The Bastards [Shanks]✓

Further

Waking up in her own ship was almost a bit of a cultural shock to Gear as she gets up, stretching her back, turning up music as she begins with her morning routine.
The bastards move through the hallway, coming up to 'greet' her, much to her amusement. "Morning guys.", she hums, getting into the bathroom to shower, leaving her door open so that they can walk in and out. It wasn't like anyone else but her was on board and she couldn't care less if they watched over her as she took her shower. Wrapped in her towel she walks back to her room, getting dressed, she looks at her old braids, beginning to get frizzy. Sighing she starts to brush out the still wet hair and moisturise it well. Long, soft hair falls around her body that she pulls up into a bun. Her scalp should have a few days to relax before rebraiding her hair, just to make sure she wouldn't damage it. Maybe she would get Yassop or Benn to help her. Smiling to herself she moves into her kitchen, preparing herself a meal, occasionally tossing her companions a piece of food. They didn't have to eat or anything but it would be processed into energy for them to store and use on command. That and in her opinion they look very adorable, sitting and waiting for treats like puppies.
She was spoiling robots.. but who could judge her for it when there was no one there?

She eats with Brie's head in her lap, petting the skull with one hand, holding her fork with the other.

After breakfast she makes sure that they are still on course before walking into the workshop. "Does anyone need some oiling?" Whirring and metallic clicking answers her, as well as the entire crew of bastards pouring into the room. Chuckling she begins to oil down their mechanics each until they move so quietly no one would notice they were ever there. "Now I have to change and wash my hands.", she playfully scolds, moving through the ship to do just that.

Changed into a black wrapping dress she returns to the control room, dancing a bit to the music while moving through the hallway, soon singing along.
She was always a fan of the more heavy stuff, not the typical sailors music of light hearted pianos and violins.
She liked the electric guitar and drums, raw voices and the bass..
Nodding her head to the beat she joins the voice of the lead singer as she takes over manual control, her eyes taking in the view in front of her. It was still very early so her view consists of the stars slowly fading in the morning light, peeking through the sea of clouds.

The next song immediately pulls her thoughts to the man waiting at her destination.
"... Are you ready for my soul? What if I'm broken from the start? What if I never heal? Are you ready for my soul? What if I open up my heart and somehow we stumble into something real...", she sings along.
Ever since she was a young teen she had wanted him to take her in with all her flaws and all her anger, pain and hurt. She knew too well how he had managed to capture her heart. It had been during their first meeting when she had been watching Rogers execution.

She had gotten separated from her grandfather and her eyes had caught sight of a young man with tears in his eyes, clutching onto a straw hat that covers his blood red hair. Despite her age she had put one and one together rather quickly and, knowing her grandfather, she had walked up to him, grabbed his hand and held onto it. His dark eyes had glanced down at her in shock. "Look at me and be quiet. I doubt he'd want you to die as well.", she had mumbled and his hand had been shaking as he squeezed hers. "Thank you.. but why help me?", he had questioned. "My grandpa isn't one to show mercy or empathy. But he liked your captain despite him being a pirate. So I'll help him out as well." "Despite?" "My name is Monkey D. Catlyn." She had given him a small, empathic smile. "I'm Vice Admiral Garp's granddaughter." And he had given a shaky smile back. "Shanks."
They had stayed there, together, holding hands until it was done and Roger had died. She had quickly ushered him away to his ex crewmates and had been all but ready to go search for her grandfather when he had pulled her into a hug that she had returned. "He asked Grandpa to take care of his son... I'll make sure he'll be safe. I promise.", she had whispered into Shanks's ear before giving him one last smile and walking out of the alleyway, soon to be found by her grandfather who always had a very huge soft spot for her. "You worried me half to death, brat." He had thrown a punch her direction that she had answered with her own Haki enhanced one. A view Shanks had always said he'd never forget. The grumpy old man had broken into fits of laughter as neither of them had moved, picking her up and placing her on his shoulders. Her favourite spot. "Hey old man. Let's go home! I want food.", she had blurted out, hugging his head, making him laugh. "Let's go then, brat."

Her eyes had caught his one last time and he had given her a wink, small smile and wave goodbye, disappearing into the streets. And it was that very moment her young heart had skipped a beat.
Her first little crush.
A crush that had become irrelevant for a long while while raising first Ace who had hogged up all her attention, only for Sabo and Luffy soon to join them and them too having more priority to her than her feelings.
Their safety had become her main concern.. with good reason, seeing as they would constantly get themselves into trouble, like the time they had gotten almost killed by a group of bandits, had she not located them with her Haki and beaten the good forty head strong gang to or at least close to death, carrying the three crying boys out of their wooden hideout. Not that she would change any of it. She loved all three of them with all her heart and if she'd have to choose between them and Shanks she would always choose them. No matter how much she loved the redhead and his goofy antics, his smile, his warm hugs..
Sighing she remembers her little crush flaring back to life as she met him again when she had already begun to work for her father. The absence of his arm had shocked her and she had immediately begun to gather all the materials she would need for a prosthetic, despite his protests. He still had her very first truly perfectly working prosthetic arm that he never wears, much to her annoyance. But what could she do other than give him back what he had given to save her little brother. The drunk idiot had only realised that he had saved her sibling when she had spelled it out for him, making his dark eyes widen in awe and him blurt out he had thought Luffy to maybe be hers. He had earned himself a hit over the head for that one as all she had been able to think had been that the only person whose children she'd be willing to have was him. Despite her hitting him he had been all smiles that day and she had to admit that she had never felt better than the time she'd spend with him whining to her about her punching him, his head resting in her lap as he'd laugh in his drunken stupor.
What to do when you fall hard enough for a person that the love lasts for over a decade without them doing as much as giving a whisper of feeling the same?
Wait until you die a lonely virgin apparently.. or go and marry a handsome blond guy a couple years younger. She cracks a smile as she thinks about Killer.
She did really like him. He had gained her trust in no time. Maybe he would be her better option than the constant disappointment Shanks was presenting her with. Clicking her tongue she makes her decision. If the redhead wouldn't be able to get his shit together she'd return to the Kid Pirates... to Killer.