A/N- This chapter is brought to you by half a bottle of Irish cream and a packet of instant ramen.

Creeping fog would've masked the approaching ship's presence, had Sunnie's haki not locked onto the auras aboard. Snatching up the receiver for the crow's nest's snail, he quickly yelled out the direction and speed of their approach, rehearsed warning blasting out through the ship's various rooms as in-built speakers crackled to life. The other ship failed to notice them until it was too late, ramming sideways against Vic's hull as metal and wood groaned under pressure.

The enemy ship was a Caravel- A much smaller class of ship by comparison, naturally faster due to the lack of added weight that came with more heavy-set ships such as the Victoria Punk. Had the fog not been in place, there was no doubt they could've outpaced Kid's crew and avoided the wrath of his boredom, but when landing on his doorstep like this? There wasn't a single chance in hell for them to make a getaway. The grey ship's crew was small, six burly looking men led by their shortest, hair tied up in a wiry black ponytail that stuck itself high into the air before twisting back down. Rage drained from his face, leaving nothing but palpable shock as he realized who's ship he'd just rammed, quickly stammering out apologies and offering a share of his 'wares' in exchange for avoiding conflict.

Sure, why not? If he didn't like their offer, the crew could just find some other way to make use of the encounter. With Wire and J.C. At his side, the Captain leapt the short distance between vessels, before stalking menacingly after the shorter man as he led them below deck, babbling nonsense about quality and freshness. They hadn't even reached the cargo hold, but the trio could already hear sounds of frightened whimpering and crying, disdain settling itself in Kid's stomach as he realized exactly what these men dealt in. Sure enough, locked together in a cage too small for a bear let alone for several people, five children sat shackled together, each of them staring up at the new arrivals with wide, tear drenched faces as they attempted to retreat despite their bindings.

"Feh, you get in one little collision and they all panic, pathetic. Snot and sobbing aside, they're a rare lot of goods, get in there and take a good look" He offered, speaking of them as if they were no more than livestock.

Crouching down to take a closer look revealed they weren't human children, with gills decorating their necks and webbed fingers hugging shaking knees, their various fins, spines and other such protrusions made it obvious even in the dimmer lighting that all five of them were Fishfolk. Terrified of the large man staring with a hard scowl, all five of them pulled desperately on their bindings in an almost primal scramble to get away, stopping only when Kid returned to his full height and walked back towards their current 'Master'.

"Where'd you findem?" He asked, amber eyes searing their way into the shorter man's skull.

"Oh- An orphanage, Sir. Well... That's what we tell the auction houses of course, but just between you and me?" He leaned forwards slightly, pleased grin on his face as he held an open palm beside his stubble covered cheek, "We breed the little bastards ourselves. Got a nice group of fish in a pond back home with my brother, if y'know what I mean"

Without another word, thick fingers wrapped themselves around the base of his pompous ponytail, Kid lifting the disgusting man into the air so he could respond at eye level, refusing to lower himself for the convenience of someone like this.

"Y'know what we pirates hate more than 'scum' like ourselves?" He asked quietly, paying no mind to the nervous whimpers of the man in his grasp, "Scum like you that seem to think they have a right to walk aaaaall over people, like you're somehow worth more than your weight in shit. You wanna know where that attitude gets you?"

"N-n-n-no" Came stammered reply.

Somehow, this whole scenario reminded him of prior mutiny, of Jasper's pathetic begging as the man broke down and sobbed for his life, and an almost bestial grin split Kid's face apart as he whispered-

"Bet that word's never stopped you before, huh?"

The instant shouting erupted on the smaller ship's deck, every other pirate waiting in the wings jumped into action, quickly subduing their highly under prepared enemies and leaving them a pile of writhing, groaning bodies on the floor as broken limbs and dislocated joints prevented further movement. Before Killer could ask what his Captain wanted done with them, Kid simply grunted out to slaughter every last one, grabbing the throat of their own Captain and crushing his larynx with pent up aggression. Bodies were dumped and any useful cargo was looted, with responsibility over the captive children falling to Beau as all of her companions seemed to terrify the young Fishfolk.

"Hey, i-it's ok, you don't have to stay in there, alright?" She'd assured, doing her best to soothe them after the fright of Kid's powers tearing away the cage door.

None of them seemed willing to respond, all huddled together as fear squeezed more tears from puffed eyes. Collars with blinking lights chafed their necks, and Kid was quick to unlock their clasps with his abilities, allowing them to simply swing open and fall off without harming their intended victims.

"I used to be a s-slave too, but I live with the Captain now, and he told me it's not right to treat other people like they're worthless... I don't know if you can believe me, but I promise it's th-the truth, no one's allowed to own you like this" She offered a hand forward as she sat upon her knees, hoping to coax them out from cramped captivity.

Much to the surprise of those present, one of the smaller children accepted her offer, slowly inching his way forwards despite the panic it pulled from the others around him. With wide red eyes, the little blue Fishboy stared up at Beau, wary of possible backlash as he toddled forward on unstable legs. No punishment met him for bravest steps, and the little boy carefully reached for her shirt with shaking webbed fingers, face curling into a pre-sob grimace before he all but threw himself towards the half Mink, burying snotty face in her bosom as he wailed loudly. Beau's shock was momentary, and she carefully wrapped her arms around the small child, rubbing her cheek against the top of his head for comfort as she once again told him it was alright. With one of their own receiving positive attention from the seemingly kind stranger, the other four children slowly made their way out of the confined space, allowing Beau to lead them out of the ship's bowels and into the Victoria Punk's infirmary.

To put it simply, Kid had no fucking clue what to do with a bunch of brats. Having Beau on board was one thing and personal fondness aside, she worked hard at running the infirmary and helping Killer to feed the crew. One defenseless crew member was easy enough to look after, especially when said person's power helped keep them alive, but children were rebellious and stupid, scurrying wherever they wanted and sticking their noses into danger without a second thought. There'd been a moment where he genuinely considered leaving them to run the smaller ship themselves, but he doubted any of them knew how to sail, less how to find their way to the nearest island. Fine, they could stay until the next island, but that was it. He'd never intended on having children, let alone adopting five of them at once, and he wrestled with various way of keeping them quiet or entertained or just out of his hair until it became obvious he couldn't come up with anything appropriate.

His worrying had apparently been for nothing though, as an inquisitive stroll past the infirmary revealed Beau already had each child set up on their own bed, rags replaced with whatever spare clothing of her own she could adjust to fit them, part way through tending to the bruises and cuts that often came with slavery. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but they seemed to be paying attention to her, looking at the little woman the same way she'd look at him when they were still strangers to each other and he wondered if, in a way, allowing her to help them was also allowing Beau to help herself. A chicken broth was her next order of business as she turned to leave the room, young patients far too underfed to handle fuller meals much like she herself had struggled with, and she was pleasantly surprised to see Kid through the porthole, rubbing her cheek against one of his arms in affectionate greeting once the door no longer separated them.

Silently, he followed her across to the kitchen, leaning against the doorway as he watched her quickly portioning a frozen chicken into segments with a cleaver while waiting for the pot to boil. As usual she hummed through the task, tail swishing along behind her to the rhythm of whatever tune left her throat.

"You look pretty pleased with yourself" He eventually commented, the soup being left to boil as Beau took a seat at Killer's little table.

"I do?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in thought as Kid pulled up the chair across from her.

"It ain't a bad thing, just not used to seeing you all smiley"

"But you make me smile all the time" She pointed out, earning an embarrassed pout from the man facing her.

"I meant- Like in general, around everyone else" He corrected.

"Mm, I guess it... Feels nice to help them, l-like how you and Killer helped me"

He'd never really thought much about what they'd done for her, or how it must've seemed from her perspective. One moment she was in pain, left hanging from the ceiling as Tallow condemned her new friends to death, and the next she woke up with Kid sat beside her, clean and healed and clothed in both his coat and the outfit Chris picked for her, finding out that not only were both Killer and himself still alive, but that she never had to answer to Tallow again. From that point onward he'd become her entire world, and not a day went by where she didn't show appreciation in one way or another, whether it was clean and folded laundry, hand delivered meals or her more recent verbal admissions of preference, or even just the gentle rub of her cheek in greeting, she'd been utterly devoted. It occurred to him then that other than simply allow her near him, did he ever really do much for her?

A kiss to the temple pulled him back to the present, as they often did when he found himself lost in thought. Beau never questioned him over why he disappeared into his own head sometimes, simply providing the necessary smooch to 'make his head feel better' after leaving him be for a few minutes. Watching her return to the stove, he wondered how long he'd been quiet, swearing the pot had only just been placed on the burner despite how it now audibly bubbled. A small ladelful of broth was scooped into a testing dish, the little woman offering it out to him for tasting as green eyes watched him expectantly.

"It's good shit" Was the feedback she received after Kid slurped down offered sample.

Pleased with his praise, she switched the stove off and set about dishing the soup into small portions, loading all five of them onto an overloaded tray that Kid eyed cautiously. Could she carry it on her own? she'd burn herself if it spilled, it'd only just finished boiling. He stood as she grasped it's sides, stopping her with a ruffle of brown hair before lifting it himself.

"Here, I got it" He said, carefully keeping the tray at level so as to not spill precious contents.

Beau blinked up at him for a moment, taken back by what seemed like unnecessary soiling of the Captain's hands. He was the 'Boss', she knew he took shifts in the crow's nest and helped out around the deck when needed, but he'd already made it clear he despised kitchenwork, so why start now? He didn't wait for her to say anything in response to unexpected gesture, simply making his way over to the infirmary as she shook the confusion away and skittered along behind.

Curious faces in myriad colors greeted them as the pair entered, watching quietly from their beds as bowls were placed on bedside trays. Hesitant to eat their first offered meal in days, none of the children seemed willing to go first, Beau frowning in concern as steam rose from each bowl.

"It's ok, I m-made it just for you, you're a-allowed to eat it" She attempted to reassure.

The boy she'd held earlier was first to give in once more, dipping his spoon into provided broth and blowing on it sloppily, before stuffing it into his mouth. With the first taste of chicken and vegetables hitting his tongue, days of starvation were stirred awake, and his appetite returned with a vengeance as he shoveled hot soup down his throat as fast as he could manage without burning himself. The other four followed his lead at the lack of punishment or poisoning, savoring the tender morsels of poultry and potato once all liquid was consumed. Kid left Beau to it, aware that he'd basically been hovering over her as she worked rather than doing anything himself beyond carrying a tray, quickly dipping out of the infirmary and hiding himself away in his workshop until the call for supper alerted him of the time.

His lap was noticeably empty as he ate, it's usual occupant busying herself with feeding their younger guests again and readying them for bed, and he felt an uncomfortable sense of envy over the fact that her attention wasn't almost exclusively on him for once. It was stupid, why should he be bothered by her taking charge of the handful of brats? It's not like they were staying for long, and once the children were out of the picture he'd go back to being her top priority- Oh.

He was jealous.

The realization tinted his cheeks the same shade as his hair, and he grumpily shoveled roast meat into his face as the rest of his crew carried on around him, already well aware that something spoiled their Captain's mood as he remained silent through the meal. When no jeers of his own were thrown in despite supper's end, Rocco huffed at the unintentional silent treatment they were all receiving, and waved a hand in front of Kid's face until angry amber leered in his direction.

"What's got your face all scrunched up like that, mon loup?" He asked, arms crossed on the table in front of him.

"None of your fuckin' business." Kid grumbled, drowning himself in his pitcher of ale.

"I think you make it our business by acting like a sulky teenager..." Rocco quipped in return, twirling a lock of silken gold around his index finger as his Captain's glare intensified.

"He's upset because the little missy is still upstairs"

All eyes turned to Wire, nonchalantly picking at his nails as he leaned back in his chair, seemingly unperturbed by the hell he knew voiced observation would unleash. Killer breathed in through his nose and counted, 'three, two, on-'

"The FUCK did you just say?!" Kid snapped, lips pulled back in a snarl as he stared his friend down across the table. Wire simply rolled his eyes, but failed to respond in time to stop Sunnie from jumping in as well, slamming his hands down on the table in protest to Kid's outburst and matching it with one of his own.

"Oh for fuck's sake- Captain! We know you're sweet for her!"

"Wha- And what the HELL makes you think that, huh?!"

A sudden, stunned silence washed over the dining room as everyone- Including the four remaining recruits Kid hadn't bothered to familiarize himself with- Stared him down with varying degrees of shock and indignation. A few sets of eyes turned to Killer for help, receiving no response beyond their First Mate gesturing towards the Captain with an upturned hand, fingers splayed as if to say 'This is the shit I've been trying to deal with'.

"You're not subtle..." Was Fletch's way of breaking the silence, following up with an insult at the lack of response, "Just kind of an idiot"

"Ha?!"

"Kid, I'm not the only one with eyes and ears on this ship. You're an absolute disaster at dealing with this on your own, and everyone gets that you don't want to look bad but for fuck's sake," Killer interjected, deciding it was finally time for a genuine group intervention, "Raise your hand if you have any problems with him being romantically interested in Beau" He ordered, much to Kid's utter embarrassment and attempted dismissal.

Only one hand was raised, and at Killer's nod of approval, J.C. Clarified-

"Don't wan'im ta roll over 'nd squash'er in the middle o' the night, Sir. Nothin' else."

"Fair point, she might suffocate. Raise your hand if you think he should stop wasting his time trying to cover it up like a bad smell, and should instead use that energy to give traditional courtship a try"

"Killer shut the fuck up!" Kid groaned through grit teeth, feeling the heat on his cheeks as his entire crew tore into what he thought was a stalwart outwards image.

Every hand in the room was raised, other than his own, and he swallowed further complaints to instead snarl at his best friend, too overwhelmed by the sudden assault to really argue with words.

"Right, exactly. Now raise your hand if you think this somehow makes our Captain any less of a violent, bloodthirsty savage"

Here it was, the part where everyone made fun of him for this and tore down what was left of carefully crafted self worth, where they all dug greedy fingers into fresh signs of weakness and ate their fill of his insides, just like the rest of the world had done at every given opportunity. Rage filled tension was suddenly mixed with confusion as not a single hand was raised. Why? Couldn't they see he was going soft? That he'd lost his edge as well as their respect?

"If anything, you've become even more of a feral bastard since you brought her on-board..." Sunnie mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck as he remembered the way recent mutineers were disposed of.

"Mm, I'll second that. We saw you tear a man's head from his body without hesitation, just because he tried to hide from us near the infirmary" Wire pointed out.

"It's kind of terrifying" Was Heat's first contribution to the evening.

Murmurs of further examples and communal agreement livened the room once more, and Kid found himself staring dumbfounded at his crew. Did he really judge them so poorly? No, that wasn't it, he knew most of these men down to the filthiest secret. He'd projected his own disdain onto them, expecting his friends to hate all of these new desires and reactions just as much as he hated himself for having them, but of course none of them cared- They were a crew of misfits and rejects, dressed like a circus act from hell while living on a ship that could easily double as a stage. Any shit they gave each other was dealt right back, but there was always an underlying level of respect among them for the things that mattered, for Wire's dislike of physical contact and Killer's attachment to his mask, for their own eccentric styles of dress and for pasts they cursed to the bottom of stolen bottles of whiskey and rum. Tense fingers reached for studded goggles, and he slipped them down over his eyes to mask the moisture that pooled at their edges, slumping back into his seat in defeat as he listened to the men around him giddily recount his recent bouts of violence against unlucky enemy units.

None of this changed the fact that Beau wasn't independent enough for such things. His crew's 'encouragement' was both embarrassing and uplifting, but the little shrimp herself hadn't gained enough of a spine yet to say 'no' let alone to say 'yes'. Even if she did, there was no guarantee that she'd choose him, she was attached to him out of personal debt, grateful for newer freedoms and lack of abuse, and though she said she enjoyed giving him affection, that wasn't the same as wanting more from someone. What if she grew enough as her own person, and ended up rejecting him? If she grew to have feelings for someone else? What would he do? If he feared the inception of these feelings to begin with, then rejection terrified him.

"Oi..." He eventually mumbled, arms crossed as he remained slumped. Once silence indicated attention, he continued with, "I can't just- She ain't ready for that kinda shit."

"Well- Duh, we're not telling you to rush the girl, just to stop being such a bitch about it!" Sunnie whined, throwing a bone from his plate and landing it with a 'donk' against one of Kid's lenses.

With the first projectile thrown, all hell broke loose, Kid quickly hauling his entire plate towards Sunnie's head with unnecessary force as the smaller man ducked. Wire quickly pulled up his hood and sunk lower in his seat to avoid the mess, while Killer simply attempted to salvage whatever crockery he could and vowed to obtain a wooden set at their next inhabited island. With the rowdy atmosphere easily drowning out door's creak, it was almost inevitable that some of the flying debris would find it's way to Beau, half empty tankard of ale hitting her full force in the face. It was Killer that noticed first, finally able to regain control of the frenzied crowd with a shrill whistle, sudden silence allowing distressed whines to reach their ears as smaller crew-mate cupped injured nose.

Kid watched in alarmed silence as Killer helped Beau back to her feet, untying the orange sash from around his waist and bunching it up to press against her bleeding nose. She winced, but cupped his hand with her own as bundled fabric helped stem the bleeding. Several gestures caught the Captain's attention as his crew hinted for him to step in, and despite scowling in embarrassment behind darkened lenses, he strode forward to take their advice. There were tears in her eyes, though it was obvious she did her best to hold them back.

"Gapdain? Why are your goggles dow'?" She asked, certain sounds impossible as her nose remained covered.

"Didn't wanna lose an eye to that mess. You good?" He deflected.

"I thi'k so, id's already heali'g," She reassured, carefully peeling blood soaked fabric away from her face, "I can put this on to soak so it doesn't stain!" She offered, receiving a pat to the head as Killer gently pried his sash from her fingers.

"It's fine, I can handle that. Have you eaten yet?"

"Mhm, the little ones didn't understand why I was bringing them food again, a-and they seemed scared to eat it so I had mine in the infirmary too"

"What're you doing down here then?" Kid asked, unable to help himself.

"I missed you"

"Pff, it's not like you haven't seen me today" He dismissed, aware of the stares that dug into his back in the face of hypocrisy.

Regardless, he tossed the little woman over his shoulder as gently as he could manage, leaving her to wave goodnight towards fellow crew-members as she settled belly-first across her perch. Their laughter faded into silence as he made his way towards the back of the ship, bedroom door swinging shut as he plopped his cargo down on the bed a little rougher than intended. Rather than panic, Beau simply giggled at the bounce and allowed herself to fall backwards onto the mattress, stretching her arms out to make grabby hands for Kid once he'd shrugged off furred coat. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he leaned forwards to blow a raspberry on accidentally revealed tummy, delighting in the way she squealed and the way her fingers immediately laced through wild locks. He'd considered having the sides cut back to their almost nonexistent length, but then what would she have to play with at night? Besides, the wilder look suited him. A glance at reddened face reminded him of her accidental injury, and he pressed a kiss to the side of her nose that still sported a crust of blood.

"It's ok, it doesn't hurt now" She said, assuming it as his only reason for doing so.

"Mm, just had to make sure" He offered in response, begrudgingly pulling away to finish getting ready for bed.

With clothes changed and teeth brushed, Beau began her usual evening ritual of brushing her hair before sleep, sat upon the edge of the bed as Kid propped himself up on an elbow to watch. He never understood why she did it at night, only to repeat the same action every morning after it inevitably tangled in her sleep, but as long as she wanted to do it he wouldn't complain. Sometimes you need to do things that make no sense in order to really feel free. The thought of helping her with the task crossed his mind, having performed such a favor for Killer in times of need, and he almost shunned himself for the urge before remembering his crew's earlier reprimand.

"Hey... Need a hand with that?" Was the best he could come up with.

She turned to look at him in surprise, head tilted lightly to indicate she didn't understand. Why should he trouble himself? Was she taking too long? He sat up behind her, holding his hand out for the brush. He played with her hair all the time, why ask her first? She struggled to understand for a moment, but as she offered him the wooden handle, she realized it was just another form of consent, and she giddily returned to prior position as he ran stiffened teeth through her hair, starting from the tips and working his way up- Just how Killer taught him. It was... Nice. It wasn't grand or lewd or overly sappy, just peaceful, and he found himself running the brush through brown waves long after all knots had been untangled.

"So how're the little squirts doin'?" Kid found himself asking, unable to judge whether or not she tired of his indulgence as she faced away from him.

"They're still scared, and none of them have names s-so I asked if it was ok to call them by the numbers written on their arms, but they're all very well behaved! I was worried some of them might throw up because they looked so nervous, but I managed to get them fed and cleaned without too many problems. Fifteen is too little to do it by himself though, and he was scared the water would be too hot when he saw the steam, so I got in first to show him it was alright and to help him wash his hair" She explained, summarizing the afternoon they'd spent apart.

"You took a bath with'im?"

"Mhm, he was too little to climb in and out of the tub by himself, and he stopped being scared of the water when he saw it d-didn't burn me, so I stayed with him and let him play for a while once he was clean"

"Sounds nice..." He wouldn't admit to being jealous of a child, not out loud at least.

"Ah- We could take one together too, if you'd like" She offered.

Kid nearly snapped the brush's handle, mind filling with all sorts of implications as he fought to squish them down. He knew she meant it innocently, but even that sent unwanted warmth to his cheeks as he recalled prior desire to bathe together, the idea of simply washing each other's hair somehow incredibly pleasing to the affection starved disaster of a man. Swallowing the awkward lump in his throat, Kid finally responded with-

"Sure, why not" Spoken as nonchalantly as possible despite the slight raise in pitch.

Enduring enough silent torture for the evening, the redhead allowed himself to be done with Beau's hairbrush, setting it atop his desk as Beau rose to switch off the light. His smaller companion quickly settled into her usual spot atop his chest, rubbing soft cheek against him as both the room's inhabitants prepared to sleep.

Gentle knocking interrupted sweet slumber, Beau slipping off of Kid as she made her way to the door, revealing a sniffling Fishboy on the other side as he bit his lower lip to remain quiet. Killer stood behind him, fingers ruffling the boy's black top-knot, cup of coffee in his other hand with a straw swaying lightly along it's inside.

"I believe he was looking for you," He explained, "I found him crying in the dining room, he didn't know where to go"

Beau quickly squatted in front of the boy, opening her arms to him as he sniveled through Killer's report.

"What's wrong, Fifteen? Did you have a nightmare?" He nodded against her chest, and she used all of her strength to pick the little one up and straddle him against her hip, "It's alright, I do too sometimes. But it's safe here, ok? N-no one's allowed to hurt you" She reassured.

Kid watched her lean towards Killer, rubbing her cheek against his chest in silent gratitude for delivering the upset child, receiving a pat to the head in response before his friend bid them goodnight once more. With Fifteen in her arms, she turned to face her roommate once more and asked-

"I-is it alright if he stays with us?" Her face held a meek look, fearing the request would overstep Kid's boundaries.

There were two options before him. He could say no, and try to sleep without Beau as she inevitably kept the child company in the infirmary through the night despite her disdain for sleeping in that room, or he could say yes, and put up with having a third person in his bed for the night. Guilt nagged him, until he realized the actual options were to either reject Beau's attempted kindness towards another person in need, or allow her to help the child like she'd helped him on numerous prior occasions, without forcing her to sacrifice personal comfort.

"Yeah, 'course it is" He said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically in his attempt to mask internal selfishness.

With permission granted, Beau brought her charge towards the bed, placing him between Kid and herself much to her roommate's silent chagrin, before curling herself around the tired child. His face was buried against her chest as he clung desperately to the half Mink's favored shirt, and Kid simply lay on his side and watched as Beau undid the boy's top-knot to run slim fingers through his hair, humming to him as he slowly calmed and allowed sleep to whisk him away. It felt... Intimate, in the way a Mother might cradle her child, though Kid had little to no experience with such a thing. Carefully sliding his own arm under Beau's pillow, he allowed his other to drape across the boy and rest against Beau's waist, encouraged by the quick glance and smile he received from her as she continued to hum. Sleep was quick to cloud his own mind, and he soon found his thoughts wandering in directions he'd rather suppress.

Had his parents ever swaddled him like this? Would they look at this current scene and think of him as a kinder man than who he really was? Would they have their own regrets? Should he really care about these tired musings? No, he told himself, no he should not- And still, it stirred a strange sense of longing that he hadn't felt in years, of waiting for people who never returned, of forgotten faces and bitter loneliness that he'd long thought to be buried beneath the mountains of scrap he and Killer had once called home.