is still tense from the topic.

You see his eyes wandering to the sky from time to time when the greenery of the trees lets him.

You try to avoid looking at him, not to bother him. You hold his hand, trying to calm him down.

And the more time passes, the more you realize that you are crazily bad at calming people down.

He is still tense, and you fail to find the right words to help. It happens too often.

All you can do is hold his hand.

But you don't understand that sometimes, that's all that people need. Someone being with them, even if nothing else can be done.

You pass by the log of an old tree and jump on it, even if you have to let him go for a little. You are balancing on tiptoe while you keep up with his walking pace.

Kid looks at you with unbelief, and you almost fall when you see the bewilderment in his amber eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing, Three?"

"It's fun."

"It's humiliating. You're a grown woman," he scoffs.

You scowl but smile at him as you see that at least this drove him away from his darker thoughts a bit.

"I enjoy it, and that's all that matters," you say and trip over a branch. He flinches and catches your arm, no matter if you find your balance a second later. You laugh silently, but he just growls and doesn't let you go. He holds your hand again, carefully guiding you. His features are annoyed by your attitude, but he wants to make sure you are safe. "This is the first time I'm free since the day I lost my friend."

"You still have your shackle and a Yonkou hunting you," he points out, but you hear the tone of his voice turning softer.

"It doesn't matter," you smile slightly. "I've been growing up by seeing the world in my dreams, through other people's reality. There are cruel things, much more than there should be, but I've seen beautiful things also. It's a gift at this prison. You gave me a chance to see them myself."

"Nobody can leave until Kaido is defeated."

"You said you'll beat him, right?"

"Of course, I will!" he shouts, then tsk-s angrily when you hush him to be more silent.

"I know you will, Kid," you say. "I believe you."

"You believe everyone you meet?" snorts the man.

"Unfortunately. It's dangerous, but I tend to trust people until they prove me wrong."

"Trust must be earned," he answers. "This world is full of traitors. That's what got me to this place. That's why I lost my fami- crew."

You shudder as he bites off the end of the sentence. The dark shadow falls over his features again as he gets lost in thought.

In a way, you feel like he hates this situation even more than when he was in prison. Because now, he is free while his friends can't be.

Your hold grows tighter around his hand, and he turns away his face to hide it. A red lock of hair escapes his goggles and falls freely by the side of his head.

Its motion is slow and clean. It reminds you of the sky when you watched it as a child. The stars are moving with such a silent, secret route.

You wonder if others have thoughts like this too, or if you are not completely normal. But the more you get lost in the details of tiny wonders, the more they remind you of the ones that everyone sees and understands.