The cobblestones of the back alley were hardly comfortable, and Cavendish tried to shift into a more comfortable position even while he tried to scowl with Rebecca's hand clamped tight over his mouth. She wasn't looking at him though, and her knee pressed into his stomach made it impossible to make enough noise to get her attention. She also had her dagger out of its sheath, clenched in the hand not keeping him mute, which meant struggling was also out of the question.
The marines in the main street were still talking, their words inaudible to Cavendish. The pauses sounded like they were using a Den Den Mushi, and he was fairly certain he could hear someone saying 'sir' repeatedly. There was a longer pause and then something was said that, whatever it was, made Rebecca breathe out a long quiet sigh. She didn't relax her grip on her for several minutes longer though, nor did she sheath her dagger.
When she finally let him go, Cavendish sat bolt upright and sucked in a massive gulp of air.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Were you trying to kill me?!"
"No more than you were trying to kill yourself!"
"All I did was tell those idiots that the Pirate Prince being in Dressrosa wasn't a rumour! They were being insulting, suggesting it was a copycat!"
Cavendish stood up and began to brush himself off. He had stopped wearing his white coat around Rebecca as she always seemed to be getting him into some sort of mess. Even taking the precaution of wearing a darker coloured shirt hadn't helped today though, as he had gained a tear in one elbow from the rough stone wall.
"You really need to stop dragging me around," he said crossly, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of these things myself."
"Well, I'd rather not have any more bloodshed in these streets."
"I could have outrun them when they recognized me! You didn't need to interfere!"
"They almost caught us anyway, and they hadn't even properly recognized you yet." She said blandly, although a slight smile hinted at a meaning not quite so straightforward.
"Are you implying I couldn't have done it?" Cavendish asked, wondering if she was actually teasing him.
"Yes. You wouldn't be able to catch up with me if you tried."
"That sounds like a challenge."
Rebecca laughed at that, and pushed her bangs back out of her eyes. "Maybe it was."
Cavendish was now gladder than ever that he had neglected to wear his coat. He would have hated to leave it behind. Casually he started winding a piece of his hair around his finger, striking an air of utmost disinterest.
"And what would I get if I were to catch you? I am a pirate after all; I don't tend to do things that don't come with a reward."
She hummed, with that vague smiled of hers that was impossible to decipher as she seemed to think about it. After a minute she began to wind her braid into a bun, securing it with pins he hadn't realized she even had on her.
"Alright," she said, "if you can catch me, I'll stop 'dragging' you around, as you put it."
That was quite the incentive, and Cavendish bowed with a dramatic flourish. "I accept your terms, my lady."
And just like that, she was gone.
Swearing, Cavendish ran out into the street and just caught a glimpse of her pink hair around the corner and took off after her. He hadn't quite expected her to start just like that. But he could and would catch up to her. His pride was most certainly on the line this time.
As she lead him through the city, he started to think that maybe it had been a tiny bit foolhardy to challenge a woman whose strength heavily relied on her speed to a race in her home territory. The first time he got close she took a turn he hadn't realized existed, and the second time she actually slipped in between two buildings in a space so narrow he couldn't follow.
They were down a solid alley now, and Cavendish was steadily gaining. On a straight sprint they were closely matched, and for the first time since they started, he was within ten feet of her. There was no place for her to turn until the end of the path, and he felt confident he get reach her by then. He felt so confident in fact, that he taunted her about it.
"Are you prepared to honour your promise?" He called to Rebecca, grinning.
"No." She retorted as she looked back at him with a smile, and dropped to the ground and tripped him with one long leg.
Cavendish hit the ground hard, and even though he flipped himself back up immediately, she was already going back the way they had came, with a much more substantial lead than moments ago. The arm he had landed on was the one with the sleeve with the tear in the elbow, and now the sleeve was half torn off. He ripped it off and tossed it away so it wouldn't get in his way, and he ran onto the main street.
He had a feeling she was heading toward home, so he decided to take a chance and let her out of his sight. As fast as he could he sprinted for the entrance by the gardens. Dodging citizens and animals he raced through the city by the most direct route he knew until he hit the palace district. Thinking it would be faster to be inside at least one set of walls he ran through the main gate and at the exact same time, he saw he climb down over the wall by the courtyard.
She was so surprised that she paused for a vital second, and even as she dashed into the garden he managed to get one hand around her wrist, stopping her short just inside the stone arch.
They were both breathing heavily, and more than a little of Rebecca's hair had escaped from her bun. Cavendish assumed that his didn't look much better, and now that he had stopped moving he was aware of his shirt sticking to his back from the sweat. He still had a hold of her wrist, and the other hand was pressed against the wall next to her shoulder. He was leaning over her, instinctively keeping her contained in case she tried to take off on him again.
Neither of them spoke, and apart from the sounds of their breath, there was complete silence. They made eye contact and Cavendish chuckled, albeit a bit breathlessly.
"Well," he said, "I think you have something to say."
"I know." she said.
Her voice was a bit wheezy too, so Cavendish tilted his head down to hear her better. It was a bit awkward, so he let go of her wrist and braced his other hand on the wall next to her as well.
"I'll stop 'dragging' you around now. But," she added quickly, "I'm still going to keep you from causing any pointless damage."
"Sounds fair enough."
They smiled at each other, and Cavendish realized just how close they were. Usually if he got this close Rebecca would get embarrassed or flustered and extract herself from whatever situation had gotten them there, but with the adrenaline and exhaustion of their race she seemed content to rest with her back against the cool stone of the wall. He wasn't one to let a chance slip by, and he used one hand to carefully tuck her disarrayed hair behind her ears. The colour in her cheeks darkened, but she didn't look away from him.
"You know," he said "I'm surprised at how well you're resisting my charm."
She laughed, a small surprised noise, and her face was now obviously flushed with embarrassment rather than the previous exercise. She looked down briefly before looking back up at him.
"Maybe you're not as charming as usual." she mumbled, tugging on the torn off edge of his sleeve as if to emphasize her point.
"Is that a problem?" he asked, tilting her chin up, "because I'd like to kiss you right about now."
Rebecca turned completely red, and after opening and closing her mouth several times without making a noise, shook her head and squeaked "notaproblem".
Cavendish, surprised but thrilled, slid his hand behind her neck and gently kissed her. He kept it short and chaste, mindful that she was still only sixteen and very much shy about this type of thing. When he pulled back she looked equal parts flustered and happy, and he was just about to ask her how it was when he heard an ominous growling.
Looking up and to his left, Cavendish saw Kyros standing in the archway with a white-knuckled grip on his sword and murder in his eyes.
Cavendish was a successful pirate, a genius, a prodigy with the sword, and a man of superior looks and intelligence over the common people.
And that was why he was smart enough to run.
Even as the yells of Kyros threatening Cavendish within an inch of his life and Cavendish's equally passionate screams that he didn't do anything wrong echoed throughout the palace, Rebecca stayed in the garden. With her fingers pressed against her lips and a smile on her face, she gave a pleased sigh… before she ran after the two men she loved best.
Author's Note: I feel like the end of this would have Rebecca sitting down with Kyros trying to convince him that she really does like Cavendish and poor Kyros is just like "PIRATES RUIN EVERYTHING I EFFING HATE PIRATES YOU'RE MY LITTLE GIRL AND NO ONE IS GOOD ENOUGH TO MARRY YOU IM GONNA KILL HIM"