Hongo held out his hand. "Hand me the suture kit and hold him steady."
Aria didn't hesitate. Handing the kit to Hongo, she sat to the side and held Shanks' hand. Aria's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line, her knuckles turning white as Shanks' grip tightened around her hand as Hongo sewed up the remaining flesh of his arm. His hand was rough in hers, but she could still smell the saltwater even after she had wiped it away.
Shanks' teeth clenched, a low, guttural groan slipping out as he tried to pull away.
Aria's grip tightened, her other hand gently smoothing Shanks' hair. "Hongo will be done soon," she murmured, her voice steady despite the ragged breaths tearing from Shanks' throat with every stitch.
Hongo's hands moved with practiced speed, but Aria knew their efforts were limited. The severed arm, though cleanly torn, offered little to work with—just raw muscle, shredded skin, and a torrent of blood.
Shanks let out a sigh and his grip slackened as Hongo stepped back. Within seconds, he was out; it was a miracle he had woken up when they brought him in and not passed out until now.
The doctor sighed and set the used tools in a little container filled with a cleaning solution he made. "The only thing left is to watch for infection." A harsh, astringent smell came from the liquid.
Aria's shoulders sagged with relief. "How likely is that to happen?"
"Hard to say," Hongo replied, rubbing his temple. "The seawater cleaned it pretty well, and we caught him before he landed on the beach, but there wasn't a lot of skin left. If he gets a fever, we'll know he has an infection."
Aria moved her thumb in slow circles on Shanks' hand. "I still can't believe he managed to swim back like that."
Hongo gave a wry snort. "I'm more shocked he swam all the way out there, then swam back with one arm missing, Anchor clinging to him and crying the whole time."
Poor Luffy. Aria knew he had to have been traumatized by this. Makino and Yasopp had taken him to the bar immediately, trying to keep him from seeing Shanks collapse. The terrified look on the child's face would stay with Aria forever.
She was especially glad he didn't see her, Hongo, and Benn carry an unconscious Shanks to the ship to be treated.
Shanks stirred, his voice a rough whisper. "Hongo? Aria?" His eyelids fluttered, struggling to focus.
"Want some pain medicine?" Hongo offered immediately.
Shanks managed a weak chuckle. "Rather have some whiskey."
Aria resisted rolling her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Why is whiskey always the first thing you ask for when you wake up?" she teased lightly.
Shanks gave a pained huff. "Better than water."
Hongo turned briefly, then held out a couple of small, white pills and a glass of water. "No alcohol yet, captain."
Shanks let out a whine but let Aria help him sit up as he took the medicine. When he handed the glass back, he leaned against her. "How's Luffy?"
"He's fine," Aria said. "Makino and Yasopp have him at the bar for now. He wasn't hurt." Shanks relaxed against her. "Benn's outside with the rest of the crew. They'll keep Luffy busy if he comes back soon."
His eyes darted to the door. "I'm glad he's okay." His head dropped and his eyes closed for several seconds before Aria nudged him awake.
She helped him lay back down. "Sleep, alright?"
Hongo crossed his arms, his expression softening. "She's right. You need to sleep. You lost a lot of blood."
Shanks gripped her hand again, though not as roughly as before, his eyes already closing again. "Can you stay?" he asked her.
Aria hesitated, catching Hongo's nod before adjusting her position next to Shanks. "For a while. At least until Hongo kicks me out." She smiled at that, and Shanks responded with a small grin of his own before he went limp.
Aria watched him as Hongo moved around the surgery, cleaning up and putting things back. The smell of alcohol grew stronger as he cleaned something. Her entire body tensed each time she heard the metallic clink of tools, the sound sending shivers down her spine. She didn't dare look up until Hongo finished, her heart in her throat.
She made herself focus on the rough feeling of Shanks' hand in hers, his breathing, even clanking at the bandage that already had a touch of red leaking through.
Shanks' regular, even breaths told her he was asleep after a few minutes.
"I might need your help keeping him from drinking for a while," Hongo said after a while.
Aria made a face at that. "You might have to keep all of it off the ship then. You know if there's any around, he'll find it. And locking him in his cabin wouldn't work."
"You have a point there," Hongo said, sitting at the small desk in the corner.
Aria kept rubbing Shanks' hand with her thumb until he completely relaxed. When she knew he wouldn't wake, she quietly slipped off the bed and flexed her hand a few times.
"I'm surprised you came in here." Hongo didn't look up from the notebook he was writing in. "It was one thing to help us get him in here, but you stayed."
Aria sat against the wall, not wanting to leave just yet. "I thought you might need some help." True. And while she wasn't any kind of healer, she knew most of the tools he used. Assisting him for something like this made it easy to ignore where she was. Not to mention she still couldn't taste anything, which had always made things worse.
Closing her eyes, she dozed for a few minutes when Hongo tapped her arm. Looking up, she quickly stood and followed him to the other side of the room.
"Have you talked to Benn yet?" he asked, darting his eyes to Shanks. The captain was still asleep.
"No," she said. "I tried to when we got back, but then Luffy ate the fruit and we never had the chance."
Hongo nodded in understanding. "I just ask because Shanks asked me about it you two the other day."
Aria froze, her chest tightening.
"He just asked if I knew what happened between you two, that's all," he explained. Aria bit her lip and his eyes narrowed. "Aria, I won't tell him, but can you please explain what happened? Maybe I can help."
Aria looked over at Shanks, making sure he was asleep, then turned back to Hongo. Maybe he could give her some advice. "The last day he spoke to me, Benn kissed me."
Hongo blinked, then leaned back and exhaled sharply. "That explains a lot then."
"He also said 'I had to do that at least once'," she finished.
Hongo's brow raised. "I was right then."
Aria grabbed the newest tattoo on her arm; the feather sat where Benn had touched her during the storm. It was still red, only finished three days ago. "He walked off before I could say anything, and that's when he stopped speaking to me."
Hongo closed his eyes for a few minutes and Aria waited, sending he had something to say. When he opened his eyes, her grip tightened over the feather. "Just about everyone on the crew believes you are with Shanks."
She knew that by now. She spent more time with him in the last two months than before and even stayed in his cabin at night occasionally. They never did anything but sleep, but still. No one ever commented on it, except for Yasopp teasing her a few times when they stood on watch together. After a look from Benn however, he stopped.
"Benn especially." Hongo's expression darkened. "But he's the first mate. If any of the rest of us were interested in you that way, we would've asked you by this point. But Benn's devoted to Shanks and I know he, like most of us, wants him happy."
Aria tilted her head. "But what about himself? He could've just said something." She wished he would. Would he really put his captain before himself? At least for something so personal? Her nails dug into her arm; she could feel little crescents forming.
Hongo shrugged, glancing at Shanks again. "It's not that easy for him. All of us love the captain, but Benn's devotion is enough that I have seen him almost give his life for Shanks before. And it's obvious how much Shanks care for you, so Benn might believe that by admitting he likes you, there's a chance it could end with the captain being heartbroken if you would return Benn's feelings."
Aria couldn't help but look at Shanks. She knew he wanted her, more than just occasionally sharing a bed for sleep. He had been clear about that for years. But would he be heartbroken if she didn't return his affection? She wasn't sure.
"Benn puts Shanks above himself," Hongo said, confirming her thoughts. "Unless you outright say something, I don't believe he'll ever say anything himself. He's been like that since I joined a couple years before you."
Aria thought about this.
Shanks obviously loved her. She knew he did. Yes, he still took people to bed when they were in port, but he never acted with them the way he did with Aria. With them he was courteous as always, but made it obvious he was just looking for something physical. With Aria, it was always just words and looks.
But Aria still hadn't worked out her feelings about the red-haired man. Love had always been foreign to her. In the labs, love was never mentioned. Even care was strange, except among the children and teens. She only knew it after the crew rescued her. Liking Shanks before that was one thing, with the flirting and teasing he did, but love was something else.
But Benn? She liked the dark-eyed man. When she first joined, he had been her first friend alongside Shanks and Yasopp. He spent time with her when he could, though his first mate duties sometimes kept him busy, up until she was taken away. After she was rescued, most of her care came from him and Shanks under the directions of Hongo, and after that Benn spent even more time around her. Until the kiss, that is.
She shook her head, her mind just getting more and more tangled, and played with the edge of her shirt. "What should I do?"
Hongo chuckled, leaning against the wall. "That's up to you to figure out, Aria. I can heal bodies, but the hearts something I can't help with." He cocked his head. "Let me ask you this; do you like Shanks?"
"Yes." She didn't hesitate with the answer, though she slowly followed up with, "But not in the way he likes me…"
Hongo gave her a sympathetic look. "And Benn?"
She bit her lip, not sure how to respond. She hadn't thought about this before, so she wasn't sure what to think now.
Hongo set his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to answer it now. Just giving you something to think about." He walked to his cabinets as Shanks stirred, a pained moan escaping his lips. "Go let the crew know he's stable, and he isn't to be bothered by anyone unless it's necessary." He paused. "Except for you. I might have you help me if I need it, provided you would be alright in here."
Aria nodded and ducked out of the room. She hadn't taken two steps when Benn entered the hall from outside. His blood-stained shirt had been changed, but there was a streak of dried red along his arm still. Smoke drifted up from his recently lit cigarette.
"Captain alright?" he asked.
She nodded. "Hongo said he's stable, but he doesn't want anyone bothering him unless it's necessary."
Benn gave a nod, but he stepped forward until he was less than an arm's length away. "Aria…?" His expression was unreadable, but the pain in his eyes made them glimmer in the dim hall. The scent of tobacco drifted forward.
Aria's heart raced as his hand reached up, hesitating briefly before he gently touched her face. An urge to lean into the touch almost overwhelmed her, but she resisted. His hand seared her skin.
His thumb brushed across her cheek carefully, leaving a trail of fire, but when he pulled back, it was red. "You may want to clean up. There's blood on your face." His gaze lingered on her for another moment, but then his jaw clenched and he abruptly turned and left.
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. He had wanted to say something more, she knew it. But he didn't. Her observation told her the rest of the crew were waiting outside, so she couldn't follow him and ask.
Aria chewed her lip, torn between confronting Benn immediately, dragging him where they could talk in private, or let it drop for now. Eventually, she just went to fetch clean clothes and let her mind linger on the look he gave her. Washing the blood from her face, and the few spots along her arm, her mind raced.
She had to talk to him. Almost her entire being pulled at her to go to him. But she also needed to think about what Hongo said. She couldn't deny there was something between her and Shanks, but she also couldn't ignore her reactions whenever Benn interacted with her now.
And after Hongo's question, "And Benn?", and the moment in the hall, she was less sure of things than before.