The silence stretched unbearably long while you tried to figure out what had brought this on. Hattori cooed softly and you looked toward the bird settled on his chair before deciding that if he was actually intending anything, he likely wouldn’t have mentioned it. Probably.

“Do you maybe want to sleep on the couch tonight then or…?”

“I’m not struggling to stop myself from doing so,” he said. “It’s nothing so instinctual. This is far more practical. Your life is at risk as long as I am here. If I kill you now, the danger will disappear immediately. No need to concern yourself with it any longer.”

“I like the danger,” you said. “It keeps me young.”

“You won’t enjoy it anymore if the wrong person finds out who you are.”

Alright, this conversation wasn’t about killing you then. You recognised the patterns even if the words themselves sounded threatening.

“I suppose I’ll have to learn how to run away then.”

He stood and closed the distance to your sun lounger; his shadow cast long over your legs as you tilted your head back to look up at him. Hattori fluttered over and landed on his shoulder and, for just a second, he looked as he did the first time you met. Terrifyingly cold.

Then you held out your finger and clicked your tongue, calling Hattori over to you instead, breaking the image before it could take root.

He flew over to your hand and you lifted him to your shoulder, letting him puff against your neck where it was still warm. You picked up the orange slice from your drink and held it close so he could peck at the segments.

“If they told me to kill you, running would be ineffective,” Lucci said.

“Would you give me a head start?” you asked.

You were feeling more certain now of what was actually causing this conversation. At least, it didn’t seem he had suddenly developed the urge to take your heart from your chest.

“It wouldn’t matter even if I did.”

“Love,” you said. “You’re being incredibly menacing for somebody trying to hold a normal conversation.”

He breathed out slowly through his nose and then sat beside your knees, one arm resting on the other side of your legs. That was considerably better.

“It’s not unintentional,” he said. “I’m perfectly capable of pretending if you prefer. I could make this conversation much sweeter.” He reached out and ran his finger down the side of your neck, nail sharpening as he did so until it stung. “But sugared words will change nothing.”

“Would they really order you to kill me?” you asked. “Wouldn’t they just ban you from seeing me?”

“If they didn’t tell me to do it, then they would give the instruction to another. I would prefer it to be me. Better something quick than a slow suffocation or the headache-inducing stink of soap.”

You sighed and reached out to catch a stray strand of hair that hung beside his face, tucking it behind his ear. “Normal people worry about that. Not try to beat their colleagues to it.”

“I don’t worry about it.”

“Clearly you do,” you pointed out. “Otherwise, you’d be enjoying your drink and watching me swim in a few minutes. Not considering my murder.”

He watched you steadily before his attention dropped to Hattori who had begun to make a soft, pleased sound now that he’d finished with the orange. You dropped it back into the glass and wondered what was moving behind Lucci’s eyes.

“You would be awful at running away. You’re far too attached to this house,” he said.

You huffed and crossed your arms. “Okay, that’s just not fair even if you’re right. But in my defence, it’s a nice house. It has a pool. Plenty of the others have devil fruits, right? I’ve got my mitigation strategy right here.”

He didn’t appear amused. Then again, he rarely did. Even when he was.

“Kaku has asked where I take absences,” he said. “They are starting to become suspicious even though none of them have dared to follow me yet.”

You smiled. Alright then, so that was what had unnerved him.

You rested your hand against his jaw, thumb brushing over his cheek gently. “You’re incredibly skilled, love. I doubt anybody could have tracked you all the way here, even if they tried to. And I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong by having a drink next to the pool.”

“A drink might be seen as evidence of my compromised judgement. Correctly so.”

“So, in response to their hypothetical accusation, you’re hypothetically thinking about killing me to prove them wrong?”

“I’m exploring the extent of the hypothetical accusation,” he clarified. “And I’ve concluded that I can consider your death from certain angles. But not from others. I’m not sure how long it will take for that to change entirely.”

“Hattori would miss me.”

“I think he would be thinner without you feeding him scraps constantly.”

You scratched under the pigeon’s chin and he cooed happily. “I think he’d get even fatter from the depression. I really don’t like the idea of you killing me, by the way. Hypothetically or not.”

Lucci inclined his head to the side. “It will become impossible to consider soon. That’s why I’m debating the option with myself now. While it remains.”

You sighed. “Love, I’m going to ask this as nicely as I can but please stop considering killing me.”

His jaw twitched. A movement so small you wouldn’t have noticed it if your hand hadn’t rested on the side of his face. You brushed your thumb over his cheek again.

“Will it even change anything?” you asked. “There are other ways to get rid of your… what do you always call visiting me?”

“An operational liability.”

“Alright,” you said. “If it is that, you can just decide to no longer visit. What happens then? You stop taking as many free days so people stop suspecting you’re doing something weird. And then what happens? I know I’ll be miserable because I’ll miss you.”

“It’s not as simple as no longer visiting,” he said.

“Why not? Nobody knows I live here.”

“Actually, many do. Every person on this island is accounted for in our data.”

“Nobody that wants me dead knows I live here.”

“Yet.”

You sighed and reached for your drink. The condensation on the glass made it far too slippery, dropping from your fingers. Lucci reached for it the second it moved, steadying it before it could fall.

“Thank you,” you said and he released the stem. “Rather than thinking about if you could or should, I think you should wonder if you want me dead.”

He stared at you for far too long. As though he was thinking about the question from every possible angle before he dared to think of an answer.

“I,” you said as you took a sip. “Don’t like the thought of you being dead. It’s why I worry so much when you’re away. And don’t say you’re more capable than I think because I know but it doesn’t make it less scary.”

“You’re far easier to kill than I am,” he said. “I’ve survived enough to know that death won’t come to me easily. But you’re different. I don’t even need to use my claws to make you bleed.”

You rolled your eyes. “You can bleed too. Don’t act like I’m the only one here with skin… although, maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have your claws because if I did, your back would be mauled.”

He offered you a long, flat stare in return before he answered. “You don’t need claws for that.”

You smiled innocently and nodded. “Exactly. But back to what I was saying. You could kill me but that’s not really an achievement. Plenty of people could kill me if they wanted to. It wouldn’t even need to be somebody who worked with you. But the key thing is that you don’t want me dead which answers your question, doesn’t it?”

“If they want you dead, it will be one of us,” he said. “They would send me. That would be the appropriate response to the attachment. And only if that failed, would they send another.”

“Why would it fail?” you asked.

Another question that went unanswered.

You sighed and put your glass down. “Love, this is a very strange discussion but I am getting the feeling that you wouldn’t want to kill me. And you would miss me if you did.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Really? Not even a little bit?”

He stayed silent for a second before he looked over your shoulder to your house. His attention flicked over the windows before he moved onto the pool and the garden. And then he turned to you, eyes dragging over your body before he met your gaze again.

He still said nothing. He barely seemed to be breathing.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” you said.

You leaned forward to kiss him and that, he responded to. His hand closed around the back of your neck, firm enough to hold you still without forcing you closer. His lips tasted faintly of blood, the familiar rust of a bitten cheek. He’d been thinking hard enough to nip his cheek again.

“How about, while I swim, you think about what you want for dinner instead?” you requested.

Dinner went normally but later that night, you awoke at an ungodly hour with the bed cold beside you.

Lucci had lain beside you as you fell asleep like he normally did but he couldn’t have remained for long. The blankets were heavy over you and the sheets smooth under your skin as you sat up.

He stood beside your bedroom window, unmoving, as though you’d bought a brooding statue and propped it against the glass.

“Go back to sleep,” he said.

Instead, you sat up and squinted past him toward the moonlit garden. The pool caught strips of silver between the hedges, its surface breaking whenever the breeze moved over it. Leaves whispered against one another near the far wall. Nothing shifted with enough purpose to explain why he stood fully dressed beside the window.

You curled your legs under you and stretched dramatically before you got up, blanket still hanging over your shoulders.

“I have a fox problem,” you said. “My neighbours keep birds and… they somehow keep finding food here. If you heard something moving, it was probably them.”

“I saw them,” he said. “There are two. Their den is at the far corner of the garden.”

“Aw,” you said, shuffling closer to look past him though you couldn’t even make out that corner of the garden. “That’s adorable. Maybe I’ll get to see some babies soon.”

Hattori cooed from Lucci’s shoulder and you reached out to rub his head. You really hoped this sudden vigil at your window didn’t have anything to do with the conversation from earlier. As many things as you’d grown used to in this relationship, discussing your death unnerved you.

“What time is it?” you asked.

“Too early for you to be awake.”

“Then that’s too early for you too,” you said. “We can sleep in tomorrow but you don’t sleep enough as it is.”

“I sleep more than enough for function.”

“No, you don’t.”

He looked at the blanket on your shoulders briefly before he returned to watching the sleeping garden. His expression was unreadable but his eyes lingered on every reflection of light or brush of the wind.

His clear unsettlement was enough to make you nervous too.

“Do you really think there’s a threat out there?” you asked.

“It’s always a possibility.”

“What’s the chance you missed something?” you asked.

“Less than a percent.”

That was more reassuring though not quite enough to shake the unease from your limbs. So, instead of having him stand guard at your window, you decided to move somewhere more comfortable.

You reached for his hand and he did turn. His fingers didn’t even twitch. You pulled lightly and he followed you, shoes clicking against the ground.  

You led him downstairs into the eerily still heart of the house. The living room windows stretched from floor to ceiling, giving him a clear view of the garden and front entrance. Lucci took the corner of the couch with his back to the wall, eyes moving once over every doorway and dark reflection. You tossed a pillow onto the opposite end and sprawled across it.

“At least you can be somewhat comfortable now,” you muttered. “And you can see the whole garden much easier.”

He nodded. You stretched out onto your back and Hattori fluttered over almost immediately. The pigeon positioned himself on your chest, puffing up as he settled atop the blanket you’d wrapped yourself in.

You sighed as he shifted to get comfortable.

“If I roll, don’t let me crush him please,” you said.

“He’ll move before then.”

Your eyes were beginning to drift closed already. You snuggled into the couch, promising yourself you would return upstairs once you got too close to sleep. A lie so obvious, you couldn’t even pretend to believe it.

Hattori made a soft sound and you reached up to scratch him once more before you fell asleep.

Lucci was gone by the morning.

You’d had an idea that he would be. Sometimes, despite his best efforts, he was predictable.

It still disappointed you. He had at least three more nights before he had to return and yet the house looked untouched by anybody other than you. Not even a speck of dirt lingered in the halls. You tried to shake the slight melancholy from you with breakfast, bringing out the remaining scraps to leave for the foxes.  

Maybe you should stop doing that. But if they were going to be in the garden, it was nice to know they weren’t starving.

You paused when you saw a pawprint in the dirt outside.

Interesting.

You knelt beside it, fingers brushing over the mark. It wasn’t Lucci’s. He almost never transformed near you (one accidental waking to golden fur aside) but you knew with absolute surety that he wouldn’t leave prints.

You followed the path of them through the bushes, surprised to find yourself nervous. He was rubbing off on you too much.  

A very big nose popped out next to you and your heart stopped for only a second before you laughed. The dog was adorable, soaking wet, yet clearly very happy to see you. And you already knew where he’d come from.  

“Have you gotten out of your house to steal my foxes’ treats again?” you cooed.

You brought him inside and tossed a towel on the furniture as he clambered up there, lounging like he belonged. You laughed, scratched his ears, put out a bowl of water, and went over to call your neighbour who apologised far more than was needed.

It was the type of banal moment you wouldn’t have bothered remembering. Wouldn’t have cared about.

If you hadn’t woken that night to a loud cooing next to your ear.

Hattori sat on your pillow, chest practically pressing against the bridge of your nose, cooing loudly enough to drag you awake. You startled for a moment when you saw Lucci’s silhouette against the wall, still and unmoving.

“Hello,” you mumbled. “I thought you left.”

“I had planned to.”

“And then?” you asked.

“I came back to ensure there was sufficient security around your house. It seems there is not. I will arrange for somewhere to be set up for you on a different island. You may pack one bag.”

You blinked. “Love,” you said. “It’s like three in the morning. Can we move a little slower on why I’m moving?”

“It’s for your safety.”

“I don’t want to move.”

“I knew you would say that.”

“Okay…”

You sat up and Hattori immediately flew to the warmth where your head had been. Little traitor. He hadn’t woken you up for any other reason.

“There is a distinct animal presence here that doesn’t fit any of the known creatures that visit you. I’ve checked but you must realise that this isn’t the time for wants.”

You frowned. “What animal presence?”

“Downstairs.”

“Was it dog-like?”

“Yes.”

“Then it was the dog that showed up this morning. I brought it inside before calling its owner.” You lifted the pillow with Hattori still on it and put it to the side. Then you took what was effectively meant to be Lucci’s pillow to flop your head onto. “I would have told you but… well, you had left.”

He was silent for a deadly length of time. Long enough that you almost fell back asleep before you opened your eyes and found him sitting on the bed next to you.

You almost jumped out of your skin.

“Don’t do that!”

He remained quiet before he spoke. “Distance was ineffective. While I was here, I considered your death only when I chose to. Once I left, the thought became persistent.”

You rubbed at your chest, heart still pounding from the scare. “Alright. See, I think that’s more of a sign that you would miss me.”

“This dog-incident has created a further problem,” he said. “Aside from the knowledge that you are immune to how foul dogs stink.”

“I threw the towel in the wash,” you said.

“The problem remains that I assumed a threat.”

“Well, I mean, you could have asked if I’d noticed a dog inside my house,” you said. “And I would have told you. Also, sorry, I did forget that you would be able to smell it but I also didn’t think you’d come back so soon. Normally you stay away for weeks at a time.”

“That’s when I’m working.”

You hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ll deep clean better next time.”

“The smell is not truly the issue,” he said. “The dog could have been one of us and you invited it in. Jabra looks fairly convincing as a common cur when he has fully transformed if you ignore his bulbous nose.”

“If it was one of your coworkers, would they really have needed an invitation?” you asked.

“No. But it remains far too easy to get past your senses. You must ensure you never let them.”

“I don’t know what your coworkers look like,” you defended yourself. “Transformed or not. You can’t ask me to keep them out when I’ve never met them.”

“You aren’t entirely wrong.”

“I know,” you said, putting a hand on his cheek. “Now come love. You clearly haven’t slept and there’s no danger right now.”

“You only have one pillow.”

“I can sleep on your chest?”

“No.”

You sighed and shuffled up, moving Hattori closer to the right side so there was enough space for you to share the pillow. You’d known the cuddling option was a shot in the dark. Cuddling apparently kept him too restricted.  

Lucci remained still for a minute longer before he lay down on his back, shoulders always purposefully relaxed and hands folded in front of him. You often told him he slept like a corpse.

You should have known that wasn’t the end of it.

When you woke, the bed had been replaced by the slow pull of a hammock beneath your spine.

Rope creaked overhead. Somewhere beyond the narrow cabin, water slapped against wood in a steady rhythm, and the air tasted faintly of salt and old varnish. Panic arrived before the rest of you did. You bolted upright, sending the hammock swinging around your hips.

“You’re safe.”

You looked toward Lucci, heart screaming in your chest and patted yourself down, realising you were fully dressed in one of your favourite outfits. Confusion and panic mixed into the strangest cocktail of emotions as you stared at your clothes.

A slow look around revealed the inside of a boat and you allowed it to come together before you gave a perfectly reasonable response.

“What the fuck?”

“I’m not forcefully moving your home. Don’t worry about it.”

“You better not be. What is this? You couldn’t have woken me up?”

“You’ve already been woken two nights in a row.”

You swung yourself out of the hammock, boots landing on the ground as mild annoyance (mild being an understatement) overrode the fear. “You can’t just kidnap me! Where are we even going?”

“I’ve made arrangements,” he said. “We’ll be home before dinner. I ensured we left early enough that your day won’t be ruined.”

“What if I was going to do something?”

“You never plan things while I have free time,” he said.

He… he had a point. But still.

“That doesn’t mean you can abduct me,” you said. “I probably would have said yes if you’d just asked to go somewhere.”

“Then there’s no change to the outcome.”

You glared at him, boot tapping on the ground when he nodded toward a basket sitting beside your hammock. You offered it only a quick glance but didn’t reach for it.

“You have breakfast in there.”

“You… I… Why is it kill me or kidnap me? Why is there no go on a beach walk with me?”

“That can happen. But it requires you eating. This should not take long.”

“What is this?”

“I will explain more when we are safely away from potential eavesdropping. Now eat. There’s a walk once we’re off the boat and seeing as you object heavily to me carrying you, I will expect you to keep up.”

You crossed your arms. “I only object when you carry me without asking first.”

“You don’t object when I kiss you without asking first.”

“Very different things.”

But breakfast was good. Good enough that you forgave him enough to share half but not good enough that you didn’t purposefully give Hattori bites while daring Lucci with your eyes to comment on it.

He didn’t.

You stuffed extra bread into your jacket pocket before you left, fully planning on feeding Hattori throughout the walk to extend the annoyance.

You had no idea what island you stopped on. It seemed almost entirely uninhabited with a hill that you just knew he was going to make you climb. You gave him a look but at least he’d chosen appropriate walking boots when he’d dressed you without telling you.

It was sweet, in a weird way. It was also annoying, in a sensible way.

The boat sailed off and you had to wonder how he had organised all of this before the sun even rose.

You hated the walk. Not because it was uncomfortable but because apparently, your concept of a path and his were very different things. You preferred your ‘paths’ with fewer roots reaching for your ankles and spider webs hanging between tree trunks. Lucci did show you the best places to walk but his legs were considerably longer than yours and you were huffing slightly to try to follow him.

“So, what are we doing?” you asked when you were far enough from the coast.

“Taking pre-emptive action. If any of my colleagues wish to report the problem with you, I’m giving them full information and the chance to do it now, before it becomes impossible for me to control.”

“What?” you asked.

“It’s the easiest solution.”

“Does that mean…”

He glanced at you from the corner of his eye. “Do not touch Jabra. Even as a dog. You will not get the smell from your clothing and it’s bad enough that you already have the stink of one mutt in your house.”

You frowned. What? Surely he hadn’t…

He had. He absolutely had.

Sure enough, at the top of the hill, you stopped dead when you noticed there were far more people here than there should have been for an otherwise uninhabited island. Six of them, to be exact, some seated and others standing beneath the trees, all staring at your entrance with obvious confusion.

“Really?” you asked. “Not even a heads up so I could prepare an introduction?”

“You had appropriate time to prepare yourself when you realised during the walk.”

“I was trying to keep up.”

Lucci inclined his head briefly and then turned to the others. “This is the situation,” he said. “If any of you intend to report this, do it now. I will not tolerate hesitation later.”

There was silence, broken only by the sound of a bird fluttering somewhere in the trees. You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose.

“Hi, by the way,” you said to the group. “Nice to meet you all.”

The silence continued a beat too long before the one man who’d been staring flabbergasted at you suddenly stood up. “You called us on our day off for a woman? Who’s replaced you?”

“Fascinating,” the blonde woman said.

“This is the reason for your unexplained absences then?” asked another man with ginger hair.

“They’re not unexplained,” Lucci said. “I have no reason to justify where I go.”

You sighed. “We could have done this at home. I have room to entertain.”

“No.”

“Chapapa, Lucci’s taken more time off than ever before. Seventeen in the past –”

“Enough,” Lucci said.

“I’m Kaku,” the ginger man said, extending a hand and you shook it, grateful for some normalcy in whatever this situation is. “Sorry for the shock. I don’t think any of us expected an introduction today.”

“Pleasure,” you said. “And don’t worry, I didn’t even expect to leave the house today.”

You shot a look at Lucci who didn’t bother responding.

“You will need to show her your transformations,” he continued. “For identification purposes should you decide to remain quiet.”

Kaku released your hand and frowned. “Our… is she approved to know that kind of information?”

“No.”

“I see what this is!” The white-haired man’s voice was considerably louder than you expected and you startled. “It would seem our fearless leader has been caught by the most dangerous –”

“Quiet,” Lucci said. “This is not a social gathering.”

“Why have you brought a civilian woman here?” the woman asked, adjusting her glasses. “I imagine if this was something work-related, we would have done it during work hours.”

“Or in a formal setting,” said the only other man who hadn’t said anything yet. He was quite tall, his hair shaped up into horn-like structures.

“As I said, she must see your transformations so she has an accurate understanding of what you all look like. In the situation where one of you might be ordered to kill her, it would be best if she understood what she was seeing.”

An awkward quiet stretched over the clearing. You took the opportunity to look over the group, curious about their unusual appearances. You had imagined Lucci’s colleagues to be far more like him and far less interesting than they actually were.

“Ordered to kill her, chapapa?” the man with the zip on his mouth asked.

“That’s the logical conclusion of what will happen if any of you choose to report the lapse.”

“Lapse is a hurtful one,” you said. “Situation was already pushing it.”

He glanced at you. “It’s accurate.”

“If we have a chance of being given orders to kill her,” Kaku said. “Would it not make more sense to preserve our secrecy? We haven’t even been formally reinstated yet.”

“And I don’t normally give away information to targets,” the woman added.

“She is not a target yet,” Lucci said. “So that is not a problem.”

“You’re very calm for a woman whose future is being discussed in front of her,” said the horned man as though he finally remembered you were present. Unlike the others. “Most are not as open to the possibility of death.”

“He was considering killing me yesterday,” you said. “I’ve had this conversation already. And as he said, it’s not an order yet. I’ll hold onto that.”

You couldn’t deny there was still a strange thump in your chest as you connected the two. Your nerves crept higher, making your clothes uncomfortable as fear curled next to you. But Lucci was standing next to you and you trusted he probably wouldn’t let the others make the decision lightly.

“Threatening her directly was unnecessarily crude,” the woman said.

“I know, right?” you agreed.

She smiled. “Kalifa. Has he told you our names? Or was that courtesy not provided?”

“I know that at least one of you can appear to be a dog,” you said. “But not much else. Classified information and all.”

“Wait? Why would you know that?!” another man snapped at you. “That’s just as classified!”

“You’re Jabra?” you asked.

“Yes! What do you mean a dog?! I am not a dog!”

“Before we get stuck on that,” Kaku said. “As much as I do think formal introductions should happen, I would like to establish the actual situation first.”

“Yoyoi! Is it not obvious?”

“No, it really isn’t,” the horned man mentioned. “Suspicious, yes, but not obvious.”

You looked to Lucci because really, this was his discussion to have. If he wanted to tell them then he could and you had a feeling he might not want to disclose it. If only because –

Hattori clearly took you looking at him as an invitation. He flew over and landed on your shoulder. He leaned his head against your neck and began to sink down as though he was collapsing slowly. Shame. Poor thing was starving.

“Do not.”

“He’s hungry,” you said.

“He is not. He is merely performing because he knows you are weak.”

You reached into your pocket and took out the bread. You didn’t look away from Lucci as you offered it to Hattori, who immediately swallowed the whole thing as though it might be snatched away. Lucci’s gaze narrowed in warning.

“You kidnapped me. I’m feeding him.”

“You kidnapped her?” Kalifa asked.

“She would have agreed to come regardless.”

“Yes but that’s not the point,” you huffed.

Kalifa shrugged. “Oh, if you would have agreed, it’s merely efficiency.”

You sighed.

Right. You did forget Lucci wasn’t alone in his strange behaviours sometimes. He had mentioned the majority of the others had been raised in a similar environment… But that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

“Kaku can begin,” Lucci said. “Though I would hope you would not allow random livestock into your house to start with, it’s important to be certain.”

“Lucci,” Kaku said. “I don’t know about this.”

“It’s important.”

“For what?”

“Okay, you know what, no. I am proving I do not look like a dog.”

Jabra stood up off the log he’d been sitting on and his body shifted. You almost startled, entirely unused to seeing a person randomly become an animal. He dropped down into a very large and very obvious wolf that looked nothing close to your neighbour’s pet. Grey fur bristled over his shoulders as he straightened, his lip curling back to bare massive canines.

You swallowed and looked at Lucci. “That is very clearly a wolf.”

“You allowed an unknown dog into your house.”

“Not unknown,” you said. “And also, not a very obvious wolf.”

Jabra shifted back into a mildly annoyed man and dropped back into his seat. “Exactly.”

“Yoyoi! I do not have a transformation to show and I am feeling very left out! But I can provide a different display!”

Kaku cleared his throat. “Kumadori, wait a moment. Jabra and I are the only ones with transformations she hasn’t already identified,” he said. “And, no offence, but I don’t think we would particularly need to use them to get close to a civilian woman if you believe we may need to kill her.”

“She can see both forms here,” Lucci said. “She now knows what each of you looks like.”

“Which might be a security breach, actually,” Kalifa pointed out. “I understand Fukurou doesn’t fit in to begin with but the rest of us might prefer to keep our appearances more hidden.”

“And we don’t even know why the reveal is occurring,” the horned man mentioned. “Nor who she is.”

“Blueno’s got a good point,” Jabra said. “Now that I think of it.”

“Kaku would stand out more transformed than as a man, chapapa,” Fukurou said.

Kaku nodded. “I would.”

“What can you become?” you asked. “Sorry if that sounds rude but I’ve heard a decent amount about the wolf but never about you.”

“I…” he paused. “That is technically classified information.”

“Isn’t your existence that?”

“Yes. That’s part of the problem with you being here.”

“He’s a giraffe,” Fukurou said eagerly. 

Kaku looked over his shoulder in disappointment. “Very good secrecy. Thank you.”

“That’s why we zip his mouth closed most of the time,” Blueno said and he sounded slightly amused.

“A giraffe?” you repeated. “Love, why the hell do you think I’m stupid enough to invite a random giraffe into my living room. That’s not a common animal to find in my garden.”

Lucci shrugged. “There’s a possibility for every situation.”

“Like… like a full-sized giraffe?” you asked. “I don’t even think that would fit through my doors.”

“Well once he transforms, you will know how to distinguish him from others who look similar.”

“I haven’t even seen you become a leopard properly.”

“I wouldn’t need to use that form.”

“Neither would they, I’m sure.”

The rest of the group had fallen very quiet. Suspiciously so. The clearing felt charged, their expressions far more obviously shocked now. Enough that you started running back over your thoughts in case you’d said something incriminating and –

“I warned you of that nickname,” Lucci said. “For situations exactly like this. It’s hard to hide your attachments when you throw them about so casually.”

You frowned, confused, for a moment.

Oh. Right. You called him love.

“Well, you’ve never told me I couldn’t use it. If I listened to all your warnings I would have moved like four times.”

“And you would be untraceable for it.”

“I don’t want to be untraceable. You still need to visit.”

He straightened. “Nothing in this world is untraceable to me. My earlier recommendation still applies. You should see what Kaku can disguise himself as in case he is the one they ask to kill you.”

Kaku cleared his throat. “I do think this conversation should have had a lot more context,” he said.

“Love?” Jabra repeated, his expression curling. “Woah. No. Just, absolutely not.”

“Ah, my point has been proven!” Kumadori declared. “I knew from the moment she arrived that this was not a relationship of convenience! For if so, the emotion bleeding between them would not be as fraught as it is. We have arrived –”

“Enough,” Kalifa said and he paused, looking thoroughly agitated at being interrupted again.

Though admittedly you appreciated each person that did it.

“I see the reason for the concern then,” Blueno mentioned, stepping away from the tree line to move closer. “You fear repercussions for this liability. But I don’t understand how this will help. If she is marked for elimination, for whatever reason, her knowing what we look like will not fix that. It will simply give her a name to know as she dies.”

Lucci said nothing and the discomfort in your stomach curled tighter. It was true. You could recognise them but it wouldn’t be helpful unless you had somewhere to run. Somewhere you could hide.  

“I doubt she’d even have time to know it happened,” Fukurou said.

“You’re all very reassuring,” you told them.

“We’re trying to understand the reasoning,” Kaku said. “You’ll forgive us for pointing it out but it’s true. I would not arrive as a giraffe. I would not need you to let me into your house.”

Lucci looked at each of them carefully. “She would be able to tell me. In case the orders were given without my knowledge or without the approval for you to inform me first.”

“And then what?” Kalifa asked. “You know so that you can hold one of us accountable for the rest of our lives?”

“Or kill us in return?” Jabra asked.

Lucci remained silent. You scratched Hattori’s head for lack of anything else to do, redoubling your attention on the bird rather than whatever situation you were standing in the middle of right now. At least he was one creature not considering how quickly your death would come. Probably because he would mourn the lack of snacks.

“This situation doesn’t exist yet,” Lucci said. “But should it happen, I want to be aware of it. My actions will be decided in the moment.”

“You’ve been compromised,” Kaku said.

“I already established that. This discussion occurred because of that fact.”

“I thought it was because I let a random dog into my house,” you said.

“That merely allowed the acknowledgement,” Lucci established. “I assumed a danger and searched for an attacker without knowing there was one. The dog allowed me to acknowledge the full extent of my corrupted judgement.”

Kalifa looked you over. “So, if they ask for her to disappear, you’re saying we move through you first?”

“A rite of recognition for both sides!” Kumadori cried. “She learns the faces of death, and we learn whose wrath awaits should her name ever appear in our orders! Truly, I couldn’t imagine a more dangerous and tragic relationship, swaying by a thread!”

“I’m not in danger,” you said. “It’s a hypothetical. Right?”

“It is currently,” Lucci said. “And it will remain that way.”

His words were firm enough to ease some of the anxiety from your chest. It loosened the coil that had been there since yesterday. He’d made his choice then. All the worrying and now… it felt strangely comforting even though you knew you shouldn’t have to concern yourself about this to begin with.

“Fine,” Kaku said and he took several steps back. “I don’t need to tell you how dangerous this is. But fine.”

His body shifted, rising so quickly that you stepped back on instinct. Heavy hooves struck the earth, sending dust rolling across the clearing as long, powerful legs lifted him above everyone around him. You had known giraffes were large. You had not understood how large until his shoulders towered over you and his neck stretched high between the trees.

He flicked his head, the movement cracking sharply through the air, then scraped one hoof through the dirt.

“That’s… that’s actually really cool,” you said.

He transformed back immediately, straightening his clothes. “Thank you. Now if you ever see a random giraffe, I suppose you’ll know it’s me.”

“I probably could have guessed,” you admitted.

“Shocking.”

“I will not pretend that this meeting didn’t occur,” Lucci said. “But if one of you speaks about it as mere gossip, I will remove their ability to do so.”

They all turned their heads to Fukurou who made a show of zipping his lips. You had a feeling that wasn’t enough.

By the time you reached the shore, the boat had already returned for you. You actually found you were decently close to your home island. You’d assumed Lucci had organised it all to be far away but it only took an hour’s ride and he sat in silence the whole time.

You didn’t quite know what to say either. Whether to thank him for introducing you to his coworkers or to complain about the sheer number of death threats.

Or to appreciate the somewhat official confirmation that he would stand between you and the others.

That was something you didn’t quite know how to handle.

So instead, you waited until you got home before you said, “I’m going to take a swim. It’s far too hot.”

He inclined his head toward you. You leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and went to change.

After hiking a hill unexpectedly, the water felt refreshing against your skin. You lingered under the surface, stress of the morning washing from your skin as you swam the length with slow kicks.

Only to come up on the other side, open your eyes and immediately meet a pair of yellow irises.

A leopard sat only a few feet away, close enough that you could see the slow rise of its chest beneath golden fur. Black rosettes disappeared over its shoulders and down powerful forelegs, ending in paws large enough to cover your face. Its tail flicked once behind it, but the rest of its body remained unnervingly still.

It was Lucci. You knew that.

Your body did not care.

“Fuck!” you spluttered.

The leopard rose. Muscle shifted beneath its coat as it padded toward the bar, each step silent despite its size. Its tail swept behind it before the animal disappeared, replaced in a second by the man you knew so well.

“Would you like a drink?”

You stared at him blankly for a moment, confused about what prompted that until your brain began to put things together. The earlier praise of the others and your request to see his transformed state.

“Yes, please,” you said. “That was terrifying, love.”

“It should have been.”

“Gorgeous though. Puts both of the others to shame.”

He hummed and you heard satisfaction seeping into his voice. You might regret feeding the ego of a man who was already so arrogant.

But you couldn’t find it in yourself to mind too much.

You smiled lazily at him. “Thrilled,” you drawled. “Will you be my maid of honour?”

The ring rested on the low table between you, half-hidden among hairpins, folded towels, and a small ceramic dish of bath salts.

It was a plain, narrow band of pale metal but the lamplight caught its edge sharply enough to flash. Like a blade left forgotten on a table. More dangerous than one.

Kaku rolled his eyes and you wondered, almost aloud, why you bothered to bring him along. If he was going to bring this up, you may as well have waltzed here alone rather than stopping by the apartment to collect him. Then again, you had always enjoyed the company he provided when he wasn’t questioning your relationship.

Again.

“I’m not certain when we’ll have the wedding itself,” you continued, a little defensive against your own thoughts. “I was so surprised by the proposal.”

Kaku hummed with enough judgement to sting. “I can imagine. It’s difficult to be excited about a wedding nobody knew was happening. Lucci was… eager about it all. Very unlike him but I suppose you did accept.”

“What else could I have done?”

Reasonably, you probably shouldn’t have taken on a cover for a mission you weren’t even meant to be on. You had enough self-preservation to not wear the ring once you left the main island though because at Enies Lobby… well, you paled to think of the trouble you’d get into if Spandam put two and two together once you returned.

Kaku sighed and sat up straight in his chair. “Do you know, I am rather glad that you’re alive.”

His words surprised you and you raised a pointed eyebrow as you looked around the room. This was hardly a private location. Your supposed death had occurred while you were a Cipher Pol agent, not the sister of the local bartender.

“That’s gracious of you,” you settled on saying.

“I’m glad you’re alive. Truly. But I didn’t go out and buy you a ring.”

Ah, okay then. You were at least using some kind of code although it really was beginning to border on just dropping your cover entirely. Funny, you had thought Kaku would be a little more careful about such things.

Or maybe he just worried this much about it.

“Thank you,” you said. “Is this jealousy I’m hearing? Don’t tell me you found the ring in his drawer and hoped it was yours.”

“I just think it’s a strange choice considering we’re still in the very early stages of our work. We’ve yet to finish a year and the last time I spoke to Lucci about it, he also wanted to focus on our careers. We can earn ourselves a very good place in Water 7 if we’re diligent.”

You knew Iceberg had started to notice them too. Kalifa told you about it when you’d caught up with her at the bar, drinks cool in your hands. You much preferred visiting Blueno on the evenings rather than dealing with that prudish blond at the shipyard.

“I’m certain Lucci can multitask. I trust him.”

“You should have asked him about his career before accepting it.”

“That’s a bit rude to ask when someone proposes. Especially if you’re quite fond of them.”

You hadn’t really had much time to talk to Lucci about the whole ‘engaged’ cover at all. The night of your acceptance, you had been otherwise preoccupied and then… well, it just hadn’t come up really. You had far more interesting things to deal with than allow your mind to speculate about nothing.

“Maybe you should talk more in your relationship than keep me up every other night.”

“We’re hardly in the talking phase,” you joked though you noticed an unexpected sour taste to your tone.

Strange. You’d never really considered how little time you spent talking about things with Lucci until this point but it wasn’t very often. If you weren’t wrapped up in something far more physical, you probably were busy with your own work which… it made sense all things considered so why did you find yourself a little put off by it? The thought sat uncomfortably in your chest.

“It’s quite hard to believe considering how long you’ve been together,” Kaku pointed out.

It must have been years since the first night. Meant to be a one-time thing, it was fun and exciting enough that you quickly grew addicted to being in his bed. Or on his lap. Or on a desk. Or… really the list could go on for a very long time. You’d never bothered to put a title to it because it didn’t need one.

Hours of flirting that you thought had just bounced off the stone wall that was Lucci but one day he just snapped and dragged you into a nearby room.

You smiled at the memory. Far better to do that rather than waste your time speculating. “Come on, Kaku. We’re friends. You’ll support me, won’t you?”

He stared at you for a second before he sighed and shook his head. “I’d prefer to stop hearing it though.”

“I can’t promise anything about that.”

Kaku had, quite unfairly, ruined the quiet calm you had been enjoying. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t quite sink back into the slow rhythm of the spa. The trickle of water, the faint chime of metal somewhere down the corridor… it all turned annoying.

When someone finally came to collect you for your shoulder massage, it felt almost like a rescue.

The attendant slid open the paper-panelled door and gestured you inside. The room beyond was smaller than the bathing hall, warm and dim, lit by a single lantern hung near the ceiling. She closed the door behind you with a soft wooden thud. You took it in for a second with a deep, focused breath.

Your instincts prickled. You spun as a familiar shape moved behind you and Lucci was suddenly there, stepping into your space before you could say a word. His hand caught your waist, lifting you clean off the floor as his mouth crashed into yours in a sharp, biting kiss.

“Well, hello,” you greeted after he finally released you, leaving you breathless. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“I spoke to Iceberg,” he said and his voice was low enough to rumble through your chest. “Just had to finish some things this morning and now I can spend the whole day with you. Kalifa may have had something to do with it.”

“Well, I guess I owe her something nice. If you came through earlier, I would have asked you to come with rather than Kaku.”

“I don’t let other people touch me anyway,” he muttered.

“That’s works for me,” you said, letting your gaze linger over the exposed muscle of his arms. “Pity I’m going to miss my massage though. I was really looking forward to that.”

Lucci carried you to the massage table in a few swift steps and lowered you onto it before stepping back. You smirked at him, very aware of the robe you were wearing and how little you had on beneath it.

The silk whispered against your skin as you began to slide it from your shoulders, the cool fabric brushing down your arms.

“Lie on your stomach.”

You frowned, but did as you were told, settling onto the table with the robe half off and pooled loosely around your hips.

You weren’t entirely sure what you were expecting, but you startled when warm oil dripped onto your shoulders. A moment later, large hands spread the heat across your skin, firm palms sliding slowly from your shoulders down along the length of your back. His hands paused briefly at the base of your shoulders, fingers pressing once as if testing the tension there before beginning slow, deliberate circles that worked deep into the muscle.

“You know how to give massages?” you asked, tilting your head slightly to the side.

“If you want to question it, I’m going to stop.”

You rolled your eyes but mimed keeping your mouth shut. How was he so irritatingly good at everything? It simply wasn’t fair.

If heaven existed anywhere in the world, it probably felt something like this. Warm oil, strong hands, and the quiet hush of a locked room. You could lie here forever on your stomach and not worry at all about what Kaku said.

In the past few minutes alone, you’d spoken to him. Probably.

 “Lucci,” you said and he made a sound you took as acknowledgement. “How long did you plan on proposing?”

It was a simple question, unobtrusive and he could have even read it as interest. Maybe a bit out of character but nothing too extreme although you would be the first to admit, you were overthinking in his silence.

“A few months,” he said. “Before I transferred to Water 7 to better our craft. It made sense to clarify things first but with various obstacles in the way, things simply worked out better when delayed.”

He had wanted it to be part of your initial cover then? It stood out a little when you thought about it that way. Prior to Spandam’s involvement, your role on the Water 7 mission would have been as a barmaid with Blueno as your primary partner. Part of that, of course, had been helping loosen the tongues of those who might have information and maybe even using a flash of skin to get a few people to trust you.

An engagement surely wouldn’t have fit into that cover? As if he noticed the tension creeping back into your shoulders, Lucci’s hands paused before his thumbs pressed hard into a stubborn knot near your shoulder blade.

You let out a soft sound as he worked the pressure deeper, the ache slowly loosening beneath his hands.

Enough worrying about that.

“I ran into that old pelt merchant a few days ago,” you said, trying now for the sake of just keeping the conversation going. “You know, the one who had that wolf skin rug you disliked greatly? He said he might be coming around Water 7 and I thought you could ask him about some décor for the wedding.”

Lucci scoffed audibly and you almost laughed at his obvious disgust. “Absolutely not. Did you tell him we were engaged?”

“No. It didn’t come up.”

Lucci’s nails traced slowly up the back of your leg, light enough to make you twitch. His fingers paused briefly at the inside of your knee before sliding higher along your thigh, brushing dangerously close to the edge of your robe. “He’ll be heartbroken when you do. He’s always been quite interested in you.”

You frowned at the implication and turned your head to look at him. “He has been?”

Lucci leaned down until his face was level with yours, close enough that you could feel his breath against your cheek. His hand crept ever higher, moving the silk of your robe aside as his fingers drifted close. “Dogs always want what they can’t have,” he said quietly. “It’s in their nature. Have you never seen one beg from the table?”

He must have been joking about that. Jabra had never shown any kind of interest in you though you’d never really paid much mind to his romantic pursuits. You’d always had your own to be wrapped up in but you’d gladly ask him about it when you returned.

For a second, realisation felt a little too strong as you noticed there was no dread in your stomach when it came to asking Jabra a deeply personal question. Nothing like the nerves you felt even asking Lucci something simple.

“What’s your favourite colour?” you blurted out.

Lucci’s fingers paused in their ascent along your leg. “What?”

“Your favourite colour,” you repeated, already aware this was becoming painfully awkward. “I realised I don’t actually know.”

His gaze slipped from your own for a second before he shrugged. “I’ve never considered it. It’s never been important to my work and I don’t worry about much outside those confines.”

You didn’t have much of a response to that. You didn’t fall within those confines either, if you really wanted to think about it. You rolled suddenly onto your back, hooking your legs around his waist and dragging him down toward you before the thought could settle properly in your mind.

Damned Kaku and his stupid questions.

Lucci met you with equal force. His mouth crashed against yours hard enough to sting, the sharp taste of iron blooming briefly on your tongue as his teeth caught your lip. His hands stripped the last of your robe from your shoulders and pulled you closer, his body heavy and heat-soaked against yours.

You let yourself sink into the heat of his mouth, into the bruising pressure of his kisses, forgetting everything else for a moment. He shifted his weight and swung himself up onto the table with you, forcing you back into the padded surface beneath him.

Then a sharp knock cracked through the quiet room.

You broke the kiss with a surprised giggle and titled your head to stare toward the shadowed figure behind the frosted glass. You opened your mouth to respond when you felt the sharp pinch of claws in your leg where Lucci held it.

You looked up at him in confusion.

Lucci’s body tensed beneath your hands. His muscles rippled violently as dark spots bled across his skin and his body surged larger beneath you. Claws punched through his fingertips, sharp enough to dig into your skin. A low growl rolled from somewhere deep in his chest. His golden eyes locked on the door, unblinking and bright with something far more dangerous than irritation.

You frowned, confused. How many times had you been interrupted before? He’d never done anything like this.

“Lucci?”

His head snapped back to you and for a moment, you felt yourself pinned under the weight of his glare. But then he shook his head and then he blinked hard and the spots receded. When he straightened again, he looked entirely composed.

He pulled the robe deliberately up and back over your shoulders before he stepped away from you, carefully composed as he left you sitting on the table.

Hattori flew back to his shoulder – where had that bloody bird even been hiding – and straightened.

You watched him for a second but he didn’t look at you. You cleared your throat and tried your best to be presentable, running your hand over your hair a few times.

“Yes?” you called out.

The door slid open to reveal a tall woman in a seafoam robe that brushed the floor. Golden bangles stacked along both wrists chimed softly against each other as she stepped into the room, the sound delicate against the quiet trickle of water somewhere deeper in the spa.

Her eyes glittered with barely concealed entertainment as she looked you over, her gaze drifting slowly down your form. Lucci might have been standing a polite distance away now, but it was hardly difficult to guess what you had been doing.

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything,” she said.

“Nothing,” you reassured. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s no worry, dear. I understand how these things go. I just came to inform you that your friend is looking for you,” she said. “Kaku, I believe? I thought it better that I come to notify you rather than giving him the room number.”

You laughed, a little embarrassed to be caught so obviously. “Thank you. I can come and speak to him quickly.”

She gestured for you to follow and left the room but before you could slip from the table, Lucci moved past you, leaning in quietly and speaking in a voice just for you. “Don’t worry about him. Come with me. We have things to discuss.”

You paused but he didn’t wait for you, disappearing and leaving you alone in the room. Somewhere behind you, the plants shifted and you turned your head to the sound curiously. Nothing.

You didn’t worry about it too much right now. There were other things on your mind.

It wasn’t much of a debate as to what you would do. You hurried to the change room and back out to the reception without even a thought for Kaku but the strangest thing caught your attention.

Steam drifted lazily through the high wooden rafters, the air warm and heavy with the scent of herbs. Guests moved quietly through the space in soft robes, voices low beneath the steady trickle of running water.

You were halfway across the room when something caught your eye. The same woman from before stepped into a room with a familiar man in a white uniform.

You’d never learned his name, but you recognised his face and the emblem on his shirt. One of the couriers from Enies Lobby, a favoured messenger of Spandam’s.

He didn’t see you but you watched with great curiosity as he disappeared into one of the steam rooms.

Now that was suspicious.

After all, Lucci was a very important weapon to the government too. They would not be impressed even if Spandam did survive the encounter.

So you were in Water 7. Visiting.

It was strange to have such demands of you but you relished it regardless. If nothing else, it proved the point you’d tried to make what felt like an eternity ago. He wouldn’t have asked you here if he didn’t care at all.

Every second you spent in this city, you realised how much you disliked Enies Lobby and its bland, lifeless face. The small woman selling jewellery, the fishermen sharing drinks at the docks, and even the security around the train station were all the small signs of life that your home island just couldn’t have.

You found yourself surprised how much you enjoyed those aspects of normalcy as you made your way to the shipyard.

You shouldn’t have wandered your way there but you were curious and who cared if you drew a few eyes. That was the whole point of the outfit you’d chosen anyway with a skirt that brushed over your upper thighs and a shirt that lifted suggestively in the wind. It was chosen for a purpose, after all. The planks beneath your boots were rough with salt and sawdust and you felt eyes linger as you passed,

As you approached the gates though, a familiar shadow fell over your shoulders.                          

Hattori cooed in greeting and you reached for the bird; allowed him to hop onto your finger before lifting him to your shoulder. He nuzzled into your jaw.

“Good morning,” you purred, only then looking to Lucci.

How long had it been? It felt like an eternity though realistically only a month or so had passed. His shipwright outfit still suited him far too well. He raised a pointed eyebrow at your outfit and you did a little spin to make the fabric lift.

“You approve?” you asked. “I thought it was the perfect outfit for a day trip.”

Before he could answer, you heard your name called and you turned in time to see Kaku bounding over from just past the gates. He shot a sharp look at Lucci before you held out your arms as though wanting to greet him with a hug. He wrapped his arms around you briefly and you smiled at him.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said though you could hear a faint question in his voice. “You’re here early.”

He made you promise not to interfere and you may be walking that line at the moment but there was no harm in a friend visiting the shipwrights. It wasn’t like they were anywhere close to discovering the blueprints as it was.

“I had some spare time,” you reassured. “It’s nothing important but I thought I’d come by and see where the two of you work now. This is an impressive shipyard.”

You rested your hands over Lucci’s arm with a dazzling smile. He didn’t move away and Hattori cooed as the pigeon settled warmly against your neck. You knew you looked to all the world like you were just visiting your man during his work.

“We really aren’t meant to have distractions during the day,” Kaku chuckled. “If Paulie saw your outfit, I think he may actually blow a fuse. He’s awkward around exposed skin.”

“It’s not that exposed.”

Kaku made a point of looking at where your shirt had raised to show your hips. “Truly?”

Hattori cooed and you jumped when the pigeon almost seemed to speak but you recognised the diction easily. Lucci might be able to hide from the rest of the world but you’d spent too many hours listening to his voice.

“We’re still new here. We’re meant to be maintaining an image.”

You looked down at the bird and then back up at him, smiling. “Ventriloquism? Really?”

“Lucci’s been a little shy lately,” Kaku teased and his grin was wide enough you almost believed he didn’t mind your interruption. Had your friends always been so easy to read or were you just a little too attuned to their pretences?

Knowing that they had to behave better than yourself made you smirk though. You looked up at Lucci and walked your fingers along his bicep, leaned in and pressed your chest against the warmth of his bare arm, muscle taut beneath your touch

“Aw that’s a shame,” you said. “I don’t mind though. I know I don’t struggle to get your attention.”

Lucci rolled his eyes but he leaned toward you almost instinctively. Hattori fluttered back to his shoulder instead. “Maybe I just don’t see the need to indulge you,” he said through the pigeon. “Seeing as you clearly didn’t make an effort to get here on time.”

“I’m early. I was struggling to stay away.”

“Not my problem. There are easier ways to beg for attention.”

“Oh, I know. Should I show you some of my other techniques?” Your gaze flicked to his lips and you may have kissed him if Kaku didn’t cough loudly.

“You two really need to remember when you’re in public,” he muttered and you heard the faintest hint of his real voice come through.

You smiled innocently. “You’ve seen us do worse.”

“Regrettably so.”

Lucci leaned to speak into your ear, his voice a low and steady whisper. His hand slid to your back and dragged you closer. “If you continue being like this here, you’re going to have to get used to Hattori’s voice in a different way. Breaking character isn’t a good idea.”

You shivered and shoved at his chest playfully. “Not a chance. I’ve already banned him from the bedroom once.”

Kaku clicked his tongue and Lucci immediately straightened just as somebody stormed from the shipyard, barking their names at full volume. You shot a sharp glare at the interrupter before you soothed your expression into something benign and neutral.

The blond shipwright looked vaguely familiar. He wore a kitsch outfit composed mostly of denim with a pair of bright goggles on his forehead. A reprimand was already loud on his tongue when he stopped dead upon noticing you, still pressed tightly against his arm. His cheeks turned bright red and he shook his head.

“Put on some clothes woman! Where’s your modesty?!”

Kaku smiled in a placating manner. “Sorry for walking out Paulie but Lucci’s friend arrived unexpectedly.”

“Fiancée,” Hattori corrected and for the first time since you’d started working for CP9, you felt a sharp crack run through your cover. You blinked as the word hit hard your guy hard but Hattori continued without pause. “She stops by once a month and arrived early.”

Was he… what did he mean by that?

Even Kaku appeared momentarily shocked though he recovered from it far faster than you did. “They make a cute couple, don’t they?” he asked Paulie who scowled.

“I don’t care what kind of couple they are! I want the two of you doing your job and she needs to cover up before she ends up distracting the workers! Now get back to work! Or do you think those planks are going to measure themselves?”

You snapped out of whatever trance this foolish cat had put on you and nodded eagerly, your smile broad as you leaned up to press a compliant kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“I’ll see you later,” you hummed.

“Keep that nonsense out of the shipyard!” Paulie lectured and you rolled your eyes before you waved goodbye with a small wave and a sway of your hips.

With nowhere better to go, you strolled through the streets and back into the only place your brain appeared to take you on autopilot. At least two of the patrons called out your name in greeting and you waved briefly to them before you settled at the bar. It was dim and steady, wood worn smooth by years of use. Your expression likely said enough to Blueno.

Fiancée? That wasn’t a title you appreciated just being dropped on you, no matter how long you’d been sleeping together. Mission or not, you could have at least been asked out before being locked into some kind of marriage.

Though granted, you didn’t really mind it… you shook the thought from your mind.

He’d built himself a cover and for some reason decided that you now fit into that. It made sense, you imagined given how you’d likely be here more often than not. Unless Spandam managed to pull another piece of work out his ass as punishment for you waltzing out.

The glass was loud when it hit the wood and you downed it without a second thought. You cringed at the foul taste  – squinted at Blueno in confusion now that he’d broken you from your trance.

“You’re early,” he said. “Busy day?”

“Weather’s been confusing me,” you said. “I think it’s sunny but then it threw a minor squall my way though I did get to meet my fiancé in the shipyard. Got yelled at by a very angry blond man too.”

One of the patrons in the bar cackled. “Oh yeah, that’s Paulie alright. He’s so bad with women. Yells at them all.”

If the comment surprised Blueno, it didn’t show at all. He placed another glass of that vile liquid in front of you and nodded to your hand. “Not wearing your ring today then? Or is it getting cleaned again.”

You touched the spot on your finger that had never worn a ring. “I forgot it, honestly. Just a mistake.”

“Strange, how these things happen. You’re not usually so forgetful.”

“Guess I’ve had too much sun.”

This hadn’t been in a single mission plan. Maybe back when you were meant to be on this mission, Kalifa had joked once or twice that Lucci and you could get away with sleeping together as part of their cover. Nothing more than that. Fiancée was a lot more binding, especially if this mission started to drag out.

You downed the second drink and wondered if you were being a bit ridiculous about this but when was the last time Lucci just decided without telling anybody? The last time you broke out of his plan, it had been a thing.

And it had only been a month since he thought you were dead thanks to your idiot of a boss. Maybe there was more to this than you thought.

“You’re cut off,” Blueno said.

“You’ve given me two drinks.”

He hummed and you shot him a glare. It was probably for the better anyway. There was already a crazy woman at the train station who kept talking about government spies. Most people dismissed her but the last thing you needed was to get drunk and babble to her.

Not that whatever swill he gave you had done much more than calm your nerves.

You stayed until evening, talking about anything except the shipyard. He told you about some of the interesting things occurring in the city. You found out about a great place to grab breakfast the next morning and made a deal with a patron to use his yagara when you wanted to explore the city. It was nice. It felt benign.  

When you ventured back out into the streets, you pondered what you should do. Bring it up? Tease him and just ignore it? Tell him to take you to dinner first? Each option felt even less appealing than the last.

The familiar cadence of shoes against the steps alerted you to him and you didn’t need to turn around to see Lucci there. The streets thinned as you moved away from the busier canals, lamps stretching shadows long across the stone. Pressing your lips together mischievously, you glanced back once to see him and then ducked into a nearby alley. The hair on the back of your neck stood on end. This could be fun.

You turned and waved to him before you took off at a full sprint.

You were laughing under your breath; boots struck the stone hard enough to echo and you didn’t dare look back. Water 7 was a fun city to run through. The ally spat you out onto a narrow bridge, canal water slapped lazily against the stone below. You vaulted the low rail without slowing and your skirt caught the wind as you landed.

You kept running, breath light and heart fast for reasons that had nothing to do with fear. You already knew how this had ended.

You’d never escaped him before.

You cut left, ducked beneath a low hanging line of laundry and felt the cool press of fabric on your arms. Crates loomed ahead and your boots thudded as you scrambled up and over onto the next bridge, climbing higher and higher.

His footsteps were faint on the rooftops but just there. Your mouth curled into a grin as you sprinted on with your lungs burning pleasantly now. You let yourself belief for half a second that maybe you were fast enough. That if you kept moving, you could drag this out for as long as you wanted.

The street ahead forked sharply. You veered right at the last possible moment; your hand slapped against brick as you pivoted with your pulse loud in your ears.

Your instincts flared. You twisted aside as something moved above you and you laughed, breathless as you darted forward again. The air shifted. Cooler and damp, it carried the soft roar of falling water as you stumbled out to the edge of a widened canal where a bridge led over a roaring waterfall.

Mist clung to the air, slowing the world as you came under his gaze, watching you from above the curve of the railing.

“Be careful not to fall,” he said, his voice cool over the rumble of the water as you approached.

The wind tugged insistently at your clothes and you strolled closer. You leaned with your back against the railing, watched him closely. “That was fun,” you hummed. “I’m sad to be caught already.”

“You could always run again,” he said. “But you wouldn’t get very far.”

He stepped in front of you, hands closing around your waist as he lifted you to sit on the edge, his lips bruising against yours but sweet. Something about this kiss felt a little more human than it ever did before.

You hummed against his mouth as he pulled away, looked up and met a pair of golden eyes. Self-satisfied and glinting in the faint light of the streetlights, he looked the role of a predator. You placed a palm against his cheek, cool and damp from the spray of the waterfall and you may have been imagining it but it felt like he leaned into your palm for a second.

“I like this game,” you said, running your hand down his neck to pull at his shirt.

He didn’t respond, just shook his head and pressed pointed kisses across your throat and nipped at the exposed skin there. You hummed and tilted your head to the side to allow him to continue lavishing attention on your throat.

“We should go to your apartment before we go further,” you breathed though a soft moan. “Don’t want to get you in trouble with the law when you’re trying to be an upstanding citizen.”

“Nobody will catch us. I’ve grown rather tired of Kaku sticking his neck into things he doesn’t need to,” he growled against your collarbone. “I’ve heard enough complaints in the past month that I’ve become annoyed with his voice.”

You put on a mock pout. “He doesn’t like me? And here I thought we were friends.”

“You will be in public but before that, I owe you something.”

He stepped a little back and you steadied yourself before you lost your balance over the railing. The stone beneath you rumbled with the roar of the water below as he tossed something small and silver in your direction. You caught it on instinct.

“You’ll wear it in the city.”

It was a ring. Thin and dainty, it wouldn’t get in the way even if you chose to wear it when you returned home though of course you wouldn’t. No matter what the ache in your heart yearned for, you knew it would be back in your pocket. It slipped onto your ring finger perfectly. The exact size.

Something you thought was long dead thudded in the dark corners of your heart. This wasn’t even your mission.

Instead, you shook your head and chose to push the idea from your mind for now. You hooked a leg around his hips and dragged him back to you. He moved into you without resistance as you tangled yourself around him.

“Do I get to fuck you without the pigeon voice here?” you asked. “Or is it meant to be a standard across Water 7.”

He hummed. “I think it’ll be the new rule for when you annoy me.”

“So, all the time?”

“We’ll see.” You rolled your eyes and dragged him into another kiss. If you kept his mouth busy, it wouldn’t be a problem then.

You thought that sitting on his lap would make things easier, that perhaps positioning yourself with your knees straddling his thighs would have induced some confidence that only continued to escape you. 

The expression on his face didn’t help a thing. Lucci leaned back where he sat, a silent and predatory expression in his eyes. He waited, his hands resting lightly on your hips as he watched you. You could feel the heat of his skin, and you considered for a moment that perhaps Lucci’s inaction unnerved you more than if you’d just surrendered to him. But his touch wasn’t controlling, just anchoring you as he yielded control, but not submission—a bid of something resembling mercy more than it resembled kindness. Even so, you couldn’t even meet his gaze. 

“You’re shaking,” he muttered. His index finger brushed against your hip, igniting a jolt through your body. “Might I remind you that you asked for this?” 

You could feel his piercing stare hot on your skin. You gulped as you nodded, and you watched as Lucci’s eyes went straight to your jugular. 

“I’m getting there,” you whispered.

You’d never felt smaller.

“You’re getting there?” Lucci nearly laughed. You could feel the low, rumbling purr ruminate in his chest. He flashed his sharpened canines. While not quite fangs, Lucci’s canine teeth were slightly longer and sharper than average, a permanent side effect from his devil fruit. He trailed the back of his knuckles over your temple and down your cheek. “Poor little dove,” he rumbled, “Do I scare you?”

You leaned into his touch, letting your eyes flutter closed as you shook your head. “No,” you breathed. 

Lucci allowed his touch to linger, feeling the warmth of your skin on his. His thumb swiped the corner of your mouth before tracing your bottom lip. The rest of his fingers slid down your cheek, cupping your jaw firmly. The tip of his thumb probed the side of your mouth again, and your lips parted with ease to taste the salt of his skin on your tongue. Lucci watched you—the way your eyelashes brushed your cheeks as you gently sucked on his finger, despite having been petrified at the idea of kissing him not even a moment prior. 

“I see,” he said, his voice low as he moved to pull his touch gently from you. 

Your body followed him slightly forward, and when his hand settled back on your hip, you were closer. You’d unconsciously shifted your weight forward to your knees, elevating you just enough to be able to reach Lucci’s mouth comfortably. You stabilized your hands on his chest, your half-lidded eyes on his lips.

You pressed your mouth to his in a moment of mindless desire, gripping the front of his shirt like it was the one thing anchoring you to reality. Your lips moved against his, clumsily taking the lead as you pressed yourself forward. Warmth burned under your skin. Lucci was a far better kisser than you were, but he didn’t assert himself, only keeping a lax touch on your hips. 

You still shook slightly, even as your hands traveled up, grasping from his chest to his neck to his hair. Lucci’s fingers instinctively twitched, pressing on your hips. He could’ve overpowered you by now, and he’d been tempted to from the beginning. But the moment his touch drew out that little mewl from your throat, he nearly snapped. 

Lucci pulled back, his nose brushing against yours. He shifted in his seat, asserting his size over you as he leaned to speak directly into your ear. “I’m holding back more than you’ll ever know,” he muttered, his voice low and rough with strain. “I’ve been nice, letting you lead.” 

Lucci’s grip dug deeper into your hips, not enough to hurt, but enough to make it clear he could take control any moment he chose. “But you make a sound like that and I… I start forgetting how fragile you are.” 

He wasn’t even sure if you were listening to him, not when you were feverishly pressing your lips back against his. The second kiss was bolder—like you’d taken everything he’d shown you in the first kiss and given it back to him, softer and deeper. Lucci could hardly stop himself as something inside him snapped. He kissed you back with a hunger he could barely keep restrained, and then—

“Mph—!” 

Another whimper escaped you. 

That was all it took for his control to break.