Eustass Kid x Reader Born to run AU

5

Plopping the piece of fruit into your mouth, you let your eyes swipe over the field filled with green grass and a few flowers here and there. Juice slipped over the blade of your knife, dripping from the tip onto the ground. Soon another piece of the apple was sliced off, before Kid had taken the piece from between your fingers. The both of you stayed silent as you sat against a tree, Kid standing next to you. Very few birds were chirping somewhere up ahead, the screeching of seagulls long forgotten as soon as you set foot on this island. Kid's cloak was disbanded on the ship before he had ordered his men around and strolled after you with your constant nagging for him to come already. With a soft sigh you cut off the last bit of apple before only the core was left, offering the piece to your captain. Wordlessly did he take it, the crunch giving away he was devouring the bit. "Maybe I should have brought more food." Was all you said as you closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the bark, the tip of the blade pointing down towards the ground between your legs. Kid merely hummed before he sat down against the tree as well.

"You're impossible." He grumbled, pushing you to the side with his hand, his expression a poker face, but amusement evident in the twinkle of his eye, making you laugh.

"It's not like you actually care about that, Kid." You laughed, pushing your friend back to reclaim your bit of space. Kid merely shook his head at your antics, not budging one bit. You sighed softly, giving up on taking back that spot you were occupying before and simply rested your head against Kid's shoulder, ignoring his slight flinch at your touch. "This is nice." The murmered words was enough to initiate the silence once more, a silent yawn escaping your lips afterwards. It felt like a dream, Kid sitting here with you in silence. No work, no marines to worry about, no annoying crewmates. Just Kid, the meadow and you. If only it could last a little longer...

"Oi, (y/n)?" His words were almost silent, the question hanging in the air like a leave threatening to fall, but yet not letting go entirely. Your hum was the only answer your captain would get, the heaviness of sleep crawling over you, claiming you the longer its long fingers would inch over your form. "Why do you have fur?"

Your eyes opened quickly, adjusting slowly to the dark around you. Moving quickly, you sat up in bed, the covers sliding down your upper body just to rest in your lap. Your bare hand rubbed your cold arms, a cold sweat covering the skin you were rubbing. A pounding had started in your head and ever so slowly did you close your eyes again, not wanting to strain them further to adjust in the darkness of the room. Next to you, you heard the soft breathing of someone else lying asleep. Your breathing, as quick as it was, calmed down as you forced yourself to remember you hadn't changed into the animal just yet and that the person next to you was none other than your captain, who could fend for himself better than anyone else on this ship. Looking to your side, you watched the male for a little while. His chest rose with every intake of air just to deflate a second or so after. His hair was a mess, as far as you could distinguish in the dark. As white as his skin was in daylight, he looked ashen grey right now, giving a sickening look the longer you watched the male. Kid grunted, his hand moving up to grab your shoulder and yanking you back down. "You should be asleep." He grumbled, making you chuckle softly as he mumbled some more. "Sleep." Humming softly, you rolled over to your side, facing the redhaired male with a curious gaze. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing heavy as he was slowly gaining consciousness again. His left arm was still touching your head as it laid limply on your pillow. Sleep still wasn't trying to conquer your consciousness after a few minutes and Kid grunted as he was now fully awake. "What was it about?"

"Hmm?"

"Your dream." His voice was laced with sleep, making it deeper than normally and quite sultry, attractive even. A sigh left your lips, trying to recall why you had awoken, not truly remembering what happened after Kid's question in your dream. All you could think of was the colour red that followed it.

"I.. I think I killed you." You murmered, your brows furrowed and eyes wandering to the chair covered by Kid's coat. His goggles hung over the edge of the same chair, a miracle to still be hanging there as it was thrown on it while Kid was drunk. Kid scoffed before he rolled over as well, the sheets moving away from his shoulder, exposing more skin from his chest. Your finger trailed over the cold skin, the scars ragged edges interrupting the smooth surface. The sharp eyes of your captain, your friend, looked at you as your skin touched his.

"How?"

"Ha?" Kid repeated the question, grabbing your wrist with his own hand, keeping it against his left pectoral, his heart beating slowly against his ribcage. He wasn't worried about you killing him, it seemed. Slowly, your lips turned up to a soft smile, remembering that he thinks you're weaker than he is. 'I probably am anyway.' "I don't even know what happened or what triggered it. We were peacefully sitting in a meadow." You started, making Kid roll his eyes at how cliché and girly it sounded and Kid rolled back on his back. "You asked something and suddenly you laid on the ground, your throat slid and your left arm was out of its socket. Kid, I.. I can still taste the blood in my mouth. Your body was mutilated." You muttered, eyes cast towards your pillow, missing the sharp look from Kid from the corner of his eyes.

Eventually, all Kid could say was that you couldn't kill him and that you should sleep.

The next few days Kid kept close to you or rather.. kept you close to him. He would get himself just drunk enough for him to stagger in his step, ordering you to get him to his room. He'd order you to help him in his workplace to tinker away on whatever he was upgrading in his eyes instead of Killer and slowly, but surely, it started to bother you. Maybe it was his way to apologise for before, maybe it was to spend the lost time together now, you didn't know, didn't ask and just did as he wanted you to. Heat's head popped up from behind a door as he looked inside, noticing you still sitting in Kid's workplace and Kid nowhere to be seen for now. "He left?" You hummed, your eyes trailing over the pistol laying on the bench. It had been taken apart and put back together multiple times, but Kid didn't seem to find what was wrong with it. You, being a simple person, didn't know a lot mechanical stuff, so asking you would be an idiot course of action. Heat leaned against the wall, inside of the room, his sad gaze wandering over you. "What do you think of Kid's behaviour?" His question was low, the words flowing from his chapped lips after taking another look around in the corridor to confirm said man wasn't nearby to overhear him.

"I don't really know. I mean, I enjoy it, but I feel like he's pushing himself to do it, not enjoying it at all. So why bother?" You wondered, asking yourself more than the blue haired male. Delicate fingers, with scars littering here and there, roamed over the pistol, slowing a bit at the ragged edges, careful not to hurt yourself and leave drops of blood behind on Kid's stuff. "I don't want to see too much into it, but he makes me wonder.. Is he capable of love, Heat?" You asked, your fingers stopping in the caress and your neck twisting for you to look at the male, searching an answer in his eyes. As Heat stayed silent for multiple minutes, keeping eye-contact with you but with a sad expression in general, did you express your own answer to that question. "Should've known." The words were accompanied with a sad smile and a heavy sigh.

Not really knowing what to do, Heat idled at the entrance, a mere step away from going away before Kid would return. "What about Killer?" The way his question left his lips did you realise this had been swirling around for far too long and the more you had put thoughts into that matter, did you already know it was ridiculous in the first place. "It's bothering, (y/n)."

Looking down to the floor, you mumbled your answer to him, only for the male to hear in case someone would come near. "He says he likes the distraction, that is all."

"So you don't feel anything like that towards him?"

"Not really."

For the first time in forever did Heat smile a genuine smile as you looked up once more. It kind of shocked you, to be honest. With one last glance did the male disappear to whoever knows where, a few minutes before Kid came back, throwing an apple your way. "Eat."

His eyes avoided yours as you looked up at him, your lips twisting for a smile. "Thank you, Kid."

"Don't mention it." He grumbled, looking at your face for a mere second as your lips started to part for a reply. "Really. Don't mention it."

'Back to his grumpy old self, I see.'