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After Heavy Iron became not only Jun's assistant but also his friend, his life changed noticeably. It took a different direction. Perhaps the oddity of this behavior could be attributed to simple concessions to ease his stay in Mister Edo's workshop, but Iron would hardly have agreed with that. After all, his cold nature rarely allowed such behavior.
Heavy Iron preferred to always stand aside and only silently help when asked. Truth to be told, his tall silhouette in the dark corners of the workshop was intimidating, and his sudden voice was terrifying, causing some of Jun's friends to glance over their shoulders a hundred times at first.
Yet sometimes, Iron genuinely wanted to help others. It was as if the kind people around him were making him feel that way, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. Who had ever seen one of the most dangerous operators of a giant bot be kind? It was laughable.
This morning Heavy Iron woke up lighter than usual. It was a day off, and there was no work for him or the others in the workshop. Mister Edo allowed them to rest as much as they wanted on these days, but only on the condition that the workshop remained in one piece (this was especially true for many of the bot operators, like Dexter, who once practically dragged a bear into the workshop, or Shadow X, who almost broke crucial equipment for Mister Edo's work just for fun).
Heavy Iron's room was always tidy, minimally cluttered, and spotlessly clean, only occasionally disturbed by fatigue and the inability to keep everything in order.
The man stretched and then pulled his hair back into a ponytail, brushing some strands out of his face. A little later, he was dressed in loose clothing, and the cloak he usually wore draped over one shoulder was stowed away in the closet. Today, the last thing Heavy Iron wanted was an air of severity and importance. This was what June advised him to do, and the man finally decided to listen to him after a hundred and one refusals.
In the back of the workshop, near the small kitchen, two men stood in the corner or, more precisely, Phoenix Fire and Mega Ambler. They were discussing something, apparently planning how to spend their weekend.
"Heavy Iron! Good morning," Phoenix Fire said cheerfully, waving a little.
"Good morning, Phoenix Fire," Heavy Iron said surprisingly softly, catching both men off guard.
"It looks like it really is a good morning," Mega Ambler mumbled, sipping his coffee, which had neither sugar nor cream.
As funny as it may sound at first glance, Heavy Iron's mornings were never complete without fruit, which he sliced so skillfully that everyone in the workshop marveled, and some (we're talking about Shadow X and Buffalo Crush) even asked him to slice a few for themselves.
"You look different than usual, is there a reason?" Mega Ambler asked curiously as Phoenix Fire cleared their plates, which had been full of food even before Heavy Iron's arrival.
The man looked up from cutting fruit and glanced at Mega Ambler. "Just... in a good mood," Heavy Iron replied slowly.
The kitchen fell silent for a moment, but was soon broken by the sound of a knife continuing its work under Heavy Iron's sure grip.
"How long do you think it will last?" Mega Ambler whispered softly in Phoenix Fire's ear.
"Until he finds Black Hook..." the other man replied just as quietly.
Heavy Iron sat down at the table and began slowly eating his fruit, taking his time and paying no attention to anyone, fortunately the aforementioned men were already getting ready to leave the kitchen.
"Well, have a good rest then, Heavy Iron." Mega Ambler smiled and pulled Phoenix Fire, who seemed to want to say something too, but didn't have the chance.
"And to you—" But the men had long since vanished, and Heavy Iron merely sighed.
A few minutes later, Blue Cop appeared in the kitchen, or rather, rushed in like mad. He yanked open the fridge and pulled something out, then was about to run back to where he'd come from.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Blue Cop?" Heavy Iron decided to find out.
"Oh! Iron, sir!" A loud, distinctive sound of hitting something wooden was heard; apparently, turning your head while running isn't the best choice. "Jun said he wanted to go out with his friends and decided to take me along. The kids didn't have much breakfast, so I decided to grab some treats I made last night," a boy smaller than Heavy Iron blurted out, hurrying.
"Careful!" The man suddenly caught the container, which had almost fallen out of Blue Cop's hands. "Have a good time."
"Thank you, sir!" The boy nodded and immediately corrected himself, awkwardly pursing his lips. "I meant Heavy Iron. Sorry!"
"It's okay, go ahead." Iron chuckled softly, returning the container to the boy's hands.
"Yes sir!" And in that instant, Blue Cop disappeared from Heavy Iron's sight, who then rolled his eyes, realizing it was only the beginning of the day.
The man walked toward the center of the workshop, where the ceiling seemed to reach the sky. He had no specific destination; he mostly just wanted to look at what the others were doing, but it seemed like everyone had already run off to do their own thing, which, in fact, wasn't far from the truth.
He came across Black Hook's crewmates, who were also getting ready to go somewhere. Noticing the large man, they exchanged glances and then greeted him.
"Heavy Iron!" Buffalo Crush said cheerfully.
"Morning," Buster Gallon continued, following the other man.
"Good morning," Heavy Iron smiled faintly, but it wasn't fully visible, as part of his bandana still covered the lower half of his face. "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah! I just found a really cool place! There are so many food shops and—" Buffalo Crush said eagerly.
"And he wants to try it all," Buster Gallon added, "with me."
Buffalo Crush just nodded approvingly, smiling like a happy child who'd been given a bag of candy and told it was all his.
"So that's how it is," Heavy Iron shook his head slightly. "Why don't you buy some treats for your captain?"
"Of course! We've already made a list, haven't we, Buster Gallon?" Buffalo Crush began rummaging through his pockets and soon pulled out a piece of paper, carefully folded several times.
"That's right," Buster Gallon confirmed, then checked the time on the nearest clock. "Come on, Buffalo Crush, the shops will be opening soon. If you don't want a huge line, you'll have to be on time."
"I'm on my way!" The guy quickly shoved the list into his pocket and hurried after Buster Gallon. "Have a nice day, Heavy Iron!"
"And the same to you," the man thanked them.
Continuing to wander around the workshop, Heavy Iron realized that most of the people had either already gone somewhere or were busy with something, making him the odd man out. This feeling noticeably dampened his spirits, and the whole atmosphere of a good start to the day slowly began to fade, returning Iron to the previously gloomy state he'd wanted to avoid.
Sighing heavily and about to leave the workshop, he heard disgruntled voices that he immediately recognized. The man turned out to be none other than Black Hook, busily engaged with something. Peering carefully around the corner, Heavy Iron saw another man posing in front of a mirror, twirling from side to side. He was taking things off and then putting them back on.
"I never thought I'd witness such a sight," Heavy Iron said, barely audibly, stepping so close that his silhouette even appeared in the mirror Black Hook was looking at.
The curly-haired man flinched, not expecting Heavy Iron to appear. He glanced at him.
"Heavy Iron, of course it's you," Black Hook said, somewhat displeased. "Do I owe you something?"
"No, I just happened to be passing by and saw our princess struggling to find a dress," Heavy Iron said, slightly mockingly, now examining the pirate's attire more closely.
"Pardon?" Black Hook snorted in response. "I'm a captain, and one of the very best, and my appearance must match!"
"Is that why you always wear so much jewelry?" Another man remarked, picking up a long gold earring dangling from Black Hook's ear.
"Maybe. And so what?" Black Hook yanked his hand away.
Heavy Iron simply shrugged silently and moved slightly to the side, out of the way in front of the mirror. "So what’s the problem?"
Black Hook glanced at Heavy Iron, paused for a few minutes, and then, clicking his tongue in displeasure, said, "I just can't decide on an outfit for today. It's all... not right." The man sounded somewhat disappointed.
Iron chuckled and then circled around Black Hook. He stopped behind the captain and, with a slight movement, removed his pirate hat.
"What are you doing?" Black Hook frowned, clearly confused by Heavy Iron's actions.
"Helping, can't you see?" The man leaned slightly toward Black Hook. "Or do you no longer need help?"
Black Hook remained silent, allowing Heavy Iron to continue.
Next came his enormous dark blue coat, which reached to the floor and now rested on a nearby table. Heavy Iron then carefully pulled Black Hook's white gloves off, leaving his scarred hands shown.
Black Hook visibly tensed, but continued to watch Heavy Iron's actions in the mirror, mesmerized.
The large man muttered something, then slightly smoothed Black Hook's hair, revealing the beautiful jewelry hanging at his sides.
"Done," Heavy Iron said quietly, examining Black Hook, who was now wearing only his usual pinstriped shirt, pants, and large boots.
"And this is your best option?" Black Hook looked around, confused.
Heavy Iron said nothing and nodded in response.
"Hmm..." Black Hook drawled. "Perhaps there's something to that..." the pirate reluctantly agreed.
"It's a day off. You don't have to look handsome today." Heavy Iron hesitated for a moment. "It's not that you look terrible..."
Black Hook's expression visibly changed, and he blushed just a little, pursing his lips, but soon straightened up abruptly and folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm one of the most handsome pirates anyone's ever seen here!" Black Hook blurted out, picking up the things on the table to take back to his room.
"Absolutely," Heavy Iron whispered as he watched Black Hook disappear into the hallway.