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“I’m sorry, what?” Franky stared at his brother in confusion. “You put me in a what?” He had to have misheard the guy, because no way did straight laced Iceburg just say what he had said. “You are whoring me out?”
“Franky!” Iceburg went bright red and that always made Franky laugh. There was a sigh, a shake of the head, and Iceburg was back to looking at schematics again. “It is a charity auction for the local community centre. You know the one we spent half our childhood in. Well, I spent half my childhood in - you always slipped out the whole in the fence.”
Franky smiled. “Good time, good times.” He went to the small fridge in Iceburg’s office. There was of course his favourite cola in there. He grabbed a bottle and an opener. Had it half drank before he settled into a chair and had his feet up on Iceburg’s desk.
“Paulie hates when you do that,” Iceburg was drawing lines on his schematic.
“Paulie hates me, period,” Franky had to point out. “Why ain’t you fucked that stick out of his ass yet?”
“Don’t be crude.” A few more lines drawn. There was a frown on Iceburg’s face. Franky didn’t much care for that and sat up. “Don’t. We’re fine. Just a fight this morning.”
“Over what?” Franky was ready to kill Paulie. Franky and Iceburg sometimes struggled being brothers, but you didn’t fuck with his bro. Ever.
“You,” Iceburg looked up. “And the money I gave you.”
“Ah,” Franky winced a bit. He reached into his wallet. He had won a decent amount at the race last night. Not enough to pay back his debt, but a few hundred might shut Paulie up. “Here’s some of it back.”
“I don’t care,” Iceburg didn’t touch the stack of money. “He thinks you’re going to hurt me again. It makes him angry. You two have a fair bit in common, you know. Needlessly protective of me, is on that list.”
Only thing on the list was all Franky could think. “I’m a good boy these days, Iceburg,” he tried to smile innocently. He was a lot better than he used to be after their dad died. These days he didn’t steal cars, just illegally kitted them out and raced them. It was growth.
That got him a snort. “Sure you are, just don’t get caught. Bail has gone up these days in GLC.”
Didn’t he know it. A couple of the guys got pinched and were still rotting away. “So, charity auction.”
“I have some big plans coming up due, otherwise I would offer my services.” Iceburg was giving him that you too can be a good man look. He had perfected kind and righteous when he was twelve, it was such a pain in the ass living up to that look. “I offered you up.”
“To do what, exactly?”
“Chores, house repairs, tune up a car. It is for a rec centre, it isn’t a beef cake auction.”
“Gotcha, though I would clearly clean up at one of those.” Franky flexed his arms and that just got an eye roll. “When is it?”
“Three days, actually do up your shirt for it, please? That centre meant a lot to us, help it mean a lot to new kids.”
“For you, of course.” Franky would steal the moon for his brother if he could. He looked at the desk on the other side of the room. His desk, always sitting there, waiting for him, if he wanted it. It hurt seeing it sit there, he didn’t deserve Iceburg’s faith in him.
Paulie was right most days to hate him.
“I’ll pay you back the rest soon,” Franky said more quietly than he usually spoke.
“I don’t care, so long as you are safe. Are you? Safe?”
“Ain’t no cop that catch me, bro,” Franky reassured and when Iceburg closed his eyes, shoulders slumped for a minute it probably wasn’t as reassuring as it could have been. “Don’t worry about me, you got enough going on. I’ll do up that charity auction, real good. Wear my best shirt.”
“Thanks, Franky.”
Franky left and ran into Paulie in the parking lot who just shot him dirty looks, which fine. Whatever. The man loved Iceburg so it was all good. He won a street race the next night and transferred half the money to Iceburg.
The money got transferred back the next morning.
His brother was such an asshole.
Franky put on his best patterned shirt, one covered in neon surfboards, actually done up with a skinny black tie and jeans that didn’t have holes in them. It was about as good as it was going to get.
He went to the garage and grabbed the regular truck from the half dozen vehicles he had. Didn’t need to break out one of the fun cars for this. The community centre looked almost exactly how he remembered it. Wondered if the one bathroom still had the graffiti he had done years ago. Franky had always been great at drawing dicks on things.
Tom had found it hilarious. Franky rubbed at the ache in his chest that was always there when he thought of Tom.
Inside the center had clearly been decorated by kids and in the gym it was all set up. Lots of gift baskets, restaurant gift certificates and a couple other people on the auction block too. He was happy he wasn’t the only one, but there was a free family photography session, a month of maid service, couple other things of that nature. He found the table with his name on it offering handy man services.
He sat behind it and waited to answer any questions.
Franky got a couple bids, chatted with some guys, and the person running the auction came by to thank him for putting his time up like this. Gave him a real nice thank you card with a ten dollar voucher for a local coffee shop.
Franky was polite and would slip it to the maid service person. Why drink coffee, when cola was an option.
He looked at the paper at his table. Gee, he was likely bringing in a whopping seventy five bucks to the centre. Maybe he should have worn the shirt with the pineapples. He was zoned out, because no one was stopping at his table anymore. He should have brought a book, but he mostly read porn and there were kids about.
“Well, now, when this says car tune up, what does that entail? I always think the dealership is ripping me off, but I can’t be sure.”
Franky groaned a bit, “never take a car to a dealership, they are the fucking worst.” He opened his eyes and holy fuck that was a goddess in front of him. Her tits were huge. He cleared his throat and stood up. Tom had taught him like three manners. He held out his hand, and it was almost comical how small her hand looked in his as they shook. “Ma’am, sorry, but they are likely taking you for a ride.”
“I dislike that. Perhaps I will have to have a conversation with them.”
“Ask to speak to their manager?” She giggled a bit at that, and it was not like an annoying giggle but low and smooth and little lines crinkled around her eyes and he was fucking sunk. “I’m still pretty cheap on that list. I can give your car a good go over for you. If you want. I can do whatever you want.”
“Your shirt is cute.”
“Your face is cute,” he blurted out. “Sorry,” he tacked on. But seriously she was everything he looked for when he looked at porn. Long dark hair, bright eyes, delicate but strong, great rack. Like fuck, he wished his favourite porn star looked like this. She was in jeans, and a soft sweater, a pale purple that he kinda just wanted to touch. He jammed his hands into his pockets. “I can take a look at your car, fix stuff around the house. I’m real good with my hands.”
Franky nodded to the pen and hoped she would add her name to it. He would do whatever she asked without question. But she just smiled and walked away.
And yeah since he wasn’t going to be seeing her again, he absolutely watched that perfect ass sway as she disappeared from his life.
Franky sat back down and tried to imprint her on his memory. Not every day he saw women that gorgeous. The auction finished up and it sounded like it had been a solid success for the center. He was glad of it, even if he didn’t exactly bring in a lot of money.
The coordinator came up to him and he was handed a business card. “Huh?” Franky looked at it. Nico Robin and a bunch of letters after the name. The piece of paper on his table didn’t have that name on it at all.
“Woman came up to us, said she dislikes using pens of other people, but wanted to bid on you,” the guy explained. “Five hundred dollars. She said you can email her to make arrangements to tune up her car.”
“Most gorgeous woman you’ve ever seen?” Franky asked. He hoped, fuck he hoped.
“Gorgeous? I guess? She kinda terrified me,” the guy shuddered a bit. “Her eyes were cold and she sounded like she would murder everyone here if she didn’t win you.”
Some men were such weenies about strong women. And she had looked strong.
Franky took the card and went home. He got a text about a race that was going to be out in the sticks, but he was good that night. Franky settled onto his bed, and dreamed of the woman. Nico Robin was a hell of a name.
*
“Right, this is a sweet ride,” Franky had to say. Luxury but not ostentatious. Well maintained interior. Beat the food wrappers that littered his truck. “Want me to give her a go over?”
“Please,” she said. “Is in here fine? Do you have a garage I should take the car to?”
Franky looked over and she was in jeans and plain black tee today. Still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. “Have a place I work out of, but mostly work at my place. But I totally get why a woman might want not to go to my place alone. I’m not you know a murderer or anything, ain’t never touched a lady that didn’t want to be touched, but come to my garage at the very edge of the city on the wrong side of the tracks is not exactly a selling feature.”
Oh lord, she gave that giggle again, and he swore he’d cut off a limb for her if she asked it. “I’m not scared of you,” she said. “You are just a big old teddy bear.”
Sure he was, but also he had one hell of a record. “Ma’am -“
“Robin,” she insisted. “And I can call you Franky?”
“You can call me whatever you want.” He shrugged and hands were in his pockets again. Tried to make himself look a bit smaller, because she barely came up to his shoulder. And with how much he worked out he had to have a hundred and fifty pounds on her. “You really shouldn’t trust me, when I say I am not going to hurt you. But I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” She smiled. “I looked into you a bit. I know you won’t hurt me.”
“Yeah? How much you look into?”
“Enough. Give me the address and I’ll meet you at your garage.”
He told her and headed out in his truck. He broke a hell of a lot of laws getting home, to make sure that the titty posters in his garage were torn down, that anything overtly illegal was hidden. Not that there was a lot of that. He didn’t do drugs, and hadn’t run guns in a long time. It should be fine.
Franky went out and sat on his porch to wait for her. She seemed like the prim and proper sort, and he knew to the minute how long it took to drive anywhere in the city. So when she was fifteen minutes passed the longest time it could take he started just staring at his phone.
An hour later there was a text about a work emergency with an apology. Reasonable excuse. That night in a race, Franky crashed his second best car, and had to ditch the wreckage because the cops were closing in.
Damn shame, he could have harvested a few parts from it.
*
“You sure I can’t get you anything else, it is a warm one today,” he shouted from under Robin’s car.
“The cola you provided is doing the trick, and your veranda offers lovely shade.”
Of course she was the type of lady to say veranda. They had finally arranged a time for her to bring her car around. And he had gotten all weak in the fake knee when she had slid out of her car in one of them summer floaty dresses with thin straps that women wore. And she was braless. He knew that couldn’t be attributed to any god looking out for him, but the devil himself putting temptation just out of reach. But joke was on the devil, because he was going to hell anyways.
Car was in decent shape, just needed a few little tweaks here and there and he tried to think of something wrong with it that could make her stay just a little longer. But that wasn’t fair so he rolled out from under. “It’s in good shape, ma’am.”
“Robin,” she insisted and one of the straps was almost falling off her shoulder and lord that would be living in his brain and in his hand tonight. He tried to will it to fall off. “That’s good. I am glad. Boss often calls me in the middle of the night when there is a situation. He does not care for tardiness.”
“You ever need to get somewhere fast and I am around, you’ll get there,” Franky said. But also why would a woman like this every be around him after she left today. “Well, yeah. Super! All done.”
“Are you sure?” She had crossed her legs and was leaning forward. That strap fell and Franky fell too. “You sure you don’t need to take your shirt off and work under the hood while I sit here and admire your…work ethic?”
Oh fuck. She had this faint smile on her face, and fuck, he threw off his shirt so quickly he hoped a bird didn’t choke on the buttons that went flying. He popped the hood and pretended to work. He had a feeling his day was going to get very interesting.
Or it would have, but she got a call and her boss needed her right away. “Must be rough, dancing to someone’s tune like that.”
“No, it is a dance I don’t mind. He put me through school when he found me, and never once grabbed my tits or fucked me thinking it was due for that. I will give him everything and more.” There was shadows in her eyes and Franky knew that look. He had that look a lot after Tom had died. But also a classy woman like this had just said tits in front of him while not wearing a bra, and he definitely was getting an upgrade in hell for not looking.
Franky stayed very still as she came over and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Super,” he choked out and knew he was blushing.
“I’ll call you.” She slid into the car and that was a solid flash of thigh he got and appreciated mightily. “If that interests you.”
He could only nod and watch her leave.
*
“Hey, Paulie, I need your advice,” Franky strolled into the man’s office and sat down. He waited while Paulie cursed him out a bit. “Super duper string of words there, bro. But really I need your advice.”
“Get out of Iceburg’s life and stay gone before you bring him down with your bullshit.”
“Uh-huh,” Franky yawned because Paulie had been saying that for a decade. Franky always made damn sure the law didn’t get near Iceburg when he got pinched. He waited until Paulie wound down. “Now can I get your advice?”
“Ugh, come on, not talking to you while I have to look at your face,” Paulie grunted and Franky could agree with that. They went into the shop and look Paulie might kinda hate him but he knew Franky did good work and they worked well together.
Franky welded and Paulie shaped and they made good progress. Eventually when they took a break, Paulie gave a go ahead gesture. “Right, so you know how you don’t deserve Iceburg because he is way above your prudish and boring straitlaced ass?”
“Fuck off,” Paulie said. “But also yes?”
“Got a girl I am interested in, and she is class with a capital A”
“Class starts with a C.”
Franky sighed dreamily, “Yeah, I meant her ass. Class, Ass. It’s super duper! Not as amazing as her breasts though. Fuck, she is stacked.”
“What’s this girl do, stripper?” Paulie snorted.
“Hey now, don’t be shaming on girls who shake it, not their fault men are idiots for boobs. Respect them exploiting that.” Franky rolled his eyes a bit. Seriously, Iceburg really needed to fuck that stick out of Paulie. Unless they rolled the other way. Which huh. That could also explain a few things. But they were things he didn’t especially want explained because this was his bro. “Nah, she’s a professional. Hang on, got her business card in my wallet.” Right next to a condom, because it was good to have hope in this world.
He showed it to Paulie. “Ain’t looked her up online or anything to find out more. Want her to tell me. Love her voice it is so low and calm, smooth and shit. But yeah, she is stacked but class. If I wanna impress her, where do I take her for like dinner or an event. Museums. People do like shit at museums?”
Paulie was looking at the card. “She’s a lawyer, no firm listed on here. Means she is independent or works in legal for a corporation or something. And she’s interested in you? Maybe an ambulance chaser?”
“Date. Where go?” He put up a lot from Paulie, but this was getting close to insulting Robin, and then the conversation would have to change. “Want to treat her real nice.”
“Look, if you do something you hate, it will make it a shitty date. You need to find something that will interest you, not just make some woman invite you in for coffee. But I guess if you won’t listen to that one of those evening wine and art nights at the museum could work. Or one of those star rating restaurants that cost hundreds for food the size of a nickel.”
Franky winced, he hated those places, give him a good barbecue any day of the week. But the museum thing didn’t sound too bad. “Thanks,” he said.
“Sure, look.” Paulie rubbed his neck a bit. “I know you love him. And I know you tried to pay him back. Should cut you a break, you are different than a few years ago. I just know he’d burn himself to the ground for you, and hate that you don’t appreciate that.”
“Paulie, I do. But I can’t come back to work here. Try to convince him to throw out my desk. Just hurting everyone that it sits there waiting.” Franky pulled Paulie into a hug that he knew would piss the guy off, and well he enjoyed that. He let Paulie shove him away and curse him out.
That night he won a fair bit on some races a couple cities over and booked one of them fancy wine nights at a museum. He emailed Robin and she accepted the invitation. Only when he read the email from the museum again did he realize he’d likely have to wear a suit. Fuck. He thought of Robin though in a dress that would work for that type of event, and he could manage.
*
He was not managing. Hadn’t even worn a suit to Tom’s funeral, and yeah he caught shit for that but he didn’t give a fuck. He had worn one of Tom’s shirts just to fit his frame and then had started working out the next day, wanted to be as big and strong as Tom had. Which meant his suit barely fit because he hadn’t the time or money to get it made to fit.
But he was right that Robin was going to look mighty fine. She was wearing a black mini dress with thigh high boots. Which damn it was an impressive woman who made boots like that look class. She absolutely did, and the couple inches of skin he could see between boot and skirt was murdering him.
A super duper way to go.
He guessed the paintings were nice. There was one weird metal sculpture he actually dug but mostly it was a lot of money on stuff that barely showed any tits. He thought old timey art had more boobs hanging out.
She was beautiful in the light of the museum, carefully reading every little placard that went with the art, holding a glass of wine, delicately. He didn’t look much at the art on the wall, when he had art like this in front of him. The wine tasted stupid, but hey it was booze. “Like that painting?” It was a man with a sword, bloody corpses around him.
“It very much reminds me of my boss,” she explained. “He tends to be ruthless with his enemies.”
“You haven’t actually said what you do? My brother in law, said the letters on your card mean you are a lawyer.” He watched her, curious what she would say. She was a bit, fuck what was the word? Enigmatic his brain finally offered. That was it. She was enigmatic.
“I am a lawyer, head legal council for a company here in GLC,” she said. “Strange, I tend to get mentioned in the paper. You don’t recognize my name?”
“Don’t read the news much,” he admitted. “Sports pages, the funnies. Like me the wedding announcements. True love is super isn’t it?”
“Forty percent of those will end in divorce, one percent in vicious and cruel murder, bodies chopped up or perhaps even eaten.”
Franky watched someone who had been coming close veer away at that. “Creepy, I like it! And they don’t know that when they post the announcement, they have hope and starry eyes. It’s nice.” He was curious though. “Should I look you up, like online?”
“If you like.” She wandered over to a different painting and he happily followed along. He’d have to buy Paulie a nice set of socket wrenches for suggesting this. She had driven herself to the museum so at the end of the night, he walked her to the car and in her boots she didn’t have to lean up so much to kiss him. He really hoped one day he could see her in just the boots.
“Thank you Franky, it was a lovely exhibition. Did you enjoy it?”
“Sure.” He didn’t hate it, so that was a win. “Uh, I can book us maybe like a nice restaurant for next weekend?”
“Actually I was given tickets to an event, if you would care to be my date?”
“Super! I bought this suit, didn’t rent it, so I can break it out again.” He’d wear it a million times, just to be able to look at Robin.
“It is a casual event, jeans and one of your patterned shirts will be fine.”
That was a relief and it must have shown on his face because she did that little perfect giggle. “I like you, Franky.”
“I like you too,” was all he could say back. He should kiss her more or something but she was in the car and gone.
The next weekend she picked him up wearing jeans, a halter top and a cowboy hat. It made him believe that there was a god out there who maybe loved him. “Where we going?”
“You’ll see,” was all she said.
Franky sat in the passenger seat, which killed him a bit. He hated being the passenger so much, but he could handle it. Only Robin wasn’t driving. “Problem?”
“Do you want to drive?” She was watching him carefully.
“Nah, this is super!” He gave a smile, his best flirty smile. “Being taken around by such a gorgeous woman is a hell of a dream.” That should solve it.
“Get out of the car, Franky.”
Or it didn’t. Franky got and and start to walk to his house.
“Where are you going?” Robin had moved around the car. “Just letting you drive. You’ll be more comfortable.” She slid into the passenger seat and was clearly waiting. “I don’t mind, Franky. Unless you also prefer it being one of your vehicles. But I was planning on bring you home to my place after.”
“For coffee?” Franky watched her smile. “Super,” was all he could say. “I love coffee.”
“No you don’t. Just drive us to the Donquixote Arena.”
Huh, classical music shit or ballet didn’t happen happen at that center. He got in the car and drove, using side streets so it took half the time it should have and she was watching him intensely. Like more intense than anything he had seen before. He rounded a corner and parked. “Save you the bullshit fees at the arena. Thirty berries for parking, fuck no.”
“Oh I don’t have to pay, I have a lifetime pass for parking. But leaving can be murder, this is nice. That is impressive driving. Franky. Do you have a professional background?”
“Umm, yeah, so, worked on cars my whole life,” Franky said. “My pop, Tom, was a shipwright, brother took over the family business. And ships are beautiful, I love them, but man, it was cars for me, from the first time Tom took me out in his shitty looking truck with a souped up engine.”
“And you became a mechanic instead of a shipwright.”
“Sure,” he said easily, because he was not getting into it. “Iceburg made me get my degree, but mostly been sorta under the table work?” He waited for Robin to look disappointed but she was just smiling at him. They rounded the corner and he stared. “Not the symphony.”
The lights above the arena were going strong and he could hear the noise already. The banners proudly proclaimed that for one night only Eustass Kid was back! “Robin?” He looked down at her. Tilted that cowboy hat back a bit so he could properly see her face. “Did you bring me to a monster truck show?”
“I did,” she smiled up at him. “You took me to a thing you thought I would appreciate, I wanted to return the sentiment.”
“I’m going to marry you one day,” he blurted out.
There was that perfect giggle. “That will be a fun day,” was her reply.
He held her hand, so as to not lose her in the crowd, but she lead him away from the crowds to a door that had a very big security guard at it. She didn’t even need to show anything, they were just let in and they used a private elevator and were taken to one of them executive boxes. No, the executive box.
Like it had the name Donquixote on the door sort of box. “Robin?”
“My employer regularly works with the Donquixote family,” she said.
“Uhh, yeah, so you know the Donquixote family?” Franky stared at the name. Because the circles he ran in definitely knew the name for reasons aside from getting your name on the side of an arena.
“A bit, enough to get tickets to this event for you,” she answered. “Doflamingo is…a lot, but Corazon is wonderful. He was excited that I was dating. It isn’t very common.”
“I’m special?” Franky teased because he really wasn’t in comparison to a goddess like Robin.
“You are,” and she didn’t giggle. He didn’t know what to do with that sincerity so he just opened the door to let her through.
There were already a couple guys in the suite. He watched Robin go over and kiss their cheeks and talk to them. Franky sort of hovered back by the door, because even though they were just in jeans and tees, the one in a long coat, he could tell you could add up the cost of everything he was wearing, and it wouldn’t equal the price of one of their socks.
Robin held out a hand, and he happily heeled to her. “Franky, this Trafalgar Law from the Donquixote family, and this is Roronoa Zoro, my boss’s son.”
They were two intense motherfuckers, and the Zoro guy had a stare that just saw right through him.
“No Sanji?”
“He said this wasn’t for him, and besides I’ll need to mop up after Law, when he is drooling over Kid.”
“I am not going to drool over him.”
Zoro shrugged, “cream your shorts, whatever it is.”
Franky watched Law seem to get even more emo as he glowered a bit at Zoro and hit him. “Look, just because maybe he and I have hooked up a couple times, doesn’t mean -“
“That you love him?” Zoro snorted and batted his eyes. “You love Kid, you love a monster truck driver. Bet you have his poster somewhere in that grey palace you call an apartment.”
“My apartment is perfectly decorated, versus that little goblin hole you call a home.”
Franky watched them squabble and leaned into Robin. “So…brothers?” Because they sure as shit sounded like he and Iceburg.
“Best friends, may as well be brothers.”
Franky could understand that. And he processed a thing. “Fuck, wait, you are Kid’s boyfriend, he is the goddamn best monster truck driver there is out there in a generation!”
There was a snort. “Like that is impressive,” Law said. Zoro had wandered away and came back with a few beers. He offered one to Franky.
“Driving, I don’t drink when there is any chance I’m behind the wheel of a car. I’ll take a cola though.” Franky saw Zoro shrug and drink the extra beer down in a few gulps. A cola bottle was brought back to him. “Super! Now then let me explain the genius of Eustass Kid to you,” Franky said to Law.
He talked for a while until the show got really started and then he forgot everyone was in the box with him, watching the trucks work. It was actually a delicate thing, driving beasts like these. Fuck the workmanship, the steady hands to crush other trucks like that. He wondered if Robin had enough pull, or maybe Law did to get him inside that beast for even five minutes.
Franky could vaguely here Robin talking to Zoro about a driver and maybe his name but then the truck shot fire and Franky was plastered to the glass. He had no problem saying it had him flying at half mast.
There was a knock at the door and a man came in with a tray loaded with arena food and Franky dove in.
“Babe, this is the best date ever,” Franky said around a mouth of chili dog. He watched Robin delicately eat a plate of nachos. “Seriously, what the fuck are you doing with me? You should be with like a king or prince or something?”
“I think you suit me just fine,” Robin was smiling at him. “I’ll have Law text Kid the promise of a blow job if you get to see inside that truck.”
“You’ll have me do what now?”
“Now, please,” Robin said and Franky watched as the guy did it. Damn his girl had some serious super powers or something. “Zoro, eat a food not just booze.”
“Robin,” there was a whine. “I am fine, I don’t need you to freaking mom me.”
“Your father said, limits or you are off the job for a couple weeks.” He watched Zoro put the bottle down.
Looked like everyone heeled to Robin. Smart boys, even if they were only a few years younger than him, they still felt like kids. Bet they never had ever been in trouble, best schools, not even a parking ticket.
After the show he did get taken down, and fuck that truck was a thing of beauty. He started talking to Kid and before he knew it like an hour and a half had passed. Robin must be pissed. He looked around and Law had fallen asleep sitting on a crate, and Robin…where the fuck did Robin get such a big book from?
“Sorry,” Franky said a bit helplessly. He wondered if he had ruined the night.
“Law, you finally have a decent person around you! I like this guy!” Kid shouted. “Now where’s my blow job, it should be in my truck.”
Law blinked as he woke up. “No.”
“Yes. It will be sexy.”
“The only vehicle I get in that requires a ladder is an airplane. I am not going into that thing. I’ll take care of you in the change room.” Law stood. “Robin, Corazon wants a meeting in the next few days.”
“I’ll put it on my calendar,” she agreed. “Ready?” She closed the book.
“Yup,” Franky agreed and they headed to the car. “So where am I headed?”
There was just that smile and he drove back to her apartment building.
*
Franky was in a damn good mood. He was in his third favourite car, had the most perfect woman in the passenger side, who had promised him the bathing suit she was wearing under her dress was damned tiny. They had a cooler of cola, and a bunch of stuff in the truck. Perfect lake day.
His phone rang and he hit the button on the car to put it on speaker. “Yo! I’m headed to the lake with a goddess it better be important.”
“Franky, Lucci fucking showed up,” Paulie’s voice was trying to sound tough, but Franky could hear the fear. “With a couple of his assholes. Iceburg is staying calm, but he told me to get everyone the fuck out of the building quietly.”
Franky hung up without saying anything else. He couldn’t speak to Robin, he almost forgot she was there, as he hit the hand brake and spun the car around. Franky was forty above the speed limit and the second they hit the city, he used his knowledge, went through parking garages, which side streets weren’t even on any fucking maps. It should have been a fifty minute drive and he did it in twenty eight.
He saw Rob Lucci’s government car in the parking lot. He stared at it for a moment. “They killed Tom, the bastards.” He wasn’t sure if he was speaking to Robin or himself. “Our dad. A good man, and the government killed him for not handing over some patents. That’s what Lucci is here about. Documents Tom had, ideas they could turn into weapons. Stay in the car.”
Franky generally didn’t fuck with guns these days, but yeah he had a sawed off shotgun, hidden in this trunk of this car, and he grabbed it. Franky went into the building and Lucci and those fuckers were in Iceburg’s office.
Iceburg cool as ice of course. No Paulie, but Franky wasn’t mad, because he knew that Paulie was out there somewhere taking care of their staff, like how Iceburg ordered. He respected keeping innocent people safe.
“Now what are you doing with that highly illegal weapon, during what is a friendly conversation?” Kaku was leaning against a wall.
These fuckers had played at being Iceburg’s friends for two years, trying to get the information. When they couldn’t they had pulled some dirty tricks, but his bro gave them fuck all. Couldn’t prove it but they all knew it was them that shot Iceburg. Franky ignored them all and went to stand beside Iceburg. He rested the gun on his shoulder. Didn’t say a word.
Lucci kept going on and on about civic responsibility, and when he started talking shit about Tom, Franky watched Iceburg’s hands turn to fists. The only outward reaction.
The goons started making threats, business being shut down, shame about all that tax evasion Iceburg was doing.
“Fuck you say, Iceburg runs clean and you know it,” Franky snapped.
“I know we were shocked as well,” Kalifa sighed and shook her head. “Almost like he had a brother who brought him down low. Your antics forced him to go bad. Your pathetic, stupid -“
Franky let all the insults slide off his back, but Iceburg stood up and the whole room went quiet. “You do not talk to my brother like that. Get out!” Then there was a gun in Iceburg’s hand as well. A hand gun from a drawer. “Franky is better than any of you any day.”
Franky sniffled back a tear. “I love you bro.”
“Drawing weapons on world government officials, is a heavy crime.” Lucci was smiling. “Kaku, call the law.”
“Oh, I don’t think that will be necessary.” Franky froze at hearing Robin’s voice. He didn’t want her near these bastards. The world government would sully her sweetness. He watched her walk into the room, in a dress that was just see through enough to see the tiny bikini underneath. “Hello, Lucci.”
Franky glanced to Iceburg, who thankfully looked confused too. Because the world government fuckers all looked unsettled by seeing his girl.
“Nico Robin, a pleasure,” Lucci said finally.
“Hardly,” she looked at them all. “I see the world government salary still doesn’t let any of you buy decent clothes, such a shame.” She sat on Iceburg’s desk and crossed her legs. Franky tried not to look at where the buttons down the front strained a bit over those spectacular thighs. Not when Lucci would kill Iceburg without hesitation. “Now then, what are you fine upstanding officials doing here?”
“Just having a conversation, Nico Robin. With Iceburg. Unless you want us to have it with you?” Kaku had stepped forward and Franky moved beside Robin.
“I like conversations. They have all sorts of fun words in them. Like suing and litigation. Harassment. The press.” Robin was leaning forward a bit and only staring at Lucci. “Ohara. That is a fun word isn’t it? I love that word, more than I love my own life.”
The air grew heavy around the officials and he glanced to Iceburg who didn’t seem to know the word either, but that word carried blood on it, he could feel it.
“You know what that hulk next to you does for a living?” Lucci asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do. He works as a personal chauffeur for my boss.”
Now why did the stooges who had the power to fucking kill everyone in this room pale at the mention of her boss?
“Bullshit,” Kaku said, “we know the whole payroll.”
“He took the job just this morning. Payroll will have him taken care of soon. It is interesting. Lots of people in the company want Franky’s skills. The boss, Zoro, the boss’s…business partner. So many people feel Franky is an asset. And if their asset was sad or distracted by concerns of his brother, well - those lovely men might just let me loose with every little bit of information I have gathered since I was eight. Does the government want that? Scandal, coup, genocide, lovely words that the press, that lovely word eats up. Aren’t they?”
Kalifa was watching Robin and Robin didn’t even look over. Her eyes stayed on Lucci. The smile on her face wasn’t the cute one. It was hungry and terrifying. Franky watched everyone flinch away from the look on Robin’s face, even Iceburg.
Franky put an arm around her shoulder. “Fuck babe, I am going to worship you for the rest of my life.”
“You should have killed me years ago Lucci, before my boss got me. Now, killing me, brings down all of the CP system. So I think you’ll find your business with this establishment is done, isn’t it? Or do I call my boss?”
Franky held Robin, waited and sure he wasn’t breathing much, but well this moment needed breath held.
“One day, Nico Robin, you will dance to the devil’s tune.”
“Good thing your files on me call me the devil’s child, I do so love to dance.” Robin gave a little wave. “Come here again, and I will eat you up bit by bit and relish every single bite, Lucci.”
“Sir, we aren’t actually listening to these threats?” Kaku protested. “I ain’t scared of her or Hawkeye.”
“Then you are a fool,” Lucci said. “The world government has rules above us concerning those men, and now Iceburg is protected by those rules. He’ll have to live with the fact that he only stays alive because of mob protection. How’s that going to sit for you Iceburg? How many favours will you have to do for Hawkeye and Doflamingo now?” Lucci laughed. “We don’t have to do anything, boys, this will eat him alive until he just hands over what we want, because better the government than those thugs.”
There was a flash in Robin’s eyes, and okay yeah, Franky was now equal mix scared and horny. “What did you just call Dracule Mihawk?” She stood and Franky went just to full horny that that was enough to send all the bastards running. Once they were gone, she swayed a bit and Franky supported her. “I hate CP stooges,” she said and turned in his arms. Her face buried against his chest and he gently cupped her head, let her cry.
Some women just needed a moment to cry and he’d keep her safe during it.
“What just happened?” Iceburg asked. He was sitting back down and a million emotions were running over his face.
“I think my future wife, just got rid of your troubles,” Franky said. “A little appreciation for the glory that is her brain and brass balls?”
“Am I mob affiliated now?” Iceburg swallowed. “Is that the price of keeping the Tom’s legacy safe? How long until the claim it? Fuck Franky, Dracule Mihawk works with the Donquixote family!”
“Yeah, and I run illegal street races, that you pretend you don’t know about.”
“The job offer is legit,” Robin offered curled against him. “Mihawk wants you on staff. He was debating keeping you for himself. But Zoro is taking on more and more responsibility for assassinations and persuasion. He gets lost in a paper bag, so a good driver is vital for him.”
“You say assassination so easily,” Iceburg was pouring a drink. Franky recognized it as Tom’s old flask. “Just like that?”
“Now isn’t the time to be coy. You will not be on the books as one of our businesses, more just they know we are keeping an eye on you. Honestly, Mihawk and Doflamingo both hate boats, find men who have yachts annoying. All you have to do is not worry about CP units, ever again.”
Franky swept Robin’s hair off her face. “Driver for Zoro huh? He seemed pretty cool.”
“He is,” Robin agreed. “I think you’ll be good for him. He needs to lighten up a bit. You’ll also drive Mihawk and Perona around.”
“Wait, Perona that weird one woman play you took me to.” It had been insane and gave him nightmares but Robin had done that perfect giggle at it a bunch. So it had been worth it. “She is one of them?”
“She is.” Robin kissed his cheek. “I don’t want to go to the lake anymore today.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I think we’ll fly to Sabaody and get married.”
Franky beamed. “Super!”
“Franky? Are you sure, she’s terrifying.” Iceburg moved around the desk. “You don’t have to go to work for men like those to keep me safe.”
“Bro, I’m never going to be a good guy,” Franky willed Iceburg to understand, “but I can do this and it keeps you safe. I can’t lose you, like we lost Tom. I get to drive fast cars, marry the woman who just saved our lives and has the best goddamn tits the world has ever known. This place is your dream, this life? It’s mine.”
“Don’t get dead,” Iceburg hugged him tightly and he hugged back just as much. “And I guess, welcome to the family Robin.”
“I haven’t had family in a very long time, I looked forward to dinners. Can we play board games?”
“Yeah, why not?” Iceburg laughed. “Paulie is gonna hate you. I should go find him, give the all clear. Treat my baby brother right, or I don’t care who you work for, I’ll take you down.”
“I promise, I will treat Franky very badly, and very right.”
“Fuck, I love you,” and Franky began to sob. Because sometimes, a man just had to cry.
He was also the one to cry through their wedding.
*
“Franky, a pleasure, could you consider donning trousers, your services will be needed shortly,” Mihawk said after Franky opened the door. “And happy anniversary. I understand the gift for one year of marriage is paper.” An envelope was handed to him. Franky opened it and had to hug Mihawk because it was the papers on a vintage Germa kingdom military truck, those things were beasts and he had always itched to own one. “Congratulations. Let go of me now.”
“You are the most super duper boss ever. You got Robin good paper too, right?”
“The deed to a larger apartment one floor up. You two need a bit more space.” Mihawk was clearly easing away so Franky couldn’t hug him again. “You will now be exclusive to my children.”
“Shit, Zoro ready to go back to work?”
“He is,” there was pain and worry in Mihawk’s gaze, but also resolve. “He has trained up enough, it is time. But I will be more comfortable if you take him everywhere now. Even on dates with Sanji.”
“You were hoping that had run its course, huh?” None of them particularly liked Sanji. Or they liked him fine, Franky supposed but they all knew it wouldn’t last. The fissures were starting to appear. But someone out there was a perfect match for Zoro. Like how Robin was for Franky. “Well, who knows, boss? True love is out there for everyone. Look at the mess you and Shanks make of the back of the SUV!”
“Lovely conversation as ever. If you excuse me, I will go talk with Robin now, as she is someone I actually enjoy talking to. You need to pick up Zoro in twenty minutes. He is at Sanji’s.”
“That’s thirty five minutes away?”
There was just a quirk of brow and Franky smiled. “Robin,” he shouted, “off to work, you are perfect and I love you.”
“If you die in a fiery crash, make sure you take out at least seven others with you,” was called back.
Franky put on pants and took the elevator down to the garage whistling the whole time.
Life was damned perfect these days. Hot cars, a hot woman, and she made sure there was always cold cola in his fridge and that she never wore underwear at home.
He was living the goddamn dream.
He revved the car, once he was settled in. He had 17 minutes now to get Zoro.
Franky made it with a minute to spare.