#( op you are a real one for this )

[inkiedraws]

I need their lore like I need air

[soapbbox]

Your art brings me joy. Do you think that the first time Optimus saw the statue of liberty he thought she was just being mean and ignoring him?

He’s got no game and it kills everyone who has to watch

[soaked-doors]

sabaody’s been rough but at least my son looks cool

[peace-hunter]

I just realized. One thing that Optimus will certainly be educated on by the Primes in the Haunted AU is the various was One Can Kill A Quintesson! Leaving some Autobots confused at times when he's teaching them in return because 'This sounds pretty Specific...???'

It's slightly competitive on the Primes' part because yeah, the Deceptions do got the High Guard being good at killing Quintessons too but. They're the Real Experts. (Are they salty? Naaaah they're not. Much. Kinda.)

AKJSHDK YEAH YOU'RE SO RIGHT I LOVE THAT <333

they got so good at squishing the goddamn bugs and they're thrilled they can save Optimus the pain of figuring out their weak points through trial and error like they did. they're gonna make a pro out of their baby brother in no time.

and if they just so happen to know some of the Decepticons will be majorly pissed off at the fact OP is already on par with the best of what used to be the High Guard when he only has a fraction of their experience... well, happy coincidences, y'know?

and if they happen to teach Optimus how to crack open a Quintesson in just the right way to make some Decepticons see ghosts through him... that's between them and the people they're haunting :)

haunted au

[dunyun-rings]

I saw a post that said “Dragon Age discourse walked so that Baldurs Gate 3 discourse could run” and that’s absolutely false. Dragon Age discourse sprinted, foaming at the mouth, so that BG3 discourse could skip happily through a meadow

[potatopassenger]

Crocodile is low-key obsessed with manners like he tells Vivi he didn't expect a princess to be so foulmouthed (he's caused a civil war) and he gets mad at Sanji for being rude over the phone (while he's threatening him) All his employees' codenames start with Mr. or Miss. He's even trained his deadly attack crocodiles to queue nicely for their food!

[veritablenonsense]

sctir is such a good story if you're obsessed with worldbuilding Implications because yoojin is also Constantly thinking about that stuff. He's just a (previously) regular guy who has to live in this weird urban portal fantasy world so he cares about stuff like tax brackets and zoning laws and fair contract-writing and alternative uses of everyone's crazy supernatural powers. I can't count the number of times I started thinking "wait, couldn't you-" only to have it answered the next sentence. When his internal monologue mentioned dungeon resets being used for public waste disposal i practically cheered

[shotosjupiter]

DOWN THE HALL — R. ZORO

𖤐 y/n’s hoolingans

next | masterlist

𖤐 y/n - you live on the fifth floor of a ten-story apartment building in the city along with your lovely black cat of a year - kuro. you love him dearly and spoil him... does your cat like you back? to be determined.

𖤐 nami - you met her in one of your lecture classes and bonded over your mutual hatred of the professor. through her you met some of the other strawhats.

𖤐 sanji - he saw you hanging out with nami one day and you could never get rid of him since. he is the glue of your little friend group and on occasion brings you dinner to your apartment because he does not approve of your meals.

𖤐 robin - also someone you saw in your uni lectures often and met through nami. she's the calm one of the group, always balances the loud energy of the group. she's dating franky, one of the top engineering students of grand-line university.

pairing — roronoa zoro x fem! reader

synopsis — when your cat suddenly disappears from your apartment, you go crazy trying to find him. only to find your beloved cat, kuro, in the arms of your hot neighbor, roronoa zoro. trying to get your cat and the heart of your neighbor proves to be a difficult mission to say the least. genre/tags — social media!au, neighbor!zoro, modern!au, crack, fluff! not much angst tbh.

[selfindulgenceisthekey]

part 3 NEOWWWWW

If You Thought It Was Real Pt. III

Pt. I Pt. II Thank you @hannahbarberra162 for being my beta reader for this chapter! <3

Waking up was slow. You were accustomed to being thrust into consciousness, sleep elusive and nothing more than a dream most nights. So the groggy feeling, the heaviness of your head and your eyelids was foreign.

Trying to open your eyes was a struggle, and you were tempted to give in and fall back into the comfort of unconsciousness, but the nagging emptiness in your head kept you struggling to stay awake.

Finally you peeled them open, staring blankly at the ceiling above you. Dark wood surrounded you, the sterile scent of cleaning supplies invaded your nose. Where—?

“Oh, you’re awake,” The voice was familiar, and it took you far too long to process it, turning your head to the owner of the voice.

Chopper was reading from a clipboard, little nose scrunched up as he chewed on the end of the pen he held. You blinked, not processing the image before you.

“You have a lot of injuries,” He began explaining to you, his voice soft as he set the clipboard down, moving his chair to be closer to where you were laying down, “You’ve got bruises around your throat, I applied some ointment so they shouldn’t sting as much. Luckily none of your ribs were broken, but they sustained some damage and you’ll be sore for a bit while the muscles heal and those bruises fade. I wrapped you with some compression bandages, they should help whenever you move around. You had some cuts on your arms, I sterilized those to avoid any infections.” 

He kept talking, and you continued to blankly stare at him, everything coming out of his mouth sounding far away.

You shifted a bit, wincing at the sting emanating from your sides. Right, bruised ribs. You lifted a hand to brush against your injuries, feeling some slimy ointment on your neck, cool to the touch. Higher you felt some bandages on your face, namely on your cheekbone. You distantly remembered the hit you had received to make such an injury there.

“What—” You winced, lips parting to ask him a question but the pain in your throat stopped you.

He paused, looking up sadly, “Your throat’s gonna be sore for a while. You were choked hard enough that you sustained damage both on the outside and inside. You’ll probably struggle to talk for a bit, and eating and swallowing may be hard too.”

He lit up after a moment, “Oh! But Sanji’s made a meal plan for you while you heal, soft foods you’ll be able to swallow without much issue.”

Sanji had—?

You sat up, struggling to do so as the pain knocked the wind out of you. Your movements startled Chopper, who started waving his arms around frantically.

“No, you should lay back down! If you need anything I’ll get it for you!”

“Where am I?” Your voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper as you forced the question out, ignoring the pain it caused. 

“In our sick bay! Please, lay back down!” His little hooves pressed against you gently, trying to get you to lay back how you had been.

You were lucky he was staying in this form, any other and he would easily overpower you. It was terrifying how such a cute little creature could turn into something so big. 

You managed to throw the blanket off of you, something light and soft that distantly registered as the blanket Sanji often brought you whenever you stayed up late on the deck. Standing up you were able to feel the full sting of injuries on your body.

The ribs felt like the worst of it, and you could feel the bandages shift under your clothes as you stood. Looking down you realized you had been changed out of your dress, clad in a t-shirt and shorts that looked like something Nami would have worn. 

Stumbling forward, you winced as your ankle spasmed under your weight. What had Chopper said? Sprained ankle? That much was apparent.

“Please, sit down at least!”

Why were you on the Sunny? The last thing you had remembered was—

Was—

The fight, if you could even call it that, was over faster than it started. The build up felt like it had lasted an eternity, everyone had stood once Hel was down, ready to fight the man who had thrown their boss into the bar.

Luffy hadn’t so much as broke a sweat as he stood facing them, his back towards you. The men at the table had rushed to stand, leaving you sitting alone. Luffy standing there felt almost like a wall in front of you. A part of you felt somewhat safe, but more of you felt terrified.

“What the hell’s your problem?”

His head tilted, as if pondering the question. “No problem, just came to get something that belongs to us.”

Jeers and scoffs echoed around the bar, and the condescending tones had you feeling smaller than you did before.

“If you wanted a night with her, all you had to do was ask,” Brannick stepped forward, a cruel smile on his face as he stood heads above Luffy, “We’re not unreasonable with our prices.”

You weren’t privy to seeing his face or his reaction, but judging by the way Brannick had taken a step back you were somewhat grateful you didn’t see it.

He tried backpedaling, “But for a pirate such as yourself, of course, we can discuss a fair price, one that—”

“I’m not paying for her,” Luffy stated plainly, “I’m taking her back with me.”

“You can’t just—”

He was down before you could process what had happened, blood gushing from his nose as he staggered back and tripped, landing on the legs of Hel. Luffy’s arms lowered, his fists not even bruised. 

Everyone moved at once, people shouting as they all descended on him. You jumped back, trying to avoid the rushing crowd, falling to the ground from your stool hard. Your already hurt body screamed out in pain when you hit the ground, but you did your best to ignore it as you shifted to be under the table.

The noise and chaos was over within seconds, bodies of your higher ups and bar patrons unconscious, in various states of consciousness, bloody and bruised. It would be satisfying to see if Luffy hadn’t crouched down to look at you.

“Did they do that to you?”

He brought a hand up, moving slowly as if to not spook you as he pointed at your neck.

“I— yeah?”

“Why?”

“I- I took too long.”

He raised an eyebrow, and you swallowed the pit of shame you felt growing in your stomach. “To return with the map.”

He just nodded, gaze unwavering as he continued to stare at you, study you. You felt goosebumps rise on your arms.

“If you want the map it’s- it’s upstairs in Brannick’s office. Along with other stuff they stole.”

He looked away for a moment, looking towards the stairs, before turning his attention back to you.

“I’m not here for the map,” He shrugged, “I came to get you.”

“What? Why?” 

“You hurt Sanji,” He repeated that bit again, and the simple three words made something in your chest wilt.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Yes, you did.”

He was right, truth be told. Your original plan you knew you’d risk hurting him when you left, but at that time you hadn’t cared. What was another broken heart strung behind you? The issue came when you got to know him, when you spent time with him. It hurt you to hurt him, but you had to.

“I had to,” You tried, shaking your head to try and clear away the leftover haze, “I had to.”

“You could have asked for help.”

That sentence had your eyes narrowing, but your glare died down once you looked at his face, unable to continue the stare down, “How was I to know you all would help me?”

“Because you were one of us.” Were one of us. 

The anger in you continued to wilt, dripping slowly out of you as you sagged where you sat, “I had a job. People’s lives were at stake if I didn’t.”

“You could have told us,” He repeated, voice firm, “And we would have helped you. But instead you betrayed Sanji, betrayed us, and left him sad. You hurt my nakama.” 

“He should have just moved on!” It exploded out of you, frustration and hurt all wrapped into one as you began to word vomit at Luffy, “You all should have! You should have left, if you’re all such a great crew you’d make a new map, you’d be able to get your berri back! Why did you come back here, huh?”

There was silence after your outburst, your breath heavy, the taste of booze and bile thick in your mouth. He wasn’t moving, and the way he stood made him look as still as a statue. 

“Because you made Sanji cry.”

The sentence made you wince, and you held your breath for a moment, the moment bleeding for a bit too long and your head began to pound as you let it out. 

“Because you ate with us. You laughed with us. You inserted yourself into our crew, you worked to make sure we trusted you. And when we did, when Sanji gave you his heart you ran away.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” You sounded so quiet in comparison to how you had been mere moments ago, “I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

“But you did have a choice,” The finality in his voice had your jaw slamming shut, your teeth hitting each other with an audible click, “And you chose to keep quiet, you chose to hurt Sanji, you chose to steal from Nami, you chose to betray us.”

“I didn’t—”

“You did,” His voice was lighter as he said that, so matter of factly, “And everything here happened because of that.”

Without so much as a moment's notice he reached for you, grabbing you around the wrist and dragging you from under the table, pulling you to stand in front of him.

“Now come on, let’s go.”

Your heels dug into the ground as he began to tug you along, and at the resistance he met he paused, eyes narrowing slightly.

“No!”

His grip around your wrist tightened, and you winced as the pressure dug into the fresh cuts along your skin, “You already tried this your way, now look at you. As your captain, you have me and my help. But firstly when we get back, you’ll make things right with Sanji.”

He didn’t leave room for you to respond, a simple movement of his hand, of his arm and you were falling forward, eyes rolling shut. 

Subconsciously, your hand rubbed the back of your neck, a phantom stinging pain resigning from there. Luffy had taken you from the tavern, fire in his eyes and malice in his tone.

“Please, sit down.”

You looked towards Chopper, glaring. He winced at the look on your face, but you couldn’t find yourself to care at this moment.

“Where is,” You winced, fighting down a cough, frustrated with the trembling you felt throughout your body, “Where is Luffy?”

“He’s—”

“Oh,” The door cracked open, the captain stepping in, peering at you curiously, “You’re awake.”

Taglist: @hannahbarberra162 @sagyunaro @twismare Masterlist

[ford-owner]

impel down is cool and all but where are the others i cant keep looking at this fucking clown bru

[atmospheral]

marineford behind-the-scenes 2/? 🎬 part 1 // part 3

(photo reference)

bonus:

[marshmallowgoop]

no thoughts just Heiji Hattori (HD)

[lord-squiggletits]

*sighs deeply and turns to the microphone again*

I'm reminding IDW1 readers that the reason Optimus felt pain when first bonding with the Matrix has nothing to do with him being "unworthy" or the Matrix thinking he's "not a true leader" and has everything to do with the fact that when he bonded with it, he felt the collective emotion of every single Cybertronian in existence and the strongest emotion all of them were feeling was pain and suffering.

I'm further reminding IDW1 readers that the Matrix doesn't have any divine power or godliness at all and the ability to wield it is solely based on how much a person believes in their own worthiness to wield it, which is exactly how literal colonizer, mass murderer, and caste system creator Nova Prime was able to wield the Matrix back in his day.

Literally the entire climax of Lost Light by JRO is Rodimus doing a pep talk to get everyone on the ship hyped/confident enough to feel worthy to wield a bunch of Matrixes. The whole fucking point of that ending was to show that "worthiness" isn't something only to be bestowed on a single chosen hero but rather a sense of self-worth that anyone is capable of achieving with enough faith.

Can people please please please stop with these insinuations/misbeliefs that because OP felt pain upon bonding with the Matrix it's somehow a sign of his inherent sin/unworthiness/shittiness/narrative evilness and actually read the comics they're making assumptions about? I beg.

[julissart]

Samurai Usopp AU

I don't have an excuse with this one 🤫 I just wanted to see Usopp in Zoro's clothes, in this AU both Zoro and Usopp take the role as samurais in Wano (Zoro must train him so he doesn't cut his arm off with a sword)

And, to surprise of everyone, Usopp acting skills are revealed to the level they're not sure if he's been possessed by a real one, but as soon as the curtain falls he is smiling and chatting again like he just not fool the whole town with his dialect and behavior

Also experimenting with other colors, hope you like it 🥰

My OP Fanart Masterlist here

[softnspiky]

Impel Down and Marineford woke me up to Buggy. 👀🤡 I love the pattern of characters getting sucked into Luffy's shenanigans/quests and having to hang on for the ride.

[selfindulgenceisthekey]

If You Thought It Was Real Pt. VII

Pt. I Pt. II Pt. III Pt. IV Pt. V Pt. VI

A/N: I decided to 2-part this, sorry not sorry! again, thank you to my beta reader @hannahbarberra162 !!!

Ten

It was the second day since you had woken up, and the fifth since the crew had set sail with you unconscious in their sick bay. In those few hours of you being conscious, Sanji had come in to check on you no less than three times per hour. Sometimes he spoke, sometimes he stayed quick and quiet. 

It was beginning to feel like whiplash.

You’d taken to eating, terrified that the next time you even looked like you were going to refuse food, you’d wind up with a plastic tube down your throat. Every fiber of your being hated how good the food tasted, how you knew Sanji had made these plates so deliberately for you. 

If he was being cruel to you in any way, you’d be able to justify the hatred you felt bubbling in your chest. But every time he opened the door and smiled at you, every time he asked if you needed anything, your heart betrayed the burning you felt, fluttering like a little bird.

You’d never had a job end up like this, you were in uncharted territory. 

“Chopper had suggested you start moving around soon.” He wasn’t looking your way as he spoke, piling the empty plates and cups onto the tray. “Just a little bit each day, but he wants you to start being able to regain strength and motion in your muscles.”

You snorted at his statement, wincing at the sting in your ribs. 

“You can stay in here for a bit,” He turned to you now, a gentle smile on his face, his expression opposite of the stormy one on yours, “But once you feel up to it, you can walk around the deck, get some fresh air.”

“Why not let me wander around a new town?” You suggested, voice dripping with sarcasm as you turned away from him, “In fact— let me wander off and never return.”

The smile dropped off his face, a grim frown replacing it. He didn’t look mad, just upset that you’d say something like that.

“I know you’re joking, love, but I don’t find that funny.”

You swallowed the congee in your mouth, the food sinking into your stomach like lead—  you hadn’t been joking. He knew that, and you knew that much. The scowl stayed planted on your face, and he paid it no mind as he continued to clean up. You stayed quiet, half-listening to him chatter away about how the morning had gone, how he had to fight Luffy away more than normal to protect the crew’s breakfast, how Nami had been excited about how many more tangerines had grown in this season.

His movements remained gentle, the tray and the bowl clinking quietly, “Once you’re up and in the sun, you’ll feel better, I promise.”

Sanji’s tone was still soft, light and loving. You glared at the floor, “I’d feel better if I could leave.”

This time you could tell there was less bite in your tone, the sentence coming out more pleading than aggressive. The snarling and barking hadn’t done anything for you so far, maybe if you shed a few tears he’d be more easily swayed.

“I don’t want to risk you ending up in my danger, my dear.”

“What— danger like being kidnapped by a pirate crew?” He didn’t rise to your bait, watching you with a steady gaze, “I took care of myself for years.”

“Took care of yourself?” His tone shifted, and for a moment it felt like the other shoe had dropped, like he was about to live up to the horror stories you’d heard about the feared Redleg Sanji.

“Luffy brought you back on the ship unconscious, bruised and bloody from the men you worked for,” Despite the distance between you, it felt like his presence was suffocating you, “Forgive me if I don’t consider that taking care of yourself.”

It wasn’t, and you knew that. You were physically alive back on that island, sure, but you often dreamt of being swept away to freedom. You just hadn’t anticipated quite literally being whisked away.

“Maybe I was better off with them.”

You spoke quietly, softly. Part of you was hoping he hadn’t heard you, and part of you was hoping he did.

The silence this time was different, frigid, almost. Sanji didn’t respond, and you were too afraid to look his way. 

“You don’t mean that.” He spoke with finality, it didn’t sound questioning or like he was trying to convince himself. 

“You don’t know that,” Was all you were able to come up with, finally looking up at him after a moment of silence.

He was already looking at you, a smile on his face. Your heart jolted in your chest, an uncomfortable tightness present.

“I don’t, do I? And you think you do?”

Nine

“Take a deep breath, please!”

The stethoscope was cold against your back, and you had to admit, breathing still made your ribs sting. Chopper listened quietly, shifting the tool around, before stepping back.

“Well, it sounds like the wounds to your throat didn’t affect your ability to breathe.”

“That was a concern?” You asked before you could stop yourself, mentally cursing as you broke your silent streak.

Chopper, thankfully or not, didn’t acknowledge that this was the first thing you’d said in a day. He just sighed, scrambling to sit in his seat, turning to look at you.

“It was a minor concern of mine, yes. I didn’t tell you, because you may have panicked, and that definitely would have affected your breathing!” 

You shifted, letting your shirt— Nami’s shirt— fall back down, covering you in full. You remained seated upright, despite how much your body wanted you to lie back down. Chopper scribbled something onto the clipboard, turned away from your prying eyes. 

“Your blood pressure’s improving,” He turned to look at you, the gleam in his eyes bordering on excitement, “And the lack of fever means none of your cuts got infected. I think I’d like to have you start walking around soon!”

“Really?” You couldn’t fight the excitement in your voice, the idea of being able to get out of this room sounding like heaven. The four walls of the sick bay had gone from your saving grace to your nightmare, even if you couldn’t leave the ship, leaving the room sounded amazing. 

“Yes,” He nodded happily, “We can set a schedule with some of the others. The walks would have to be short, we don’t want to ruin any progress you’re making, but I worry your muscles will grow weaker if you stay in bed all day.”

“Schedules?” You blinked, the excitement dimming slowly, “With the others?”

“Hm? Yeah!”

“I can’t take walks by myself?”

Your question had him frowning, the clipboard lowering slowly, “Well, no, if you fall or tweak something while walking and you’re by yourself you could get even more hurt.”

“Even if they’re short walks?” You know you sounded like you were pleading at this point, but you didn’t care. Freedom felt like it was right in your grasp, but it was being snatched away second by second.

“Even then.” He confirmed, continuing on, “I brought it up with the others some, just to get an idea. You’ll have me, Sanji, Luffy, Robin, and Nami who you’ll start taking walks with to start!”

Chopper seemed to take note of the fallen look on your face, and he floundered for a moment, little arms flailing around, “It’s not forever! I promise! Just until you get your strength back! And until you feel more comfortable on the ship, too!”

Of course, that was part of it. Sure he was worried about you falling over or over exerting your muscles, but they also didn’t trust you by yourself anywhere other than the sick bay.

“What happens if I don’t want to go on any walks?”

“Well being outside would do you a lot of good,” He set the clipboard down on the table, making a face as he continued, “But if you refuse then Sanji will just have to carry you outside, the sun and the air will be good for you too. Or I can carry you, if you want!”

Despite the semi-threat being present, you couldn’t help but snort at the last part, wincing at the pain in your ribs. 

“I get bigger, Monster Point. You just haven’t seen it yet. I’m bigger than Zoro!”

That was… hard to imagine. 

“After lunch, we can prop the door open to get you some breeze!” He hopped down off his chair, “And I will be checking to make sure you ate everything!”

Eight

The first time Luffy came to visit you without Sanji or Chopper, your heart was struck with fear. He didn’t seem to realize as he moved around the sick bay, studying the charts Chopper had written. Your blood felt like ice in your veins, and you remained silent as he dropped the clipboard onto the metal table, the loud clang echoing in the room.

He sat down heavily, sighing like he was the one who had been stuck there for days.

“How long are you going to need to heal?”

The question came out like a whine, head tilting back as he began spinning the chair.

“Uh,” You licked your lips, “I— Chopper said I’d be fully healed in a few weeks?”

Your response made him groan again, and the fear was slowly being snuffed out and replaced by annoyance. You were the one stuck in the sick bay, on a pirate ship, which you had been kidnapped onto. Why was he acting like this was difficult for him? 

“That’s so boring!” He threw his hands up as he spun, not even bothering to look at you as he continued to speak, “Even Usopp doesn’t take that long to get better.”

“Well, excuse me for not having freak strength,” You had curled your knees up to your chest, muttering into them.

He heard you and laughed, the spinning of the chair stopping.

“I told you it was okay that you were weak!” The blatant insult had you turning your head his way, “Sanji’s plenty strong, so if you’re ever in danger, he’ll protect you.”

“The only danger I seem to be in is from you all.” 

Your voice was nearly dripping with venom, and despite the anger you felt, the fear kept you from looking him directly in the eyes. You knew you should have kept your mouth shut, or at least said something less aggressive, but you felt like you were going insane. Being cooped up in the sick bay for the past few days, your only visitors being the last people you wanted to see.

You could feel his eyes on you without needing to face him, and like the coward you were, you turned your head away, cheeks resting on your knees as you faced the wall.

“You’re not in danger here.” He spoke plainly, and the lack of anger should make you feel better, but it was the lack of any emotion that had your hair standing on end.

“You were before we brought you back; that town wasn’t any good. And your bosses? Man, those guys sucked! Plus, they were super weak. Would you rather I have left you there?”

He was quiet, and you heard the creak of the floorboards after a moment, a dip on the bed. It startled you, and you turned to look at him, flinching when his face was close to yours, the edges of his hat brushing against your forehead.

“Well?” You blinked, and he huffed, “Would you rather I had left you there?” You didn’t answer, not right away, and he took the silence as a cue to continue.

“I don’t think you would have,” He shrugged, “They were mean on that island. They hurt you— a lot.”

He didn’t move back from how close he was to you, and you broke eye contact first, shifting backwards on the bed. “I didn’t ask for you to save me.”

“But I did.” Luffy spoke of it like it was so simple, leaning back and finally allowing more space between the two of you.

“You’re nakama.”

You furrowed your brows, glaring down at the blankets and sheets on the bed, “I’m not—”

“You are.” His voice sounded lighter now, playful almost, “Sanji loves you, and before you ran away, everyone was warming up to you. That makes you nakama, even if you don’t see it yet.”

Seven

“Ugh, you’re going to need a full spa week at this rate, you look atrocious.” 

You remained silent as Nami fiddled with your hair, shaking her head to herself. 

“When Chopper gives us the okay, we’ll make it happen.” She stepped away from you, hands on her hips as stared down at you, her nose slightly wrinkled, “You’re a mess.”

You didn’t respond, just let her flutter around you, your eyes trained on the floor. At this rate, you felt like you could count the individual pieces of wood. She didn’t seem like she had been expecting a response. Nami just clicked her tongue, digging through the bag she had brought with her. 

She pulled out a few items: her nail kit, some lotion, and a book, though you couldn’t make out the cover. She just hummed quietly to herself, moving to take a seat on the bed in front of you, grabbing your hand in hers. You tensed at the first moment of contact, but she didn’t comment on it.

“Your skin’s so dry,” She muttered, “It’s painful to look at.”

The lotion had a faint scent of citrus, it smelled clean and expensive. She was fluid with her movements, rubbing it into your hands, your palms, up your forearms. It felt nice, you found yourself fighting from allowing a gentle fog to settle in your brain. Other than when you slept, you kept yourself on high alert around all of them. A little pampering would not be what undid that.

Once she was satisfied, she moved on, opening her nail kit and grabbing the file. The only sound in the sick bay was the filing of your nails, and the soft sounds of the two of you breathing. You got the urge to say something a few times, but stamped that out. What would you even say?

“Eugh, have you been biting your nails?” She lifted your hand up, eyeing the tips of your fingers with poorly hidden disgust.

Yes, you had been. At first it helped ease the anxiety that bubbled up in you, gave you something to do to take your mind off of everything surrounding you. You fear it had become a habit at this rate. 

“Taking care of your hands is the only pampering I can do right now,” She clicked her tongue, grabbing her next item, moving to mess with your cuticles, “It’s like I’m the only crew member seeing you besides Robin who has standards.”

Something in her tone, teasing and light, had you rolling your eyes. It was an automatic response, and you were grateful her focus was on your hands so she hadn’t seen your expression. The last thing you needed any of them to think was that you were complacent, or worse, comfortable.

“I told Chopper to let me know when you’re okay to start walking around on deck, I want to take you out first. After Sanji, of course. Figured you could benefit from some more girl time,” She grabbed the nail polish next, the familiar shade of orange standing out against the white of your bed.

She painted each nail maliciously, and you were somewhat smug about the shakiness in your fingers. Even if it made her job only slightly more difficult, it felt like you were sticking it to her. Nami glanced up, gently blowing on the first coat of polish.

“Your skin doesn’t look too bad, maybe in need of some sunlight, but that’s partly what the walks are for,” She reached a hand up, gently hooking her finger under your chin, tilting your head every which way.

She moved gently, but you couldn’t help but tense upon contact. She didn’t say anything about it.

“Next time I’ll bring some face mouisturizer,” She moved her hand back, and the breath that left as she did so was louder than you had anticipated, “You’d also look better if you stopped making such a face whenever we’re near you.”

She went back to painting your nails, seemingly ignoring the scowl on your face as she did so. Of course you were tense around them, any sane person in your situation would be. But she acted as if it was an annoyance to her. Nami went back to humming as she continued on your nails, seemingly having run out of things to say. You found yourself silent as well.

Until— 

“Don’t you have anything better to be doing?”

She was their navigator, surely she had maps to chart or logposes to ready. Instead she just shrugged, not even glaning up as she responded, “Nope. I cleared my morning for you.”

“That’s—”

Unnecessary. Nice. Annoying. Sweet.

You shut your mouth, teeth clicking together. She didn’t seem to mind your cut off, leaning back to study your hands.

“Just let them dry and I’ll add a clear coat,” She tided her items up, all her mini tools being placed back into her bag, “Maybe next time I’ll do an ocean blue, Sanji would love that.”

Sanji would love that. 

“Why would I care if he loves it?” You wanted so badly to wipe the orange off your nails, smear the bright color against the bedsheets and stain them.

“Because you’re Sanji’s,” Her tone made it sound like she was stating the obvious, “You should care to make him happy. Afterall, we did forgive you for hurting him once, you’d be smart not to do it again.”

Six

You were starting to believe this was some type of scare tactic they were implementing. You’d been getting more visits regularly, Sanji and Chopper still tying for first place. Nami had started in at least once a day, always carrying her bag of goodies around, sometimes coming with a new shirt or cute socks for you. You were starting to think she enjoyed playing dress up with you, you felt less like a captive and more like a live in doll.

It wasn’t surprising when the next new face was Usopp. He looked timid as he peeked in, as if seeing you was surprising. He stepped in fully after a second, scratching the back of his neck as he stood awkwardly.

“Uh, hey, good to see you sitting up!” He gave you a thumbs up, as if being able to sit up in the medical bed was some achievement to be proud of, “I’m just grabbing a few things for Chopper.”

He stepped a few feet over, digging through boxes of what looked like files. You had been tempted to go through those earlier, but the moral part of you assumed they were medical records and you shouldn’t touch them. Clearly that was not a unanimous sentiment, as he took a few papers out, reading them before placing them back.

“Nami’s been talking about your planned girls day,” Just as you were hoping his visit would be in and out he began to speak, “She wants to wait a bit before inviting Robin to join the two of you.”

If you had any sliver of a say you’d rather Robin not be invited at all. She nor Zoro had stopped in to see you, yet, and you wished for it to stay that way. Usopp glanced your way, and you must have been making some type of face because he laughed quietly, turning back to continue his search.

“I told her you may not be too thrilled, but  she insisted. Robin’s cool, she just has a lot of… layers, so to speak. She’s very protective of the crew, as we all are.”

He seemed to have found what he was searching for, turning around with a file in his hands, leaning back on the table to seemingly study you. You were sick of being studied by them all. For a moment you visualized jumping off the bed, punching him in his stupidly long nose and diving overboard. At the rate of healing you were at you’d more than likely drown, if you even made it into the water. You wondered, for a moment, if drowning would be better than this.

“Y’know,” He sounded more hesitant now, uncomfortably shifting his gaze away from you, “Sanji hasn’t been sleeping well since you got back. Well, actually, since you left but…” 

He trailed off, and the implication struck you in the heart. How you wished it didn’t, but some traitorous part of you still ached for the soft affection from him. The bigger part of you wanted to bash him over the head with his own frying pan.

“He’s been cooking a lot more too. Which cooking isn’t out of the question for him, but he’s making enough that even Luffy leaves leftovers. I think he’s just worried though. About you and, well, everything really. He always makes extras for you too, most of the time Luffy ends up eating them after you refused a few times.”

Usopp moved quickly, standing straight so abruptly you jumped, “Well, best get this to Chopper! It’s nice out today, not too sunny, you should see if Chopper will okay you for a quick walk today. I know Sanji would jump at the opportunity to take you outside.”

You didn’t respond verbally, just a quick shake of your head. He only shrugged as he continued to the door, “Suit yourself. But with our deal doctor and our lovesick cook, you’re only going to be able to hide out for so much longer.”

He winked at you, playfully, as he left. The silence after the door shut left you stewing, steaming in your frustration. 

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