Cat & mouse game

People would call him a crook, a thief, sometimes go as far as to call him a dangerous criminal, or just a cheeky brat. Newt Ingerst was a bit of all of those at once. He was mostly a sea bandit, going from one island to another with his crew, to rob merrily, then sail off once more.
You'd think it would be hard to miss him, with his bright short, half shaved red hair, thick leather cloak. With every of his steps, you'd hear bracelets cling at his wrists and shoes and yet... he'd still your wallet like a piece of cake without you even noticing it.
He felt rather lucky that day when, after turning around a corner to gaze at his latest prize, he realized he had just robbed a marine officer.

Even if he hadn't been wearing his clean uniform, it almost felt like there was a bright, flashing sign just over Ian's head with 'MARINE' written in capital red letters on it.
He never even understood why, to be honest. It was true that, with his imposing stance and stature and his stern look (which his colleagues kept referring to as his 'resting bitch face', whatever that meant), he was taken for an officer already when he wasn't one.
And that he ended up enrolling in the Marine for real when he had candidly admitted to a Captain that yes, he was the one pretending to be an official and pummeling pirates back to the sea.
That kind of ingenuity had costed him a lot, too many times.
And now, it seemed, it had costed him his wallet as well. He blinked once, twice, then his usual scowl deepened as he turned towards the direction he had seen that red haired man disappearing. He shook his head, his long black hair kept somewhat in place by a loose ponytail.
That man had made a mistake, and he was going to pay quickly.
With few, quick steps, in fact, he was already at the thief's heels. "You! Stop right now, or you will be in serious trouble!"

Newt had promptly closed the wallet and put it back into his coat as he turned around to gaze at the newcomer's chest. He arched his brows in an appreciative gesture, then raised his gaze towards the other man's face. "Stop what ?" He answered him with a cheeky grin.

Ian crossed his arms on his chest in a gesture that should have looked slightly menacing, squinting at the other man. "Stop /walking/", he clarified then, feeling his ears getting warm. Yeah, he should have said that right away. He scoffed at himself, getting back at the thief. "I think you took something that belongs to me", he stated, somewhat calmly, lifting up his chin. "If you give it back now willingly, I will try to be lenient."

"... Oh." Newt's smile grew wider. "Well, if this is what I think of, first you need to give me back what you stole from ME," he said, as he flickered his fingers on the other man's arm. 'My, such a strong man', he thought to himself.

Ian had to keep himself from taking a step back. Or alternatively, from jerking his arm away from the man's wandering fingers.
But, while part of his mind was busy yelling things like "No touchy" and "Do not try to understand what he is talking about", the other part, as usual, was totally down his gutter. So he pursed his lips, lightly tilting his head. "You are mistaken. I took nothing from you...?" Why did it sound like a question. What the hell.

"You stole my heart, sir," Newt replied with a wink, as he leaned even closer to Ian. But better not be mistaken, he was fully taking advantage of the situation, and trying to see if the marine had something else in his pockets.

Ian took a sharp intake of breath, letting out a displeased huff. This time, however, he was full on guard. He grabbed Newt's wrists. "Keep your hands on yourself, and out of my pockets", he rumbled. "Give me back my wallet."

"Jeesh, what tells you I even have your wallet," Newt sighed as he rolled his eyes, and took a step back, crossing his arms. Then he grinned at him. "But if you want to search me, go ahead ~"

Ian felt...definitely not flustered. Not at all. Stupid red ears. He scoffed. "I have serious reasons to suspect you, if you want to know. And strange of you to suggest that. Because it is exactly what I will do." He made a sharp gesture with his head. "Hands on the wall."

"Sure thing ~" Newt turned his back to Ian, and laid his hands on the wall. Then one foot. Then started climbing it as if it was a piece of cake, snickering.
He had eaten a devil fruit that allowed him to turn any part of his body into an adhesive surface, and so, to climb walls, prevent his clothes or jewellery from making any noise when he stole wallets. Pretty handy, for a thief!

Ian blinked once. Twice. He looked helplessly as Newt started climbing the wall, his mouth agape. However, surprise wore off as quickly as it came, leaving space to something akin to anger. He couldn't allow himself to let that man go. He had HIS wallet, for fuck's sake! He tried to jump and grab at his ankles before he got too far up, letting out a roar.

Next had felt way too confident. Of course, he usually always escaped that way. But that marine was far taller than anyone he was used to, and so he yelped as he felt himself pulled down. He even barely managed to get his grasp on the wall back, as to not fall on the ground.

That would have looked ridiculous from someone else's point of view: a man built like a tower swinging his legs trying not to fall, attached to a smaller man who was clinging to a wall like a desperate lizard. Ian tried to lift his head, and to keep a steady voice as he yelled: "Come back down, in the name of the law!"
With that, it somewhat became more ridiculous.

Newt cursed, and tried to lift himself up again, only succeeding to fall a bit lower, scratching his hands badly. In the end, he fell completely, due to the pain of his scratched skin.

Ian fell back with Newt with a distressed sound, managing to land on his feet. He managed to catch the other man, keeping his balance with a bit of difficulty, arms around the thief's waist. He looked up at him, and grinned. "Let's see how much of a smartass you can be now."

Newt grunted, sighed, and then finally handed his wallet back to Ian. "Alright, alright. Here's your stuff, tall guy. It felt odd, to have his feet still up in the air.

Ian took his wallet with a small sound of triumph and a bright smile. "Thank you", he said, letting the other man on the ground to be able to safely tuck his wallet in his pocket. A Marine getting robbed in full daylight? That had to be the worst joke ever.

Newt looked at him, arched a brow, and smiled to himself. "What, you're not even going to cuff me ? Bring me back to your base ?"

Ian looked at him. "Well..." He thought about it. "If I bring you in, I will have to write a report, and admit I was robbed like a damn idiot." He scratched his head. "On the other side, I am still a marine even if a dumb one, so..." He brought out his handcuffs in a flash. "Your wrists."

"...Wow, you almost convinced me," Newt joked. "That was hot, though. Care to take me to your room instead ? ~" he said as he stepped closer to the marine.

Ian made a chocked sound. God. He wasn't even smart enough to understand if Newt was being serious. "Excuse me?", he blurted out finally, trying to fight the embarrassment. It didn't help that he actually found him to be quite an attractive man-THIEF! A THIEF!

"If you really want to use these," Newt said ad he gestured to the cuffs, "then cuff me to your bed, naughty boy," he purred to him. He even wanted to cup his jaw because really, that man was precious, but he winced and stepped backwards as he looked at his bruised hands.

Ian gulped. By now, his ears were completely red, as was his face. "I... uh...", he stuttered, then stopped, looking as Newt was observing his bruised hands. He felt suddenly guilty. "Sorry about that", he muttered, scratching his neck. Why was he even feeling bad? He had been the one to try to flee!

Newt had to fight back a smirk at the apology. Was the marine apologizing for trying to prevent him to rob his wallet ? Now, wasn't that absolutely cute. But he wasn't a complete douche either. He could take advantage of the situation without acting like a jerk. "It's ok, but if you have something to clean that, that'd be appreciated."