A Light Touch (Eustass X Reader)

Chapter 5: ApPEAsed

Your tongue is sticking out of your mouth in concentration as you try to utilize the chopsticks with your right hand. You know how to use them, but only left-handed, and this new orientation seems to be defeating you. You tried to just stab the food and shovel it into your mouth, but Kid was faster, and stopped you from doing that.

"I'm hungry." You insist, huffing even as you continued to try and do things the right way.

"It's incentive." Kid insists, between bites of food.

"Here, let me help a little." Killer offers, setting his container on the coffee table and shifting over by your right arm. "You know the theory, you just need to invert it." He takes the chop sticks out of your hands and starts from the basics. "This one is the one that you won't move," he says, placing it against your middle finger and locking it into place. "This is the one you hold like a pencil and move."

"Don't move that, move this," you repeat, focusing on getting your fingers to cooperate. Your tongue sticks out a bit again and you practice the motion a few times, making sure the right things move and the right things stay still. Your right hand had always felt like a rebel, but you were going to have to get along from here on out. "Will I be able to use chopsticks in my left hand when I get it?"

Kid grunts. "Yeah, with a lot of practice. Fine control can be a real bitch, and it's best to just expect you'll be ambidextrous by the end of this." He starts picking peas out of his food and setting them on yours. You hadn't even told him you weren't a fan, but he must've noticed you picking around them. "Your hand'll need maintenance and shit, so it's not like it'll be all good once you get it."

You start knocking peas away with a flick and Kid clears his throat. "Pick 'em up and move them that way, or suffer, Mouse."

"Bossy bastard, ain'tcha?" You grumble, picking up a single pea and moving it. In the time you get one off your food, Kid's put three more back on your plate. You growl a little, but keep at it, practicing the movements over and over. It only takes a couple minutes and you're out pacing Kid and actually managing a few bites of food before more peas show up.

"Effective," he corrects as you improve. "I'm an effective bastard."

"And a bossy one." Killer interjects and you laugh.

"Mm, is it safe to assume you'll get me to the court hearings... ah, along with trips to the prosthetic rehab?" Your face goes red, you feel like you're leaning on these guys too much. "I mean... I should probably sort out some sort of transportation for myself sooner rather than later."

"Don't sweat it, Mouse." Kid says, swallowing his latest mouthful of food. "It's an adjustment. When I offered to haul your tiny ass around, I was planning on doing so for a couple months at least. If you end up in another accident because you're not used to your hand, then yer back to square one and I've wasted my damned time."

"... Is that why you came back?" You question. You say it without really thinking about it, but you're going to have to address the whole Straw Hats thing sooner or later.

Kid side-eyes you for a moment and then grunts. "You're not actually a part of their crew, and they ain't even in the Metro proper right now. I just seem to keep running into people who know 'em and it's been nothing but a pain in my ass."

You can feel the mischief rising up in you as he says that, and with a grin splitting your face you pick up a pea and put it on his plate by throwing it. When it lands, you do it again, and again. You're trying your hardest to not giggle and ruin your streak.

"Thin ice, Mouse."

"Bullshit," you quip. "You're the one who decided to teach me this way, I think this is a perfectly acceptable outcome."