Soft tugging on his hair and the sensation of fingers running across his scalp roused him from a light slumber. His ears gradually picked up on a melodious voice humming an unknown song. The smell of mint and dirt and a wall of pastel blue filled his senses as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness of the sunlight. A thrill of pleasure ran down his spine as the dainty fingers trailed along the base of his skull; he bit back a moan as fingernails lightly scratched the sensitive area, before lifting away, only to press back down at the hairline above his forehead and repeating their trek along his head. His eyes slid shut and he sighed as the fingers continued the massage. His arm tightened around the smaller frame and he nuzzled her stomach, deeply inhaling her scent. A small tremor shook her body and her humming was cut off by a sweet giggle. She shifted in his arms, her body curling inward and encompassing his head in a gentle embrace; her other hand joined in the ministrations and both attacked the pleasure spot at the base of his skull, earning a low moan from the ebony haired male. Warm breath caressed his face, smelling strongly of mint leaves, "Law." Slowly, reluctantly, he opened his eyes and turned his gaze upward to the small smiling face held inches above his own. Her natural ivory skin had gained a smooth light tan from days under the strong UV rays, causing her rich honey colored eyes to shine ever brighter. Law turned onto his back, keeping one arm wrapped around Maris's back, while the other rested over his stomach. Maris straightened herself and removed her hands, eliciting an almost whiny groan from her captain, but she only smiled as she continued her previous action of combing her fingers through his short hair, "Did you sleep well?" Law closed his eyes once again and gave a low hum in reply. The following minutes were left in silence. Maris massaged his head, occasionally caressing the side of his face; trailing feather light touches along his jaw and the bridge of his nose, and once stroking a finger over his bearded chin, almost as if she were trying to memorize his face by touch. She twitched slightly as Law's thumb snuck under the hem of her shirt and stroked against her hip, but did not protest.
Law snapped from his daze only a few minutes later. His eyes opened and gazed around the deck, seeking out what had suddenly woken him; finding nothing out of place he rested his head back onto Maris's lap. That's when he noticed the absence of the fingers that had been trailing across his head, and also a new pressure against his chest. Reaching up, his fingers rested upon a petite hand upon his chest, placed just over his heart. A small smile crinkled the edges of his eyes as his eyes turned upward to the sleeping face of his adored. Her head was tilted slightly to the right and rested back against Bepo's orange covered belly, her face was completely visible as her sunhat now rested on the deck floor beside her. He gripped her hand tighter as his heart clenched, his breath released within a deep sigh. Never, in all of his twenty-three years, had he ever thought that he could feel so...utterly content. Every day since they had brought her back from the Marine ship, looking as if she had not another spark of life within her, his own anger had nearly burned him from the inside out; his brain thought of nothing other than destroying every marine that crossed his path, be it with or without his devil fruit powers. And when he saw those golden eyes open once again he felt such debilitating relief. It angered him a bit that this tiny, weak woman had such a grip on his mind, but he refused to allow himself to ignore her any longer. He felt anxious every time she disappeared from his side, as if she would become lost to them again if his eyes strayed from her for a minute, but she never rejected his new possessiveness and over protectiveness.
Law slowly sat up and watched her sleeping face. She was still underweight and her normal lack of appetite made it harder to heal. Reaching up he gingerly ran fingertips along a slightly protruding cheekbone before combing them into thick brown waves. Her hair had become long during captivity, the dark brown faded into a pale brown very lightly peppered with gray hairs. He pinched one of the colorless hairs between his fingers and scrutinized it with hardened eyes. It truly told of the ordeal she went through. Maris was a tough and extremely stubborn girl, a bit eccentric and flighty too, and not even nearly dying of a fatal fall several times had even dampened her desire to explore. Four months held captive with the marines, becoming severely malnourished and tortured she had grown gray hairs at the age of only twenty-two and Law believed she may be developing a depersonalization disorder. He released the hair and returned his hand to her face as she inhaled deeply and stirred. She released her breath in a noisy sigh through her nose and slowly opened her eyes. "Hm, Law-" She gasped as dry lips pressed against her cheek. She tried to pull away but his hand at the side of her face prevented her from moving. "Law, what? Wh-why? You...You-!" Law watched her confused panic with no little amusement, a large smirk split across his face as her eyes opened wide and a deep blush darkened her tanned face. That was all he needed. His hand slid down her cheek and took a light grip on her chin. Her body tensed as their eyes connected and her breath caught in her chest at his close proximity that was quickly becoming less. She could feel his warm breath against her face and his monochrome blue eyes filled her vision, his heavy gaze had her heart practically bursting from her chest. Her body seemed to turn to stone and she could only watch as he slowly closed in, and she flinched as his lips softly pressed against her own. His eyes never once wavered from her own adding to the building heat in her face, which slowly spread down her neck, and she was suddenly compelled to close her eyes. Her vision went black and all she could do now was feel. Without the distraction of Law's total concentration it was suddenly feeling very nice. There was a pleasant tingling were their lips made contact and his hand had returned to the side of her face, his thumb moving back and forth against her cheek. She nearly flinched again as his mouth began moving against her, however, she found herself mirroring his movements. There was a little surprise when he hummed into the kiss. His hand moved once again and found a place at the base of her skull, fingers tangled into her thick brown hair, pulling her gently deeper in to the kiss. He had not expected the sudden shock of pain as teeth bit hard upon his lip. He hissed and quickly pulled away, simultaneously removing his hand so quickly from the back of her head he felt a few strands of hair snap lose. He brought a hand to his throbbing lip and felt little joy that it was not bleeding. With the slowly fading presence of pain, Law redirected his attention back to his female friend and fixed her with an angered glare. Her face was impassive as she watched his quick recovery and meet his sharp gaze unflinchingly. Without speaking she reached up to touch his cheek, he deftly slapped the hand away, but hesitated when her hand caught his in a tight grip. Her other hand rose and gently pried his hand away from his mouth, and inspected the newly red and swollen bottom lip. Law sat still and observed her as she gingerly touched the sore flesh. Her eyes soon returned to his, her previously impassive expression replaced with a silent apology; he could see the faint remnants of fear and insecurity quickly fading in her eyes, eliciting a pang of guilt within his chest. He had scared her with such sudden actions when she was obviously still not yet recovered from her trauma. "I didn't mean to scare you." Maris shook her head and smiled, dropping her arms and winding them around his neck in a close hug. Before Law could react to the sudden embrace she had pulled away, planting a quick peck on his cheek as she did, grabbed her sunhat and placed it on her head before standing and rushing back into the submarine with a hammering heart and heated face.