Audrey sighed as she sat across from Mihawk, tracing the lid of a glass lemonade bottle in a bored fashion. Their eyes were locked, a glare coming from one end, a fond gaze coming from the other. Pastries were laid out amongst plates, three fourths of it gone while the other fourth was still being eaten slowly but surely. Audrey let her eyes waver before she dropped her glare completely, now shy from the golden eyes that watched her every move.
"I…It must be pretty…depressing, I guess…to travel alone…" Audrey attempted at conversation, feeling the awkward silence in between the two. Mihawk looked up from the muffin he was dissecting, slowly putting a piece in his mouth and waited till he finally swallowed before he answered.
"I wouldn't say so. I have a messenger hawk, so it keeps me connected to those I need to be. But it does get a little too lonely when you're on the seas with nothing but a transmitter to tap into other lines." He replied, staring at the table while his hands moved leisurely around, gathering more fresh food into his plate. Audrey nodded slowly, fingers tapping the table as the other hand picked apart a scone.
"You seem to not be enjoying your time with your brother."
"It's a pain in the ass, but he currently is the only family member that I have to rely on until my bounty gets high enough that I can strike fear into others just by walking down the street." Audrey stared at the table before raising her eyes to face the deadly gold. "Then I will move on and be a solo pirate myself. I have no need to use a ship anyway when I could fly to my destinations." Audrey let her eyes drift back down and she stopped her drumming, her hands laying flat against the wood. Mihawk watched her for the time being, getting the thought that she would talk no more unless something extreme happens or he brought up a subject. He took this moment to just examine her face and watch the thoughts cross her mind. She was an open book to him, and it didn't take him long to figure out that she was saddened by something.
"You seem to not want to live your brother…?"
"No, it's more or less the fact that I'm worried about him being an idiot and getting caught by the Marines but I guess Benn can keep him safe. He has a good mind anyway." She answered, mildly distracted with a little girl pulling along her brother to see something. Mihawk watched also, intrigued by the fact that she was leaving her brother in an amount of time that wouldn't be long. It was time he made his move, because knowing that if he'll never see this extraordinary woman again, pained him beyond healing. She made it hard for him to breathe correctly, and his heart rate probably goes up abnormally high whenever she looked at him with those eyes.
"Two is better than one, Hawkeyes." Mihawk was shocked at this, never hearing something like that before. "You should find someone to travel with… I'd hate to see you all alone when you need someone." Audrey was very truthful at this point. She had grown to liking this man that sat across from her in the few hours they spent together at a pastry joint. She doubted he would let her travel with him. He was more interesting himself than her brother and his crew, which was saying a lot.
Mihawk watched as Audrey stood up, staring outside coldly. He moved his vision to see a young lady being harassed by a couple older men, and fear was obvious though she did not scream. Hawkeyes, too, stood and followed the Le Roux out the door as she moved towards the group.
"Trying to get yourself killed, Audrey?" Mihawk hissed in her ear, stopping just a bit behind her while continued staring.
"No. I'm going to be intimidating." Mihawk quirked an eyebrow at her but said nothing as she stepped forward more, hands clenched into fists at her sides. A small clearing of the throat caught the harassers' attention, and they turned their gaze to Audrey, and a hungry look came into one of the other's. Hawkeyes stepped forward quickly, ready to take action if needed, but a feeling hit him that Audrey didn't need said assistance. Haki was streaming out of her, making ripples in the dust and cracks in the wood as she heightened and controlled it skillfully. The swordsman stepped back bit, not wanting to be struck by fear. He watched as even the toughest of the bunch ran scrambling away, leaving the petrified woman on the ground. Audrey stopped Haki instantly and ran to help her up, a gentle look within her eyes.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, helping the wobbling woman stand.
"Ah.. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you… for whatever you did there." The woman smiled meekly and hobbled away, clutching her purse to her chest and looking nervously around. Audrey shrugged and stood there, not sure of what to do now other than feel the pride and happiness of being able to rescue someone from harassment. Mihawk opened his mouth, but decided to stay silent, seeing as she was about to turn around. He grinned back as Audrey giggled and smiled hugely, jumping and punching the air with her fist happily. He, unknowingly doing this, hugged her and spun her around, since they were the only ones on the street. Audrey didn't notice this and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, fingers probing the neck and shoulder muscles.
"You seem to have a lot of knots in your muscles, Hawkeyes." She whispered gently, continuing her probing quietly. Mihawk remained silent still, holding her while her fingers prodded gently against his skin. "Let's go to the beach. I'll give you a massage there… If you wish." Audrey pulled back, and let her hand slide down his arm before entwining his fingers with hers. Hawkeyes felt a blush creep up his neck but nodded, a small smile flickering across his face. She grinned and pulled him to the public beach, taking off her boots and rolling up her pants so that they didn't get gritty and wet. They rested on Mihawk's jacket, Audrey shoving him gently onto his stomach and started moving her hands in small circles, getting bigger, around his shoulder blades and neck muscles, feeling the knots here and there.
"Being alone must really stress you…"
"I'd like to say that it does put some knots in my back, but a few other things add more…"
"Hum… Then, I guess I shall join you…?"
"What?" Mihawk sat up, facing opposite of her, leaning back on his arms while she stared at him, a hopeful look in her eyes. He watched her for a moment, searching for any type of lying at all. He found none. Damn it.
"Well… I was thinking about what I said earlier and… Two is better than one, and I'm the only girl amongst Shanks' crew and you're alone… Thought we might make ourselves a pair, eh?" She chuckled and laid back on his coat, an arm slung over her eyes. "Though I already decided to leave this morning anyway. Talked over it with Shanks, he said it's fine. You don't have a choice now."
Mihawk watched her again for a moment, then decided to make a move already. He bent down, hesitating slightly, but manned up and let his lips graze hers lightly, fingers gently brushing away her bangs. Audrey remained still but as soon as the kiss began, she immediately was hungry for more, moving her hands from her face to his neck, up his muscles to knot her fingers in his jet-black hair. Mihawk gently bit down on her lower lip, begging for entrance, which she granted kindly. They explored each other, their tongues dancing together while hands moved against their bodies passionately. Breaking apart for air, Hawkeyes murmured words of love in her ear, caressing her jaw bone swiftly and massaging her shoulders. Audrey smiled against his collarbone, fingers gripping the smooth skin of his shoulder blades lightly.
Ooooh, yay. Some action. Yeah. The end of this chapter was mildly inspired by the song Two Is Better Than One (feat. Taylor Swift) by Boys Like Girls. I'd like to dedicate this story pretty much to my supporters that exist out there (you know who you are coughvampirerevancough) and to the members of Twisted Fury Pack Reborn for being some of the greatest friends ever.
If you are an artist, I don't care about whatever level you're on, feel free to do some art! :D I wouldn't mind it at all. There is a reference of Audrey in my gallery on deviantART (link is in my profile) so go ahead and do that. Note me if you want specifics.
Thanks for reading~!
-Mikayla
(lmao this is just the end of the flashbacks for so far…mhmm.)
