Written for the Sharethelovemonth 2016. The story will be updated every week based on that theme. Week one: Summer

Thanks Myladyday for beta'ing and for suggesting the title.

The downpour had come very suddenly. Five minutes ago, the sky had been blue without a cloud in sight. When it had started to cloud over and suddenly became dark, Benn had hoped in vain that he would manage to get home in time, but he had barely finished that thought when the sky burst open. In the few seconds before he could take shelter underneath a covering, he was already drenched. At first, he still saw some people scurrying by, some had been clever enough to bring an umbrella, though those didn't seem to help against this rain. Within a few minutes, the street that was normally bustling with life had become completely deserted.

Benn was weighing his options. Would he wait here, assuming the shower would be over soon, or would he run home and change when he got there? He was already wet, so what was the worst that could happen? However, when a clash of thunder suddenly sounded, he decided to wait a little after all.

A splashing sound of footsteps in puddles came closer, and Benn found himself in the company of a very drenched, yet very handsome, man. The man wiped his bright red hair back from his face with both hands in a ridiculously sexy manner, in Benn's opinion, before he turned to Benn.

"Man, I did not see that coming."

Benn assumed he was referring to the sudden downpour and hummed in agreement as he eyed the man. He seemed to be a few years younger than Benn and was very handsome, as Benn had already determined, with red hair and brown eyes. There were three parallel scars across his left one, which no doubt had an interesting story behind them.

The man dusted himself off in a vain attempt to get dryer. It only served to distract Benn, however, as his abs shone through the wet white shirt he was wearing, which was sticking to his body. "It would seem that it would have been better if I had invested in a raincoat. Well, I suppose most raincoats wouldn't stop this downpour either."

"Even umbrellas don't stand a chance," Benn agreed, intrigued by this man. He seemed to be up for a chat, though, and Benn didn't mind the company. "This is two seconds in the rain." He gestured towards himself. Of course, he wasn't nearly as wet as the man in front of him, who looked like he had just swam across the ocean, but he was wetter than he'd like.

The man grinned at him. "Usually, these showers only last until you're drenched or until you get home, but by the looks of it, this one could take a while. I don't mind the rain," he continued when Benn hummed again, "though I prefer the ones from autumn or winter, when it's cold."

"How so?" Benn inquired.

"Well, when you get home, you're cold, so you take off your clothes and do things to get warm," he flashed Benn a grin when he said "things", "but with these summer showers, you don't know what's rain and what's sweat anymore."

Benn stared at his companion for a while, considering what to say. They had only just met, not even exchanged names, yet the man talked to him like they were old friends, or even old lovers. The innuendo had implied as much, in any case. "I'm Benn," he finally said.

"Shanks," the man replied with a grin. "Say Benn, I think I see a café over there." He pointed further down the street. "It might be more pleasant to wait until it gets dry over a cup of coffee. My treat," he added as in afterthought.

"As a… date?" Benn chanced to ask. Shanks was hard to read, so he couldn't be sure what his intentions were.

"As two guys drinking coffee," Shanks replied. "You're not one of those people who has to label everything, are you?"

Benn let out a snort and gestured with his head towards the café. "Let's go then." He offered Shanks his coat that he wore despite the heat, as he had on a hat himself, which should stop at least some of the rain.

Shanks flashed him a grin in thanks, pulling the back of the coat over his head as it didn't have a hood, and trotted after Benn. When they arrived at the café, Benn held open the door for Shanks so he could scurry inside, before following him to a table. Inside the café, it was dark, though it was light compared to outside. Even though it was only five 'o clock, it looked like it was night already. Despite the rain, or perhaps because of it, there were hardly any other clients aside from them.

Shanks took off Benn's coat again and hung it over the radiator to dry, even though it wasn't on, as if was still warm outside, almost tropical. When he was done, he slid into a booth without hesitation and made an inviting gesture to the seat in front of him. Benn hung his hat on the old fashioned hallstand that was standing in the corner before joining him.

A waitress, who had been drying glasses at the bar looking utterly bored, hastened herself over to them. "What's it going to be, boys?" she asked cheerfully.

"I'll have a coffee, thank you," Benn said.

"I'll have what he's having," Shanks said in turn, "but Irish."

The waitress snorted. "Is there anything you don't drink Irish?"

"Scotch," Shanks replied immediately with a wink.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Coming right up."

Benn watched the exchange between Shanks and the waitress with interest. To be honest, he had had the feeling that Shanks had been flirting with him, but it was obvious he knew the waitress, and their interaction could be flirtatious, at least the wink. "Are you a regular here?" he asked.

"Makino and I are old friends," Shanks replied and waved at the woman. "She owns this place."

Benn hummed in reply.

"What," Shanks asked with a grin, "are you jealous?"

Benn snorted. "We hardly know each other. Besides, you said this wasn't a date."

"Doesn't mean you don't want it to be," Shanks said, his grin widening, and he thanked Makino when she put two cups of coffee, sugar and milk on the table.

Benn rolled his eyes. To him, Shanks was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He seemed confident enough about his good looks, obvious in the way he carried himself, and he seemed to suspect that Benn was attracted to him – which, in all honesty, he was. The only thing he couldn't figure out was if Shanks was just great at reading people, or just assumed everyone was attracted to him, which would make him a douche.

"Excuse me," he said when Makino was about to leave, ignoring Shanks' words, "do you know how long the rain is going to last?"

"Is he already driving you crazy?" she asked, amused, as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Even Mihawk lasts at least through one drink."

"Oi, I resent that!" Shanks objected, a slight pout on his face. It should have looked ridiculous on a man his age, but Benn had to admit he looked somewhat adorable.

She ignored him, turning to Benn. "It looks like it might rain all evening."

Benn sighed. He had been afraid of that. Through the window next to their booth, he looked outside at the raindrops streaming down. There was still no one in sight, and Benn couldn't blame them. This was no weather to go outside. Another clash of thunder sounded, and Benn consoled himself with the fact that at least the muggy air would clear up now. Maybe it would even cool off. They had had hot weather all week.

"How about we have some dinner too?" Shanks interrupted Benn's thoughts. "Makino's cooking is the best and I'm a bit peckish."

Only now Benn remembered that he had skipped lunch because he had been too busy at the time and had only had a quick breakfast because he had been running late. It was then that this body demanded a bit more sustenance than the small biscuit that came with the coffee. "Sure," he said.

"Makino!" Shanks called, louder than necessary in the empty café. When he had her attention, he held up two fingers with a grin. "Two menus, please."

She brought them over, exchanging a look with Benn. Shanks was just grinning like an idiot.

"How about some wine too?" he suggested.

Benn looked at him suspiciously. "I thought this wasn't a date."

"I never said it wasn't," Shanks said with a shrug. "I mean, of course it is. I just don't like to label things." He waggled his eyebrows before focusing his attention on the menu.

Benn stared at him, stunned, wondering when this day had taken a turn. It had started relatively normal, except that he had overslept, something that he usually didn't do, which caused him to almost miss breakfast, and then he had missed lunch. In all, it had been a crappy day, especially since he had argued with his boss and the project he was working on didn't go well. Shanks was the first nice thing that had happened to him, even if he was a little strange. Strange was actually nice, since it meant a break from Benn's usual routine. Smirking slightly, Benn sat back as he decided he would see where the evening would take him. He definitely would not mind getting Shanks to know better.

"It looks like you've decided what you want," Shanks said with a grin matching Benn's.

"Oh, I have." Benn didn't break eye contact as he spoke.

If possible, Shanks' grin grew even more. "Let's stick to what's on the menu for now, shall we?"

They talked for a while longer, as they waited for their food and during the meal. Benn was starting to enjoy the day more by the second, despite the fact that raindrops were still sliding down the glass of the window and the fans inside did nothing to chase the warmth away.

It was late by the time they decided to call it a day. Shanks stood up and patted himself down in search for his wallet. When he didn't seem to be able to find it, he reached into his pockets, slightly panicking, especially when he returned empty handed.

"Okay, I know how this is going to sound, but…" he started, trailing off with a sheepish look on his face.

Benn sighed and reached for his wallet. He didn't know Shanks well enough yet to decide if this was on purpose or not. After all, Shanks did say it was his treat.

"That's okay," Makino said as she started to clear the table. "I know Shanks well. I'll make sure he pays next time." There was an underlying threat in her voice, even if she sounded cheerful as ever.

He nodded at her in thanks and went to the hallstand to retrieve his coat and hat. Outside, it was still raining, and Benn sighed. His clothes had just dried.

"I did really lose my wallet, you know," Shanks' voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"I'm sure you did."

"Look, I said it's my treat and it will be. Just for tonight…" For the first time since Benn met him, Shanks seemed to be hesitant. "I need to take the train home," he finally admitted after a moment of silence, "which I can't do without my wallet."

Benn took a second to look at him and consider his options. There were two things he could do. Well, at least three, but two without being a dick. It was obvious that Shanks wanted something from him. Either Benn could buy him a train ticket home, probably never to see him again, because he was pretty sure that wasn't what Shanks was aiming at.

For the second option he had to take a chance. His house wasn't too far away and he did have a spare room which he hardly used. He looked from Shanks to the door. They had had a nice evening together, whether this had been a date or not.

Benn cut the knot. He opened the door and gestured with his head outside. "Come on," he said, "it isn't far."

The disappointment disappeared from Shanks' face and was replaced by the grin Benn already knew so well. Without hesitation, he gave a wave to Makino, who looked after them, shaking her head and a smile on her face, before hurrying after Benn.