(no subject)

[elisha2kings.livejournal.com]

Title: A Bet

Characters/Pairings: Shanks, Luffy

Rating: G

Media: Fic

Word Count: 297

Theme: Parents

 

Slow week.  That’s too bad. :(  I’ll wait until midnight on Friday to see if anyone else wants to submit something, if that’s okay.

 

 

 

A Bet

 

 

The worst part about only having one arm was not being able to button his pants.  Or buckle his belt.  Or uncork bottles without his teeth.

 

Shanks glared down at his unfastened trousers as though it was somehow their fault.

 

He really didn't want to call for Ben to help him since his Vice-Captain probably wouldn't resist ribbing him for having to dress him like a child.  Still it was nice that the crew had stopped tip-toeing around him like he was made out of glass after…after what happened.

 

It had been unfortunate, but Shanks was adamant that it wasn't an accident.  You didn't have a choice with accidents after all.  And that time, he'd made his choice.  It had been the boy or his arm and he chose gladly and without hesitation.

 

Shanks knew he'd never be a father, a real one father able to look after his brats instead of leaving them to go off and have adventures.  Pirates were notoriously bad parents after all.  He'd never carelessly have a child and abandon it somewhere to keep it safe.  He wasn't that cruel.

 

And then he'd met Luffy.  The boy was like a firebrand, a spirit burning so bright that Shanks almost took him for Roger's son.  But it hadn't been the eerie resemblance to his dead captain that drew the pirate to the boy.  Perhaps all dreamers drew one another, and the boy was…the closest thing Shanks would ever have to a son.

 

Shanks looked down at his pants, still open and drawn awkwardly up to his waist.  He sighed and smiled ruefully.  Ben was going to have another good laugh at his expense.   Oh well.  It was worth the thought of watching Luffy grow and waiting for the time they would meet again.

 

Comments

[netbug009.livejournal.com]

I'll submit something today. I've kept meaning to but I've been so blocked, but I REALLY wanna enter this one. The small extension is appreciated. 8)

[printfogey.livejournal.com]

now, this is unusual - fic from Shanks' POV soon after arm-loss. Very believable both in the everyday details and his musings about Luffy and parenthood.

He'd never carelessly have a child and abandon it somewhere to keep it safe. He wasn't that cruel.


Noo, of course not. He'd just recruit the people who did that instead, so they'd leave their kids behind. :/

(not that I'm saying Yasopp didn't make his own choice, but Shanks still comes off as a hypocrite there... That's a critisicm of the character, mind you, not the ficlet!)