A big 'Thank you' to Aerle, who read the story beta and suggested the title :)

Benn sat on the couch, reading a book, when he heard the door open and fall back into the lock quietly. The loss of sound made him sit up a bit more tightly, while he neatly put a bookmark between his current pages and closed it. This was strange, Shanks shouldn't supposed to be back. After all, he had an important presentation today, and it wasn't time at all for him to return home. But he was the only other person who had a key to their flat, except for their landlord and he wouldn't come in without telling them first.

"Shanks?" Benn called into the floor, getting up from his comfortable spot, and made his way to the front door.

The answer came with a little delay and way to flat for his normal cheery flatmate. "Yeah, I'm back."

Benn blinked twice before he sped up his step slightly. Something hadn't gone right, because Shanks was the type of guy who could only close a door with a bang and make himself known when he was home. But there was no noise, and Shanks' voice had been weary. Finally, Benn reached his friend, who kicked his shoes into a corner and whose face was stern and bitter.

"What happened?" he asked him, frowning. He didn't like to see Shanks like that. This was highly unusual for the man he had become so fond of.

"I screwed it up," Shanks choked, biting his lips and trying to suppress the tears who started to rise. "I totally screwed it up… It can't be a good sign when they dismissed me after fifteen minutes. No questions, no comments, no nothing."

Again, Benn frowned and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. This wasn't a good sign, really, but how could that be? He knew how Shanks talked. He knew how winning and charming the man in front of him could be if he only wanted to. It was one of the first features Benn came to know when he had moved into the flat, which he was sharing with the other man now for half a year.

Benn had moved because he changed universities after the second semester. He studied business economics. His old university had had its focus on financial law, and he figured that this wasn't what he wanted to do in life. Now his focus was on financial controlling, which he wasn't sure if it was even better, but at least he shared a flat with Shanks, which was like the biggest gift he ever received in life. The man was funny, charming and just easy to be around with. Benn could honestly say that he became one of his closest, if not even his best friend and sometimes there was just this kind of electricity in the air, when he wished to be even more than friends. Not that he ever mentioned it to the redhead, but he could dream, couldn't he?

But now wasn't the time nor the place to think about his secret dreams. Shanks seemed devastated and he had all right to be, because the presentation had been the final step for a potential studentship, which he needed desperately to finance his studies.

Shanks' adoptive father had passed away when he was fifteen and because of some mistakes in the papers, he got nothing of the money Roger left behind. The public authorities and the press had torn the whole story apart. Roger had been a famous musician and even though he had hid it well that he had adopted Shanks, after his death one thing led to another. It wasn't a time Shanks liked to talk about much, and Benn could understand him. He respected it and was there for him when Shanks needed him, but he had never forced him to tell anything. As time went by and the two of them became closer, Benn had learned most of the story bit by bit.

"This really doesn't sound good," Benn said calmly. He couldn't lie to Shanks, and it wouldn't make things better if he got his hopes up when the possibility was high that they would be crushed again. This wasn't what friendship was about. But he would be there for him. "But let's wait. It's not over until you get the letter of refusal." He sighed and pulled Shanks into a brief hug, before he smirked, "Let's have a drink, okay? We will figure something out."

When Shanks woke up the next morning, he groaned because his head hurt intensely. His hand searched for his phone and he groaned again due to the bright light coming from the display when he switched it on. Turning the brightness down, he checked the clock and cursed. Now he didn't need to stand up anymore, anyway. He had missed half of his courses and he wouldn't take in much of the rest because of his hangover. He needed some water to drink and he needed some painkillers, the faster the better.

It took him ten minutes to force his body out of bed, and every second of it, he wished he were dead. When he finally managed to get out of his room, the light was so bright another groan escaped his lips. The third one in half an hour. That wasn't a good start.

When Shanks entered the kitchen, his gaze fell upon the small dining table, and when he saw the bottle, a glass, two aspirin and a small letter, his mood shifted in no time from 'worst day of my life' into 'could be worse'. He really, really loved Benn sometimes and shook his head at the thought just to groan again, because everything started spinning, and his headache increased again. But he had to admit that thinking he loved Benn just sometimes was obviously wrong. He didn't just loved him sometimes… He loved him. Period.

Snatching the painkillers and gulping them down with the water, he dropped himself onto a stool and propped his head onto his hand, his elbow on the table. He knew he loved Benn, he figured out his feelings for him a while ago, but hadn't had the courage to say anything about it. Even though he knew Benn was into men, it was still difficult because they were flatmates after all, and he wouldn't want to drive the other man away or make him feel uncomfortable because he confronted him with his feelings. Shanks wanted to keep him as a flatmate. Actually, he wanted to keep him forever, but he guessed this would be rather difficult to maintain. Nothing was forever, was it?

He sighed and reached for the paper. He could identify Benn's accurate handwriting and, while he read the short note, a smile showed up on his lips. Yes, he definitely loved this man.

Good Morning
I thought, after yesterday evening, it would be better to let you sleep. Don't worry about the studentship. Nothing is decided yet, and we made enough plans to make you a millionaire. Don't worry about your missed courses, too. You deserve a day off. I'm back around 4 p.m. and I'll bring pizza. Nothing better than pizza to cure a hangover. I'll see you later.
Benn

After Shanks came home from the presentation yesterday, Benn had poured him his favorite whiskey, and they had made different plans how he could finance his studies even if he wouldn't get the studentship. Best thing was finding a job, but Shanks knew how hard it was to work and study. He wasn't the easiest learner, and even though Benn had assured him he would help, Shanks knew, in the end, he had to write the exams. But if the studentship would be denied… It was the best solution, he guessed. They could still rob a bank, which had been one of many absurd suggestions after some drinks, but Shanks knew well what he could do and what not. He wasn't a thief or pirate after all, which had been a suggestion as well. Become a pirate and find some treasure. He would love to do that, even though he guessed he would be a lousy pirate himself. He would always be too drunk to achieve anything.

Smiling again, Shanks scanned the kitchen for something edible, which was not too hard to locate when he compared it with what he had have before Benn. His former flatmate – Roo – had been a non-stop eater, it was hard to get something for yourself sometimes. But he had liked Roo a lot and was sad when he told him he would break off his studies. On the other hand, Shanks could understand the man very well. He was a worse learner than Shanks was and after the second semester, he had decided to start an apprenticeship as a cook, which was awesome because Roo knew how to cook. Shanks had first-hand experience. He still was in contact with his friend, they wrote texts and he didn't live far away. Too far for a spontaneous visit, but in reach to stop by during the weekend… and it had given him the chance to meet Benn.

Shanks' heart beat a bit faster just by the thought of the other man. It wasn't this 'I'm totally blind because I'm in love'-love what he was feeling towards Benn. It was the assuring feeling that nothing could break you when you were with the other person. He felt secure when he knew Benn was around and he wouldn't want to miss this feeling a second. Sighing again, Shanks ran his hand through his hair. He would tell him eventually. He would… He just needed the right moment.

For now, he grabbed his phone and typed 'I want hawaiian, please. Thank you!'. Not really a start, but at least he would get his favorite kind of pizza. Not five minutes later, his phone vibrated on the table. He chuckled when he read the answer he got: 'I know. See u later.'

Benn opened the door with one hand, the two pizza boxes balancing on the other one. When the door shut behind him, he could hear a low voice and even before he was able to greet his friend, Shanks rushed by to pick the boxes up. He wore his normal, wide grin, and it made Benn smile back immediately. It was good to see Shanks in high spirits again, it just wasn't right when the other was down.

"Ah, pizza," Shanks grinned, while opening the lids of the box as if he could only believe the pizzas were there when he saw them. "I love you, Benny."

The comment made Benn blush a little, but he pushed the feeling away, because it was just so normal for the other man to say such words like they were nothing. Shanks never thought too much about what he said, and his words were on his lips before he thought them through, but Benn got used to it. It made Shanks a very honest person, which Benn came to appreciate a lot.

"You always love me when I bring food," Benn shot back and only heard Shanks laugh in response, who had already headed for the kitchen.

"That is true in the manner that I always love you, so I definitely love you when you bring food. Get your ass here, I'm hungry."

Benn sighed and took his shoes off, before he followed Shanks' words and made his way into the kitchen. Much to his surprise, the table was set, and Shanks waited eagerly for him to sit down as well. How could he not grin at such a sight?

"We're not eating in front of the TV, watching stupid horror movies?" Benn asked innocently, and Shanks huffed in response.

"It's half past four. No, we'll eat properly and watch the horror movies when it's dark, like it is supposed to be."

The answer made Benn chuckle and finally he pulled a chair back to sit across from Shanks. Propping the lid of the carton open he got himself a piece of his Pizza Diavolo and smirked "Ah, good to know, for a brief moment I thought I bought the crisps for nothing."

Shanks eyes widened before he smiled with glee "Can I keep you? Or even better, I clone you and sell you. I would be rich." Benn just laughed and bit into his slice to avoid answering.

"Benn, can you stop studying and get here?" Shanks shouted through the whole flat, so Benn had to hear it. He was in the middle of his summery of the latest few courses and he knew he would regret putting the stuff away before he was done, because then he had to rerun at least the last ten pages… but Shanks just shouted again. The other man would not stop nagging at him, until he found his way into their small sitting room to start their horror movie night. It was Friday so they could and would go on until at least half past two in the night.

"Benn. Get here!" Shanks called him again, so Benn just screwed the papers and stood up, calling back.

"Coming!"

When he entered the sitting room, he could see the redhead pull out the couch, so both of them would be more comfortable. On the small table were the crisps Benn had bought earlier neatly placed, as well as a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of coke and a batch of DVDs. Perfect conditions for a nice movie night.

"Do you need help?" he asked, not after giving Shanks' butt an appreciating glance. Hell, he was no saint after all.

Shanks pulled at the couch again and straightened, before he turned around to face Benn, smiling as usual. "No, I'm done anyway," he answered and stretched his arms over his head. Then he fished for a DVD box and tossed it at Benn.

With neat fingers, he caught it and looked at the cover. "Pirates of the Caribbean? I thought we'll watch horror movies?"

Shanks made himself comfortable on the couch, pouring him a glass of whiskey and mixed it with coke, before he said causally, "I know you're not too fond of horror movies. So I guessed you would welcome it if I don't drag you into watching them tonight." His voice was calm and reassuring, just a small spark of a question showed Benn that he feared for his disapproval. It made him smile and a warmth started to fill his stomach. Sometimes, Shanks was just too sweet without even knowing it.

"Aye captain, good guess!" Benn laughed and he could see a slight hint of relief in Shanks' face, before he took the DVD out of its box and put it into the DVD-player. "Will you pour me a drink as well?"

"Sure, anytime," Shanks laughed and did what he could do best: mixing drinks.

It was some hours and two and a half movies later, when Shanks yawned for the third time in a row. He had snuggled against Benn a while ago, and the other man hadn't minded at all. They were half lying, half sitting on the couch. The crisps were long gone and the bottle of whiskey was half empty. It had been full when they started their Pirates and the Caribbean marathon.

"Don't fall asleep," Benn muttered with a low, tired voice, shifting himself into a more comfortable position, which made him slide a bit deeper into the cushions. His hand reached for his phone and he checked the time. It was ten to three.

Meanwhile, Shanks just slumped against him a little more, resting his head on his chest. He yawned again and smirked. "Not promising that."

"Shall we go to bed?" Benn asked, and this time, his words mixed with a yawn by themselves. He knew he wouldn't last through the rest of the movie.

But Shanks just rubbed his eyes and answered with a weary voice, "Na, too lazy. Let's sleep here."

Somehow, Benn was too tired to think too much about this answer. Instead, he smiled and reached for the blanket they had brought an hour ago. He covered Shanks and himself with it and switched the TV off with the control. It was good that the room was dark, because Benn wouldn't have had the energy to stand up and switch off the light.

"Don't steal the blanket," Benn murmured, while he wrapped an arm around Shanks, pulling him a bit closer.

He got a small huff and a "Never" as a reply. Some minutes later soft snoring filled the room.

Shanks drew his sword, and the next moment, it clashed with a hand consisting out of lava. The marine looked at him furiously, but Shanks didn't care. Instead, he started a speech, for the whole world to hear it. "You did well, young marine. The few seconds of courage you were prepared to give your life for – whether for good or for bad – have greatly changed the world!" Shanks didn't give a look at his first mate, but he knew Benn was there keeping an eye on another marine. Then he sheathed his sword again and… the doorbell rang?

The doorbell rang again, which caused Shanks to groan. His head hammered, and there was a need to just stay put and not stand up at all. He decided that it was best to follow his instincts. While his eyes stayed shut he could feel someone move next to him, and an arm, which had been wrapped around his shoulders, lifted. Then the warmth was gone, and he pouted, suddenly remembering how he fell asleep next to Benn. He wanted to man back by his side. He wanted to wake up next to him and tell him a proper good morning, to give him a sweet kiss and… He groaned again. He should stop thinking, or he'd have a morning wood as well as a headache. It made him pout.

There were low voices coming from the door, a laugh and then some noises from steps. Whoever it was, who took away Benn from his side, Shanks hoped he had a good excuse for it. Because if not, he would take his revenge. Then a familiar voice rang through the living room, and Shanks pushed himself up a bit and finally opened his eyes. He saw some black, messy hair and a smirk.

"Yasopp," he called out his friend's name and dropped back onto the couch. His face buried in pillows, he mumbled, "Couldn't you come a bit later. It's early." It made their guest laugh, and the next moment something heavy, which felt a lot like a stack of papers, was dropped on his back.

"Half past ten is not early. It's moderate," Yasopp grinned, or at least Shanks assumed there was a grin, he couldn't see it, before the other added, "I brought you your papers from yesterday. With nice greetings from Banchina."

Banchina was Yasopp's girlfriend and since three months his fiancée as well. She studied the same subject as Shanks, so he had been right to think the heavy package on his back were papers. Banchina was just the best, to collect all the sheets for him, while he had missed courses. She would make a good human resources manager… something of what Shanks wasn't sure for himself. But what else should he study? It was the only thing he was good at, to judge people's characters. He was almost never wrong with his assumptions. But sometimes, he doubted it was enough to study Human Resource Management. Well, maybe he hadn't had to bother himself with this question anymore, if he wouldn't get the studentship. He sighed and was glad that his voice was still muffled by the pillow.

"You wanna have a coffee? And breakfast?" Shanks could hear Benn ask and finally pushed himself up to crawl out of bed.

He should stop thinking about it until he got the letter of refusal and not before. "I always want coffee… and breakfast" he grinned at his flatmate, who rolled his eyes at the sight.

"You know I asked Yasopp, not you?" he demanded, but Shanks just waved it aside.

"I know. But I still want coffee and breakfast," he pouted. It filled the kitchen with laughter.

Some minutes later, the three of them sat around the table and enjoyed their coffee. It was always a good laugh with Yasopp around, and Shanks, as well as Benn, liked the other very much. After a while, Yasopp reached for the small bag he had brought with him and pulled out an envelope. With a grin, he gave it to Benn.

"Here, that's for both of you. Since you're living together, we thought that you would be fine with only one invitation," Yasopp smiled, and Benn opened the letter, to find a nicely designed invitation for the wedding that Yasopp and Banchina would have in two months. They already knew the date for a while, but it was nice to have the proper invitation as well.

"Yeah, that's totally fine. You designed the cover by yourself?" Benn asked, while he gave the envelope to Shanks, for him to look at it.

"Yeah, you like it?" was Yasopp's response and Benn grinned.

"Definitely."

The glee in the other man's eyes was not to miss. Yasopp studied Graphic Design and he was good at what he was doing. One of the best, in Benn's opinion, but nobody asked him. Well, it didn't matter, Yasopp still was the best, Benn was sure of it.

"I'm so excited about the wedding," Shanks grinned and meant it. "You two are so sweet together."

Yasopp laughed a little and glanced at Shanks, when a question formed in his eyes. His hands grabbed for his mug, but hold it only, before he said quietly, "Well Shanks, actually I'm not just here for the invitation and the papers. You know… Well, Banchina has this friend she asked, and I have thought about it and… Would you like to be my groomsman?"

Shanks could just stare at Yasopp, the information had to sink in before he realized what he had been asked. He hadn't expected that, but when it finally sunk in, he jumped off his stool, got around the table and hugged his friend tightly. It actually looked more like he pulled him off his stool rather than hugging him and he tousled through his hair, when he eventually got out "Yes, yes, yes. Sure, I'll be your groomsman. This is awesome." And again, laughter filled the kitchen.

Benn looked at Shanks with a frown and wondered how to tell his friend that the suit he wore was… Well, okay, but nothing he should buy when he wanted to look proper for Yasopp's wedding.

They were at the shopping mall for three hours now and all they had found was a proper shirt, and well, that hadn't been too hard, because Shanks had this average size of a well formed man, so most of the clothes fit. He was a bit more muscular than the average man, though, Benn had to admit and he knew, because he had had good opportunities the last three hours to have a look at Shanks' perfect body. But when looking for suits, it had become a problem.

They were both well aware that Shanks didn't have the money at the moment to spend on the prices for new collection suits, so they were going through the sales. But the ones who would look good were out of stock in Shanks' size and the ones that had his friend's size were… well, not really looking good. It didn't change the fact that the man inside the suit was a lot more than only handsome, but a shit-looking suit was still a shit-looking suit.

When Shanks looked at him with a dark glance, Benn shook his head. With a huff, Shanks closed the door of the changing room with a loud clonk, and Benn bit his lips, before he slowly opened the door to check on his friend. Shanks leaned against the wall, and his hair covered his face, but Benn could still see the bitter expression on it.

"This is useless. Can we please admit that I'm a poor wreck, who can't even afford a proper suit for his friend's wedding. I'll tell Yasopp he has to find another groomsman, because I will not look appropriate," he spoke desperately.

It made Benn gulp hard, before he pursed his lips and reached for Shanks' chin to lift it and force him to look at Benn. "No you're not. We'll find a suit that fits!" he said eagerly, and the next moment a high voice sounded behind them.

"Sorry, can I help you?"

Both Benn and Shanks turned around to find a shop lady smiling at them, and before Shanks could say anything, Benn took the opportunity and spoke, "Actually yes. My friend needs a suit. He will be a groomsman and we haven't found anything so far. We only have the problem of a, well, not too large budget."

The lady looked from Benn to Shanks and back, then she frowned and smirked. "So you decided to look at the sales? Not the best choice, if I'm allowed to say this," was her comment, which made Shanks howl, but she went on saying, "but we'll find something nice. There are a few suits of the new collection which are reduced as well." Again, her look wandered over Shanks' body, and Benn believed to find an appreciating glance in it, which made him want to claw her eyes out and tell her in a very inappropriate way that Shanks was his and his alone, which wasn't true, but still. She was a shop assistant and not an animal on her hunting tour. But Benn kept his mouth shut and she finished with, "Black would suit you fine, sir. I'll go fetch you something."

A few minutes later, the shop lady returned with a stunning looking suit, which looked so high class, Benn wondered if Shanks would be able to afford it, even though it was reduced. She handed it to Shanks and said, "There are a few other one's as well, but I would say this one should fit best." Now Benn wondered additionally how she knew Shanks' size.

All Benn could hear was small rumble inside the dressing room while Shanks changed, and his glance flickered to the lady from time to time. She was rearranging some cloths, but it was obvious that she stayed near, to help if her help was needed. Somehow, Benn wished she would go to help some other costumers, even though he knew she was just doing her job. Then the door opened again, Benn's look went back to see Shanks and when he saw his friend, all he could do was choke. He was glad he leaned against the wall, because he wasn't sure if he would still be standing if not.

"You look absolutely…" Benn started with a very traitorous, very breathless voice and tried to find the right word for how Shanks looked, but all his mind could form was "Hot!". A small blush appeared on Shanks' face, and when Benn realized what he had said, his own cheeks betrayed him with flushing red. But it was true, Shanks looked stunning in this suit. It fit perfectly and was the kind of suit girls, as well as boys, would love to rip off his body to see what was underneath. Benn had to admit he counted himself to this group, too.

"Oh, this looks very nice, sir. I guess I don't need to bring another one. Very handsome, really!" the shop lady said at the moment she realized Shanks had been finished changing. Her words were enthusiastic, and Benn growled internally, because he was well aware the she didn't only mean the suit when she called Shanks handsome.

To his surprise, anyhow, Shanks' look became dark, when he asked, "Could you tell, how much this suit is reduced?"

"It's twenty percent, sir," was the answer and again, Shanks' eyes became bitter.

Without a word, Benn made himself loose of the wall that he was leaning against, and stepped around his friend to check the tag. When he saw the price, he knew why Shanks had asked. Even with the reduction, Shanks wouldn't be able to afford it. It was a moderate price for a suit, though, but moderate was still too much for a student who had to count his money to make a living. At least, if Shanks had to pay the full price. But if not… Benn considered this option for a short second, than he screwed the consequences and shrugged. Shanks could pay him back, when he had the money for it.

"Well, will you take the suit or shall I bring another one?" the lady asked, her eyes curious. It seemed she figured that something was wrong.

Shanks started with, "I'm sorry, but..." when Benn interrupted him with a smile.

"We'll take it. Thank you very much for your help."

"Alright. A good choice, sir. Do you need anything else?" she asked, but Benn shook his head no, and the shop lady made her leaving excuse.

Meanwhile, Shanks had turned and stared at Benn with irritated and wide eyes. "What are you thinking? You know I can't afford it," he hissed, but Benn just shrugged his shoulders again and answered in a negligible voice.

"I'll pay for half. You can give me the money back eventually."

Benn knew Shanks wouldn't agree with it. He was very headstrong sometimes, especially when he found something would be a disadvantage for his friends. Nonetheless, this suit just fit too perfectly not to buy it, and to be honest, Benn found the sight very tempting. It was too tempting to go against it.

"What? No!" Shanks started as Benn had assumed. "You're a student as well and you have to mind your money, too. You can't just spend so much money for nothing."

Benn frowned when he heard the words and crossed his arms. He would not give in. Definitely not this time. "It isn't for nothing. You look awesome in this suit, you need it for Yasopp's wedding, and I can afford paying for half, as well as you can afford paying the other," he hissed.

Shanks shot back immediately, "This is stupid. I'll take one of the other suits, you'll save your money and no one will care, anyway."

Now Benn huffed and got a step closer to Shanks, to look him into the eyes. "No way and what's this bullshit, with no one cares? I do care, so stop it." His words were sharp, and Shanks gritted his teeth at Benn's words.

"Why?"

Benn answered without thinking, his tongue faster than his brain. "Because this suit is what makes people want to rip it off your body and fuck you senseless, god dammit. You're too handsome to wear a patch of old mangled fabric as a suit for one of your best friend's wedding."

The outburst was gone as fast as it came, and Benn blinked twice, to realize what he had said. Shanks, though, only stared at him. His jaw dropped and he closed his mouth again. It seemed he wanted to say something, but instead remained silent, too stunned for words. Before the silence became too heavy, Shanks returned to the changing room, to switch back into his normal cloths. That there was no more arguing showed Benn that he had won, anyhow, but still he asked himself if he had said too much.

Shanks wanted to learn. He really wanted to study and get the topic into his head. But all he could think of were Benn's words. Since they came home from their shopping trip yesterday, it was the only thing that repeated in his head over and over again, and each time the words became more seductive, more tempting and more irrational. Benn had said people wanted to rip off his clothes, but Benn was a person as well, wasn't he? Had he counted himself in when he had said it, or had he only meant it in general?

Shanks groaned and let his head drop onto his desk. The images in his head drove him mad and that he had no boner yet was a miracle. His concentration slipped again, and the images flooded him. Images of how Benn kissed him fiercely, while his firm hands unbuttoned his suit coat first, and went on with his shirt. Images of how Shanks' pants dropped and knowing fingers found his sweet spot, to widen it for everything that would follow. Images of how Benn turned him around, strong hands massaged his butt and finally Shanks was entered with a neat thrust, while his moan mixed with Benn's. Images of how…

Again, Shanks groaned and hindered himself from going on. He could already feel how the thoughts alone made his blood go south. With an angry edge to his movements, Shanks stood up and made his way to the door. He would finally tell Benn about his feelings, he would be turned down and then he would stop thinking about stuff that would never happen.

When Shanks knocked, however, most of his determination was gone. He bit his lips, and his hands shook while he waited for Benn to allow him to enter his room. It took him a while to say, "Come in", and in the meantime, Shanks had clenched his hands to fists. He would not back down now.

When he opened the door and closed it behind him again, his gaze fell upon Benn, who sat on his office chair. Was it just his imagination, or did Benn look a bit keen as well? By taking a deep breath, Shanks tried to ease his nerves, before he started with a weary voice, "W-well… ehm..." and bit his lips when he noticed that he stuttered. Gosh, here he was, a 'not so young but still feeling like a teenager' student who was unable to admit his feelings. Benn would laugh at him.

"Are you okay?" Benn's words brought back his attention to the man in front of him, and with a sigh, Shanks nodded and sat himself down on the edge of Benn's bed.

When he started to talk again his voice was a lot more steady than before. "You know, I wanted to thank you again for paying for half of the suit..." he began, and Benn smiled.

"You're welcome, always." It seems that Benn's cheeks became slightly pink, but that was Shanks' imagination for sure.

"Well, I wanted to say, because of your words, I…" Shanks mumbled again, but loud enough for Benn to hear it ,and this time, the other man really blushed. It made Shanks blink in irritation. He actually wanted to continue, but Benn smirked lousily, which caused Shanks to stop.

"Shanks, about what I have said. I wasn't thinking and I didn't want to make you feel… uncomfortable. I'm sorry. I guess my tongue worked faster than my brain," he admitted and looked at the floor instead of into Shanks' face.

But only until Shanks asked, "So you didn't mean it when you said people want to rip off my clothes to… fuck me senseless?"

Benn's head darted up, and his eyes met Shanks'. His expression was unreadable, it was a mixture out of irritation, shock, embarrassment and something too sweet and too tempting to describe it with proper words. But it caused Shanks' small arousal to grew a bit more. He gulped hard, but remained calm, or as calm one could be when the head was as red as his hair, and his blood decided to leave his head and gather in his lower regions. Benn's following words didn't do him any good to cool him down, too.

"I did mean every word. You do look pretty fuckable in that suit…" Benn shot a look at him and looked down again not a second later. But Shanks could still see his face which was crimson red now. Well, somehow he figured that this was not the normal conversation one would have when he was turned down. This thought grew when he heard Benn mumble, "...but you do most of the time, anyway."

It was the moment Shanks just couldn't sit there tightly any longer without doing something. So he stood up and made his way to Benn, who still looked at the floor. His fingers lifted Benn's head by wrapping them around his chin and cheeks, and made him look at him. Shanks knew there was nothing but desire visible in his eyes, but he didn't care anymore, if Benn was able to see it or not. He should see his need, because Shanks could see Benn's own look matched his.

"Could it be that you are one of these people, who want to fuck me senseless?" he asked with a cheeky grin, his fingers brushing over Benn's soft skin.

Benn replied with a smirk and a husky voice, "I want to be the only one who is allowed to fuck you senseless."

It was enough for Shanks to sit himself on top of Benn's lap, straddling him effectively. A low moan escaped his lips, when he could feel his own arousal push against Benn's. "You are the only one," Shanks said breathless and continued, "and I don't want to wait any longer." He knew he didn't have to, when strong arms pulled him closer and soft lips kissed him firmly.

Benn was flipping through the post that he just got from the letterbox, when Shanks opened the door of his room and stood in the door frame, looking so stunning Benn couldn't hide a devilish grin at the sight. He was glad that he was finally allowed to kiss this man with all need, because he was sure he hadn't been able to hold himself, seeing Shanks like this. He wore his new suit, a tie and the shirt they bought, his red hair was styled just enough to look dashing and not overdone, and all Benn wanted to do was drag him into bed and make him moan. It was good that they had done this yesterday evening because Yasopp would be pretty pissed if his groomsman wasn't at the wedding because Benn decided it was better to have some wild sex with him. So all Benn stole from Shanks was a kiss, which promised everything for when they were back home.

"You look dashing. Good that you're just the groomsman, because I would be pretty devastated if you were the groom," Benn smirked when they finally let go of each other.

Shanks laughed. "If I were the groom you would be the bride, you know that." It made Benn laugh and he shook his head. If it meant to marry Shanks, he would accept being the bride, anyhow. Not that he would ever tell him, but his thoughts were his own, weren't they?

"Anything interesting with the post?" Shanks asked finally, and Benn shrugged his shoulders.

"Not yet, but I wasn't finished when you distracted me." He went on scanning the letters, when Benn stopped by a pretty thick letter. It was from the company for Shanks' studentship. He turned the letter around and blinked. A letter of refusal wouldn't be that thick. "That's from your studentship," Benn said calmly and wanted to give the envelope to Shanks, but the man only shook his head, while his eyes became heavy.

"No, don't want to see it. I'll just pretend it isn't here, so it can't ruin my mood or Yasopp's wedding," he said eagerly.

But Benn was still not really sure why the envelope should be so thick when it just contained a refusal. "Will you kill me when I open it?" he asked and only got a shrug from Shanks' shoulders.

"As long as you don't tell me, I don't care," was his answer, but Benn could hear the disdain. Hopefully, he could really prove him wrong.

With neat fingers, Benn opened the letter and fished for the cover page. His eyes darted over the text and with each word, his grin grew wider. This was… absolutely awesome.

After a while, Shanks seemed to notice Benn's smile because he watched him curiously. "Why are you grinning?"

But Benn just shook his head and smirked, "Not telling, you didn't want to know, remember?" The next moment a body slammed his, and only arms around him hindered Benn from falling.

"Gimme that letter," Shanks demanded, trying to reach it, but Benn stopped him, by kissing him fiercely.

"You got it, Shanks. You got it. They write they were so overwhelmed that they only needed those fifteen minutes to know you're the right one. Congratulations," Benn laughed, when he finally released his man.

Shanks smirked, visibly happy and relieved. "Thank you. Now, a wedding is awaiting us," he teased, "and you're still not dressed. Get you sexy ass in that sexy suit… and I want to look, so I know what will await me tonight."

Benn rolled his eyes and made his way to his room. "Greedy bastard," he shot back, but Shanks just laughed.

"But your greedy bastard."