DOMINO - Eustass Kid x Reader

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Buck You

"Easy does it. Watch your step."

I smiled in thanks as Heat carefully lead me down the docking ramp onto solid ground, even though I was now fully capable of doing it without assistance.
"Thanks, Heat." I gave his hand a squeeze before letting go, casting my gaze out towards the new sight before me.

The island was beautiful. Frozen in the period of Spring, it had lush greenery, stretching upwards, melting into stone and earth where mountains kissed the sky. On the second highest ridge was a castle, and that seemed to be where everyone was heading.

"It's nice, right? It was totally uninhabited when we found it a few months ago. Awesome views, good soil, and even animals, in case we need meat." Heat explained as he picked up a heavy crate, no doubt filled with some of the weapons they had stolen from the Navy.

"Hunting?" I perked up, following at his heels as he started towards the path to the castle. I'd always been decently skilled when it came to hunting. My talent for sneaking about came in handy for it. The amount of gulls I had shot from the sky with my slingshot back in Water 7 had almost been a record.

"Oh, you like hunting? Kid does too. Maybe he'll bring you along if he goes out?" Heat's smile was genuine, despite his lips being stitched in an almost permanent downward tilt. I had sorely misjudged his character at first. He was kind.

"Yeah, somehow I doubt Kid'll willingly take me anywhere." I snorted, skipping over a stone before stopping to look back at the unloaded cargo. "Uh, should I grab something to take up?"

"I doubt you could carry any of it, especially not that far." Wire chuckled as he walked past, a crate held on either shoulder. My lips set into a pout, but I didn't argue. He was probably right, but he didn't have to go and call me out like that.

It was quite the treck from the dock to the castle, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. There were so many pretty things to look at. Flowers, birds, I even spotted a rabbit, which I followed, resulting in me becoming momentarily lost before Jaguar came to drag me back to the path.

The castle was much larger than I had originally thought. It was in incredible shape, considering it had been abandoned only months prior. I wasn't at all surprised that the interior was decorated very similarly to the Victoria Punk, but it suited the vibe.

"Oh, there you are." Killer approached me and held out a key, pocketing his hand once I accepted it. "That's for your room. At least when we're here you can have a shred of privacy. The sheets might be a bit musty, but it'll be better than the infirmary bed."

Closing my hand around the metal key, I looked up into the holes of his helmet and smiled. It was safe to say I was surprised I'd be getting my own bed, let alone my own room.
"Thank you! If there's anything that you guys need help with, just let me know. I think I'm well enough to start pulling my own weight now."

A heavy hand came down upon my head, nearly inverting my neck.
"You can always be our maid wench." Kid snickered, ignoring my attempt to bat his hand away.
"As long as it doesn't fall on me all the time, I'm happy to do laundry, or help in the kitchen, but that's not all I'm good for..."

Look past my gender for once...

"Apart from sneaking around, I haven't seen you do well at anything else." Kid stated, flinching when Killer held his finger up in warning.
"Remember that word I taught you, Kid? Starts with R, ends with T? Respect?"

Mumbling a curse or two under his breath, Kid rolled his eyes and finally removed his hand, beginning to stomp away, but I followed quickly, reaching to tug on his coat.
"Hey, uh, Heat mentioned you like hunting? I do too! Maybe I could join you one time if you-"