#[ roger vc: okay so new cabin boy :D

[pirateborn-a]

[ TUG ]:          sender grabs the receiver’s hair and pulls at it. (the 'stache bc he's little but also a brat)

THINGS DONE WITH HAIR

✧.    “ Ow— ow, ow, ow, ow— ”    he winced at the boy's —  a baby  — actions. How could something so small have so much strength ?  Technically, it didn't really hurt. Nothing compared to, say, being stabbed. But his only slightly exaggerated actions seemed to be amusing the child, and so he kept them up.

     Seemed to. He was laughing, so that was a good thing, right ?  Roger could never tell for sure. Although no matter what the rest of the crew thought —  from the way they hoovered whenever he held the baby  ( the current role of watcher falling upon Rayleigh )  — he did have some knowledge on how to handle a baby. Even if, admittedly, his last experience was mostly just watching Rayleigh take care of a few after he'd nearly dropped the two he was carrying into a nearby canal. But still !

“ I think he likes me, ”   he chirped cheerfully, tilting his back towards his first mate with a bright grin as he adjusted his hold on Shanks —  it'd said his name was Shanks  — to hold him in his arms more steadily as he'd been shown; his own head dragged along with the movement as the grip on his mustache never flattered.

     He couldn't help his expression from softening just a touch as he looked down as much as he could, bringing a hand up to gently brush some stray strands of what little red hair the child had out of his face. Mother of seas, he was so small. It took the boy's entire hand to grab just one side of his mustache. How could anything possibly be so small ?  It made a part of him wish to tuck Shanks safely into his pocket where Roger could forever watch over him, as odd as the thought was.

“  ...I don't want him to let go, Rayleigh, ”   he muttered, a quiet confession as his smile dimmed with realization,   “ Our ship is no place to keep a child, I know, I know. And yet... I don't want him to let go. ” 

     He repeated it more surely, with sinking heart. He didn't want to let go, his arms curling ever-so-slightly more around Shanks without even noticing. They weren't fit to care for a child; the Sea, especially those of the Grandline, were unforgiving at best. That wasn’t even mentioning their countless enemies—

     Yet, he couldn't help but feel slight panic rise at the idea of letting the child go.

“ It was fate, wasn't it ?  We claimed the treasure. We claimed the treasure he was in for ourselves, Rayleigh, ”   the words falling out more hurriedly,   “ He's our treasure. He's my treasure. My crew. What kind of captain would I be if I abandoned one of my own ?  Or what if someone finds out where he's from ?  I don't give a damn, but we both know the Government's run by bastards. Sure, Garp knows, but—  Garp's Garp, ”   he thought he heard Rayleigh say something, but he couldn't quite tell. All he could focus on was how small the boy was. So small and fragile. They could watch over him, couldn’t they ?  Or would that make things worse ?  Did it matter ?

“ Worse yet, what if he's lonely out there ? ”    the mere idea brought a shiver down his spine and cold pit in his stomach, bringing the boy closer to his chest,    “ I can't do that to someone. Being lonely is a fate worse than death. No, it wouldn't happen, people would love him— i mean, look at him !  He's adorable, how could anyone say no to this pudgy face ?  But Rayleigh, what if he is— ”

     Another sharp tug at his face broke him out of his ramblings. To his horror, Shanks looked as though he were a breath away from crying. Immediately, Roger brought back the smile to his face, quietly hushing the child and clumsily rocking him in his arms the way he'd seen some others do on the streets before. He wasn't... really sure what purpose it served, but a sigh of relief fell past grinning lips as it seemed to work. Perhaps it was akin to how the waves rocked their beds each night. A child of the sea, just like any other one of them.

     Either way, he'd be sure to be more careful in front of Shanks from then on.

“ We'll decide his fate together come morning, ”   he declared resolutely, keeping his face down at the boy because he already knew what he'd see written on Rayleigh's expression if he looked.

“ Shanks, ”    he tried the name on his tongue, wondering if held any meaning he didn’t know of,   “ Did you know your name is Shanks, lad ? ”   did he ?  He didn't know if babies even knew their own names, just that they needed others. Shanks couldn't survive on his own. He needed protection, so why couldn't it be Roger the one to protect him ?  He had to have found Shanks for a reason if fate made it so their paths crossed. It was fate, and who were any of them to deny that ?

“ No matter what happens, ”   his voice a murmur, steady and resolute as he gingerly traced his thumb on the boy’s head, his smile warm like sunlight,   “ You're going to be alright, Captain Roger's going to make sure of it. That’s a promise, okay ? ”