“Ow ow ow! Ben that hurts!” Shanks winced.
His first mate sighed, pulling the rubbing alcohol soaked cotton away. “Yeah I know but the doctor said we gotta keep the scars clean till they heal up more. You don’t wanna get them infected and lose your eyesight do ya?”
“No..” Shanks pouted. He hated admitting when Ben was right. Especially cause he always was. Well maybe not always, but he had at least been the night Shanks had gotten into that fight. He’d told him to just let it go, that the ugly guy who’d knocked over his drink was just looking for a fight. But in his own alcoholic haze he hadn’t listened.
And now what did he have to show for it? As much as Shanks wished otherwise it was just no use what's done is done, he couldn’t blame anyone but himself.
Shanks hated having to blame himself.
“It really looks bad doesn’t it?”
“No,” Ben put the first aid kit away, turning to look at his captain. “It gives you...character.”
“Liar.” The redhead flopped back onto the bed, pulling the straw hat over his face. “I can hear my friends through the walls ya know. ‘Oh poor Shanks, ruined his pretty face’”
Shanks felt the bed shift as Ben sat down beside him.
“It’s just gonna take some getting use to. It could have been worse. We’re lucky the guy only had a knife hidden in his shoe.”
“You’re not really helping Ben.”
The hat was lifted off his face. “You need to stop sulking Shanks.”
“Don’t wanna.”
Ben sighed. It was a good thing his captain looked so cute when he was pouty, otherwise he would have just knocked some sense into him rather then taking the more gentle route. “Well you need to for your crew’s sake, and my sake.”
Shanks looked away. “I don’t know why you guys put up with me sometimes.”
“Well I can’t speak for the rest of the guys,” A strong hand cupped Shank’s chin, forcing him to look into the taller man’s eyes. “But you know why I do.”
That managed to get a small smile out of the captain. “Even after what a drunken idiot I am?”
“You don’t believe me?” Ben leaned in, brushing his lips over his lover’s. “So there's nothing I can do....to prove that I still love you?”
“Well, maybe something...” Shanks wrapped his arms around his first mate’s neck, pulling him closer, his gloomy mood slowly but surely dissolving.
“I’ll see what I can do Captain.” Ben smirked. “But the next time a guy spills rum on you just ignore him ok.”
“Yeah sure, I’ll remember that.”
“You’d better.”