#drawing sanji made my heart ache...

[jakkenpoy]

come on, let's go home

[silkentine]

“Curly, I’ve been shackled before. You get these kinda wounds from fighting back.”

I combined a few scenes from Bite The Hand by @blasphemlm to create this tender moment between Zoro and Sanji. (They’re supposed to be in the kitchen here but they were out on the upper deck earlier and it made my heart ache.) I’ve wanted to draw something for this fic since the moment I first read it, but the most recent chapter finally got to me. Please read the fic here!!

[penkura]

Plz do a Husband corazon + child Law for mother's day 💐💛

Y E S omg I love Corazon, he'd be such a great husband and father. 🥺 On par or even better than Sanji imo.

I hope you don't mind that Corazon and the Reader have a biological daughter as well, I just thought it would be cute!! I also made this a modern AU one, because damn it, Corazon deserved to be happy. :'(

(Note: This is out of order from all requests simply due to the theme. I have made progress on the others!)

Corazon would have a whole plan, partly put together by thirteen-year-old Law and your toddler, Evangeline. Your daughter would draw you a card, while Corazon and Law focused on making you breakfast and of course, it would go all kinds of wrong.

You wake up to hushed shouting between your husband and adoptive son, Law telling Corazon he's going to burn the bacon and to stop smoking while he cooks. Your husband retorts that it's fine, nothing bad is going to happen. He's not going to set anything on fire, unlike at Christmas. For a few minutes you lay there on your phone, listening to your family down the hall. Evangeline eventually comes into your bedroom, pulling on your blanket and calling for you to pay attention to her.

“Mommy, mommy!”

You roll over and lift her up into your bed, giving her a tight hug while she laughs and returns it. What a joy she is, that last nearly three years have been a blessing with her and Law around, you wouldn’t change it for the world. Yes, some people have given your small family odd looks—what are two twenty-six-year-olds doing with a toddler and a teenager?—but you’ve learned to tune them out and ignore them. It didn’t matter what others thought, they could assume you’d had a teen pregnancy all they wanted. It wasn’t the truth, but some wouldn’t even listen or believe you. After all, you’d tried to explain it to your coworkers when you and Corazon adopted Law just before Evangeline was born, but even those close to you didn’t understand it.

“What’ve you got there, Evie?”

“Your gift!” She beams at you and holds the card she’d made out, the biggest grin on her little face. Just as planned, it’s a card she scribbled together, you can recognize your husband’s handwriting to make the words legible, but it’s still adorable that she tried so hard to make you something. There’s a cute little drawing of your family in the card, making you smile and hug her again,

“Thank you, Evie! I—” you’re stopped by the smell of smoke before the smoke detector goes off and kick off your blanket, running down the hall with your daughter in your arms and hearing Law yell that everything is fine, though you’re at the kitchen doorway before he finishes speaking. “What is happening?!”

Law turns to you and points at Corazon, who is waving a towel over the completely burnt bacon to try and get the smoke and smell out the window. “He burned breakfast again!”

“Not like you were helping, little shi—” Corazon stops himself when you send him a glare and cover Evangeline’s ears, shaking your head at him. After the one time she said ‘bastard’, you’d been very watchful of what words were said in your house, “Look, it’s fine! We can salvage it!”

“No, we can’t! It’s burnt black!”

Corazon ignores Law’s complaints for the moment, coming over to kiss your forehead and smile at Evangeline. “Did you give mommy her card?”

“I did!”

“That’s my girl!” Evangeline giggles while Corazon turns back to kiss you as a proper good morning. “Happy Mother’s Day.”

“Thank you, beloved.”

You’re briefly interrupted by a fancy bouquet of flowers being shoved between the two of you, Law looking away shyly as he holds them there for you, his own gift for you for the day that makes you almost cry and heart ache. He’d been with you as your son for the last three years, but this was the first time he’d given you anything on this day. You’ll never truly take the place of his mother, like Corazon won’t really take his father’s place and Evangeline his sister’s, but you’re glad for the smallest bit of progress that has him viewing you all as his family, and you hope for him to continuing viewing you all in that light, even as he grows up and out of your home one day.

“…Happy Mother’s Day.”

Crouching down enough to be eye level with him, you give Law a kiss on the forehead and a smile.

“Thank you so much, Law. I love them.”

[bby-deerling]

that's what friends are for (platonic sanji x zoro's partner!reader)

one time you comfort sanji, and one time he comforts you. currently obsessed with the idea of being zoro's partner who is also close friends with sanji despite their rivalry! wc 2.2k, light spoilers for wci and wano. platonic but sanji is sanji. cw for alcohol use (reader gets drunk)

In the dead of night, your hand was hastily scribbling the events of the past few days into your notebook, glancing up every few seconds to make sure there were no marine or enemy ships on the horizon.  Normally, you would be snuggled in between Zoro’s legs, laying back against his chest as he snored in your ear.  The notebook served as a place for either of you to doodle and write all the things that came to mind (or were difficult to say out loud) while the other was asleep—a secret, never-ending conversation. 

Since the crew was currently split up, you had been keeping meticulous notes on everything that had happened to make sure he didn’t miss one bit of what happened on your end.  You start to draw a quick sketch of Pudding to assure Zoro that she was indeed a real woman who was somehow attracted to Sanji and get so engrossed in the process that you miss the scent of tobacco filling your lungs and a familiar presence settling next to you.

“That really looks like her, darling.” he murmurs as he looks over your shoulder, causing you to jump and slam the book shut.  His cigarette smoke lingers on his breath, causing your nose to wrinkle in disgust.

“Can’t sleep, blondie?” you ask gently, setting aside the usual teasing bite in your tone that you reserved for him.  After all that the cook had been through in the past few days, concern for his well-being was at the forefront of your mind.

“I don’t think I’ll be sleeping well for quite a while after all of this, sunshine.” he replied, hand raking through his hair as he leaned further back into the couch of the Observation Tower.  Something in your stomach turned at seeing him in Zoro’s usual spot, making the ache in your heart due to his absence grow stronger.

“You missing the stupid mosshead?” he asked, with a bit less disdain than usual at the mention of his rival.

You nodded.  “A bit extra tonight.”

“We’ll be to Wano soon, dear.” he says.  Comfortable silence fills the air as you lean back and fix your eyes towards scanning the ocean.  Sanji pulls another cigarette out of his jacket pocket, but you stop him before he grabs his lighter.

“Not up here.  Zoro will think I started smoking again.” you scold.  Instead of putting the unlit cigarette away, he fishes out another one and places it between your fingers.

“Just one won’t hurt, sunshine.” he whispers.  “We used to smoke together all the time.”

“Zoro hates it.” you said, handing him the cigarette back with a sense of finality in your voice.  “I made a promise years ago that I wouldn’t smoke anymore, and I don’t plan on breaking it.”

Sanji smirks.  “I had a feeling you quit for him.  Was he really so threatened by our little smoke breaks?”

You shake your head with a smile.  “More like he didn’t want to taste your shitty cigarettes on my lips anymore.  Besides, it was starting to gnaw away at me too.”

“In what way, dear?” he asked.

“It might seem a bit silly, but the act of it started to make my stomach churn.  Inhaling your smoke and physically filling my chest with it felt sickening when my heart was already entangled somewhere else; even if I never had any improper intentions the action itself still felt wrong to me.  Too intimate.” you reply.  “Especially when you always insisted on lighting my cigarette with the tip of yours.”

Sanji chuckles.  “You could have just asked for my lighter, dear.”

“I can’t work one by myself, I didn’t want to look stupid.” you giggle.

You offer him one of the blankets you’ve wrapped around yourself, and he takes it gladly.

“If things were different, do you think you could’ve seen yourself loving Pudding?” you ask, breaking the silence.  He eyes you cautiously before answering.

“On the record?” he asks, motioning towards the notebook.

“Off the record.” you assure him.  “I’m just curious.”

“I don’t think it’s worth discussing because her feelings for me weren’t genuine.” he said softly.  “I overheard her before the wedding.”

“She’s been through a lot.  She probably was just lashing out as a defense mechanism, she’s still so young and dealing with so much.  I wouldn’t doubt that she’s looking out at the clear night sky, bawling her eyes out because you’re gone.” you say.  Sanji goes silent.

“Would it even matter if she loved you back?” you ask, voice nearly a whisper.

After a long pause, Sanji replies.  “It’s always been Nami.  It will only ever be Nami.”  He stiffens slightly and then relaxes as you squeeze his shoulder.

“She was so excited to see you, you know.” you say.  "She missed you dearly." Sanji nods, a small, pained smile cracking at his lips.

“I’m not good enough for her and she knows it.” he says, voice nearly cracking.

You sigh, rubbing circles into his collarbone with your thumb.  “Sanji, you’re compassionate, incredibly tough, inside and out, and devoted to the bone.  You’re deserving of all the love in the world.”

A devilish smirk erupts on Sanji’s face. “A confession?  Darling, you’re going to crush mosshead’s heart!” he teases.

You scoff.  “In your dreams, blondie.  I plan on going with him to the ends of the world, and then some.” you say, beaming proudly.

“I’m afraid you have no choice dear, he’ll get lost otherwise.” he replies, smiling with satisfaction as you giggle at his words.

“I’m so glad you’re home, Sanji.” you say with a yawn.

“Me too, sunshine.” he whispers back, both of you settling back into silence watching the crashing waves. 

Eventually, he falls asleep against your shoulder, and when the sun breaks over the horizon, you let him sleep in and get a head start on his plans for breakfast.

*******

Sanji is finishing up dishes when you come stumbling into the kitchen.  Luffy and Zoro were still asleep with no signs of waking up, and while everyone else was preemptively celebrating the victory in Wano, you were on edge and antsy for your captain and partner to rise from their slumbers.  Already tipsy, you staggered with unsure footing to the liquor cabinet, fiddling with the padlock keeping it shut.  Successfully gaining entry, you grab a small bottle of mango-infused sake before slumping down on the floor to drink it.

“I didn’t know you knew the code to the liquor cabinet, dear.” Sanji says.

“I’m not drunk enough to forget my own birthday.” you mumble, eyes fixed at the floor as you unscrew the cap on the bottle.  “We couldn’t make it his; 1111 is the first thing someone would guess.”

Sanji grabs a few of his freshly baked oatmeal cookies from the counter and sits down beside you.

“Don’t you want to save that for when he wakes up?” he asks you gently.

“Was planning to, but I finished that bottle of bourbon with Robin.” you reply.  “She told me to get a snack before heading to the beach but I need another drink before I go down there.”

“Made these special for you, sunshine.” Sanji says, handing you an oatmeal cookie, cringing as you take a swig from your sake bottle first and use the small treat as a chaser.

A wide smile spreads on your face.  “Just like my mom makes!  You’re too good to me blondie.”  Sanji smiles in response, and nudges the bottle away from your hands, replacing it with two more cookies.

“You need to eat, dear.” he says quietly, and thankfully, you listen to his suggestion. 

“What’s got you so rattled?” he asks gently.  You were typically a happy and cheerful drunk; even when you went past your limits and Zoro had to rub your back and keep you from falling overboard while you puked over the side of the Sunny, you had a big smile on your face.  However, despite your smile just a moment ago, the aura radiating from around you is nothing short of depressing, filling the cook with concern.

“They’re teasing again.” you whisper.  “I know they’re making fun of her and not me, but it’s humiliating.  Especially when she purposely waits until I’m not visiting to give them sponge baths.  She’s probably touching him right now.”

You cover your mouth and stare at the floor, embarrassed at the vomit of feelings that you had just divulged.  You wanted nothing more than to let it roll off your back like the nonsense that it was, especially because Zoro was fast asleep during most of Hiyori’s advances, but it was hard when Usopp currently thought it was the funniest thing in the world to throw himself over Franky and cry out something stupid like “Oh Zorojuro~!  I hadn’t realized I gave you another sword!” while motioning towards the cyborg’s crotch.

“Oh dearest…” Sanji sighs, throwing an arm around your shoulders and giving you a squeeze.  “Mosshead is a lot of things.  Moronic, single-minded, stubborn, impossible…but as much as I hate to say it, disloyal isn’t one of them.”

“I’ve taken it so well, haven’t I?” you whisper.  “I didn’t even say a word to him when I saw her wrapped around him, fast asleep.  If I did, he would’ve gotten upset that I wasn’t focused on the mission.”  You pause for a moment, a touch of anger bubbling to the surface.  “Do you think he would have given me the same grace?  If he were to walk in on me sleeping next to, let’s say Trafalgar Law, with his head buried into my chest, we wouldn’t have anything left between us but ashes and memories.”

“You’ve taken it so well, sweetheart.” Sanji reassures you; although he agrees with you, he bites back a variety of his own opinions regarding the stupid mosshead’s behavior as of late in order to spare your feelings.  “And I know he appreciates your understanding, even if he hasn’t had the chance to tell you yet.”

You’re quiet for a moment, still staring at the floor as Sanji rubs circles into your shoulder.

“I’ve barely seen him these past few weeks, Sanji.  What if he’s lost feelings for me?” you choke out.  Before Sanji can respond, you continue.  “She’s the most beautiful woman in Wano, Sanji.  Don’t even try to deny it, I saw the way she got under your skin too.  He has ties here in Wano through his bloodline, and she gave him a legendary sword; what do I have to offer besides my heart, my soul, and the skin on my bones?”

“Darling, he stayed true to you for two years, I hardly think that a few weeks would cause him to have such a change in heart—” he starts to say.

“Aw c’mon, blondie, what was he going to do?  Fuck Mihawk?” you snap, cutting him off and causing Sanji to laugh so hard he nearly snorts.

“Seriously Sanji,” you say, sitting up and looking at him for the first time in this conversation causing him to stifle his laughter, “let’s say that, hypothetically, if we were together, and Nami were to confess her complete and undying love for you, what would you do?”  The cook goes quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer your nonsense question diplomatically, but runs out of time before you take his silence as an answer and continue.

“See?  How could you resist being given everything you’ve ever dreamed of?  Wouldn’t you be eager to let go of the past too?” you ask, voice trembling.

“Sweetheart,” he whispers, brushing your tangled hair out of your face, “Can’t you see that you’re all he’s ever wanted?”  His words prompt you to throw yourself into his arms and start sobbing—under normal circumstances, his nose would be gushing with blood, but right now his focus was on getting your breathing and emotions under control.

“I just want them both to wake up.” you say, voice cracking.  “I want to sneak away with him and crawl into his arms and cover him with kisses and tell him how much I missed him and melt away into his skin.”

“I know, sunshine,” he says with a sigh as he strokes your hair, “but doesn’t it give you immense comfort knowing that you’re front and center in all of his dreams?”

“He’s probably dreaming about killing Dracule Mihawk.” you mumble, looking up at him.

“And you and Chopper are cheering him on while he does it.” Sanji says with a smile, patting your head.  His heart sighs in relief when you grin back at him, and he sees that his words have seemingly finally gotten through to you.

“Thanks, Sanji.” you whisper, breathing finally steady. “Sorry for losing it.  It’s hard keeping it all inside sometimes.”

“There’s never any judgement here, dear.  I’m here whenever you need me.” he replies.  This time when you hug him, a spurt of blood flies out his nose. You grit your teeth and lightly smack him upside the head in return; it lacks its usual power due to still being so raw from sobbing your heart out.

“I’ll make you some tea to help you sober up faster, have a few more cookies, sunshine” he says as he extends his hand to help you stand and guides you towards the kitchen table, gratitude beaming from your eyes.  He knew that when you sobered up, you would feel indebted to him for comforting you, but he knew there would be a time in the future that he would need your support, and it would all even out eventually.

After all, isn’t that what friends are for?

[inoreuct]

I imagine Zoro feeling guilty for the famine & death he inadvertently caused. During this time he's a bit more distant, more closed off. One day, Sanji sees him in the fields of the dead with souls of children who had starved to death. He sees Zoro apologize to them and, with with a wave of his hand, takes away their pain. (1/2)

oh YES. there’s definitely a lot of guilt and emotional tumoil there. zoro doesn’t regret it, because then he wouldn’t have met sanji, but it eats away at him. he gently deflects sanji’s attempts at getting him to open up; spends way too long after dinner soaking in the mineral pools beneath the castle and running circles around his head over what he could have done differently. he ensures that the souls are happy after death, sure, but what about before? what about how much they’d suffered? they hadn’t had painless deaths. they deserved better than what zoro had caused because of his own immaturity.

sanji slips down and finds him in the pools, and his husband is silent when he sits on the ledge and dips his feet in the water.

they don’t talk. not for a while. sanji coaxes zoro’s head into his lap and pets at his hair, and zoro hugs his calves to his chest.

now, zoro is not what you’d usually call a soft person. sanji has seen him absolutely radiating divine rage, his shadows lashing out behind him like barbed whips, eyes glowing unearthly gold in his anger. he has seen his husband make unbelievably tough calls without so much as flinching or showing a hint of emotion.

but here, when it’s just them, it is obvious to see that zoro cares. he’s plagued by the truth of what he’d caused from one small decision, and it makes sanji’s heart ache. “what’s on your mind, darling?”

“it’s my responsibility to take care of the dead,” zoro breathes as he presses his forehead to sanji’s thigh. “i don’t regret it. you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but it can’t happen again.”

“well, i’d hope not!” sanji scoffs gently, trying to lighten the mood and trailing his finger back and forth through zoro’s two remaining earrings. “if you kidnapped anybody else to marry i’d— well, i don’t know what i’d do.”

“if that ever happens,” zoro starts, very seriously, “take my head off. that isn’t me.”

sanji laughs. zoro’s hair is damp at at the ends and silky-soft beneath his fingers. “why was your first instinct to kidnap me, anyway?”

the king groans, and sanji is delighted that he can read zoro well enough to tell he’s embarrassed. “i had no idea how i was going to talk to you. you looked… untouchable. you’d have never looked twice at someone like me.”

“so… you kidnapped me. kind of a red flag.”

“i panicked and made a stupid decision, okay? and that stupid decision killed thousands.” zoro lifts his head and shifts to stack his forearms across sanji’s knees. he suddenly looks haunted. his eyes are bottomless pools of grey slate. “your father’s wrath was… deserved. and i wish he’d directed it at me.”

“oh, believe me, he wanted to. but he wasn’t sure who took me, even though he suspected, and even if he was right knew that he wouldn’t have been able to touch you.”

“i’d let him.” he draws in a shaky breath, leaning into the fingers sanji presses to the nape of his neck. “if i could go back—”

“but you can’t,” sanji reminds him gently. “what’s done is done. we can only make the most of it now. try and make it better.”

zoro sighs heavily and regards his husband with a wan smile. “don’t know what kind of stupid decisions i’d be making without you here,” he says, and sanji snorts.

“yeah, well. that’s why i am here. somebody had to keep you company before you went bonkers,” he mutters airily, ruffling zoro’s hair with his fingertips.

the water sloshes gently. zoro’s lungs are warm with steam, and his fingertips prune. “i’m sorry. i’ll do better.”

sanji clicks his tongue in a soft reproach, leaning forward to hug zoro to his chest. “it’s not me you should be apologising to anymore. you’ve more than made up for that,” he whispers, and the words echo in the cavern. they help, if only a little.

“i know.” zoro’s lips brush his husband’s shoulder. his arms fit around sanji’s waist like they were made for it, and he feels the wedding ring pressed to the top of his spine. “i know. i’m trying.”

he doesn’t know what else to say. doesn’t know what will absolve him of this guilt, sitting like a stone at the bottom of his stomach; he has a sinking suspicion that it’ll never really go away, but he’d prefer that any day over not feeling guilty at all.

zoro is the king of death. that is exactly why he treasures life most of all.

he looks up at his husband, resolute, and sanji raises an expectant eyebrow. “help me. teach me to be— kind. gentle. i need a buffer so the children—”

“but you are,” comes the reply, so very soft. “you are kind, and you are gentle, and you are a good king. they are not scared of you. they are simply in a new place, and they need guidance. familiarity. but yes—” sanji smiles, slowly, and zoro’s heart aches in his chest. “i’ll help. i’ll come with you. what was it you said to me, when you proposed?”

“my equal in every way, by my side,” zoro says immediately. it is his truth, everything he knows, and sanji nods.

“exactly. you’re allowed to lean on me, you know.”

“…i don’t feel like i deserve it, sometimes.”

“well, you’re wrong. so get your butt out of your giant bath—” sanji splashes the surface of the pool with his fingers, and zoro smiles despite everything, “—and we’ll go visit the fields again.”

“alright.” zoro is blessed. he knows it. and he’s dealing with the fallout of his stupidity, but gods.

he is so fucking glad sanji’s here.

[sanjisprincesswifey]

Hey there! For your finals week event, may I please request prompt 13 ("i don't need anyone else! i just need...you... you're all i need"), with Zoro? She/her pronouns. :) thank you!

note: well of course! some zoro fluff coming right up for you! :)

♡: female reader. 1,100+ words. sfw content.

“zoro, what the hell did you do now?”

sanji’s bitter tone had the swordsman grimacing where he stood, darting his gaze behind him to where sanji was drawing closer.

immediately ignoring him, zoro continues on the path down the busy street not even bothering to slow his pace. sanji grumbles, pulling the wagon full of groceries behind him even faster to catch up.

“i just saw y/n out walking by herself! why aren’t you shopping with her? didn’t she ask you to go with her?” sanji asks, biting back a more hurtful attitude.

zoro can feel the vein in his forehead popping, sanji never knew when to mind his damn business when it came to you. “she said it was okay,” is all zoro says before entering a small swords shop, browsing their collection.

as always, sanji doesn’t know when to take a hint and follows him in. “so you just left her? you’ve been her boyfriend for how long and you still ditch her every chance you get?” sanji growls, his own jealousy interlacing in.

“if you want to fight about it, we can fight about it,” zoro bites back, his hand flying to his hip.

“i don’t need to fight you. when sweet y/n-swan dumps you for treating her so badly, she’ll have no choice but to realize that i am everything she needs and come running into my open loving arms.” sanji smiles, quickly making his way to the exit.

the thought alone has zoro feeling queasy.

sanji was always at your beck and call, just as he was for every pretty girl that crossed his path. but the minute you announced your relationship with zoro, it was like a switch flipped in sanji’s brain.

suddenly he was more doting, charming, and obsessive than he had ever been.

you were always quick to assure zoro that he was the guy for you, and even when it was met with an avoidant blushing mess of a boyfriend, you would giggle and love him just the same.

zoro exits the store, making sure that sanji was actually gone, and follows the path he had seen you take earlier that day. maybe he should’ve just stuck with you today, maybe sanji wouldn’t have been up his ass so much, sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

“damnit, where the hell did she—” the sight before him causes him to stop in his confused tracks.

sanji hands you a bouquet of flowers, smiling widely down at you as you mirror his expression, accepting the gift right away. he wastes no time guiding you through the busy street, his hand finding the small of your back.

zoro stands there, his chest feels weirdly tight, almost as if he could faint. he watches you walk in the opposite direction until you’re out of sight, lost within the sea of people with that stupid cook.

after a couple of wrong turns and dead ends, zoro finds his way back to the sunny, not bothering to acknowledge his crewmates on the way in. he lightly knocks on the door to the infirmary, hearing a quiet, ‘come in’ in response.

“well your heart and lungs sound good. maybe you’re experiencing a bit of heat stroke symptoms, you should lay down for a while just to be safe,” chopper advises, his stethoscope roaming over zoro’s bare chest.

“you’re welcome to stay here, i’ll have y/n stop by to check on you soon!” chopper smiles, hauling his backpack over his shoulder and leaving the room before zoro can protest to a single word.

he sighs, slumping down onto the bed. his chest continued to ache; it was almost unbearable. he had never experienced something like this before, the way this pain felt was strange.

his mind flashes back to the image of you and sanji together from earlier; how that idiot smiled at you, it made zoro sick.

a light tap against the door and zoro peaks his eye open, your silhouette stands in the doorway, the sun from outside highlighting your frame.

“chopper? are you in? i have—zoro?” you question, seeing your boyfriend sprawled out on the infirmary's bed. “what are you doing here? are you hurt?”

zoro’s jaw clenches when he sees the flowers from earlier still in your hand, turning over so he’s facing the wall. “i’m fine,” he blankly states, “just a little tired is all.”

for a moment there’s silence and pain in his chest grows at the thought of you leaving him alone. but then the bed dips underneath the shifting of weight and you place your hand on his arm, rubbing your thumb soothingly in a circular motion. “anything i could help with?” you sweetly propose.

he glances back at you, your eyes bright and big, just as they always were. “no,” he plainly whispered, “can you just leave me alone?”

but you know better.

you situate yourself on the bed so you’re able to get a better look at his face; he’s tense, almost aggravated about something. “you’re a bad liar,” you reply.

he knows that you see right through him, he could never lie to you. zoro sits up, refusing to make eye contact, his arms folded over his chest as he lets out a heavy breath. “why are we together y/n?” his voice is quiet, almost incomprehensible, but you heard every word. “what?”

the question itself is not what shocks you, it’s the fact that he is the one asking it. but he won’t ask again, and you know that.

you hold out your hand counting out your answers, “well because we love each other, and we make each laugh—”

zoro shakes his head, “no, i mean…” he bites the inside of his cheek, “what if you needed someone else…more than me?” he admits, his cheeks-stained red.

your laughter cannot be contained as you almost fall off the bed, your sound echoing off the walls of the room. zoro flinches, annoyed and embarrassed that you’d react in such a way to this.

“what’s so funny?!” he yells, watching your face turn bright red just like his, but for a different reason.

“i don’t need anyone else…” you say in between fits of laughter, “i just need…you.” tears stream down your face, pain in your side growing stronger, “you’re all i need,” you finally say as you regain calmness.

zoro stares at you in disbelief, but he can feel the pain alleviating in his chest as you pull him in for a quick peck. he smiles for the first time all day before noticing the flowers from before.

“then who are those flowers for?” he adds, pretending to be nonchalant about them.

“chopper! it’s the anniversary of him joining the crew today,” you smile, watching his mouth form an ‘o’ shape.

like, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated! (✿◠‿◠)

[creamsickle-writes]

Sanji x F!Reader: Things Money Can't Buy (Part 3)

Tags: nsfw, reader is a sex worker, dirty talk, oral sex, anal fingering, penetrative sex, and creampies

Sanji chewed on his pen as he sat in his boring lecture class. He already knew plenty about nutrition, so this class was a total waste. 

Still, the professor didn’t ask questions; it was purely lecturing, so he used the time to think about what he’d say to you. 

He swallowed as he wondered what he should say and how to approach this. He wanted to express his love for you, but how? Maybe he should just be straightforward? 

God, it was hard to say what he should do. 

He had been avoiding you for a few days, plotting just how he was supposed to bring up this whole situation. He never responded to the video over the chat log….

But when class is dismissed, he’s booking it outside, waiting for you to meet him at your usual spot. 

He adjusts his tie and checks his watch. Looks like you were kept late again in class. 

And his suspicions are correct when you bolt from the door, panting just as you had the other day. 

“Hey.” You pant, hands on your knees as you hunch forward, trying to catch your breath. 

“Do you always have to run out of class?” He chuckles, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets.

You huff, finally standing up straight. “Haven’t seen you for a few days! Have you been avoiding me or something?”

When you pout, Sanji’s heart aches. He didn’t want to avoid you, but he wasn’t sure how he could face you after that.

“Guess I was just really busy lately. But don’t worry, Princess, promise it won’t happen again.”

“At least text me next time you disappear like that!”

“Alright, alright…”

Sanji’s lips curl into a smile as he looks you over. You were still cute, even when you were frazzled like this.

But then the video from last night flashes through his mind, and his hands turn to fists in his pockets. Instinctively, he asks: “Hey, do you wanna hang out at my place today?”

His heart beats like a drum in his chest as you answer: “Yeah, as long as you make us some snacks or something. I’m starving!”

Sanji gives a smirk. 

He could work with that.

_____

“Thanks, Sanji!” You chirp, happily munching away at the array of finger sandwiches he made for you. 

He wipes his brow before sitting next to you at the table, taking a sandwich half for himself. 

The air is only filled with the quiet sounds of you chewing, and Sanji contemplates his next move carefully.

“So,” he starts, “How did that project with Zoro turn out?”

“Hm?” You look up at him, and suddenly you remember, swallowing before responding, “It went well!”

“That’s good…” he trails off, “So, you never told me what it was?”

You giggle, leaning in, “You saw it already!”

Sanji straightens at that. He did? He furrows his brows, trying to remember anything you showed him recently involving Zoro, but his mind is drawing a blank.

“I don’t-?”

You scoot your chair even closer and bat your lashes, causing Sanji’s chest to grow tight: “You left a comment on it the other day… Just last week, actually.”

The pieces finally connect in his head, and he goes slack-jawed. You offer that innocent-sounding giggle once more, your cheeks flushed pink.

“That was- you and him-?”

You nod, “I told him about my side job, and he wanted to help out.”

You flash a grin at Sanji, and suddenly he feels his pants tighten. God, he can’t believe he got off to Zoro fucking you. But… he still stands by the fact that it was a fantastic video.

“Did you…” Sanji spoke in a whisper, “Did you like that?”

“Like what?” You chirp, smiling innocently and tilting your head.

God, your innocence, mixed with that sultry tone you used in your videos, drove him insane. You were mixing two sides of yourself at once, and somehow, someway, it worked so well.

“Getting uhm…” The blond clears his throat, his face growing flushed, “B-Being treated like that. So roughly, I mean.”

You hum, tapping your chin in mock thought before answering, “Yes…. Why do you ask?”

You tease, placing your hand on his thigh, running your palm along the fabric.

Sanji’s left blabbering, unable to respond as you inched up his leg. He inhaled through his nose, chest tight as you finally reached his half-hard cock. You let out a soft “ooh” as you palm it, looking up at him through lidded eyes, waiting for his answer.

“I-I-“ Sanji finally stammers, “I can treat you like that if you want.”

You giggle, “Is that right?”

“O-Or you can do whatever you want to me-“ he bites his lip as your hand begins stroking along his length through his slacks, “Fuck, just don’t stop touching me, please-“

You laugh and reach for his pants’ zipper, carefully pulling it along the track. Sanji stops you for just a moment.

“Wait,” He says, “I just… need to know….”

He bites his lip, looking at you with a desperate look in his eye.

“Your attraction towards me … is it only sexual?”

Your smile widens, and you lean in, “Of course not. I’ve always liked you more than that.” 

His heart soars, and he can’t help the lovestruck smile that overtakes his features.

“But… I’d really like to be intimate with you if you reciprocate my romantic feelings, Sanji.”

“I-Okay-“ He breathes out, “Okay- I just- I wanted to be sure…”

He smiles softly as god, that weight was finally off his chest. He wanted nothing more than to touch you but fuck, he didn’t know if he could do it without the romantic connection. He was old-fashioned in that way, he supposed. 

“And I have a question for you.” You shoot back, and he perks up.

“I really like my side job, and I don’t want to quit it…” 

“Yeah?”

“And my last video with Zoro was really popular…”

Sanji nods.

“So, I’m either going to have to have you in my videos or start inviting other men to work with me. Which would you prefer?”

“Why not both?”

Sanji flushes darker as he says it, and you perk up at that answer.

“You wouldn’t mind me having sex with other guys?”

He shakes his head, looking away from you, “I’m finding out that it’s… it’s actually really hot- thinking about you being, um, touched by other men and coming to me afterward…”

You purr, excited by his words, “Yeah? How do you imagine it?”

Your hand is back on task, pulling at his slacks and underwear. He lifts his hips, assisting you in stripping him down. Sanji unbuttons his shirt as he talks.

“I think about… you coming back to my apartment…” he bites his lip as his cock springs out from its confines, your hands wrapped around the base, “And kissing you after your mouth has been all over some other guy’s cock-“

He licks his lips as he really starts to envision it, your sweet mouth tasting salty after your recording with this nonexistent other man, “Fuck, and I…. I bend you over the couch and slide your panties to the side and see his cum dripping out of you.”

You hum, beginning to stroke his cock slowly as he explains his fantasy.

“And I… shit- I fuck you, using the other guy’s cum as lube- and it feels so good-”

You giggle, and he thrusts into your hand, babbling incoherently.

“So,” he hisses, “Please, keep seeing other guys for your videos. Don’t stop on my account.”

You smile, pleased with his answer. Of course, you wouldn’t have minded if he asked you to stop seeing other men, but the fact that he gets off to it? You could use that.

“Why don’t we move this somewhere more comfortable, okay?” You whisper in the blond’s ear, and he’s quick on his feet, guiding you to his room. You look around the familiar environment, sitting on the bed before him.

“So,” You give a cheeky grin, “What are you going to do to me, Sanji?” You smile, unzipping the front of your dress slowly, peeling off the skimpy dress you purposely wore to seduce him. He groans softly, admiring the physique he had long lusted for. Sanji quickly sits before you, looking over your figure as you strip yourself down.

His chest grows tight, “I’m going to do whatever you want me to.”

You pout, “That’s such a boring answer, don’t you think? C’mon…”

You then move to straddle him, his cock poking against your thigh.

“Tell me what you want, honey.”

His breath is knocked out of his lungs when you say it, your lips nibbling at his exposed neck. The blond groans deeply, his hands gripping your waist as you sit atop him.

“Want you to ride me-” He gasps as you move to his earlobe, gently sucking, “Want you to say dirty things the way you do in your videos, please-”

You hum happily, more content with that answer. So, he wanted you to take a more dominant role. That could be arranged.

You take his cheeks into your hands and kiss him passionately, tilting your head slightly. He moans and grips your waist tighter, his thumbs circling the sides of your hips. You peek your tongue out from your lips, swiping over his soft bottom lip. He parts his mouth, allowing you to dance with his own tongue. You tasted sweet, just like he had always imagined, and he tasted of smoke and the sandwiches you both ate not so long ago. 

And when you feel him twitch from the kiss, you take the opportunity to tease him.

“Aw, you’re so cute,” You giggle, “You’re so excited for me…”

“Yes-” He hisses out, slightly bucking his hips so that his cock grinds against your thigh, “Want to be inside soon, please?”

You cup his face with your hands before kissing his nose, “I have one request first…”

“Anything-”

Your eyes sparkle at that. He was so eager to please…

“Eat me out first.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He says, and you gasp when he flips you over, laying you out on his bed as he descends upon you like a hungry wolf. 

Sanji takes your panties and tugs them off your body, flinging them behind himself. With soft thumbs, he parts your lips, exposing your clit to him. He licks his lips quickly before looking up at you, flicking his tongue over your clit. You gasped and reached for his hair, pulling him forward.

“That’s it,” you moan, “Good boy.”

That awakens something in Sanji, and he quickly scoops your ass into his hands, bringing your pussy even closer to his face, his nose pressed against your mound. Your eyes roll back as he eats you like a man possessed, wanting nothing more than to taste you. 

Sanji moaned into your pussy, your wet sounds accompanying the obscene slurping that also came from his mouth. Your eyes flutter shut as he works you over, fingers gripping your hips. Your toes curl as he pleasures you in the most sinful of ways.

Sanji gets an idea, though, remembering one of your previous videos, the one where Zoro fucked you. As much as he hated to admit it, that moss head got many lovely sounds out of you, so maybe he could perfect his shitty technique.

So, one of his hands spreads your thighs apart even wider. You glance down at him for a moment to see him licking and sucking at his own fingers. When he’s satisfied with how they’re lubricated, he prods against your asshole. The blond looks up at you, silently asking for permission, and you nod, smiling softly. 

He presses in his first finger slowly, your hole sucking him in eagerly. You moan softly as he reaches the knuckle, delicately twisting his middle finger inside of you. Unlike that barbaric meathead, he would be more calculated with how he finger-fucked you.

You bite your lip when he slides his ring finger in beside his middle one. His slender fingers reached all the best spots inside you, especially once he slowly slid them in and out.

And you squeal when he does that as he resumes eating your pussy. You throw your head back at the double stimulation, your chest growing tight as his ministrations never let up.

Before you know it, your legs begin to shake, and Sanji knows this means you are close.

He wants to guide you and say that you shouldn’t worry about making a mess of his sheets, but he knows better than to disrupt the flow when you are so close to the edge.

So when that band of restraint snaps inside you, it’s glorious. 

“Sanji-!” You gasp out his name so beautifully that he wants to shove himself inside you then and there, but he continues fucking you on his fingers, his tongue lazily swirling around your clit.

When you come down from your high, Sanji slowly slides his fingers out of your ass, looking up at you from between your legs. Your heart skips a beat when he kisses the inside of your thighs, spoiling you rotten.

“Lay down for me, honey.” You drawl, and he obeys you, situating his head on his pillows as you crawl atop him. 

His cock was painfully erect, throbbing as it poked at your lips, hovering above him.

“Princess,” He shakily moans, “Please, I know I said I want you on top, but I’ll do the work. I want nothing more than to pleasure you-“

“Easy there, Mr. Service Bottom.” You giggle, “Let me pleasure you for a bit first, okay?”

Sanji hesitantly hums, “Okay… but I’m not a bottom. I’m a switch.”

“Whatever you like to tell yourself, Sanji.”

Before he can offer a rebuttal, you sink down onto him, his cock stretching your hole. You let out a shaky sigh as you sat atop his lap, his cock deep within you.

Sanji, meanwhile, has ascended into Heaven. The way you two fit together is perfect, like two puzzle pieces. His eyes roll back as your walls clench and throb around him.

God, it felt so much better than that stupid toy. 

“Fuck…” He groans, looking at where your bodies connect, “Never thought I’d see this view.”

You laugh a bit, “Well, it’s one you’ll see often from now on.”

And with that, you move. 

Sanji keens at the feeling of your soft walls sliding along his shaft, your slick sticking to his cock. He whimpers quietly, gripping your hips as you move, your breasts slightly jiggling with each bounce downwards. 

“You’re so big,” You purr, “And I love hearing you make those sweet sounds for me.”

“Princess-“ He strains, looking up at you with creased brows as his mouth hangs open. 

You chuckle, “Yeah, exactly like that, Sanji.”

His bottom lip quivers as you ride him, his cock head slamming against your cervix with each thrust downward. Your toes curled at the feeling. 

“Your voice is so pretty that I want to hear you ask to cum when you’re close,” you lean forward, nibbling against his neck, “I want you to beg for me.”

“Y-Yes, Princess. I’ll do anything you want me to- “

“Good boy.” You smirk when you see his eyes flutter shut at the praise.

“Been thinking about this ever since I sent you that video, Sanji.” You start, rolling your hips effortlessly, “Been unable to stop touching myself thinking about you being inside of me.”

Drool dribbles from Sanji’s mouth as you grind your hips above him, your clit sliding over his pelvis. His back arches as your nails rake over his chest. Sanji whimpers as your pussy throbs, tightening around his shaft with each thrust. 

“C’mon, Sanji,” you purr into his ear, “Let me milk you dry.”

“Oh-!” He chokes out, his voice airy and desperate, “D-Don’t say that-“

“Why?” You giggle, “Does thinking about you cumming in me get you close? You wanna fill up my pussy?”

“Shit-“his eyes flutter shut, and before you can tease him, you feel his warmth spread within you. You gasp sharply, and Sanji’s cum begins to fill you more and more with each spurt.

You give a satisfied smile and rock your hips, attempting to drain every drop from his balls.

“Feels so good…” you moan, your voice like a sultry succubus in Sanji’s ears.

You’re about to get off his lap, but Sanji grabs your hips.

“Not… done..” he pants out, weakly thrusting his hips upwards as his toes curl, “Need more…”

The atmosphere shifts as you realize he’s completely pleasure drunk. It’s like a switch has been flipped within him.

“Sanji-“ you’re cut off as he pushes you backward, situating himself between your legs once again. He shoves himself inside in a manner that is rougher than you would expect from him.

When you gasp at the intrusion, you look at Sanji’s face. His expression is overtaken with lust, his eyes dazed over as his brows creased together.

“More, please-!” He whimpers, and with that, he rams his cock inside, fucking you recklessly. You reach around his shoulders and dig your nails in deep, your legs wrapping around his waist. 

Your bottom lip quivers and desperate, needy moans escape you as he bottoms out each time, his balls smacking against your ass as he fucked his cum into your hole.

“Shit-“ he whines, “So fucking sensitive- fuck-“

Your mouth hangs open, “Sanji! This angle- it’s so deep-!”

“Need to be deeper-!” He moans and takes your legs, pushing them, so your feet are near your head, “Wanna fuck you just like this-“

Drool drips from your lips as his cock reaches places previously untouched. You go cross-eyed in pleasure as Sanji fucks you, your soul escaping your body.

“I-Is it good?” He asks, “Does my cock feel good, Princess? Please say it feels amazing-!”

“Yes!” You cry out, your legs beginning to seize, “Keep going!”

Sanji huffs as his hips desperately pound into yours. The bed squeaks under the force of his movement, but it’s barely audible over the sounds you two make. For a moment, you feel bad for whoever lives next door, but fuck it, it felt too good for your mind to wander off too much.

“Not gonna last-!” He warns, taking his thumb and furiously rubbing your clit, “L-Let’s cum together this time- please-!”

“Mn-!” The sound is drawn from your throat as Sanji stimulates you internally and externally. You can’t help it when you gush around his cock, your fluids squirting all over him. 

The display drives Sanji crazy, a broken moan coming from his lips as he cums again, weak spurts escaping his cock.

He slows his hips, tossing his head back as he looks to the heavens, thanking whatever god exists for allowing him to experience this pleasure.

Eventually, he pulls out, your mixture connecting your sexes. 

Your chest heaves as you watch him similarly try to catch his breath.

“I’ll-“ he huffs, “I’ll get you a towel.”

Slowly, he inches out of bed, making his way out the door. At that moment, you smile softly to yourself; at least he was a gentleman, even in times like this.

When he returns, he wipes you off first, gently gliding the once-clean washcloth over your most sensitive parts.

“You were so… feral.” You giggle, holding your hand to your mouth.

“Ah,” he cracks a nervous smile, “Sorry, was I too aggressive?”

“No, no,” you insist, “it was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed myself.”

Sanji laughs a bit, “Me too.”

The blond then takes his own shaft in hand, using the washcloth to clean himself. 

“You know,” you speak up, “Next time, I’d love you to do whatever you want to me.”

“Whatever… I want?”

His Adam’s apple bobs alongside his once again hardening cock, and you giggle.

“Unless you’d like to try it now…?”

Sanji stutters a bit, “N-No, no, you’re probably sore and-“

“Sanji,” you laugh, “I’m offering.”

The young man licks his lips and crawls above you, his dark eyes blown wide, “Well, I can’t say no to a lady’s invitation…”

[aces-sweetheart]

break

♥  pairing: sanji x gn!reader

♡ description: FLUFF; When working from home becomes too much, Sanji is always there with something sweet.

♥  warnings/info: some angst but mostly fluff/comfort, modern!au, reader works from home.

♥   ♡   ♥

Working from home was nowhere near as relaxing as you assumed it would be. Your eyes felt like they were on fire after staring at a screen for so long and your back ached with every small movement. Every day you found yourself in the same position; seated at your desk, laptop open and the pile of work you had to do steadily piling up. For every project you finished, two more seemed to take its place.

You thought your boss would be sympathetic and lighten your workload considering the circumstances that led you to work from home but apparently not. On top of the insane amount of work you were given, you couldn’t go one day without receiving some sort of criticism from your boss. Even if the project was finished with the instructions followed to a T, he still found something to pick apart no matter how inane it was. Today’s daily grievance was he didn’t like the font size you used for your latest project. Despite how small the complaint was it made tears spring to your eyes, the stress of everything finally becoming too much. You put your head down and took deep breaths to calm yourself.

That’s how Sanji found you. He knew you were stressed and had been so excited to show you what he spent the last few hours working on but he almost panicked at the state you were in. It seems you were doing worse than he thought and the realization made his stomach churn. He ran over and knelt beside you, a comforting hand on your back.

“What’s wrong, my love?” His hand gently rubbed circles on your back. He reached over to lace your fingers together and placed a kiss on your knuckles, an action that made you smile but it didn’t quite reach your eyes.

“Work is just…” You took a breath to try and stop yourself from crying. “A lot. I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m so stressed.” At the sounds of your sobbing, he wrapped his arms around you and let you cry into his shoulder. He never stopped rubbing your back or pressing his lips to your forehead as you released all the negative emotions you’d let pile up inside of you for weeks. “I need a break Sanji.”

The pained look in your eyes broke his heart but luckily he was prepared. Slowly, he guided you to stand up and used the hand on your back to guide you. You didn’t know where he was taking you or why but you knew it was going to make you happy; the cook always knew how to cheer you up. He led you to the small dining room table and pulled your chair out for you, pushing you in when you sat down. In front of you was a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase and a table setting. You noted the plate and a drink were missing. Your boyfriend left one last kiss on your head before walking to the kitchen. It only took him a few seconds to return.

“Here you go darling.” Your mouth watered at the sight of the fluffy slice of cheesecake in front of you. A dollop of whipped cream, no doubt handmade since Sanji would rather be caught dead than using a store-bought one, was on top of the cake. Strawberry syrup lined the plate in an elegant design full of swirls and spirals, accented with strawberries cut into hearts. Next to the plate was a steaming latte; he had even gone through the trouble of drawing a foam heart on it. You felt like crying again but for a completely different reason.

“Sanji.” You didn’t even have the words to describe how much this meant to you. Everything was so overwhelming and this was a much needed pick me up. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course my darling.” He bowed slightly before sitting across from you. His fingers laced with yours as he watched you take a bite of the cake. The flavor burst on your tongue and you couldn’t help but sigh happily. The latte was just as delicious and the warmth helped you calm down, your muscles relaxing with each sip. Sanji watched you eat and took in all your reactions. He loved you so much and he loved making you happy so the amount of hard work he put into making this was worth it in his opinion. You snapped him out of his daze by holding your fork with a strawberry  on it to his mouth. He accepted the fruit and squeezed your hand. It had only taken you moments to finish the treat and the coffee.

You had gotten some foam on your lip so he swiped it off with his thumb, a lovestruck expression plastered on his face; it was a mirror image of your own. The urge to clean everything off the table as soon as possible due to his years working in a restaurant was strong but he fought it off. This peaceful moment needed to be properly enjoyed so he pushed his tendencies aside. Instead he focused on the warmth of your hand and the blissful smile on your face as you did the same.    

[itsthemoofacewriting]

It’s heaven in your arms

Well, this is just a clusterfuck of emotions. Let me lead you down the path of grief and mourning only for it to end with a bed sharing trope.

I have no idea if there are even people that like the original trio together romantically, but I was really vibing, so hopefully I can convince some of my regular readers to take the plunge.

If any of my ZoNami readers are here, I’m doing the requests you all sent in – I swear!

I’m not sure what to expect from posting this, so I’ll say this once pre-emptively: if this isn’t your cup of tea, you know where the door is, please leave quietly.  

Summary: It may have been two years since Ace’s death but, for Luffy, sometimes it still felt like just yesterday. Or, sometimes, something beautiful can blossom from a place of hurt. Rating: T

You can also find this on AO3 and FFN.

Nami awoke, eyes burning from lack of sleep and mouth dry. It was still dark outside, and she grumbled to herself at waking up so early, but it was no use. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep until she had a glass of water. She swung her feet off the bed, clumsily trying to find her slippers before getting up. It was warm outside, so she didn’t bother with anything other than her pyjama top and shorts.

As annoying as it was to be awake so early, it was peaceful. It was a quick shuffle across the deck and into the kitchen, where she filled her glass hastily, already thinking about getting back into bed.

That last thing she expected when leaving the kitchen was the sight of Luffy sitting on the railing, facing the ocean with his feet kicking over the edge. Reckless as always it seemed.

“If you fell, no one would be around to save you,” She lectured.

His shoulders hunched; she’d surprised him it seemed, but he didn’t react as she’d expected. There was no carefree laughter or beaming grin as he told her not to be a worry wart. Instead, she received a muffled, “You’re up.”

Without looking at his face she didn’t know how to take that but his whole attitude was off, and it had alarm bells going off in her head. The comfort of her bed a distant memory now as she walked over to the railing to join him and settled her glass of water beside herself.

The words on the tip of her tongue vanished into the night air when she finally caught sight of his face. His eyes were red and puffy, his face pale despite his constant tan and drawn. It was an expression she’d never seen on his face. He looked defeated.

He looked tired.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head, just as she’d expected him too and uttered out a quiet, “No.”

“That’s okay, but I’m going to sit here,” she told him. He could sit in silence if that was what he wanted, but she wouldn’t leave him, that wasn’t an option.

She took his hand in hers because whilst he may not want to speak, he’d always been a tactile person and she couldn’t just sit here and not do anything when there were tears still running down his face.

They sat in silence, only the sound of the waves hitting the ship could be heard with their thighs pressed snuggly against the others and his hand clasped in hers, a thumb absently roaming over the skin of his wrist. His tears had resided for the time being, only the stray one falling every now.

She felt like she was sitting with a deer, trying not to spook it because it felt like any wrong move would have him scampering away.

Well, that was until he pried his hand from hers and she was going to say something until his head feel heavily against her shoulder and an arm wrapped around her body. That was all she needed to let herself relax, no longer worried about scaring him away as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer.

It was another long moment of them sitting like that until he whispered in her shoulder, “It hurts.”

“What hurts?”

He was silent but the tears were back as she felt them soaking into her pyjama top.

“I had a bad dream.”

“Yeah? What about?” She encouraged softly.

“About him.” His voice cracked as he said it and his shoulders shook.

There was only one him she knew of.

“It played in a loop, and I couldn’t do anything.”

Although she was being fed the information in dribs and drabs, it wasn’t hard to piece it together. She waited for him to continue but the long pause told her he wasn’t going to.

She thought about what she’d want in that moment, if their roles were reversed, what she’d want from the other person sat with her, so she settled on, “I only met him briefly, tell me more about him. What was it like growing up with him?”

He was quiet and for a moment she didn’t think he was going to respond, that maybe that wasn’t what he wanted at all.

“He hated me when we were younger,” he said wetly, fighting through tears to talk. “I caused trouble, couldn’t fight and cried a lot. He called me cry baby all the time.”

“He didn’t when we met him in Alabasta though.” She remembered how he’d looked at Luffy, eyes full of adoration and voice warm as he asked the crew to look after Luffy for him.

He huffed out a laugh at her words, such a stark contrast to his normal boisterous laugh.

He told her everything. How Ace had gone from despising him to accepting him as a brother along with his other brother, Sabo, how they’d caused trouble together and had the best times together. How he’d made Luffy’s childhood a happy one.

It made her ache. Because as he talked, selfishly she thought about her own sister. How devasted she’d be to lose her, someone that felt like her other half since before she could remember, knew her better than anyone else, who she could talk to about anything. It was hard to explain a sibling relationship to someone without one, there was a different feeling to, you felt it in your core.

Mostly, she thought about how hollow she’d feel.

It felt like an unspoken rule that siblings were for life. You knew that parents were older and that they’d pass at some point in your life, but not your sibling. It felt like they were meant to be with you for life, that you’d grow old together and have each other’s backs no matter what to the very end.

She supposed that was part of the grief.

Although she didn’t know the ins and outs, even now Luffy was edging around his dream and what’d happened back then, she knew the key details - how Ace had jumped in front of him to save him. How Ace had died before his eyes. Even if she suspected there was more to that moment than what she knew, it was traumatic enough.

Another tangled chain to unwrap from the knotted ball of necklaces that was grief.

Ultimately, she didn’t need to know what the dream was about or what’d happened back then, because the picture she had in her mind was vivid enough and she knew how he felt. Watching someone slip away before your eyes, helpless as you watched them go and wishing you’d done something different.

Her heart bled for him as he spoke, words blurring into his tears, she could feel her own eyes prickling as sadness overflowed.

Hands clumsily wiped at her face and belatedly she realised Luffy had stopped talking. “I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said.

Without thinking, she wiped his face in return. “It’s okay, I’m glad I get to share this with you.”

She cupped his face and she meant it as a soothing gesture, yet it seemed to have the opposite effect. Watching his face crumple before her eyes was so much worse than how she’d imagined it when his face had been buried in her shoulder. He was so expressive all the time that she shouldn’t really be surprised, his lips quivered and those big eyes scrunched as he tried to hold back his tears.

“I know I still have so much, and I should focus on that…”

“But that doesn’t make that little part feel any better?”

“Yeah.”

“I know. It’s not going to either.” He nodded glumly at her words, staying silent and she suspected it was because he couldn’t form words. “You love him. That’s not going to disappear no matter what happens.”

She continued because she needed to say it, to let him know this was okay before she the moment passed, and he locked this all away to deal with another night. “You’re allowed to mourn him, you’re allowed to feel sad without feeling guilty, but when it overwhelms you, tell one of us, okay?” She paused, thinking over her words, before adding, “And even when it doesn’t overwhelm you and you just want company, come find us.”

“Okay.” He sounded choked up, more so than before.

She brought him back into a firm hug, running her hands up and down his back, letting her words sink in and giving him a chance to speak or cry more if he wanted to.

His next words told her they were done for the time being.

“I don’t want to go back to sleep,” he said.

She didn’t have to ask why. She still woke up sometimes in the middle of the night, tears in her eyes as she relived all different versions of Bell-mère’s death, each worse than the last. She knew that he feared having to relive his worst nightmare over again or catching even a whisp of his brother behind closed eyelids, taunting him over the fact that that would be the only way he’d ever be able to see him again.

“I don’t either,” she lied smoothly, “We could raid the fridge-” Sanji would understand- “or I could show you a new card trick or we could go draw on Zoro’s face. He’s probably up in the crow’s nest and he sleeps like a log.”

Luffy grinned, it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally did but that was okay, it was an improvement on the solemn expression from before. “Usopp just bought new markers!”

They both turned at the sound of heavy footsteps and the very person they’d been planning to mess with was stood only a few steps away.

“Why do you two look guilty?” He looked suspiciously at them both.

Neither of them answered, but she saw the moment Zoro noticed Luffy’s face and took in his red, puffy eyes and worn expression. His demeanour changed instantly, he looked serious, and he didn’t say anything more as he joined them on the railing, pressing up to Luffy’s vacant side and taking his other free hand into his- he could probably feel that it was wet from Luffy’s tears.

The ocean lapped silently against the ship and whatever plans her and Luffy had made seemed to be put on hold as he stayed sat on the railing, but that was fine with her, she was happy to sit there with him in silent support.

“It should’ve been me,” Luffy finally spoke, voice sure but only a whisper.

Those were heavy words, she imagined how often that thought circled around in his head and how hard it must have been to finally say it out loud.

“That’s stupid,” Zoro said.

“Zoro,” she hissed. For his blunt words and because Luffy looked on the verge of tears, it made her heart crumble all over again.

“Ace loved you a lot and he didn’t do it for you to think that; he wouldn’t want that. It was his choice and he made it and he’d do it a hundred times over.”

He made a good point, she knew that, but a tough love speech felt too soon.

“Zoro’s not stupid all the time,” Luffy defended weakly, smile wobbly.

Maybe not.

“Oi.”

Nami shook her head, smiling slightly at their antics. “Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. Shall we agree it’s a 10% smart and 90% stupid?”

Zoro tried to look miffed, although it was betrayed by the smirk tugging at his lips. He knew what she was doing, trying to lighten Luffy’s spirits, so he let it slide.

“Well, we can’t draw on Zoro’s face now-” Zoro glowered at her- “but if you want an extra challenge, we could get Usopp or Sanji.” They were light sleepers; she knew he’d be up for the challenge.

Luffy smiled, nodding tiredly and stifled a yawn that had her and Zoro sharing a quick look between them.

“You can sleep with me if you want,” Zoro offered nonchalantly and Luffy perked up at that.

She should leave them to get on with it. They’d made their arrangements already and in the back of her mind, she knew she should, but Luffy’d told her so much, it felt callous to just palm him off. And maybe, somewhere deep down she didn’t like the thought of being left out. Maybe.

The words were out before she’d properly thought them through.

“You can both sleep in my bed.”

“Like a sleepover!” Luffy said and his eyes brightened, a shimmer of what normally resided there returning.

“It’s a one-time offer and no one tells Sanji!” Nami warned even though Luffy looked considerably lighter and Zoro was smirking at her. She didn’t doubt Zoro would store that away to use against Sanji later, but she’d deal with that then. And if he decided to blab, she’d then have the perfect opportunity to charge him, and he wouldn’t be able to say a thing.

The walk to her room was quiet, only the sounds of their shoes thumping against the deck with every step, getting louder and louder as they got closer to her room. She wondered if she’d regret this. What if she’d made it awkward? She should’ve just let Zoro and Luffy bunk together.

Opening the door felt heavy, like something awful would be waiting for her on the other side. Instead, there was just a dark, muted room to greet her and the awkwardness she felt doubled to the point she wondered if the other two felt it too. She wasn’t sure if she was thankful or not that Robin was still asleep, facing away from them.

All those thoughts were put to rest as Zoro and Luffy moved past her, seemingly more than comfortable with this arrangement than her. Zoro shucked off his boots and settled against the far side of the bed so his back faced the wall and Luffy kicked off his flip flops, his hat already sat safely on her bedside unit.

“Absolutely not,” Nami whispered fiercely, hands on hips and they both peered up at her quizzically. “I’m not sleeping on the edge only to wake up on the floor. Zoro, swap.”

“What, so I can wake up on the floor instead?”

“You can sleep anywhere!”

Luffy had snickered at their bickering, watching them go back and forth until he seemingly grew bored of that and stretched his arm out to wrap around her waist. As his arm snapped back, he dragged her with it, she collided with the both of them in her bed. Like a true rubber man, Luffy looked unbothered although she was fairly sure she’d kicked him, but Zoro wheezed behind her as she’d winded him with her elbow.

“That hurt!” Nami moaned.

“Think before you do that!” Zoro grouchily whispered.

“There we go, now we’re all cosy.” He ignored them both, nestling down into the bed as his arm reached across Nami to rest over onto Zoro.

“Luffy!” She squawked, rosy faced. “Move over! You have all that space!”

This was not what she’d had in mind when she’d invited them… into her bed. Although she didn’t have a massive bed, she’d thought they’d at least try to keep their distance, she hadn’t expected this. Luffy was so close she could feel his breath on her face and his hair brushed against her forehead, no doubt mingling in with her own strands. She could feel Zoro spooned behind her, his own arm outstretched across them both and she was only now just considering how appropriate her pyjama shorts were. Which was ridiculous, it was only those two.  

All of this didn’t feel right, they were there for Luffy, he should be the one in the middle not her. He should be the one squashed between them, safe and warm and feeling supported, not her. Yet one look at his face put all of that to rest. You could still tell he’d been crying; the puffiness would take a few hours to go down, but he looked relaxed, the tormented and weight in his expression gone.

He looked content.

And that was enough right now for her brain to shut off, thoughts pushed to the back for another day, and have her burying into the warmth from the two bodies next to her with the knowledge that everything would be okay for now.

----------------------------------

This was meant to be a one-shot, but it’s now a two parter at no one’s request. I’m writing/editing the second chapter right now; it’s on its way.  

I used to ship LuNami hard when I was younger, but I think I’ve lost my ability to write them romantically nowadays… unless you throw in Zoro and then it’s back on apparently.

I write and edit all my pieces by myself, so if there’s any errors, please excuse them.

Thanks for reading.

[z3llous]

Craving

(Aug 17, 2020)

(Sanji x artist reader)

Out of all the places I could be, this would be the second to the top of my list.

The aroma of basil spread through the room and brought out the hunger in them. Though food wasn't what they truly wanted.

The kitchen was a lovely place, but what made it so special wasn't the taste of food, the scent, or even the beauty of everything made here. No, it was the chef who was often in here that made it so wonderful.

He inspired them with every smile, twirl, and every little adorable thing he did. He was their muse, no one else looked better in their sketch book than he did.

The sound of Sanji scraping chopped onions off the cutting board and into a searing hot pan distracted them from their drawing for a mere second. Delicate wispy lines for his hair, smooth curved angles for wrinkles of the shirt his shirt, rougher quick sketches for the pots and pans, and lastly a few soft lines for the background. It was ready for painting.

Their paint brush swam in the water and caressed the blushing pink pan of watercolor. Every crease of the shirt was shaded with the pink affectionate depths of their heart, cerulean blue filled with the tears they cried at night over him colored his pants, and sunflower yellow dripping with the joy that filled their soul whenever he smiled was used to coat the intricate details of his hair.

No one could paint him like they did. Their heart bled onto their art whenever he was involved. Their passion for art and it's beauty couldn't compare to him.

Once they'd finished their painting, y/n made the horrible choice to look up. It was too late, they were simply mesmerized by his every movement and couldn't bare to look away. He was the greatest masterpiece y/n had ever seen and as bad as it was, they wanted to touch the art.

One isn't supposed to touch an art piece, especially not one as immaculate as this. They knew it all too well, yet their soul cried out regardless.

Their eyes wandered across his form shamelessly absorbing every detail as their heart ached. The mind was far less calm and screamed to satisfy the craving.

They should've started another drawing , ignored him, but the wrong was too late to be made right and so they quietly got up.

One step after the another they drew ever closer to their cure. Y/n stopped right behind him and hesitated. Could they finally break that nightmarish wall of fear? This was all they had wanted for the past year, to finally break the touch barrier.

They'd already come too far to give up, so y/n made up their mind, chased their fears away, and raised their arms. Leaning into his back they slowly wrapped their arms around his waist.

He flinched before relaxing and continuing to cook.

"y/n?" He asked glancing over his shoulder.

"yes?"

"Are you alright?" The concern that dripped from his voice was desperate to cover the racing of his heart as he stirred the soup slightly faster.

"I had a craving, don't worry about it." They answered holding him closer.

"Well, what are you craving? I'm almost done, so I can work on it in a minute~" He said cutely, putting the final ingredient into the soup, pretending not to notice their hands as they gripped his shirt lightly.

"You~" Y/n murmured as they nuzzled deeper into the arch of his back.

He froze for a moment, finished the soup as quickly as his body would let him, and set the temperature to low before turning around in their arms.

Hearts were practically visible in the light reflecting off his eye, his face cherry in color as he knelt down and pulled them into his warm embrace. The heat radiating from his flushed face warmed their neck as well as their frantic heart.

"Sanji~" Y/n said basking in his long awaited touch.

"Yes?~" He asked leaning back to see their expression clearly.

"I'd like a taste, if that's alright." they said staring deeply into his eye.

"Of the soup? Would you like something else? I'll gladly make you something." He said, unwillingly prepared to let go.

You adorable dumb ass

"No, you~" y/n said leaning in so that their noses touched.

"Of- of course you can~" He answered, trying not to completely lose his calm. No one had ever directed such affectionate things towards him.

Y/n gently pushed until he softly fell onto the floor with his back pressed against the cabinet, catching him off guard, then tilted their head, and pulled him into a longing kiss. One hand slid up the back of his petal pink shirt and the other made a mess of his hair.

Pinned against the cabinet he wrapped his arms around and gripped the back of y/n's shirt. They were completely lost in the sweetness of each others touch, until the distant chanting of Luffy grew closer and shattered it.

Quickly they got up off the floor and helped tidy each other in hopes of avoiding suspicion.

"Later, my room?" Y/n asked quickly.

"De- Definitely." He answered hurriedly as he rushed over to gather the bowls.

Of all the places I could be, anywhere Sanji is would be at the top of my list.

[writingoneshots]

Hey uhm first of all I just wanna say, your fics are really good!😭❤ secondly, I appreciate the amount of effort you put in to your fics so thank you so much!

How about having an argument with Zoro, Sanji, Ace and Law and f!s/o accidentally says "i hate you", what would their reaction be like?

Angst but fluff and comfort ending if u may omg agsjsvs

N e wayz, have an amazing day bub!❤🥺

Sensitive Topic

Hello softiebadbitch :) ! love this name.

I wasn't really sure how to add 4 readers into one story but I think I found a good solution. It's clear to me that you wanted to have 4 separate stories but this would have been too long for one post and you can't use one request for several posts.. sadly. Hope this fixed it - I made one general story and continued with 4 different endings. All of them are in the reader version but the 'extra girlfriends' have their specific names to not make it too complicated.

Kind of like this way of writing.. wouldn't mind more requests like this :) ! Thanks for letting me explore this new style even though it probably wasn't intended.

And thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate it <3 especially because I don't know if anything I write is good enough for Tumblr or literally any request. Thank you, thank you, thank you <3 !

- Ace x reader - ZoroxRey, SanjixAna, LawxValeria (if one of these names is yours.. you're welcome) - 2,774 words (but it's a 4 in 1 story) - lovey-dovey, little pain in our chest, signs of smut, still SFW, cute moments

Spending some girl-time with your closest best friends was a really rare occasion after spending years on many pirate ships. Especially bonding with female human beings was hard. But since you were dating Ace, you finally got the chance after meeting his friends. Some of them were already in a relationship with their current partners and the rest just started dating. After a successful shopping day, you spend the rest of the evening in the fanciest diner on this island and booked a whole room just for you and your better halves. The men were probably still training or doing something unimportant, but none of you cared. "Can you believe the guy from the bakery? He dared to follow us around just to carry our bags..?", Rey laughed and finished her second glass of wine. "Just please don't tell Sanji about it. He is already heartbroken because I went shopping without him.", Ana pouted and sighed a bit sad. You rolled your eyes, "Stop whining. This is the first time after eight months that we could hang out together. And we didn't have to worry about carrying something." "Plus, the guy seemed to be really into you, Ana.", Rey smirked and gave her a flirty wink. "Stop saying that! Sanji could come here any minute! You know how jealous he can get!", Ana warned Rey and glared at her. This was the worst timing ever. "Jealous? Why?! Did anyone touch you?!", Sanji's eyes were already in flames and he almost teleported himself to his girlfriend after hearing these words. The men decided to join you all on the right - or maybe wrong? - time and chose to mock the conversation. "Probably some weird girly things, we don't wanna know about.", Ace grinned and sat down right in front of you. The men sat down on the other side of the table and didn't even choose to greet them with a hug or a kiss, except for Sanji, who could barely let his fingers of Ana. You raised an eyebrow at Ace's comment, "What?" "Just kidding! You had probably something important to talk about.. like which nail color you're supposed to get next week.", Ace added and high-fived Zoro. "Or what hairstyle you should make to match your earrings!", Zoro couldn't stop laughing at his own comment. Ace turned to Law for another high five but he just glared at the topless pirate. "What? You're leaving me hanging like this?!" "Don't drag me into this.", Law turned away from him and faced Valeria, who seemed pleased by his answer. The others were not though. You were still confused by Ace's behavior but slowly understood that he tried to be as manly as possible in front of the others. Sanji sat down on his place after failing to convince Ana to have her sit on his lap. "What do you mean? An hour ago you were talking about how Valeria tried to draw her eyeliner but ended up looking like a panda!", Ace laughed and high-fived Zoro again, who seemed to feel a bit unsure about Ace's comment now. Rey looked down at her drink, already realizing how quickly the mood changed since they started making fun of all of you. Valeria was shocked. She didn't know how to respond and just shook her head, ignoring Law's desperate look on his face. "That's enough, Ace.", you talked silently and poured yourself some wine, not caring about the waiter offering to do it for you. "What.. I-", Ace froze after seeing your face. It pained him to see you being disappointed and he didn't know how that happened. "I am sorry if I have offended anyone.. we were just talking.. ", he cleared his throat and began to feel uncomfortable. He didn't see that coming. "Then maybe you should stop it", you were still not able to look up. "Stop what? Talking?" "Yes.", your eyes flashed up to him now. He didn't expect to see the anger in them. Ace has never seen that glare directed at him. It felt way too painful. "Okay, everyone. Let's calm down now and enjoy this dinner.", Sanji tried to cool down the situation and looked at the food, which didn't look good enough for his girlfriend. "Gonna be hard when you're here.", Zoro commented under his breath and was already eating his meal. "Huh?!", Sanji clenched

his teeth and tensed all his muscles to not smack Zoro for that comment. "Can you just calm down, you two?!", Ana took a deep and annoyed breath, trying to stay calm in this uncomfortable scenario. Ace couldn't stop but to look at you, ignoring him now. "Valeria-" "Don't.", she stopped Law from whatever he was trying to say. Everyone was quiet. Nobody was eating. "..anyone want some extra bread?", the waiter whispered and stood behind you, holding up a basket with fresh bread.

-----

Ace x reader When you arrived in the room of your hotel, you still didn't dare to say a word. You were still furious about his behavior, especially because this wasn't the first time he dared to say something like that. "(Y/N), I am-" "I don't want to hear it." "Please, just let me-" "I said, that I don't want to hear it.", you hit your jacket onto the bed and let go of it a few seconds after. Taking a deep breath, Ace pressed his lips together and didn't know what to say or do. You two never had a fight like this and he feared to say something wrong, which would make you leave him. "I don't want us to go to bed angry.", he whispered sadly and stepped closer to you. You just froze and closed your eyes, trying to remain calm. "You always do this.. every time you make fun of something I do. I stopped talking about my hobbies and literally anything that makes me happy and you caught a glimpse of us having fun, and immediately you chose to mock it..." Ace frowned at that and thought back to all the times he tried to have fun with you. He never understood any of your hobbies or what girls liked, which is why he tried to spend some time with you by making jokes but it never occurred to him that it was actually hurting you. "Why did you never tell me that? I didn't know that it hurt you.." "Because I shouldn't need to tell you! I hate when you try to make fun of me or other people like that! You literally took the joy of me doing my hair, trying to learn how to skateboard or even baking muffins! I hate this, I hate the fights and I hate yo-" Both of you froze right on your spots. "Oh my God..", tears were rolling down your eyes and your knees weren't able to support you any longer. You immediately went down to your knees and hid your face in your hands. "I didn't want to say this.. it slipped.. I don't hate you, Ace!" Your heart was aching at what you were about to say. Ace didn't feel any better. He sat down right next to you and watched you wiping your tears away. "I have caused this... I am sorry, (Y/N).. This will never happen again, I promise. I just wanted to be a part of something in your life.", he took a deep breath and pulled you onto his lap. "I will find another way. Just please.. don't hate me." You shook your head and hugged him tight back, hiding your face in his neck and never ever letting him go. --- Zoro x Rey Zoro came out of the shower, just a towel around his hips and water still dripping down his naked chest. This was usually a sight, which made you jump right onto him but not this time. The pirate hunter had hoped for you to fall for it because he was really bad at apologizing but he knew you had a stronger will than him. He would have fallen for it. You were already in bed, cuddled into your pillow and ignoring him professionally. "Rey.. I can feel that you're not sleeping.", Zoro approached the bed and sighed when you didn't respond. "..are you mad at me?", he whispered now carefully. You raised an eyebrow at this provocative question and pressed your lips together, trying not to give back a stupid answer. But your mouth responded faster than your brain. "No, I am super happy about today's events. We can repeat that tomorrow again, if you feel like making fun of women-things.", you added in a sarcastic tone. "So.. that's a yes?" You turned around, the pillow tight in your grip and pulled the pillow with a loud thud onto his face. When you took the pillow away, you narrowed your eyes at his provocative smirk. "Definitely, yes." "Shut up.", you sighed and were about to turn around again but he grabbed your wrist and pulled you to the other side of the bed until you were facing him. "Stop running away from your problems all the time, lady." "I really hate when you are doing this!", you tried to free your arm from his grip. "What?" "Using your strength to make me do whatever you want to!" "This is literally the reason, why you started dating me. Because I am not a weakling, who gets dragged by everyone like your stupid exes. But if you really hate it, then that means you must hate me

too, right?", he leaned forward, making sure not to miss any sort of reaction in your eyes. You looked at him surprised and didn't know what to say. After a few seconds, you shook your head and sighed a bit. "I couldn't hate you for being you. I hate the fact that you're making fun of girl-things all the time." "Alright, I'll stop then.", Zoro promised and let go of your hand. He turned around and went to the pile of washed clothes on the couch to pick out something to sleep in. Right.. I forgot how easy it can be in a relationship. You talk, promise and go on. Not believing what he just did, your brain had a thousand thoughts about what would happen during this night but it did not involve any sort of clothes. You stood up, went to him, and pulled away his towel. Zoro turned around, surprised by your decision, "Oj.. bad girl." --- Sanji x Ana After this emotional and very unusual dinner, you decided to have some tea. Sanji was still in your bedroom preparing a bath for you even though you've told him that you weren't in the mood for it. You hid in the kitchen and cooked some water, while preparing the rest. While you were looking for the honey, which he was hiding from Luffy, Sanji entered the kitchen. "Oj, what are you doing?", he approached you and immediately figured that you were making some tea. "Just something to warm myself up with a sweet taste.", you smiled a bit exhausted and felt Sanji's arms around you in an instant. "I am sorry for today.. I know that I promised you to not get triggered because of that marimo but his bare existence is to annoy me.", Sanji tried to brighten the mood and gave you a soft kiss on your head. "No, it's okay.. I am already used to it. I just wanted to have a chill day with the girls and this fight kind of ruined everything again.", you shrugged and leaned softly onto him, enjoying his muscular arms supporting you. "Oh.. so you don't hate me, right?" You laughed softly. The relationship had only just begun and Sanji had to question every move of yours. "I could never...", you looked up to him and kissed his warm lips softly, forgetting about everything that had happened in the last hour. --- Law x Valeria Law used his room ability to create a bubble surrounding the two of you. He carefully stepped closer and put his arm around your waist only to see you turn your head away from him. He tensed his jaw, trying to hide the sudden strike of pain in his chest and just decided to ignore it for now. "Shambles." You found yourself in your and Law's bedroom. After a few seconds, you just freed yourself from his arm and went straight into the bathroom, locking yourself in. Law just stood there, not knowing what to do or say. He had definitely hurt your feelings but he didn't know how to apologize for it. "Val..", he closed the distance slowly to the door and tried to listen to whatever you were doing inside. It sounded like you were throwing something away and sniffling quietly. Fuck.. "Valeria.. what are you doing?" "Cleaning.", your response was sharp. Law knew that he was a genius, who could solve the hardest puzzle on this planet or even have a detailed discussion with Robin, but even Luffy or Kid would have been able to figure out what you were doing right now. "Stop throwing away your things. I like it when you put on your make-up." "Are you sure about that? Or are you going to call me a dog or a salamander the next time you talk to others?!", you wiped away your tears and threw away the rest of the make-up, which you bought today. "Stop overreacting. I was just talking about your eyeliner the other day and you hated it too. Take out the make-up again and forget about it.", he sighed and knew that this wasn't something he should say but he also knew that it would trigger you enough to get out of the bathroom. "You know what-!", you opened the door harshly and stepped out, pointing your index finger at him. Law had a hard time hiding his cheeky smile because he already knew you well enough. "I hate what you're doing! Always talking about me behind my back! I hate

you for it!", you crossed your arms at your chest and took a deep breath, trying to control the last brain cells, which are still able to hold you back from kissing his cheeky smirk. The pirate captain raised an eyebrow at that and needed a second to choose his next words wisely. "Did you just tell me that you hate me?" "I said that I hate you for it! Not that I hate you!" "This is literally the same..", Law tilted his head a bit and couldn't quite accept that. "I hate it when you talk about me behind my back before talking to me personally. You were the first one to say 'I love you' but not directly to me.. no! You said it to Bepo first and he told me. Then you said that you preferred my soft cookies more than the brownies but again: you didn't tell me! You told Sanji! And to the newest 'Law is a wimp and can't tell his girlfriend anything personally', you told the boys that I looked like a damn panda!" "But a cute one..", Law smirked now and stepped closer, putting his hand on your cheek softly. You were just about to smack it away but Law was faster. He pushed you against a wall within a second and pressed his body against yours. His hand rested on your neck and he pressed his thumb against your chin, forcing you to look up at him. "Say it again, Valeria..", he purred your name in his dangerously sexy voice. "Say that you hate me." You frowned at his reaction and didn't really understand how this turned him on. "No, you weirdo." "Say it.", he commanded now and leaned closer to you, your lips barely touching. "Make me.", your last brain cells just said their goodbyes. A harsh sound of him pulling out his belt appeared beside you and you couldn't look away. His eyes were focused on yours as if he'd die if he'd miss anything for a second. "Don't tell Bepo.. but you're my favorite panda." "You fucking... I really hate you now.", you spoke through your teeth and tried to push him away. The most heartwarming laugh escaped Law's lips and he immediately locked his lips with yours, not giving you a chance to respond to him laughing. Law pulled your arms behind your back and tied them with his belt. "That's my girl.", he whispered in between your kiss and didn't let go of you for the rest of the night.

[kbstories]

Signification

sig·ni·fi·ca·tion (n.) The process of assigning meaning to something.

Captain and First Mate, two years later.

(Or: Zoro adores his captain a lot, the sequel)

Tags: Reunions, Nakamaship, Late Night Conversations, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling (!)

Read Chapter 1 here. Set in Wano. Spoiler warning for the First Act of Wano.

***

The night must be scratching the midnight mark when the ambient noise of the Wasteland finally falls silent. Within Tsuru’s tea house, all that can be heard is Tama’s breathing, soft and even in her slumber, and the quiet sound of cloth on metal.

One by one, Roronoa Zoro cleans his swords, hands in constant motion and mind calm. The girl is at his back, the only entrance straight ahead.

Little has changed in the past hour.

Shusui is the last to go, its black blade speckled with blood and residue bits of straw. In the dim light afforded by the lamp next to him, Zoro’s eye runs along the sharpened edge with precision. No scratches, no tears, no damage whatsoever.

Zoro’s mouth twitches upwards. Good.

The blade sings under his care as it accepts the oil and the gentle swipe of fabric that follows it. Zoro doesn’t have to ponder each individual step – his body has executed these very same movements for most of his life – but being mindful of it… helps, on days both good and bad.

Beside him, a door slides open with the whisper of paper on wood. Shuffling steps come closer, straw against straw. Today has been an excellent day.

“Still asleep”, Zoro reports without looking up from his task. “Fever’s getting better, too.”

A hand settles on his shoulder; it’s warm, fitting the mountains and valleys of Zoro’s muscles like it always belongs there. After a bit of shuffling, a back nudges his own.

Zoro smiles and continues. He’s almost done.

“That tea really worked, huh? I’m glad.”

Leaning against Zoro, Luffy isn’t much of a weight but significant still. He sounds exhausted, now that it’s just the two of them.

“Yeah. Still, Chopper should take a look.” A beat. Zoro hums. “…Wherever he is right now.”

A huff of breath, the kind that precedes a smile. “He’s safe, don’t worry. Sanji’s with him and the others.”

Zoro sheathes Shusui and sets it aside. Hm. Luffy’s head comes to rest against his right shoulder, his hair feathering across Zoro’s skin. It’s crusty with dried salt and carries the scent of the sea.

“You’re really not gonna ask, are ya?”

Jackass. “He’s here. ‘s all I need to know.”

Luffy snickers, as he always does.

“Stubborn. Well, there’s no need to fuss. Sanji apologized and everything. He made that sea king rice stuff, you know the one?” Zoro does. Luffy’s stomach growls. “So yummy…”

Fantasizing about food won’t do them much good. Zoro lets his head knock against Luffy’s (carefully, although his captain is rubber and there’s no real need to). I’m not fussing, he doesn’t say.

They have bigger fish to fry than their moronic cook. It’s… good to know he’s back, regardless.

Luffy hums under his breath, sounding sleepier by the minute. “How’s everyone? You guys got here okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good. Got a bit cramped in Traffy’s submarine but we managed.” An amused chuckle falls from Zoro’s mouth. “Turns out the Hearts are just a bunch of dorks. Strong and loyal but… I don’t know what I expected, with a captain that cynical.”

“Hah! Traffy’s a dork, too.”

“True.”

They share a grin, quick and easy. Personally, Zoro can’t wait for the two captains to meet again; seeing Law so full of himself and not a perpetual hair’s breadth away from strangling someone was pretty boring, all things considered.

Then Luffy exhales a sigh, content. “He’s got his crew back, though. That’s good.”

And perhaps it’s because they haven’t seen each other in weeks, haven’t had time to sit like this and exist for a while – Zoro hears a touch of melancholy in there, too, and sympathy twists at his core.

“Let’s find the others tomorrow, ‘kay? Without, uh, wrecking Kin’emon’s plan.”

Luffy nods against Zoro’s shoulder, a gentle motion. “Mhmm.”

The night ticks on. The need to move builds slowly, a numb tingling that crawls up his legs like a colony of ants, and yet Zoro sits patiently. Luffy is quiet for a while, dozes off, startles himself awake again.

“It’s past midnight”, Zoro tells him.

Luffy mumbles something resembling an affirmative. Zoro raises a brow, even though the other can’t see it. Who’s the stubborn one now?

“Go to sleep, Captain. I’m on first watch, remember?”

“No… Wanna talk t’Zoro.”

Zoro sighs and he doesn’t fight the way those words that curl themselves around his heart, warm and safe. Luffy could do terrifying things with that sweet-talking of his: a downright absurd thought, given the guy can barely tell manipulation from truth even when his life depends on it.

“I’m not going anywhere, idiot. Let’s talk in the morning.”

Nothing.

“Luffy.”

“Mmm?”

“I mean it.”

A long, whiny exhale. “Fine but you gotta come with me.”

“Sure”, Zoro nods. He blinks. “Wait, what do y–?”

And just like that, Luffy’s up and wrapping an arm multiple times around Zoro’s waist. Before he can as much as squawk, Zoro is lifted effortlessly as if he’s a lazy, overgrown dog – he has to pick up his legs so they don’t drag noisily across the tatami mat floor and oh, mutiny is suddenly such an appealing concept. Zoro hisses, “Luffy”, low and indignant; Luffy’s laugh is hushed, breathed right against his ear–

My swords, it’s a stray thought, an important one if he’s to do his duty properly. Zoro pats Luffy’s hand with some urgency. One rubber-stretched grab later, the swords are clutched safely against his chest.

A few feet from where Tama’s sleeping off her fever, two neatly-folded futons wait to be claimed; Zoro is deposited on one of them (which immediately topples under his weight, only his quick reflexes preventing an ungraceful fall). He witnesses Luffy destroy Tsuru’s hard work by half-heartedly spreading his own mattress-and-duvet combination, burrowing into the covers like a hog through forest ground.

With one final huff, Luffy stills. Sleepy, half-lidded eyes shine in the dark.

“…Zoro?”

Scratching his neck, Zoro sets out to fix his own futon. He folds it out against Luffy’s, quiet hands working to smooth out the ruffles and tuck in the edges there as he goes. Carefully, Zoro reaches into the pile of blankets that is Luffy to pull out the hat that’s been haplessly smooshed in the process. It’s placed on the very edge of Luffy’s bed, within easy reach.

Eyes closed, Luffy makes a pleased noise and snuggles into his pillow. Zoro huffs fondly and ruffles his hair.

“I’m right here. Rest.”

Luffy drops off to sleep a moment after and so Zoro settles in for the night, pillow propped against a nearby wall next to his swords and a blanket thrown over his crossed legs.

*

The sky lightens with the tender touches of dawn and Zoro shifts, pulls away from deep meditation to hear the change in Luffy’s breathing. Snoring is followed by a sudden snort and drowsy mumbling.

Monkey D. Luffy always wakes with the sun, no matter over which horizon it rises.

Just in time, too, with how heavy Zoro’s lids feel every time he blinks. Suppressing a yawn, he rolls his neck and stretches his back, and his spine pops between his shoulders. The last remnant of battle along with the satisfying ache in his arms and hands – it’s been a while since Zoro got to draw a sword and mean it.

Tama is still snoozing and thus Zoro doesn’t bother to get on his feet properly. Half-shuffling, half-crawling, he leans over the crown of Luffy’s head. “Oi.”

“Huh?” Luffy glances up through tousled strands. His grin is immediate, a little crinkled with sleep. “Oh. My turn!”

Mhm, Zoro makes around a small smile.

It’s been awhile since it was just them and nobody else yet this routine is still familiar: Luffy grabs his hat and hops to his feet, going from slumber to fully awake in seconds, and Zoro takes his place, choosing Luffy’s pre-warmed futon over his own. He has about a minute to get comfortable before – oof – Luffy throws himself against his side, arms crossed and elbows digging into Zoro’s ribs and midriff respectively.

“Captain”, Zoro grumbles.

“Uncomfortable?”

“… No.”

Luffy chuckles. “Zoro’s going easy on me.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Missed ya too”, Luffy sing-songs, and Zoro doesn’t have to look to know he’s grinning, the cheeky bastard.

After that, Luffy keeps himself busy, tinkering with Zoro’s earrings for a moment before he turns to the back of Zoro’s hand to doodle mindless circles with his finger. Breath by breath, Zoro finds himself slipping closer and closer to sleep.

“Ace was here, y’know?”

Luffy says it in such a casual, pensive way, like it’s just like the other tidbits of information Zoro missed out on. Zoro’s eye opens. He’s wide awake.

“He and his crew reached Wano, years ago. Tama told me. People were starving then too and Ace helped them.”

There’s something fragile about this, about the morning light barely starting to spill into the room and the loving way Luffy speaks of his brother. Something precious, and nothing in the world could bring Zoro to interrupt Luffy now.

“Tama wants to sail to sea, did you know that?” Round and round, Luffy draws invisible lines on Zoro’s skin. “Ace promised he’d come back and take her along when she’s older. And a ninja! That’s important.”

The mental image of sweet Tama as a ruthless ninja is a little out there but who is Zoro to judge? She’s certainly brave enough for it but–

Oh, Ace. Quietly, Zoro wonders how old he was at the time. If he, too, was barely past seventeen when started leaving a trail of reckless promises in the hopes of living another day.

It’s then that Luffy pauses, his chest moving against Zoro’s with the slow breath he inhales. Zoro breathes with him, bracing for impact.

“But… Ace is gone. I told her, and she got angry with me.” Walking the line of that old heartache, Luffy laughs and doesn’t break. “She said I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s better this way, I think.”

Finally, Luffy’s hand stills. Calmly, Zoro offers him his palm instead; Luffy continues with an amused huff, tracing along the deep creases and old scars there.

“What do you think, Zoro? About Tama.”

Years, they have known each other. For Luffy, there’s a great many things Zoro is willing to indulge in – here, at the break of a new day and with the life of a child hanging in the balance, Luffy isn’t asking for indulgence.

Thus Zoro says, “Ace was right”, voice a little raspy this long into his watch. “Children don’t belong at sea.”

Luffy hums and mumbles, “Yeah.” He doesn’t sound particularly surprised. “I want to help them, Zoro. The people of this town, this country. Nobody deserves to cry over bean soup.”

And oh, the anger that seethes within Zoro wells up at that, patiently waiting to be unleashed – an ice-blue fire that burns at his core, fed by the notion of a land poisoned to its very rivers and all the injustices he’s witnessed.

“We will”, he promises his captain, because Ace’s family is Luffy’s family and that makes Tama theirs. It’s how it’s always been. “We’ll get that shitty cook to throw ‘em a feast after, too.”

Luffy nods enthusiastically. “A big one!”

Zoro chuckles. Yawning, he turns into his pillow, eye sliding shut. “With lots of sake.”

With the sound of Luffy’s laughter in the air, he finally allows himself to drift off. That morning, Zoro’s dreams are filled with the smiles of his crew and Sunny's full sails, a new horizon coming ever-closer.

[anubislover]

Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya chapter 10: Heated Discussions

Nami wasn’t sure how long or how far she’d run through the winding backstreets of Grimm, but she didn’t stop until her legs literally gave out from under her, forcing her down onto the hard pavement of a dark alley.

Panic gripped her vital organs like a meaty fist. Her body was on fire, sweat dripped down her spine, and every inhalation was agony as her lungs struggled to draw in the barest amount of oxygen needed to keep up with the blood rushing through her veins. The Heart Pirate jumpsuit was suffocating her, holding in the unbearable heat and chafing her hyper-sensitive skin, but she was too weak and exhausted to take it off, forced to broil alive in the heavy canvas.

For a few minutes she just lay there, her sole thought a silent plea for her heart to stop trying to beating against her ribcage like Luffy’s angry punches. Orange hair darkened with sweat, tears streaked down her face, and the only sounds she could make were ragged sobs.

“Miss? Are you alright?” came a deep, authoritative voice from above her, and she trembled. Was it Arlong? Had he found her? Was he going to beat her for running away? Kill Nojiko and Mr. Genzo? Destroy some innocent villager’s house as a display of his “superior” species’ power?

Please, please don’t hurt them! I’ll be good, I swear! Nami thought, squeezing her eyes closed and drawing her legs against her torso to protect herself. It would hurt, but if she had to choose between getting hit and seeing the people she loved suffer, she’d take the blows every time.

“Miss, speak to me—are you hurt? Were you attacked? Do you need a doctor?”

Did she need a doctor? Dr. Nako had fixed up fevers, scraped knees, and stomach aches since she was a child. But no, Arlong would find out and make an example of him. Nami managed the barest shake of her head, curling even more tightly into a ball, mentally begging the stranger to just leave her alone before he got himself killed. People who tried to help her always died the most horrible deaths. Memories of Bellemere’s final moments, of blood and skull fragments splattering as Arlong shot her point-blank, made Nami start hyperventilating. She couldn’t see that again, not even to a stranger, no no no no nononononononono…

Large, strong hands rested on her back and legs, gently straightening her out. “I know you’re scared, but you need to stop pressing your knees into your stomach—it’s keeping your lungs from expanding fully, so you’re not getting the air you need.”

The voice was steady and knowing, at just the right octave to cut through the heavy pounding of blood in her ears. Unconsciously she obeyed, knees lowering, and her lungs swelled as she took several deep breaths.

“There you go. Just focus on breathing. In. Out. Here.” Nami flinched as she heard fabric rustling, trying to draw into herself again as she imagined her mystery man drawing a weapon, but she immediately relaxed as her nose was greeted by the clean, familiar aroma of oranges and mikans. “Breathe this in. Citrus scents reduce stress and anxiety.”

Like an ocean wave, the thought of Bellemere’s grove washed over her. She remembered the safety of her mother’s arms, how her hands always smelled like mikans no matter how many times she washed them. She remembered Nojiko making mikan shampoo for the first time, giving her a bottle before going off to rob more pirates. She remembered the delicious fruit dishes Sanji would make her, the times she’d find Zoro napping under the trees, the iced tea she’d share with Robin, watching Chopper try a fresh mikan for the first time, and knocking Luffy over the head when she caught him pilfering her fruit.

The smell made her feel safe. Like she was home, with her family and nakama.

After a few minutes her heart rate began to slow, aided by the hand on her back rubbing deliberate, soothing circles between her shoulder blades. “That’s better. Miss, can you sit up? I want to make sure you’re not injured.”

Nodding mutely, she allowed the man to help her sit upright and lean against the hard brick wall. She could breathe again, but she was still miserably hot. Lethargic fingers clumsily tried to unzip the top of her jumpsuit, desperate to vent the heat that had built up inside the thick fabric. Her hands were halted by a larger pair quickly grabbing them, however, as the voice shouted, “Whoa, whoa! Miss! There’s no need to get undressed!”

Her eyes finally opened enough to see a blushing, wide-eyed man around thirty years old staring down at her in shock and embarrassment.

“Please,” she whimpered, struggling weakly against his grip. “I’m burning up.”

His cheeks turned a dangerous shade of scarlet at her needy tone, and he looked away, clearly uncomfortable. “Are you at least wearing something underneath?” he choked out.

A tiny smile lifted the corner of her lips. It seemed her savior was either a gentleman or just incredibly shy. Good thing she’d had the foresight to wear a sports bra and shorts under the jumpsuit. “Uh huh. Please, I just…I need it off.”

“Ok. I’ll…help you undress, then.”

She audibly moaned in relief when the cool air touched her sweaty skin. Invigorated, she managed to peel the whole uniform off, a satisfied smile coming to her face as her temperature finally dropped. It was like jumping into a cool lagoon on the hottest day of the year, banishing the wretched layer of stifling humidity that had trapped her.

No longer panicking or burning up, Nami’s mind at last cleared enough to realize what she’d done. She’d managed to disobey every order Law’d given her—she ran off on her own, ditched her companions, and removed the uniform. She was in so much trouble when he found her.

She didn’t disillusion herself with the idea that he wouldn’t. Law’s abilities could let him scan the whole island and teleport her back to his ship in an instant if he wanted. It’s not like she could escape Grimm, either—she had no boat, no crew, and no real idea where to go, and she was smart enough to know he’d still probably spend his days searching for her, if for no other reason than she’d attacked his crew.

Oh, damn, I hope they’re alright, she thought, burying her face in her hands. Her wind attacks weren’t deadly, but accidents happened, and she really couldn’t remember exactly what she’d done in her panic. What if it had been strong enough to trip Ikkaku and crack her skull open on the street? What if it knocked Shachi over and re-broke his arm? What if it sent Bepo stumbling back into a stray, sharp piece of wood, impaling a vital organ? Nami might have been scared, but she’d never forgive herself if she’d brought any harm to them.

An awkward cough caught her attention, and forcing the dark possibilities that she’d killed her friends from her mind, Nami distracted herself by finally giving her savior a proper look.

Even sitting down, the man was large. About Bepo’s height by her estimate and as muscular as Smoker, he had a hooked nose, X-shaped scar across his chin, and blue eyes that stood out starkly against the black domino mask and the shadow cast by his pointed, plumed hat. His ginger hair was a few shades darker than hers, with thick sideburns framing his chiseled, lantern jaw. Nearly his entire outfit was made of midnight blue leather, from his gloves to his thigh-high boots to his bolero. Clipped to his broad shoulders was a long cape, also blue but lined with burgundy red on the inside. His chest was exposed, showcasing the enormous X tattoo adorning his torso, and at his side were two massive weapons—a saber and what appeared to be the lovechild of a mace and an axe.

That’s “Red Flag” X Drake, Nami realized, the Supernova’s wanted poster instantly popping into her head. He wasn’t quite as notoriously sadistic or infamously violent as Law or Eustass Kid, but it was easy to remember a pirate who’d defected from the Marines. She’d assumed he’d headed off to the New World like the others, but perhaps he was like Law and thought it better to wait things out?

“Are you feeling better?” he asked, deliberately keeping his eyes on her face.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Th-thanks for the h-help,” she replied with a stammer, desperately trying to convince her heart there was no need to panic again. Of course, her instincts knew better; X Drake was a pirate on the Grand Line and a Supernova at that. His bounty was even higher than Law’s, and probably for good reason. She was alone with him in a back alley with no crew to back her up, whether Straw Hat or Heart Pirate. A woman with her limited combat prowess stood a snowball’s chance in hell against him in a fight, and he was big enough to crush her throat with one hand if he wanted to.

Yet…he seemed nervous. The redness had faded from his face, but there was still a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. His posture seemed casual at first glance, but she could see the subtle tension in his neck and shoulders. Most noticeably, he was doing his damnedest not to look anywhere below her chin, even though his greater height gave him an excellent view of her exposed cleavage.

Drake was a rival pirate and former rear-admiral of the Navy, but she got the feeling that if she really needed to, she could easily escape by flashing him.

“Good to hear, though I really don’t think you should be stripping around here, and especially not asking strange men to help you. Most might consider it an…invitation,” he said, awkwardly scratching his jaw as he glanced away, blushing harder at the thought.

A small smile curved her lips. Yup, he was definitely trying not to stare at her half-naked body. Who would have thought a man as infamous as X Drake would be so bashful? “But not you?”

“I prefer my invitations to be enthusiastic and explicit,” was his stiff reply as he leaned against the wall beside her. Nami didn’t miss the brief, almost guilty glances he stole at her from the corner of his eye, though. “And certainly not from a woman in the midst of a panic attack.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said with a wink. She was feeling much more clear-headed and like her normal self now that her brain wasn’t being cooked, and the knowledge that X Drake had such an easily exploited weakness to her body made her relax. “Why do you carry around mikan perfume, anyway?”

The pink tips of his ears deepened. “It’s not perfume; it’s orange extract. During my time in the Marines, I had many comrades who suffered PTSD or panic attacks, and aromatherapy has been proven to be good for reducing anxiety—particularly citrus scents. I rarely experience them myself anymore, but it’s still useful during periods of extreme stress. Seemed to be rather effective on you,” he said with a raised eyebrow before quickly glancing away.

Taking pity on him, Nami drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them so he wasn’t given such a shameless view of her bountiful chest. “I grew up in a mikan grove. The smell reminds me of home.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, a look of understanding softening his stern features. “Does it? No wonder, then.” He handed her the bottle. “Dab a little under your nose and rub some on your hands—better safe than sorry.”

Gratefully she did so, relishing the refreshing, familiar scent of her favorite fruit. “Thanks. Guess I’m lucky you’re the one who stumbled across me, huh?”

“I’ll say. I was passing by when I saw you running like the Devil himself was after you. Piqued my curiosity, and I suppose not all of my Marine training has left me; simply had to help a damsel in distress.”

She chuckled, though it turned into a soft moan of relief as the bare skin of her back pressed against the cool brick behind her.

Drake’s brow furrowed as he looked her over critically. “You really shouldn’t sit around half-dressed out here, you know.”

“Because of men without invitations?”

“Because it’s far too cold to be walking around in so little, and with the sheen of sweat on your skin, you’re at a high risk of getting hypothermia.”

Nami stubbornly shook her head, though she frowned at the feeling of the damp ends of her hair against her bare shoulders. “Honestly, that damn jumpsuit was so hot, freezing to death sounds like a dream come true right now.”

“Yes, but I’m sure your crew would be quite distraught to find out you’d died in such an ignoble way.”

She stiffened at the mention of her crew. Was he talking about the Heart Pirates or Straw Hats? “Yeah, fair enough. I just really don’t want to get back in that thing,” she replied, toe nudging the boiler suit disdainfully.

Drake scoffed in agreement. “Considering whose emblem is on it, I don’t blame you.” Standing, he hoisted her to her feet as if she weighed nothing. Now Nami could see just how tall he was, completely towering over her. She thought he might get all flustered again as her cleavage was once more on display, but his intense blue eyes were fixed upon the swirling tattoo on her shoulder. “I must say, I’m surprised—I didn’t believe the outlandish rumors that Cat Thief Nami had joined the Heart Pirates, even after Jinzo started babbling about why he didn’t have my money. I figured he was just making excuses. And yet, here you are.”

She stiffened. Well, now she knew who the broker’s next appointment was supposed to have been. “Ah. I’m guessing he was mad?”

A red eyebrow quirked, and his lips twitched upwards in amusement. “He was quite vocal about what he hoped to do to you for costing him so much belli. You’re lucky I found you instead of any of his men. A woman by herself is already taking a great risk wandering around in these back alleys—even more so when she’s made an enemy of the island’s most unscrupulous black market broker.”

She gulped at the implication. Damn, Law really was right, wasn’t he? If someone other than Drake had come across her while she was helpless on the ground…

“Well, I appreciate the rescue,” she squeaked, deciding it was time to head back to the Polar Tang. Glancing up and down the alley, she tried to recall her steps. She’d pretty much run blindly through the alleyways, but she was certain her natural sense of direction could get her back to the docks. Sure, Law would be mad at her for running off, but he was a hell of a lot safer than Jinzo. She shivered at the memory of the man’s hateful stare as Law had led her away, certain she’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble if she ran into him in the grungy alley.

Mistaking her shiver for the cold finally getting to her, Drake unclipped his cape, wrapping it around her shoulders with a flourish, bundling her in tightly. “There. It would be a shame for you to die of exposure before I got you back to the ship.”

A small whine escaped the back of her throat as she was engulfed by the thick fabric, once more feeling stifled and too hot. She struggled to escape the long cloak, but he only wrapped her up tighter.

“Let me go,” so moaned pathetically, face once more flushing as her heart sped up. The material was softer than the boiler suit, but it was still heavy and suffocating, and Drake’s lingering body heat in the fibers made it worse. “It’s too hot!”

“Miss Nami, unless you’ve recently eaten some sort of fire-based Devil Fruit, I can’t imagine how you could be anything but freezing,” he said with a stern frown. “I understand you’re afraid of me, and with good reason, but I won’t hurt you if you come quietly. I’m not in the business of harming hostages unless absolutely necessary.”

“Hostages?”

A hint of a sly smirk tugged at his lips. “I confess, I am a bit miffed at you for causing Jinzo to reschedule on me—he owes me a lot of belli, and I was hoping to be off this damn island by now. Kidnapping you is not only cathartic, but profitable; your bounty’s hardly worth turning you in for, but perhaps Jinzo might make me a better offer. Or I could put your skills to use in exchange for your eventual freedom. After all, your thieving skills are quite notorious, and Trafalgar must have recruited you for a reason.”

Oh no. The last thing she needed was to be the slave of another pirate captain. “Um, how about you ransom me to Law?” she suggested hopefully. “I’m sure he could pay whatever you were going to ask Jinzo, and then some!” Angry as the Surgeon of Death might be about her running off and getting kidnapped, surely he’d be able to rescue her if he knew X Drake had her, right? It’d be easy with his powers, and there’d be no need to buy her back when he could snatch her away with a flick of his fingers.

There was a brief, angry flash of sharp fangs as he growled, “Because the less I have to interact with that smarmy bastard, the happier I’ll be. Don’t think I don’t see through your little scheme; why would he pay when his powers can easily steal you back? Besides that, I’ll be damned if I let that ingrate gain an extra advantage by poaching Straw Hat’s thief.”

“Let me go!” she cried. Drake’s sudden switch from surprisingly helpful to a legitimate threat to her well-being demanded she pull together what little energy she had and escape. The problem was she was running on fumes and in the clutches of an eight-foot-tall former Marine whose bicep was thicker than her waist and could probably crush her skull with one hand like a rotten apple if he desired. Fighting was definitely out, and with the way he’d swaddled her in his cloak, she couldn’t even flash him like she’d planned.

Desperate, Nami attempted to wiggle out of the heavy fabric, but he grabbed the collar and tugged her close, looming over her threateningly.

“Don’t bother trying to run—even if you did somehow get away, you’re covered in both my scent and the citrus oil.” For a moment, his eyes shifted, harsh, reptilian yellow overtaking the blue, and he took a deep breath through his nose. “In a rancid cesspool like this, I’d hunt you down easily. If you come quietly, I promise you will be treated well; perhaps even invited to join my crew, if you play your cards right. If you resist, I’ll have to switch the orange extract for chloroform, and the next time you wake up, you’ll be in Jinzo’s possession.”

Once more, her heart began to race, but thankfully her mind wasn’t overcome yet with memories and panic. “Look, I…I’m sorry if I accidentally caused you trouble, but Jinzo’s a cheapskate who’d rather kill you to get me than actually pay. And if what you’re worried about is my alliance with Law, it’s just a temporary partnership! I don’t even like the guy!”

“Nobody likes Trafalgar; he’s a sadistic asshole.” A massive arm wrapped around her tiny waist and he hoisted her up so her feet dangled above the ground, pressing her against his scorching chest. “And if that’s truly the case, then you have even less reason to resist—think of it as a rescue.”

“From the way things look, the only one she needs to be saved from is you, Drake-ya.”

A blue aura surrounded them, and in an instant Nami was out of Drake’s grasp and firmly in Law’s, one tattooed arm wrapping possessively around her bare midriff while the other leaned Kikoku casually on his shoulder. Hard plains of muscle pressed against her back, and she could feel his sharp chin rest on the top of her head.

Nami’s body was tense, but not as much as it had been with Drake. Some of it had to do with the essential oil keeping her calm and the cool air once more regulating her temperature, but it was mostly because, dangerous as he was, Law was the devil she knew. No matter how pissed he might be at her disobedience, he would protect her; she was his property, right? Arlong had certainly punished her for her misdeeds against him, but he’d never allowed anyone not on his crew lay so much as a hand on her.

Pirates didn’t like other people touching their things, after all.

“Been a while, Drake-ya,” Law’s smooth voice caressed her ears. “Making a move on my Cat Thief, I see. How’s that going so far? Have you told her how many people you’ve killed? I’m sure that always impresses the ladies.”

“Trafalgar,” Drake spat, glaring disdainfully between the empty cape in his hand and the man standing ten feet away. “I’m quite certain the woman belongs to Straw Hat, not you.”

“Hmmm, normally, but since I was nice enough to save his life, I thought it was only fair that he let me borrow her while he trains.” Law chuckled and Nami felt his nose playfully nuzzle her temple as his hand slid up to splay just beneath her breast. “You know I’ve got a thing for feisty gingers.”

The former Marine snorted in response as he donned his cloak. “Well, since she’s apparently the reason Jinzo had to reschedule our appointment, I think it’s only fair that I ‘borrow’ her for a while as recompense.”

“Sorry, she and I have dinner plans tonight. Besides, I did you a favor—he’s not as good as Kimo when it comes to honoring deals. Had the nerve to try and give me less than a third of our agreed-on price. If it hadn’t been for my little kitten here, you’d be trying to negotiate with a corpse.”

Hearing Law call her “kitten” made Nami shudder, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It felt disturbingly familiar somehow and made the hairs on the back of her neck rise as goosebumps rippled across her skin.

Drake crossed his arms, unimpressed. “Jinzo’s unscrupulous scum, but he owes me money. Money that your ‘little kitten’ managed to swindle from him, the way he tells it.”

“If he’d brought the amount Kimo had agreed to pay me, I wouldn’t have needed her uncanny haggling skills.” Law cocked his head to the side. “Out of curiosity, how much does he owe you?”

“600 million belli.”

“He only had 725 million on him for his four scheduled deals, and he only planned to pay me 200 million. So even if his other clients were working for free, he had no intention of paying your asking price.” He let out a wry chuckle. “The man must have a death wish, looking to cheat two Supernovas in one day.”

Drake swore under his breath. “Fine. If he won’t pay me properly, I’ll just have to wring his neck and take the money from him. But considering how you still ruined my plans to leave this wretched place on schedule, I’m ruining your dinner plans. Now hand the Cat Thief over,” he growled, gripping the hilt of his saber. “I have a greater need for her than you.”

The nodachi on Law’s shoulder shifted in response. “Look, not that I’m opposed to you getting laid—anything to get the stick out of your ass—but Nami-ya’s mine.” The woman in question could practically hear Law’s smirk as he continued, “Why don’t you try the brothel the next street over? I’m sure the lovely ladies there will be happy to service your ‘needs’ for the right price.”

Drake gaped for a moment before sputtering, “I’m not looking to sleep with her!”

“Now don’t be bashful, Drake-ya! Sexual urges are completely healthy and natural, and I certainly don’t blame you for wanting a sexy redhead. Hell, maybe she can finally help you ditch your V-card.”

“You know I’m not a virgin!” he snapped, face flushing dark red in humiliation a second later as he realized precisely what he’d said.

Law’s grin widened, more than happy to take advantage of the slip. “Oh yeah—I do, don’t I? Never imagined I’d get to tame a dinosaur, but anything’s possible on the Grand Line, right?”

Nami’s jaw dropped as her cheeks heated. Holy crap, Law and Drake? Together?! She had so many questions.

“You didn’t ‘tame’ me,” Drake growled as he forced himself to calm down, though his ears still burned to match his ginger hair.

“Oh? So you’d let any man ride you? Slut.”

Maybe it was her imagination, but Nami swore she could feel Law’s erection against her lower back. Was he seriously getting turned on by this? She began to feel warm again as her own arousal spiked, much to her irritation. Could anyone blame her, though? Drake was not an unattractive man, and the mental image of him and Law battling for dominance in the bedroom was certainly titillating.

“Trafalgar,” he snarled, eyes morphing into their yellow, reptilian state, “either you hand over the woman right now or—”

“Or what? You’ll take her from me? Sorry, Drake-ya, but you know what a possessive bastard I am. I found her first, so she’s mine.”

“I don’t see your name on her,” he said petulantly.

Law spared the woman in his arms a small glare. “She’s a crafty kitten that likes to slip her leash sometimes, but I’m happy to stake my claim here and now.” A tattooed hand cupped her breast as her rolled his hips against her ass. There was no mistake what he had in mind. “Feel free to watch—you might learn something.”

There he went calling her “kitten” again, and his shameless groping nearly made Nami choke. She’d grown used to his flirting and suggestive touches, but he’d never been this blatant! Hell, compared to this, he’d been downright chaste when they’d made out in the mansion hall and when he’d given her that hickey! Was it his weird form of punishing her for running off? Or was it just to mess with Drake? Law certainly seemed to enjoy riling the other pirate up, but did he need to go so far as to threaten to fuck her in front of him to scare Drake away?

More importantly, would that even work? Law’d basically been putting her scantily clad figure on display for him throughout the entire conversation, but Drake didn’t seem nearly as flustered as he’d been when it had just been the two of them. Maybe Law’s insults and innuendos had distracted him enough to look past Nami’s full breasts and sensual curves before, but the way he was looking at her now…

It was similar to the hungry gaze Law sometimes gave her, only more feral. Animalistic. And she wasn’t fully sure if it was directed at her, the Surgeon of Death, or both.

Whichever it was, Law was playing a dangerous game of chicken, and if Drake snapped, she was the one caught in the middle.

The idea that the argument might morph into a violent, sexual brawl made Nami renew her struggles. “Will you both quit fucking talking about me like I’m some stupid toy you’re fighting over?!” she snapped, twisting and writhing in Law’s arms. “If you want to measure dicks, go ahead; just leave me out of it!”

Both men seemed momentarily taken aback by her outburst, though Law recovered quickly enough to tighten his arm around her waist. The sheathed nodachi pressed threateningly to her bare throat, saying without words that she was dancing on thin ice, and Nami reluctantly stilled. Out of the corner of her eye she saw gold eyes narrow at her defiance before his expression morphed back into a cocky smirk. “See, Drake-ya? This little kitten’s way too feisty for you to handle.”

“I only hope she scratches your eyes out,” he countered, though he did back off slightly, his eyes returning to normal. Ignoring his rival, he addressed the Cat Thief directly, though it was obvious her bare skin distracted him. “Miss Nami, I’m sure with Straw Hat missing you’re only associating yourself with Trafalgar out of desperation. However, I can assure you that you can do far better than this psychopath.”

Before she could answer, the alley was once more engulfed in blue, and Nami groaned as she found herself redressed in the Heart Pirate uniform. Behind her, Law sneered, “Maybe she can, but she’s paying off Straw Hat’s life debt to me, so she’s mine until her contract is up. I might be willing to lend her to you in exchange for a few favors, but that’s something you negotiate with me—not her.”

The jumpsuit was hot, uncomfortably damp with sweat, and combined with Law’s arms wrapped tightly around her, even more suffocating than before. Nami’s heart was once more beginning to race, chest rising and falling hard as she fought to draw breath. It wasn’t as bad as before due to the essential oil still lingering under her nose, but her body was slowly reverting back into fight or flight mode.

Tension rose as the two pirates glared at each other, neither noticing nor caring about the woman’s distress.

Pulling off a leather glove, Drake’s hand shifted into a reptilian claw before their eyes. Flexing his talons menacingly, he growled, “A debt, huh? Well, if I kill you right now, that should clear any debt away and she’ll be free to do as she pleases. How about it, Miss Nami? Agree to help me strip Jinzo of every last belli he’s ever earned, and I’ll be happy to tear Trafalgar’s head off.”

“You threaten that every time, Drake-ya, and yet the only ‘head’ you’ve ever gotten—”

“Law, please, let me go,” Nami cut in, desperate to gain some breathing space and shed the jumpsuit like a snake would its skin. His body heat made it even worse, managing to seep through the dense canvas into her back, and his hot breath at her ear sizzled the damp skin. Despite the lingering smell of citrus, her pulse fluttered, anxiety strumming her veins like guitar strings.

“Stay right there,” the dark doctor rasped, Kikoku dropping to press against her waist while his free hand slid up to wrap threateningly around her throat, “or I really will put a collar on you.” Glancing back up at the former Marine, Law flashed a dangerous smile. “You know, Drake-ya, there’s no reason we can’t all get along. Hell, why don’t you join my crew? The pay’s good, and I wouldn’t mind my very own pet Allosaurus.”

Drake’s mouth twisted in a deep scowl, though Nami didn’t miss the way his eyes briefly dropped to Law’s hand as it trailed down to trace the Heart Pirate logo on her chest. “I’m no one’s pet, least of all yours.”

“You say that now, but I think you’d enjoy it—I know I would. Two sexy, fiery redheads, naked in my bed is pretty much my ultimate fantasy. I’d even let you help me train Nami-ya—she needs to learn obedience, but I know you’ve got no trouble following orders, eh, Navy-boy?”

For a moment, Drake’s eyes lingered on them, and she swore it looked like he was considering it, especially when Law nipped her ear, making her gasp, her chest expanding upwards as her cheeks deepened to an obscene shade of scarlet. She could imagine she looked like a wet dream; sweaty hair tousled, face flushed, cleavage peeking out of the jumpsuit’s opening, lips parted as she panted lightly. Law probably looked just as tempting, with his inviting golden stare, dexterous fingers, and wicked smirk.

Law was absolutely giving an enthusiastic and explicit invitation, and both pirates had shown that Nami’s opinion on the matter was a mere afterthought.

The man behind her shifted, and this time she was positive she could feel the Dark Doctor’s cock straining against her. “Law, please,” she whimpered, sweat breaking out across her brow.

“Mmm, much as I love hearing you beg, Nami-ya, you’re just going to have to be patient. Unless you want to put on a show for Drake-ya?” Long fingers pinched the tab of her zipper, slowly pulling it down to expose more of her cleavage. “Give him a taste of what he could have if he joins us?”

That seemed to snap Drake out of whatever lustful trance Law had lured him into, as his face went bright red and his scowl returned. “Ugh, you’re a disgusting cretin, Trafalgar. I’m not subjecting myself to your presence any longer.” Tipping his plumed hat, he spun on his heel. “If you ever come to your senses and decide to ditch this sadistic bastard, Miss Nami, feel free to seek me out.”

“Damn. I was hoping he’d try to call my bluff,” Law chuckled as the tall redhead disappeared down an alley. “I’d love to show him how I discipline disobedient kittens when they run off.”

“You’ve got the weirdest kinks!” she snapped, struggling desperately in his arms. The moist jumpsuit rubbed unpleasantly against her bare skin like wet sandpaper. The sensation finally brought to light why Law’s new nickname made her so uncomfortable—Arlong had often referred to her as a kitten. Usually as a term of affection, but also a way to further show how little he thought of her species, that he regarded animals typically kept as pets as more worthy of his respect than humans. “Let me go—I’m not your kitten!”

Law released her long enough to spin her around and start walking her backwards with slow, sure strides, gold eyes drilling into hers. “And yet it’s the most accurate description I can think of—you’re a clueless little kitten who has no self-preservation skills likely to get ripped apart by wild dogs!” With a thump her back hit the rough brick wall, but any relief the cool stone might have provided was short-lived as Law pressed his entire body against her front to trap her. “Ditching the uniform was bad enough, but running off on your own? Making a scene in public and attacking your crew? If you were even half as smart as you claim to be, you never would have taken such a stupid risk.”

“I wasn’t thinking—”

“Damn right you weren’t thinking!” he snapped. “I don’t care if you think the uniform’s ugly or uncomfortable, when I give you an order, you obey it!”

“It’s just clothes!”

“If it were just clothes, you wouldn’t have been the one to make it such a huge fucking deal! The fact that you couldn’t follow such a basic order proves you can’t be trusted.” Without breaking eye contact, he reached down, dragging the zipper up to her neck and buttoning the collar so not an inch of flesh south of her chin was exposed. “Now, unless you want me to make good on my threat to discipline you, you’re going to leave that as it is. You managed to punt any leniency I had for your bratty antics right out the window. We’re going back to the ship, where you will be confined for the foreseeable future. If I have to, I’ll chain you to a desk where you’ll spend the rest of the year drawing maps and sea charts for me.”

Her eyes widened at the threat. It was far too much like her dream; like what she’d gone through with Arlong. Panic made her adrenalin spike, and with ever less ventilation than before, the temperature inside the suit rose further. “Please, Law, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t—”

Furious that she was still trying to argue, his voice was as hard and biting as ice as he said, “I’m not interested in excuses, Nami-ya. You disobeyed me, and even more damning, you attacked my crew. I told you when we first met that I’d make you suffer if you brought any harm to them, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“I didn’t mean to! They were threatening me!” she simpered, trying to pull away, but like the man pressed to her front, the wall at her back wasn’t going to relent for the sake of a small, terrified woman.

“Threatening you? Ikkaku, Bepo, and Shachi? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable,” he snorted, grabbing her left arm in a bruising grip when she tried to unzip the uniform.

“They wanted to tattoo me! To brand me as your property!” Unconsciously she clutched her shoulder, fingers digging into the scars left by her old tattoo. “I couldn’t let them do that to me. Not again.”

“And why would they want to do that?” he asked sarcastically. “Convince me before I cut out your slanderous tongue.”

“So that I couldn’t escape. So that no matter where I went or how I tried to hide, everyone would see that I’m yours,” she whispered, eyes dulling as she recalled the judgmental glares the villagers would give her every time they saw Arlong’s tattoo. Even if it had all been an act, they had cut deeply at the time, and even now she felt overwhelming shame.

Tsking in irritation, he finally gave her a few inches of space. “You make it sound like I’ve enslaved you—you’re the one who came to me, demanding the I let you settle Mugiwara’s debt. What we have is a deal; join my crew until it’s paid off. But it’s pretty hard to do that if Drake-ya or others make off with you, isn’t it? So if I have to make you wear a uniform or even tattoo my mark onto you, so be it.”

Nami’s mind clouded, fear firmly taking hold. She and Arlong had had a deal, too, and he’d used every dirty trick imaginable to deny his cartographer her freedom. What made Law any different? How did she know he’d keep his word and let her leave at the end of the year? What was stopping him from chaining her up and keeping her as a pet, from basically enslaving her even as he called her a valued shipmate?

It was too hot, her flesh felt like it was melting off her bones, blood was pounding in her ears, her scars throbbed, and her vision grew hazy as she began to hyperventilate. In her mind, Law and Arlong shifted and blended together, and trapped and scared against her monstrous captain, panic finally overwhelmed her.

“I’m not your fucking property!” she screeched, slamming her fists against his chest, nails attempting to claw at his face like a caged animal. Unwilling to let her gouge his eyes out, he grabbed her by the wrists, pinning her to the wall with his full body weight. “Get off of me! I’m not your fucking shipmate, or your kitten, or anything! I’d sooner die than let you use me again! I hate you!”

“Will you calm the fuck down?! What is your problem—” Law snapped, but his anger shifted to concern as he felt just how sweltering her skin had become and how erratic her pulse was. The last dregs of irritation vanished as he finally allowed himself to carefully study her, taking in her flushed and sweaty face, unfocused gaze, and shallow wheezes.

His brow furrowed as he stepped back, surrounding her with his Room and quickly Scanning her.

“Fuck,” her bit out under his breath. “So that’s your problem. Nami-ya, close your eyes.”

“Why the fuck should I do that?!” she screamed, attempting to dart to the side, but her escape route was swiftly blocked.

“Because this’ll be a lot less traumatizing if you don’t watch what I’m about to do.” When her eyes widened further, he smacked his forehead, annoyed at himself for his poor wording. “It’s the birth control medication I injected you with—you’re having a bad reaction to it. The chemical imbalance is giving you a massive panic attack, and the stress is causing you to overheat, which is slowly frying your brain. I need to remove the drug from your system, and considering how squeamish you are, I can promise, you’re not going to want to see how.”

“I…”

His expression turned desperate as he beseeched, “Nami-ya, please, I know it goes against your every instinct right now, but I need you to trust me.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, forcing herself to close her eyes as tightly as possible and hold still despite her legs trembling with the urge to run. He was right; she needed to trust him. Law wasn’t asking as her captain, but as her doctor. He wouldn’t hurt her any more than Chopper would. He was trying to save her, and she needed to have faith that anything he did was for her own good.

“Room. Shambles.”

A strange sensation overcame her. It was almost like she was floating, and while she could still feel her individual body parts, it was…dull and disjointed, almost numbed, like when your foot falls asleep and you wiggle your toes.

Then came another odd feeling. The closest she could compare it to was what she imagined it would feel like to be a sugar cube slowly dissolving in a glass of water, but the heat and adrenaline slowly vanished, and bit by bit, her heart began to slow to a normal pace.

When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on the ground, the sweaty uniform in a neat pile by her leg. Law knelt before her, studying her face and body intently. His mouth was a hard line and his gold eyes cautious as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“…cold.”

With a relieved chuckle, he pulled off his hoodie and carefully slipped it over her head. “Well, better than heat stroke and cardiac arrest.” He sighed, giving an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry the drug fucked you up so badly. I must have gotten the ratio off. I can’t even remember if I’d informed you of the potential side effects. At the very least, I shouldn’t have administered it when I was functioning on so little sleep—it was irresponsible of me as a doctor.”

Gratefully, Nami slipped her arms into the long sleeves, soaking in the residual body heat in the soft fabric. The sweatshirt was long enough to be a mini-dress on her, and she very nearly tucked her legs inside to block out the chilly air. Her skin was slick with sweat, and the cold air and stone beneath her was leeching the heat from her body. Now she understood why Drake had been so concerned about her lack of clothes. “It’s my own fault. I should have told you I was feeling weird. I just figured it was my body needing time to adapt and me being stressed about…stuff.”

The skin beneath the DEATH tattoos went white as Law gripped Kikoku harder. “No, it isn’t alright—I should have demanded a follow-up appointment to check how you were doing instead of putting my focus on fucking fertilizer. And I definitely should have noticed there was something wrong with you—you were literally having a panic attack in front of me, but I was too stubborn to acknowledge it.”

“Law, I know my body—I should have realized there was something wrong with me. And you were a little…distracted.”

“So, we’re both idiots, then?”

Nami couldn’t help the wry smile that tugged at her lips. “Guess so.” She glanced over at the jumpsuit. Part of her was nearly tempted to put it on due to how cold she suddenly felt, but one touch of the sweat-sodden fabric quickly changed her mind. “Look, I get that I don’t have much of a right to ask, but do I still have to wear this?”

Law frowned at the damp uniform. “Not until it’s been laundered and properly dried, at least. I’m taking you back to the ship regardless—I want to run some tests to be sure the birth control is completely out of your system, and you’re staying in the infirmary overnight for observation.”

“Yeah, makes sense,” she said sadly as the familiar blue aura overtook them. In a blink they were in the Polar Tang’s infirmary, their sudden appearance making Penguin jump from his place at the desk.

“Law! You found her!”

He tossed Kikoku to the first mate before hoisting Nami onto the examination table. “Yeah, but I’m going to need you to run some blood tests for me and fetch some clothes and toiletries from her room—she’s sleeping in here tonight for observation.”

Penguin nodded before rushing out the door, barely giving the navigator’s lack of uniform a second glance. Meanwhile, Law strode over to the cabinets, pulling out blankets, pillows, and towels. “What other symptoms have you been having?”

Rubbing her arms, Nami replied, “Nightmares and trouble sleeping, but that’s it.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?”

“I should.”

“Good, then I won’t give you a sedative. I’m not risking putting anything else in your bloodstream until I’m 100% sure what caused your reaction.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, “for removing the drug. And…not making me watch how you did it.” Law was sadistic and cruel, but that moment of compassion spoke volumes of how much he cared about a patient’s well-being. It was a fascinating juxtaposition—the doctor and the pirate. One that made her respect for him rise a little.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for trusting me.” He gave a small smirk as he handed her the supplies. “Assuming there are no lingering side effects I should be able to declare you well enough to go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

Her head shot up in surprise. “You still want to do that? Even after I attacked your crew? After I tried to claw your eyes out?” Good God, she expected Luffy to be that forgiving, not the Surgeon of Death!

“You did it under the effects of a drug that I improperly administered—I have no one to blame but myself. Plus, I already made reservations.” At her disbelieving expression, he shrugged. “Honestly, Ikkaku, Shachi, and Bepo weren’t even mad; they were more scared something would happen to you.”  

“Really?”

“Really. I was the one who was pissed.”

Draping a blanket over her cold legs, she snorted. “Clearly. Would you have really made good on your threat?”

“Which one?”

Unconsciously, her hand fisted the blanket. “Chaining me to a desk and forcing me to make maps for you.”

“That’s the one you’re most worried about?” he asked, bewildered.

“Let’s just say it’s something that would have happened to me if Luffy hadn’t intervened.”

Law’s brow furrowed when she didn’t elaborate, and he crossed his arms in irritation. “You’re welcome to your secrets and privacy, Nami-ya, but considering how you very nearly clawed my eyes out over it, you’re going to have to give a better answer than that. I can’t know what will trigger you if you don’t tell me.”

“Maybe I’m not comfortable with someone like you knowing my weaknesses.” She shot him a glare. “You seemed to take a lot of creepy pleasure in threatening to put a collar on me, among other things.”

The brim of his hat cast a shadow across his eyes as he scowled. “I’m a sadistic bastard—I’ve never hidden this. But I was trying to scare you into compliance, not give you a panic attack.”

“Either way, it doesn’t exactly inspire me to trust you.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. In the harsh light of the infirmary, the circles under his eyes seemed even more pronounced. “Nami-ya, I’m sorry I went too far. I was angry and keyed up from dealing with Drake-ya.”

A scoff and a roll of her eyes was Nami’s immediate response. “Yeah, sure, ‘keyed up’. Personally, I would have gone with ‘horny as hell’.” She blushed slightly at the thought. Looking back on it, that moment had felt like something from one of her raunchier novels. And she really needed to not imagine what the two Supernovas would be like together. Who would top? Drake was certainly the larger man, but she had a hard time picturing Law being submissive, control freak that he was….

She shook herself from her musings as Law responded, removing his hat to run a hand through his dark hair, “We have…history. Generally when we meet, we either try to kill each other or fuck. In such close quarters and with you as a liability, I didn’t trust my chances if it came to a fight, so yeah, I fully leaned into the sexual tension.”

After the day she’d had, Nami should have been immune, but she couldn’t help but appreciate how hot he looked when he mussed his hair like that. Her blush deepened as she glanced away. “Well, you should have left me out of it.”

“Drake-ya’s shy with women. I knew he’d turn tail and run if I got you involved.”

Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t quite argue his logic, mostly because it was completely fucked up. “Bullshit; you were totally hoping for a threesome. You are seriously such a freak. Next time, just teleport us out of there.”

“He was talking about kidnapping you,” Law countered, leaning in and resting his hands on either side of her thighs. His breath tickled her face as he continued, “I needed to make sure he knew you were completely off-limits.”

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned back slightly. “I thought we established that I’m not your property?”

“Nami-ya, that’s the way it is—if you’re not strong enough to protect yourself, you’re the property of someone who was strong enough to claim you.” For a brief moment, his eyes softened, getting a faraway look as he lifted his hand to gently brush his knuckles across her jaw. “I know you hate it, but for now, accept that it’s the only way to protect you from the monsters of the world. Because believe me; there are men far worse than me who’d love to get their hands on you. Men who don’t have my limits.”

Her breath caught at his gentle action, and Law seemed to snap out of his reverie, quickly pulling away to grab her chart from the filing cabinet. “Penguin should be back soon to draw some blood and examine you. I need to tell the rest of the crew you’re back, safe and sound. You’re still confined to the ship until dinner tomorrow as punishment for worrying everyone.” Without looking at her, he tossed her chart on the desk and left, all but slamming the door behind him.

Wide, brown eyes stared at the metal barricade in shock. What was that about? Where had that flash of softness come from? Was he seriously running off because of a moment of…what? Kindness? Affection? Concern?

It seemed like every time she thought she had Trafalgar Law figured out, he had to do something to completely throw her.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a brisk knock on the door.

“Come in,” she called hesitantly.

Penguin stuck his head inside, little stuffed bird on his hat bobbing slightly. “You ok?”

Tugging at the black sleeves of Law’s sweatshirt, she sighed. “Fine, I guess. Managed to not get kidnapped by X Drake, thanks to your captain.”

“You ran into Drake? My condolences.”

“He was actually pretty nice up until he decided to take me hostage.”

Penguin chuckled as he tugged on a pair of latex gloves, grabbing her chart and the medical supplies he needed. “No, the condolences are for having to watch him and Law interact. It’s been going on since we were terrorizing the North Blue, back when Drake was tasked with bringing us down. The boss is not subtle when he hits on him, and Drake’s usually a coin flip between trying to kill him and pinning him against a wall. Makes things super uncomfortable for the rest of us.”

His look of exasperation drew an easy laugh from the redhead. “Yeah, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Law all but proposed a threesome.”

“Unfortunately, I believe it,” he groused as he rolled up the sleeve of the hoodie to expose Nami’s arm. Swabbing a patch of skin with a sterilized cotton ball, he continued, “I’m not sure if Drake brings out his kinky side or if he just did it to mess with you two. Probably both. Boss has a thing for gingers.”

“Then why doesn’t he hit on Shachi?”

“Oh, he did, briefly, when we were teens, but once he realized Shachi wasn’t into dudes, he backed off.”

“Dare I ask how Law found out Drake was interested?”

Penguin threw her a teasing wink. “You’re gonna have to get me seriously drunk to tell that story; I’ve worked damn hard to repress it.”

Nami had to laugh. Though he could be an awkward flirt and sometimes a bit too hard on his crewmates, Penguin was an easy guy to like. He was definitely the big brother of the ship, bullying Shachi and Bepo during downtime but quickly stepping up and making sure they were alright when things got serious.

His mouth turned down in a reluctant frown. “Look, I hate to bring down the mood, but as first mate, I have to know; why’d you run off?”

Averting her eyes, she nervously twisted the blanket in her hands. “What, Shachi didn’t tell you?”

Carefully inserting the syringe into her vein, he began drawing blood. “Figured I’d hear your side of the story before I made my judgement. Law gave me a quick run-down on how the medication gave you a panic attack, but something had to trigger it.”

“You mean besides nearly being cooked to death in that hideous jumpsuit?”

As he removed the needle and taped some gauze to her arm, he gave her a serious, but not unsympathetic, look. “Heat stroke can certainly cause a person to be unreasonable, but Bepo said you were yelling about not being ‘that monster’s property’. I know Law’s not the nicest guy around, especially when compared to Straw Hat, but he hasn’t done anything that would warrant that kind of reaction from you, has he?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing with genuine concern.

Blunt white teeth worried her lower lip. Part of her wanted to say he had—killing Harpin, threatening her, all the things he’d done to earn his reputation—but in reality, she’d seen much worse from other pirates, and he’d done enough halfway decent things—giving money to the jewelry seller, saving her from the Baron, his kindness towards his crew—that she couldn’t even bring herself to lie. “Well, no…”

“You don’t have to spill your life story, Nami; everybody has baggage and things that set them off. Everyone on board cares about you enough that we want you to feel happy and safe, but you need to trust us enough to tell us if we’ve done something to make you uncomfortable.”

She sighed. She may have been able to avoid this talk with Law, but it was clear Penguin wouldn’t be distracted by snarky jabs or petty fights. It was hard to argue with him, too, when it came from a genuine place of concern. And someone should know, right? At least a little bit? Enough to set some boundaries between her and the rest of the Heart Pirates. “Look, I admit, I was being a brat about the uniform, and Law’s stupid medication made things a hundred times worse, but when they started talking about tattooing your Jolly Roger on me…I snapped, ok?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not one of you. You guys aren’t bad—better than most pirates, at least—but you’re not my crew.”

“What’s wrong with getting along with your allies?” he asked as he labeled the vial of blood and jotted a few things onto her chart. Most might think he wasn’t really paying attention to her, but Nami knew by now it was his way of giving her a small bit of space; putting her at ease by not making her feel like she was being scrutinized and judged.

Smoothing the blanket over her legs, she replied, “Nothing. The problem is when they refer to Luffy as my ‘old captain’ and act like I defected from the Straw Hats. I’m here for Luffy’s sake, and in two years, I’m going to be his navigator in the New World. Nothing is going to change that.”

“You’re pretty loyal to him, huh?”

She caught his eye, and with a look that left no room for argument, stated, “If it weren’t for him, my entire village would be dead and I’d still be forced to work for my mother’s murderer. I owe him everything, Penguin. He didn’t recruit me—he freed me.”

The first mate nodded in understanding. “Kind of like how Law freed Jean Bart?”

“You could say that.” She rubbed the spot where Arlong’s mark once lay, fingers absently tracing the scars. “Look, I’m sorry I ran off and worried everyone. I’m really sorry I attacked them. But—I was forced to join a pirate crew when I was ten. They pinned me down and branded me with their Jolly Roger so the whole world would know who I belonged to. I can’t…”

He held up his hand to cut her off. “I get it. Even if it was just a joke, they triggered some bad memories. I’ll tell the crew to ease up on calling you a Heart Pirate, and absolutely no talk of tattooing against your will. But it’s still ok to consider you our shipmate, right? At least for now?”

She gave a watery smile, using Law’s sleeve to wipe moisture from her eyes. Funny, she hadn’t even realized tears had formed. “Yeah. I can live with that.”

Jotting a few more things on her chart, he handed her the fresh set of pajamas and one of the towels. “Good. I’ve gotta go run these tests; go grab a shower in the meantime. I’ll be back in an hour with dinner and to take your vitals, and then you’re going to get a good night’s sleep. Those circles under your eyes don’t make you any less hot, but this ship isn’t big enough for two sleep-deprived, stubborn pirates.”

Despite his light tone, Nami frowned. “You’re going to tell everyone about my past, aren’t you?”

A warm, gentle hand rested on her shoulder, covering up Arlong’s scar. “Not if you don’t want me to; it’s not my place. What you went through…I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t want to murder the bastards who did that to you.” Nami could feel the tension in his fingers and heard his teeth grit in anger. It was clear he’d connected the dots between the scars and her story. “I mean, to brand a fucking child…”

“I’m ok,” she said softly, as much to herself as Penguin. “Luffy freed me. It’ll never happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t.” Taking a deep breath, he pulled away, once more composing himself. “I’ll just tell the crew that you’ve been through some shit in your life, and because of it, you wouldn’t leave Straw Hat any more than we’d leave Law, so we should ease up. They’ll understand.”

“Thank you.”

He gave her hand a quick, comforting squeeze. “You really should tell Law all this, though. You’ve seen how intense he gets, but if he knows he’s opening old wounds, he’ll back off. Guy’s got demons even I’m not privy to, so he’ll respect there are certain lines he shouldn’t cross.”

With a smile, Nami returned the gesture. “You’re probably right. You really are everyone’s big brother around here, huh?”

“I’m the first mate; it’s my job to keep things running smoothly and take care of disputes between shipmates.”

“In that case, could you do me a favor?”

XXX

The next morning Nami was rested, physically feeling better than she had all week, but worried about facing the crew. Despite the affirmations that nobody was upset that she had run off, at least not once they learned it was in response to improperly administered medication, she still felt nervous. Penguin had told them to ease up on treating her like she was part of the crew, but was that a good thing? Would they now treat her like an enemy, or hold her at arm’s length? Was the easy camaraderie she’d started to share with them over, sacrificed for the sake of maintaining her status as a Straw Hat?

However, despite her nerves, she had no reason to skip out on breakfast in the galley. Law had stopped by the infirmary long enough to Scan her and give her a clean bill of health (and also steal back his sweatshirt) while Penguin had come through with her request.

“Think these’ll smooth things over?” she asked the first mate, holding up three wrapped gifts.

Penguin shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think you even needed to go this far—none of them were really angry, and you didn’t injure anybody. But it can’t hurt…though I can’t promise Ikkaku won’t still make you suffer just a little bit; in a way, it shows she cares. It’s when she goes completely cold with a person that you know you’ve fucked up.”

“You know this from experience?”

“When we went to Amazon Lily and most of us went gaga over the women there. I think the fact that we acted like we’d never even seen a woman before really hurt her pride. She’s a tomboy, but she’s still a girl, you know? Probably sucks when every guy on board forgets that. Flat-out wouldn’t talk to anyone but Bepo for a week—hell, the silent treatment ended only a day before you got here!”

The mention of Amazon Lily piqued her interest. Hadn’t Law mentioned they’d been there once? And apparently, it hadn’t been too long before she’d arrived. “Wait, Bepo was the only one she’d talk to? Did Law act like a lovesick idiot, too?” It was hard to imagine, but if the women of the island were as beautiful as stories said, anything was possible.

“No, but he made a pretty stupid comment that rubbed salt in the wound.”

Though Nami was curious as to what Law could have possibly said to piss off Ikkaku, she was forced to push that mystery aside as they’d arrived at the galley.

“Ready?” Penguin asked, watching for any sign of distress from the navigator out of the corner of his eye. Though he honestly felt she had no reason to worry about his crew’s reaction, he wouldn’t force her to confront them if she wasn’t ready.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting the packages in her arms, she nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

The door opened to reveal the rest of the crew sitting at the various tables, sipping coffee and chatting quietly, a few catching up on what they’d missed over the past few weeks from the pile of newspapers. Several of them looked up and greeted her with sleepy hellos, and Nami nodded in acknowledgement, though her attention was mostly focused on the fact that, though there was bacon and eggs and a few rolls, breakfast seemed to mostly consist of assorted fruits.

From his spot at the table Law glanced over his shoulder at her and chuckled at bemused expression. “Morning, Nami-ya. Care for an apple? Winter melon? Kiwi? Apricot? Pomegranate?”

Her brow furrowed at his casual greeting. After he’d disappeared last night, she’d assumed things would be awkward between them. His brisk visit that morning had only reinforced that belief, but here he was, making cheeky comments with that smug grin of his.

Before she could question him, or the fruit, Penguin lightly nudged her shoulder. “You didn’t hurt anybody, but that gust of yours did upend a few fruit stands, so Ikkaku had to buy it all to keep the vendors from causing a scene. You never know who might be a spy for Jinzo in this town, and from what I heard, you earned yourself a place on his shit list.”

“Which is another reason you’re not to leave the sub until dinner tonight,” Law added as he took a bite of a bright red apple. He met her gaze as he chewed before saying with a smirk, “That’s an order, by the way. One you won’t have a problem following, right?”

Swallowing down her instinct to argue with him, she nodded stiffly. “Right.” Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the table, bowing deeply as she held two of her packages out to Shachi and Bepo. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you yesterday. Please take these as a sign of my sincerity.”

“You didn’t have to, Nami,” the bear said, twiddling his claws. Despite his fur, one could almost see a pink blush on his cheeks. “Penguin explained what we did to set you off, and we weren’t upset at you.”

“Did Law get mad at you for losing me, though?”

His ears drooped. “Well, a little, at least at first—”

“Then I owe you an apology. I promised wouldn’t do anything to get Law mad at you, and I broke that within four hours of making it. You’re getting an apology gift.”

“Well, to be fair, you said you’d never intentionally get me in trouble…”

“Just take it, Bepo,” Law said, taking another bite of his apple. “You managed to get the greediest pirate on the Grand Line to willingly spend money on you; if you keep arguing, she’ll change her mind and charge you double for it.”

Nami glared at him, though it faltered when he threw her a conspiratorial wink.

“Well, ok,” the Mink agreed, taking the parcel at his captain’s encouraging nod. Shachi followed suit, though he appeared more suspicious than apprehensive.

“When exactly did you have time to get these?” he asked, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses, “Because I sure didn’t see you buy anything that could be for us yesterday.”

Nami pointed at the first mate. “I made Penguin do the actual purchasing, but I told him what to get and it was my money he used to buy them. I never left the ship.”

Mollified, Shachi ripped off the wrapping paper, laughing heartily at the orca-shaped hat. “Oh, this is fucking perfect!”

“She asked me to get the ugliest, dumbest hat I could find,” Penguin said with a snort. “The local hat shop practically paid me take it of their hands. It’s like it was made for you.”

“Yup, and now you have to suffer for it!” he crowed, tossing away the green and pink and pink hat and replacing it with the killer whale.

Meanwhile, Bepo happily tucked into the enormous salmon, fresh from the Grimm fish market. He spared a thumbs-up, declaring his approval of the gift, and Nami giggled. He was like Luffy, in a way; buy him lunch, and you were friends for life.

“Take it easy, Bepo; you’ll choke on a bone,” Ikkaku said from behind her. Nami turned to find the older woman shaking her head. “You really don’t have to do this; we’re all just glad that you’re safe. Honestly, I’d settle for an explanation,” she said with a meaningful frown, “but I also get opening up isn’t easy, especially to people who aren’t your crew.”

“Yeah, but given time, I might be willing to open up to a friend.” With a nervous smile, Nami held out a box. “I kind of owe you this anyway, so you’re taking it whether you like it or not.”

Without a word the engineer opened the box, eyes widening at the slinky, silver dress that glimmered back at her.

“Thanks, Nami,” Ikkaku said with a small smile. “This’ll be perfect for when we go out tonight.”

“You still wanna go?” Nami gave Law a sideways glance. “Assuming I’m even allowed.”

Ikkaku scoffed. “You’re my only female friend on this ship; like hell I’m giving that up over a little freak-out. And of course the captain’ll let you join me for Ladies Night,” she said, raising an eyebrow at the Dark Doctor in challenge. “Right, Boss?”

Law held up his hands in surrender. “So long as she stays with you and you’re both on your best behavior, I’ll allow it. After she has dinner with me.”

Beaming in triumph, Ikkaku bumped her hip into Nami’s. “See? We can do each other’s hair, and you can complain about whatever stupid thing Law says or does tonight over drinks.”

A bright grin lit up the redhead’s face. Penguin had been right—they really weren’t mad. “Sounds perfect. And I’ll pay you back for the fruit, too, since that was my fault.” Whatever the cost had been, it was well worth keeping Ikkaku’s friendship.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Just meant we got our produce shopping done a little early. But if you’re that worried,” she said as she strolled over to her table, grabbed a plain white box, and sauntered back, handing it over to Nami with a grin, “here. A peace offering of my own.”

Brow furrowing in confusion, Nami peeked in the box, only to immediately slam the lid back down, face a brilliant scarlet.

“You. Bitch,” she ground out. Ikkaku was so lucky she hadn’t really opened it in front of everyone—what was she thinking? Dear God, what if Law had seen what was inside?!

“Just a little something to help you out when those trashy novels can’t get the job done,” Ikkaku cackled, ducking away as the blushing thief attempted to smack her over the head. “And now we’re even!”

“What’s in it, Nami?” Shachi asked, shit-eating grin telling her he already knew. “What’s in the box?”

“A severed head,” she lied, glaring at him, white-knuckled grip crushing the corners of the package.

“Is it one of mine? I think I misplaced one,” Law chuckled from his seat. He reached for the box, grin stretching his face. “Let me check.”

“Hands off!” she snapped, yanking it away. “It’s none of your damn business!”

“Room.”

“Fuck you, Trafalgar!” she shrieked as the box vanished and reappeared on Law’s lap, replacing the apple he’d been munching on. Her attempt to retrieve the damming parcel was thwarted by Ikkaku grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around, laughing as she shrieked indignantly.

Opening the box, Law pulled out a pair of fuzzy black handcuffs. “Strangest looking head I’ve ever seen,” he said, twirling them around on one long finger. “Though full marks to whoever sculpted the dildo. Even got the veins right.”

The whole galley cackled as the blushing navigator buried her face in her hands, mortified. Part of her wanted to rip their tongues out, but another part accepted that she deserved this. Penguin hadn’t been kidding when he said she’d suffer, but she could also feel the mood lighten significantly.

“So, still up for Ladies Night after your dinner with the captain?” Ikkaku asked as she set her down, grin wide and unrelentingly smug as she threw an arm around her shoulders, playfully mussing her hair. “Or would Miss Straw Hat rather stay in and play with her new toys?”

Despite her humiliation, Nami felt a smile pull at her lips. “You’re an absolute bitch, Miss Heart Pirate, but yeah, I’m in. And for what you just put me through, you’re buying the first round.”

[pandamega]

Siren’s Song - ZoSan week day 4

Ao3 | FF.net

Fandom, Pairing: One Piece, Zoro/Sanji

Day 4 - Scars

Language : English

Trigger Warnings/Rating: none

Summary: They say sirens are souls lost to the sea who wish to damn sailors to the same fate.

A/N:  So this is very very abstractly related to scars, in my head it made more sense then I started writing it, and, well, here we are! I hope you enjoy this little thing, I had quite a bit of fun with it. I’d love any feedback of any kind! I’m behind on Day 2 and Day 3, the fics are way longer than I had originally intended lol. I’m thinking of just uploading them as first chapters but I hate having more WIPs lol.

To say it was a song wouldn’t do it justice.

The sound was surreal. It wasn’t the kind of music any mortal voice could produce; it was a feeling. It was a thought that resonated in the mind, it was electricity pulsing through the veins, it was a touch beneath the fingertips, it was a pain felt deep in the heart.

It was a song.

It was the sea itself.

It was being drowned, fully submerged from head to toe, caught in a whirlpool and sinking ever further into the depths towards the source, towards the lips from which this song was sung.

And Zoro was lost to the sea.

They say beware the Siren’s song. The madness of the soul, Bewitching sound, a sailors curse, Ensnares you in its woe. Beware the mournful aching tune that echoes from the depths, Beware the lonesome cry that beckons sailors to their deaths.

He fell into the waves willingly. But, He didn’t drown.

This one swam across the waves towards his cursed voice. This one, swam with fervent strength as if he had a choice. This one, battered by the sea, lungs awash with foam, plunged into the icy depths and made it to the stones. This one dragged his mortal frame on bronzed arms from the sea. This one climbed the rocky coast And made it back to me. 

They say sirens are lost souls.

Lonely spirits swept away by the sea, cursed forever to sing a mournful song, cursing men to their fate.

Sanji and the sea were synonymous.

He had lived on the sea, loved the sea with a vastness akin to the depths of the waters itself. He lost everything to the sea and finally himself. He never found what he was looking for but bore the sea no scorn. And in return the sea had claimed him.

The water’s gift to him was a voice so sweet and sad that it would draw others to their deaths.

The water’s gift to him was an eternity of loneliness.

The sea was a cruel and mysterious mistress whose intentions were beyond understanding, but Sanji loved her nonetheless.

Swept from sea to sea with nothing but a voice which no longer spoke in words but vibrated only in a song of ruin, the Lost Soul could do naught but sing despite the tragedy of the sound. The pain in his heart was so aching that he sang each night despite himself, a cry so somber it damned men to their deaths, making his heart ache deeper. Yet he still sang in hopes that his lonesome exile would end.

Countless men flung themselves from their decks at Sanji’s shores, only to be swept away by merciless waves, the gaping maw of the sea never quenched of its thirst for souls.

And Sanji was cursed to an eternity of feeding the hungry waters with his cruel song. Yet he still sung.

He still sung, and watched men fall one by one.

Except this one.

Because this one didn’t drown.

This one climbed above the waves and reached the rocky coast, dragged himself on shaking limbs, the one he wanted most. This one fell into his lap and lay there with a sigh. This one, wet and weary soul, this one didn’t die. 

For the first time in an eternity the perfect song faltered and his voice cracked. The wet salt of the sea sprung from his eyes stinging hot on his cold unliving cheeks. A trembling hand reached out and touched for the first time in an eternity the warmth of life at his fingertips. His lonesome exile had come to an end.

[sanjisprincesswifey]

hello!! how are you doing hun? <33 could I please ask for prompt 4 ("what makes me so special?") with Robin please! he/they pronouns if that's alright! thank you very much and good luck with finals

note: hello my sweet! i'm doing pretty well and hope you are too! i kinda went a bit overboard with this request because robin does something to me

♡: gender-neutral reader. 800+ words. sfw content.

your eyes scan over the last line of the page, this was the third time you had attempted to read it and you still didn’t know what it had said.

your mind was so far from the book in your hand, all you could think about was the woman you loved and her conversation with the cook and nami.

it’s not your fault you heard your name drop from nami’s lips.

robin mumbled something too hushed for you to hear, followed by a sharp gasp from sanji. “that bastard! he could never protect you like i could my sweet robin-swan! i could love you ten times more than they could!” he shouts. his proclamation was followed by a loud thump, which you assumed was nami’s fist against his stupid blonde head.

you were never too fond of sanji. despite his general personality and perverted-ness, he was a bit too handsy with robin if you were being honest and once he noticed your not-so-secret relationship with robin, his disapproval over you amped up tenfold.

and you’d be lying if sanji’s behavior hadn’t made you a bit insecure. this time it was proven difficult for you to get past what sanji had told robin. it’s true you weren’t as strong or combative as sanji was, nor did you have the amorous prowess that he kept under his belt.

you knew sanji wasn’t a better fit for robin than you were, but the insecurity crept up on you, taking you in its grasp and draining you dry of any security you had previously felt.

and you loved her. so much. but you didn’t even have the guts to tell her that.

“hey y/n, you want to play hide and seek with me and usopp?”

the tiny reindeer tugs at your sleeve as you pull your attention away from the book you weren’t reading. chopper notices the distance and glazed look in your eye, but before he could ask about it, you reach out to pat his soft head.

“not now buddy, i��uh, i’m a bit busy right now,” you hum, watching sanji serve robin, who was now on the main lawn of the sunny, a cold beverage before returning to the kitchen with a lovesick expression. your stomach feels queasy like you could vomit when you haul yourself up and to the crow’s nest where you seek peace and quiet.

throwing yourself onto the couch, your heart aches at the thought of anyone loving her the way you do. tears sting your eyes as your bottom lip quivers between your teeth, the force is almost strong enough to draw blood.

the hatch of the crow’s nest unlocks and your body tenses at the sound, hoping whoever it is will go away.

“any particular reason you’re all alone up here?” your girlfriend's tone is bittersweet, she knows something is wrong. the couch shifts as she sits on the opposite end, placing a hand on your leg. you sniff when you look at her, reading the concerned expression that’s written across her face.

you feel ungrateful, almost, to have someone like her worried about you. that mere thought has your tears streaming down your face even more than before.

time feels like it’s freezing when she stares back at you, the way she looks at you makes you feel so special. but were you really? compared to someone like sanji or franky?

were they better fits for someone such as her?

you muster up the little courage you have as you meet her gaze, “what makes me so special?” you blurt out, which takes robin aback. “why’re you with me?” you clarify, staring down at your hands.

her two fingers slide underneath your chin, forcing you to look at her. “because you’re you,” she speaks in a hushed tone. she leans closer to you so she can cup your cheek, glancing between your eyes and your lips. there’s a moment of hesitance before she says anything again, “and i love you.”

the insecurity that has bubbled over in your stomach dissolves, calm tranquility taking over. your mouth parts slightly and her confident demeanor has dropped to be replaced with an uncharacteristically uncertain one. you’d never seen her face drop so quickly nor had it read so much vulnerability.

“y—you love me?” you question, your own hand grasping onto hers watching her head nod slowly.

out of all the things that you expected her to say, this was not one of them.

robin was quite adamant that falling in love wasn’t an easy task for her, but here she was, saying it like it was nothing.

you almost wanted to run downstairs and rub it in sanji’s face, but instead, you opt for the more reasonable response and wrap your arms around her neck, pulling her so that your lips hover over hers.

robin pants, eyes fixated on the rosy color your lips are stained with. “i love you,” you smile. robin’s eyes widen slightly and then she’s no longer able to resist, connecting your lips in a kiss that has imaginary fireworks shooting in your head. you can feel her giggle vibrate against your lips and you whine within her touch.

you swear you've died and flown to heaven and when robin pulls you into her lap, and so does she.

like, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated! (✿◠‿◠)

[ask-law-unfiltered]

My Black Heart

Disclaimer: I do NOT own one piece nor do I own any of its characters. If I did Ace wouldn’t have died, Zoro and Sanji would be lovers, and DofLaw would be canon. Pairings include but are not limited to DofLaw, KidLaw, ZoSan, and potential other yaoi goodness. Warning! This fic contains spoilers, non-con sex (aka. rape), drug and alcohol abuse, violence, yaoi (aka. male on male relationship), severe mental abuse, and emotional abuse. Consider yourselves warned and also, any criticisms will result in more of the objected material so no like no read. No one is forcing you, if horrible rape sex, brutality, and abuse isn’t your style, go read a cute fluff piece. Hope you enjoy the story…

Chapter Three: The protege is marked

****************Doffy’s Side*************

Doffy's grin had returned upon hearing Law's confession. So he would be the boy's first, perfect. He would be able to teach the teen how to best please him. Behind his beloved shades his eyes narrowed in anticipation, the young pirate was still fully clothed. A flick of his strings and the raven's wrists were released and soon tattooed hands were stripping away the offending garments. A laugh fell from the Shichibukai’s lips at the molten orbs glaring at him as he forced the younger male to strip. The first thing to go was the hoodie, as it was pulled over the teen's head the blond smiled at the inked chest. The boy had gained some muscle over the years, the sight made the smirk widen. Next the spotted jeans and boxers were removed along with the boy’s shoes. This was the view he was most eager to see. For despite all his protests, a semi-erect length was displayed in between the raven's legs. A chuckle echoed from his throat as he took note of the smooth flesh of the teen's willowy limbs, seemed the surgeon wasn't a fan of hair. Not that it mattered in fact that only added to the allure of the youth's appearance. Once Law was naked Doffy forced him to resume sitting in his lap. A chuckle echoing from his throat at the look the hateful teen fixed him with.

“What's wrong Law? You seem so miserable.” he chuckled darkly that silver glare making him laugh in anticipation. Oh he was going to enjoy this, the rush of being able to break and mold that rage into the perfect tool. He knew Law wouldn't be the type to tame easily, but that was half the fun. With a flick of his strings he forced the teen to wrap his arms around him, as he pulled him in for a kiss. This time was far more enjoyable as the teen gave in to the ravagings of his mouth. The moist cavern still lingered with the taste of his salty essence, and the resulting flavor made the Shichibukai snicker against those pale pouting lips. When they broke apart a trail of saliva connected them, until the raven looked away. With a chuckle Doffy grabbed the doctor's jaw in his firm grip, turning the boy's head to face him once more. Despite the glare the teen was giving him his body didn't lie. The stiffened flesh between those tanned thighs made the blond's grin grow wider.

“You look so miserable Law, yet your body betrays your desire.” The king smirked as he moved his long slender digits, forcing the raven to grip his own length. “Shall I show you how to get off?”

******************Law's Side*****************

‘Damn’ came the thought when he was forced to strip down and once again resume his seat in the blond's lap. The feeling of being controlled was one the young surgeon loathed the most. A blush tinted his cheeks as he was forced to grip his own cock. He despised his body's betrayal, how the hell could it be excited at a time like this? Humiliation burned in his chest as the Shichibukai's strings forced him to start jerking off while the blond watched. That long wide grin making his flesh crawl, despite the jolts of pleasure that came from touching the sensitive muscle. As the pace quickened a familiar heat started to pool in his lower abdomen. The flush on his face deepened at the thought of cumming in front of his tormentor. Yet a laugh from the grinning blond saved him the shame for now, as the gleeful psychopath spoke.

“Ah now we can't have you cumming just yet, I want to play some more.” The silken purr was like sandpaper against his skin. The raven was forced to dig his thumbnail into the slit of his shaft, hard enough to draw blood. The pained cry drawing a larger more toothy grin from the blond as his tongue slithered out to lick his lips. He had been so close to release, a few more moments and he would have had it. Silver irises glared at the trademark shades only to be met with a roar of laughter.

*****************Doffy's Side****************

The teen's cry was music to his ears, it made his cock throb with the need to hear more. With a dark chuckle he had Law release his now weeping length, the bit of precum mixing with the blood of the fresh cut made for a lovely shade of pink. His own length was hard as a rock and ached with the desire to be inside his wayward protege. With a smirk he released control of the teen chuckling as the boy tried to escape from his lap. That fighting spirit is what first caught the Shichibukai's attention, and to a certain degree he enjoyed the struggle. Yet in the end it proved pointless, with one swift motion Doffy grabbed Law by the throat and slammed him next to him onto the bed. The view of the boy struggling to escape his grip was a pleasing one, though not as pleasing as the sight of that ass. With a laugh he effortlessly lifted the boys kicking legs holding him by his ankles in a bruising grip.

“Don't kick Law or else your crew will die, be a good boy and lay still. I want to enjoy this.” A deep chuckle fell from his lips when the raven stopped fighting. His lean form falling limp in the blond's hands, as those silver irises glared up in pain and unwelcome defeat. Yet it only made him laugh more, he released the teen's legs but his grip on his neck tightened.

“Spread your legs, otherwise this will hurt.” A soft choking sound echoed from the thin throat as the brat complied. Hungry fingers prowled around the tight entrance before thrusting in without mercy.

******************Law's Side*****************

As he lay on his bed pinned and choked by his former captain the raven glared at the injustice. He wanted to fight back but with his crew's lives on the line he couldn't. The flush across his cheeks only deepened as he was told to open his legs. A cry was torn from his lips as two fingers were brutally shoved into his barely prepared ass. The rough treatment of the thick digits stretching and probing his entrance, combined with the hand around his throat made it hard to breathe. Tears of rage and hate burned in his molten hues, as he was forced to look upon his tormentor. Amused laughter fell for the blond's lips and the grip around his neck loosened slightly.

“FuFuFu, what's the matter Law?” The Warlord purred, “I promise it will feel good soon. Once I'm done with you, your body will never forget my touch. Who knows you might even come to crave it.”

A snarl hissed from the raven's lips at the prospect of being used by the monster above him. Though he didn't have much choice in the matter, not with the difference between their strengths and the fact his crew was at stake. As the long fingers curled upward they managed to find the sensitive bundle of nerves deep within him. A jolt of pleasure shook his form causing his flush of shame to deepen. When a third finger was added accompanied by more laughter from the Shichibukai, the tears that had been welling up started to slid down his cheeks. Hot breath ghosted over his face as the pink clad asshole leaned in to lick at the moisture staining his flesh. The fingers were removed with a chuckle to be replaced by the head of the mammoth shaft. This had been the part the young surgeon had been dreading. He forced himself to relax as the blond shoved himself in. The Shichibukai forced the tip in quickly, but took great care in easing the rest of the length into the tight orifice. Yet even with the slow entry the surgeon couldn't get his muscles to properly relax. As a result he could feel the tender flesh tearing as the large prick forced its way deeper.

The intrusion drew a gasp and a pained whine from the doctor's throat. Stormy irises glazed over in his fevered state, the slender teen was in agony but that only made the blond enjoy this even more.

***************Doffy’s Side*****************

It was tight the warm muscle seemed to draw him in, with a soft snicker he leaned closer to the teens ear.

“You feel great Law, so good in fact that I don't want to share.” He pulled out slightly only to ram back in, hitting the youth's prostate with a harsh jab. The strangled gasp and sudden constriction of the body below him, caused a pulse of pleasure to rush through his veins. With a broad smirk Doffy tightened his grip around the raven's throat, once again delighting in the renewed tightness around his length. The thrusts only intensified, if Law was to learn how to properly please him he'd have to be broken in. The grip around the slender neck slackened a bit as the king leaned down to make his point. Once again his prick was buried fully inside the tearful teen, as he traced his tongue across his teeth.

“Law, if anyone touches you I will consider it a personal insult. From now on your body belongs to me, and only me. All others who so much as dare to look at you will be killed by my hand. Do you understand? You shall always be mine.” After watching those stormy irises close in shame the Shichibukai's smirk intensified. With a chuckle the monstrous male bit down on the right shoulder of the weeping raven. The flawless enamel clamped down to tear through the olive flesh, leaving a large angry mark.

“This mark is to remind you who your master is. If you let anyone else mark you I'll hunt them down and destroy them in front of you. So don't even try to betray me little slave, or it will cost you the lives of those you keep close.”