Aria grunted, hooking one foot around the wheel. Water streamed down her face, her braid a dead weight down her back. She struggled to maintain her balance on the slippery deck. Lightning flashed. Thunder boomed, shaking her to her bones. She didn't react.
Waves crashed against the ship, battering the sides and spilling saltwater over the deck. Her clothes clung to her frame, her cloak soaked enough she would be surprised if it got dry ever again.
Snake shouted something, but she didn't catch it. A second later, he turned the wheel just as a wave hit the ship. Aria barely kept her footing and gritted her teeth, glancing over at the Navy ship they were almost hitting.
Where were they?
Shanks and Benn hadn't explained why they wanted to raid this ship. Let alone in the middle of a storm. But no one questioned them and now Aria was waiting for Benn to get back and take back over with Snake.
He had told them to keep the ship steady, and never let it get too far from the Navy's. Both men were strong swimmers, but no one wanted them to risk doing that in a storm. Immediately afterwards, he followed Shanks over to the other ship and they disappeared.
Aria had tried to follow them with her haki, but it was madness. There were powerful people aboard the other ship, and while she could easily tease apart Shanks fire-and-salt spark and Benn's ash-and-iron, the others were strong enough that she had to pull it back before she got sick and overwhelmed.
Gunshots sounded, though thunder drowned them out briefly, and Aria kept darting her gaze from the growing waves to the Navy ship. After what felt like an eternity, two dark shapes vaulted over the rails, water spraying as they landed. Shanks, looking unhurt but breathless, shouted, "Let's get out of here!" He held something under his arm, but disappeared inside a second later.
Her muscles were screaming, knuckles white around the wheels pegs, legs shaking, by the time Benn reached the helm. He laid his hand on her arm briefly and jerked his head for her to go below. Aria hesitated for half a second. Not looking away, he squeezed her arm lightly, then jerked his head again. She nodded and fled inside.
She must've imagined the pained look in his eyes, but forced it from her mind as the ship rocked. She crouched against the wall, bracing herself, until the motion stopped, then stepped forward slowly. Her hand trailed on the wood as a precaution. Her legs shook and water dripping down her face kept making her blink.
Her arm burned from where Benn had touched her. She braced again, her chest tightening. It seared like before, a blaze the rain couldn't touch. Thunder shook the wood under her; she couldn't remember a storm being this bad before. A shiver ran down her spine as water trickled down the inside of her cloak.
A voice called her name, and she sensed it more than heard it. Looking up, she noticed Shanks was holding his cabin door open, motioning for her to join him.
Bracing herself against the wall as the ship rocked terribly, she met Shanks in the doorway and he pulled her to him. Rainwater dripping from his clothes into a puddle on the floor, and his hat looked like dark wheat. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of a red streak on his forehead, only to sigh in relief as she realized it was just his rain-soaked hair.
She sighed softly but hugged him back. "I'm glad you're okay." His clothes hung heavily from him, though she knew hers were too. Her head ached from the weight of her hair.
"Better than Benn, that's for sure," he chuckled. "The idiot got shot coming back, but I saw him take your spot at the helm."
She froze, her breath catching. Benn had been hurt? He hadn't acted off when he took over for her.
Shanks frowned and stepped back, removing his cloak. "It was a graze. I saw it myself. Otherwise you'd still be up there."
Relaxing, she noticed the box on his desk. "Is that what you risked your necks for?" It was small and she couldn't imagine what it held. If it were treasure, it wouldn't be a lot.
Shanks nodded but his eyes turned hard. "It's a special devil fruit I heard about a few years ago. I've been keeping tabs on it and when I heard it would pass through here, I didn't want to miss it." He grabbed a couple of towels and handed one to Aria before using his own to dry his hair.
Aria just wrapped it around her hair, knowing that was where the worst of the rain was collected. "Which one?"
Sinking into his chair, he didn't look at her. "Gum gum fruit. Turns your body to rubber." He didn't elaborate more, however.
Aria almost asked about it, but his expression made her rethink that.
Shanks watched as she removed her cloak, laying it across the second chair. "Was the ship okay while we fetched it?" He sounded exhausted, though he hid it well. Setting the hat on his dresser, he laid the towel over it.
"We lost a barrel that wasn't secure enough, and someone fell from the rigging, but that's it. Hongo's looking at him now," she reported. "The storm should only last a couple more hours, if we're lucky. Oh, and Roux managed to make something hot without burning the kitchen down." One of the younger crewmembers had risked the storm to let her and Snake know shortly before Shanks returned.
He brightened at that. "I'm impressed. I didn't think he'd risk getting a fire started, but I'm glad. The crew in the mess?"
"Either there or in the quarters," she said, bracing herself against the wall as the ship rocked again.
They turned as a thud sounded, but it was just Benn joining them. "Snake has our course set. The Navy ship won't catch us." He didn't look at Aria; her heart thudded painfully. "I'll send out replacements for the ones on deck in an hour." Without another word, he turned and Aria saw a red line across his upper arm. Blood trickled down thinly, but then he was out the door.
She watched him disappear down the stairs and jumped as Shanks grabbed her hand. She couldn't help but cast another look down the hall, but pulled her gaze back to Shanks.
"Did you two have a fight?" he asked, pulling her onto the bed as the ship leaned; one arm around her waist, he braced them against the wall. "I don't think I've seen him say more than two words to you in months." His brow furrowed and his voice lowered with concern.
She wasn't surprised he had noticed.
Aria rubbed her hair with the towel as the ship leveled out. "I have no idea what's going on. I don't think I've done anything." She knew what happened, but she wasn't about to tell Shanks about Benn kissing her. The first mate had hardly even looked at her since then, and that was eight months ago! He gave her orders occasionally, told her the duties she had, but outside of that, he never spoke to her.
It stung more than she would've ever thought. And whenever she got close to him, she never missed the pained look in his eyes each time before he walked off.
"Want me to talk to him?" Shanks asked, helping her.
She forced back her groan. "No, it's alright. Maybe he's just been busy helping you plan this raid." The last thing she wanted was Shanks confronting him. This was between her and Benn.
Shanks didn't look convinced, but he didn't protest. "Go get warm, alright?" The corner of his mouth twitched up. "Do you want to join me here tonight?"
Smiling ruefully, she stood. "No. I'm going to get some sleep in case I'm needed on watch later." Part of her admired how Shanks refused to give up.
Since the day Benn had kissed her, she'd kept a careful distance from Shanks while she tried to figure things out. He'd noticed, asked about that a few times, but after a while he slowed down and only asked in moments like this. And it was never more than for her to join him in here at night, or for a kiss when they were alone.
Predicably, he stood and kissed her cheek. "Fine, but you can always change your mind." The cheer in his voice sounded forced.
Ignoring the somber look in his eyes, Aria made her way down to the mess. Half the crew were already there, and the scent of hot chocolate filled the room. Grabbing a mug from Roux, she went and sat by Hongo.
One good thing about her year of recovery: she had no issues with Hongo now. She still couldn't go into the surgery, but she hadn't needed Benn to join her since the last time they spoke.
Not that she thought he would now.
Hongo looked up from his book as she sat down. "Glad to see you were able to help Snake at the helm." He'd stayed in the surgery, as far as she knew, keeping his tools and medicines from breaking or falling. It wasn't usually an issue, but she knew in storms he got worried.
"I hope it's awhile before I have to do that again," she remarked. "Keeping the ship from moving away like that was more difficult than I expected."
He hummed in agreement and flipped a page. Glancing at it, she noticed it was about medical experimentation. Suppressing a shudder, she looked around the room.
Yasopp was in a group playing poker, Limejuice was talking with Gab, and Monster was asleep by the stove; he was tucked under the countertop-table where he wouldn't get stepped on. Bonk must be asleep, she thought. Almost everyone had a drink and as she watched, Roux joined Limejuice and Gab with his own.
Her gaze stopped on Benn, sitting in the corner by himself. He didn't have a drink, his rifle leaning against his side. When their eyes met, she gave him a tentative smile, but he got up and quickly left the mess. As he passed them, she noticed the tightness of his jaw and the bandage wrapped around his arm.
She didn't know she'd made a sound of distress until Hongo spoke.
"Get in a fight?" he asked, not looking up from his book. Had he noticed the pained expression Benn just had? Or just guessed from her reaction?
"I have no idea, and Shanks asked me already," she said a little wistfully, her mind on the look on Benn's face still.
Hongo glanced up at that. "When was the last time Benn talked to you?"
Had he noticed that too? Who else had?
"Er, the week after we arrived in Foosha," she admitted quietly, taking a drink. The warmth felt good after the rain outside. It was nothing like where Benn had placed his hand, but it was nice.
His brows rose. "That long ago?" While Aria knew Hongo was glad she no longer needed someone there when he had to treat her, he had once made a comment about how odd it was that Benn was never around anymore. But she hadn't needed to go to Hongo very often in the last almost-year so it wasn't a big deal.
"I think he's mad at me or something," she admitted before she could stop herself.
Hongo shook his head. "I wouldn't say that…" When she stared at him, he shrugged. "I don't think mad is the right word." His voice caught a little and he didn't look at her, flipping another page.
Aria took a drink; the warmth in her stomach deepened. He knew something. "Any idea what's wrong then?"
His gaze flicked around for a second before he answered quietly, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's jealous."
Aria almost choked on her drink. "Of what?" Bewildered, her mind struggled to think of why Benn, the man good enough to be first mate, would be jealous of her?
He paused. "I'm not sure I should say," he looked back at his book. "If I'm right, then it's something you need to work out with him."
Hongo definitely knew something.
"Me?" What could that mean? Her mind wandered back through anything she'd done, people she'd talked with, but nothing specific came to mind.
Hongo was quiet for a minute, then he shut his book with a sigh. "Aria, how have things been with you and Shanks?" His voice was low, just enough for her alone to hear.
Caught off guard by this question, her mind struggled to think. "What do you mean?"
He turned to her. "The entire crew knows Shanks likes you. He has for a long time." Her eyes widened; she hadn't known the crew noticed that much. He watched her for a second, then added when she didn't respond, "I'm starting to think he's not the only one." He gave her a meaningful look.
Aria shut her eyes and laid her head on the table with a groan as she realized what he meant. "That explains a few things," she muttered. Benn was jealous of Shanks. Because Shanks had her. Even if it wasn't like Benn thought, no one could ignore how much time she spent with the captain.
Hongo laughed quietly. "I noticed how Benn was with you a while ago, but it wasn't until now that I've gotten an idea of what might be going on."
She thought about if she should tell him about Benn kissing her, but couldn't bring herself to. "What should I do then? I miss talking to him."
Benn wasn't quite the conversationalist as Shanks was, but her talks with him in the past were always comfortable. Shanks was a showoff, always enticing her to join him in whatever he was doing. He was fun, and his cheerful attitude was infectious, but sometimes she preferred to relax. Not that Shanks couldn't, but it wasn't the same.
Benn used to sit with her when she cleaned her glaive, or helped her practice, or just stood with her on watches. They didn't always talk. And when they did, it was usually about nothing important. But it felt different from when she talked with Shanks.
Until the day Benn kissed her, he was almost always with her. Now, they only saw each other for brief moments in the mess.
"You could try talking to him, but you'd have to catch him first," Hongo suggested. "I saw him head to his hammock, and most people here have theirs around him."
"I should try right now?" Aria felt a squeeze in her chest.
"It's worth a shot." The book opened. "I'll make sure no one takes your drink."
Aria was up and already in the crew's quarters before she realized she was about to take his advice. Benn was stretched out in his hammock near the stairs; the surrounding others were empty. She could see several people asleep in their hammocks further down the room, but none were close enough to hear them if they talked now.
Benn was looking at the ceiling, but even from here he looked too tense. No cigarette, his rifle laying in its spot beneath him, one arm across his chest and the other under his head. She could see his fist were clenched, his ankles crossed.
Aria took a step forward, but before she could say anything, he had rolled over, his back to her. Her eyes watered a second later but she didn't move. If Hongo was right, and she knew she couldn't deny it now, then Benn liked her more than he'd ever let on. But she was already dealing with whatever was going on between her and Shanks.
Did she really want to wake Benn and ask him about that kiss? And what if he admitted he liked her? She had no desire to be caught between two men, especially when she wasn't sure how to feel about one.
She was still mulling it over when Shanks appeared. "Aria?"
She turned as he came over.
His eyes widened. Grabbing her arm, he led her to the side where they wouldn't be seen by anyone walking through. "What's wrong?" His thumb brushed across her cheek, and she saw it glisten as he pulled away. She hadn't known she was crying. "What happened?"
She resisted glancing at Benn. "Nothing. I'm fine."
Shanks' eyes flashed. "No, you're not." His eyes darted over his shoulder and he sighed. "Come on." Grabbing her hand, he led her back up the stairs and to his cabin. "Sit."
She sat on the corner of the bed as he closed the door.
"Something happened with Benn, but you aren't telling me." Not an accusation, just concerned. "I want you up here with me for tonight, okay?" His eyes flashed as lightning lit the room, his expression unreadable.
Aria tried to protest but just looked down at his glare, staring at her lap.
Shanks sat down next to her. "Aria, I came down there and you were crying. I haven't seen you cry…well…ever. Not even when we rescued you. If you won't tell me what happened, I won't bug you about it. But I'm not going to stand by and watch you be hurt. And I don't think you want the others seeing you cry either."
She suddenly leaned forward, her face burying itself in his chest. His arms came up to cradle her, and she cried, her shoulders shaking violently, each breath a struggle amidst her sobs.
There was a hum of haki around them and she felt his fist clench into the soaked fabric of her own cloak. He pulled her tighter to him and she felt his lips on her crown. "Aria, can you please tell me what happened?"
She shook her head but didn't answer.
He let out an irritated sigh, but then let go. "Get out of these wet clothes and sleep, alright? I don't want you getting sick, or us sleeping in a wet bed." He gave her a weak smile, but it faded when she didn't return it.
When she was curled under a blanket, he sat with her for a moment. "I won't talk to him. Yet. But if this causes problems, I will literally lock you both in here until you talk." He tried to make his light voice, but failed.
Aria nodded once.
Shanks rubbed a thumb over the scar on her brow. "I don't want bad blood on this ship, Aria. I especially don't want it between my two favorite people." After another minute, he left, closing the door behind him.
Aria closed her eyes. Shanks' words were heavy on her mind, but she didn't know what to do. She wanted to talk to Benn, understand what was going on. But if he never gave her the opportunity, what could she do?