A Light Touch (Eustass X Reader)

Chapter 9: Code Red

"A week!?" Eustass was practically bellowing. His face had managed to pale and turn red at the same time. "He was harassing you for a week and you didn't say anything?!"

You were starting to fold in on yourself, but you nod.

"Why the fuck-!"

"Kid." Killer cuts in. "Probably cause she knew you'd react this way."

Kid pauses for a second, and you could see the rage building back up in him. He swore into the echoing room of the body shop and kicked a trash can so hard it cleared the whole length of the shop. You heard it crash into the far wall and thump onto the floor. It sounded almost comical, and would've been, if not for the fact that you were waiting for Kid to burst into flames any minute now.

You are sitting on a stool in the body shop section of the mechanic shop. You'd slept on the way over, and now were recounting the past week of harassment to Kid and Killer. Heat and Wire had left to go fix your door, or at least patch it up enough to keep critters out of the apartment so it could be fixed properly the next day.

"(Y/N)," Killer says softly, kneeling down in front of you. "It's probably the fact that your face looks so beat up that really has him angry."

Oh right, you hadn't let your body heal it because the emergency services had been coming. After talking to the marines and giving statements you'd honestly forgotten, the sharp pain of the assault had long since become a dull throb.

"Kid." You say and hear him growl in acknowledgement. "Assuming this opportunity won't arise again anytime soon, you should watch this."

Once you knew both of them were looking at you, you let things go. The injuries went through their healing process in a few minutes. Your split lip sealed, the swelling went down in your face, the bruises bloom and fade, and after a couple minutes all the relatively minor injuries were gone. Your eyes flick from Kid to Killer and then to the floor.

"That's..." Killer trails off, unsure of what to say.

Kid pokes your face. "Ow!" Your hand swings out on reflex and bats his hand away.

"Still tender? Man, that's certainly a drawback."

"Less so when people don't frickin' poke it." You grumble, rubbing your cheek tenderly.

"You pair that ability with some decent pain meds, and you'd at least appear unstoppable." You were surprised to hear such a thing from Killer. Between the two of them you'd expected Kid to bring it up.

"I'm sure it would throw people into a panic," you admit. "Or someone would just assume I had a Logia style Devil Fruit."

"Back to the important stuff," Kid says, leaning down and staring at you from an uncomfortably close distance. "Mouse." There was a glint in his eyes, and he is still obviously angry about earlier.

You put your hands up and look away. "So long as we're friends, I won't let someone harass me for a week before I tell you."

"Mouse." Kid says more forcefully, and you manage to bring your eyes back to his. You low your hands, feeling the heat rise in your face. "You won't let someone harass you at all. I don't give a shit if we're friends, enemies, or whatever."

"I – I didn't let Decken harass me." You gripe, balking at the phrasing.

Eustass gives you a look, and you feel your heart skip. "You know what I meant."

"If someone harasses me, I'll tell you." You say quietly. "No matter what."

Kid grins, and pokes your cheek again, though not as hard as before. "That's better."