With Kid's permission, you talked to the crew the next day and started sorting out who you felt could help the most. Even when you dropped anchor on the island you still had five more days before Nezumi would even be on the horizon.

Rule one of the upcoming job was to be comfortable with it. You'd gone over a lot of possibilities in your head, and you knew which crewmates you'd prefer to work with. Heat, Wire, Killer, and Kid were out of the question. They were too notorious to provide back up, even if you disguised them. Hip and Hop worked well together and didn't have bounties, so you could rely on them for some legwork in town. They were also relatively newer members, so there was less infamy with them. Boogie was in charge of makeup; man had an amazing talent for it. Papas and Reck had your measurements and would go shopping once you landed, since limiting your exposure on the island until the job was paramount.

You were sure you could make a team of three to run the area around Nezumi like clockwork, especially with support from the rest of the crew. You'd be on point, and between the other two, the codes would be copied and then returned. If only you could use your gift to copy text instead of devil fruit powers.

The only detail you were stuck on was hanging on Nezumi. You didn't want to press anything against a Marine Captain, except maybe the barrel of a gun. You were sure you could flirt; you were even practicing with House in the private confines of the medical bay. But hanging on a mannequin or making bedroom eyes at House was going to be different from trying to hide your repulsion from Nezumi.

You'd tucked emotions away before to do a job, but that was before.

Every time you'd get into a groove, all you'd see was that mask. You could hear his voice rolling around in your brain, you could feel your skin prickle delightfully at the idea of touching him. You might be untested in love, but you weren't ignorant enough to not understand what the urges meant. He was always so guarded though, that you didn't know what would come of even admitting your feelings.

But if you didn't say anything now, and something happened...

You shook your head, closing the drawer in front of you and leaving quickly. If you could decide to run away from CP9 and then successfully dodge the world-fucking-government for seven years, then you could grow the balls to tell Killer you wanted him. No matter what the answer was going to be. Things had been terse between him and Kid the entire time, and you could feel frustration rolling off of him when you were helping him with cooking.

You couldn't leave what you needed to say unsaid. You couldn't risk waiting until after the job, if Nezumi was as much a sleaze as you imagined, he'd probably steal a kiss at the first available chance. You had no doubts you could give him the slip, but if you dodged him too much or too obviously it would ruin the mission. You'd done a lot worse than kiss someone you didn't like in your lifetime, but you didn't want your first kiss to be with someone you didn't like.

After asking around you found Killer in one of the storage holds. The light was dim in the windowless room, and while most of it was neatly organized there were random rags and brooms here and there. You stepped inside and closed the door behind you. There wasn't a lot of the crew on the ship today, so you weren't worried about someone coming by, but this seemed like the sort of thing you closed the door for.

Subtle wasn't your forte, but you didn't want to force your desires onto him or make him feel bad. You also didn't want to miss the chance to kiss him, and you were struggling internally with what to say. The downside of committing to this course of action so swiftly was that you hadn't planned anything out.

In the end, you realized there wasn't any way to say this without creating pressure. For a long moment you couldn't find your voice, and Killer set down what he was doing and turned toward you inquisitively. The gaze behind the mask had you stuck in place, so you stepped off the proverbial ledge with both feet.

"Kiss me," you say softly, maybe a little too softly.

Killer freezes in place. You imagine his mouth was agape, not that you could tell well in the dim light.

"I've never kissed anyone before, and I don't know how this is going to go, but even without the job, I want to kiss you. Only you." You swallow hard, and were grateful for the dim light, but you were sure he could make out all the details he needed to.

"I've wanted to since we first fought, and it's become more since then." You continue. "You... you don't have to make me any promises, or commitments, I just... I want..." You struggle for the right words. "If I could choose for myself, who to kiss, then I want to kiss you."

Not Kid, not Wire, not Heat, not anyone else on or off this ship. It didn't matter what was under the mask, there was just something about Killer that drew you in. You weren't even sure of all the reasons why yourself; you just knew what you knew.

He wasn't saying anything, good or bad, and you weren't sure how things were going to go. You knew he wore that mask all the time, and you didn't know why. You hadn't felt like it was your place to ask, so you never posed the question. Now you worried that whatever was the reason for it would also be a reason that he would turn down your request.

"Hang on," you grab a rag and tie it around your eyes before turning back to Killer, your face is hot and red. "Please, I even have my eyes closed. You can walk by and leave me here, and I won't ask again, and if... if you stay then I won't peak. I swear."

You couldn't see anymore, but you could hear more clearly than usual. The clicks of his mask coming undone mixed in with the steady beat of his boots walking closer. You meant to keep your hands at your sides, but you reach out for him with more desire than you were willing to admit. You curl your fingers closed, you didn't want to guilt him into doing anything he didn't want to do, but the need was so strong.

A warm hand wraps around yours, guiding your fingers to his chest. The damned rock-hard chest that was definitely flesh and not stone. You can feel his pulse in your fingertips as you slide your hands up to his neck. His hand slips around your back, and you gasp a little.

"I haven't even kissed you yet," He murmurs softly, his voice and breath by your ear. His voice was sweet even from behind the mask, but now it was like honey.

"S-sorry. Everything's on edge with, with my eyes closed." You slip your fingers into his hair, suppressing the urge to pull him forward. You feel his nose and lips barely brush across yours before his hands grab your hips and pull you up into him, his voice and breath huskier and heavier in your ear.

"Only because your eyes are closed? Do I have nothing to do with it?" His question sent shivers down your neck, and his teasing tone was trying to hide a need you were all too familiar with.

"M-my eyes are only closed because of you," You could feel the heat burn up to your ears. "Stop teasing me and kiss me already."

"Sorry, brat, I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy seeing you like this. I wanted to savor it a little long-."

"(Y/N)." You cut him off with a whisper and felt his body tense. "My... my name is (Y/N)."

He leans in and you feel the barest hint of his lips against yours before he whispers your name, soft and sweet like silk and honeysuckle.

The space between you vanishes. His lips press against yours and your breath stops in your throat. You push against him almost involuntarily, and your fingers wander. His hands flex against your body as he sets you against the wall. Breaking the kiss for a moment, your already needy gasps mingling in the small space between, you wrap your legs around his waist.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful," you whisper, your voice nearly falling apart as it leaves your lips, "But I hope you mean to kiss me more than that."

With your back braced against the wall, he only needs one hand to keep you steady. His other hand slips around to the back of your neck, tangling his fingers in your hair. He leans into the kiss again, but this time his tongue presses against your lips. With a shiver at the delicious sensation of it you open up and let him in.

Kid might have commanded obedience with fire and charisma, but Killer had his blade at your neck before you could even hoped to be commanded. His kiss was just as absolute, it was almost overwhelming, and you could feel the rush welling up in your eyes. The heat and passion of the inescapable embrace he has you in threatens to consume you and it wasn't until he broke off the kiss that you realize you'd almost been out of air.

You gasp and tremble against him, holding on as though you'd be plunged back into the depths if you let go. You could feel his breath against your neck, hot and heavy as your own. He nuzzles into your neck and kisses gently along the crook of it. Each tender action eliciting a stifled moan from you.

"Let me hear you, (Y/N), no one's here to enjoy it but me." Teeth nip at your earlobe and your fingers flex into him as the moans escape you.

Heavier kisses, hungry and rough, slip down your neck as strong hands hold you in place. You wriggle under the inescapable pleasure and let your voice fill the air for him. His body seems to tense, as though he's trying desperately to hold himself back.

His hand feels like a claw digging into the meat of your ass as his mouth sucks and bites tender flesh with unexpected passion and ferocity.

"HNNNGH-KILLER!" You tense as the pleasure and pain burn through your body. You hear him grunt as you cry out his name, and his attack on your senses stops. Sweet and tender kisses lingered over the mark that is now deep in your skin.

His lips are near yours, and you can feel his needy breath as he leans his forehead against yours. "That was more than I'd meant to do." He rubs his nose across yours affectionately. "If I don't stop here, I don't know if I'll be able to-."

You grab his face and kiss him, moaning into the kiss. You have control for a second before your wrists are pinned against the wall and he's stealing the breath from your lungs. His knee, and his need hold you in place, and you manage a happy whimper as he continues to kiss you, the pleasure of it all swimming in your body.

When he breaks the kiss this time, he keeps your wrists and body pinned, and you hear him swear, gasping for air as much as you were. "Cheeky brat," He practically chokes on the words, and you're relieved to hear pleasure in his voice and not irritation or anger.

"I'm going to go cool my head," He says, and there's a need in his words that wants to stay. "We can talk about... us, after."

"Y-yeah, sure." You agree, surprised you could even find your voice after all that. You hear him pick up his mask and snap in back into place. Once the door was closed you pull the rag off your face and slide down to the floor, not sure you could trust your legs to keep you standing much longer.

Holy shit. You let out a heavy sigh, your heart pounding in your chest, and realize your stomach is doing gymnastics due to nerves.