You tilt your head to the side as another pea goes by it, a small smirk on your face. You hear Boogie grumble, and you catch the second one he throws out of the air.

"You have to be able to see, Brat." He grouses.

You laugh. "I'm telling you, it's just observation haki." You level your fork at him. "Plus, you keep giving yourself away, all that grumbling."

It had been a couple weeks since the explosion at the marine base. You've adjusted well, and half of that was because you could feel the guilt radiating off Hip and Hop, and it wasn't their fault at all, even if you were sore as hell and concerned about your sight, you didn't want to let it show. You had been worried that Killer was going to start avoiding you, but he was by your bedside when you woke up and he hadn't left your side much since then.

A few days ago, you finally got him to give you enough space he could go back to doing his duties properly. The two of you had also had a few heavy conversations, and in one of them you made him promise that he wouldn't resent Kid no matter if your vision returned or not.

"You sure you're ready to get back to work?" Hop asks as you get up to take your plate back.

You smile, ruffling her hair with a free hand. "Yeah, I'm plenty healed up and House cleared me for work today."

"Light work," Killer corrects from the kitchen.

"See?" You shrug. "Don't fret."

Setting your plate down, you grin as Killer takes your hand and leaves the mess hall with you. You haven't complained about him escorting you from place to place on the ship, even if you could make your way around just fine on your own. You both knew it too, but the warmth of his hands around your own is comforting, and you honestly hoped he never stopped escorting you places.

Light work on the deck went well enough. You made Killer a little nervous when you clamored up the rigging and got into the bird's nest the old-fashioned way, but he didn't stop you. Geppo'ing was a little difficult when you were relying on observation haki, breaking your connection with a solid surface made visualizing the world around you difficult.

Dive was up in the crow's nest and gave you a hand up and into it.

"You came up here just to give Killer hell, didn't you brat?" His question came with a light tone. He wasn't scolding you for it.

"Maybe a little." You admit. "He's been doing well to balance how much he wants to protect me and how much he should, so I'm trying to not be too mean. How's he looking down there?"

"Talking to Emma, though from the looks of it she's teasing the hell out of him. How're you holding up?" Dive asks.

"Well enough. I do hope I'll be able to see again soon, but if this is the new normal for me then there's not much I can do about it." You shrug, patting around the edge of the crow's nest. "If I didn't have observation haki I would probably be handling this a lot worse."

"That's fair... Uh, brat?"

"Yeah Dive?" You reply, stepping up onto the edge of the nest.

"Don't you dare."

"Boy it's a shame you can't stop me, Dive." You sat with a grin, leaping off the nest and into the open air. You were reaching out with your haki as strongly as you could, but you didn't need to push. Killer was practically a beacon of energy from the moment your foot left the crow's nest.

To his credit, he wasn't trying to catch you. You imagine he's looking as calm as possible, but his haki flares the way Kid's emotions do, whether he's aware of it or not. You air walk before you reach the deck and land lightly beside Killer with a smile.

"You said it was harder to see when you're not physically connected to something." He states flatly. His annoyance was obvious to you, but only because you could see his haki bristle.

"It is." You admit. "Harder, not impossible. You felt it, right? I really pushed out with my haki when I jumped."

Killer sighs and ruffles your hair. "I did. But," his hands went to your shoulders, "House said light work."

You put your hands up in front of you and there's a laugh in your reply. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry. I will refrain from acrobatics for a few more days, I promise."

"Oi! Brat!" Kid yells from the cabins, sounding to be in better spirits than he had for some days. You turn toward the sound of his voice, and Killer takes your hand leading you over. Apparently, Kid looks as improved as he sounds, and as you approach you felt his hand ruffle your already ruffled hair. You probably looked a mess between the two of them.

"Heat and Wire are adjusting our course, we're meeting up with that creepy surgeon." He says as you run your fingers through your hair to try and fix it a bit. "Tomorrow we'll know."

A fear zips through your heart that you were hoping hadn't made it to your smile. Tomorrow could be the end of your hope, if the doctor wasn't able to restore your sight, then there would be nothing left. If the Ope-Ope fruit couldn't see it happen, then medically it wasn't going to happen.

"You alright, brat?" Kid questions. You weren't keeping the face you had wanted to.

"Yeah, just... nervous, I guess."

"I can have House assist." Kid offers.

"No, no. It's," you laugh a little and are grateful it's not forced. "This guy's doing us a favor, no need to make it seem like we don't trust his skills." Not trusting his skills was different from not trusting him though. "But can Killer be there?"

"I'll make it work." Killer promises, squeezing your hand.

The day seemed to take forever to end. As though every second that ticked by sat on the edge of marching forward for a moment before moving on. Skipping dinner didn't help things, and you weren't going to get breakfast either. It was going to be the longest hours of your life, and at the end of it there would be no going back.

You would see. Or you wouldn't.

You had wandered around the ship almost listlessly for the rest of the day. You couldn't feign cheer or force a smile. The weight of tomorrow was already heavy on your shoulders, and there was little to be done about it. Even Killer was giving you more space than he had since you were first welcomed aboard the ship.

The cool breeze of evening brushes against your skin, and you decide to turn in early. Your feet carry you almost automatically. Your haki is exhausted, but even without it you knew the layout of the ship down to the last step and so long as no one had left anything in your way, you would be fine. Since the raid, the ship had been cleaner than ever, and it wasn't as though the crew slouched on keeping Victoria tidy.

There was some comfort to be found in knowing everyone was looking out for you. However, the idea of them needing to be mindful of you for the rest of your life left a bad taste in your mouth. You didn't want to dramatically decide to leave the crew, it wouldn't be safe for you in the first place, and second to that you already knew no one would resent you staying. No matter what your capacity was.

As your hand turns the knob you stopped for a moment. This wasn't your door, but it was one you knew well – or well enough. Your feet had brought you to Killer's room, and not your own. You'd never been one to fight your own instincts, so you continue turning the knob and let yourself in.

You pat around a bit, to be sure you didn't disturb anything, and make your way to the bed. Supper wasn't that long ago, and if Killer wasn't still eating, he would be stuck cleaning up for a good bit. Tired as you were, you made yourself comfortable in his bed, and drifted off to sleep.

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** Killer's PoV **

I hadn't expected the softly sleeping form of (Y/N) to be in my bed when I returned to my room. Something about it squeezed my heart painfully, but I wasn't sure why. I knew I cared for her deeply, I was even willing to admit the feeling was love, dangerous as that emotion is.

She looked so helpless. I knew she wasn't. I know her skill in haki was enough that she could still be a fully functional member of the crew – assuming she wanted to stay. She didn't blame anyone for what had happened, but the fact of the matter is that we created the circumstances that had stolen her sight.

Sitting down beside her, I brush her hair away from her face. I would give anything to see Kid become the King of Pirates, but I would give Kid to the devil himself if it restored her sight, and that scared me. Not because I felt it was wrong to think that way, but because I knew she would be mad at me.

"Eustass is the Captain, he has to be the priority for both of us or it's not gonna work."

I felt her hand wrap around my waist as she curled against me. There wasn't any indication that she had woken up. Only that she'd sought warmth and I was the warmest thing within reach. The grunt of a chuckle that escapes me is hardly more than a rough snort of air, close as I've dared to laugh in years. Pulling myself free of her hands I stand up, freezing for a moment as she mumbles.

"No, you gotta lemme..." She mutters sleepily, reaching out for where I was. "Braid ya hair... an' paint yer nails..."

I take off my mask with a sigh. I almost hoped she was dreaming about tormenting Kid, and yet, I hoped more that it was me.

Walking around to the other side of the bed I laid down behind her, pulling her back against my chest and wrapping my arms around her. The sleepy sound of my name tumbled from her lips and she fell into a steady rhythm of breathing.

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You wake slowly in the morning and a steady heat fills your face as you realize you're tangled in the long limbs of your favorite pirate. You shift a little to move the blankets away. Killer's body heat is enough to melt the poles, but you don't want to untangle yourself just yet.

There's a soft groan, that rumbles against your back, and the long limbs wrapped around you hug you close for a moment before loosening a little.

"Good morning, handsome." You murmur softly.

"Morning, (Y/N), how'd you sleep?"

"Well enough, and longer than you, I'm sure." You reply. "I'd apologize for climbing into your bed uninvited, but -." You let the sentence drop, certain that the current situation proves your point.

"Mm, seems I'll need to soundproof my room and requisition a bigger bed." Killer muses, rubbing your hip and nuzzling into the side of your neck.

"I appreciate your positive outlook on how the day will go," you say, turning and kissing his cheek. You felt him flinch a little, but he cups your face and steals your lips, causing you turn more toward him. A content moan fills your throat and you let your back fall onto the mattress as you feel him over you, his hands and knees on either side of you, errant locks of his wild hair brushing against you.

While you two hadn't been apart since the explosion, you hadn't been intimate either. Whether it was guilt that held him back, or simply following the doc's orders, you hadn't been sure, and asking him seemed rude, all things considered. A bit like kicking the guy while he was down.

Killer's hands grip the sheets on either side of you, and you can feel frustration rising up in him. You reach up for him, stopping your hands before they reach his face, only to have him lean down and nuzzle his check into your hand. The skin is wet, and the reason why is obvious even before he speaks.

"I shouldn't have waited."

"There was no way to know." You reassure him.

"I know." His voice is filled with frustration.

"To me," you begin, brushing your fingers along his cheek, "it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what is under the mask, I have already lost. The sound of your voice, the warmth of your hands, the kindness in your limbs, the passion in your lips – I fell so hopelessly in love, that I knew it didn't matter.

"If I never see your face, if you're covered in scars, if you're beautiful and simply self-conscious of it, if you had three eyes, or whatever else I could think of." You smile, urging him to lean down so you could kiss him.

You hear Killer suck in a breath and his hands clasp yours, pushing them and you into the mattress. In a swift motion his hair is shifted away and hungry hot lips claim yours. The rush of heat and pressure causes you to gasp, and Killer wastes no time in deepening the kiss. The room is filled with the quiet moans of you both.

When the kiss breaks, you're both breathing heavy. You can feel the heat in your face, and Killer kisses your forehead gently before resting his forehead on your shoulder as he pulls you into a hug. The mane of his hair falls over your face a little, but it doesn't bother you.

"No matter what happens today, (Y/N), I don't want you to leave the crew." Killer states softly. "I won't stop you, whatever you decide, but I wanted to at least say that much."

The two of you stay like that a little longer, letting whatever the day was going to bring stay shut out on the other side of the door for just a moment more.