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mekachu04
Feveruary | Chapter 8
" Couldn't keep your cold to yourself"
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Fandom:
Language:
Gen
One Piece (Anime & Manga)
English
He's not sure why it feels like he's still asleep, even long after he's woken up, tiny child body curled up under smelly blankets in a dingy back alley. He wonders where Killer wandered off to this early, his friend's body heat sorely missed in the dreary summer rain of Kutzk. The air is wet and cold and he reaches up to pull the blanket higher, water beading and rolling down the wool as he huddles under it. It keeps trying to slip off his left shoulder, the stub of his arm aching, partially the phantom pain that regularly haunts him, and then something deeper driven by the bleak weather.
Things are not what they seem when Kidd wakes up in the wrong place, the wrong time.
- Eustass Kidd & his mom Brichtrede
Tags & Warnings
Baterilla aftermath
Background deaths
injury and death discussions
De-aging
Kutsukku
Character Deaths
some more vague and unconfirmed
Post-Wano Arc (One Piece)
Unreliable Narrator
kidd has terrible dreams|nightmares
Burn injuries
Art Embedded
Chapter
Once, She'd been a baker. Before she'd been a Eustace. In fact, that's how she'd first met Ulliem. His family had contracted her employer for their bread for their inn - and her first job was delivering to his area.
She'd delayed moving up to a proper apprentice for months because then she wouldn't get to see him each morning.
But then he found reasons to loiter around the shop until her work day was done - clearly as smitten with her as she him.
It hurts. Him being gone. Him and his son stolen from her on the same night.
She wishes she'd gone with them.
Instead she is here, letting one of the baker's who'd been guiltyed into interviewing her, inspect her healing hands. "Do you plan on wearing gloves the whole time if you are asked to kneed dough?"
"Of course- I wouldn't want the burn medication to contaminate the bread" - nor did she want flour to get caked into the sensitive skin.
The bakery owner remained frowning. "And if we asked you to wear a dust mask all day?"
Your face if disfigured - it might scare people. Can we force you to hide it all day, they meant. "It can be dangerous to inhale flour - I don't mind at all."
He grunted. "Will your nephew be waiting a job as well?"
Here Brichtrede faulted. Had she a right to volunteer the strange boy? "Did... did you have something in mind?"
"We need a new delivery boy. If you both come, we could find work for the two of you.”
Both. Or nothing. They don't think she'd last but the kid was useful to them. She was just he baggage they had to endure.
"How much would you pay us?"
They both looked up, not realizing Kidd had entered the room. His young face was too guarded.
Brichtrede had no idea what he was thinking. The baker named a price. It was less than she made as a child. But no one else would look at her twice.
Kidd scoffed. "I can make three times that easy just selling junk from the Scrap Yards, Hard pass."
The adults were both stunned. "I can.. maybe work out a bit more..." The baker hedged.
"Maybe doesn't put food on the table."
He doubled his offer, looking worried. For the first time Brichtrede was glad for the burns to her face- it made it too hard to emote Giving her a perfect poker face.
"Each." The baker offered.
Kidd looked thoughtful. "I guess to start it's alright." And then he'd negotiated out the work details.
By the end of the day, they had jobs lined up for Brichtrede and he, starting at the end of the month. Next would be finding housing near the bakery.
"You were... very clever in talking to that man." She offered.
"Tch. Killer was always better at that then me. I was just his mouthpiece. I guess I picked up more of it than I thought."
"Still," she settled back against the pillows that had her propped up in bed, "It was clever."
Author Notes
