#rayshakky

God Valley was well behind them. Shanks’s routine had been established (thank fuck for whomever had him last being face-blind enough to label the inside of his clothes). Roger begrudgingly married them on the deck of the Oro Jackson. Everything was fitting into place as Rayleigh and Shakky got ready to depart for two restful weeks upon a quiet island in Paradise, even if not everyone else was ready for them to leave.

“Remember,” Gloriosa said, “you can always walk away. We can figure it out on our own.”

“Watch out for bounty hunters; they’re supposed to be clamoring for us now,” Spencer warned.

“All you gotta do is call and we’ll be there,” Sunbell assured.

“Don’t worry about us—we’ll be fine,” Millet Pine added.

“Yeah,” Gyaban grinned, “and make sure you have plenty of sex!”

“Alright, alright,” Rayleigh chuckled, shoving his hand in Gyaban’s face and pushing him away. He glanced past the rest of the crew towards where Roger was holding Shanks on the other side of the ship, attempting to look aloof and occupied. “We’re headed ashore, Captain! See you in a couple weeks?”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead,” Roger said, not even turning to look at them. “See you then.”

“Come on; he’ll be fine,” Shakky said, touching Rayleigh’s arm. “Let’s go.”

The others on the Oro Jackson waved as they walked down the gangplank to the pier. A springtime island in its summer, the breeze was warm and comforting as Rayleigh and Shakky made their way into the port town, with him carrying their suitcase at his side.

“I don’t get it,” Shakky wondered. She held onto Rayleigh’s free arm and he chuckled.

“Don’t get what?”

“No one is… no one is attacking us…? Why is that?”

“Not every place in the Grand Line is armed to the teeth, and even more are not willing to fight at the drop of a hat,” he explained. “This place is pretty relaxed—figured it was a good place to stop off after what you just went through. Must be tough associating the rest of the world with something other than fighting.”

“I don’t know… I was able to associate it with love,” she replied. She then leaned in, lips barely grazing the shell of his ear. “…with lust.”

Rayleigh swallowed hard. How in the hell did he luck out so amazingly? If he were any luckier, the couple that ran the inn they were headed towards wouldn’t catch on to how ready he was to start this honeymoon.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The sun streaming in through the curtain sheers was warm as it tickled the couple awake. Very naked and tangled between their own selves and the sheets, they woke up blissful and content, trading lazy kisses before they were even fully conscious.

“Mmm… morning…” Rayleigh hummed. Shakky smiled hazily, less awake than him. “How is Mrs. Silvers doing?”

“If it’s anything like the Empress’s favorite, then pretty good,” she replied. She shifted her leg and felt his sleep-hard cock against her thigh. “When is that thing not ready to go?”

“You’d be surprised,” he chuckled. Rayleigh leaned in and began to kiss along her jaw, moving to nibble at her earlobe, whispering, “You’ll always be an Empress to me.”

“No—I’m just a barmaid who doesn’t need to worry about customer service,” she corrected. Fully awake now, she sat up, letting the bedding fall into her lap as she glanced down at her husband. He kept his eyes on hers—perfect. “Will you come to Hachinosu with me as I restart?”

“For a little bit,” he admitted. “Roger still has some stuff he wants to do, and I can’t let him go wandering without me for too long. Considering Shanks is now the ship’s responsibility…”

“True.” She drew her legs up and hugged them as he played with the hair cascading down her back. “I’m sure we’ll need the extra security, at first.”

Rayleigh took in the sight of his wife in the morning light for a moment before an idea popped into his head. “Ever think about moving operations?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… they might expect you to move back to Hachinosu. If you sail with us for a while longer, we can put you down somewhere else.”

“Tempting…” She gently began to trail her fingers up and down his abdomen. He caught her hand and, after sitting up, brought it to his lips to kiss. “Here I thought you’d be trying to convince me to stay with you.”

“No—you enjoyed your place on Hachinosu. I’d be a fool to tell you to not do it again.”

“Oh, you can tell me,” she smirked, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll listen.”

“Oh really now?” He couldn’t help but kiss her with a goofy grin on his face. “What about if I forbid it?”

“Kuja are forbid nothing,” she replied. She kissed back briefly before getting out of bed, causing Rayleigh to fruitlessly grab for her. “So, what are we going to do today?”

“I was hoping some sex,” he replied. “You’ve been all over this town the past few days—don’t you want to just stay in for a bit?”

“I’ll have a lot of time for staying in once I set up shop again,” Shakky reasoned. She bent over flirtatiously as she went to pick up her clothes that had been discarded the previous night in their rush to occupy the bed. “Don’t tell me that a seasoned pirate like you is tiring of exploring?”

“Just the type of exploring you’re referring to,” he growled. He got out of bed and pressed himself against her back, letting her feel how excited he was, even if it was pressed up against lace and cotton. “Everything will be there tomorrow.”

“It’s your fault for wanting to come to such an interesting place,” she reminded him. He tried to change her mind by kissing the crook of her neck, moving down the shoulder, and instead found himself with an elbow in his gut and a laughing wife as she hurried into her clothes.

Oh… he was going to get her for that… later…

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

They decided on a picnic that day, getting a lunch and hiking up the mountain to a spot well-recommended by the innkeepers. It had a breathtaking view of the town and harbor, with the glittering ocean filling out the horizon. They laid out their blanket and ate, riceballs and sandwiches portioned between them evenly. Eventually, they were both full, and Shakky sat watching the ships in the harbor while Rayleigh laid back to bask in the sun.

“This is almost too peaceful,” he said idly. She chuckled at that, instead taking a sip of her drink.

“Should I send a letter to the nearest Marine base?”

“Please don’t.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” she teased. All he did was smile and close his eyes.

They stayed like that for a while, with him enjoying the warm sunshine and her watching the ships and the small specks of people that were milling about. It was a comfortable silence, one that allowed for Shakky to look inside herself as she came to a decision.

“I think that’s it.”

Rayleigh cracked an eye open and looked at her. “What’s it?”

“I think I know where I want to reopen my bar,” she replied.

“Oh yeah? Where?”

“Sabaody.” That got Rayleigh to sit up, looking at her curiously. “Just like before, it would be neutral ground, which means that not only would I be right under the Navy’s noses, but I could help other people who were kidnapped by the Celestial Dragons.”

“Are you sure about that?” he wondered. “That might be feasible now, but what about in twenty or thirty years? Working a bar that long might cause your skills to dull…”

“You never saw all the fights I had to break up,” she giggled. “Besides, by then I should have my strong, protective husband all to myself… possibly even an adult kid or two to help out around the place.”

“Kids…?” He frowned uncomfortably. “I don’t know, Shakky… I’m already forty, and the ship just got Shanks, and…”

“You don’t think it’s romantic, coming home to your wife and kids after a long voyage?” she teased. “I used to hear tales when I was a little girl about sailors like that, who pined for their families while they were away, coming back home every chance they got.”

“With all due respect, you heard tales from women who weren’t entirely sure what a man was other than an outsider,” he reminded her. “I don’t know if I feel comfortable making you do all that alone—it’s bad enough you and Gloriosa do so much for Shanks while on the Jackson…”

“Women… should do things because they want to, not because they are forced to,” she assured. “We don’t have an equivalent of that kind of romance on Amazon Lily.” A moment and she shrugged. “Women might come home to their wives and daughters, but it’s not the same.”

“I guess so.”

“I enjoy running a bar, and I think it’d be nice to have children and not worry if they can come back with me to Amazon Lily, because we will have a different place to call home.” She leaned up against him and sighed. “Who knows—maybe our only kids will be runaways from Mary Geoise.”

“Sticking it to the Government by just existing… how sexy…” He put his arm around her shoulders and gently squeezed. “That sounds like the woman I married.”

“I think I’ll ask Gloriosa to stay with me for a while too,” she continued. “I can tell she’s just about had it with Roger’s thick-headedness. She’d help. I wouldn’t be alone.”

“She’d say I abandoned you.”

“She’s been warning me you’d do that for years; once Glori gets something in her head, it’s difficult to get out.”

“…hence why she hasn’t completely given up on my captain yet…?”

“…amongst other things, yes.” She looked at his lips for a moment, then let her eyes flick back up to his. “Now, the question is: are you going to just sit there, or are you going to get me with that Conqueror’s Haki of yours now that we’re outside the town?”

“Mmm… so that’s why you wanted to come out here,” Rayleigh purred. He tackled Shakky into the blanket, both in a fit of giggles as he flexed his Haki. She pushed against him with her own Haki, the both of them kissing aggressively as their Wills clashed, guaranteeing them privacy. Rayleigh’s hands began to wander up and down his wife’s body, while Shakky’s fingers tangled in her husband’s hair.

Now they were talking.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-