Silence and Solitude - Chapter 14
summary: Sina leaves Shanks for good and finally returns to her home, the Grand Line. She finds ways to pass the time while Mihawk keeps hunting for that secret thing he refuses to discuss.
pairing: mihawk x oc
length: 6k words
cw: NSFW, explicit smut, major character death, family grief
Mihawk twisted the little starfish he’d been shaping, the driftwood’s white hue taking on beautiful golden tones in the light of the dying fire. Satisfied with the result, he tossed it into the flames and cautiously reached for another stick. Sina did not stir against him, and he began his new sculpture. Over the years, he’d gotten better at this, especially once Shanks’ ward, Uta, had started requesting them. To placate the girl and keep her busy, Mihawk had crafted untold numbers of creatures and toys. It distracted the child from Sina’s presence, though never for long.
The swordsman had deeply resented his rival for forcing such a trial upon his beloved. Sina had required great care and many months to adjust to the girl’s presence, and Shanks had done his best to act as if nothing was amiss. It baffled Mihawk, that someone so perceptive could be so blind.
Sina jostled when one of the logs fell onto the dying embers, sending a cloud of golden sparks about the pit of black ash. Mihawk shushed her, putting away the wood he was wilting. Shanks and the others were sprawled around the fire, snoring in discordant tones and rhythms, an exhausted pile of happy pirates surrounded by their plunders.
The bit of wood Mihawk had been shaping landed quietly on a spilled-over heap of golden berry, rolling off the coins and onto the fine sand of the beach.
“How long have I been out?” Sina whispered, adjusting her stiff shoulders and embracing her lover lazily.
“Only a moment.”
They remained silent after his murmured response, still sitting shoulder to shoulder, both of them gazing at the deep, hot red of the broken log.
This was to be their last night with the Red Hair Pirates for quite some time. Shanks was headed back to the East Blue, where he planned to remain in hiding to raise little Uta. Sina did not have the heart to follow him any longer. And Mihawk now attracted too much attention to meander in such waters.
Sina’s pale eyes drifted to the girl’s precious little body, nestled against Shanks’ chest, her perfect little snores muffled in his open shirt. Tight longing clamped painfully around her heart again, and she turned away. Mihawk pressed a knowing kiss to her forehead and guided her up, away from the pirates, and back to his boat.
They’d already said goodbye before the party, that was the whole point of it.
“We can sail away now,” Mihawk whispered as he carried her over the shallow waters. “Or wait until dawn breaks.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“No.”
Sina kissed his bearded cheek and lovingly traced his growing mustache with the tip of her finger. Her lover helped her down and pushed his boat back into the open sea as she settled herself for the rest of the night. The moon was high, casting a cold and clear light over the crew Sina was leaving behind. In the morning, Uta would probably cry and ask why her aunt left. What would Shanks say?
He knew Sina was never going to stay.
**
“Another drink, madam?” the server politely asked in a beautiful Southern accent, already tipping the champagne over Sina’s crystal flute.
She smiled at him and nodded slowly, returning her attention to the patrons fluttering around the ground level pool. The Grand Line was indeed more active now, and it was much easier to procure luxuries these days. It was also easier for her to be out in the open now that Devil Fruit users were almost common…
“Missi!” a woman called from Sina’s right. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
The pretty woman, perhaps only slightly younger than Sina, plopped herself next to her and sighed dramatically, snapping her fingers for a champagne flute of her own. Sina couldn’t remember her name, but her company had been pleasant enough last night for the Siren to accept her presence. Kept women were also common now, and Sina loved their company. Stylish women who knew better than to ask questions beyond fashion preferences, and who never opened their hearts to anyone.
“We have to go to that new store today, Missi,” she drawled emphatically, “before these nobodies snatch all the best clothes. It would be a crime,” she pauses for effect, “to see these… girls… in proper Red Line fashion.”
Sina hummed and took another sip.
“Red Line fashion, hm? How did that make its way here?”
The dark-haired woman adjusted her sunglasses and pouted pensively.
“It’s gotta have something to do with the Warlords, right?”
Sina’s upper lip curled in repulsion. Mihawk had briefly explained this new system to her, and she’d quickly written it off as yet another slimy political scheme for men to assert dominance over things that weren’t theirs.
The woman laughed at Sina’s reaction.
“Oh, come on, Missi, so some pirates wanna suck up to the government, so what! More money for us, my dear,” she slurred with a wink.
“I suppose I can’t argue with that… Men will be men…”
“Mhm… Gods only know, Missi…”
They were silent once more, surveying the crowd with detachment on Sina’s part, and disdain on the black-haired woman’s.
“I swear if I see any of these idiots in the latest dresses, I will be so unhappy, Missi…”
Sina sighed heavily. She had no reason to remain here any longer, enduring the woman’s rants and complaints, and she was somewhat curious to see what gaudy fashion the Red Line now favored. When she graciously rose from her chaise, the woman downed the rest of her champagne and hopped after her excitedly, catching the Siren’s arm.
“Your skin is always so cool, Missi! How do you manage?”
The fake name was starting to irritate Sina, but it was a small price to pay for peace in these waters. Her dark shades and wide hat ensured no one would ever recognize her, and the low cuts of her light dresses almost guaranteed no one would be looking past her cleavage.
“Must be in my blood,” she joked dismissively, making her way out of the resort and to the many boutiques lining the tropical island’s beach.
Her company guided her to the best shops, and Sina was not disappointed by the offer. It was as hideous as she expected it to be. The Siren scoffed and chuckled at the ridiculous cuts on display, ignoring the other woman’s enthusiasm as she browsed the clothes. Only when a heavy silence descended upon the shop did Sina turn her attention back to the woman, curious.
Mihawk was standing in the entrance, surveying the clothes with as much disdain as Sina. The dark-haired woman was staring at him, wide-eyed and terrified, her fingers uselessly clutching at the ugly snake skin belt she’d wanted to show Sina.
“I hope you aren’t buying anything from this repulsive selection,” Mihawk said with open disgust, his eyes heavy on Sina’s pale figure.
She was far too beautiful, far too rare, too refined, to even be in the presence of such grotesque designs. Even as a girl, when she’d been playing dress up with that clown, she would never have looked upon this selection with grace.
“Certainly not. I was simply curious. These are the Red Line’s most popular styles, after all…”
The woman snapped her attention to Sina, confused and fascinated. The Siren gave her a falsely sweet smile and with a roll of her voice, she calmed her anguish and excused herself.
“I hope you enjoy your browsing,” she sung lowly, effectively dazing the woman before joining Mihawk to leave the horrendous store.
“You returned faster than expected,” Sina murmured as she followed him back to the resort.
“I have found that which I sought. We are sailing off.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
Sina smiled, excited for what he had in store for her. Mihawk only ever deviated from his plans when he had found something better for Sina, and his eagerness to leave the island promised good things indeed. To anyone else, his quick words and stiff posture would indicate annoyance, but Sina saw in his heart the anticipation of someone who had prepared a surprise and could not wait to deliver it, anxious, as always, to earn her favor.
“I will have your clothes and jewels shipped to our destination.”
“Oh?”
That was new. Usually her belongings were left behind, only her favorite and most treasured pieces packed in her light satchel.
“Forgive me for everything you’ve had to leave behind,” he whispered quietly, his steps not faltering as they approached the docks.
That was new as well. Sina remained stoic and did not touch him, but the urge to reassure him weighed heavy in her chest. When he helped her on his boat, she clutched his hand a little tighter than necessary, and looked deep into his eyes before sitting in his throne. They were on their way quickly once Mihawk had passed a letter to one of the dock hands, undoubtedly the order to have Sina’s belongings packed and sent to them.
“Where are you taking me?” Sina asked quietly, arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently. The port was still too near for Mihawk to pull her on his lap, the swordsman still standing too far from her, sharp eyes surveying the horizon.
“The ruined Isle of Paros.”
That name meant nothing to Sina but she trusted it meant something to Mihawk, something important, if it required immediate departure from a luxurious resort.
Once the port was far away behind them, Mihawk turned to her, his face softer. He slid an arm under her thighs and pulled her up, taking a seat in her place and adjusting her on his lap.
“My love,” Sina whispered, finally smiling and tossing her sunglasses aside. “Never apologize to me again. I hold nothing against you.”
Mihawk’s hand tightened at her hip and he pressed his face into her hair, inhaling her mystifying scent.
“I’ve forced you to leave too many things behind. I know you yearn to build a home, my heart.”
“I have a home,” she countered with a smile, touching his bare chest softly.
The swordsman smirked and kissed her temple.
“I will do everything in my power to establish you safely. In peace.”
“Is that where we are going?”
“No. The Isle of Paros is a desolate destination, though it is tranquil, but it is not where I seek to keep you.”
Sina turned to meet his eyes, the pearls of her pupils shimmering in the noon’s bright light.
“It is where I will make you mine,” Mihawk finished, his fingers gliding under her skirt and pressing into her waist.
The Siren bit her lip and breathed in deeply, pressing herself closer to her lover’s body.
“Aren’t I already yours?”
With a rumbling hum, Mihawk rubbed her skin teasingly. But he did not answer.
They reached the island at sunset, and Mihawk left Yoru behind to carry Sina from the beach to a solitary lake high on the island, still silent. They passed the quiet ruins of a few habitations, Sina studying their broken white walls without interest. From the height of the lake’s stony shores she could see a few intact buildings, but nothing lingered alive lingered on this island. It was pleasant.
The burning light of the dying day shimmered in the heavy, dark waters before them, as did the cold granite under their feet. Sina’s eyes were briefly lost in the blackening ink of the sky, her perfect face tilted back to witness the birth of the stars.
Mihawk looked at her for a moment, his jaw flexing as he rehearsed his words one last time. His Siren was no longer the girl he’d fallen for. Her beauty was lethal now, sharper than his blade, the charms of adolescence shredded away in favor of adulthood’s refinements. And yet, in the crystals of her eyes, past the endless depths of melancholy and longing spurred by grief, he could still see Sina’s love for the world, her curiosity and wonder for the beauties offered by earth and sky.
The girl he had once held so clumsily as she bloomed was now a wonder beyond words. She was the Sea in all its wild forms; its frozen glaciers, its molten geysers, its oily spreads and mile-high cresting waves. A Siren, yes, but a Siren in silence and darkness, from the deepest crevice of the sea, from the world’s abyss, colder than the sum of her blood, than all her mothers and sisters who thrived in lagoons and the warm arms of their many lovers.
Sina’s attention shifted to Mihawk’s face, and he felt his heart falter in its resolve, growing soft in the delicate light of her pupils. Love, love unwavering and all-consuming, love for a creature whose attention he could only ever hope to deserve, filled his chest thickly. The swordsman took a deep, calm breath, and touched his forehead to Sina’s.
He let her down slowly, waiting until she had steadied herself to release her thighs and kneel in front of her. Sina looked at him quietly when he pressed a reverent kiss to her hip, parting her skirt to kiss his way down her thigh, her knee, her calf, his hand following the curve of her leg down to her ankle. Mihawk removed his hat and placed it to his side. He tightened his hold at her ankle and bent even lower to press a long kiss to her bare foot, causing Sina’s heart to stutter and her lips to part in surprise.
She was accustomed to displays of devotions from Mihawk, but this was so much more intense… This was worship.
The swordsman released her to pull a small black box from his pocket, and Sina was reminded of his gift, many years ago, before her world was upended in a storm of death and abandonment. Her eyes softened immensely at the memory. She had feared she would lose Mihawk then, yet here he was. And she never thought for a moment that she would lose her crew, yet…
His golden eyes were bright in the last lights of the sun, brimming with a passion more mature than either of them could have known back then.
The box was velvety and clean, soft and round. Luxurious. Nothing like the rusty iron can he’d presented to her before.
“I do not dabble in regrets and wishful thinking, my heart, but I must admit… I wish I could have spoken to your father before his end,” Mihawk spoke slowly, eyes locked with hers.
He saw her fingers twitch at his words, her previously parted lips tightening suddenly. Mihawk never mentioned Roger, had hardly interacted with the man, and Sina had no idea he harbored such thoughts.
“I have no doubt he knew then what I wish to ask now, and I have spoken these words to the sea already, hoping, perhaps foolishly, that they would reach him.”
A film of clear tears thickened around Sina’s eyes but Mihawk did not stop.
“I do not carry with me wild warmth, nor am I skilled in tender words, but my love for you is true, Sina. Every day, I endeavor to be worthy of you, and I will not cease or falter in my efforts. Until my blood soils the waves and my heart lies drained, until the depths of the seas rise to meet us, until darkness consumes this world, and until time itself is no more, I will strive to be worthy of you, and I will love you.”
Crystalline waters spilled along Sina’s cheeks, her heart overwhelmed by Mihawk’s words.
“I have hunted far and wide for a jewel that deserved your hand, and it is with this one that I ask you, Salmare Sina, to be mine, as I am yours.”
The little box revealed a magnificent black sapphire, its sharp cuts reflected on the satin cushion that held it, their reflections forming a cross in its heart. Golden diamonds framed the jewel, highlighting its strangely dark hue, their yellow glimmer reminiscent of Mihawk’s eyes. It was a ring unlike any other, its singular beauty ethereal in the island’s twilight.
Sina tried to steady herself, but her voice was still a trembling whisper when she spoke.
“Until the last of my breaths, and even once I can no longer find your shadow in the seas… I will be yours… Always,” she choked out, reaching out to wrap her hands around Mihawk’s.
He caught her left hand before she could close her fingers over his and pressed a kiss to each of her knuckles, then to her cold and smooth palm. Sina watched through blurry eyes as her lover slipped the ring on her finger, the metal snug and comfortable around her skin.
Mihawk put the box back in his coat, picked up his hat, and slowly rose, his fingers still entwined with Sina’s. They looked at each other in silence, neither of them disturbing the lake’s peace even as Sina caught his cheek with her free hand, throwing herself against Mihawk to give him a deep, desperate kiss. He groaned quietly against her tongue, returning the kiss passionately.
A gust of cold wind sent ripples across the lake and Sina shifted even closer to her lover, seeking his warmth. With a hum, Mihawk placed his hat back on his head and wrapped an arm around her, lifting the Siren into his arms to carry her back to a distant white villa overlooking the beach, his other hand releasing hers to tangle in her hair and hold her face to his neck.
“I was not expecting this,” Sina choked out, still affected what her swordsman had said.
“I was told it is customary to keep these matters secretive.”
Sina chuckled and kissed his neck, wiping her wet cheek on his shoulder.
“Will there be a ceremony for us?”
“No. I recognize no authority in this world, nor do I wish to bare my heart to anyone other than you.”
With a hum and another soft kiss, Sina tightened her hold around Mihawk’s neck. They were silent until the door of their lodging was closed behind them, the old and chipped walls keeping them from the increasingly cold winds.
“So,” Sina murmurs, tracing Mihawk’s collar bones with her neatly filed nails, her ring’s stones shifting in the low light of the villa’s lanterns, “you claim me on your own authority?”
“Hm.”
She smiled as he mulled over her words, his steps less hurried as he made his way to the extravagant and strangely intact living room.
“I do,” Mihawk growled in her ear.
Sina was graciously spread out on a comfortable old chaise, reclined on the white pillows, smiling teasingly as she offered herself to his hungry eyes and hands. He knelt in front of her once more, caught her waist tightly in his grip and spoke against her neck, his voice low and rough.
“I, Dracule Mihawk, on my authority as the Greatest Swordsman in the World, claim you, Salmare Sina, as my wife.”
He smirked when the Siren’s light rippled along the satin, her delight freely displayed. Mihawk released her to put his hat and long coat away carelessly, leaning back to take in her splendid body as it shimmered for him. Sina teased his sides with her toes, a playful smile on her lips as she breathlessly replied.
“I accept you claim… And in turn, on my authority over the Seas, I claim you as my husband.”
Mihawk caught her ankle to kiss her foot again, never breaking eye contact even as he pushed her legs aside and rose under her somewhat confused gaze.
“I must light the fire, my heart. It will only take a moment.”
Sina watched from the sofa, bewildered, as her newly-wed husband left her to tend to the iron cast fireplace laid inside the leftmost wall of the villa. After staking such a bold claim on her, the last Siren of the Seas, he walked away from her? He abandoned his wife, to start a fire of all things, and he thought Sina would allow it? Her lips twisted in a sharp smirk. It seemed there were still a few things her beloved swordsman needed to get in order.
Silently, the Siren undid the clasp of the her long skirt and pushed the expensive fabric aside, before undoing her top and sliding it off her shoulders. She knew Mihawk’s haki was focused on her, as it always was, but she could be discreet. She could sneak past his notice, at least a little. Her fully bare body snaked its way from the chaise to his side, quietly gliding over the plush carpet, her presence dissimulated enough to lead him to believe she was patiently waiting in her spot.
As if a Siren would pleadingly wait for anybody’s attention… Her dear husband would do well to remember that he was not the only hunter here.
Mihawk’s eyes widened when he felt her cold and smooth skin pressing along his bare back, the twigs in his hand snapping as his grip tightened in surprise.
“You think you can walk away from me, beloved?” Sina whispered in his ear, a hint of her magic slithering down his neck.
“I will only be a moment,” Mihawk replied in a low voice.
His next words never left his throat, trapped, along with his breath, by the combined feeling of Sina’s fingers sliding along his waist, her wet tongue teasing his nape, and the hum of her voice buzzing along his spine. The swordsman could tell she was naked by the way her soft breasts and peaked nipples rubbed into his back. He quickly tossed the broken twigs into the flames and brushed his hands clean, eager to feel Sina’s thighs under his palms. After a deep breath, his fingers meeting her flesh in a barely controlled caress, Mihawk managed to finish his sentence.
“I did not want you to be bothered by the cold.”
Her teeth touched his neck with enough pressure for him to feel their sting, and Sina chuckled.
“You would give fire the privilege of warming me? How strange… I thought you rather enjoyed that responsibility, beloved…”
Sina gasped when Mihawk spun around and pinned her to the plush rug, so fast she barely managed to perceive his movements. In half a heartbeat, she found herself laid flat on her back, legs spread to accommodate his hips, one of his hands tight at her thigh, the other cushioning her head, his hold shifting from protection to control as his fingers tightened in her hair.
When Sina’s eyes relaxed and grew darker, a smile pulling at her plump lips, Mihawk clicked his tongue.
“Insatiable creature,” he chastised is a rough voice. “You drive me mad.”
“Show me,” Sina whispered.
Mihawk’s pupils spilled into the first ring of his iris, arousal clouding his mind and judgment at the sight before him.
“Take me,” she continued, Siren magic freely bleeding into her voice. “Do what you foolishly thought the flames could do, and warm me. Make me burn for you, husband.”
She’d never used her voice so confidently before, and the swordsman understood, when his hands trembled, why sea-hardened men had thrown themselves to the reefs when Sirens sighed for them. He would have used Yoru as kindling to light Sina’s fire. He would have burned his skin, his pride, his very title, to earn nothing but a pleasured moan from her perfect lips.
He pressed a wild kiss to her smiling mouth, lips and tongue and teeth devouring her, pressing into her as hard a he dared, drawing whines and stuttered breaths from her as his hand slipped from her waist to her hip, then back and lower, molding the flesh of her ass, surely leaving bruises in his wake. Sina rocked against him and brought her hands from the rug to his back, nails pricking his skin and raking down from his neck to the hem of his pants.
She caught his belt and used it to pull Mihawk’s hips harder against hers, grinding her crotch into his, her wetness already staining the pale fabric of his clothes. He was so hard for her already, and she gave a soft chuckle through his searing kiss, wondering why he’d tried to distract himself with building a fire.
Mihawk did not respond to her laughter, or maybe did not hear it, consumed by the rare delight of her flesh. His calloused fingers did not release her silky hair, but he was able to leave the plump wonders of her thighs and drag his other hand to her slit, groaning in relief when he finally found her heat. Their lips were forced apart by the necessity for air, but Mihawk immediately dove for her neck, like he could not stand to be kept from her for even a second.
Sina hastened to remove his belt, unbuttoned his pants and quickly pulled them past his hips, her eager fingers finding his hard flesh. He hissed when her cold hands wrapped around him but bucked into her nonetheless, starved for her touch.
“Oh, my love,” Sina sighed when he pushed his fingers inside her, “hurry…”
Mihawk groaned against her skin, sunk his teeth into her shoulder, and pressed a third finger into her. Sina chuckled again, still pulling at his cock as he stretched her open.
“You’re always so careful with me, so gentle…”
When her lips brushed his ear, the swordsman shivered and his fingers stuttered, losing their rhythm.
“Won’t you show me that fire you wished to light?” Sina sung, siren magic fully engulfing him, spreading wild lightning and crazed lust through every last fiber of his body.
It was the first time she was so free with him, so careless, after years of always restraining her power and voice, despite his assurance that he could withstand it. The promise of his eternal devotion had finally convinced Sina that he belonged to her before Shanks, before his title, before his sword. He was her lover first, and the Greatest Swordsman in the World second. At least tonight.
And so she sang and ensnared him, and joyfully reaped the benefits of her magic. Mihawk pushed her down roughly and pulled his fingers out of her body, tearing a breathy gasp from Sina’s smirking lips. He didn’t bother removing his pants when he sat up and instead caught her hips, his irises now fully engulfed by his pupils as he pulled her to him carelessly.
Sina’s siren song echoed loudly in the room as Mihawk forced his cock in her pliant body, her hands clutching his arms for support. The swordsman didn’t even have the presence of mind to be grateful they were so isolated and did not need to worry about potential eavesdroppers, his sharp perception undone by her magic. He started pounding into her, far more brutal than he’d ever been before, especially since her recovery.
And it was exactly what Sina had wanted and needed since that painful time, wild passion burning between them once more, safe from the rest of the world intruding on them…
She cried out as Mihawk’s thrusts gained in strength, his pace slowing a little as he lifted her hips and deepened the angle. Sina threw her head back and closed her eyes, overwhelmed already, her voice chocked out as she gasped for air. She had to release his arms at a particularly hard thrust, scrambling for purchase on the rug by her head.
Her lovely moans filled the gradually warming villa, accompanied by the crackling of the firewood and the wet sounds of their joining bodies. The fire’s heat was starting to become more noticeable, tickling the backs of Sina’s thighs and the soles of her feet as Mihawk kept her legs spread and elevated, but it could not rival the heat rising from their bodies.
The swordsman fixed his hold on Sina’s hips, briefly losing his rhythm and allowing her to reach out for him once more, trembling fingers catching his shoulders tight. Her hazy eyes sought his out and she smiled blissfully at his wild and disheveled appearance. Sina pulled at him and impatiently rolled her hips into his, calling out for Mihawk even though he was already there, already caught, already drowned in her.
He bent down over her, his breaths still measured and deep despite the energy he was exerting. Mihawk didn’t close his eyes when Sina kissed him, gazing straight into hers, grunting lowly when she sang once more, her enchanting moans echoing through his head. His body, driven by instinct, moved over Sina’s once more, rough and deep but not hitting her the way he wanted to.
The swordsman planted his knees in the rug and snapped his hips into Sina’s at a different angle, seeking her spot. She bucked wildly under him when he found it, tightening around him and crying out with another burst of magic. It sent heady shivers down his spine, pleasure deeper than he’d known in a long time reaching his core in ways few things ever had.
He knew he wouldn’t last much longer, not when it had been so long since he’d let himself have his Siren so passionately, not when she was giving him all of herself so freely… Mihawk hitched one of Sina’s legs over his elbow and stretched her thighs even further apart so he could reach her clit, determined to push her over the edge before his own climax overtook him.
Lost in the torrent of pleasure ravaging his senses, he held out as long as he could, grunting far louder than he ever had before, and when Sina finally sung and arched and twisted in his grasp, he surrendered to her with a broken moan of her name, his hips powerless to do much more than grind his cock deep inside her.
Sina was caressing his sweaty nape when he finally got his bearings, her cool fingers a heavenly relief from the fire’s heat at his back. Mihawk pushed himself off of her with limbs less steady than he expected, his mind lost in the usually less-debilitating haze of post-coital bliss. Sina’s fingers slid from his neck to his bearded cheeks, cradling his face and steadying it above her so they could look in each other’s eyes and catch their breaths together.
“My love,” she whispered softly.
“My heart. I was too rough, I-”
“You were brutal.”
Mihawk’s pupils tightened and he stilled as Sina spoke, his heart drumming with the fear that she was harmed.
“You’ve never held with such strength before…”
“I-”
“Do it again.”
The swordsman looked at her dumbly for a second, certain he’d heard her magic once more. A new wave of carnal need swelled over him, engulfing Mihawk’s senses. His hands tightened at her waist and he surrendered to her again, kissing her deeply before lifting her off the rug, hoping he could at least carry her to the bed this time.
**
The morning sun was white and blinding on this remote island, and there was nothing around them but the distant whisper of the wind over the waves. Mihawk did not open his eyes when he woke up, choosing instead to bask in the quiet moment, and focus his senses on Sina’s body as she slumbered next to him.
Her soft skin was fresh from the morning air, as delightful as the satin sheets around them. Her scent blended with the island’s, salt and sea and something luxurious and light that was so uniquely her. Sina’s breath was even and quiet, barely audible, more felt through her chest’s rise and fall than through any exhale or inhale. When Mihawk licked his lips he found faint traces of her taste there, her saliva and sweat and slick still coating his skin.
Once he’d sufficiently enjoyed his dark peace, Mihawk opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings without hurry, his sight inevitably drawn to Sina. His Siren. His wife.
Carefully, the swordsman traced her features with his fingers, caressing her temple, the thin hairs that curled around her ear, and the edge of her jaw. Sina was far more refined now than she’d been in her youth, even as sleep softened her beautiful face. Adulthood looked good on her. It looked sharp and threatening and entirely unattainable.
As unearthly as the ring on her hand. After months of scouring the Blues for this fabled gem, Mihawk had finally found it, lost in the ruins of a remote and long-fallen city, locked away in one of the forgotten king’s troves. In the cold light of dawn, Sina’s ring cast off strange shards of dark light, the gold band reflecting the sun against her pale skin. The original stone had been polished and restored to its early magnificence, the black sapphire as beautiful as the day it had been cast in the ring. Perhaps even more beautiful now that it sat on the Siren’s finger.
Mihawk’s hand moved slowly from her face to her relaxed hand, his fingers joining his eyes in his appreciation of the jewel. He did not regret the long journeys and fruitless searches he’d endeavored hunting that treasure down. Only the rarest of rings could be fit for Sina, and if a jewel resembling his sword truly existed, then that was the one worthy of her finger.
Her eyelids opened and her breath deepened, interrupting Mihawk’s musings.
“Good morning, husband,” Sina murmured in the peaceful quiet of their lodgings.
Husband.
He liked that word in her mouth. A new title for him to bear, another hard-earned honor he would never take for granted, and always fight to protect.
“Wife…”
Sina purred softly when Mihawk cupped her cheek, his rough fingers gentle as he touched her lips reverently.
“We will remain here for six more days. I will depart for my next duel on the morning of the seventh, and leave you in a suitable place until I return.”
Her soft chuckle shook her shoulders a little, and Sina smirked at her swordsman.
“A six day vacation… You don’t afford yourself such luxuries very often.”
“You deserve my very best efforts.”
She licked her lips and pushed her leg over Mihawk’s, slowly gliding it up to his hip and hitching him closer.
“I always get your very best efforts…”
The swordsman smirked at her, an increasingly rare display of delight on his stoic features.
“Do I have your promise that I’ll get them until the end of this week?”
“I already promised you, my heart.”
Mihawk rolled over Sina and kissed her throat, nudging her head back to suck more kisses into the most sensitive parts of her neck.
“You will get my very best effort until the end of my days.”
next chapter will be the last chapter ! thank you so so much for reading my longest work yet ♡
likes / comments are very much appreciated ♡
tags: @lovelyyywitch @ikiintsugee @forbiddenshamblerknight
