Emperor's Prize AU - One More Nice!Shanks (Non yan Alpha Shanks x Omega Reader)
18+ MDNI | on Ao3 | the other chapters
I got a bazillion asks for more nice Shanks. Here's just a few - I've deleted many.
In general, I don't like getting these types of asks. I write the characters the way I do because I enjoy them that way. That being said, I did end up writing some nice ABO Shanks for y'all.
You can read this instead of Chapter 3 - he's not a dickhead in this one and he and the Omega have a chance at falling in love.
I'm also writing the final chapter of the main series. Thank you for sticking through my long breaks between updates to the main fic <3
Shanks POV
Shanks watched the little Omega fall asleep in his bed, your chest rising and falling evenly. It seemed like you couldn’t relax even in sleep, your brow still furrowed and your muscles still tensed. Shanks could guess what you were dreaming about and the thought of someone hurting a weak Omega like yourself had him balling his fist. He pushed your hair back from your face, his fingers stroking your cheek gently in an attempt to soothe you. He was loath to leave you, but he didn’t want to push you into heat faster. Shanks gave you a final look over before leaving his cabin, making sure to shut the door quietly so you wouldn’t wake.
It was late at night but Beckman was sitting at the deck table, smoking a cigarette and watching the night sky. There was a bottle of whiskey and two cups already waiting, Beckman knew him well. Seeing his Captain, Beckman opened the bottle and poured tall shots for each of them.
“Did ye decide what ye want to do with ‘er?” Beckman asked, handing a cup to Shanks. Shanks took it, swirling the liquid in the glass. He felt the familiar burn as he tilted the glass back and drank it down in a gulp.
“I’m not sure I can do anything for her besides keep her here,” he admitted. Shanks had thought about your situation many times over, and he couldn’t come up with an alternative. If he put you on any island, no matter how remote, you ran the risk of being discovered and kidnapped again. Besides that, you were injured and terrified, you were in no place to be alone for the time being. You couldn’t go back to Beta Island, your cover was blown. Of course he wasn’t going to sell you, the thought alone had a growl threatening to burst from his chest. There really weren’t any other options he could determine besides keeping you on the ship.
“It’s a bad idea to keep an Omega on a pirate ship,” Beckman remarked, pouring Shanks another drink and handing him back his glass.
“Roger did it. That’s how he got Ace,” Shanks replied, swirling the drink in the glass. Beckman grunted, but Shanks wasn’t sure if it was in agreement or not.
“Not sure that’s the best example to pick,” Beckman argued lightly, draining his own drink. Shanks hummed but didn’t answer. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t find you enticing. Every fiber of his being called for him to take care of you, to protect you, to nurse you back to health. He wanted to mate you, sure, but more than that he needed to protect you. Not only that but your scent drew him in a way nothing had before, the desire to bite and claim you rising every time he had a whiff of your alluring smell.
“For now she stays on the ship, at least until her heat passes. I’ll talk to her, see what we can think of,” Shanks decided, drinking the second shot down.
“So be it. We’ll dock tomorrow or the day after, she’ll make it until then. Just don’t fuckin’ mark her or she’ll go into heat right thereafter, yeah? Keep yer head on straight,” Beckman’s voice was firm as he gave his captain a hard stare. Shanks resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his first mate’s attempt to lecture him. He had listened to Hongo, he knew what to do. He wasn’t even going to sleep in the same bed for fear of starting your heat before they could reach an island.
“Who’s gon’ tae stay with ‘er?” Beckman asked. Shanks feigned nonchalance with a practiced shrug. Shanks knew after years together Beckman always saw through him but had the grace not to say anything.
“Whoever she picks,” Shanks declared definitively. And yet his thighs were taut with tension as his mouth easily supplied the words. He wanted to be the one with you during your heat, he wanted to be the one making you come on his cock, he wanted to be the one you called out for when you were out of your mind with passion, he wanted to be the one biting into your scent glands and marking you. But it wasn’t his choice, it was yours. Beckman grabbed the two empty cups and the bottle and grunted.
“It might be you, Beckman. I’m gonna offer her the choice the next time she’s awake,” Shanks said over his shoulder to a retreating Beckman. He just shook his head and sighed.
“If ye say so.”
Shanks was still hungry after missing dinner, so he meandered down to the kitchens on the hunt for something to snack on. He overheard the conversations flowing between his Commanders as he approached the kitchen and he found himself smiling as they prattled on. He should have known they’d be gossiping because normally he’d be right there with them talking shit. Shanks stood listening in just outside the open door to the galley.
“- know he’s gonna keep ‘er, there’s no way he won’t,” Rockstar exclaimed, slamming down something heavy on the wooden table.
“‘Course he is, have you seen her? All that hair, those legs, the smell? Can you imagine what it would feel like to fu -”
Shanks’ Conqueror’s haki surged with power causing the wood door to splinter as a rumble simultaneously built in his chest. Bonk Punch, Gab, and Yasopp looked up from their seats astounded, nearly frightened. Their stares confirmed that this wasn’t the Shanks they were used to - he had never used any kind of force against a member of his crew. He was barely conscious of his actions but he couldn’t stop himself from acting this way. He’d barely felt his haki gathering much less activating, shocking himself as much as his crew. But hearing the Omega being objectified and reduced to the sum of her parts filled him with rage. The Red Haired Pirates weren’t like Kid and his crew, they were better than their base designations. He was better. Yasopp looked over at Gab and put his hands up in an apologetic supplication.
“Sorry, Cap. Was just…chatting. Didn’t mean nothing by it,” the sniper’s voice was faint as his eyes darted from his captain to his crew mates. Shanks pulled in a deep breath, reminding himself that these were his loyal men, the people who had been with him through everything. Shanks prided himself on his self control, on his ability to be who he needed to be at all times. And this? This Alpha wasn’t someone he recognized or wanted to be. His mind raced as he began to think that maybe keeping the Omega wasn’t a safe decision after all.
“Sorry,” Shanks gritted through his teeth as he tried to calm his own turbulent thoughts. He grabbed the closest food off the counter – a bunch of small bananas – and retreated away from his men. Shanks munched on the bananas as he walked back to his cabin, purposefully avoiding talking to any more crew until he’d sorted his mind out. If you did stay on the ship, you’d have to be marked by one of the crew – and soon. His crew wouldn’t be able to navigate such a volatile rise in Shanks’ emotions.
Pushing the door in while holding the bananas in the crook of his arm, Shanks entered the dark cabin. Your light scent filled the cabin and the smell went straight to his cock. You had moved from your previous position, now curled up completely into a little ball at the far end of the bed. You were against the cold wall with the bathrobe from before discarded at the foot of the bed. Shanks frowned at the sight of your defensive sleeping position. He wasn’t going to sleep in the bed with you but he did want to readjust you to a more comfortable position. If the boat rocked heavily to either side you might get jostled against the wall, which wasn’t a pleasant way to wake up.
“Come on, Love,” Shanks said while pulling you towards the middle of the bed. You were warm and sweaty despite the cold air in the cabin. You jerked awake as Shanks settled you into the middle of the bed, moving your arms and ducking your head quickly to protect your face. The sight of your terrified and confused expression broke Shanks’ heart all over again. He sat on the bed next to you and tried to calm you down from whatever nightmare you’d just been experiencing.
“Shhhh, it’s just me. You’re on the Red Force, everything is fine. You’re safe. Go back to sleep, it’s the middle of the night,” Shanks whispered into your ear. Your chest was rising and falling too rapidly as your eyes darted around the room. It looked like his words weren’t reaching you so he resumed purring. You closed your eyes again and tried to relax your stiff body but whatever you’d been dreaming about was sticking with you. He ran his arm gently over your back, far away from your scent glands.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Shanks asked quietly as his purr rumbled through his chest. He wasn’t surprised when you shook your head fervently in response to his query but Shanks didn’t mind. You were entitled to your own thoughts and feelings, and if you felt like sharing he’d be there to listen.
To Shanks’ surprise, you sat up and scooted over to him. He stayed still, not sure what it was you were seeking. His eyebrows hiked as you sat next to him and buried your face in his neck, the vibrations of his purr on your face. He continued gently running his hands up and down your back as your scent blossomed in the cabin. The longer he purred for you, the more your scent bloomed in the small cabin, making his desire to scent you grow with each whiff of flora he inhaled deeply in his lungs.
Shanks tried to inhale as little as possible of your incredible scent, his control over himself already thin after his burst of haki earlier. Still, you seemed to find comfort in his purr, your stiff back already loosening by degrees. The longer he purred, the more his Alpha side awakened within him. Shanks felt his canine teeth elongating in preparation for a bite before he turned his head the other way, far from your tantalizing scent glands. His dominating side was roaring at him to bite you, to properly claim you, but his rational side knew you hadn’t given consent. Even if you had, you weren’t ready physically or emotionally for another Alpha after the treatment you’d gotten from your first.
After his teeth receded, Shanks resumed slowly stroking the skin of your back, purring all the while. Eventually, you were lulled back to sleep by his soothing purr, Shanks feeling your even breath fanning across his chest. Shanks slowly extricated himself from you, leaving you a much looser pile of limbs in the middle of his bed. He covered you with a blanket, feeling a small measure of satisfaction as you gave a contented moan and snuggled in deeper to the blankets doused in his scent.
Throwing off his cloak, he laid down on the couch in his cabin for the night. He put his hand behind his head and tried to will his cock to stop twitching at every one of your breathy little sighs.
It didn’t work.
Your POV
You woke up confused. You were very warm and no one had come to wake you via bodily harm. You hadn’t been woken up in the middle of the night by someone pulling on your chains - and actually, now that you moved around you realized you had no chains on. You were…in Shanks’ cabin. Alone. Covered by his blankets and doused in his smell as the late morning sun streamed through the window. You weren’t sure what time it was but it was definitely later than you’d slept in a long time. You blinked a few more times as your memories of the previous day came back to you - the rescue, the bath, the food, the dreams…
Shanks hadn’t been what you expected from an Alpha, and especially not an Apex Alpha. You thought he was going to join you in the bed, and take whatever he wanted from your body. Instead he’d calmed you after a nightmare, lulling you back into your dreamless sleep and settling you in his bed. He hadn’t even slept next to you, letting you take the entire bed to yourself. Surprising yourself, you had even touched him willingly, wanting to feel his strong purr, to wrap yourself up in it as securely as the blankets around your body.
You didn’t know if that was the real Shanks or if he was putting on a show so you’d lower your defenses. He hadn’t done anything to you yet, but maybe he wanted you more pliant, more willing, than Kid had cared for. Maybe he wanted you to think you wanted him? Or maybe he was counting your mistakes to dole out punishments later? Your head spun thinking through the mind games that Shanks might be playing, each of his actions shrouded in suspicion in your mind. Either way, you’d remain vigilant, ready to do whatever he asked of you lest he hurt you like Kid had.
Alone for now, you took stock of your injuries as was your morning custom. Your neck hurt where Hongo had stitched it but that was to be expected. Your other sores ached as well but you were used to it. You hadn’t received any new injuries so all in all you were doing well as far as you were concerned. Looking around, you saw the cabin had an ensuite you hadn’t noticed the previous night. Even Kid had let you use the bathroom when you needed to, surely you could now. After relieving yourself in the small bathroom, you happened to look at your face in the mirror hanging above the bathroom sink.
You looked….rested. Purple bags still bloomed under your eyes, but there was a look of calm on your face that you hadn’t seen in a long time. The sutures from Hongo looked like they had been done well, the stitches even where he’d sewed you back together after Kid’s bite. Pulling your eyes away from the person in the mirror, you returned to your spot on the bed and hid yourself under the covers once again. You were hungry but there wasn’t any food in the cabin and you wouldn’t have eaten it without express permission anyway.
You lost yourself in thinking about Shanks’ actions the previous day while you sat in the bed for an indeterminate amount of time. You didn’t mind, you were used to waiting without any diversions, and you had always enjoyed spending time alone. At least here you weren’t in chains or bound in an uncomfortable position. The sun shifted as the day passed, bringing the warmth of the afternoon into the cabin. The way the cabin steadily grew warmer made you glad you were naked, you would’ve been a sweaty mess by now if you had been clothed. As you lounged and absently brushed through your tangled hair with your fingers, there was a single knock on the door before it opened. You averted your gaze and brought the blankets up to cover your neck.
“Good afternoon, Sleepyhead!” Shanks said merrily, opening the door with his hip to bring in a tray of food and drink. You didn’t reply and didn’t look up, choosing the safer option of waiting for him to tell you what he wanted you to do. Even though he had been kind so far you didn’t want to push him before you knew him well enough to predict his behavior.
“Been up for a while, then? Why didn’t you say anything or come out?” Shanks asked with genuine curiosity while holding a mug of water out to you. You extended your hand to accept it, thankful for the cool water.
“Answer me, Love. I enjoy hearing your voice. Why didn’t you let me know you were up or come out of the cabin?” he prodded gently as he handed you the mug. The truth was you weren’t going to do anything he didn’t tell you to do, but that wouldn’t satisfy the Emperor. He’d already told you he wouldn’t harm you but you weren’t sure if you could trust him. You didn’t want to risk incurring his wrath should your doubt be considered a slight against him. Instead, you gave him a half truth and hoped he’d accept it without asking anything that might put you in danger.
“No clothes,” you said in a rough voice before letting some of the water slide down your parched throat. You sighed in happiness, this was exactly what you wanted. You gripped the mug tightly, your muscles remembering a time when someone would take it away unless closely guarded.
“Ah, right. My fault for that one,” Shanks said with an easy smile as he set the tray down on the bed. You watched him amble over to his clothing pile on the floor where he began kicking it with one sandaled foot. “Go ahead and eat while I look for something for you to wear. Those need to be washed, not for you. Maybe there’s something in here,” he said while opening a chest filled with fabrics. Rummaging through them, he pulled out breezy cotton shirts, loose fitting pants, and an endless array of sashes.
“Hmm. Not sure there’s anything in here that would fit you, but we’ll give it a go. Here, try….these,” Shanks said, handing you a billowy top and hideously colored orange pants. You set the mug of water you were still sipping on the bedside table and stood up to pull the shirt over your head. It had one button that sat below your navel and the plunging neckline left your breasts completely exposed. The pants were large but you rolled the legs up a few times and they would work if you didn’t have to run anywhere.
“Well, that won’t do. I don’t think you’d like walking around like that, yeah? Maybe I could…hold on. Lemme go check and see what’s on the ship. You sit tight here and I’ll be right back,” the Emperor said while looking at your outfit. Sitting back at the edge of the bed, you waited patiently and nibbled at the food until he returned just moments later.
“Well, it’s a mixed bag. The good news is that we’ll be docked at an island by tomorrow and I can buy you new clothes. The bad news is I have nothing for you now, so you’re gonna have to wear these. I don’t have a lot of, oh wait…I have one long sleeved shirt I think…the one from the time with Ace…" The Emperor was talking as he threw clothes from his trunk onto the floor, the pile growing by the second. It was almost surreal, here was one of the strongest men in the world at your feet, looking through his old clothes on your behalf. He must have sensed you were watching him because he looked up and beamed at you. You didn’t know what to make of the gesture so you looked down and picked at a stain on the pants you were wearing.
“Ah well. We’ll be at an island tomorrow so we can raid their stores. Not literally though, we’ll pay for whatever you need,” Shanks said, stuffing everything back in the trunk without sorting or folding and shutting it by pushing the lid down. Your heart swelled with the thought of being on land once again, you hadn’t set foot off a ship since the day Killer had brought you to the Punk.
“Can I go too? Please?” you asked quietly without looking up. After a moment, Shanks stood up and walked over to where you were by the bed. He put his hand on your forehead, the action causing you to flinch backward. As he touched you, the feeling of his chilly hand against your overwarm forehead felt wonderful. You leaned into his touch, practically rubbing your face into his palm. You hadn’t realized how warm you were until he touched you.
“I don’t think so, Love. You’re already getting feverish, you’re getting too close to your heat to risk going on the island. I’m not going to let anything happen, but it might make other people uncomfortable with how much scent you’re producing. So, no, Love, you’ve got to stay here for now. I don’t even want you leaving the cabin until your heat starts. There’s a few Alphas on board and it would cause stress to the crew. It’s not your fault, but it would be easier for everyone if you stayed put for now. I’ll bring you whatever you need,” Shanks said softly, his fingers skimming your cheek for a fleeting moment.
You nodded at his statements. Logically, it made sense and you understood why the Emperor had denied your request. But…it had been so long since you’d asked for anything and you were immediately told no. You were keenly aware of your place once again while you sat with your head bowed and waited for his next command.
Shanks POV
Shanks was distraught at the Omega’s minute reaction as he told you that you had to stay on the ship. He wanted to show you the world as he saw it, a place rife with fun and adventure, not keep you in a cage like you had been before. But based on your rising body temperature, they’d dock at the island just in time for your cycle to begin. After your heat subsided, he’d take you on the island like you requested.
Your increasingly potent smell was already causing the crew agitation, even though the majority of them were Betas. Hongo had assured Shanks that once you’d started your heat and an Alpha joined you, it would be easier on everyone as your scent merged with your partners. For now, as your pheromones taunted the noses of the crew, tension was high on the ship, tempers rising and fights breaking out over small matters.
Shanks had left the cabin to look for clothes for the Omega, thinking that maybe Beckman or Yasopp had something that would fit you. Ben liked tighter shirts and Yasopp was the shortest on the crew, so maybe they’d have something. His Alpha side had been appeased when you were wearing his clothes but they weren’t a great solution due to your more diminutive size. Walking down the deck, he heard Beckman growling while talking to Monster, something he hadn’t seen in all the years they’d been sailing together. For the crew’s sake, he had to tell the Omega to stay in the cabin.
Breaking the news to you hadn’t been easy either, your carefully schooled features concealing nearly all your sadness as he said you had to remain in his cabin. Just the slightest wobble of your lush lower lip told him you were upset about his decision, though you didn’t voice any discontent. You merely kept your gaze averted as your hands gripped the fabric of the pants you were wearing tightly in your small fists. Shanks sat down on the bed, giving you plenty of space in case you weren’t comfortable being close to him.
“It’ll be ok, don’t worry. You’ll get off the ship soon, just not now. You can be brave for a few more days, yeah?” You nodded as you moved your torso slightly closer to Shanks. Shanks looked at you with curiosity – did you genuinely want comfort from him or were you trying to guess what would satisfy him ? Shanks had seen your flinching, how you waited until you were sure what he wanted from you, how your anxious eyes tried to gauge his reaction before speaking or moving. All these fear responses were learned, and he’d work with you to slowly break you of those habits. He didn’t want you living in fear, especially not of him.
Your tongue darted out to lick your lips, a nervous habit he’d seen a few times already. Shanks’ attention was briefly diverted to your lovely mouth but he perked up his ears as you spoke again. Your words were so few that he tried to focus on everything you said.
“Who will…help me?” you asked in a small voice as you worried the fabric of his overly large shirt between your fingers.
“Through your heat? Hmm, well that’s something we need to talk about,” Shanks said, leaning back on his elbow. It was well known that if an Omega didn’t have an Alpha for their heat it was tantamount to torture, so someone was going to have to help guide you through it. He was trying to keep his body language as casual as possible, crossing his legs like he was lounging on a beach chair. In reality, he was barely able to contain himself from telling you that he was going to be the one with you through your heat.
“We’ll be docked at an island but I don’t feel comfortable letting an unvetted Alpha near you. So just for this one heat, I’d like you to pick from anyone on board my ship. We’ve got a few Alphas. There’s me, Beckman and Yasopp – I know you met Beckman yesterday. And I’m happy to introduce you to Yasopp,” Shanks explained, trying not to grit his teeth. He didn’t want to influence you one way or another.
“It would only be this one time. For your next heat we can find someone else if you’re not happy with m- with whoever you choose,” Shanks continued. He’d almost supplied himself as your Alpha accidentally, his need for you to choose him nearly overriding his thoughts.
You bit your lip between your teeth, your foot now bouncing. Your scent had changed, the smell of fear acrid in his nose even if you weren’t using your words to tell him so. Your hand flitted up to touch the old mating bite at your neck, your fingers dancing against the stitches. Shanks gently pried your hand away; touching the newly healing wound wasn’t a good idea. Shanks squeezed your hand lightly, trying to provide comfort in a reassuring way.
“Hey, hey. Look at me,” Shanks said softly, letting go of your hand to cup your cheek. You hesitantly raised your eyes to his neck but didn’t make eye contact. Shanks didn’t want to push you, you were uncomfortable enough already.
“No one is going to hurt you. Not now, not during your heat, not after. I’ll protect you, no matter who you choose. No one is going to hurt you ever again,” Shanks said, his fingers gently pushing on the underside of your jaw. Your eyes were wide as they met his own, your fear still perfuming the cabin. Shanks could tell that you wanted to believe him, but he also knew it would be his actions that proved that he was telling the truth rather than his words.
“Which Alpha would you like to help you?” Shanks asked, circling back to the original question. Your gaze snapped to the ground, unable to maintain eye contact with him. Silence stretched between the two of you as Shanks allowed you space to think. You wrung your hands and your jaw clenched, but no sounds came out of you. He let you think for a few minutes, sweat beginning to bead on your forehead. He didn’t have much time, you were going to have to make a selection, even if it wasn’t him. Your mouth dropped open but no noise came out. Shanks understood your hesitation, perhaps you thought Shanks was testing you.
“There isn’t a right or wrong answer. We’ll work with any choice you make. But I do need you to choose. Everyone else is getting sent off the ship for your heat to avoid conflict,” Shanks said softly. Still you were silent, your heartbeat pulsing wildly at your neck. They were running out of time, much to his regret he was going to have to force the answer out of you. As a Captain and Emperor he often had to make choices that would inevitably disappoint or hurt someone for the greater good, and this was one of those times.
“I’m sorry for this, we don’t have much time,” Shanks murmured. You looked at him with wild eyes, already shrinking back and cowering in fear.
“Tell me which Alpha you want for your heat,” Shanks Commanded softly, his hand now covering yours. Your mouth opened and closed as you unsuccessfully tried to avoid answering his query. But your biology overrode your mind and you cleared your throat to answer.
“Y-you, Emperor,” you whispered, your raspy voice barely audible. Shanks’ alpha side wanted to crow in delight, to revel in the fact that you’d chosen him. But a small persistent doubt soured your hesitant declaration. Did you really want him ? Or were you just trying to please him as the Captain and Apex Alpha? Did you really feel you had a choice? Shanks wished he could find out the answers to his questions but he suspected pressing you would just cause further distress. Shanks sought to soothe you after the confession he’d wrung from you.
“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do everything I can to make this as easy as possible,” Shanks said, leaning over to kiss the top of your head. Hongo had told him you might want privacy as your heat built and he wanted to give you plenty of time to make your nest. Shanks put his hand on his knee in preparation for standing, but his eyebrows hiked as you rested your small hand on top of his own. To his knowledge, this was the first time you’d touched him of your own volition.
“I’m s-scared,” you admitted, your long hair covering your face as you looked down at the cabin floor. Shanks burned with the desire to pull you into his lap and kiss you until you felt secure in his ability to protect you. He shifted a little closer to you, but didn’t remove your hand from atop his own.
“This will be my first time with an Omega in heat, we’ll both be new to this. We’ll go through it together, figure out how to help you,” Shanks said reassuringly. He wasn’t scared, but he was worried that your experience was going to further traumatize you if he didn’t go about it the right way. You gave a miniscule nod.
“Afterward…after the heat…am I…can I go…” You’d let the question dangle but Shanks knew you were asking if you’d get to assimilate into society. Another disappointment to come your way, Shanks thought, at least for the foreseeable future. He still couldn’t think of a way to give you freedom while also keeping you safe from slavers and Celestial Dragons.
“No, Love. You can’t go back to Beta Island,” Shanks said, his fingers interlacing with your smaller ones. “You’ve been identified as an Omega now, it wouldn’t be safe. There’s a lot of people who would hurt you if given a chance. I can’t let that happen. If you want to be safe, you need to stay here with me,” Shanks explained, his chest tightening as he thought about your previous treatment. Your face paled immediately at his words and you reached for him, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling gingerly almost as if in supplication.
“N-no, please Emperor, don’t leave me. Please let m-me stay,” you bleated out. He pulled you into a loose hug, careful not to startle you with any quick movements. Your fingers curled into his shirt, your cheek rubbing against his chest as you pushed yourself closer to him.
“Of course you can stay, Love, don’t worry. We’ll get everything sorted after your heat,” Shanks murmured into your hair. “You’ll be with me for as long as you’d like, I would never turn you away.”
You moved slightly, slowly shifting yourself until you were sitting on his lap as if giving him time to stop you. Shanks didn’t move, waiting to see what you would do. Obviously, his Alpha side was elated to have the attention of an Omega, especially one so close to heat. Your face was pressed against his chest, though now you were angling your nose higher. You wrapped your shaking arms around him, your hands unable to meet behind his broad back. Shanks wrapped his own arm around you, rubbing your back in comfort.
“Thank you, Emperor,” you said into his chest. Shanks just hummed, his hand pausing in the middle of your back. He hadn’t really done anything tremendous for you, he hadn’t even known you were on Kid’s ship before you were brought to him. There was a lot he wanted to do for you, to help you acclimate back to a normal life, but that would have to come after your heat.
“You s-saved my life, I was going to d-die on that ship,” you whispered. Shanks felt tears running down his chest, you were crying silently in his arms. If he hadn’t felt your tears on his skin he wouldn’t have guessed – you were completely quiet, your chest wasn’t even shaking. You were right, Kid would have killed you had you remained with him. He’d check in with Dorry and Broggy and make sure Kid made it safely to the bottom of the ocean.
“Can’t say that I know what to do. I wasn’t expecting you to join us. But we’ll figure it out together. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said softly. He removed his hand from your side, gently tipping your face up to meet his own.
“You can be upset, or angry, or happy, or whatever you want. You don’t have to hide yourself anymore. Nothing is going to change the way I fe- that I’ll protect you. OK?” he said, his thumb rubbing the underside of your chin. You searched his face for a moment before giving him a shaky nod.
“And please, call me Shanks,” he said with a sunny smile. The corners of your own mouth quirked up, just for a moment before settling back to your usual fearful frown. But for Shanks it felt like he’d found a treasure chest full of gold. You took a shuddering breath, your eyes trained on your trembling hands in front of you.
“ ‘M sorry,” you said so quietly that Shanks thought he misheard you.
“You’re sorry? What could you be sorry for?” Shanks asked, skimming his knuckles on the back of your hand. Truly, what on the seas were you apologizing for?
“I’m a big hassle, you’re doing so m-much for me. I can’t p-pay you back,” you said, a slight hitch in your breath the only indication that you’d been crying. Shanks wanted to kiss you deeply, to show you with his body how he felt inside. But he didn’t think you’d be open to that right now given your emotional state.
“You don’t need to pay me back. And none of this is a hassle. I’m glad we found you,” he said softly.
“D-do you want to?” you asked, your gaze leaving him to look at a far wall.
“Do I want what? For you to stay here?” Shanks asks, confused by your non sequitur question.
“Do you want to b-be my Alpha? For the heat,” you whispered, biting your lips after your query. Shanks nearly laughed at such a sweet question but wisely held it in. Even after everything that had happened to you, you worried if you were coercing him into going through heat with you. Shanks was fairly sure that any Alpha on the grandline would give their left arm to go through a heat with an Omega like yourself.
“I do, Sweets. Of course I do, with such a resilient, kind, empathetic Omega. Don’t worry, you’re not twisting my arm,” he said, wiggling his stump a little. A rough sound left your throat, making your eyes widen with surprise. You had laughed. You nuzzled back into the crook of his neck, as if embarrassed by the noise you’d made. Shanks wondered if you hadn’t heard yourself laugh since your vocal chords were destroyed, maybe you hadn’t been expecting the change in your own voice. He found it enchanting and wanted to make you laugh many times over.
“I didn’t always sound like this. I used to have a nice voice,” you rasped into his shoulder.
“You still have a nice voice. I like the way you sound,” Shanks mused, his fingernails gently stroking your back. You stayed quiet for a few moments longer, your warm breath tickling his neck. You looped your arms around him again, pulling yourself even closer to him. You tilted your face up, your features not filled with fear or anxiety. Instead your eyes were soft as you looked at his own, the first you’d done so willingly since he’d met you.
“Thank you, Shanks.”
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