Title: The Pleasure Is All Mine
Genre: Friendship, Drama
Summary: So a pirate and a Marine walk into a bar... Sounds like a bad joke, right? AU
WARNING: There are seriously mature themes towards the middle of this one-shot. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT, DEFINITELY DO NOT READ THIS!
In Paradise, there is an island where pirates and Marines are forced into cooperating with each other. This island is named Star Island, after its five-pointed shape. The island featured several hotels and pubs for the often- quarreling visitors to relax and unwind in. The two parties could mingle, communicate, and bond on this absolutely neutral island.
That didn't mean Marco the Phoenix, First Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, actually wanted to go. He happened to know that even after hours of being around the other side of the law, they still hated the pirates and would attempt to arrest and/or kill them at any opportunity. He wasn't worried for himself, of course, but some of the newer members might be in danger. And being the worrying mother-hen he was, he was trying desperately to persuade Pops to not take them to this island.
Unfortunately, this island had special meaning to Pops. It was a favorite hangout for his crew and the Roger Pirates when the Pirate King had been alive. Not to mention it also was one of the best places to buy sake on the Grand Line. So, off they went to Star Island.
"C'mon buddy, it'll be fun!" Marco's best friend Thatch tried to convince him. "Think of all the hot Marine women we'll see and 'mingle' with!" This last phrase was accompanied by the wiggling of the pompadoured man's eyebrows.
Marco rolled his eyes. "I don't care, yoi. I'm worried about the family's safety."
"Dude, relax! It's a neutral zone, what could possibly go wrong?"
Thatch, it seemed, turned out to be right. Even though they received death glares and threatening glances from the Marine ship that had recently docked at the island, neither side made a move to fight the other. The Whitebeards were able to restock supplies and shop for necessities without any trouble whatsoever.
However, it didn't stop Marco from giving his "island responsibility" speech to the crew members before they all scattered for the next few days. The crew groaned and complained, but heard the infamous talk nonetheless.
Marco sent his brothers and sisters off with a sigh. He could only imagine what sort of trouble they could get on an island infested with Marines and rival crews. With reluctance, he walked down the main street of town to find the nearest pub, in order to drown his anxieties away with this island's supposedly-fine sake.
~...~
Tanaka Aerie peered around the bar with barely-concealed disgust. All around her, men and women were getting drunk of their asses, wasting money away in an establishment that didn't deserve their time. What made it worse was that it was mostly her subordinates that were "enjoying" themselves.
"Another, please," she asked the bartender, holding out her glass for more whiskey. Despite being peeved beyond belief, she still used her manners on the gentleman.
He chuckled while cleaning another glass. "You sure, ma'am? That's the fifth you've had in ten minutes!"
She gave him a dangerous look. "I know what I'm doing, son," she said darkly.
The bartender shivered. He chuckled again, uneasily. For such a pretty young woman, she certainly knew how to throw daggers around with those golden eyes of hers. "Of course, ma'am," he said.
Aerie turned her gaze away from the young man. She had been a bit mean to him, so she might consider apologizing later. It wasn't the guy's fault, after all; it was the men who dared call themselves the subordinates of the "Golden Eagle".
"Still brooding?" A new voice asked, sliding up along the bar to her side. His dark blue eyes scanned the inebriated crowd before looking at her.
She scowled, snorted, and tossed her head back to drink the whiskey. It created a nice burning sensation as it slid down her throat and into her stomach.
"Never mind," the man, named Carlyle said, noting her murderous aura. "If it's making you so mad, why are you even here?"
Aerie nodded her head over her right shoulder at the door of the pub. Carlyle followed the motion with his eyes until he caught sight of the group of people that had just entered the place.
"Ah," he murmured in understanding, "pirates."
"I was going to leave, but then they showed up. I don't want these idiots doing anything stupid that could get us kicked off the island so soon." She motioned for the bartender to refill her glass again, which he did.
Her companion nodded. "Makes sense. Still, you look like you're about to kill somebody."
Aerie snorted again. Damn straight she was going to kill somebody, nineteen somebodies to be exact if they didn't sober up in about ten seconds.
"Is this about your dad?" Carlyle asked after a moment. "You guys talked about something in his office. You were pissed then, too."
"I'm fine," she replied stiffly.
The man shrugged. "If you say so." He then took the time to examine his childhood friend closely. Her muscles were tensed and her jaw was clamped firmly shut, as if she was keeping herself from saying something.
He sighed. "I gotta go. The Vice Admiral wanted me to find a place for us to stay tonight."
"See you later," Aerie answered with a dismissing wave.
Carlyle left the bar, looking back and waving at her once at the open door. To his surprise, another man had joined her at the long bar. Like him, this stud was tall and blond, but the other guy was more muscular. Fully confident in Aerie's ability to chase off a leering bachelor, the man left the pub.
~...~
Marco was in a pub watching the people with a bored expression when he saw her. Sitting at the bar by herself in a royal blue sundress, showing off legs that went on forever. When she turned to glare at the men behind her, he got a glimpse of her golden irises. She had beautiful features that were set in a nasty scowl, something that definitely didn't belong on her face.
In an instant, he made the decision to wipe off that frown.
He watched a blond man, presumably a friend of hers, come and speak to her at the bar. She didn't bite his head off, but her demeanor was not friendly in any way. Marco smirked. He did enjoy challenges, after all.
As soon as the other blond man left her side, he stood up and strode casually to the bar where she sat, one hand holding his sake bottle, the other in his pocket. He knew she sensed his presence from the way her shoulders tensed, but she didn't deter him from approaching.
"So," Marco drawled as soon as he was within her earshot, "what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Her furious gold gaze found his in a second. If he were a lesser man, he would have shrunk underneath the ferocity behind those eyes. However, he didn't become the First Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates by chance. His smirk only widened at her expression.
"A pretty little thing like you, all by yourself with all of these..." His voice trailed off as he scanned the room of rowdy Marines and pirates. "Charming gentlemen," he finished.
The woman snorted and swallowed her drink in one shot. She was still silent, acting as though she wasn't troubled by his being there, though her body language told him otherwise.
Marco nodded to the empty glass in her hand. "Strong drink, there. How many have you had?"
Now she fully turned to face him. "Piss off." She growled.
He faked innocence and brought his hands up in surrender. "Woah, there, I'm only trying to make a conversation, sweetheart. I want to know what's made you so mad."
She scoffed. "You don't even know me. And don't call me that..." Her eyes were drawn to the large tattoo on his chest and her scowl deepened. "...pirate." The word was said with as much disgust as she could muster.
Her petty insults did nothing to deter Marco. In fact, they only caused him to become even more interested in the woman.
He faked a pout. "Aw, come on, miss, I'm just trying to be friendly."
"Well, try to be friendly somewhere else. I'm not interested."
"Nobody should drink alone."
"I'm sure I'll be fine."
Marco wasn't convinced. He sat down on the stool next to hers and propped his chin up on his hand and met her gaze evenly. Her glare intensified.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot," he stated after a moment of tense silence. "My name's Marco."
"I know that," she snapped. "Marco 'the Phoenix', First Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Wanted for crimes including, but not limited to, piracy, thievery, destroying of World Government property, impersonating government officials, etcetera."
"Ah." He took a swig of his drink. "Now we're at a disadvantage. See, you know all this stuff about me, but I know next to nothing about you, except that you must be a Marine to have all this prejudice against pirates."
As the woman was about to reply, another Marine, presumably of a lower rank, came walking through the door. Upon seeing her, the man quickly pushed his way through the partying crowd and stopped in front of her.
Still panting, he saluted her. "Commodore!" He said, saluting. "The vice admiral needs to see you immediately!"
The commodore scowled. She rolled her eyes and finished off her drink, pointedly ignoring the pirate's gaze.
Marco's grin grew. "Commodore, eh? What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't." She pushed herself to her feet. She smoothed out the front of her dress and gave him a cool glance. "Under normal circumstances, I would say it was a pleasure to meet you, but this time, I won't."
"Oh, believe me," he purred, lowering his eyelids, "the pleasure was all mine."
The baffled Marine looked rapidly back and forth between the two. "Umm, Commodore? Isn't that-"
"Let's go, Ensign." The commodore cut him off before he could finish his sentence. They left without another word, leaving a thoroughly amused First Division commander at the bar.
"Commodore, hm?" He chuckled to himself. He took a drink of the liquid in his hand.
~...~
Author's Note: If you wish to skip down to the next bolded script, please do. Mature themes ahead.
If possible, Aerie was more put-out after talking to her father again than when she was babysitting her platoon in the bar. She angrily stalked out of the inn where the Marines were staying, snapping that she would be back later.
She stomped down the dark street, no real destination in mind. Really, anywhere away from the her infuriating subordinates and her superiors would be fine.
She suddenly stopped, realizing she had no idea where she was. She looked around herself at the lamplit street, trying to distinguish her surroundings in the dim light given by the street lamps. She rubbed her bare arms in the chilly evening air, cursing her stupidity in running off, alone, again, without a jacket.
A dark chuckle from the alley behind her made her freeze, golden eyes wide.
"Weeellll, what have we here?" A sleazy voice asked from directly behind her. "I wonder what a pretty little thing like you is doin' all by herself?"
Aerie didn't think; she reacted. She spun around, drawing the small blade she kept hidden in her sundress. She slashed the air, adding haki to the action like she had been trained. The man was faster, though, and dodged the slash.
"Whew, girl!" He laughed loudly. "You could hurt somebody swingin' that thing 'round like that!"
Aerie didn't respond, choosing to glare coldly and raise her blade. The man licked his lips and gave her a clear once-over.
"I do like 'em feisty," he rumbled. Aerie barely pushed down the urge to gag before he lunged forward.
Aerie danced out of the way and slashed the air again. This time, she managed to nick his face, just under his eye, before he turned his head to avoid the majority of the blow. He wiped the blood off his cheek with his thumb, examined it, then licked the digit clean.
She just barely managed to dodge a fist that came her way, returning it with a strong kick of her own, which he easily avoided. She frowned, refusing to panic, even though she was beginning to feel out skilled.
The man didn't seem troubled at all, a disgusting grin on his face. He's enjoying this, she realized.
Finally, a blow came to her temple that she wasn't fast enough to dodge. Black spots danced in front of her eyes as the man quickly took advantage of her daze to knock her to the ground. He straddled her hips and pinned her wrists to the ground with one hand.
Aerie immediately began to struggle, trying to throw him off her. The man only laughed and used his other hand to grab her throat.
"Now, darlin'," he said, leaning close to her face, allowing his rancid breath to wash over her, "there ain't no reason to fuss."
Aerie struggled to breath around the vice-like grip of his hand. To her distress, she realized the hand holding her neck was a shiny black. Haki! Mentally cursing, her struggling increased. The man only laughed again, releasing her neck, allowing her to draw in the much-needed air.
However, he did not let her go. His hand moved down her chest to the area between her breasts. Aerie found panic washing over her and she let out a blood-curdling scream.
She was almost immediately backhanded across the face, leaving a bright red mark on her cheek. With a wicked grin, he used his free hand to tear the front of her dress.
Suddenly, the man above her went still. His eyes shot open wide, like he was in a state of disbelief. He coughed up blood onto Aerie's face, before he began to slump forward.
The man's fall was interrupted by someone else literally throwing his body off of Aerie and into the alley, landing with a heavy thud. The other person tossed away the knife in his hand, the blade Aerie had dropped when she was tackled. He effortlessly lifted her to her feet and brought her into his arms.
End of mature-themed section
Aerie let out a sob and wrapped her arms around her savior, fingers curling into his back. While she tried to get her breathing under control and tell herself don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, the person began rubbing her back in soothing circles and drew her in closer to his chest
"It's alright, yoi" his voice whispered beside her ear, "I've got you."
I've heard that voice before, she thought as she raised her head from his collar bone to look at his face. Golden irises met electric-blue, and, with a start, she recognized the one who had saved her.
Marco the Phoenix looked down at her face, genuine concern in his eyes. He brought a hand up to her cheek to gently turn her head, allowing him to get a better look at where she had been backhanded. He ran his thumb over it and frowned when she flinched.
"That's gonna leave a bruise," he muttered. "Looks like that'll be the only thing you'll have to walk away with, though. I mean, he didn't...?" He left the question hanging.
Aerie shook her head, still baffled it was he who saved her. She dropped her gaze, only to notice the tattered condition of her sundress.
Marco looked down, too, realizing at the same time the state of her attire. He released her momentarily to shrug off his unbuttoned shirt and drape it around her shoulders.
Aerie gratefully drew his shirt around herself, covering her exposed chest. She took a step back away from him.
Finally, she quietly asked, "Why did you save me?" She quickly added, "Not that I'm ungrateful, of course."
He tore his gaze away from hers and looked down the dark alley where he had tossed the man's dead body. "Because you needed it," he answered eventually. "There isn't anybody who deserves something like that, yoi." He scowled in disgust.
She was quiet again. Then, "I owe you an apology."
Marco raised an eyebrow in a silent question. She answered with, "I seriously misjudged you this afternoon. I was rude while you were trying to be friendly. I placed my Marine stereotypes on you, and you didn't deserve them. I'm sorry."
He offered a small smile. "No harm done." He tilted his head down the street. "C'mon, I'm sure you want to get back to your crew." Aerie nodded and they began walking to the inn in comfortable silence, arms barely touching.
After a couple minutes of walking, they reached the inn. Marco took her up the steps to the front door. Even outside, they could hear the noises of still-partying Marines in the foyer of the inn.
Aerie turned to face him as they came to a stop in front of the door. "Thank you," she said. "For everything."
Marco raised a hand and waved it off. "Don't mention it, yoi."
"No, really, thank you." She cut him off before he could reply again. "If you hadn't shown up, then, that man would have..." She shuddered and drew his shirt closer around herself, not trusting her ability to not break into hysterics by finishing that sentence. "You saved me; what could I possibly do to repay you?"
He mulled it over. He realized she didn't like being in someone else's debt, and would do anything to get out of it. Finally, he made a decision.
"Two things," he said. "First: next time we meet, whether it's on neutral territory or not, I want you to go out to dinner with me."
Aerie blinked. He could ask anything of her, and he asks her out to dinner? "Alright," she conceded. "What's the second thing?"
He grinned. "Your name. I just can't take a girl out to dinner without knowing her name, y'know?"
She chuckled and shook her head. "Aerie," she answered finally. "My name is Aerie."
His grin widened. "Well, I know these definitely weren't normal circumstances, but," he held out his hand, "it was a pleasure to meet you, Aerie."
She shook his hand, holding on to it for a moment longer than necessary. "Believe me, Marco, the pleasure is all mine."
Marco laughed richly. She released his hand and he walked down the steps. He tossed a wave over his shoulder to her.
Aerie smiled, opened the door, and went inside the inn.
That was the longest one so far! Over 3,000 words! To be honest, this was also the hardest one to write. I had to walk away a couple times before I actually finished it.
Thanks for reading! And thanks to the people who have favorited, followed, and reviewed! Y'all are my favorites. :)
Much love,
~Batman
