"Oi, get your shit out of here and steer clear until I say otherwise." Kid tossed your clothes at you as you stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from a shower.

It'd been a couple weeks since the party and he'd acted like nothing happened since then. You almost wished it was enough to make him not want you around anymore but alas, despite his initial anger at you, he still deemed you interesting enough to keep around. Possibly even more so as you were the only woman willing to go toe to toe with him according to Killer and company.

"Ohhhh a vacation. Sounds nice." You snatched the clothes out of the air and started getting dressed.

There wasn't anything else here, you didn't like making him think you were getting comfortable with him so you only brought one change of clothes over at a time.

"Sure, whatever you want to call it." His painted lips were set in a small smile and for some reason, that bothered you. It looked genuine but you could tell it wasn't meant for you.

"Why the sudden generosity?" You asked, suddenly suspicious about what he had going on.

"My girlfriend is coming over."

"I'm sorry, your what?"

"What're you, deaf? My girlfriend. So clear out."

"What the actual fuck Kid?" You didn't like him but you liked the idea of him laying with multiple women even less.

"I told you, you're my woman, not my girlfriend. That title is already taken by someone else. Now go." He set into his oh so familiar snarl and pointed at the stairs.

"You're a real piece of work Eustass." You grabbed your phone and bag, stomping down the stairs. As you marched past the rest of the crew you snapped at them just as angrily. "Thanks for letting me know your man whore of a boss had a girlfriend guys!"

You didn't bother looking at them as you sped walked down the sidewalk and back home. You were pissed, but at least Kid didn't have one of the guys escorting you around anymore. If any one of them had tagged along they would have gotten a healthy amount of pepper spray to the face. You would have appreciated the heads up about Kid's relationship status from someone.

As soon as you got home you pulled out your phone and called Nami. You hadn't known her long but she understood these gang types well and actually enjoyed hearing your drama. Of course you listened to hers as well, you tried not to be a shitty friend.

"Hey (Y/n), what's up?" She answered, chipper as ever.

"I have a question for you." You paused as she hummed in response. "How common is it for these dumb ass men to have more than one partner?"

"It depends, I've heard some of the guys higher up on the food chain like having more than one and then there's men like Whitebeard who have none."

"What about guys like Shanks?" You asked curiously.

"Shanks? I've heard he's had a few women in his life before but never more than one at a time. Why him, do you have a thing for redheads?"

"Well, I think he has a thing for teachers....."

"Seriously? That'd be a real upgrade from Kid." You could practically hear her smiling on the other end.

"Yeah, Kid's on my shit list right now. He didn't tell me he had a girlfriend and he wants me to temporarily stay away from the shop until she's gone. I'm guessing she doesn't come around much."

"Ouch, that's gotta be like Alec all over again."

"It is, except I don't love him. I still don't like sharing though, is that bad?"

"It'd be more weird if you were okay sharing him (Y/n)."

"Yeah....thanks for putting up with this Nami. I'm going to take some time and figure out how I'm going to deal with this. I'm not okay with being someone's side bitch."

"If you want my petty advice, I'd suggest find yourself a side piece. If he can have a girlfriend why can't you have a boyfriend? You're hot. Maybe you can get yourself a sugar daddy."

You snorted. "Oh my God Nami I don't need a sugar daddy. I'll figure it out and keep you updated."

"Thanks girlie~ You know how much I love this stuff."

"Of course, talk to you later." You hung up with a small laugh. She knew how to make a shitty situation feel not so bad some how.

You took the card from Shanks out of your purse, flipping it around in your fingers lazily. Nami was right. If he could have someone else why couldn't you? But you weren't sure if Shanks would be a good choice or not. He was sweet, at least he seemed like he was from the small interaction you had with him. And while it would be interesting to get with the one guy Kid hated, it also seemed too petty. You wouldn't be any better than him or Alec if you did it.

With a sigh, you put the card back. Maybe you'd use it on a different rainy day but not now. You'd just wait for Kid's girl to leave and then see about talking to him about it. It probably wouldn't get you anywhere but it was worth a try.

----

You weren't about to walk a totally different route to work, it would at least double the length of time to get there and you weren't up for that. But it had you seething each time you passed the garage and saw that woman clinging to Kid. She was pretty enough, long straight pink hair, big brown eyes, curves that could kill, and quite the impressive bust.

Her looks didn't bother you though, it was how Kid looked at her that did. He smiled instead of snarled, his eyes lit up around her and he seemed so much less angry. Though it wasn't quite the same kind of loving look you and Alec used to give each other, there was definitely some level of affection he held for the woman. You didn't peg yourself as an overly jealous person, especially with someone you didn't like, but you still felt envy at the treatment she got. You were forced into a relationship you didn't want to be in with someone that didn't care for you. And to see that person give someone else the same level of care you were missing, hurt.

The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back was when you passed on your way home and glanced in to see her sitting in his lap, straddling him as they locked lips. Kid peeked his eyes open to see you, and smiled. He held the self-satisfied look until you were out of sight, like he thought you weren't going to do something about this. Like you were going to tolerate being his second rate toy. Fuck that shit.

When you were sure you were out of earshot, you pulled out your phone and punched in Shanks' number without hesitation. You didn't care about whether it was petty or low anymore. As you wiped away tears you didn't realize had collected at the corners of your eyes you waited, hoping he'd pick up.

"Shanks, at your service." His voice came through smoothly as he picked up on the third ring.

"H-hey, I don't know if you remember me but this is (Y/n)." You began worrying at your bottom lip, debating on just hanging up and trying your luck with a random guy instead.

"Oh yes!" He replied happily. "I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon, or at all to be honest." Shanks chuckled.

You decided to be completely sincere and let him know exactly why you called. "I just learned the other day that Kid has a girlfriend and he's decided to rub it in my face. I don't like being the other woman."

"So are you looking to get away from him or level the playing field so to speak?" He mused, not seeming to mind either option.

"I don't know to be honest. I just....want better company I guess." You sighed and entered the apartment building.

"It's lonely what he's putting through. Tell you what, I'm free tonight. I'll have someone pick you up and bring you around for the evening."

"That'd be great." You smiled even though he couldn't see it as you unlocked your place and stepped in.

"Perfect! Why don't you text me your address and I'll see you soon."

He hung up and you immediately shot him your address and started getting yourself ready. You took a shower and threw on a fresh change of clothes, opting for a pair of faded blue jeans that hugged your frame and a white tee with a flannel over top. It was by no means fancy but you didn't think he would mind. Shanks dressed rather casually himself when you met him.

Your phone buzzed as Shanks texted you, letting you know your ride was here. It made you a little anxious, knowing you were going to meet up with a yonko after not even knowing who they were a few short weeks ago. It was still a little unreal that one even took interest in you but you weren't going to pass this up, not after all the shit you'd been through since you'd met Kid.

So you gathered up your courage and left the building, approaching a slick looking black Cadillac with tinted windows that was waiting up front. The passenger side window slid down and you were met with a small puff of cigarette smoke and a smiling older man. He had his greying hair slicked back and you couldn't miss the X shaped scar on his temple.

"Miss (L/n)?"

"Yeah."

His smile widened. "Benn Beckman, come on in and I'll take ya to see Shanks."

You hopped in the passenger side as he raised your window until it was only cracked.

"Sorry about the smoke, it's a habit I can't break, y'know?"

"It's no problem." You smiled back as he started off, his warm personality relaxing you.

"So you met him at that party I hear?"

"Yeah, I knocked into him but I guess he was looking for me at the time anyway." You blushed. If you had a full glass when you ran into him, it would've been a real disaster.

"You caught his interest that's for sure. It's not often that someone just happens into this lifestyle like you did." Benn glanced at you as he spoke, trying to give both you and the road his attention.

"I didn't have much of a choice."

He raised an eyebrow at you questioningly.

"Kid saved me from an assault and then decided that I owe him for it."

He nodded slowly, flicking cigarette ashes out the cracked window.

"And then he said if I didn't agree to it he'd basically throw me to more lowlifes, worse ones."

"Ahh, I figured he'd be one of those types."

"What do you mean?"

"Some of the smaller gang leaders like getting a bigger crew through fear tactics or debts. It's been becoming more of an issue as of late."

"Oh, I didn't know about that." You were very uninformed when it came to the happenings around the city, you only had a very basic overview of who controlled what and where you were allowed to go.

"Does Kid not let you in on anything?"

"I doubt he would care about what I knew but his crew likes keeping me in the dark. They say it's safer that way."

Benn scoffed. "That's rediculous. Ignorance may be bliss but if you don't know what's going on you can get yourself into a whole different world of trouble. Trust me, I've seen it happen."

"I don't doubt it."

"And we're here." He said brightly, like the previous heavier topic didn't happen.

The difference between Kid and a yonko was night and day already. Kid lived above his mechanics shop, Shanks lived in a mansion. It took your breath away and Benn didn't fail to notice as he got out and went around to the passenger side, opening your door for you.

"You'll be able to get a better view of the place from outside y'know."

"Oh, right." You could feel your face burning as you realized you'd been gawking.

The place was built like an old English mansion, made surprisingly symmetrical and full of front facing large windows. The weathered grey stones were trimmed in white and black wherever any wood showed and there were vibrant creeping ivies clinging to the buildings sides in quite a few different places. Any other "nearby" buildings were far off enough that it had you forgetting this was still technically in the city limits.

"This is amazing..." You walked in a circle to take in the scenery after walking up a set of stairs leading to the front doors.

"Pretty, ain't it? I've lived here long enough with Shanks that I forget sometimes." He chuckled, amused with how much it delighted you.

"I can't imagine getting tired of this."

"You don't get tired of it exactly, just accustomed to it." He opened a door and nodded his head to the side, motioning you in first. "I'm sure Shanks would be happy to give you a tour."

"You think?" You had to fight to contain an excited giggle.

"Of course."