“What it is?” Renge asked.

Unbeknownst to her, her cat ears perked up with interest and Rayleigh had to suppress a chuckle at the sight of her slitted eyes widening in interest. She liked it then, good.

“Not sure,” he answered as he crouched down next to her, so they were more at eye level. “Found it with the rest, I’d be careful—”

Rayleigh was cut off as Renge, who had been attempting to pull out the stopper while he talked, finally managed to open it but spilled the liquid over the two of them. Honestly, he’d been expecting perfume but the smell that filled his nose was earthy only slightly tempered by the scent of roses. Musky, in a strange way.

It was thicker too, he noticed, dragging his fingers through his soaked shirt, the fabric sticking to his skin in an uncomfortable way.

“Should it be tingling?” Renge asked with alarm and met his eyes with a concerned look. He frowned.

“Let’s ask Crocus.”

The news was not good and Renge shifted from foot to foot nervously as Crocus examined them before taking them both to the side to tell them gravely that it was an aphrodisiac. There was nothing he could do, they just had to let it wear off naturally.

“It might be painful alone,” Crocus said very seriously. “I would suggest getting a partner to help… ease the effects.”

Walking back to the ship together was an awkward affair. They both knew what was about to happen.

Already her skin was buzzing from where the aphrodisiac had soaked in, leaving it sticky and wet. Her tail swished back and forth in an aggressive motion. She wished she could calm down, be composed about this but all she could think about was running her hands over Rayleigh’s bare skin at last and the thought alone made her shiver, her body pulsing with desire that grew and grew the more time passed.

“We don’t have to do this,” Rayleigh whispered suddenly, breaking her out of her thoughts. They had made it onto the ship while she was still lollygagging. “I don’t want to force you—”

“Don’t, Renge interrupted firmly. Softening her voice she stepped closer, allowing herself to run a hand up his clothed arm. Staring up at his eyes, they were swirling with unease but also—and her gut clenched at the sight—naked desire. “I’ve always been attracted to you,” she admitted honestly and his eyes widened. Butterflies threatened to burst out of her stomach, but she soldiered on.

“So please, don’t make it sound like you’re forcing this on me. I don’t love how it came about but I’m not angry about it.” Silently, Renge begged with her eyes for him to save her from this conversation, awkwardness clogging up her throat. She was afraid to keep talking, worried about the word vomit it was sure to become.

Her back hit the wood of the wall and warm lips descended over hers. Immediately Renge moaned, her hands grabbing onto his shoulders and her eyes closing, happy to just sink into Rayleigh’s kiss and feel the heat within her rise higher and higher.

Rayleigh worked a thigh between her legs and she gasped into the warmth of his mouth. He used the opportunity to slither his tongue inside. Behind her closed lids, her eyes rolled back as the taste of him filled her mouth for the first time. He rubbed his thigh back and forth and she could feel her underwear quickly getting soaked with the force of his kiss and the muscle pressing up against her cunt. She bucked against it, wanting more friction.

When they broke apart to breathe heavily in the limited space between them, Renge felt fire roaring in her veins. It felt like one of her heats and she whimpered.

“Rayleigh.”

He growled, the sound dark and deep sent a thrill through her before strong hands grasped her upper arms and dragged her down the hall. “Bed,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her.

They crashed into Rayleigh’s room, the smell of him overtaking her senses.

Why did it feel like one of her heats? Renge wondered distantly. She wasn’t due for one for a while yet. It had to be the aphrodisiac forcing her into one. Snarling at the thought, she whipped around and crashed her lips back against Rayleigh’s, desperate for the taste of him. It didn’t matter, none of the reasonings or whys mattered at all. Not in the face of getting what she had wanted for so long.

It was hard to think past the aphrodisiac roaring in his system, or else, Rayleigh thought that’s what it was. It could have just been Renge, eager and willing as she basically ripped his shirt off his shoulders, buttons going flying and the way her lips greedily sought his own. Her claws ripped into the fabric, and he started in on his trousers, cock already hard and swollen, tenting the fabric. He ducked down to mouth at her neck, dragging his teeth over the skin there and felt more than heard her answering mewl.  

As he gently guided her towards the bed, he managed to kick off his boots before his pants and boxers shortly followed. When the back of her knees hit the edge of the mattress, Renge yelped as she fell onto her back. By then his shirt was a lost cause, ripped to shreds and he reached up to tear the rest off.

Looking down, he licked his lips at the sight before him. Renge, tan skin so beautiful against the white of her chest band. He ran the palm of his hand over the soft curve of her stomach before her hands desperately started pushing down at the waistband and he rushed to help her out of her purple pants.

Before long Rayleigh had her stripped completely bare, her chest heaving, nipples already perked up in the air of the room, and his eyes followed the flush that made its way down her chest.

She whined high in her throat, her hands reaching for him and Rayleigh hurried onto his knees beside the bed frame, cursing under his breath as his knees crashed a little too roughly on the wood. Running a soothing hand up the sides of her thighs, Renge hardly seemed to notice as she instantly buried her hands into his hair and tugged urgently towards her core.

He would have liked to savor this moment more, take his time pulling her apart, ripping release after release on his face but Renge was constantly whimpering, legs thrown over his shoulders and her hands still tugging. It seemed like she couldn’t wait.

For a moment, Rayleigh wondered why he wasn’t feeling the effects as much as Renge clearly was. Maybe because she got doused more in the liquid or—

With a huff of impatience, Renge reached down a hand and spread her pussy open for him, dark pubes shimmering with the proof of her desire and all thought went out the window as Rayleigh dove in, silently thanking any gods that were listening for the meal. His eyelashes fluttered as he inhaled the heady musk of her and she mewled her approval above him as he buried his mouth over her dripping pussy.

He dragged the flat of his tongue over her folds drinking her in as her hips bucked against his face. Automatically he wrapped his arms around the back of her thighs, hands resting on her hips to keep her down against the bed, tugging her closer to the edge so he could better run his tongue over her.

Renge fought against him, back arching but she was no match for his strength. Idly Rayleigh hoped he wasn’t leaving bruises with his fingers as he shoved his tongue inside and started pistoning in and out of her core while she screeched.

Loud, he thought with approval. Her tail whipped against his chest before coming to wrap around a forearm as he pulled back just enough to wrap his lips around her clit and sucked, groaning along with the sound of her moans.

The soft feel of her fur against his arm as the tip brushed against his throat made him wonder what it would be like to feel it wrapped around his neck, how tight she could wrap it before—

Renge sobbed as it felt like electricity shot down her spine as she came, Rayleigh’s mouth working her through it. Even as her body sagged and he pulled away, her skin prickled unpleasantly, the push of her heat keeping her largely unsatisfied. It wasn’t enough, not even close.

Her legs fell off his shoulders but Ray didn’t get far before she wrapped them around his waist and tugged him closer until he fell over her. He grinned down at her.

“Needing something?”

“You,” Renge answered immediately, and his grin grew wider.

“Well, I’d love to but currently I’m a bit trapped.” He wiggled an arm where her tail was still wrapped around the forearm.

All her limbs felt far away and Renge’s brow furrowed as she struggled through the daze that pulsed through her to figure out where exactly her tail was. Finally she unwrapped him and he surged to kiss her, making her moan.

Desperately their tongues rubbed against each other as her hands came up to bury themselves into golden locks. When something hard pressed momentarily against her clit before backing off she gasped loud enough to break apart their lips.

“Rayleigh,” she whined, trying to open her legs even wider, fingers interlocked behind his neck as she looked down the line of her body.

Renge swallowed as she finally took in his cock. Before she was to distracted to really notice but now it was hard to tear her eyes away from the light blond pubes that led down to a truly impressive dick dangling between her open legs. She licked her lips and tilted her hips up, trying to meet him. Rayleigh chuckled above her before a hand wrapped itself around the base and started guiding it towards her pussy.

It was hard to think past the roaring in her veins so when his cockhead nudged her entrance, she tilted her head back with a groan. Finally, finally his cock slowly started to breech her walls, even just the tip enough to feel like a stretch. Renge growled in the back of her throat before hooking her legs around his waist and forcing him closer, making him slam his cock fully inside her in one swift thrust.

The sudden stretch of his dick made stars appear in her vision as she felt herself clamp down on him, the feeling of finally being full made her arch her spine with a loud cry, clawing her nails down his back as an orgasm ripped through her.

Rayleigh hissed at the pain but Renge hardly seemed to notice past her cries. Her walls fluttered around him with the force of her orgasm and Rayleigh had to breathe through it so he didn’t just start pounding away and cum immediately. The fact she came just on his cock alone was making his head dizzy.

When she finally relaxed a fraction, he did an experimental thrust and Renge moaned before lifting her ass to meet him and he figured she was ready enough. Bracing his hands next to her head, he was careful not to pull on the thick black hair that billowed out over the bedsheets.

For a moment he took the time to look at her, panting back at him, eyes half-lidded and the yellow almost completely taken over by black, with her inky hair spilled out over his fingers, a flash of white among the dark. Her white ears twitched and he was struck by the impulse to touch them.

Reaching out with one hand, he rubbed one and she meowed before turning her head and burying her teeth into the wrist of his other hand. He cursed but didn’t let up on stroking one furry ear. It was so soft beneath his fingers.

Renge let go of his wrist and shook her head until he released her ear. She worked her hands down and hiked up her thighs. “Fuck me, Ray, please,” she begged and all was lost.

“Yeah?” he gasped, hips already starting up a steady rhythm, a bit shallow but it was enough to get her to cry out again. “Want my cock so badly do you, kitten?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she replied immediately and Rayleigh increased his pace, the wet sound of her pussy filling the room with each thrust.

He seriously wouldn’t last long; the intensity of the situation, the way she begged and moaned beneath him, and the fact he got to have Renge like this was all culminating into feeling like he was going to burst at any second. But he wanted to make this good for her, wanted to feel her cum again.

With that in mind, he wrapped a hand around her throat, loosely at first to see how she’d respond.

Immediately her eyes rolled back and she tilted her head, baring her neck even more. “Harder,” she demanded.

Rayleigh didn’t need any more encouragement. Quickly he slammed inside while he tightened his fingers around her throat. Renge gasped for air, eyes filling up with tears and all the while Ray was muttering.

“You take me so well, pussy so tight around me. I’ve been wanting this for a while now, did you too? Can’t believe I finally get to see you like this. You’re so good, Renge. The best for me.”

He could feel his release crawling up his spine. “Baby, I’m close are you?” Ray tightened his fingers once more feeling the way her throat fluttered underneath them. Some distant part of his mind worried about leaving bruises, about being too rough, but Renge lifted her thighs up even higher with a garbled whine.

That was it for him. He thrusted, once, twice, before slamming inside as deep as he could go with a low groan as he spilled himself inside her warm walls. He ground his cock that much more inside her, wanting to get that last bit of friction before his body relaxed with a sigh.

Releasing her throat, he collapsed on top of Renge’s body, suddenly feeling the way sweat was sticking to his skin and to hers. Her hands came up and sharp nails started lightly stroking down his back, making him hum with pleasure.

“You okay? I can move,” he offered but couldn’t get far as a leg flung itself over the back of his thigh.

“Don’t you dare,” Renge said. He lifted himself enough to see her face, flushed with red but smiling wide. “I think that stuff kicked off my heat. I hope you’re able to go again because I’ll be ready again soon.” She wiggled her hips, jostling his cock that was still inside her, her fangs flashing in the light.

He couldn’t help it, he burst out in laughter, feeling warmth and happiness course through him. “You’ll be the death of me.” Rayleigh leaned closer, breath just barely ghosting over her lips. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Renge giggled before they kissed once more.

--------------------

“Oh no, Buggy you idiot!” Shanks cried out in a panic as Buggy shrieked beside him.

“No I’m not, you take that back!”

“Doc! Buggy got that same stuff on us that Renge had!! What do we do!?”

Crocus laughed as the two boys ran up to him, looking frantic. “Oh you’ll be fine, it’s nothing just some old lubricant.”

“Lubricant?” Roger repeated. “But I thought you said it was—"

“Oh please,” Crocus said with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve seen the way those two have been dancing around each other and making eyes. It’s been driving everyone mad. Figured this would be the fastest way to get it going.”

Roger blinked once before he leaned back with a roar of laughter. “Good thinking doc!”

Crocus grinned. “Just maybe don’t go back to the ship for a coupla hours.”

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” a deep voice said with a chuckle as the sound of one of the chairs for the seated side was pulled out rang through the otherwise quiet air. It was uncharacteristically dead and her floating one-woman restaurant was bobbing gently, tied up to the docks, waiting for customers that didn’t seem likely to show up today. Not until he arrived anyway.

Renge didn’t look up from where she was stirring. “You haven’t even seen my face.” Tapping the ladle against the side and setting it down, she took a moment to compose herself before turning around.

As she suspected, he was just as breathtaking as the first time she’d ever seen him. Time hadn’t changed that, it just made him look even more inviting, how was that fair? Lines ran over his face but he looked charming and well-worn, as experienced and confident as ever, but age had given it a softer edge. Blonde hair turned a liquid silver, catching the evening sun and looking silky soft. A memory passed over her, of running her hands through his sun-warmed hair, a pleasant day at the beach without a care in the world, as if nothing could ever harm them.

Rayleigh smiled. “And now that I have, I can say you’re just as beautiful as ever.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled back all the same, feeling her spotted ears perk up as her fluffy tail gave a little happy swoosh. “You’re just saying that because our hair matches.” He chuckled but didn’t deny it.

Where it was once an ebony black, with just two strands of white that she liked to pull in front, Roger’s death had reversed that. Now her entire head was a shocking shade of white, with two long strands of black. The white was piled up in a bun as she worked but she had left the black strands down, as she liked to do.

“I see you’ve grown out your beard,” Renge mentioned, gesturing to her own chin. Ray propped an elbow up on the countertop.

“Sure have, you like it?” His voice was teasing and had a familiar dark undercurrent that shot a shiver of promise through her.

Renge turned away from his flirting so he didn’t have to see her smile grow. “Were you just coming to chat me up or did you want some food? I can make your favorite, for old time’s sake.”

“Ah, I could always eat your cookin’, kitten.”

They bantered back and forth as she cooked, the route lovely for all its familiarity. She’d missed this, missed him. They'd both changed in the years that had followed Roger’s death but they were still similar enough that with every smile and burst of laughter, Renge felt the pieces of herself that had scattered after the crew had fallen apart returning one by one. Rayleigh always made her feel like that, like whatever happened they could weather the storms together.

It was unfortunate that the one storm they couldn’t was the one that broke everything beyond repair.

Pushing away the thought, Renge instead let herself enjoy this. Enjoy the time with Rayleigh, for however long he decided to stick around. Let him work his way into her heart (not that he ever left) and bury around her love until it got too stifling and he left again. She didn’t begrudge him that or at least, not anymore. Time had worn down the anger into something resembling sadness more than anything. She’d stopped hoping every time he showed up that this time was the last time, that they could finally start living their lives together again. Now she took what he could give her and waited to see what would come about.

Renge was laughing as she handed over a plate. Rayleigh’s eyes lit up at the food piled high.

“Looks amazing!” he exclaimed with gusto before he started to dig in.

“As always,” Renge said with a smirk, leaning against the counter to watch him eat. Maybe she looked a little silly, a little lovesick just staring at him but Ray didn’t say anything besides giving her one knowing look that she didn’t look away from. “So what made you end up in a place like this?” she asked, waving her hand encompassing the empty docks around them, at the edge of some no-name small island.

Rayleigh swallowed and took a chug from the drink she’d silently clicked down along with his food. “I’d heard there was a simply delicious food place, run by a real hard-ass chef.” Renge’s yellow eyes narrowed in a glare as he laughed. “But that she was also the most stunning thing they’d ever seen so I decided to stop by, see what that was all about.”

“And?” she pressed. “How’s reality compared to your expectations?” Renge was joking, sarcasm laced through every word and she expected him to respond in kind.

“Better,” he said, very seriously. “The best thing I could ask for.”

Her heart skipped a beat and she decided to stop beating around the bush. “Was that the only thing you were looking for? Food with some good company?”

Rayleigh’s fork scrapped the plate as he finished. Wordlessly he handed over the dishes and she turned away to quickly wash them and put them away, giving them both time to consider the question.

When she came back, he shot her a wiry grin. “I was hoping to have a conversation with a pretty lady… maybe even convince her to go on a date. Though I can’t say she’d agree, old man that I am.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Since when have I ever cared about that?”

Rayleigh shrugged, nonchalantly but she didn’t let his relaxed manner fool her. “Ray,” she said with mild exasperation, “out of the two of us, sometimes I think you’re more cat-like than me, sneaking up in here whenever you want to, getting food and attention.”

He didn’t flinch but there was a level of tension she’d learned to read in the line of his shoulders.

“That being said,” she went on, “I love you, I’ll always love you. There’s a lot of things I wish were different, but at the end of the day you know I’ll be here whenever you wander in.”

Immediately his shoulders sagged with quiet relief and there was a pain in her heart at the sight. Still, his smile managed to soothe her, his eyes shining with emotion. “What’d I ever do to deserve a girl like you, huh?” His voice was shaky with emotion.

Renge swallowed against the lump in her throat and blinked away the burning at her eyes. “Not enough,” she quipped back. Laughing at herself, at them, she started untying the strings to her apron. “But you can make it up to me, let me close up and we can go.”

She set about quickly, Ray helping hand her the few barstools so she could stack them inside before she closed up the blinds. Opening the hatch in the kitchen floor she hurried down into her private quarters to change into something more ‘date-like’. Rushing as she was, Renge decided against doing anything with her hair as she threw off her shirt and pants.

Putting on a bright yellow top with flowy sleeves and a long purple skirt, she took one moment to look herself over, fluffing in the mirror on the wall before taking a deep breath and heading out.

By the time she made it back onto the docks, the sun was just beginning to set. Seeing Rayleigh standing there, hands in his pockets, waiting for her made her pulse quicken.

They smiled at each other before Ray held out a hand. She ignored it and instead wrapped her arms around his and he chuckled warmly before they started walking.

“So, what should we do, kitten?” he asked, a kiss pressed into the crown of her head.

“Oh, I’m not sure, stir up some trouble maybe? It always seems to find you regardless.”

Rayleigh tipped his head back with a loud laugh and she giggled in response. When he looked down at her, his eyes were filled with silent promise. “No, seriously. Anything you like. As long as I’m with you, that’s all I need.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” Renge said with an answering smile. “That’s all I need too." 

And together, they walked into town.

Renge sighed at the two boys as they descended into an argument. 

"Alright," she said loudly, spotted white tail whipping behind her with agitation. "If I agree to do this, will the two of you stop fighting?" 

"Deal!" they said in union, straightening up, then they both flew out the door with a laugh. The woman sighed again before deciding on cleaning up the kitchen while she waited for the boys to return. 

The spotted leopard zoan, chef of the Roger Pirates barely had time to put away some spare dishes before they burst through the door again, Shanks holding a pumpkin in each arm, while Buggy struggled to carry just one.  

“You gotta lay out newspaper!” Shanks said casually as they put the pumpkins down.

Quickly the three worked together to cover most of a long table and laid out the supplies. Renge eyed the knifes with trepidation but she didn’t say anything. Even if they were both young, these boys had been pirates for a long time. They were sure to know their way around a blade easily enough.

“Okay so now we cut out the top—”

“Why do you always get to give the orders? Lemme explain!” Buggy broke in, grabbing up a knife and scowling at Shanks who shrugged easily. Pacified he turned to Renge. “You cut a hole in the top, like this…”

The three pirates cut off the top simultaneously. Renge’s cut was smoother than the boys, a chef's touch. Buggy pouted but carried on. “Then you grasp the top and pull it out, then we scoop out all the guts!”

Quickly the smell of pumpkin permeated the room as the two boys dove into their pumpkins, large spoons at the ready. Renge watched as they dumped the inners on the table, pumpkin seeds and slimy entrails spilled over the newspaper and made it soggy.

“What do you do with the seeds?” she asked.

“Whatcha mean?” Buggy replied.

Shanks glanced up. “We don’t do anything with ‘em, just throw them away.”

Indignant, her ears twitched and she flicked long black hair back with a clawed hand. “Well that’s such a waste! Let’s cook them.”

Two pairs of eyes stared at her. “Cook them?” Shanks repeated.

“You guys haven’t had pumpkin seeds before?” They both shook their heads. Perhaps the way they moved together would have amused her any other time, but today she huffed. “You’re about to try something new then.”

Roger peeked his head into the kitchen, the smell of something good luring him in. Rayleigh hovered over his shoulder, arms folded.

“I told you not to bother them Roger,” Ray chided before Roger threw the door wide.

“What’s going on in here?! Thought you were carving pumpkins not dissecting them.”

“Captain!” Shanks and Buggy said together, before Buggy glared and started shoving at Shanks’ face.

“Stop copying what I’m sayin’—”

Shanks’ face didn’t change, a bright smile stretched wide across it. “Come see what we made! Renge’s makin’ pumpkin pie!”

“Pumpkin pie!” Roger crowed with delight as he heard Rayleigh sigh behind him. “Now that sounds delicious. What, so no pumpkins?” He took a seat at a newspaper covered table, the pages still wet with leftover guts but no sign of the three pumpkins that he had seen the boys running past with earlier. 

“The boys hadn’t had pumpkin seeds before,” Renge explained, tilting her cheek up to receive a quick peck from Rayleigh. “And then I happened to mention pumpkin pie and well…”

“You gotta try some!” Buggy demanded, shaking a bag of seeds at the older men.

Roger laughed. “Indeed I do! Bring it here!” Gesturing at the bag, Buggy eagerly shoved it into his large palm.

“Pie’ll be out soon,” Renge commented idly.

“You need any help with plates?” Rayleigh asked and she nodded gratefully, a small smile on her lips.

The five of them ended up seated together, telling stories and some members splattering crumbs across the table when they broke in with something, their mouth still full.

Renge watched it all sandwiched between Roger and Rayleigh, their bodies warm and happy at her sides. Watching Roger tease Shanks and Buggy who argued with him, eyebrows pinched together she couldn’t help but feel complete contentment.