Work Text:
It's nearly 4am.
You're finishing reorganizing damn near everything in your home (fits of restlessness will do that), when you hear something outside, very distant. You live on an incredibly safe and welcoming island, but unfamiliar noises off in the night still send unease creeping through your bones.
You try to ignore it in hopes that it'll go away.
Turning back to the cupboards, you're rearranging cans and boxes of food, labeling the occasional odd jar out. You almost make it to the highest shelf when you hear a low growl right behind you; the hand coming around to wrap over your mouth muffles your scream of fright, body shaking from the scare. You feel a familiar cackle vibrate through the chest pressed against your back, and you think this must be the first time you've ever been relieved to hear his voice.
"Redd!!" you yelp, prying his hand off your mouth, still holding onto his arm so your legs don't give out on you. "For fucks sake, you're going to kill me."
To his credit, he keeps a strong grip on you, making sure you don't fall. "Told ya I'd be back soon, didn't I?"
As you regain your balance and successfully hold yourself up, you huff and turn to him; now that your heart rate is getting back to normal, your usual annoyance for him creeps in. "Three in the fucking morning... Can't you knock? Do you know how to knock, you damn heathen??"
"Sure I do, but where's the fun in that? You're awful cute when you're scared like that anyway." He's smiling, only somewhat mockingly.
Your face heats up, just a bit, and you swat at him. "You only like it because you're a fucking sadist," you mumble, scrunching your nose at him.
"Oh, getting predictable, am I?" he asks, harshly yanking you toward him out of nowhere, and biting the shit out of your lip in a brief, bruising kiss. The noise you make is more of a shout than a moan, and when he shoves you backward again, your hand comes up to your lip, blood lightly dripping onto your fingers. Redd's expression doesn't change, but his eyes look... darker, somehow, a little more cruel. (You're beginning to know that face well.)
"Whyyy are you here?" you whine, swiping your hand, trying to wipe the extra blood onto Redd.
He catches your wrist with no effort involved, and swipes his tongue up your fingers, cleaning the blood off but effectively making you whimper at him. "Well, I was going to see if you'd like to come see the new wares, get first dibs..." he says, acting terribly offended because really, how could you be so rude to a conman that definitely just broke into your home?? So impolite.
You catch the implication, knowing damn well why he'd offer. "Gee, that doesn't sound sketchy at all. Why don't you offer me some candy while you're at it?" you say, pulling your hand out of his grasp, rolling your eyes.
He pulls you in by the back of the neck, bringing you forehead to forehead, eyes boring into yours. His voice gets significantly lower. "Now, now. If I wanted to, say, sell you off, you know I woulda done it already." Your lip curls up in a slight snarl, a proper flush creeping onto your cheeks. "What's that face for?? You know I wouldn't actually do it. Probably." He laughs teasingly as you try to shove at him, muttering insults.
Grinning, Redd lets you go. "Nah, I won't force you. I know it's gettin pretty late, and you look tired. Anyway, I just docked up on shore for the day, so you know where to find me."
He moves to leave, and without thinking, you... grab his wrist? Why? "I, uh." You let go like you've been burned. "Nevermind." You're avoiding his gaze as you turn back to the cupboards, trying to finish the task at hand with your head buzzing in confusion.
Redd watches you for a few seconds longer once you turn away, his expression something different, unreadable. His eyes linger on you as he repeats, "You know where to find me, yeah?" and slinks out the door. (Also, how the hell did he get in? You're going to need to interrogate him on that one later.)
---
Barely an hour later, sky still dark, you wake with a jolt hearing your front door click shut, rather loudly. You're spooked, and definitely a bit annoyed, but something feels off. If it was Redd, you wouldn't hear him; but you doubt anyone else would be able to get through a locked door or window. You slip out of bed, padding as quietly as you can, and open your bedroom door. You nearly have a heart attack as you run straight into Redd, and he almost falls over-
Wait.
You grab onto his arm reflexively, keeping him steady; Redd doesn't fall. Redd doesn't make noise when he slinks about. You hold him still, and you get a better look at him as he makes a nearly inaudible noise of pain.
"Um."
"Shut up," he hisses. You move aside, giving him proper permission to come in, and follow him to the bed (closely, just in case he starts to fall). You flick on the light.
"Redd, Christ-" you cut yourself off, seeing the gash across his shoulder. "What the hell'd you do?"
He glares up at you, grimacing. "First of all, you little shit, bold of you to assume I'm the one that did something." He looks away, fixing his eyes on the wall, looking annoyed. "...Second of all, okay, yes, I did it, but. But!-"
You cut him off with a sharp "Shut up," yanking your door back open and walking out. His eyes are wide, and for once, he stops talking, if only in surprise. You come back not even a minute later with some bandages.
You pull his shirt off, gently (just this once), and he winces. "Shit, take me to dinner first, I'm not a workin girl." You lock eyes again, unimpressed, and give a harsh slap to his thigh. "Fuck, okay, Christ! I'll be a good boy."
Seeing the full extent of the gash, you huff and pull him to his feet, bringing him to the bathroom and plopping him atop the closed toilet seat. He manages to stay still with minimal whining as you clean the wound, washing it gingerly with warm water and soap, cleaning the blood from his chest. He jolts slightly at the antibiotic you apply, and you actually feel a pang of pity at his soft whine of pain. (You really don't know how the hell he's supposed to be some big bad black market merchant if he's this much of a baby about some Neosporin.)
As you finish bandaging him up, you sigh shakily, anxiety finally starting to fade. He's looking down at the dressing, examining it, when you say "You didn't answer my question. What did you do, Redd?"
He scrunches his nose in a pathetic attempt at a scowl, avoiding looking up at you. "I... might have, in theory, possibly... seen another questionable boat passing by..." You continue staring him down. "And I mighta recognized this boat... and I might've sailed over for a reunion." You inhale, ready to ream him, and he continues, "In my defense! In my fuckin defense, they stole damn near half my stock a few months back. So, yes, don't look at me like that, yes, I mighta gone and started a fight with a few....pirates....more or less."
After another moment of staring him down, you sigh out the breath you hadn't realized you were holding. You smack his other arm. "You scared me, asshole. Can you maybe, y'know, not get fucking stabbed??? You're gonna give me a stroke one of these days, I swear to god..."
Redd's looking up at you as you mutter to yourself and put away the first aid supplies, and a funny little grin spreads across his face while you can't see.
---
When Redd leaves around 8 in the morning (insisting that yes, he's fine, and no, he won't pick anymore fights while he's here), you lean against the frame of your front door, keeping an eye on him as he slinks up toward the beach. He's moving quickly again, sly as ever, most likely trying to avoid the wrath of Tom if he's spotted. He isn't limping or anything, at least.
You breathe a sigh of relief as you finally see him walk up the ramp to the Trawler. He steals a glance back, and you barely see the quick wave he throws your way before he slips through the door. A lopsided smile makes its way onto your face.
After all, you know where to find him.