"If any more Navy ships come after us, just throw me into the drink..."

Groaning, I hung limp over the ship's railing, my limbs like melted jelly. It had been a rough twenty four hours, to put it lightly. The Marines were in the middle of relocating, so there had been a ridiculous amount of them, fleet after fleet. Food and sleep felt like a distant memory.

"Careful. You'll end up slipping overboard." Killer sighed from behind me, though his voice did little to hide his own exhaustion.
"Good. I can sleep with the fishes. Sounds comfortable..."

I didn't bother fighting Killer when he dragged me up and over his shoulder like a sack of sweaty potatoes, being careful of his hands so that they weren't touching any part of me that could be deemed as inappropriate.

"We'll be fine for a little while. You should get yourself cleaned up, and consider a nap. Won't be too long until we can find somewhere to stop and restock supplies." He started to carry me off towards the bathroom, and I buried myself in the flow of golden hair streaming from the back end of his helmet.

"I'm just gonna nap right here. G'night..." I yawned, closing my eyes and going completely slack. I was mostly just messing around, but if he let me stay over his shoulder I would have had no complaints.

"It's the middle of the night, so you're gonna do more than nap. You're hell to deal with when you're overtired, just like a certain captain I know." Killer mumbled, making sure said captain heard him as he carried me past.

Kid was leaning against the wall, nose scrunched and eyes set in a nasty glare, which didnt pair well with the heavy bags beneath them.
"Oi, fuck off. I don't get overtired." He lied, the exhaustion in his voice thick.

Killer paused for a few moments before turning back around, effortlessly moving me from his shoulder to Kid's arms, much to my dismay.
"Yes, you do. Go get some sleep, both of you. Me and a few of the others will keep watch and call on you if we have any more trouble."

I wanted to voice my complaints, but my body reacted to being settled in Kid's arms. My skin tingled, and my pulse skipped a little too frantically for my liking.
"Ugh...Yes, Mother..." The redhead rolled his eyes, unphased when Killer thumped him in the arm, just above my head.

He kind of is like his mother...Kinda...

Without saying anything further, Kid hoisted me over his shoulder, just like his companion had done, and I groaned, flopping limp.
"For the record, I don't quite appreciate being manhandled like a sack of turnips." I stated, chewing on the inside of my cheek as his hand slotted in just beneath the curve of my ass.

"Don't care." Wow, Kid really must have been tired if he didn't want to banter with me. I couldn't blame him, though. The Navy had been relentless, and now the Victoria Punk was in desperate need of some professional repairs. Galley La would have their work cut out for them.

"Wait." I tapped on his back to get him to stop, spying my precious clump of feline skin cleaning himself at the doorway into the hull. "I must collect my child."

Completely ignoring me, Kid continued on, passing the cock-eyed cat and heading down towards our quarters. I sadly reached out for my pet, meeting one of his eyes and mouthing my apologies before we lost sight of one another.

"You weren't half bad today." Kid started, the clunk of his boots echoing through the empty hall. "Don't think it's over, though. Pretty soon every Marine, bounty hunter and pirate'll be after us."

I liked how he didn't just make it about himself and his own notoriety. As cocky and selfish as the man could often be, he valued the lot of us, and gave credit where it was due.
"Let them try. I'll shoot 'em right in the nips." I lazily blasted off some finger guns, feeling his shoulders bounce beneath me.

I don't get it...I'm so comfortable with him like this, but I get nervous when he tries things...I've got to grow a pair...

"Hey, uh, Kid?" I called for his attention and he grunted in acknowledgement for me to continue. "Since we're both getting some shut eye...why don't we have another sleepover..?"

Kid's grip momentarily tightened around the back of my thighs, but it quickly returned to normal on the next step he took.
"I told ya, I don't like sleeping next to people."

Another thing I didn't understand. He was so quick to try and make moves on me, rather aggressively, so why did he shy away when I tried something subtle? It didn't make sense.

"You seemed pretty comfortable to me last time." I pointed out, and he dragged me abruptly off of his shoulder, immediately scruffing me so I'd become submissive, curling up in his single-handed grip.

"Last time I was just try'na make up for what happened to you. You said you needed your head to shut up, so I let you stay." He narrowed his eyes, but I didn't look away. I knew it annoyed him that his intimidation tactics didn't work on me anymore.

"What if...I need it to shut up again?" I asked curiously, trying to gauge his reaction. It remained ruthlessly unimpressed.
"What is it this time? I'm literally going well out of my way to Water 7 just because your pansy brother's involved, so things seem pretty damn cruisey for you."

Ouch, burn, Paulie.

Nose crinkling as I thought, I knew I had to at least give him a half truth. We were on a level where he'd know if I lied to him.
"Well, mostly, yeah, but going back there means there's a chance I'll have to see my parents again. Honestly? That scares the crap out of me. They were the main reason I sailed on out of there in the first place."

Kid studied me for a few moments before deflating, continuing on down the hall to his room with me still scruffed at arms length.
"Stay on your side of the bed, don't touch me, don't talk to me. So much as a toe slips onto my side and I'll kick your scrawny ass out, got it?"

Yay! Sleepover!

I nodded with as much enthusiasm as I could muster, which was a decent amount considering I was exhausted. Into Kid's room, he plopped me down on the end of his bed, immediately stalking to his bathroom.
"Go to sleep, then. I'm takin' a shower."

I just nodded, not wanting to rile him up for once. As entertaining as it was, he didn't need it after the day we just had, and as he had said, it likely wasn't over. Once the bathroom door clicked shut, I crawled up the bed and slipped under the covers, letting the lingering scent of him surround me.

I hadn't exactly been lying when I had told Kid I was concerned about the possibility of seeing my parents again. I knew Paulie would stay true to me and not tell them, but I couldn't count on anybody else keeping their mouths shut. Word always travelled fast, especially in our community, so it was a risk.

I loved them. They were my parents, so of course I did. They hadn't beaten me, or cast me aside, but that didn't mean I had to like them. Their complete disregard for my individuality had been crippling, and when I thought about what they would have to say about my return I found myself curling up into a ball.

At some stage I must have drifted off, because when I zoned back into reality again it was pitch black, and I felt the bed dip when somebody climbed in on the other side. The smell of herbal soap was strong, but Kid's natural scent was stronger, trying to lure me in, but I resisted.

"Oi. You have more room than that, y'know?" Kid spoke quietly, but I stayed where I was.
"You said you'd kick me out if I invaded your personal space, so can't be too careful." I replied, my voice much richer with sleep than I thought it would be.

"This whole room is my personal space, you idiot. Knowing you, you'll roll off and break your stupid face." I chuckled softly at his words, fingers tracing the seam of the blanket.
"Wow. You have such a charming tongue, it's a wonder why you're single." I jabbed, my chest thundering when I felt him shift.

He isn't even close to me and he's making me feel like this...

"I could get any bitch I want, and you know it." He jumped on the defence, but I didn't care about the term he used. Sighing, I rolled over to face his direction, only able to see his faint silhouette in the darkness.

"I lied before. Well...partially. I am worried about my parents, but mostly I just wanted to spend time with you..." My face grew warm as I admitted the truth, expecting his relentless teasing to quickly commence.

The bed creaked as he moved, and even though we weren't touching I could feel the heat from his freshly showered skin beneath the sheets, so inviting.
"You don't make sense." He muttered, but there was no hint of anger to be found. "Sometimes you run, then other times you're like this. Mixed signals really piss me the fuck off."

Tell me about it.

Curling my knees closer to my chest, I thought about what I could say that wouldn't come off as a blatant confession. In my exhaustion, having just been awoken from a brief sleep, I knew I was vulnerable. There was no telling if this was just a tactic of his.

"I run...because I have no idea what you want from me, and your way of hitting on me, o..or whatever you wanna call it, makes it seem you just want..." I trailed off, feeling the embarrassment rise like a tide.

"Sex?" I was almost shocked that he hadn't used the filthier term for it, but found myself nodding in confirmation.
"Yeah, sex...It's not that I'm not, well, a..attracted to you or anything...I just kinda stop functioning and panic a bit...A lot..."

Oh god, this is embarrassing. Can a sea king please come and swallow me so I can live out the rest of my days in its belly?

Again, Kid shifted, and his warmth turned hot as he got much closer, borderline stifling.
"I...Dammit, I dunno. I ain't good at words or soft shit. I throw it all on the table and I fuck." It was rare that he would open up like this, and I tried to keep my attention on his voice instead of his closeness.

"Usually I do too...but..." I closed my eyes and racked my brain, not wanting to offend him or lose my place in his bed for the night. "You know what? Don't worry about it. We need to sleep, so-"

My voice caught in my throat with a squeak when I felt his hands on my waist, dragging me right up against him without warning. Without his shirt, I could feel just how much he had been growing, his muscles far more defined than when we had first met.

"But what? Don't hold your damn tongue. Hypothetically, what wouldn't you run from if it ain't just from me in general?" He was really trying to listen to me, and it meant so much. However, it didn't do a thing for my nerves, which were definitely on the fritz.

Calm down. Seriously. Just breathe.

I shouldn't have drawn breath through my nose, because it just made me light-headed.
"I...don't know...Maybe just, uh, not so aggressive, I think? Man, I really don't know..."

When he pulled me even closer, my hands instinctively moved to his chest, and the feeling of him beneath my palms had me weak. Especially when I felt just how erratic his heartbeat was.

One of his hands remained on my waist while the other moved to caress my back, slightly stiff but not at all unpleasant.
"S..So little miss tough guy is just scared of assertion?" He tried to tease me, but his voice betrayed him, and I could feel him cringe once he noticed.

He's just as nervous as I am, isn't he?

Gulping down my fight or flight, I traced his collar bone with my fingers, fully aware of the trail of goosebumps that I left behind.
"No...little miss tough guy just doesn't like being treated like any old whore...Especially when she doesn't know what the big, bad captain is thinking..."

When Kid leaned into the crook of my neck my chin rose automatically, throat bobbing with my hitch of breath as I felt his nose graze against my artery. Again, flashbacks of the warehouse flooded my mind, of crimson teeth and that wild stare, and my legs curled up to try and keep me grounded in the moment.

"You ain't a whore...but the thought of you actin' like one at some point at a time like this...That doesn't sound half bad t'me..." Kid's breath scorched my bare skin as he dragged his nose up along my neck and jaw until it touched against mine, his eyes the only part of him I could see clearly.

They were searching my entirety for something, and I stared back, hoping that he'd find what he was looking for, or not, if that thing was fear.
"I can't read you..." I murmured, completely distracted, my knee know gently resting against his adjacent thigh.

"My book's been lyin' open on the table for a while now. Ain't a thing written in it yet. You know just as much as I do..." As he murmured his response I found myself tilting my head, just a little, in a kind of unintentional offering.

"This is dangerous, Kid..." I whispered, unsure as to whether my voice was actually coming out or not. "If you can't tell me yes or no, then...this could get bad..."

If this happens, and we don't work, then I'll have to leave. I don't want to leave...

Kid swallowed, his entire beast of a body vibrating against mine, and I could tell he was seriously weighing up the consequences of what his next move could bring. The hand that he had pressed against my back gripped harder, as did the one on my hip, and I waited.

"Give me this one taste...off the record...because I just ain't man enough to figure it out yet..."

The tension in the room completely snapped when Kid's lips greedily pressed against mine, the once silent world quickly thrumming to life with the unstable beat of our pulses.

Even if I had wanted to, there was no way for me to dominate the kiss, completely submitting to his mouth and tongue as he showed me just what he had pent up over the past months.

The hand he had originally had on my hip found the side of my face quickly, and he held me to him in a kind of possessive desperation that made every part of me ache with want.

Kid's tongue showed mine no mercy, nor did his teeth as he nipped almost playfully at my lip, the faint sting sending shivers down my spine. It took all I had not to whimper and whine beneath his affections, knowing that if I did he may just try to cross a line that could very well doom our potential future.

No matter what he had said before initiating, this move had claimed me, and I wasn't fool enough to deny it. Whatever was said and done beyond this point could have no impact on my now concrete feelings, and once he pulled back, after what seemed like hours, I hid myself away in his broad chest.

"Y..You didn't let me respond..." I whimpered, my arm curling around him as his snaked around my torso, keeping me as close as possible. I wasn't upset, but I held a healthy amount of concern, despite how wildly my heart thundered in my chest.

Why is this so intense..?! I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack..?!

Kid released a very shaky, uneven sigh, positioning himself so that my head perfectly fit beneath his chin, like a matching puzzle piece.
"I'm impatient. Would...you've said no..?" He asked, almost cautiously, and I closed my eyes again, admitting my biggest defeat yet.

"N..No...Just this once...off the record..."

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
***Thirty five chapters and we finally get a kithkith.

I had a DAY at work. Did two tasks that should have been two person work, my lunch cover never showed up because she got days mixed up, I had a brief break after someone was finally able to come in well after I was legally supposed to have an hour off, we got like 50 more boxes of stock...I'm BEAT.

Anyway, Kid needs to get his shit together, otherwise things might get nasty...

Next Time: Shipwright Shipleft***