Chapter Text
It started with a little tree on the hill.
The huge flower tree on top of the hill. When it was spring, the berries would bloom into beautiful white flowers. The petals would dance along the wind, spreading around the hill. It reminded Killer of snow.
To the right of the tree was a barrel that had been scorched from overuse of fire, rusted and crumbling apart. Old tattered blankets set up as a make-shift tent, a temporary home for him, as he had nowhere else to go. Killer called this home.
This is where he met Eustass Kid.
The day they met, it was cold. Killer had a fire going in the burn barrel and was about to head out for the town. His plan was to look for scraps of any essentials. Water, food, clothing, cloth, anything he could find useful.
Those plans changed when he heard crunching from the dead leaves behind him. He turned quickly, immediately spotting a young boy, not too far from his age. He had wild red hair that was spiked up, missing a few teeth and a bit beat up.
The boy was peeking out behind the tree. Killer figured he was attempting to sneak up on him. He was huffing like he had run a marathon- though Killer suspected he had run up the tall hill. They stared at each other for what felt like hours before the boy spoke up.
“What are you doing?” He asked with an attitude.
Killer immediately profiled him as one of those “tough kids” who fight just about anyone or anything just to feel victorious. He imagined the kid getting into trouble a lot.
“...Going to town. Why are you here?” He asked. The kid paused, then glared.
“None of your business!” He yelled. A gust of wind blew past, making the kid shiver, though he kept his position behind the tree.
“I challenge you! Fight me!” He yelled out again, coming out from behind the tree with his fists raised. “Come on, coward!”
Killer shook his head with a sigh. “I’m not going to fight you.” He said, turning away and heading down the hill.
The kid was taken aback, freezing for a minute before chasing after him. “Hey- wait! Come back you bastard!” He yelled, chasing after him. He went to throw a punch at Killer with a yell.
Killer moved out of the way, sending the boy to stumble and fall down the hill. He stopped to watch as the kid went tumbling down, waiting until he stopped rolling.
The kid sat there, looking a bit winded. The blond boy felt a bit guilty, so he ran down to check on him. When he got to the bottom, the red head only growled at him in anger.
“Why won’t you fight me!?” He yelled, standing up quickly.
Killer blinked at him, though the boy couldn’t see behind his hair.
“I’m busy.” He said simply.
The kid faltered a bit, then sighed. “Bastard…” He muttered.
Killer gave the tiniest smile in return. He looked back up at the wooded area and continued on his way.
It only took Killer a minute before he realized the boy was following him. The blond stopped in his tracks, turning to look behind him.
“...What are you doing?” He asked.
The kid froze, looking as if he was caught stealing something. His face went back to his normal angered look and huffed.
“I’m not leaving until you fight me!” He said.
Killer rolled his eyes with a sigh, then continued walking. The kid didn’t lie. He followed him all the way to the back alleys of town.
“What is your name?”
“What?”
“If you’re going to be following me for so long, you may as well tell me your name.” Killer retorted.
Eustass huffed. “My name is Eustass Kid. And you better not forget it!” He growled.
Killer raised an eyebrow. “Kid? Fitting.” He teased, making Eustass frown and clench his fists.
“I’m not a kid!” He complained childishly. Killer snorted at the tantrum.
“Sure.”
Eustass huffed and crossed his arms. “What’s your name then?” He asked snarkily.
“Killer.”
“That’s a dumb name.”
“Better than being called Kid for the rest of my life.”
“Shut up! How old are you anyway, Killer?”
Twelve. Killer was Twelve when Killer met eight year old Eustass Kid. The man who single handedly changed his life. Though, at the time, poor naive Killer didn’t even think to believe that Eustass would be close to him.
Killer eventually found a trash bin behind a clothing shop and immediately went to dig inside. Kid was a bit confused, but said nothing. At least not until Killer started putting scraps into his satchel.
“Are you stealing from the trash?” Eustass asked.
Killer looked up at him. “It’s how I live.” He replied.
Kid’s eyes widened a bit, just barely noticeable unless, much like Killer, you were observant. Without hesitation, he walked over and started helping.
Together, they managed to find plenty of scraps for patches and a couple of shirts that would be way too big for them. They took them anyway.
After a few more stops, they had enough rations for a few more days and a clean water source that Killer had never known about.
Kid got full of himself when he found it, but his demeanor faded when Killer only replied with a hum.
“Come on, I’m amazing, right!?” Kid would complain. “Sure.” Killer would reply.
When it turned to dusk, they walked all the way back to what Killer introduced Eustass to as home.
Eustass sat in front of the burnt out fire, holding his body tightly to conjure up any heat he could manage.
Killer stood, watching him for a second before reaching into his make-shift tent and grabbed his blanket. He tossed it to Eustass, who was smacked in the face with the cloth.
“Hey!” He shouted, glancing down. He got quiet, staring at the blanket for a bit before he wrapped it around himself. “...Thanks, I guess.” He muttered.
“Do you want another fire?” He asked.
Eustass shook his head, still staring at the burn barrel.
“No. I’m ok.” He said.
Killer pulled apart a piece of bread and offered it to Eustass, who accepted it gratefully. He immediately shoved the bread into his mouth in one piece. He chewed it loudly as Killer sat down beside him, staring off into the barrel.
“Don’t you have to go home?” He asked. Eustass paused, then looked at him.
“...I don’t have one.”
“Neither do I.”