Heaven And Earth (Mihawk X Reader)

The Maid and the Cook

You kept your distance from your oh so gracious host.

He seemed to mean no harm but the way he switched so quickly from attacking to promoting you to maid had you on edge. You wouldn't put it past him to change his mind again just as quickly.

First thing the next morning, you busied yourself with the mess your fight had left, taking care to avoid the main walkways on your way outside in case the warlord happened to be roaming the halls. Once safely out, you could see the full extent of the chaos. The front of the castle was a mess, covered in plants and mud from the water you'd brought forth. Surrounding that, you could clearly see a gouge in the earth, created by the warlord's sword when he cut through your plants initially no doubt. The ground around it was bone dry and brittle, still very dehydrated from when you created your water orb.

Your boots slid in the muck the second you stepped off the grimey walkway, armed with a bucket full of cleaning supplies and tools to remove the plants. You wouldn't have needed the tools if most of the plants weren't dead and if you weren't still exhausted from how much you'd used your abilities. In reality, a day of rest would've been preferable, your body still ached painfully, the old pains only made worse from the new ones. But once again, you couldn't be sure if leaving such a disaster at the warlord's front door step would be enough for him to decide maybe you weren't worth keeping around.

With a groan, you dropped your bucket and got to work, cutting down dry, dead plants and throwing them to the edge of the trees. You started with the little stuff, pulling them up by the roots easily enough and filling in the holes that were left behind. Some of the ivy that you'd used yesterday had managed to climb up the front of the castle and impressively, some hadn't died.

But it was still all brittle enough that a curt tug was enough to release the plants grip and bring them falling down. It didn't take long to remove everything from the walls and move on to the real task. The large roots and thicker plants, though dry and mostly dead, were still quite strong.

"It seems you're doing things the hard way."

On instinct, you felt a surge of energy and greenery rose to your call and shot towards the voice. You jumped and turned quickly to see Mihawk at the top of the stairs, arms crossed as he stared down at you with a natural, slight scowl. The plants stopped around him, only a few, slim tendrils of green resting on the toes of his boots, licking them greedily in your defense. You slumped forward slightly, now more exhausted than before. At this point, it didn't take much to sap what little energy you had remaining.

"Ah, now I see." He remarked, lips now turning into a very slight grin of amusement. "Drained are we?"

"Don't sneak up on me." You frowned, now there was more you'd have to clean.

"I would instead suggest you hone your skills, it's pitiful that you didn't notice my arrival." He countered.

But you couldn't help but notice, as he kicked the plants off his boots and marched down the stairs, that he was dressed for yard work. Based on what you'd seen so far, he preferred his lavish outfits. Though then again, you'd hardly seen much of him, maybe you were wrong.

"Problem?" He continued, noticing your furrowed brows.

"Just wondering if you got dressed in the dark is all."

"I suppose you don't want my help then?" He quirked a brow questioningly.

You weren't sure if you wanted his company, but your aching body wouldn't let you say no.

With a sigh, you shrugged. "I could maybe use a hand."

He walked down the steps to join you and reached for the closest, thick mass of roots. Where you would have struggled to take down the overgrowth, he seemed to remove them like it was as simple as tugging on frail blades of grass. You watched in awe as he tossed them towards the trees lazily, as if what he just did wasn't an inhuman feat. You always assumed tales of such strength were just stories.