"Got everything?" Heat asked, shouldering a bag for you.

"Yep."

"Toothbrush?"

"Yes."

"Hairbrush?"

"Yes."

"Bras and–"

"Heat, I got it all." He was acting like your mom right before a long trip and it was a bit much for you.

"If you say so."

He followed you out the door and waited for you to lock up before heading downstairs. You were all set to stay holed up in the garage for the next two weeks at least but Kid was sure it'd only be a few days. He had been in a good mood since everyone started getting ready for whatever he had planned. It wasn't hard to tell he loved this part of his work.

Honestly, everyone seemed to be in better moods and ready to get to work. Killer and Wire were more talkative, Heat had a constant glint in his eye and a bounce in his step, Kid was more handsy and smiley. It was....interesting.

"It's nice seeing you and Kid getting along better." Heat said as he guided you down the street.

"It's been nice for me too." You smiled. "I didn't think he'd get over Bonney so fast."

"He didn't. I think he's still a little hung up on her but you've helped him a lot."

Now you frowned. You couldn't tell that he still felt something for her. He never brought her up or sulked about her leaving. He'd only been in high spirits since you pulled him out of his funk.

"How can you tell? I thought he was past that."

Heat shrugged. "He really liked her and that's rare for Kid. He trusted her and she ruined that. Watch him when he thinks you aren't paying attention, you'll see."

"I guess it'd be too much to have him give her up so fast." You sighed, feeling a little guilty.

Part of you still felt something for Alec. It wasn't much, but it was still there. As much as you didn't want to, you still cared for him in some strange way. It made sense that Kid would feel the same when it came to Bonney.

"Heat, do you think I rushed him?"

"No." He paused for a minute before continuing. "You've been around for a while now. Kid's used to you being here and I think he needed you to stick around and make demands."

"I don't make demands."

"You told him he couldn't have anyone else. That was making a demand."

"It wasn't a crazy one. In fact, I think it's normal to not want to be someone's side piece."

"I never said it was. Kid's just not used to someone telling him what he should or shouldn't do unless it's Killer. Women are usually meek around him and he likes that you aren't."

"So you're saying Kid and I work?"

"Yes."

Was that why the whole group did more than tolerate you? Did they like you because they figured you were a more permanent fixture to Kid's life? That made you feel happy. Happier than you'd been in a while. And that was saying something since you'd been feeling pretty good since Kid had been treating you better.

----

When you got back the the garage, everyone was on the move. It was like a whirlwind of activity and you weren't quite sure what to do. There were a bunch of strange men bustling about as Killer and Wire shot orders at them and handed them things to take out to vehicles. Some were just boxes, others were armloads of guns. They had to be the rest of Kid's crew, the men farther down on the food chain that weren't allowed to come and go around the garage as they pleased like you could. It made you feel a little more important than them.

Heat helped you take your bags up to the room before joining in with their preparations. Kid was no where in sight so you decided it was best to make yourself comfortable on the stairs and watch everything. It was easier to stay out of the way. Everyone else seemed to have a job and knew what they were doing.

After watching the hustle for a few moments, you decided to busy yourself with texting Nami. It was the usual nonsense. Small talk followed by talking about anything interesting going on in your lives. You told her about the date Kid took you on a few days ago and she told you about the few different boyfriends and flings she'd been having. She was enjoying not being stuck with any one particular guy and you were happy for her. There was no way you'd do that now but more power to her.

Then you got on the topic of the holiday. She had plans with her gang of friends while you'd be stuck spending a lot of your time alone at the garage. You'd call your parents of course but other than that, it was going to be one dull Christmas. You didn't blame Kid and the gang for that. They didn't seem like the kind of group to celebrate holidays. It wasn't too much of a big deal for you either.

Times like now we're more of an excuse for you to spend more time with family and friends is all. The rest of the stuff that came with holidays weren't important to you. It had you a little bummed that you couldn't hang out with Nami and her group. They were a bunch of fun people who knew how to have a good time.

Of course she invited you to do just that when you mentioned your parents lived too far away to see. And of course you had to turn her down. Kid said it'd be safer to stay put so you'd do just that. He'd be happy to know that you weren't going to sneak out this time.

"Who you textin'?" Kid appeared out of nowhere and made you jump.

"Nami, we haven't touched bases with each other in a while so we've been catching up."

Would he feel guilty about leaving you alone so much around Christmas? You weren't sure. But you weren't going to chance that by mentioning it.

He grunted in response as he sat down by you, eyes flitting over the men finishing up their jobs. It seemed they were all just about ready to go.

"So you're going to get work while it's still light out?" You asked, genuinely curious.

"The days almost done, what're you talking about?" He chuckled. "But yeah, if it's still light when we start it won't be a big deal. Cops won't do anything and there aren't enough Marines around to give us any trouble."

You nodded. It was true, the cops around here weren't all that great and you'd hardly ever seen Marines around the area. The gangs around here were too much for most of them to handle.

You glanced at him while he was lost in thought and noticed him chewing on his bottom lip, brows furrowed and a dull gleam in his eyes. Was he thinking about Bonney? Was Heat right?

"We'll come back after a while and head out again." He continued. "Don't worry if I don't text you, I'll be fine. But I need you to message me every morning and every night before you go to bed so I know no one's been around here."

"How long do you plan on this taking? I thought you said it'd only be a few days."

"I did and it probably will be. But..." He shrugged. "There's always a chance it'll take longer."

"Okay. I guess I don't know as much about this stuff as I thought I did."

"You got the gist of it." He pat your thigh, fingers lingering on it so he could enjoy the touch for as long as possible. He'd have to go without for a while soon enough. "Don't sweat the fine details, leave that to me."

"We're all set to roll out Kid!" Killer called as everyone started clearing out.

"I'll be there in a minute!" He answered. "Remember to text or I'll come raise hell."

He got up and leaned over you for a kiss before adjusting his coat and stomping away after Killer.

"Oh, and we've got an alcohol stash in the office. Check the cabinet if you want something." He added before heading out the door.

You didn't know he kept alcohol here. Hell, you'd never even seen him drink. Even when he trashed the garage you didn't smell a hint of alcohol on his breath. You looked at the step just below the one you were sitting on. It was still slightly crumpled from that day. Maybe he got more violent when he drank and that's why he didn't. That wouldn't surprise you.

The quiet settled in to the garage like a thick blanket as you heard vehicles pull away outside. You hadn't really been left alone much since Kid decided you were stuck with him. When he had Bonney over, you reveled in the silence. Now it made you uncomfortable, unsure of what to do with yourself. Maybe drinking wasn't a bad idea.

"Let's see what Kid keeps handy." You said to yourself.

It filled the silence for a split second but it wasn't enough for you. It would've been better if Wire was saying something snarky or if Killer was nagging at you. Damnit, you missed them and they had only just left.

Your mood quickly soured as you went to the office and marched up to the tall, metal cabinet in it. Nosing around other people's stuff wasn't your thing so you'd never looked in it before. When you opened the doors, you were surprised to see it lined top to bottom with alcohol. And not the cheap stuff.

In fact, most of what he had looked top shelf. Some of the bottles were partially empty, a few with nothing more than a couple sips left in them. But most were almost completely full. As you glanced over the bottles, you found everything from scotch to vodka to moonshine. He had literally anything you could ever want, minus mixers. But it all looked good enough that you wouldn't even need that for really any of it.

With a shrug, you grabbed a random bottle and started sipping straight out of it. It was alcohol, you weren't worried about cooties. It ended up be bourbon. Not something you ever drank at home but the more you sipped at it the more it grew on you.

Now you just had to find something to fill your time until you decided to turn in for the night. The garage was empty of cars, that was rare. And from that you could see all the dirt and mud tracked into the place from the guys coming and going. There were small puddles of melted snow dotting the floor, leaving dirty footprints everywhere. You could clean.

It wasn't fun but it was something to do. But you made a game of it. You'd sweep and mop, stopping every once in a while to take a generous drink from your bottle until you could hardly stand straight and then try to continue with the self appointed work. When you were done, you were pretty sure you did a good job, it looked decent enough for you. By that time, you were ready to head up to bed.

So you snagged your drink and stumbled up the stairs, giggling to yourself the whole time. When you got up to the room and crawled onto the bed, you were delighted to see that Kid had found the time to text you.

Kid: We're going to be working soon. Let me know no one's kidnapped you before you go to bed.

You giggled before taking another drink and texting him back.

Me: Am bed now. I cllleeeeaaannned

He texted back pretty fast, probably having a small moment of down time before he started whatever job he was on.

Kid: Are you drunk?

Me: your drunk

Your spelling was suffering but you didn't notice.

Kid: Drink some water so you don't get too hung over and get some sleep.

You shuffled to your feet, some part of your brain realizing that was probably a good idea. You managed to make your way to the bathroom and do as he said before getting back in bed to text him again.

Me: dne

Kid: Sleep.

Me: k. Love yo, dont die

You tossed your phone to the side and snuggled into the blankets, without a care in the world. Drunk you was as carefree as they came.