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"Finally, finally I get a shot at this!" Coby stared at the wanted poster. It wasn’t in the least what he remembered. Maybe she actually lived up to the title of most beautiful on the seas nowadays. "Are you coming with?"
Helmeppo straightened from where he’d leaned against the wall. "Of course. Like hell if I’m gonna let you run off on your own."
"Get ready then. We're headed out at once."
____________
It didn’t take long once they had been given the last known location and pointed in the right direction. The young woman they sought was lounging, feet up, a magazine of some sort in her hands, a glass of lemonade sitting on a small table next to her. She barely spared them a glance though as they drew their ship in close. For some reason, that infuriated Coby. Still not giving people the time of day, huh? She didn’t look up until he had jumped the rail to land on her ship, at which point, she rose to her feet, towering over him. Coby craned his neck to look up at her.
"Okay, so I am slightly less intimidating than I had intended," he decided. In a small voice, he managed, "But at least I’m tall enough you can’t pick me up and lug me around anymore. Alvida-"
Alvida lifted him in one arm, rolling her eyes. "Try me, sailor boy."
Coby yelped, slamming a fist against her back when she threw him over her shoulder. "Let me down! I am trying to arrest you, not play games!"
"Well that’s not very nice, is it? At least when you were on my ship, you had some manners."
Coby almost cried. He didn’t really care about the manners thing. But being held like this reminded him that in a way, literally and metaphorically, he was still captive. Even two years later. He settled for a harsh glare, struggling, squirming to try and free himself. Even worse, he could see Helmeppo smirking up at him from below, arms crossed.
"Helmeppo, get me out!"
"You know most guys would kill for a woman as beautiful as her to touch them, right?"
"Will you please shut up?" Coby's cheeks flushed red. "This is embarrassing!"
"Oh you’re no fun. Fine fine," Helmeppo grumped.
Alvida brushed Helmeppo off like he was nothing though, swatting him aside. "Now, I'm going out on the town now that we're docking. Come on, sailor boy."
"Wait, you’re going to kidnap me to be your date?" Coby demanded.
"Yep."
_____________
"Latte for me. Want anything, Coby?"
"Why has no one even given a second glance to the giant woman carrying a screaming Marine over her shoulder?" Coby grumped.
"Coby, I asked you a question."
"I'm trying to arrest you! Why’re you hauling me around like this? Aren’t we supposed to fight or something?"
"You want to arrest me? After all I did for you? How rude."
"After…After all you did for me? Are you kidding me?"
"No, I put a roof over your head. Food in your belly. Things to do. Didn't kill you, you ungrateful wretch!"
"Don’t make yourself in the hero here, Alvida. You’re no hero, and I’m still going to arrest you. Put me down already, or I swear to god-"
"Swearing isn’t very nice now, is it?"
"Nor is hitting people with a giant mace, y'know!"
Alvida tightened her grip on him and shot a sugary smile at the awkward-looking barista. "Apologies. He’s just acting like a child again. Latte for me, and a juice box for my little sailor boy."
"I am a Marine! And I’m not your anything!"
"Oh good. So you’re not my enemy?"
Okay, so maybe I walked right into that one. Coby acknowledged. "Touché. I'm still a Marine, doing my job, just fulfilling an old promise."
"Pity we don’t see things the same way. Still really a pity you left, you know." She picked up their drinks and thrust the juice box into his hand. "Drink. You need you vitamins or you’ll get scurvy. Orange juice is very good for you."
"I’m not going to get scurvy. I'm in good health, and have access to all the nutrients I need. I don’t need your goddamn charity, Alvida."
Alvida only rolled her eyes. Twice more, Coby tried to use her slipperiness against her to free himself. Both times it worked, only for her to catch him and hold him even tighter. Alvida wasn’t sure what it was she wanted with him, to hurt him for having abandoned them right in the middle of a raid, leading to the quickly following disbanding of their crew, or just the company, as an amusement. She eventually decided she could figure that out later. For now, it was just fun to watch him squirm.
"Your friend is right, you know," Alvida commented, tossing away her empty cup in a garbage can as she carried Coby to the market and picked out various fruits and vegetables.
"About what? And for the love of god, put me down! I’ve had enough of this, okay? I can’t breathe properly."
"Mmmm. Are you going to be a good little sailor boy for me and stay by my side until we get back?"
"I don’t have a choice. I want to get back too, that’s where my ship's docked."
"Fine. You’re no fun. And your friend is right. Most men would love to put their hands all over this body of mine. I pick you up and carry you, hold you nice and tight, and all you do is complain though. Pathetic." She set him down. "Now drink up your juice, will you?"
Coby glared at the box in his hand. "I don’t want it. I’m not a kid, Alvida. It’s time you stop treating me like one and take me seriously."
"Which I might be able to do if you could act like an adult." Alvida shrugged and plucked the last fruits and vegetables she would need from the stalls. "You may look different now, Coby, but you're still a child."
"Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t want to be kidnapped. I didn't realize that was childish. Do most adults like that? Is that part of adulting?" Coby rolled his eyes.
"Captain!" Shouted Helmeppo's voice, and both Coby and Alvida turned.
Relief washed over Coby. "Hey! I know I said I was ready to take her, but I seriously need out of here. Like, right now."
"You promised you would be good," Alvida reminded Coby, petting his hair. She let her eyes rest on Helmeppo. "You two seem such good friends."
"We are," Coby agreed. "I tell him everything. He even knows you and I sailed together a while."
"You trust him that much? Hmmm…then have you told him that story about the first time you realized you weren’t meant for the sea?"
Helmeppo snorted a laugh. "Coby? Not meant for the sea? He was a fisherman. Who're you kidding?"
"Calm seas are one thing, but the rough, stormy weather? Coby nearly lost his shit, and he ended up throwing up over the side of the ship, then hiding inside an empty barrel for the rest of the day."
Coby puffed out his cheeks. "I’d never seen open sea and never sailed under such rough conditions before. Can you really blame me?"
"Or about the toilet paper fiasco?"
"No…now I’m curious," Helmeppo admitted.
"Aaaaand story time is over, thank you!" Coby yelped. His face burned.
"No, I wanna hear this one." Helmeppo smirked. "What was it?"
Coby stared up at the woman who smirked down at them. "Alvida, please don't-"
"For one, embarrassingly enough, he forgot to wash his clothes."
"Seriously? Coby forgot a chore?" Helmeppo glanced over at his companion. "If I remember right, you were a chore boy who made sure to do every chore twice to make sure you hadn’t missed something."
Alvida continued. "And well…one can’t exactly wander around in only their underwear, if that-"
Coby shifted to half hide behind Helmeppo, huffing as he glared at Alvida. "You would, if someone made you a good enough offer."
"Oh hon…" she stepped forward to gently poke his nose, teasing. "It’d have to be a more than good offer." She shifted her weight to her back leg. "Anyway. For some reason, in his mind, rather than borrowing clothes or grabbing a blanket or something to use until he could wash his clothes, Coby ended up trying to wrap himself in toilet paper. Ended up walking around looking like a badly wrapped mummy the rest of the day."
"It's not my fault! I just…I panicked and used what was closest, and it was only for an hour while I washed the clothes!" Coby's blush had widened enough to extend to his ears.
"Or about the time he tried to make dinner?"
Helmeppo chuckled. "Oh lord, you don’t even need to explain that one. I’ve seen the kid in a kitchen."
Coby shot his friend a glare. "Well excuse me for trying to cook you a homemade birthday dinner."
Helmeppo slung an arm around Coby's shoulders. "I’m teasing you. You’re shit in the kitchen, but I love you anyway."
"Such a sweet little scene, you two. It reminds me of the time he-"
"Okay enough already!" Coby shouted. "I don’t have time for this. I am a Marine Captain with pirates to capture, training to do, reports to make, and paperwork due by the weekend. Helmeppo, the cuffs."
Helmeppo handed him the Seastone restraints. "You sure she’s not going to be able to…ah…slip away?"
"Haha, very funny."
"You always laugh at my jokes."
"I’ve had a shit day."
"But-"
"Hahaha. How amusing." Coby gave him an incredibly forced smile, then dropped it to look as unimpressed as before. "Feel better? Good. Now we have a pirate to arrest."
Alvida pouted. "You won’t even let me get my groceries back to the ship?"
Coby raked his fingers through his hair, growling in frustration. "I…Fine. But then you’re mine, got it?"
She smirked. "I thought you didn’t want to be affiliated with me."
"I do if it’s as the Marine who captures you." Coby huffed. He glanced at Helmeppo in exhaustion. "Want a juice box?"
_______________
"Okay, that’s it. You’ve dropped off your groceries. Now turn around, hands behind your back. 'Iron-Mace' Alvida, you’re under arrest under crimes of kidnap, resisting arrest, assault, and piracy. You’ll be trialled and if the court does their job right, put away for a long, long time." Coby couldn’t help the tiniest flicker of satisfaction.
Alvida's lips curved up into the start of a smile. "You’ve accused me of two crimes I didn’t commit, Captain."
Coby narrowed his eyes. "I’ve seen all of them with my own eyes. I’ve lived with them."
"So dramatic, Coby. I never resisted arrest, nor did I kidnap you."
"You resisted arrest when you ignored the attempts at arrest and dragged me around town! And…And what do you mean, you didn’t kidnap me? You trapped me on your ship as your slave for two years! How is that not kidnap?"
"You’re the one who got on the wrong boat. I just decided not to let you leave. There’s a difference."
"It was either that or die, so I should add threat of murder, as well as child labour to the list."
Alvida couldn’t deny he had her there. "You’re being such a bore, Coby. Really. Why must you be like this?" She cupped his chin, fingers brushing his defined jawline. "Look at you, all grown up. Physically, anyway. Mentally you still have a long way to go yet. So naïve and clueless. A little foolish too, it must be said. Trying to arrest a pirate on her own turf, surrounded by her allies? What kind of idiot do you take me for, Coby?"
Coby's shoulders tensed. "Wow." Admittedly…he hadn't even considered that when agreeing to let her drop off the groceries. "Helmeppo-"
"What’s the game plan, Captain Coby?"
"That’s what I was going to ask you! You’re the thinker, I’m the doer!"
"Ain’t that the truth," Helmeppo grunted.
Alvida smirked. "Try if you want, Captain. You won’t get far." A sharp, high whistle summoned some of the men on deck. She glanced at Coby again. "Still want to try?"
Coby fumed. He knew even they couldn’t take on the entirety of the crew in one go though. Yet again, he had lost to Alvida. "You’re smart. I’ll give you that," he added reluctantly.
Her smirk grew. "You didn’t think I was going to stand around and let you arrest me, right?"
"I had hoped."
One of the men on deck took aim with his pistol. "Get away from Lady Alvida!"
"Duck!" Helmeppo shouted.
Coby ducked to avoid the first bullet, only for the man to take aim again. "Hey! I haven’t even done anything!"
Alvida held up a hand. "That’s enough. Sailor boy, it’s best for everyone if you get on your little ship and sail away."
Coby gave her a side-eyed glare, but he couldn’t deny she was right. "Come on, Helmeppo. I know when I’ve lost."
"Sometimes I doubt it," Helmeppo mumbled.
Coby slowly breathed out. "This isn’t done, Alvida. One day. I promised back then I’d be the one to capture you, and I very much meant it. I don’t make empty threats."
"It’s cute you think you can actually take me."
Coby's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Helmeppo, get me out of here before I do something I regret."
"Gotcha."
Helmeppo took him by the arm and guided him up onto their ship and ushering him into his cabin before he could jump over the rail, like he very much looked as if he would when he saw Alvida's smirk. Coby glared out the porthole. Not this time, but one day.