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It had been a while since Shanks had been on Whitebeard's ship. It had been an impromptu visit, just to check on things. Too much had been going on in the world for a meeting and there was never enough time for just a friendly visit so when Benn pointed out that the Moby Dick had been spotted at a nearby island, Shanks made it a point to stop by.
He didn't even realize how much he missed her until he saw her step out onto the deck.
Marco had gone to tell Whitebeard, who had been with the nurses for a check up, and most of those on the ship had been having quite the lazy day. So Shanks wasn't surprised she wasn't outside, but then she came running through the door with an excited Ace catching up behind her.
"What's going on (Y/n)?" He called out but it lost it's excitement when he caught sight of Shanks. (Y/n) however, did not lose her excitement and sprinted towards the yonko almost like her life depended on it.
"Shanks!" She cried out, catching him in a hug with her arms wrapped around his neck. He caught her easily with his one arm and twirled with her a bit before just holding her close to his chest.
"Hi sunshine, how are you?" She buried her head in his jacket before looking up at him with the happiest expression he'd ever seen on her. It made his heart melt, just seeing how excited she was to see him. The smile on her face made his smile widen.
"I'm so much better now that you're here."
Everything was going great. The party was going strong, with his men mingling in with the crowd of Whitebeard men. The sight of Yasopp and Lucky Roo having a drinking contest with less experienced drinkers had Shanks laughing but not as much as the story Ace was telling.
"-So the building is on fire-"
"Oh, a real shocker, fire crotch. I told you that would happen and guess what else I said would happen."
"We would get in trouble. And we did, but it was so worth it when the building came down and Smoker was standing there holding a folder about to walk in. God, he looked so pissed at us!"
"I can't blame him! You burned down a government building-"
"You stole his jacket and were parading around in it!"
"Shut up, Portgas!"
Shanks couldn't stop laughing, his arm resting across (Y/n)'s shoulders while her and Ace tried telling a story. Much like all the other stories, it was the two getting up to wild trouble. They were natural born troublemakers and siblings to boot. How they hadn't burned down the Moby Dick was anyone's guess.
(Y/n) leaned into his side while Ace went on to tell the rest of the tale, but Shanks wasn't paying much attention when he realized she was looking up at him.
"See something you like?" He joked, watching the way she huffed out a laugh and looked away to glance over her brothers and Pops. Her eyes came back to land on him and that smile she had been wearing all evening softened. It looked almost sheepish as she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm just so glad you're here. It's been so long since I've seen you." Shanks hummed and reached up to brush his fingers through her hair.
"I'll say. You've been letting your hair grow out so much. It looks really good." That wasn't what he really wanted to say, but being surrounded by all of her family, he had to watch what he said unless he wanted Ace setting him on fire.
"Yours has gotten a little longer, too." She commented, sitting up a bit more so she could face him. She let one hand hold her weight while the other moved up to run gently through his hair, her fingers grazing his face as she went.
He stared at her all the while, eyes lingering on her lips in that moment when it just felt like the two of them in their own world. She noticed and leaned in a bit before the sound of someone dropping something fragile got their attention and they both pulled back.
The two of them snuck a glance around to make sure no one noticed and they were very thankful that everyone was caught up in one of Thatch's stories. That is, until she caught Pops' eye.
There was understanding and acceptance written on his face. He gave her a grin and nodded his head, like a full confirmation that he was okay with what he had seen. All she needed was Pops' approval. She'd have to work for her brothers' and really hard for Ace's, but those could come later.
"Hey, I'm going to get more drinks. Anyone want anything?" She called out, getting an eyebrow raise from Shanks when most of the commanders raised full mugs or called out that they wanted a refill.
"I don't think I can get that many, but I'll try." She said with a smile and it finally clicked when she stood up that Shanks was supposed to follow.
"I could use a refill, too. I'll grab you another mug Yasopp!" Yasopp didn't answer, too busy drinking another overconfident young man under the table. But he did give his captain a thumbs up, so Shanks took that as his thanks for the offer.
When they made it to the galley and the door closed, Shanks became very aware of how quiet it was compared to out there. They could still hear the party and (Y/n) made note that Vista seemed to be loudly talking to Izou about something. But that didn't matter because she was in here for a reason and it wasn't alcohol.
She had never been this nervous in all her life, but she trusted him. She had never kissed anyone before and it scared her. But she wanted to kiss him more than she had wanted anything. So she turned to look at him and was surprised that he was already smiling softly at her, like he knew what was going through her head.
"Look, we don't have to-"
"But I want to-"
And before she knew it, she was kissing Shanks. He was so gentle with her, cupping her cheek and pulling her in while she gripped his jacket to pull him down. Their height difference was a bit, but neither minded because the end result was worth more than all the riches on the sea.
He ran his thumb over her cheek and pulled back to just rest his forehead against hers. His eyes were half closed, staring at the blissed out look on her face. This was by far his favorite smile of hers.
Her fingers lessened their grip on his jacket and he thought for sure that she was going to finally push him away but instead, she let them rest over his heart that was pounding away in his chest. He watched her eyes open slowly and look down at her hands then up at him.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one." She whispered, letting her lips brush over his again. He thought for sure his heart had skipped a beat and without needing to be told twice, he kissed her again. This time pouring his heart into it. He needed her to know-
"I love you."
He paused, feeling the way her lips brushed against his with the words. How those words felt being kissed into his lips. He would give up being a yonko right now if it meant she would say it again.
"I love you, too."
He meant those words so much more than she could ever know and when her eyes lit up, he couldn't stop himself from kissing her again.
He pressed kisses to her lips, then her cheeks, then her nose, her forehead, peppered a few on her jaw before kissing her once more.
"I love you," He whispered between each kiss, keeping her as close as possible so she could feel just how much he loved her, how his heart beat for her. He had never imagined his life like this but now he couldn't imagine his life without it.
The final 'I love you' was pressed into her lips and she smiled, wrapping an arm around his neck so she could kiss him longer and show him that his love was reciprocated by every ounce.
"I love you, too." She breathed out, before finally pulling back and putting a bit of distance between them. Her face was flushed a dark red and she turned so he couldn't see it, but he could still see how even her ears were flushed red and hugged her from behind to press his face into her hair.
He hadn't felt something like this in a long, long time. She was his everything. She was perfect to him. And she was finally his, after all this time. Kissing her felt like coming home and he promised himself and her that there wouldn't be so much time before his next visit. He wasn't sure he could be that far from her ever again.