*Writer's note! I've decided to go with the younger, more "captain GP" version for this story. Enjoy!*

Gangplank and his crew laughed around you as you fell, yet again. you picked up the weapon you had been so carelessly tossed and picked yourself back up. What had it been now, the fifth time? You wiped the blood from your mouth and returned to an upright position. You turned back to the man who Gangplank had put you up against and raised your weapon. Your arm was clearly shaking, and your hand was sweaty enough to keep from having a firm grip on it.

"You're resilient." Gangplank mused, that smug grin on his face. Your eyes flicked to him for a moment before back to the towering giant that was up against you, the same look decorating his features. "Why don'cha call it quits?"

"And give you the satisfaction?" You scoffed. "Please."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged before nodding to the man in front of you. In response, the hulking mass came barreling at you, his sword coming down to meet your head. You blocked, but were forced to one knee. You weren't very good at sword play... But they were pirates after all. You thought of this as you were being pushed further and further to the ground. Pirates...

You let your leg give out and kicked at his knee. He groaned, the pain obviously shooting through him, and he fumbled his sword enough for you to gain leverage. You roared, pushing him back from you before standing. He held his knee and grumbled, but remained standing and glaring at you. The crew's laughter had began to turn into slight cheering, although you weren't sure it was for you. You brought your sword up again and smirked.

The man, now clearly agitated with your smug behavior, lunged at you. You made a quick movement and slid between his legs. You hopped up as fast as you could, and before he could fully turn around, you kicked him as hard as you could muster. He stumbled, the sword falling from his hands. His mates caught him and turned him around, throwing him back into the fray, his weapon lost to the grain of the floor. You held your sword up to his neck and he stopped. The crew suddenly got quiet.

"Give." You said gently. He glared at you, making to raise his hands to your sword. you pressed it into his neck enough to draw blood, and he paused again. "I can make quick work of your head from this distance before you can muster a retaliation." After a few moments of silence, and him flicking his eyes back and forth between you and his captain, he nodded, taking a few steps back. Several of the crew cheered, and others laughed at the man who was backing off from you. You turned to Gangplank and slammed your sword into his ship. It swung back and forth as you let it go, and you approached him.

"You got the makings of a decent pirate." He grinned down at you. It wasn't his usual smug look, which sent a ripple of intrigue down your spine. You decided to ignore him and made your way past him, through his crew, and back to your quarters to tend to your bruises.

Your ribs were bruised, possibly even fractured, which made it interesting trying to breath. In your quarters, which had been assigned to you by the Captain himself upon arrival of his ship, you leaned over a table, trying to get a hold of yourself. There was no way you could go out there like this. You weren't sure if you would be able to move by the end of the day. You grasped at your side. The makeshift brace you made was firmly in place, strapped to your side by the bandages you had wrapped around yourself.

A banging on your door shocked you, and you hissed at the pain of breathing to hard.

"Just a moment." You said as you reached for your shirt, but they didn't bother waiting. You turned away from the door to hide your injury from view, and heard the click of the door close as you attempted to get it on. It hurt like hell.

"I hear you've neglected yer chores." A gruff voice said behind you. You sighed, pulling on the second sleeve with more ease than the first.

"It took me a little longer than expected to patch myself up." You explained. You turned to Gangplank and glared at him. "No thanks to you, might I add." He smirked.

"And even with those bruises, ya still have quite the temper." He pulled a bag from out of his coat and dangled it in front of you. "Here. This will make sure you heal properly. Make sure you've eaten when you take it." You looked at it, but didn't try to reach for it. Instead, you simply glared at the man, who's face was turning into a frown. "No? Ya don't want to get better?"

"So you can keep throwing me into fights?" You crossed your arms. "You promised to drop me off at the next port If i won a fight. And now I've won 4." You groaned. "It's been months! What the hell do you want from me!?" He approached you faster than you had anticipated, which landed you on the floor from the surprise. You cried out when your ribs hit against your lungs, and you tried desperately to breath.

Gangplank scooped you into his arms and kicked open your door. Bewildered, you tried to scramble out of his arms, but he only tightened his grip as he took you to the ship's doctor. He shot you a glare, and you didn't dare budge further. He dropped you on the bed when you arrived in the doctor's quarters and tossed the bag at you, which you fumbled with.

"Captain?" The doctor rose, looking over at him. Gangplank merely stared down at you for a few moments before turning sharply to the man.

"Fix the damn scalliwag." He said in a huff as he turned and stormed out. You stared after him, just as confused as you were a few minutes ago. you heard him spouting curses and various objects being thrown as he made his way back on deck. The doctor turned to you.

"He hurt you, didn't he?" He seemed to grin at this.

"Not exactly... I mean, sort of?" You weren't sure how to answer. The doctor chuckled.

"He gets in a tiff when he hurts people he enjoys the company of." He mused, reaching for the bag in your hands. "At one time or another, he's gain respect for each member of his crew. He takes the burden upon himself when he can do nothing for them."

"He does?" You said, your eyes still glued to the door. "So... He's... Sorry?"

"In a way." The doctor tugged at your shirt. "Let's take a look."

You were relaxing in your quarters, keeping your back straight against the wooden frame of the only window you had. The doctor had said to sit straight and lie straight, to keep the ribs from moving too much while they healed. This was the one place you had found that could keep you from slouching. So you sat, one leg dangling over the side, the other braced against the frame as you stared out over the sea. The salty breeze hit your face gently as you stared out onto the ocean, trying to make sense of today's events.

Gangplank had been acting crazy earlier. Had he gained this so called "respect" for you as well? A knock at the door interrupted your thoughts and you turned to view Gangplank standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Captain?" You said gently.

"How are you fairing?" He said, closing the door behind him.

"About as well as anyone with a few fractured ribs." You shrugged it off before turning back to the ocean. "Is there something I can do for you, Captain?"

"You can stay." He said. Your whole body stiffened, sending another one of those ripples down your spine. "Yer question, from earlier... I wanted to give ya an answer." After a few moments, you turned back to him. He had taken his hat and coat off and laid them along your table. His red tunic was slightly open in the front, probably to catch some air, but you couldn't help but stare at him. "I want ya to stay." he said, as if to confirm your thoughts on the matter.

"Why?" You asked, your heart rate picking up slightly. "Why me?"

"Hasn't it been obvious?" He mused, flopping on your bed. "I'm having the boys train ya. So you can be better acquainted with the work we do here." He grinned over at you. "Perhaps i'm being a little rough."

"A little!?" you groaned. He chuckled.

"Alright, I get yer point." He mused. You found yourself smiling at him. After a few moments of just staring, he leaned forward on his knees. "What's that goofy grin on yer face for?" Instantly, you frowned and turned away from him.

"I don't know what you mean." you huffed. He laughed again. You heard the footsteps of him walking to you and he pushed your foot out of the way. You looked up to see him sitting on the other side of the window, only an arms length of distance between the two of you. He had been peeling an orange, it looked like, and he was nearly done with it.

"Have ya been takin' that medicine I gave ya?" He asked quietly. You nodded. "Good." He seemed pleased with that as the last of the peel fell away.

"You made quick work of that." You said as he used the peeling knife to then cut it in half.

"Been doin' it a while." He mused before raising half of the orange to you. Gently, you took it. "The trick is never to use yer thumb as a stopper, just as a guide." He said before then biting into his half and looking out at the ocean. "She's a beaut." He motioned with his head. You turned to look out at the ocean only to find a whale had come up to the surface for some air a few yards away. You grinned slightly before shaking your head. He was acting so informal suddenly.

"Why are you-" You made to say as you turned, only to find his lips against yours. Your eyes widened as he tugged your chin with his free hand to tilt your head, deepening the kiss. What was this, all of the sudden!? He raised his hands to your face, and you found your reaching up to hold onto his wrists, dropping the orange somewhere. Your eyes fluttered shut as he continued, scooting closer to you as he did. He tasted like oranges, and rum, and tobacco. Before you knew it, he was pulling away while looking down at you.

"Now... You know why I want you to stay." He said. It was the most gentle you'd ever heard come out of the man, and you tried hard to swallow the dryness in your throat.

"I see." Was about all you could muster. He chuckled and pulled his hands from your face.

"I'll give you time to think about it." He said. He made to leave, but you stopped him, pulling at his hands. He raised an eyebrow at you...

"I... I don't understand." You shook your head. "If you had... Why continue to put me through these fights?" He smiled and took your hands in his.

"I told ya. I'm trainin' ya. I want'cha to be tough. If ya choose to stay... Yer gunna have to survive." He shrugged slightly. "I didn't expect ya to be so roughed up..." This was like that almost apology you thought you got while in the doctors office.

"...It's alright." You smiled slightly. "Nothing I can't get used to." His eyes seemed to light up at the comment and he leaned forward slightly.

"You'll stay?" His grin spread across his face.

"...I'll try." You shrugged. "I'll try... If you train me." A sly grin settled into his features as he let his back hit the frame of the window.

"A pirate in the makin', eh?" He was certainly amused. "I'll consider it if ya give me another peck." He said. It was seductive, but firm, like he was going to get one regardless of deal or no deal. You felt your face heating up but took a deep breath.

"I... Can't lean forward." You said with a small grin. He laughed.

"No need." He pulled himself up until his lips met yours again and he let out a sigh. You weren't sure if it was of relief, or pleasure. Either way, you had enjoyed it, now that you were expecting it. It was a strange twinge, however, that you had been enjoying the kiss... "Get healed up quick." He said gently. "Because, normally, I'm not so... gentle." he smirked slightly, sending the heat of your face to your ears and nose. You didn't know what to even think of that, let alone anything else happening currently. He laughed it off and gently bid you goodnight before leaving, grabbing his coat and hat along the way.

You took in a deep breath, and let it out. Then, you raised your hands to your lips. You could still feel the blush along your cheeks, but smiled in spite of it all.