Before long, the sound of footsteps and the taste of rain leaked through the crack. A second later, Shanks appeared, his hat dark from the amount of rain and water dripping into his eyes. "Benn just asked if you could stay in here for now. Not like I mind, but I wanted to make sure you were okay." He gave her a strange look, not unlike Benn's.
"I hit my head, but I got dizzy when I stood. I didn't know he was going to ask that though." She really didn't. She would've guessed Benn would've helped her down the stairs if nothing else.
Shanks slowly sat down in the chair next to the bed, his eyes not leaving her. "He also mentioned that you allowed Hongo to examine you."
Aria closed her eyes and nodded.
A sigh. "I really want to ask what helped, but the storm's ending and the watch is changing to let the rest of us sleep." Not surprising, giving how worn he sounded. He might barely 21, but if she hadn't known him, she would've guessed someone twice that age was speaking now.
She mused for a moment; if she couldn't walk, and apparently she was staying in here until the dizziness passed, was Shanks intending on sleeping with her in his bed? It wouldn't bother her, but she knew that people rarely did that, not including those who had sex.
Shanks let out a small groan. "Okay, I don't mind at all, actually. I can sleep in your hammock below. But…I do need to change." She opened her eyes and saw him giving her a crooked smile, though his cheeks were reddening. "Do you mind turning around while I did that? Then you can try to sleep for a while in here and I can bring you something dry later." A sweetish taste, with a bitter edge, was present for a heartbeat.
Aria nodded, feeling a slight headache coming on, and brought her knees to her chest, burying her face. While this was definitely a pirate crew, they had all respected modesty around her. Not that she was bugged by naked bodies, but it was nice in a way. She never corrected anyone, but never complained or said something if she saw something they thought she shouldn't.
There was the sound of wet fabric moving, then a drawer from the narrow dresser she noticed, then a groan of frustration. "Ok, this is going to bug me. Please tell me how you managed to let Hongo look at you?" There was a pleading note to his voice now; curious and annoyed in one.
Not looking up, she answered, "Um, I'm not really sure. Benn was in here when it happened though." She had barely paid attention to him honestly, aware of him keeping his arm around her, and when he grabbed her hand, but that was it.
A scoff. "But even when I showed up, it took almost an hour to get you to realize I was there."
An hour? Her guilt intensified. It was irrational, but she couldn't help it.
"Benn was in here, and it took Hongo…I think Benn said fifteen minutes, and not once did you fight." The bed creaked. "I know you were meant to talk to Hongo at the next port, but that? I almost don't want to believe him." Shanks touched her arm, his voice softening. "Do you really not know how you managed it?"
Aria turned her head a little, then raised it when she saw Shanks was dressed in his usual white button-up, leaving his chest half exposed as always, and a pair of tropical pants. "I really don't know." She glanced away, biting her lip. She had an idea, but explaining it felt impossible.
She wasn't prepared when Shanks reached up and ran his thumb over the bandage on her head, but she didn't flinch. His hand was surprisingly soft.
"Hongo said something…" He paused, his eyes on hers, then looked away and dropped his hand. "He said Benn held you." The back of his neck went red.
More like he had kept her from moving and his hand smothered the end of her braid, cutting off most of the taste in the air. "He was keeping me from jerking away, that's all."
The back of his neck grew redder, almost blending into his hair. "But it wasn't until he held your hand that apparently you stopped shaking." A faint peppery taste touched the air.
She had been shaking? She hadn't noticed, too focused on trying to breathe and not taste anything around her.
"Do you like Benn?" Shanks asked softly, still not looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the window, his fists clenched tightly on his knees. "Even with me, you've never been that…" His voice trailed off, and Aria could taste the sharp tang of pepper and something bitter in the air.
She couldn't help the giggle that escaped as his words sunk in, making his head whip around to look at her, his eyes wide as he took in her grin. "Shanks, it's not like that." Benn was… He was the first mate of the crew, too old for her, too…serious. And she had no desire to be more than friends. "Yeah, he helped me, but it's… I don't know if I can explain what helped."
His face broke into a wide grin, his cheeks going pink. A sweet taste, making her think of honey but almost smokey, flooded out but quickly faded. After a heartbeat, he cocked his head and his grin faded. "So you know what helped?"
Aria paused, biting her lip. She had explained some of her past, just a little, to Benn, but this was something else entirely. It bordered on the scientists she wanted to forget, the experiments she was subjected to.
Shanks took off his hat, setting it on the dresser. "Is it difficult to explain?"
Aria nodded. "It's…complicated." And brought up painful memories, but she thought he guessed that from the look on his face.
"Ok. Well, do you think you'll be okay if Hongo has to take a look at you again?" He leaned back on his hands, watching her. His hair was no longer dripping, but it was still dark from the rain.
Aria paused, but shook her head. Immediately, the world spun and she felt herself tip sideways.
"Aria!" Shanks caught her and she found herself looking up at him. His eyes were wide. "Are you sure I shouldn't go get him?" His eyes flicked to the door and back. His arm was around her shoulders, holding her to his chest.
She tried not to freeze, but wasn't entirely successfully. Her fist clenched painfully around her braid as a result. "No, no. I just…need some sleep." She hoped Shanks wouldn't notice her shiver at the mention of Hongo. She wasn't sure if she could stay still again.
He frowned, then helped her sit up. "Aria…would you be okay if I stayed in here then? You looked like you were about to be sick." The smokey-sweet taste rose again, but quickly faded below the cedar and clove.
She jolted and twisted her braid, flinching. "Um, like…in the room or the bed?"
He laughed and moved to the chair. "The floor. Unless…" He gave her a smirk. "You would want me in the bed with you?" His voice curled up at the end and he rose an eyebrow.
Aria stared at him for a second then closed her eyes briefly. She wasn't that familiar with flirting, but she immediately knew that's what he was doing. "I don't care either way, actually, but I do want to sleep." Exhaustion was creeping through her head again, fighting with the growing headache. She barely noticed his shocked look as she stripped her shirt, then her pants. Sitting in just her underclothes, she finally noticed the look on his face. "What?"
His eyes widened in shock, his cheeks flushing to match the color of his hair. "Just… didn't expect that." His voice was higher than usual, almost squeaking.
Aria tilted her head. If she hadn't been so tired, she would've laughed. He had never sounded like that before. "I've seen you go with women at a few bars though. How is this different?" How could she not miss him occasionally kissing someone in a bar, then leaving with them? It wasn't every time, but usually. And he was drunk each time too, and never subtle.
"Y-Yeah…but you're my crewmate," he stammered. He turned around and tossed over his shoulder. "Just, lay down I guess."
Crewmate? She still hadn't officially joined the crew, however. They had stopped at quite a few places, but either they weren't safe enough or uninhabited. She still wanted to find somewhere to live if she could…but she couldn't deny being aboard this ship was fun. And she would miss being here.
The corner of her lip twitching up, she quickly sank into his bed and backed against the wall, pulling a blanket over her.
Aria wasn't bothered by the situation. Growing up in a lab with other kids, she was used to shared sleeping spaces and seeing each other constantly, clothes or not. The younger ones often climbed into bed with the older kids for comfort.
It was maybe the only time something good happened, and Aria hadn't been left out of that. But she couldn't bring herself to explain that to him, at least not yet. It wasn't until the slaver that she kept herself dressed around others, and by the time she met Rayleigh and the Red-Haired Pirates, she rarely thought about it.
But she wouldn't have done this if she weren't comfortable with him. And after a year and a half with him, he was probably the only one she could be comfortable with like this. If she hadn't been so tired, maybe she would've thought more about saying something first, but a light fog drifted through her head and made thinking difficult.
Shanks turned around after a minute, then gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you really not mind sharing a bed with me?" When she shrugged tiredly, he slowly laid down next to her, perched almost on the edge. "Sorry. Just didn't expect you to be okay with that." He propped himself up on one arm, watching her.
Aria watched him for a minute before responding. "Sometime I can try to explain, but not now." Her voice sounded fuzzy in her own ears now.
Shanks sighed and put his arm under his head. "Please do, because I am very confused right now." His hand reached out again and she felt his thumb run over the bandage again. "I'm glad you're okay though." He didn't take his eyes off her.
Closing her eyes, she felt her muscles relax under his touch. "Thanks."
She felt him lean forward and almost froze when his lips touched her forehead. "Of course. Try to rest, okay?" He moved back, but his hand stayed, his thumb carefully brushing across the bandage.
Despite the fog in her mind, Aria couldn't ignore the thoughts crowding in now. Shanks seemed to like her… a lot. She trusted him more than anyone on the crew, but this was new territory.
Her mind drifted to the kids she grew up with. They shared beds, played, ate, and talked together—almost everything. But this felt different...
He had asked if she liked Benn. And wouldn't meet her eyes. His touch was different from before, and he had kissed her forehead. She could feel him only a few inches away now, and she knew he was watching her. His hand was still, but he hadn't removed it.
A quiet sigh broke her thoughts as his hand disappeared. She listened as he settled himself onto the bed next to her, and forced herself not to react when his arm draped over her side. She stayed still as he moved closer, then felt his face against her forehead, just barely avoiding the bandage.
An unpleasant thought creeped through her head. Maybe she shouldn't have said it was okay for him to stay in here. She had the feeling that maybe this meant something else to him than it did to her, but it was too late to say anything. With an internal sigh, she tried to quiet her mind and sleep.