Eustass Kid x Reader - Yer poison runnin’ through my veins - Chapter 10
Yer poison runnin' through my veins on Ao3
Eustass Kid x Reader | F/M | Multi Chapter
Tags: Enemies to Lovers | Slow Burn | Smut | Hurt/Comfort | Angst
Warnings: Nsfw | Dub/Con | Canon-Typical Violence | Power Imbalance
Summary: Eustass “Captain” Kid kidnaps a pirate doctor from another crew to fix a medical problem. Little do they both know that not everything can be fixed and maybe some things don’t need fixing. Set Pre-Timeskip.
Teaser: Kid had the sudden urge to promise her that everything would turn out well. That when she woke up, he’d hold up his promise. That he’d stop being such a stupid asshole. If she died now, she’d do so hating him. Why did that thought bother him so much?
Chapter 10 - Come back with me
You weren’t sure what had woken you up. Maybe it had been the pearls of sweat running down your face or the throbbing pain in your right arm. Or maybe it had been the painful grip on your shoulders and the annoyingly demanding voice that kept telling you to open your eyes. It prodded through your fuzzy brain, tearing away the last fragments of sleep that you’d tried to hold onto with dwindling strength. You felt dizzy and disoriented and someone shaking your whole body didn’t help with the uncomfortable feeling at all.
“S-stop,” you said, your voice slurred.
The shaking stopped but the hands didn’t leave your shoulders, fingers digging into your skin. “Fuckin’ talk to me!”
You slowly opened your eyes, your vision blurry. Dancing lights in front of you. “So hot,” you groaned.
A hand against your forehead. “Shit, you’re burnin’ up.”
You blinked, your vision somewhat clearing. The first thing you saw was red hair. Red. Burning. “Water,” you croaked.
The hands left you. Something cold was pressed against your lips. A glass of water. You opened your mouth, but after two sips, you started coughing.
“S—slow down,” you sputtered.
You were suddenly pulled upwards. Before you could complain, your back met the wall. The glass was pressed against your lips once again. It was easier to drink while sitting. After what felt like an eternity, you had managed to drink up and felt the dizziness slightly fading. You looked up and almost flinched. Eustass “Captain” Kid was sitting in front of you, wearing a grim expression.
“Kid,” you said. You tasted the word on your tongue. It felt wrong. You furrowed your brows. Then you remembered. “Shit,” you spat.
“What is it?” Eustass Kid asked, voice irritated.
“You,” you just said.
“What’s up with you?” Kid asked, putting emphasis on the last word.
You chewed on your lip. That hurt. Something wasn’t right. You leaned your head back against the wall, trying to get a grasp of things. What happened? Images whirled around in your head, blurring together like colorful liquids in a flask. The attack. Marines. You had been shot, but the bullet had only grazed you. You’d taken a few punches to the head. Concussion maybe? Sun exposure. Heatstroke?
The red-haired pirate grabbed your shoulders again. “Spit it out!”
“Ouch, my arm,” you winced, glaring at him. What was wrong with him? No wait, that was it. “My arm!” you exclaimed.
You tried to pull the bandage down, but your hand was trembling too much. Fuck, you felt so weak. Strong fingers brushed back your hand, ripping the bandage off your arm.
“Shit, careful,” you whined.
Looking down, you found your assumption confirmed. The wound was showing signs of infection, pus oozing around the angry red borders. The arm was swollen, meaning the infection probably ran deep.
“Fuck,” you murmured.
“So?” Kid’s voice was brimming with impatience.
“It’s infected.”
“No shit, doc. What do we do about it?”
You blinked. “We? What do you care? Killer’s safe. I got this, I’m a doctor.” Talking was exhausting, but the anger deep inside you fueled you.
You flinched when Kid’s fist hit the wall next to your head, cursing something like “fuckin’ hell”. “Listen, doc.” He took a deep breath as if he needed to calm himself. “Remember your promise? You owe me. My ship, my rules. So here’s an order: The next thing that comes out of yer mouth better be about what ya need to get that arm fixed. After that, our deal’s done.”
You stared at him. What was he so angry about again? He didn’t have a right to be angry. You closed your eyes. Pull yourself together. It didn’t matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was you getting off this ship as soon as possible, preferably with both your arms.
You opened your eyes again. “My satchel,” you said. “And the small brown bottle with the clover on it.”
The pirate captain started rummaging through your stuff, seemingly not caring what he knocked down in the process. At least he was fast.
Upon him returning, you briefly contemplated your sanity again, but you could barely sit upright. “Disinfect the scalpel and cut the wound open.”
“What?” His mouth hung slightly open, as if he couldn’t believe your words.
Under different circumstances, it would have been funny. Maybe the infection had also affected your brain. “You need to drain it and I need to see the underlying tissue.”
Kid cursed under his breath but did as you asked.
You groaned when he made the first cut, cursing the day you’d set foot on this damn ship. “Deeper. Don’t be such a pussy now. Fuck.” You winced when he followed your words.
The inflamed flesh was so sensitive that even the slightest touch hurt like hell. But you could feel some pressure releasing, as the pus was drained through the cut. Eustass Kid used a towel to wipe it off, suddenly stilling in his movement.
“I feel somethin’.”
“Me too. Pain,” you replied through clenched teeth. What had you done to deserve this?
“You said a bullet grazed ya?”
“Hmh.”
“Seems like a splinter is still inside.”
“Great,” you said dryly.
Before your inner eye, you saw Eustass “Captain” Kid probing around with the tweezers in your inflamed wound. Maybe you would finally pass out from the pain then. Perhaps this was the moment to call for Dive if you’d any sense of self-preservation left.
A sudden sting made you hiss. “What the—”
“Told ya.” In the palm of his hand, Kid held the smallest splinter of a projectile. “Bullet was coated in iron.”
“You have Devil Fruit powers,” you said as if Eustass Kid had just revealed them for the first time.
The red-haired captain eyed you as if he didn’t know if he should choke you or rip your head off. He decided for an angry glare. “What now?”
You eyed the wound again. As you had expected, the infected tissue had started to spread under the first layer of skin. There was only one way to stop it. Damn it. “You see the part in the center of the wound that has a different color than the surrounding area?”
Kid nodded.
“You need to cut it out.”
The pirate clenched his teeth, a rare emotion flickering over his face: He was hesitating.
“Just fucking do it,” you hissed, on the bridge of tears. You hated this, being at his mercy, being a helpless mess. And you didn’t have the nerve to talk him through it while you were barely holding it together yourself.
Thankfully, you didn’t have to, because whatever it was, Eustass Kid shook it off. The first cut sent you panting, after a minute you couldn’t hold back the cries anymore that were spilling out of your mouth. You bit down on your tongue to muffle the sounds, wishing with every fiber in your body for the pain to end. If not for some remaining sense of pride, you’d probably begged Eustass Kid to stop. But you weren’t even sure if you’d be able to utter words in this state.
Kid’s expression had turned to grim determination, not paying your pained sounds any mind. He only gripped your arm harder every time you cried out to keep you from squirming. With the next cut, your hands flew instinctively against the first thing they could grab. It was the arm Kid used for stabilization. You dug your nails in, not caring anymore about anything other than the hot, burning pain that made your whole body shake.
After what felt like an eternity, you faintly noticed that the redhead disinfected the wound. Through teary eyes you looked down at the wound. It was bleeding, but the infected tissue was gone. You finally let go of his arm, seeing your nails had left deep, bloody marks. He didn’t comment on it. As Kid was about to bandage the wound, you stopped him by tearing at his arm.
“The salve,” you rasped.
After Eustass Kid had applied your paste of yellowdot mushrooms and every stroke had made you wince, he bandaged the wound. It wasn’t as neat as you’d liked and he wasted way too much bandaging material, almost covering your whole arm, but it would do.
“What about this?” Kid asked, pointing to the flask with the clover on the label.
“Four drops every four hours. Fights the infection from within,” you panted. Drops of sweat were running down your forehead. Whether they stemmed from the fever or the exhaustion, you couldn’t say.
You tried to grab the bottle, but the pirate just pushed you down onto the mattress again. Despite your complaints, Kid forced you to open your mouth and swallow the medicine.
You felt the exhaustion creep back into your bones with full force. “Need to rest now,” you whispered.
The last thing you noticed was the blanket that got pulled over you. Then everything went dark.
*
KID POV
Eustass Kid sat at his workbench, fidgeting with his knife. Tapping his finger against the blade, he frowned. This wasn’t gonna do it, it was almost dull. He rummaged through his drawers until he found his whetstone, grinding the knife over it with more force than necessary.
It was quiet apart from the sounds when metal met stone. She was quiet too. For once. Kid briefly glanced at her sleeping figure. He should relish the peace and quiet as long as he could. It would be over as soon as she’d wake up again. Which she would, she was way too stubborn not to. And then she’d be right back getting on his nerves.
“Shit,” he cursed, looking down. Tiny droplets of blood emerged on the surface of his thumb. He had allowed himself to get distracted. Again. Even when she was sleeping she was still a pain in the ass. Besides, his whole workbench was practically covered in her stuff, leaving no room for his work. What was that doc thinking anyway, acting like she owned the place?
Kid gripped the hilt of the knife until his knuckles turned white. It was his fault. He had let her run wild. He should have put her in her place. Damn it. He just should have kept her chained to his post. It was his fault that—
“Fuck this,” he spat, banging his fist on the table. If anyone was to blame, it was her. All that smartass attitude and then she couldn’t count to six? Idiot. Served her right for pretending that she cared. As if she gave a damn if Killer lived or died. As if she gave a damn about any of them. As if she gave a damn about him. He dropped the knife on the table.
She didn’t care and neither did he. She had made it clear that she was desperate to leave. And she would, one way or another. Killer was fine, the deal was done. He should focus on their journey ahead. Without even noticing, Kid had gotten up, pacing up and down his room. He should just go, get some breakfast. Instead, he sat down at his table, looking at a map. It took him several minutes to realize he was just staring without comprehending a single thing. It was like his gaze was glued to his bed. To her.
A knock on the door startled him. “Kid?”
“It’s open,” he grunted.
The Massacre Soldier entered. “You’re busy?”
“Just going over our route.”
“Again? Did something change?”
“Nah, just makin’ sure.”
Killer hummed, putting a plate with an assortment of sandwiches and pastries down on the table. “You missed breakfast.”
“Huh.”
“You never miss breakfast.”
Kid clenched his teeth. What kind of interrogation was this? “Seems like I just did, what’s yer point?”
“Everything alright?”
“Just peachy,” Kid replied absently, drumming his fingers on the table.
“What about the doc, she’s still asleep?”
Kid jerked his head up. “Fuckin’ fine, just got a bit of a fever.”
“When did that happen?”
With every question, Kid felt closer to explode, the familiar hot rage bubbling inside his chest. For as long as he could remember, it had always been there, simmering, waiting for him to lower the walls that contained it, ready to consume him when he took one wrong step. “Dunno, this morning?”
Killer approached the bed, observing the sleeping woman. “She’s burning up.”
“I took care of it.”
“How?”
“Fuck, what’s with all the questions? A splinter of a bullet was still inside her arm, I took it out, gave her some medicine she wanted. It won’t kill her, okay?”
The blonde pirate sat down in front of his captain. “She looks pretty roughed up.”
“The fuck’s that supposed to mean. She’ll pull through.”
The silence that followed aggravated Kid more than anything else. It was in situations like these that he hated the mask his friend wore. “What?” he finally spat, unable to bear the silence any longer.
“You slept with her.”
Kid cursed. “Course I did. You’ve seen that ass?”
“Kid.”
“So what?” It took everything in him to remain seated. He felt like he was being accused of something and wasn’t even sure of what. No one managed to get under his skin like Killer did with his fucking logical questions.
“It complicates things, don’t you think?”
“Fuck no. What is there to complicate? I fucked her brains out one night, end of story.”
The Massacre Soldier nodded silently. “Alright. But we owe her. At least I do. Maybe we should move her to another room, let Dive keep watch?”
“No,” Kid replied, slightly too fast. He cleared his throat. “You’re right, but she stays here. She’s my responsibility. You can send Dive here.”
Killer shrugged, seemingly not surprised. It made Kid want to punch him. “You should eat something. I’ll fetch Dive.”
As soon as Killer had vanished, Kid pushed the plate aside. He drummed his fingers on the table, the conversation replaying in his head. Before he knew it, he had gotten up to sit down on the edge of his bed. She was still asleep, her chest heaving, her face flushed from the fever. He hesitated before pressing a hand to her forehead. Killer had been right. She was still burning up. Why weren’t her fucking meds working like they were supposed to? He tensed as a small whine escaped her mouth. So much for keeping quiet. She looked so small. So frail. He involuntarily started to chew on his fingernails until the nail polish started to come off. He rubbed his eyes. How long had he been sitting here? He should just leave. It wasn’t like he could do anything. But he didn’t. He just kept staring, observed how her eyelids fluttered, how her breathing sounded more and more tense.
“Boss, you wanted to see me?”
Kid flinched and cursed. He got up, clearing his throat. “Yeah, come in.”
Dive appeared in front of him, a bowl with wet cloths in her hands. “I got something to help bring the fever down.”
“Watcha waitin’ for, a written invitation?” Kid snapped.
The girl froze for a second before darting towards the bed. Fuck. Kid pinched the bridge of his nose, pacing around his room. He watched as Dive got to work, applying the cold compresses.
“That will cool ‘er down?”
Dive shot him a nervous glance. “It should, yeah.”
It better.
“So what now?”
“We’ll just have to wait. It takes time for the body to fight an infection.”
Great. If there was one thing that he wasn’t good at, it was waiting. Kid wasn’t too proud to admit that he didn’t have an ounce of patience inside him. There was no one that knew more about his flaws than himself. Maybe Killer. The man could read him like one of his smartass books. Kid started pacing again. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke a word.
A cough from the bed made him tense. “What’s happening?”
“I—I don’t know, it’s—”
“Move.”
In a second, Kid hovered above the unconscious woman. Her expression was tense. She looked like she was in pain, her face in deep frowns. Kid froze when he heard her voice, barely a whimper.
“It burns.”
“Get out,” he muttered.
“Boss—”
“I said, get the fuck out!” Kid roared.
He didn’t even turn to look how Dive hurried out of the room, just crouched down next to the doc, a hand on her forehead. He almost pulled it back immediately. Her skin was so hot. But why? If anything, the fewer was supposed to go down. What the fuck was happening? She whimpered something again but he couldn’t grasp the words. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. Her body was completely limp, like a ragdoll. She wasn’t just sleeping, she was completely knocked out.
“Doc,” Kid called out, digging his fingers into her shoulders.
She didn’t react. Not to his voice, that was growing louder, not to him shaking her with as much force as he dared without breaking her in half. Another whine spilled over her lips and Kid let her go, suddenly feeling wrong for touching her while she was unconscious. But her expression didn’t relax, if anything, it was growing more tense, as if it got harder for her to breathe. She started panting raggedly, her body jerking like she was in pain. Her head was being tossed from side to side with so much force, it almost hit the wall. Without thinking, Kid held her down.
“Let go,” she whined, tongue heavy, fighting against his grip.
Kid clenched his teeth. “Not gonna happen, doc.” He didn’t even know why he’d said that, it wasn’t like she could hear him.
The scream she released sent a chill right through him. She was fighting against his grip with surprising strength, wiggling and kicking. Kid pulled her against his chest, forcing her to lay still with his whole body. She still managed to scratch her nails over his arm before he could restrain her.
“Fuck,” he cursed.
She was biting down on his arm. Hard. He could feel a trickle of blood running down where her teeth broke his skin. But he didn’t shake her off. Why did he even bother? Maybe he did it for Killer. He couldn’t have that woman banging her own head in after she’d saved his best friend’s life. Besides, it would only create another mess for him to fix. So he didn’t let go, if anything, he pulled her even closer. He didn’t know how long he held her while she was trying to toss and trash. Probably trying her hardest to get away from him without even realizing it, screaming and whimpering until her voice became hoarse.
At some point, she calmed down. Her breathing sounded still strained and uneven and she was drenched in sweat, but she had stopped fighting.
Kid sat up and reached for the wet cloths on the nightstand, putting one on her burning forehead. The way her nose crinkled, she didn’t seem to like it. Too bad. He fed her the next dose of her medicine. Four drops. Maybe he should give her more since it didn’t seem to work? Or maybe too much would make it worse. He gritted his teeth. Why wasn’t she awake to answer these questions? He forced some water down her throat. She coughed. Fuck. He really was gonna kill her with his big stupid hands. Enough.
He got up, sat down on his chair, got up again. He was about to lose his cool and he knew it. He just didn’t know why.
Keep it down, or you’ll regret ever crossin’ paths with me.
Don’t worry, I already do.
If she hadn’t regretted meeting him before, she most certainly would if she woke up. When she woke up.
“Fuck,” Kid exclaimed. What the hell was wrong with him? From the moment this woman had set foot on his ship, she had only given him a headache. So what if she regretted anything? They had a deal, the deal was done now. Good riddance.
“What the—” he hadn’t watched his steps and had stumbled over the chair. The same way she had. Hot rage pulsed through his veins, consuming everything in its way. And he was sick and tired of keeping that ugly demon inside him caged. Without thinking, Kid kicked it across the room. But he didn’t stop there. He knocked over the table, sending maps and the leftovers from breakfast flying through the air. Panting, he turned around. The chair had collided with the wall yet still remained intact. As if to mock him. He picked it up and smashed it against the post. A leg broke. He did it again, and again, until only splinters remained.
“Kid!”
A hand on his shoulder made him whirl around, one leg of the chair still in his hands, ready to murder whoever was disturbing him right now.
“Kid, calm down,” Killer said in a voice that sounded like he had already repeated the sentence multiple times before.
Kid let the piece of wood drop onto the floor, still panting, but his vision slowly cleared. “Ever heard of knocking?”
“I did.”
Kid would have been ashamed in front of most people for losing that much control. But Killer wasn’t most people. “I’m busy.”
The Massacre Soldier ignored him. “You scared Dive.”
“She can handle it.”
“Probably. What about you?”
“What the fuck ‘s that supposed to mean?”
Killer silently approached the overturned table, pulling it back up. “You’re bleeding.” He gestured to Kid’s arm.
Kid’s glanced down. His arm was littered in scratchmarks. Dried blood marked the spot she had bitten down on. “It’s nothing,” he muttered.
“So her condition isn’t improving?”
Anger flared up inside him again, like a nearly burned down fire reignited. “She doesn’t get to die.”
“Why?”
“Cause I fuckin’ said so.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Kid released a deep breath. “Don’t need her crew giving us hell, won’t let anyone say I’m not a man of my word.”
Killer stilled. “You gave her your word?”
“Told ‘er the deal’s off. As soon as she wakes up she’s free to go.”
“You need to consider the possibility—”
“No. I won’t allow it. She’ll wake up.”
Killer nodded quietly. “Dive said the fever is supposed to go down. But it depends on the Doc now. She needs to fight this.”
“She will.”
His friend squeezed his shoulder briefly. “Okay. Just try to not mess up the whole ship while you’re at it. I don’t think it will help her recover.”
“Not like she notices a fuckin’ thing.”
“So you’re good here? I can come back later, keep you company.”
Kid swallowed, suddenly wishing he could turn back the clock on the last hour. This was always the worst part, when he calmed down, realizing all the shit he’d done and said, even if he knew that Killer didn’t judge him for it. Sometimes, when he was at his lowest, he thought that he didn’t deserve a friend like him. “No, don’t bother. I’ll join ya as soon as she’s stable.”
Killer helped with changing the cold compresses and left. After his friend had vanished, Kid glanced at the Doc. She was still sleeping. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but it looked like her fever had gotten down a bit. Or at least it hadn’t climbed up any higher.
Kid let his gaze wander across the room. He narrowed his eyes before a ghost of a smile pulled at his lips. Killer had left a bottle of booze on his workbench. His favorite kind of medicine. The sun stood still high but he felt like he could use a drink anyways. The next couple of hours he occupied himself with reorganizing his drawers and reloading his guns, even the ones he usually didn’t use anymore. When he ran out of bullets, he briefly considered going to his main workshop. No, it wasn’t important. He could do that later. He kept an eye at the clock.
After four hours, he got up and gave her the next dose of medicine. She was murmuring something in her sleep but he couldn’t make out the words. The sun had started sinking. His crew would be gathered on deck right now. Kid wasn’t in the mood for company right now. Maybe later.
He lay down on the bed, keeping his distance from her. Somehow, it felt wrong to lie next to her in this situation. Did she feel like that the whole time? Did she feel pressured to sleep with him? The thought made him sick.
I don’t want you to hold back, Eustass Kid.
It had been the first time that she had used his name and it had caused his brain to shut down. Kid didn’t have a hard time distinguishing between fucking and feelings. Because he rarely caught any. His crushes burned down as fast as they emerged. It wasn’t like him to turn down an offer for a good time. And he’d wanted her under him almost as soon as he’d laid eyes on her. But her touch had ignited something in him, had left him fucked in more than one sense.
He clenched his fists, his gaze glued to her face. She still didn’t look relaxed. From time to time, small whimpers spilled over her dry lips or a spasm went through her body. It looked like she was fighting something. Kid had the sudden urge to promise her that everything would turn out well. That when she woke up, he’d hold up his promise. That he’d stop being such a stupid asshole. If she died now, she’d do so hating him. Why did that thought bother him so much?
“Fuck,” Kid groaned, rubbing his hands over his face.
A pained gasp drew his attention back to her. Was that just a side effect from the infection? What demons was she fighting? He laid a hand on her forehead. Warm, sweaty. Maybe not burning as bad as this morning.
Kid remained like that the whole night. Feeding her the medicine every four hours. Changing the cold compresses. Observing every little whimper, every pained expression on her face. Late at night, she grew quieter and wasn’t sweating as much. He removed the wet cloths. Kid felt like he should be relieved but somehow her constant noises had been almost reassuring. Was she still breathing? He needed to stay awake.
He was woken up by someone shivering against his chest. He opened his eyes, a burst of adrenaline rushing through his body. He’d fallen asleep. He blinked. Had she come closer or had it been him? She was almost snuggled against his chest. And her body was shaking like a leaf. A touch against her forehead confirmed his suspicions. She was so cold. Judging by the sunlight, he had been sleeping for several hours. Her medicine was overdue.
Kid sat up, grabbing the little bottle. He faintly realized that his hands were trembling. He’d screwed everything up. The way he always did. And she had paid the price. Again.
“Dammit, why’d you have to be so stupid?” he rasped. He didn’t even know who he was addressing at this moment.
He watched her pale face. Strands of her hair stuck to her forehead, drenched in dried sweat. He brushed them back. A new wave of tremors ran through her, making her teeth clatter. Kid cursed, pulling the sheets over both of them and her body against his own. She was freezing. He held her, trying to warm her up. But she didn’t stop shaking.
A knock on the door almost made him growl a curse. “What?”
“Kid, it’s me.”
Killer appeared in the doorframe with some breakfast. He didn’t comment on the chaos in the room or Kid being in bed, just sat the plate down on the table.
“Is she any better?”
“The fuck should I know? Think fever is down, but now she’s freezing to death or something.”
“So you’ll keep her warm.” Killer was so matter-of-fact as always. Nothing could ruffle this man. “The fever going down is a good thing. I’ll check up with Dive to be sure. Do you need anything?”
“No,” Kid growled. He felt like an animal that had dragged it’s prey into a cave, lashing out at anyone threatening to take it away.
“You should eat something,” Killer said before turning around.
But Kid didn’t feel like eating. He remained in bed, only letting go of the shaking body when Dive appeared for a quick check-up. He clenched his teeth when she told him there was nothing they could do apart from keeping the Doc warm and wait for her body to stabilize enough to wake up.
As the day went on, she grew quieter by the hour. Her eyelids were fluttering weakly, her pulse had slowed down. Kid didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing. She was still cold, so he didn’t let go. He thought once again about the fact that the last time they’d been so close it had been the night of the attack.
I need you.
Her voice ghosted through his head next to some images. Her rebellious eyes, shooting daggers at him at every given opportunity. That gooddamm attitude that left him stumbling over his own words, feeling like an idiot. Her fighting spirit that made his pulse race. Her words, only meant to rile him up. That sly smile that lit up her whole face, even when she tried to hide it. That fucking smart mouth that sparked this urge in him to kiss her. Probably to shut her up.
You think I got a soft spot for ya?
Kid didn’t even try to shake the memories off anymore. He didn’t care anymore what they meant. The only thing that mattered was that she woke up. She could hate him for the rest of her life for all he cared. If only she woke up.
He froze, blood roaring in his ears. Did she just—? There it was again.
“Kid…”
Her broken voice shattered something inside him. It was only a whisper but there was no doubt. She was murmuring his name. Why? Probably another nightmare. And still, hearing his name being spilled over her lips shook him to his core, awakened something inside him that he had tried his hardest to push down the past days even if it meant pushing her away in the process.
Before he knew it, he had called out her name. The one her captain had used the night they’d met. She frowned at that, as if she recognized it. The words just kept stumbling out of his mouth. “Come back, doll. I need ya too.”
*
YOUR POV
You woke up at a doorstep, panting. Your hands were gripping the skirt of a woman. She was crying but her face was a blur. Maybe it was because of your own tears. You didn’t want her to go, didn’t understand why she needed to leave you.
Don’t leave me! you wanted to cry, but all that came out was a muffled sob.
Your lungs burned from the smoke that rose all around you. The flames flickered greedily over the walls, your skin.
“It burns,” you whimpered.
You looked up and saw the flames mirrored in his lifeless eyes. He was foaming from his mouth. An oil lamp lay shattered on the ground. Strong hands teared at you. They had come back to take you as well. You saw white and blue. And then you saw red.
“Let go of me,” you screamed as they dragged you away. You were so weak.
You kicked and screamed until your voice grew horse, but the strong arm around your chest was unrelenting. You bit down until you tasted iron. But your attackers didn’t show mercy. They never did. You felt your life slipping away from you but you would be damned if you didn’t take as many of them with you into the darkness as you could.
Something cold on your skin. And on your tongue. Blood? No, blood was warm. You coughed. You didn’t want this. You wanted to fight. There were the hands again, ready to drag you away. You shook them off and ran into a dark alley. You were panting, sweating. No, it was rain, falling heavy on your body, until you were soaked through your bones.
You shivered, suddenly feeling cold. Your teeth were clattering. Everything was a blurry mess. You felt so weak. You dropped to your knees. If you couldn’t walk, you would crawl. You saw a dark corner and your heart jumped. For some reason you knew, if you could get to that corner, you would be safe. Someone was already waiting there for you, the presence of the dark figure almost palpable. But with every inch you moved forward, the fatigue in your bones grew heavier, dragging you down. Sharp stones bore into your knees and hands, the heavy rain falling on you threatening to drown you. Maybe you should rest, just for a little bit. You collapsed on the ground, feeling a sense of peace wash over you. Closing your eyes, you thought that the only regret you had was that you didn’t die out at sea.
Someone called out to you. You blinked, slowly opening your eyes again. Sea? But you’ve never been at sea. It didn’t make any sense. So why couldn’t you shake this feeling of remorse off of you? After all, you couldn’t miss the things you never experienced. There it was again. The voice. You lifted your head. There was no doubt. The shadow at the corner was calling out for you. You frowned, couldn’t make out the words. And what would be the point? You knew you were dying, here on the cold ground. Alone. Why did he care? The figure was shouting now, it made your head throb. You wanted to scream at him to shut up, but your tongue was too heavy.
Suddenly, it hit you. The shadow was shouting your name. Only one person on this earth called you by that. You knew now why you had wanted to reach this corner so desperately. That’s where he had found you, where he had held his hand out to you.
How many times do I have to ask you before you finally decide to join my crew?
The words were echoing in your head, while the voice in front of you kept on shouting, stirring somewthing deep within you. You propped yourself on your elbows, crawling on your stomach through the mud. Your tears were mingling with the raindrops on your face. With your last ounce of strength, you dragged yourself forward until you reached the corner. Through the blur of tears, you looked up, expecting to see Nikolai's freckled features. Instead, you stared into the pale face of Eustass Kid. He held his hand out to you, a pleading emotion in his eyes, that made you wrinkle your forehead. This wasn’t right. Eustass “Captain” Kid didn’t plead.
“Why are you here?” you asked puzzled.
“Come back with me, doll,” Kid rasped, his stand unwavering.
“Why?” you whispered, your chest clenching together painfully.
“Because I need ya too.”
With a sob of desperation, you took Kid’s hand and let him drag you upwards, through layers of pain and darkness, until you saw a faint light at the horizon. You were going to live.
