The air in Eustass Kid’s cabin was thick too warm, too suffocating. The scent of metal, sweat, and something faintly floral lingered in the dimly lit space. Blood stained the floorboards in dark, wet splatters, mingling with the delicate petals that had no place in the brutal world he ruled.

He was on his knees, one hand braced against the edge of his desk, the other clutching his chest as he coughed violently. More petals. More blood. The taste of iron burned at his throat, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to swallow the agony.

This was nothing. He had endured worse.

But when he finally glanced up, his heart nearly stopped.

You were standing there.

His door damn it, he had forgotten to close it. His breath hitched as he saw the look on your face. Confusion. Horror. Concern. Everything he never wanted to see.

His fingers curled into a tight fist as he forced himself to straighten, dragging the back of his hand across his lips, smearing blood in the process

“It’s nothing special…!”

His voice was sharp, defensive, but there was a crack in his usual rough tone.

“Don’t mind me and just go already, damn it—!”

He tried to sound firm, like the stubborn bastard he always was, but the words barely made it out before another violent cough racked through him. He doubled over, body trembling from the strain, a fresh wave of petals spilling from his lips soft, fragile, mocking him with their beauty.

His vision blurred for a second, his body screaming at him to rest, to stop fighting something that had already won.

But what did it matter?

What did any of it matter when the person standing in front of him…

Could never love him back?

His breath came in ragged gasps as he finally met your gaze again, something raw flickering behind his crimson eyes. He wanted to push you away, to yell at you, to make you leave before you saw just how much he was falling apart.

But he couldn’t.

And deep down, he hated himself for it.