(no subject)

[aoi24.livejournal.com]

Title: Phantom limbs
Media:  Fic
Rating: Gen
Word count:  294
Prompt:  Habits
Character(s): Shanks, Benn Beckman.

 

 

 

His right hand flutters and ghosts through the air before falling to clutch gently at his left shoulder. It stays there for a moment before he blinks and moves his hand, almost surprised at where it had found its’ way to.

 

He dismisses it easily with his conscious words and attitude but if it is brought up it is inevitable that his hand will find his way to the opposite shoulder and gently clutch it.

 

It is not a conscious action. Benn has watched him long enough to ascertain this. Oftentimes Shanks would blink and stare at his shoulder in puzzlement wondering why he had felt the need to cup it in his remaining hand.

 

A subconscious habit, Benn ascertained and a poor one at that.

 

Certainly Shanks didn’t regret his actions but Benn still rather fancied that Shanks was subconciously mourning the loss of his arm. Just because Shanks didn’t regret his actions didn’t mean that he didn’t miss his arm.

 

Or maybe, just maybe, he was feeling the movement of his missing arm and it was a punishing reminder that no matter what he thought he felt his arm had been devoured by that sea king and the remainder amputated cleanly to prevent infection.

 

It was a bad habit and a cruel one at that. Benn watched how his captain clutched at his empty sleeve the moment he let his mind wander and knew that he was subconciously reminding himself of the price he had paid.

 

Either Shanks was mourning the loss of his limb or he was reminding himself of the promise he had made and anticipating the day that a straw-hatted boy would appear before him.

 

Benn knew it would be the latter. For Shanks, there was no other option.


A/N: Because they escaped me last week and because Sanji was too obvious. (Although saying that, someone else had bloody well write a Sanji fic for this prompt.)
Also, I  can't believe that Benn doesn't have a tag! 0_o. When Merry has one and he doesn't, there's something afoot.