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Kid and Killer's relationship is admittedly a strange one. As a result of knowing each other for such an extended period, the two never really thought about putting a label on ‘Kid and Killer’. Of course, they bicker and headbutt each other, replacing an apology. Still, they also lovingly cup each other's cheeks and slowly kiss under the pale moonlight, peeking through a window of the captain's chambers on the Victoria Punk. They don't need labels. Since Kid and Killer knew what they felt for each other, that was enough for them. However, to their surprise, others may not think the same way.
The day is shouldering hot. Temperatures rivalling the actual sun, not even an exaggeration. The Kid, Heart, and Straw Hat pirates had docked on this hell hole of an island to restock supplies, but all three crews quickly regretted their choice when they entered the climate and heat radiated off the sand on the shore.
“I swear to God if all of you don't start moving with some more urgency, I'm leaving you to deal with whatever the fuck Kid has going on,” Nami cups her mouth and yells to the ships on either side of the Thousand Sunny. Heads shoot up with bewildered faces, and not long after, a small group formed in front of her, prepared for their shopping expedition, almost entirely consisting of the Kid pirates themselves. She split them up into smaller groups to tackle all the necessities they docked on the island of Toco for in the first place.
Nami groans and squirms as the feeling of her long ginger hair sticking to her neck finally registers in her mind, previously too occupied with stressing over what the hell they would do with Bepo. The navigator lifts her hands to tie back her hair, but a loud crash, amplified by the stillness of the area, startles her, causing her to drop the hair tie. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she bends over to pick it up, and just in time, a large chunk of scrap metal got flung so hard where she used to be that it caused a sizable hole in the artificial lawn of the Thousand Sunny.
“What the fuck!” she ducks and screams. The navigator's hand instinctively moved to her clima-tact secured on her waist. Her yell alerts some other pirates lazing around on their ships, too affected by the heat to do anything productive. Luffy shoots up from where he was sprawled out on the grass, not too far from the hole and jerks his head to the left just in time for another chunk of scrap metal to whiz past his head and flatten against the railings of their ship.
An all too familiar shout followed the third chunk of metal that fortunately landed in the water and not a crew member.
“Hey Kid! Can you not be an inconsiderate asshole for once in your life and maybe not try to ruin our ship with your rage filled episodes,” Sanji rumbles as he kicks all the metal back onto the Victoria Punk with a vicious glare for almost hurting his precious Nami-swan.
On said ship’s deck was Eustass Kid, fiery red hair sticking out in every direction possible because of his (good) hand pulling at it as he marched up and down, heavy boots making each step audible. Red eyes frantically searched their junk closet, not even stopping to acknowledge his crew, much less the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates who, although uninvolved, seemed to have interest in the commotion.
“What are you even looking for dude?” A brave soul asks.
“I'm looking for my fucking goggles! You know? The dark purple one? The one that looks super fucking cool with the matching sash?” Kid screams at the poor underling, who cowers and hides behind Killer for protection. As the first mate, Killer knew Kid the best and would usually be the best person to solve all of their issues regarding his temper.
“Kid you wore that on the last island and it broke, remember? Maybe long-nose has one like it? Ask him, politely ,” Killer spoke to Kid in a tone only he could without risking his life.
“Killer, I don't just want any dark purple goggles, I want my dark purple goggles!” He's throwing a fit like a child, but he doesn't care. Kid growls and storms off into his room, rattling the foundations of the ship when he slams the door.
The Kid pirates recover quickly, used to their captain's behaviour or lack thereof. They all wander off and continue doing what they usually do. However, the Hearts and Straw Hats use this as an opportunity to whisper in a corner like the gossips they are.
“So, who's gonna place ten thousand berry on Kid killing somebody by the end of the day?” Nami's shopping trip gets momentarily sidelined as an opportunity to make money presents itself. Unsurprisingly, a large number of hands raised, more than half of the combined crew members.
“I think Killer is going to miraculously save the day, as per usual,” Penguin whispers, just in case Kid's anger somehow grants him the power of super-hearing. The Kid pirates agree with him, their familiarity with the redhead giving them an edge in the ‘competition’.
“Aren't we supposed to be going somewhere?”
The gossip circle quickly dispersed at the sound of Killer's voice, too close for comfort, and gave each other not-so-discreet winks as a reminder of the bet.
Hours later, the island of Toco was no longer uncomfortably hot. The sand was cool enough that Chopper and Luffy had begun some idiotic game that involved throwing sand at unsuspecting crewmates, and a cosy bonfire, lit by Heat's flaming breath, sat at a comfortable distance from the three ships. The shoppers had long returned, and the cooks of the three crews were preparing a feast in front of the bonfire. It would be a perfect night if the captain of the Kid Pirates could leave his room.
“Come on dude, we're hungry and Killer refuses to feed us unless you leave your room,” Dive pouts and considers biting the handle off the bloody door.
A growl leaves the room that sounds similar to a ‘no’, causing the battalion to groan loudly as their leader continues to piss everyone off.
“Kid.”
That was all it took. All Killer shouted was his name, and Kid came running out, a sullen look staining his face. He resembled a kicked puppy. Crimson hair lay flat on his face, arms behind his back, and metaphorical tail between his legs; all for Killer.
The captain of the Kid Pirates made his way off their ship and onto the beach, avoiding eye contact with his entire crew, who looked around bewildered by their crass captain’s unsettling behaviour. Kid walked with his head down, slowing down as he approached his first mate and stopping altogether when he was 6 feet away from him, just in case he decided to become violent.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Killer waves a stew-covered laddle in front of the younger’s face. Hand perched high on his tiny waist, accentuated by the apron tied around it. Kid can easily fling away the spoon with his powers, but that would likely anger the older much more than he already is.
“No, not to my knowledge,” he smirks and momentarily drops the meek persona to test the waters of Killers fury. The blond sighs exaggeratedly behind his blue and white mask and pretends to stir a simmering pot. Eustass’ smirk widens to a grin and he turns his back to Killer thinking he's off the hook but his first mate’s next words cause his cocky expression to fall immediately.
“Well, I guess I have nothing to tell you as well, especially concerning your beloved goggles.” the red-head stops in his tracks immediately and the cold sand crunches under his feet as he practically stomped to Killer’s side with the same child-like pout back on his lips.
The rest of the bystanders look on in a mixture of shock, confusion and slight disgust at the sight of the unshakable Eustass Kid acting desperate just for a pair of goggles from his first mate. Killer has flashbacks to when they were younger on the South Blue Island they grew up on.
They were on rival gangs so they had to sneak around to meet up. It was the middle of summer, the days smoking hot and the nights the complete opposite, similar to the island they were currently on. Kid was sitting on the beach, vanilla ice cream in hand, dripping down his fingers as he hurriedly tried to lick up the escaping liquid. He was with a girl a couple of years older than he was, Victoria. Kid was missing a couple of his milk teeth, his hair was sticking out in all sorts of different directions because he hadn't been taught to take care of himself as yet and his body was skinny and pale so it brightened to pink in the current sun there were in. He looked like a child next to her but he didn't care. He could only gaze at her with a bright-eyed expression, hoping she felt the same way.
Meanwhile, Victoria was growing into her teenage years. Not too long ago, with her short hair and rugged sense of style, she was often mistaken as a boy by the villagers unfamiliar with her. Not that she minded. But now, she was turning into a woman. Her short bob grew out with her bangs and now cascaded down her back like a blond waterfall. Her coveralls and capris turned into dresses and skirts and even her nails were clean and polished instead of caked with dirt from playing in the mud with them.
With her new look, it seemed everyone was falling in love with her now that she was girly and delicate, including Kid and Killer. So they fought. They had a childish rivalry, batting for Victoria’s affection from the day they met until she spoke her last words.
She had been murdered by one of the rival gangs. The piece of shit, Alonso couldn't take no for an answer and when she rejected his advances, he turned violent and held her down in the dirty back alley near the restaurant they ate curry in all those years ago. They heard that she had been screaming her lungs out the entire time it happened but no one dared to intervene since Alonso ran the biggest gang on the island. Her dress was ripped and soiled beyond recognition and the flowery pin she had stuck in her hair that day was thrown aside. Killer remembers how Kid collapsed to the filthy ground, uncaring the pool of blood that soaked into his shorts and cried into her cold neck.
That day was the start of his anger. They put aside their differences and combined their crews with Heat and Wire’s, wasting no time destroying everything Alonso built. With the addition of Kid’s new devil fruit, they were virtually unstoppable and quickly became the strongest, most dangerous things the island of Otoire had ever seen, so they left. They took to the seas and unknowingly formed a deeper bond than just a captain and his first mate.
“Kill’ I'm sorry for being a little shit today but you've got to understand, I really loved those goggles,” he snarls and leans forward on the balls of his feet to rest his chin on the top of Killer’s helmet.
“Hm,” is all he responds with, the vibration tickling the bottom of the red-head’s chin.
“How can I make it up to you?” He whispers, barely louder than the violin Brooke played around the campfire for the three pirate crews.
It was like they were in their own separate little world The warmth of the pot and the chirping of the cicadas in the nearby forest mixed with the soft melodies created by the skeleton. The gentle rise and fall of his lover’s broad shoulders when he inhales and exhales and the mild flex of his forearms when he scrapes the bubbling sauce off the sides. All Kid could think about was how much he loved the man in front of him and how much he’d have to grovel to get back in his good graces.
“Well, first you can start by cleaning up all the junk you threw everywhere on our ship and the Straw Hat’s and then come sit by the campfire and wait for us to be done cooking like a good boy.”
Kid groans inwardly, too much of a coward when it comes to his first mate to do that to his face; or rather mask, and he shuffles back to the ships in the same way he came, sullenly.
Less than half an hour later, the food is finished and Kid is finally relaxing with all three crews. They had just left Wano, a place that almost destroyed them both mentally and physically, about a week ago, so it was their first real opportunity to sit down and process what that island put them through. The torture, being separated from his crew and then finding out what horrors Kaido had put them through. The pain that radiated all through his body, aftereffects of the fight, that he will probably feel for the next thirty years of his life if he makes it to that age. And the one that never left his mind was the sight of his lover, mask off and face poorly bandaged to conceal his identity, laughing louder than he'd ever heard him laugh in the decade they’d known each other. He finally got a chance to think about how raw his throat felt when he screamed “What happened to you?” and the salty tears that fell when the blonde just kept laughing.
Maybe he should thank Killer for giving him this time. He had been on a rampage the past few days, making sure everyone else was okay after they left, but never stopping to check on himself. They ate happily and abundantly. As soon as they finished and the blonde stood to start stacking plates, Kid rose as well, pulling the older man aside to envelop him in a mostly warm hug, except for the cold metal arm on his left side. They heard the conversation temporarily halt but ignored the gathering, savouring the moment of closeness.
“Thank you,” was all he said, getting a hum in response. The cold night air hit him in full force once again after Killer separated himself from the hug and jogged to a random bag near the dirty pots and lids. He stops about an arms-length away from the redhead and wordlessly hands Kid the bag, gesturing for him to open it.
As soon as he unties the knot and peers in, a bright smile takes over his face. His cheekbones rise, causing his eyes to get a bit smaller and faint crow’s feet appear, evidence of their difficult lives. It’s purple goggles. The purple goggles. Identical to the ones he lost, the same size, shape, and shade of purple, it’s perfect. Killer is perfect. Oh how much he loves this man.
Unable to contain his glee, his fingers twitch and sparkles of purple light up around his hand. Killer’s mask, which is made of metal, is easily affected by his powers, and with a cocky smirk, Kid takes advantage of this by pulling Killer into his lips by his mask, leaving a bright red lipstick stain right where his mouth should be. Killer’s eyes widen at the sudden public show of affection but all the worry ashes from his face when he sees the size of the smile on Kid’s face once he pulls away.. They don’t usually like showcasing their relationship, just in case an enemy could take advantage of it, but right now, they're not around enemies, friends and family surround them.
Friends and family who are currently staring at them with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
They were so caught up in each other, that they didn't even notice the comical screech of the violin abruptly halting together with the conversations. They don't even have the shame of pretending to look sheepish. The red-head captain simply grabs his first mate by the wrist and breaks off into a sprint back to their ship, dragging the shorter along with him. They can hear the loud protests of mostly the Straw Hats, begging for some sort of explanation but they keep going and only stop when they enter the captain’s quarters.
The first thing that goes is Killer’s mask which bounces on the wooden floors before rolling to the side away from the pair. Kid buries the fingers of his left metal arm into long expanses of blond hair while his right-hand grips the back of the older’s head as he pulls him into a proper breathtaking kiss. Killer moans into the contact and his strong arms fall limply on the sides of his captain’s waist. They kiss until they’re lightheaded and their lips are so bruised there’s no hiding what they ran off to do.
A little later, when they’re under the covers, a light sheen of sweat covers both their bodies, illuminated by the moon peaking through the small window in the corner of the room. Kid rolls over to his right side from his back to face his lover. Killer is already on his stomach, facing the younger with a soft smile gracing his face.
“You know me better than anyone,” he breaks the silence, cautiously, because he’s afraid to disrupt the peace.
“That I do,” was all the older responded with.
“You always know what I need; what’s best for me,” Kiler hums in agreement.
“You’re my everything. I can’t be king of the pirates without you, I need you Kil’.” Bright blue irises connect with Kid’s and tears begin to pool in the corner of Killer’s eyes like freshly polished diamonds he reaches out and collects them before they fall.
“So don’t die. Okay? Don’t go anywhere because I can’t live without you, I’m just going to have to follow you wherever you end up.” He cups his lover’s cheek with the hand he wasn't lying on and brushes away the stray hairs obscuring his pretty face.
Between sobs, all Killer could respond with was a shaky nod. Kid couldn’t bear to see the older cry and closed the small gap between them with a strong hug.
“I love you, Kil”
“I love you too, Kid”