Mihawk/Shanks •2•

(The Rose and the Life Changing Decision)

When they met Mihawk they hadn't thought they'd see him again.

Benn had been a bit wary and suspicious of the alpha when he glanced over at his captain, when Shanks back was turned, with a weird look on his face.

They had left the island not long after the meeting, more of a fight between his captain and the swordsman, and soon after leaving Benn felt as if his were very well founded.

Especially when Shanks, in a slightly hysterical confused flushed sputtering, dragged him to the captains quarters and shoved him into the room to show him what was on the bed.

Because laying there staring back oh so innocently, was a perfectly bloomed red rose that had a long gold, maroon, and black ribbon tied near the base. Long enough that it trailed from where the rose was, the center of the bed, to the edge of the bed and hung off the side several inches with a hawk stitched into one of the tails of the ribbon.

It was easy to guess who it was from, and he could already feel a headache coming on from what this would mean.

Because that wasn't just a rose.

It was a courting rose.

It was a way for an alpha to show someone that they were interested in them, found them attractive, and even wanted to try out a courtship with them. And it was red which meant that there really was genuinely sincere feelings and intentions from the alpha.

And it was easy to tell who this one was from.

Mihawk.

He looked back at his captain to see he had his hand on the back of his neck and was staring at the floor beneath them with a flustered face.

Benn's teeth clenched before he spoke, "What are you going to do?"

His captain startled before looking towards the rose then at him, still in a flustered stutter "I-I don't. I meant. I it's just. Uh-"

"Captain."

Shanks mouth snapped closed and he swallowed. "I don't know."

Benn sighed before nodding and started to walk towards the door. He clamped a hand on his captains shoulder as he passed. "Well whatever you respond make sure it's what you want. I'll support you." With that said he walked out, feeling his captains gaze on his back until he shut the door behind him.

He glared ahead and clenched his hands at his side. Once again hyperaware of the gun on his back.

He was saying the truth when he told Shanks that he'd support him, but that didn't change the fact that the man was going for the red head.

He knew he was kind of acting like an overprotective father who's daughter just brung home her first boyfriend, but he didn't care. If Shanks decided he wanted to respond to Hawkeye with a negative answer, he'd help get rid of the swordsman and yes bullets would fly. If Shanks did the opposite he would still be supportive but Mihawk would not be automatically accepted around his captain, he'd make sure of it himself.

And if Mihawk was just playing, he ignored the fact that the rose was red, the swordsman would be receive a bullet and an exploded head.

Even if it's the last thing Benn ever did.

--(xXx)--

Shanks twirled the rose around in his hand again, looking it over once again.

He'd been doing this for so long now he knew every single part of the rose intently already, but he still just couldn't believe it. Someone had actually been interested in him enough to give him a rose. And not just anyone, but Hawkeye. The man well on his way to become the greatest swordsman in the world.

Who had challenged him to a fight not long after they met and both injuring each other the same severity. Even if Mihawk had been better than him in swordsmanship.

He had to admit he had been attracted to the man as well, but wasn't even going to try for someone who seemed so far out of his league.

And yet-

He suddenly set the rose down on the desk in front of him as if it burned him, still staring at it.

'And yet it's here.'

He wanted to respond to the alpha. He really did, but everything hung on his answer and it felt too important for a half assed unsure response. But he shouldn't procrastinate any longer than he had. A month was pushing it. He also knew Benn was waiting to know his answer as well.

He sighed as he stood and left his quarters and walking towards deck. It was nighttime and the chill out was just perfect. He waved to Rocket as the man looked from the crows nest to see who come onto deck.

The man nodded and disappeared behind the edge again as Shanks made his way to the helm, the only place where there was some semblance of privacy on deck besides the quarters.

He leaned on the rail with the rose still dangling limply in his fingers. The ribbon blowing from the wind and caressing his side.

He looked at the rose again before he heard a thump of feet behind him. He turned around to see the man in question standing there in all his glory, with his sword on his back and staring straight at him.

Shanks quickly glanced at the crows nest to see Rocket pointing his weapon straight at Mihawk, who didn't even glance in his direction, he subtly waved his hand to tell Rocket to stand down and the man obediently dropped his weapon and turned back around to continue keeping watch.

He turned his eyes back to the swordsman and he met his eyes. He wasn't even able to get a word out before the swordsman spoke. "Its been a month." Shanks hands suddenly felt sweaty and he swallowed hard. "An answer."

Mihawk sounded annoyed and Shanks could tell just by looking at him that the man was at the end of his rope concerning his patience.

Shanks swallowed again, suddenly hyperaware of the rose pressed between his hand and the railing of the ship, before meeting Mihawks piercing golden eyes searching.

He needed to know that if he said yes it wouldn't be the wrong answer. If he said yes and let himself fall in love with this alpha that he wouldn't be broken in the long run. That this man could be as willing to devote himself to Shanks, as he was.

It took a moment but the red head found his answer.

There were two options on how to respond to a courting rose. Burning it and the ribbon, or putting the rose in water and tying the ribbon to his wrist.

Burning meant refusal and water meant acceptance. The ribbon was a special kind at least it was supposed to be. The ribbon would be cut in half, one piece tied to the flower and the other kept by the alpha. Whatever happened to one of the pieces would happen to the other. If one burned the other would as well.

If a knot was tied into it a knot would appear on the other.

He knew Mihawk had the other half and probably had been checking the thing daily to see if he had answered or not.

He picked up the rose again and looked at it, feeling the swordsman' eyes intently watching his movements, before untying the ribbon from it. He grabbed the rose by its stem and flung it out to the ocean, where it continued to float. He took the ribbon and wrapped it around his wrist twice before putting a knot in it to keep it secure.

After he finished he stopped and hesitantly looked up at Mihawk with a slight blush on his face. What he saw was more than a little surprising. Mihawk's eyes had softened and his stance had become noticeably less tense than it was before.

He saw something move behind the man and his eyes turned to track it, before widening slightly. It was the other half of the ribbon, a red one with three black diagonal slashes near the end of it. And it was wrapped around the handle of Mihawk's sword. That in itself was amazing, but seeing the ribbon colored to match his hair with a marking that would resemble his Jolly Roger or scars, was breathtaking. Because most alphas that still used the ribbons didn't care about what there half looked like as long as it matched the one given with the rose, but Mihawk had matched his to Shanks.

It said a lot. About how much the man wanted to be detracted to Shanks. About how the man felt as if Shanks was his equal.

Shanks flushed and his eyes went back to Mihawk's face when the man moved. Mihawk took the two steps towards him that separated them and his hand reached up to cup the back of Shanks head before pulling him into a blindingly head spinning kiss.

They weren't technically supposed to do that yet, but Shanks couldn't bring himself to care.

It felt so right, so breathtakingly fucking right.

And he never wanted to let go.

Mihawk was the one to pull back and he looked a little rattled, but Shanks was sure he looked worse because he was suddenly aware that he was panting slightly and his face was burning.

Mihawk took a step back and looked him over again before speaking. "I won't make you regret it." And then he turned and jumped over the side of the ship, probably to his own little boat. Shanks went to the other railing and looked down at the swordsman as he sailed off, trying to hold himself back from turning around to look at the red head.

Shanks watched as Mihawk's boat got smaller and small before it completely disappeared.

He breathed out before bring his wrist up to look at the ribbon tied around it. It fluttered and danced as the breeze pushed and pulled it to its will. He looked back up in the direction Mihawk's boat had disappeared too, and briefly noted that the sun had started to rise turning the ocean its beautiful array of colors.

He smiled.