Work Text:
Negative Outcome
Hawkins shivered as he looked at the cards, it didn’t matter how many times he had done so. Each and every time it would come out worse than the one before. Death appears more often than not, making him fear his own life with everything going on.
How could the future have changed so drastically, how could he let them catch up to him like this when all he had done was to make sure he came out of this properly. Betraying comrades and doing despicable things in an effort to keep living and for what, for it all to collapse regardless of what he had done.
All of the choices he had made, he made while keeping the cards in mind, to make sure that it turned into the most profitable outcome. Only to find that he had missed his chance and had fallen out of favor.
“No. No, no, no… How”, he muttered to himself as he laid down another array of cards. Still seeing the same thing happening, still seeing the same outcome and not one he had expected there to be. He had wanted Kaido to fall, and fall he did, but the uncertainty about his own future wasn’t helping in making sure he knew he would still be standing there tomorrow.
A hand on his shoulder had him shrieking, turning around in a fighting stance as if to try and protect himself from whatever was waiting for him. Only to find X Drake standing there, he had known the other had been in the same boat as he had been. Unknowing what the future would hold, but willing to go along with Kaido in the off chance he would be defeated soon.
“Hawkins… You’re on edge despite the victory”, the dinosaur zoan uttered, to which Hawkins nodded pointing at the cards in front of him. Trying to convey what it was that had him so on edge and worrying.
Drake tilted his head, “I have no idea what those mean, you know.”
Huffing, Hawkins gathered the cards before sighing, “They all spell the same thing, a negative outcome and I don’t know how to deal with that. Everything that I did, everything that happened up until now, was in an effort to live another day. But I don’t know how to feel about this now. To know that everything I did will still come to bite me in the ass as there is nothing else I can do now.”
He’s on edge, Kaido has been defeated by Strawhat, Kidd and Trafalgar, how would they deal with him? Drake at least had the Marines to hide behind, the knowledge that he had been acting on their behalf. He has nothing, no one to look to for help, no one to vouch for him in the event the other captains find him. He, Appoo and Kidd had been in an alliance when Appoo betrayed them to Kaido. Kidd had resisted, but Hawkins had turned his back to the redheaded captain and chosen his own continuous survival.
A hand rests on his shoulder again, making Hawkins flinch, looking up to see Drake sitting in front of him once more. There is this sweet look in his eyes, talking to Hawkins even if he can’t understand a word of it. He doesn’t know what to do about this, but he’s scared nonetheless. There is nothing left anymore, he blew it all, the cards confirm that there isn’t anything waiting for him after this chapter.
“Hey, Basil… You’re driving yourself into a panic attack like this, try to relax”, Drake whispers, but he can’t. What could he possibly do now?
His breath comes even quicker, and he sees the worry on Drake’s face at the mere realisation of that. It’s nice to know that at least one person still cares, even if Hawkins doesn’t know why he would. There is no one out there for him anymore, his crew is gone, assimilated into the Beast Pirates to the point that he doesn’t even know if they still live. Kaido is dead, his calamities also dead or defeated, no one still out there to vouch for Basil Hawkins in the end.
Something warm presses to his lips, leading to him taking a moment to try to figure out what that is. Eyes widening when he can look into Drake’s eyes. The man is so close, he is kissing him. Why would he do that, what is going on?
As the zoan user pulls back, Hawkins can’t help but touch his lips, “Why did you do that?”
X Drake shrugs, “You weren’t responding and your breath was becoming even more erratic, I needed to do something and I have been wanting to do that for a while now so figured; why not.”
He doesn’t quite know what to do with that information, gets lost in his own head until his tarot deck falls out of his pocket and he shuffles out of habit. Laying out the cards and finds that he can breathe again. There is no definitive negative answer, it will no doubt be hard from now on, but at least he isn’t alone.
Blinking once, Hawkins puts away the cards, “I see…”
Taking a deep breath to look at X Drake again Hawkins can’t deny that the man has something special to him. He was always trying to do right even while working under Kaido. He wouldn’t randomly kill people, protecting them in a way that he didn’t know how to feel about at the time.
Moving slowly, Hawkins wraps his arms around Drake’s shoulders, “Do that again…”
X Drake grins, before he wraps his own arms around Hawkins’ waist and pulls him close, lips pressing into his own to sweep him off his feet. Letting his mind wander to the feeling this brings him instead of worrying about what else is going to happen now.