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itsthemoofacewriting · 3 years

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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.

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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.

#zoluna #Luffy/Zoro/Nami #LuffyxZoroxNami #LuNami #ZoNami #zolu #opwriting #opfanfic #One Piece #Luffy #Zoro #Nami

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myonepiece · 3 years

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hi i was wondering if you could do some headcannons asl + law (separately) with a male s/o whos maybe more about open their relationship and basically a non shy!male. sfw & nsfw would be appreciated but its up to you !! enjoy your day/night and just know i love ur account :)

Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Law with an extroverted S/O (open about their relationship)

SFW + NSFW

Ace x non shy!male, Sabo x non shy!male, Luffy x non shy!male,

Law x non shy!male

Description: HCs of Ace, Sabo, Luffy, & Law (seperate) with an extroverted male s/o who is open about theur relationship

Warnings: partially NSFW

A/N: I need more male reader content I think I literally only have 2 posts 😅 I’m not 100% confident in my writing for male readers, I’m still learning and I apologize if there’s anything wrong with this & pls tell me if there is 💕

Ace NSFW, Luffy, Sabo, Law under the cut

SFW

Ace really wants someone who is open about their relationship with him, who’s proud to be dating him and shows him off. Ace wants to be able to show him off to everyone without making him uncomfortable, he loves that not only can he hug him and kiss him and smother him in affection publicly, but that he’ll initiate it himself aswell

he likes picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder in front of the crew, hearing their saracastic remarks to quit it, of course none of them would really have a problem with it in the first place, they loved seeing their brother so happy and in love- because it’s obvious Ace is in love. one of his favorite things to do is to find his boyfriend on deck and run over to scoop him into his arms and plop him on his lap for sleepy time

the fact that he gets to hold his hand without worrying about his embarrassment or discomfort, mostly because his boyfriend is the one who grabs his hand first, makes him all giddy and bubbly. it gives him a sense of perotection, that his boyfriend is by his side and Ace by his, it’s an easy way to let everyone else know that Ace is with him and they shouldn’t try anything

telling stories about him and their relationship, the special moments and the funny moments, telling them to the crew and laughing and listening to them “oooo” and “awhh” is another one of Ace’s favorite things. not only Ace loves how comfortable and open he is, but the Whitebeard crew does too- hearing embarrassing stories about their brother or seeing how whipped he is and teasing him for it. Whitebeard loves knowing that Ace has someone to look after him when he’s gone, and to give him the love that he deserves- Whitebeard is like Ace’s boyfriend’s #1 fan, huge supporter of their relationship and anyone who isn’t is gonna deal with him & the rest of the crew

he’s a sucker for his lover’s mushy love confessions and compliments, saying them so boldly and shamelessly in front of people gives him butterflies in his stomach and makes him blush, yes Ace can get flustered

NSFW

the public dirty talk is just- he’ll go up and put his hands around his boyfriend’s torso and whisper the perviest things in his ear “your ass looks nice today”, “I can see the hickies I left last night” “no ones at the back of the boat, how bout I go bend you over the railing hm?”

and if he do the same to Ace? whoo boy, he goes weak in the knees and I’m not kidding, whimpers right there, or if he’s more fiery that night, he growls

Ace has no problem kissing his s/o in public, and if it turns into a makeout session, so be it. however he tries to keep those public makeouts short so none of the crew get uncomfortable. Ace will keep him on his lap until the two can go somewhere more private

as much as Ace loves how open his boyfriend is with their relationship, he doesn’t want him to tell any of the crew what goes on in the bedroom when Ace is the sub, that does happen- Ace is a switch with more dom tendencies, but still a switch

Ace will literally go up to his boyfriend on deck and grope his ass from behind, using his own body to shield his actions from anyone else’s eyes. and he sometimes will just boldly grab his boyfriend’s dick/groin, as long as Whitebeard doesn’t see

SFW

Sabo can be confident or flustered, no in between. he’s so happy that his boyfriend is completely okay with their relationship and letting everyone know about it. he feels like that means he’s not ashamed to be with Sabo, it also means that if Sabo is ever feeling down it won’t be weird for him to find his boyfriend, and Sabo wants to be tehre for him as much as he can and he wouldn’t be able to do that as well if they had to hide their relationship

he likes that everyone at in the R.A. knows his lover and say hi when passing, Koala and him are like best friends- that’s probably the only part of his boyfriend’s open-nesss that he doesn’t like, Koala and him always share humiliating stories and tease Sabo about everything

Sabo is touch starved, thank god his boyfriend is 100% okay with pda, seriously Sabo has to/wants to hold his hand every second. public hugs, hand holding, and nose kisses are a must. Sabo adores kissing him on his nose or cheek. Koala always fake gags when Sabo is the one to initiate any affection, but when his boyfriend does it Koala always “awhh”s

just being able to sit with his boyfriend on his lap, or sitting on his boyfriend’s lap is amazing, providing a sense of peace in the hectic life of his

Sabo gives little gifts and trinkets to him, and always shows off the ones he gets from him. Sabo is constantly talking or bragging about him, and always blushes whenever it’s reversed

NSFW

Sabo is pretty shy when it comes to sex/sex related things, he likes it to be private

however, he’s a sucker for his boyfriend, so if he wants to get touchy in public, Sabo won’t exactly stop him- neck kisses and groping are things Sabo loves, giving and recieving

at least with pda being a normal with the two of them, when Sabo is needy and wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s waitst to pull him against him specifically holding his ass against his front, it’s not deemed suspicious by anyone

as for hikeys, he doesn’t really like to be seen with them, but he loves seeing his boyfriend adorning them and he loves seeing him wear them proudly

Sabo likes keeping his hand on his lover’s thigh, sliding it closer and closer to a certain part and feeling his boyfriend shiver and harden under his touch

he makes subtle suggestive comments, flying under the radar so that only him and his boyfriend understand, though sometimes his boyfriend gives it away on accident, or not, and Sabo turns red

SFW

Luffy is not shy whatsoever, constantly clinging to his boyfriend and with his grin growing even wider when he hugs Luffy tighter against him

numerous kisses and hugs and touches throughout the day, not a second he’s not holding on to his lover. piggy back rides and shoulder rides are a given, and having his partner cling onto him like a koala leaves Luffy grinning for the rest of the day

Luffy is overall jsut himself, not really changing anything except he’s a bit more lovey-dovey and sentimental, he puts his hat on him a lot and is often in extremely close proximity, never once leaving his side- and Luffy feels secure and safe when his boyfriend returns the action

during fights Luffy loves to tell everyone who he’s dating, yelling things like “I’m dating him!” “Go ______! I love you!!”

ah that’s another thing, constantly saying “I love you”, every greeting and goodbye and moments in between is littered with the words, always accompanied by a rather sloppy kiss

Luffy doesn’t care who’s watching, he’s just as open as his boyfriend- 10x more actually

one thing he does like though, that not many people would think about, is purely having someone waiting for him, staying at his side and embracing him anytime. Luffy has had his fair share of losses, he doesn’t show it but deep down he’s riddled with guilt and pain and sadness and fear, he doesn’t want to lose another person. holding his lover after a battle, after a nightmare, makes him feel better because he knows he’s still there with Luffy. being able to run to him and let down his captain facade and just cry into his partner is something that Luffy desperately needs and loves

NSFW

Luffy is shameless, the most shameless op character, there is nothing he won’t do in front of the crew, yeah I’m implying public sex- deal with it

Luffy will walk right up to him and start a heated makeout session, ignoring any protests from the crew- he will fuck him right then and there, annd also wouldn’t mind being taken right then and there- or probably at least moving to a different part of the deck because he knows that his crew would be very uncomfrtable at that, it’s not embarrassing to do it he just cares about his crew’s feelings too

but on the back deck, against the walls, in the crowsnest, all free territory- Luffys even done it with him on the ladder up to the crows nest, those rubber arms are very useful

speaking of rubber arms, he has like his own version of bondage, purely cosisting of his arms and legs and hands, wrapping his arms around his boyfriends arms so he can hold them behind his while Luffy fucks him doggy style

Luffy is also definitely a switch, down for any position too, serioulsy those rubber powers are no joke, he can do any position, though he does prefer close contact ones where the two of them can hold each other

Luffy is KINKY- yes I said he is kinky! he doesn’t know what a kink is nor that he one (many) he just thinks it’s something he likes. but, no talks of another person, no pain to either unless it’s spanking, no blood, no degradation unless his boyfriend asks for it (he’s not very good at it though)

Luffy is loud, he loves that his lover is loud too, and is fine wwith him leaving hickeys or scratch marks- because Luffy is totally fine adorning those himself

SFW

Law is not very open about his relationship, I mean he’s completely fine telling his crew and the strawhats and the kid pirates, the crews he knows, but telling anyone else wworries him because he doesn’t really want him to be a known associate because people would come after him to get to Law

he would prefer if his boyfriend kept their reltionship details private, he doesn’t want to be embarrassed by any stories he has of him, and he likes to be very private man overall, he would actually get quite irritated f his lover is very open about what happens in their reltionshp- again Law has no problem about allies or somewhat allies knowing, everyone could know iabout the relationship to be honest, if they wouldn’t all go after his boyfriend because of the connection

Law does secretly love how “okay” he is being in a reltionship with him, dating such a broken and “evil” man. Law is actually very insecure, hiding it well though, and he loves that he has someone to show him the love he rarely ever felt when he was younger, having someone tell him he’s sweet and charming and kind and loveable hit Law right in his heart

that last paragraph of Luffy’s sfw kind of sums up Law’s take on his boyfriend’s open-ness

Law is touch starved, on the ship or in private on an island, with no or barely any people around, he’ll hold his hand and/or have an arm around his wait or shoulder, and he doesn’t mind if his lover does the same. in public if his boyfriend were to initiate any physical affection, Law would try to get him to tone it down, keep it minimal, but he doesn’t want to be rude either so he would go along with it to some extent

in private though he’s touchy and he really wwants to be praised, he also praises his boyfriend a lot because he is just so whipped for him, often thanking him for loving someone like Law, being there for him and offering a safe haven that he rarely has the chance to have- if ever

NSFW

again, Law is a private man, he doesn’t want to make his crew. too uncomfortable, but if his boyfriend were to start something or Law is feeling especially needy, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell the crew to leave the room or simply gare at them

he likes flustering his boyfriend, seeing someone who is usually so shameless, blush and stutter and get shy, is one of Law’s favorite things

he’s a major tease, similar to Ace with his dirty talk, except the deepness of his voice makes it sound 100x dirtier. one can’t fluster him by whispering dirty talk, his lover just can’t, he can make him hard but flustered is a no go. however, saying something dirty/suggestive out loud infront of people, that would do something- most likely resulting in either a scolding, punishment sex, or both

grind on him and he’ll growl, on certain occasions he has no problem throwig you over his shoulder and. taking you away from the public eye, but don’t try to do the same to him- Law is the dominant one in public and 8/10 of the time during sex

he’s not opposed to being the bottom, but he prefers to top

he lovex that his boyfriend is completely fine with him leaving hickeys and scratches and. just marks in general, it shows he’s taken and makes Law feel proud- Law however likes his marks to be hidden

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loudestcloud · 3 years

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Time for Luffy's fashion exam! Now, I'll be honest, I did skip an outfit because I decided I will be ending this whole thing with the Strawhat fashion show in Episode of Luffy. Also, sorry for the posting gap, I remembered I have other unfinished post sets. That being said, this is a very long one so let's do this!

Kid Luffy, Post-Enies Lobby & Fish-Man Island: I think it's super cute when Luffy has white t shirts with red based logos because it reminds me of the first picture. Makes him look baby plus, they can always be found in cute domestic EPs or fun, cute flashbacks. The shorts change over time and that's also kinda cute, a range of cuffs is a nice change up. It's nice to see the red contrast the blue shorts and the white is a nice color on him cos it contrast his hair!

Romance Dawn, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago, Amazon Lily, Marineford & last Dressrosa outfit: This look is the pre Luffy look. It's the pre Timeskip look everyone thinks of is cuffed shorts, Kimono sandels and sleeveless vest (and Strawhat, obviously) but have you ever seen them all in a line? It's mad. Each outfit is the same basic look bit more are more spicy each time! I like the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago looks a little bit more cos it's nice to see that jacket open and it feels like he was trying something new. I also feel that the buttons on the jacket look like the ones on Shanks' pegged ankle sailor pants when we first see him so that's cool. (it took me hours to find the name for his trousers, oh my fucking god) The last Dressrosa outfit feels like a nice callback to the rest of the line up here without being too much cos it's just a red vest top instead and I do find it funny it's like the Enies Lobby and it's used in Dressrosa because of the jokes people make about Robin and Law being so similar.

Timeskip: This is it lads, it's the one true icon itself, the post look! ☺️ When I sit back and look at it I see all the people this look is influenced by and want to cry at how masterful it really is. (Now, I do wanna say that I didn't come up with this nor am I the first to say it and I am definitely probably looking too much into this but) The yellow belt is taken from Shanks' red belt the first time we see him and the Shanks look Luffy is more familiar with. Now onto the jacket. I know it won't stand out as to why for most but it's Ace inspired! When Ace leave to become a pirate, the start of his adventure, he has his jacket open and Luffy having his jacket open also shows his scar from the ending of Ace's adventure. I also really appreciate how no one hides scars in this anime. Also, someone said that the style of the jacket and it's fancy frills could be in reference to Sabo's little jabot collar and honestly I do see it. it's quite subtle unlike Shanks' but not as hard to catch as Ace's so I enjoy thinking that it's there too. Lastly, he still has his cuffed shorts and kimono sandels because it's still Luffy's outfit at the end of the day and he is still who is is, just with a stronger appreciation of what people have done for him now. It's also his colour pallette for the pure fact he is the main character n needs his pallet. also sometimes he just has normal wooden sandels but the same outfit sometimes, it's a small detil a lot of people overlook but I prefer the sound of his Kimono sandels 😊

Dressrosa: I love this outfit cos it's stilly but also has very nice vibes. Looks ready for the beach but is really throwing hands and that's the best kind of outfit, it's a nice expectation subversion tbh. I also like how he tried to hide the Straw hat but not... All of it? And I love how the crew didn't actually question it either. It would have been super easy for one of them to just tell him to leave it behind or something but I do really love how respectful they always are of the hat. I myself have a hat that's super important to me and when I loose it I go mad.

Whole Cake Island: I love this arc for outfits! I swear if the actual content of it doesn't kill me, the act looks will 😭 it's all so magical and it knows it is! Like I said before, white is a good color on him as he has black hair but for the same reason, so is black! In this arcs outfit range, the Staw hat seems almost invisible and his outfit gets less and less 'Luffy' as the arc gose on showing this is not about him. He's not the focus of this arc and you can see that in a lot of the outfits thb. I also like the lack of blue and yellow, 2/3 of his colors as Sanji is often associated with those too as we've talked about before. Also, I like the little red strips on the white jacket with the gold buttons, idk why and I think it's nice that the last 2 outfits are so simple in general, it's a nice look for him. oh, what's that? A Pink jabot? Your killing me Lu, straight up killing me here lil' bro! Side note, is this the first time in canon Luffy has worn a suit jacket or is it the only time I've noticed? Cos DAMM!! Shits sick as fuck and I actually love that when wearing a suit jacket as such he always keep short on 😆

Spa Island, Z's Ambition & Strong World: WHOS READY FOR A RELAXING SUNNY DAAAYY!? (pun not intended but very much enjoyed) I actually adore the fact Luffy still tries to go swimming cos it was his favourite thing to do as a kid so like fuck Luffy is gonna give up on that. He's got his safety measures ready, what more do you want from him? I mean I personally want him not to swim with his hat on cos it's litrally Staw and that's not good for water but anyway Z's Ambition, am I right!? The top is so fucking cute and I just noticed those shorts are also ✨designer✨ fancy man!! Now, the pic of Zoro is the one I missed out before and it's also from Z's Ambition. I love that Luffy has the shark top but Zoro has the ocean shorts. I really love Zoro in this purple cos and thick white stripes really work with the ocean waves. It's really well put together and hes got dark brown sandels on to off set all the white but keep the purple from being a stand out color, it's cool! Than the last Luffy looks like he's at a fashion show. It looks like the shorts come from a kids set the shark top belongs to. Imagine those together, it'd be so cute. However, it isn't an ocean patten, those are clouds cos Nami has a bikini top with the same pattern in Skypiea and it's actually one of my favourites for her.

Boss Luffy Historical Special! This filler AU is so much fun, I think any it a lot. He has his hair up in that super cute and useless way that doesn't actually do much but I do have my hair like that a lot n it's just... nice? Idk, it's strange buy I like he did that. I really enjoy his Kimono more that the actual Wano one cos it's a lot more simple look. The Sai being tucked in in that way is also cool but kinda makes it look like it's stabbing him a bit 👁️👄👁️. I like the pin strips being like a faded purpleish cos if you just glance at it, it makes it look it fuzzy. The belt also looks very nice with the middle ligter bit. It really feels like the Wano one was inspired by this is a way cos of the color matches. Like, it's probably not but still.

3D2Y, Adventure of Nebulandia 😍 & Heart of Gold: Hat-less Luffy is both a sin and a blessing. Regardless, I LOVE OP BOYS IN HOODIES!! I had to show you this specific the 3D2Y because we don't see the hood and it's soooo cute cos it a paw 😍 but also 😬 cos it's like... Kuma's paw the thing that cause 3D2Y in the first place. But that's also why it's so cool at the same time and AHHHHHH 😄 Now! On to Nebulandia! I really like this movie but also in canon, how does he have that jumper? Who made it for him and can I have one? It's Usopp flag design so I guess it could be him but he doesn't seem the type. Point is I want one. Last of this set is some really cosy outfits!! "How much fur?" "Yes" am I right? Like the first one is sooooo cosy with all the fur! Plus, a funky new bamboo hat, always a good thing to have a new hat. I appreciate that you can see the zips on these too. Then the orange turtle neck one with little fluffy bits is just here cos it's so out of his usual looks, I had to at least mention it.

Strong world & Film Z: The shorts on the first one are really cute cos it's a light rosey pink with red fur and just a plain solid dark blue colour jacket works really well. Not to mention the fact he has a super cute orange and yellow flight helmet hat with goggles on under the Staw hat. The 2 bag straps also make an X which is a nice detail. The 2nd outfits in this movie are super fuckin cool ngl. It's so strange to see them all dress in black and have guns but I like the red shirt for him with the yellow highlighted parts. Makes the Straw hat actually work with the outfit instead of ignoring it. Film Z brings us the same flight helmet hat just brighter and without the goggles but also opens with this T-Shirt and Luffy being silly with it. I think that's the only reason to mention it, it's funny. Then the obligation pirate outfit, always stunning plus the meat belt.

Film: Gold & Stampede (also used in Cidre Guild): these are my top 3 Luffy outfits no matter what else I see. I love the straw cowboy hat sooooo much cos it's very Luffy. I like the balls they has as a team to choose white for all of them, considering they are all quite messy people, living for that dad shirt and I like the Golden chain around his neck but am always confused as to why it was never used against him. Like dude could and should have tried to choke him at least once, right? Anyway, the dress! Now, the dress isn't actually that good but it's my favourite because it shows how Luffy has no fucks about gendered things. On to of that, a big pink flower is wonderful and look at his confidences in it, he's so proud of it the boom, Nami told him he can't wear it! Lastly, the Stampede outfit!!! Just like the Nebulandia jumper, I have no idea who made it but it's irrelevant cos it's beautiful and I want it so badly. I like that it's white and red stripes, gives thenprefect vibes for Stampedes opening. The shirt is actually too big for him, you can see on his arms but it's actually super cute. I love the simple look of these shorts then the fact his yellow belt is replaced with white bandages and the black on the kimono sandels are now red? It's such a simple pallet and it's truly the best!

I also just wanna add, I think it's really cute when Luffy has the Straw hat on his back just cos his hair is really cute. Idk why, it's looks kinda cursed but cute at the same time

This post took 2 weeks or so to make and we made listening to the complete BNHA soundtrack, film gold OST and Sonic generations vol.1

Sanji

Zoro

Nami

#one piece #monkey d luffy #monky d luffy #straw hat luffy #monkey d. luffy #luffy #one piece luffy #op art ref #art ref #art reference

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stardustryewriting · 3 years

Text

Original Plans

Law’s original plan - to die on Dressrosa - didn’t work out. Luffy’s original plan - to make Law accept his friendship - did work better than expected. There are just some bumps along the road.

Also on AO3: here

When Torao first proposed an alliance to him, Luffy was elated. An alliance was basically a friendship and you could never have enough of those. Also Torao was a good guy, no matter what his other crew members said about him. They don’t call him the surgeon of death for nothing, Usopp had argued rather urgently and Luffy had brushed him aside. The Marines had called Luffy chaotic, completely nuts and even dead before, and none of that was true either. (Maybe he was a bit chaotic, but the other things were lies.)

Pirate alliances are marked by betrayal, Nico Robin had said, always the wise one of them, and so Luffy had asked Torao if he planned to betray them. He denied and really, that was enough for Luffy. If Torao had wanted him dead, he just didn’t have to show at Marineford. While Luffy wasn’t sure why he did show up at Marineford - Torao never gave simple answers to his questions, and thinking about what Torao gave as answers for too long made Luffy’s head hurt - he was sure that Torao wouldn’t have been there if he wanted Luffy to die. He did risk his own life and his entire crew on top of it. You don’t just do that out of a simple mood.

So an alliance it was. While Kaido was arguably the Emperor he knew the least of, he was still a better target than Shanks was. Maybe taking on Big Mom first would have been smarter, since he already started an argument with her on Fishmen Island, but Big Mom could wait. He would take her down eventually anyway and if Torao thought it would be smart to go after Kaido first, than Luffy would trust his judgement. Torso was smart after all. Also this seemed oddly personal to Torao. At least the part of the plan that involved Doflamingo did.

It turned out, Torao didn’t betray them at Dressrosa. At least not in the way his crew thought he would. He did try to end the alliance and by extent their friendship, which counted as betrayal in Luffy’s book. But he was unsuccessful, because Luffy would have never ended their alliance at this point anyway. There was a time and place, when they would have to part ways again, eventually. But it wasn’t on Dressrosa, not when Torao looked like he was ready to die and not when he tried to protect Luffy. (There was someone, in a somewhat distant past, who lost an arm to protect Luffy and someone, in a not so distant past, who did give his life to protect Luffy. He wouldn’t let it happen again.)

So no, Torao was not allowed to end the alliance. Which annoyed him, of course, but Luffy didn’t care. He could defeat Doflamingo without the elaborate plan Torao had made. He didn’t even remember most of it anyways, and he was somewhat sure, that the plan had failed the moment Luffy entered the coliseum in an effort to get Ace’s devil fruit back. Plans never worked out for him anyway, not in the way they worked out for Torao. He had a general idea of what he had to do and he would get it done. Somehow.

Maybe the Marines weren’t so far off, when they had called him chaotic.

But Luffy wasn’t upset now, because Torao betrayed their friendship. They would have to talk about that eventually, but it wasn’t the main issue. Torao was prepared to die in Dressrosa. He expected it, he probably even had his death integrated in his plan somewhere. (Maybe Luffy should pay more attention the next time a plan was presented to him.) And that was the most upsetting thing that happened to him since they entered the New World. Because Torao didn’t lack trust in Luffy or any of the Strawhats. He pretended he thought their were idiots and he looked like he lost hope in humanity when Luffy, Usopp and Chopper had fun on deck, but he really believed in and trusted them. He was confident they would still follow his plan after his death after all.He just didn’t think Luffy could defeat Doflamingo.

I would have been insulting, if Torao was any less scared about Mingo.

He never told Luffy why he was scared, he never even seemed scared. (Not like Usopp and Nami and most times even Chopper did.) But he was. He was scared and he went up against him anyways, fully prepared to die and Luffy hated everything about this.

„Why are you brooding here?“, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts and surprisingly, it was Torao. He would have thought if anyone came looking for him it would have Usopp. Zoro would have also been a likely candidate, if there were any less alcohol. But the drinks were flowing, so Zoro wouldn’t miss him for a while. Luffy wasn’t exactly a drinking buddy, he rarely drank alcohol as it was and that made him an uninteresting companion for Zoro at parties. Not that he minded, there were plenty of other people he could do plenty of other things with. Just Torao wasn’t really on the list.

„I’m not ‚brooding‘“, Luffy used his fingers to make air quotes, „I’m not you after all. I was just thinking.“

„That’s new“, Torao answered, sounding way more surprised than he had any right to, in Luffy’s opinion.

„I can think“, he protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest, while turning away from the other. And then, for good measure he slightly lifted his chin and added: „And my thinking doesn’t end in me dying either.“Which was probably something he shouldn’t have said out loud. Not like that. But it was also true and something he wanted to discuss with Torao anyways, so Luffy couldn’t find it him to regret saying it. (He did regret the way he said it, later, when he’d calmed down.)

„My survival wasn’t essential for the plan“, Torao informed him professionally. The same way he told Luffy not to exercise too much after he’d woken up on the submarine. The way he told Jinbei to keep an eye on Luffy, if he didn’t want the Strawhats to die. The very same way he told Rayleigh, that Luffy’s training would have to be postponed for a few weeks or else his stitches would tear. It made Luffy sick.

„Your survival was important for me“, he argued and Torao looked like wanted to say something to that too.Except that he didn’t. His mouth opened but no words came out and then Torao closed it again. Luffy waited a few more seconds, in case there was something to say after all. Makino might not have succeeded installing manners within him perfectly, but he knew the basics. He always let people say their piece. (Unless he was distracted by something.) When it didn’t seem like Torao found something he needed to say, Luffy talked instead.

„We’re friends and I like you. Usopp says you’re scary, but you’re really not. You saved my life at Marineford - “

„There’s no need to thank me for that“

„You saved my life at Marineford and I liked you ever since. You have awesome tattoos and a really cool bear in your crew and you’re really nice.“

„I’m really not“, Torao denied, but he sounded like he’s already given up that argument. At least he was learning. Slowly, but he learned. Luffy knew that that argument was just for show anyway. A reputation to uphold, or however Zoro phrased it. Not that Luffy had ever cared about reputations, his or those of other people. But if it was important enough for Torao to put in the effort, Luffy could respect that. So, no need to remind him that he did help all those children in Punk Hazard. Law still remembered it anyway.

„You’re my friend.“, Luffy said instead, because really Torao was very slow on the uptake on that. It didn’t matter that he didn’t want to call them ‚friends‘, they were friends anyway. Because Luffy said so and because he really liked Torao and because Torao seemed like he needed a friend. „Even though no one can say your last name“, he added as an afterthought, because a great as Torao was, he had the worst last name.

„Literally everyone but you can. And I’ve told you to just call me Law“, Torao shot back, tho it lacked any real fire. Like he was tired of arguing and was just accepting his fate. Good, he was Luffy’s friend no matter how often Luffy needed to remind him of that.

„I really like you“, Luffy told him, once again for good measure. He didn’t get a real answer from Law on that, but his cheeks got a light color, like Sanji’s cheeks did, when Nami or Robin complimented his food. Sanji was always really happy then, so Torao had to be really happy now. And Luffy just called him his friend. Which apparently Torao needed to hear that they were friends way more, if it made him this happy from just hearing it once.

„I really like you, too, Strawhat-ya“, Torao mumbled and he couldn’t even look him in the eye, but that was alright with Luffy. If Luffy brought it up in front of his crew, Torao would probably deny ever having said that, like Zoro denied being worried about Sanji, too. But that didn’t matter, because Torao had said it and that made Luffy happier than almost anything in recent memory. (Sabo still being alive was a big thing, that made him happier than he ever remembered being, but that was the only other thing. Even Sanji’s cooking didn’t come before this and Sanji’s cooking was perfect.)

„Okay, so no more plans that would have you die. You’re too important for me to just let you die. Okay?“, Luffy insisted and Toraos eyes glazed over like he remembered something very important and very far away. Luffy knew that feeling so he allowed Torao the few seconds he very obviously needed, before he inquired again: „Okay?“

Torso seemed like he was abruptly thrown out of something rather intense, but he didn’t seem mad. One side of his lips quirked upwards, as if he wanted to smile, but it didn’t become a real smile. Which was another problem that Luffy would tackle eventually. (He’s seen Torao smirk plenty of times but he couldn’t remember one genuine smile.) For now, Torao’s insurance that, yes, he wouldn’t bet his life this easily again would have to be enough. He didn’t want Torao to promise to survive. Not like Ace did, not again. But he wanted Torao to do his best, to see him become the pirate king. Torso smirked again, at that, and mocked Luffy for being too sure of himself.

„What if I find the One Piece before you do?“, Torao asked, clearly not as serious as he pretended to be. But he was lighthearted again, the tension in the air completely dissolved, so Luffy could humor him. Torao had asked an important question, after all.

„You won’t. But I will still really like you, even when I’m King of the Pirates.“

And somehow, Law seemed really happy about this. Maybe, liking Torao more than originally planned would work out for Luffy, after all.

#lawlu #lawlu fanfic #trafalgar law #trafalgar d water law #one piece luffy #monkey d luffy #luffy is luffy #luffy is people smart #law isnt #but we knew that already #heart to heart #law is bad at feelings

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op-jessie · 4 years

Note

Part 2 for the blank eyes scenario please???

(Part 1 here. I don’t know how to feel about this second part but I hope you enjoy it regardless. Law’s kicked my ass as I tried to finish this up and my document on this was 12 pages so this is a long boi! But it’s done!)

Chief of Staff Sabo:

It had been 5 days since the incident. The longest he’s been without you since he’s met you. Even when he was away for missions for the revolution, he thrived on hearing your voice over the den den mushi. Those lonely nights didn’t compare to now. You were next to him but you weren’t truly there.

The doctor had informed him that you were given a high dose of an already strong sedative so all she could do was give you liquids to hydrate you and your body had to basically fix itself

She was clear that she didn’t know how long it would take and that she would let him know when you woke up but, no matter how many times she assured him, he still sat by your side

He felt like he didn’t deserve to touch you, even sitting in the chair next to your bed was too much of a privilege. But it was agony to just sit there.

Anytime your body twitched or a whimper erupted from your throat, he stood from his seat and pressed his hands against the bed, leaning close. It would only be a brief moment of pain before you were back to breathing heavily. The pain didn’t last long for you but it stuck with him for a couple of hours afterward.

He found himself unable to control his tears. He would rub his eyes from being tired but then find that they were wet. Once he was aware of it, the sniffles came and he would have to look away from you to try and stop crying.

It was a constant feeling of pain that became numbness. It was as if he was shutting down more and more with every day you didn’t wake up.

Koala and/or Hack tried to get him to leave the room but eventually had to resort to physically picking him so he could get his basic necessities met, like eating.

He played with his food more than actually ate it. The only way the others could get him to eat was when you were mentioned.

“They would be upset that you’re not eating because of them.”

It was hard to eat when he had no appetite but he would eat as much as he could stomach before pushing his plate to Koala. Once he got her approval, he would go straight back to the infirmary.

It was uncomfortable sleeping in the chair but he wouldn’t even notice when he fell asleep until the pain in his neck roused him back to consciousness.

The doctor would frequently wake him up, worried for his health, and urge him that she would get him when you showed any sign of waking up

He refused every time. He needed to be here with you. Especially since he led you to this state.

It was the early morning of the sixth day when dread and hopelessness hit him.

He had a nightmare so horrendous that he woke up gasping and trembling as his watery eyes looked at your form.

Dozens and dozens of voices, including Ace’s, tormenting him and blaming him for your state, as if he didn’t already do that to himself. Then you were there standing in the darkness, bruised and broken with those blank eyes. Those blank eyes that he had never wanted to see again.

A choked out sob left his lips and, despite feeling like he didn’t deserve it, he reached over and clasped your hand in both of his, your warmth immediately causing him to let out another sob.

A couple hours later, when the sun had actually risen, the doctor found him with his chair pulled up close to your bed (closer than it's ever been in the past couple of days) and his head resting on your stomach, clasping your hand still and breathing softly. Despite how uncomfortable he looked, his breathing was the calmest it had been since you entered the infirmary.

When he woke up, he didn’t move from his position, instead nuzzling against your belly. Your warmth was so comforting. It meant you were alive. That was relieving. He stared at your face, soft mumbles leaving his lips on how he would apologize and never treat you in such a way again.

It was on the seventh day, a week after the incident, that he felt something in his hair. He had fallen asleep against your stomach again when he came back from Koala’s daily meal check, hand intertwined with yours.

He groaned, cracking his eyes open slightly. He felt a movement in his hair and it made his eyes snap open the rest of the way. His hair was being stroked with.

He stood up in his chair so quickly that it even startled him with how it crashed on the ground but all he could focus on was your eyes. Your droopy yet surprised eyes.

He felt the dam burst as tears flowed down his cheeks and sobs ripped through his throat, lifting his free hand to his mouth to muffle them.

“Dear… you’re crying… Why?” Even hoarse and broken, your voice sounded like it came from the angels themselves, making him dizzy and light-headed. So much so that he fell to his knees by your bed and clutched your hand to his cheek, soft mumbles of apologies leaving his lips against your palm.

Your hand went limp in his grip and he turned his attention back to your face, his breath hitching, until he noticed that you had fallen asleep again.

For the first time in a week, he voluntarily left the infirmary to sprint to the doctor’s room and wake her up.

She took you off of the painkillers and told him that the next time you woke up, you should be more cohesive and aware.

He was sitting in the chair by your bed again, staring at you and gripping at his shirt to ground him. He didn’t have to wait for long.

You woke up an hour or so later and he had to keep himself restrained as the doctor went over to you and helped you sit up.

She did a couple of tests on your reflexes and consciousness. She sent him to get you food and water and it was the fastest he’s ever moved.

Once she was satisfied, the doctor left the two of you alone. There was a tangible and suffocating tension as you refused to look at him.

He stood up from his chair and moved to sit next to you on the bed. Your eyes finally met his, sad and confused but not blank. It was a strange mixture of hope and despair that hit him when he saw that.

He took your hands in his and held them close together, his eyes never leaving yours as his welled up with tears.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything I said to you. I was irrational, inconsiderate, and… and… a jerk for lack of a better term.” He could see the way your lip twitched and you tilted your head at his words. “You have every right to never forgive or believe me but I’ll spend the rest of my days making it up to you.”

He lifted one of your hands to press your palm against his cheek, eyes boring into your own. “Words are nothing. I can only show you my remorse and love with actions. I don’t even deserve a second chance, I know that, but if you blessed me with one, I won’t take advantage of it.”

He closed his eyes when you didn’t say anything and he released a shaky breath, barely able to keep his tears back. He was about to move your hand away from his cheek but you lifted your other hand to cup his face properly He opened his eyes again and a few tears trickled down when he saw the cute pout on your lips but you still had a twinkle in your eye.

“You were really mean to me…” You murmured, your thumbs rubbing against his skin contrary to your words. He let out a soft whimper at that and nuzzled against your palm.

“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I won’t-” You cut him off with a small kiss, his lips as equally chapped as yours but it was enough to send more tears to fall. It was short but it was enough to make him dizzy.

“I’m tired… Take a nap with me…” You murmured, letting his face go to lean forward and rest your forehead against his collarbone and your hands were on his chest.

He was pretty sure that you could feel his heart racing under your fingertips but he pressed his lips to the top of your head instead of addressing it. It wasn’t long before he was laying down with you, cradling you close to him and pressing kisses over and over on the top of your head and tilting your head back slightly to press endless kisses against your face.

The relief that washed over him when you nuzzled against his neck was enough to drown away the guilt for now, murmuring in your ear as you giggled tiredly and dozed off in his arms.

You had a puppy following you for the next couple of days. His affection was turned up a couple of notches but no one had the heart to tease him after seeing how much pain he was in in the last week.

Of course, you’re not entirely yourself so you have to visit the doctor to work on the trauma but he accompanies you, whether you want him in the room or out in the hall.

Even after you fully forgave him, it would take a while for him to forgive himself. It’s very obvious when he’s thinking about it because he’ll come up to you at random times and hug you tightly or he’ll cup your face and look into your eyes.

When you tilt your head and smile at him, the panic leaves his chest and he’s relieved again.

Even arguments have changed. Due to fear that you could be taken from him again, he makes sure that there is some type of resolution. If either of you need space from being too heated, he initiates a moment of silence between the two of you before embracing, murmuring something about talking later

He knows that there are arguments that cannot be solved in the moment so the one thing he wants to make the clearest in the fog of anger is that he loves you.

Arguments are bound to happen but having that embrace helps in the cooling down process.

He never wants to make you cry again, and he definitely doesn’t want to see you go through a horrendous experience like that again.

Monkey D. Luffy:

You had opened your eyes later that night but before Luffy could even start yelling, Chopper had shoved him out (with the help of Zoro) and you were checked over

He slipped out the infirmary after your checkout and immediately locked the door before his rubber captain launched in, obviously making Luffy upset.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?! Let me-!”

“Luffy, listen!” Chopper sighed as his captain only pouted before he continued. “Look, (Y/N)... Went through a really… horrifying trauma, okay? They only told me a little of what happened and it…” He shook his head and rubbed his hooves over his eyes. “... You’re not the person they want to be around right now.”

Luffy could only stare at the doctor, his heartbeat deafening in his ears. You… You didn’t want to see him?

He puffed his cheeks out, hating the pain in his chest as he looked at Chopper. “When can I see them?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then I’ll wait here.” He plopped down against the door, crossing his arms over his chest and a pout on his lips.

It didn’t matter how much Chopper tried to convince him to leave the infirmary and do something else, Luffy didn’t move the whole day, even when he whined to himself on how hungry he was getting.

Even though you didn’t want to see the captain, Chopper was worried about your state, especially your blank eyes. So he made a decision. Out of everyone, Luffy would be the person to spark something in you again.

You best believe that Luffy sprinted in after Chopper made him promise to not touch you if he let him in.

He almost immediately forgot but stopped himself before he jumped on top of you, the sting in his chest bubbled into anger at seeing you bandaged up

The pain from before was ten times worse when he noticed your eyes were staring at him, as blank as when he first found you.

He silently sat on the end of the bed next to your legs (with his own crossed on top of the covers) as he stared at you back.

“Stop that.” You didn’t respond as you continued staring. He reached over and poked your cheek. “Those aren’t your eyes.”

He puffed his cheeks out when you were once again silent and you moved your gaze to your lap.

He moved his fingers to spread his face as far as he could and made silly expressions and noises, yet you only stared.

He hated it. He hated the silence that came from you. The blankness in your eyes. He wanted to see you laugh at him and smile, how your eyes crinkled at the corners and you would clutch your stomach from laughing too hard.

He didn’t give up though. He was Monkey D. Luffy. He would get you back to yourself.

He filled the silence with anything and everything that was in his mind, updating you on what the crew was up to when he went out to get your serving of food.

Despite you not answering, he filled the silence. He didn’t like the silence. When he was at your side before, there was never silence. The two of you with silence only fit when you went to bed together. It had only been 2 days but he missed doing everything with you, even the most mundane of tasks.

He ran out of things to talk about fairly quickly, his plate of meat that was sitting next to yours on the nightstand was unappetizing, and he couldn’t bear to stare at your emotionless eyes any longer.

What else could he do? You weren’t you right now. He tried talking and feeding you. What else could there- and then it hit him like a pile of bricks. He really sucked at all of this.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” He murmured, noticing how your body flinched before he ducked his head.

He gripped at his ankles and stared at his lap, surprising himself as he started to tremble. His throat felt tight and there was a stinging in his eyes.

“I… I don’t know how to be a good boyfriend. Chopper told me that I hurt your feelings and I didn’t get it. I should have followed you and protected you. I’m not good with these feelings. I know that when I’m with you, I’m happy. When you smile and hug me, my heart beats like crazy. When you cry, everything hurts. All I know is that I love you and you love me… Right?” He gripped his ankles tighter, feeling tears against his eyelashes. “And… I know that I hate seeing you like this. I’m sorry I made you cry and that I hurt your feelings. I’ll take it more seriously next time when you tell me that I’m making you sad. I don’t get it but, if you tell me, I won’t do it again. I’ll try my hardest to get how you’re feeling from now on.”

Despite the deal he made to the ship’s doctor, he let his ankles go, the skin there turning red from his grip, and crawled over your sitting form. He pressed his forehead to your shoulder, making sure that was the only spot that was actually touching.

“I’ll be better… I need your help to do that… But I’ll be better and… make sure that I won’t make you cry again.” He nearly whimpered, annoyed at how he had to press his eyes against your shoulder more to stop from crying.

He flinched when he felt your hands on his biceps. He stayed frozen as your hands moved up to his shoulders before they went in opposite directions, one hand on the back of his neck and the other resting just under his shoulder blade. He felt the slight scratch of your nails against his neck

The small gesture was enough for him to fully wrap himself around you and nuzzle against your chest, murmuring his apology over and over again

After a while, the room became quiet except for the small sniffles that still escaped him. He kept his pout on his lips, even as he was pressed completely against you, and your fingers stroked through his dark hair. He closed his eyes with his ear against your chest, finding solace in your heartbeat. The occasional rub against his shoulder blade or scratch on his neck made him continue to hold you tight, moving occasionally to nuzzle against your neck before moving back to listen to your heartbeat again.

He was, of course, yelled at when Chopper came in the next morning and saw him lying on top of you still. What he didn’t know, as he was pretending to play dumb at the scolding, was the slight twitch of your lips at the two of them.

You had eventually moved your arms to fully hug him later in the day and his grin was wider than it’s been in days when you murmured a soft “I’m hungry”

Holding your hand tight in his, he led you to the kitchen, enjoying a meal with the crew for the first time since the incident.

He shocked everyone when he slid some of his food onto your plate. Since he didn’t have as much food, he clung onto your arm and endured the teasing from his friends. He was just beyond happy that you were coming back.

Despite your physical injuries healing nicely, the psychological ones were something he wasn’t ready for. It didn’t matter to him though. You were strong and he would help you through it when you couldn’t find that strength.

He would sleep in the infirmary with you when you were afraid to go to bed or let you rest on top of him in his hammock when you woke up from a nightmare

Chopper helped you find ways for your anxiety and PTSD so Luffy would try and remember your coping skills too.

When he sees you upset, he’ll become clingier than usual. He’ll try to make you laugh or, at the very least, smile. If he notices you haven’t eaten, he’ll carry you (most likely piggyback because he loves having you wrapped around him) to the kitchen and ask Sanji for food.

Sanji at first thought it was a ruse for Luffy to get an extra meal but, when he saw how your face was pressed against the captain’s neck or hair, he realized that it wasn’t the case

Luffy sits with you and actually keeps his hands away from your plate. But… if you do give him pieces, he will be a very happy boy.

He tries his best, he really does, but emotions still confuse him. He goes back to that day when he recognizes any of your distressed features. He’ll straight out ask you what your feelings are and if he did anything to make you feel that way. He wants to understand so he can be better.

Red Hair Shanks:

Despite Shanks and the crew’s desire to not stay in the same place, he made it understood that no one was leaving until you healed… and woke up.

It had been about two weeks since you were swept into darkness and he felt helpless sitting next to your form.

The doctor had given you a strong dose of medicine that would keep you unconscious so that your wounds would heal without disturbance. He was the only one that Shanks trusted around you while you were so fragile

The rest of the crew, growing restless, decided to find things to do in town. They mostly found themselves defending the small businesses. No one realized how criminal ridden the town you lived in was until they explored, but they found their entertainment in the thugs and bars.

He would sit on the bed next to your sleeping form and hold your hand in his. He would only leave when Benn told him to eat or the doctor kicked him out. He wanted to be there when you woke up.

The one time he left your side was when the crew had tracked down the ones that abducted you. They had fled once they woke up from Shanks’ haki and hid in the mountains

His crew was bored and still seething so he would be the last person to stop them but he also wanted to be there. Even to a low tier thug leader, he would prove why he has the Yonko title.

When he got back, the doctor met him at the door and told him you were awake.

Despite the speed he had when he got to your bedroom, he hesitated on knocking. He had already decided that once he apologized, he would take whatever “punishment” you deemed fit

… Even if it meant you never wanted to see him again.

He finally willed himself to open the door and enter your room.

He shut the door behind him but kept his back to the wooden surface. Whatever you were feeling, he would wait until you gave him your consent to get closer. He noticed that you were sitting up, your eyes wide while looking at him and he didn’t miss the way your lip trembled.

Immediately, apologies erupted from him, everything he was rehearsing since your argument out the window.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N). Gods, I’m so sorry. I should have taken you seriously then maybe this would have never happened. I can’t take back what happened, despite how much I want to, I love you and I always assume that you know that but it’s not fair to you, especially when I pull stunts like I did to make you upset in the first place. You’re my important person, (Y/N), but if you… if you don’t want to be with me anymore, I understand and it’s something I deserve. I just-”

“Shanks…”

He stopped at your shaky voice and lifted his head to face you. You were crying. With your tears falling and your bottom lip between your teeth, you released your tight grip on the blanket and stretched out to him

He was quick to close the distance between the two of you, wrapping his arm around you and holding you close so his face was pressed into your neck. He swallowed the lump in his throat as your one hand found home in his hair and the other gripped the back of his cloak.

Your broken sobs and tears made his chest hurt. He covered your neck with soft kisses before pulling back and doing the same to your face, murmuring apologies and affirmations in between.

When you calmed down, he pressed a long kiss against your mouth, sighing against your lips when your hands cupped his face.

You were still shaking like a leaf when he changed your resting position so you could snuggle against his side with your head using his bicep as a pillow.

All he could do was curl his arm to have you close to him as you cling onto him.

Everything must have been too much too soon because he felt your staggering breaths even out against his chest and your shaking had stopped. Despite your loose grip, he stayed with you, smoothing your hair out when you would whimper or a tremor went through you.

The doctor had to convince him to leave your side a couple times to see the extent of your psychological state and that was tough for the captain. He would have to take your hand off of him so he could leave the room. He hated the panicked look in your eyes and the way your hand was still in the air, reaching for him, but he knew it was necessary

The doctor warned him of the possible reactions you would have after such an event, reactions from dissociating to violent outbursts

He was no stranger to outbursts such as that. Years on the sea, meeting hundreds of people, he was actually very skilled with handling most of the outbursts that you exhibited

Despite your reassurance, he decided to stay for a while longer (the crew knew better than to complain, especially under Benn’s supervision).

On one of your more coherent and calmer days, he’d bring up the conversation from before because he honestly cares more about your wellbeing than his own feelings.

If you still want to be with him, then he’d do what he can so you don’t have to ever go through something like that again.

Leaving with him is the most ideal situation in his mind. The two of you can be together (no one would mess with you when he’s by your side) and you’ll be seen by the doctor that he trusts the most.

After a long talk, even if you think it’s best to break apart, he still stays for a while. He’s still your friend and he cares about you and your emotional wellbeing.

Being with him on the sea, you get to enjoy the aloofness that is the Red-Haired pirates but your lover knows when to pull you away and get you to calm down.

He takes what the doctor tells him seriously. Whether you need medication, company, or just space, he doesn’t hesitate to do it.

What happened to you keeps him up at night with a bunch of “what if’s” but he knows you’re struggling more. When it’s just the two of you at night, he stays up talking with you or drinking with you until you doze off

He’ll spend a couple moments after you fall asleep to admire you before he falls asleep too

He knows that adjusting can be difficult, not only to ocean life but to the mental adjustments after your trauma, but he’s your number one supporter. You’ve got the rest of the crew to support you as well when he can’t be there, which is rare.

He doesn’t expect everything to go back to normal. But he’s willing and ready to accept this new scenario as normal. Especially if it’s for you.

Trafalgar Law:

It was unbearable. The role of being a doctor was too much on his shoulders sometimes. This was one of those times.

With your injuries, he had to induce a coma. Not only that, from the way your skin looked, your blood wasn’t circulating as normal as it should.

He then came to the horrifying realization that you have been poisoned.

Now, he had to find a cure for the poison that coursed through your veins, unknown of how long you’ve been like this or how long ago they administered the poison. He was racing against the clock.

Despite how much he hated it, he left your side to reappear at the facility. To say that the room’s temperature shifted would be an understatement.

As he stepped towards the leader of the criminals that took you, his footsteps echoing, the leader would soon see why he was considered the “Surgeon of Death”

The man before him was far too stupid to know how the poison worked so he demanded wherein the facility the posion was made

Even his own crew had to look away as he got the answers out of the man.

After getting what he wanted, he sent the crew back to the sub while he went to the room that was acting as a makeshift laboratory.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, skimming through books to look for the name of the poison, trying and failing to keep you off his mind.

When he finally found a book on the poison, he had to keep reminding himself to breathe as he frantically read through the pages

His hands were tight on the pages as he read the effects of the poison:

Phase one: numbing of the body

Phase two: numbing of the soul

Phase three: numbing of the mind

Phase four: desensitized state for four hours

Phase five: toxin invades the bloodstream

It had been three hours already since he found your frozen state. He didn’t have much time left.

He flipped frantically through the pages, finding the antitoxin page and scanning over it. He “room”-ed himself back to the sub and flung the book to his desk as he began working.

He couldn’t look at you. Otherwise, he would lose his focus, his sense, and his patience. He needed to treat you like a patient; not his lover.

The antitoxin was administered through a syringe and all he could do now… was hope and wait.

He slumped next to the chair by your bed, staring at you with his usually stoic expression while his nerve endings went insane.

Did he make it? Was it enough antitoxin? Would it even work? Were you… already gone?

He reached over and held your hand in his before putting his other hand over the top. He held your hand up to his mouth while looking at you. The coldness in your hand did nothing to ease his anxiety.

Your form was making his heartache. Why did the two of you have to be so stubborn? Why did he always look for a fight when it wasn’t necessary? With you of all people? His eyes shut as he squeezed your hand

“I’m sorry.” He said into the room, unsure if you’d even be able to hear him in such a state. “I shouldn’t have started that stupid fight. I’m sorry…” He stopped himself, looking to the side.

It just didn’t feel right. Saying his apology to your comatose form wasn’t right and he was being a coward

Despite being your lover and doctor, he was still the captain. He still had the others that he was responsible for.

The crew couldn’t bear watching his tired form roam around the submarine, looking like a phantom as he walked and checked things off in his mental checklist

He was a perpetually tired man but the reason this time was upsetting to them.

Their clumsiness had decreased as everyone tried their hardest to have the ship in tip-top shape to ease at least some of the captain’s worries. Even Bepo complained less when his captain came up to him and just rested his forehead against the bear’s stomach

He’s used to exhaustion, but this was worse. Sleep called to him but only tortured him when he beckoned to its call.

He’d get about an hour of sleep before the nightmares startled him awake

He sleeps in the infirmary just in case so, when he wakes up, he immediately goes to your side and holds your hand to his lips

After 24 hours, he feels like collapsing from finally seeing your vitals rise to normal. Your steady breathing and the warmth that returned to your fingertips made him have to leave the room for a moment to compose himself.

It eases his mind enough that he takes you off the medicine that kept your body comatose. Hopefully… you would wake up soon.

It was another waiting game. He couldn’t just stare at you all night in the hopes of you waking up so he went to patrol the submarine. It might have been the middle of the night but it was the only thing to calm his nerves and distract him.

After triple checking that the submarine was on the correct course, he made his way back to the infirmary to check on you when a sudden scream of his name echoed in the hall

He sprinted down the hall, ignoring how his crew members peeked out from their rooms, and slammed against the door to the infirmary, swinging it open.

You were sitting up, grasping your blanket and tears streaming down your face. Even from the doorway, he could see how much your body was shaking and the hiccups spasmed your chest.

He knew that a person of trauma might be psychologically suffering so he should be cautious with touch but, the way you hiccuped his name again and reached for him, looking as if you were going to climb out of bed, he hesitated no longer.

He closed the distance and brought you into his arms, one knee on the bed so he was impossibly close as you clawed at his back. Your sobs and cries were so raw and primal that he had to grit his teeth to hold his own tears back.

His lips were against your ear, whispering instructions for you to calm down. He directed your breathing and he was able to relax once you caught your breath.

Your breaths were still shaky but you were no longer hyperventilating. Your grip on his back loosened and you shifted in your spot. Law pulled his arms back, panic fluttering in his veins as the doctor's side of him came back full force.

Before he could even scold himself, your arms wrapped around his neck and brought him close to you again. This embrace was different. The first one was primal and a way for you to ground yourself. This one was desperate still but intimate. His arms wrapped around your waist, hugging you just as tightly, wanting to feel the warmth of your body against his. He buried his face in your neck and mumbled apologies and thanked whatever power there was that you were awake.

It could have been seconds or hours by the time he could feel your trembling calm down but that’s when the doctor part of him came back out. He checked your vitals, asked you about your pain, and gave you painkillers, for both your soreness and headache.

If you try to bring up the argument, he’ll urge you to get some proper rest. If you insist that you talk about it, he’ll press a soft kiss on your forehead. He promises that you will talk about it when you recover a bit more.

He lets the crew see you once he deems you in acceptable condition; which is good because you were immediately engulfed by the crew, many in tears.

Even when he knew that you both were going to have a serious talk in a matter of moments, he couldn’t help but feel relieved as you smiled and cooed at the members that had been worried about you.

The talk over the fight is hard and painful as the memories are difficult to go through, the guilt weighing heavily on his soul when he sees the slight tremor in your hands. It’s hard but necessary to move on.

The relationship has obviously changed because of what happened.

Dumb arguments still happen but there’s no more wandering off to cool down. Any anger will leave him if he sees that you’re about to break off to cool down because of how much worry that fills him.

Even when you’re both pouting, he’ll still kiss your forehead and grumble that you’ll finish the argument later. Sometimes, the anxiety of what happened before comes back up and the pride is finally deflated enough for the “argument” to be solved before any real problems show up

He’s become protective of you despite knowing your strength. It’s just better for his sanity that you are with someone, especially when you’re on an island infamous for crime.

The relationship isn’t the same but he loves you too much to give up on the bond you two share. Whatever trauma came from the situation that you suffer from, he becomes stronger to carry both of you over the bad moments.

Want to support me? Likes are appreciated and reblogs are great. ko-fi here if you want to go above and beyond. I hope you enjoyed!

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cheswirls · 3 years

Text

you won't remember / i won't forget [ 1/2 ]

[this ended up being my creative project october, wholly inspired by dakumes' old art. its 10k each half so be careful if you have a 'read more' extension. rip mobile users ig. thanks again @hoo-kie for letting me ramble abt this one !]

he brings daisies, today.

sabo takes them warily as they’re pushed into his arms, careful of the iv in his right hand. the bouquet is lovely, the white petals fresh, like they had just been picked, and the yellow centers seeming to stare up at him, warm color nice and inviting, bringing a hesitant smile to his face.

after a moment he bends down to sniff them, and closes his eyes at the smell, his mouth falling open to breathe it in. “they’re lovely,” he murmurs, just loud enough for the room’s other occupant to hear.

“they’re your favorite,” is his reply, and sabo’s shoulders tense at the information release.

“o-oh,” he stammers, holding the bouquet at a distance. he works to keep his face neutral, but it’s hard, his former wary smile quickly wanting to morph into a full-blown frown. it’s not that he doesn’t doubt that it’s true -they smell amazing, so it must be to some extent- but more that it was being handed to him as fact, presented as evidence of something he wasn’t ready to believe.

“here, let me take them,” his visitor says, reaching out to grab the flowers. his callused fingers brush against the backs of sabo’s hands and the blond bites down on his lower lip at the contact. “i should’ve brought a vase or somethin’, that was my bad.” he either doesn’t notice sabo’s obvious discomfort or is blatantly ignoring it -both options are equally possible- and he moves to set the bouquet on the windowsill, open now that the blinds had been drawn.

sabo folds his hands in his lap, having nothing better to do with them. he stares at the scars, at the bandaids covering fresh marks, and runs his thumb over one until the motion begins to irritate where his iv was stuck.

his visitor -ugh, he really should stop calling him that. he had a name, it’s just that sabo never bothered to remember it. but when he turns back to take a seat on the edge of sabo’s hospital bed, the early morning light reflects off his visitor nametag, and sabo reads the name again: ace.

“are you feeling any better today?” he asks, and sabo moves his gaze away once again.

“i guess,” he mutters. ace’s face falls at the dismissive attitude, but he doesn’t leave. it bothers sabo, but another, very small part of him feels warm. he does his best to tune it out.

he looks up again to find ace watching him, and lowers his eyes, examining his clothes instead. his window didn’t provide a great view, so this was his only real way to gauge the weather.

if he had to guess, it was cold. ace was in a red coat, scuffed up here and there but otherwise looking rather nice. his boots were honey-tanned, the laces done up loosely so that the tops flopped open. they had more signs of wear than the coat, so if sabo had to guess, he’d probably had them for some time.

sabo reaches a hand up and pushes his fringe out of his face, sighing. the movement causes ace to lean forward.

“have the nurses said anything new?”

what’s it to you? sabo wants to bite out, but he withholds his tongue. “they haven’t been by,” he mutters instead, which was partially true. they hadn’t been by, since ace was last here, that he could tell. but his bandages weren’t frayed anymore, from his constant picking, and his iv was near full. it was odd-colored, too, which would probably explain why he couldn’t feel anything apart from a low thrum from his head. his ankles felt freer, too, brushing against the low-grade cotton of the sheets, which probably meant the wrapping around them had been removed.

he hasn’t looked yet. he’s not sure he wants to.

a low knock on the open door gets his attention, and sabo looks up as one of the nurses wanders in, lowering her hand and raising a clipboard.

“mr. portgas? i’m here to take your vitals, if you’re ready.”

ace blinks, then stands. “do i need to-?”

the nurse glances to him as she takes a seat on a stool at sabo’s bedside. “you can stay,” she tells him, smiling. “as long as it’s okay with sabo.”

they both turn to stare and sabo drops his eyes to the mint green of his hospital shirt. “sure.”

this nurse looks familiar, but they had been rotating his room, so if he was told anything important about her, he’d already forgotten. she’s gentle as she takes his left arm to push on a bp cuff, but with a sort of carelessness that leaves her nails scraping on the bandages. he hardly notices, though, and that’s when he knows for sure he’s on some kind of morphine.

she finishes after a few minutes and sabo leans his head back against the pillows as she scribbles down a set of numbers. he doesn’t care, but she tells him he was normal anyways. the news seems to satisfy ace, if anything.

he glances to the window as she leaves and accidentally meets his eyes. they’re dark when he’s turned away from the light like this, but sabo can still tell they’re grey. he turns away quickly. it really was too early for this.

as if agreeing with him, ace’s stomach grumbles and he places his arms over it in a hurry, cheeks colored. “uh, guess i forgot to eat before coming in,” he mumbles. he straightens after a moment, nodding to the door. “‘m gonna grab something real quick. you want anything?”

by ‘something’, he means whatever he can find from the vending machine at the end of the hall. at most it’ll give sabo a few minutes of respite. he purses his lips. “they have me on a regulated diet,” he reminds ace, like he didn’t already know.

ace grins, moving around the bed and throwing his hands into his coat. it spreads at the edges as he draws his arms taut, resting just below his hip. “you could sneak it. a little wouldn’t do you any harm.” but he shrugs, giving up before sabo could protest. “i’ll be right back.”

sabo grips the sheets hard as ace slides the door shut. a part of him never wants the other to come back; another part of him knows he always does.

sabo takes a risk and curls his legs under the thin sheets. he holds his breath as he slides the blanket down, removing them one by one. the pants he was given were the same bland mint as his shirt, and they cut off at the top of his calves, leaving most of his lower leg exposed. now that the bandages are gone, he can see the obvious rope marks at his ankles, skin still badly discolored but no longer open. he breathes deep at the sight, gasping before he remembers he’d been withheld air, and then closes his eyes and works to steady his breathing.

he folds his legs up more and reaches a hand down to brush against the gnarled skin. even as light as he is, it’s still very sensitive, and he ends up pulling away quicker than he’d like. he frowns at the sight, curving his legs the opposite way to view the other side. it’s the first injury he’s seen, the others always wrapped up. he’d been too anxious to remove the simple bandaids after their presence lingered for a few days, nervous of what he’d find. when he picks at the wrapping on his arms, it’s fixed before he can get anywhere, smoothed down like he hadn’t bothered in the first place.

a quick inhale gains his attention, and sabo looks up to see ace just inside the room, hand still on the doorknob. he pulls a long face and reaches out to drag the blanket over his feet, hiding the marks. then he moves his legs until they’re pressed against his chest. but the pressure ends up causing discomfort, and sabo wonders not for the first time just what his shirt was concealing. he huffs and ends up sliding his legs straight again. they catch the edge of the sheet and push it back, revealing the marks again as his legs lay bare.

ace comes closer, sliding into the chair at sabo’s left, and his eyes swivel from the injury to sabo’s face, watching him closely. “do they hurt?” he asks after a minute.

“no,” sabo answers, letting the air settle before replying. he wants to divulge more, say something about his light touch irritating them, but another part of him vehemently doesn’t, and he chooses to trust the logic of the latter.

ace sits quietly for a while, and sabo realizes it’s the first time he’s seen any of his injuries either.

“how?” he speaks up, loud in the silence. he swallows, because that had been impulsive, but ace is looking at him, and he can’t take it back now. “how did i get them?”

ace’s expression becomes pained, and he turns away, looking to the wall. his hands, resting calmly on his thighs, move to entangle, and sabo watches as they restlessly fumble. his eyes narrow.

“do you . . really want to know?”

sabo blinks, caught off-guard by the question, by the hesitance in ace’s tone. after all this time, after revealing little random nothings about the blond, now he was stalling on something he actually-

“tell me,” sabo demands, teeth gritted.

ace’s grey eyes catch in the light as he turns back to look at sabo, alarmed. they grow lax after a moment, and he nods, sullenly glancing to the door before giving sabo his full attention. “restraints.”

sabo blinks at the concise reply, furrowing his brow in irritation. he’s quick to smooth it out, bringing a hand up as the pain hits. he doesn’t know what to think. it was vague, but ace spoke like it was supposed to be significant. “restraints,” he echoes, voice bland.

ace’s hand is reached out, but he drops it as sabo glances back up. “yeah.”

sabo suppresses the shiver in his body. him being succinct suddenly scared sabo more than anything. if he was hesitant to disclose what all had happened, well . .

just how bad was it?

“mr portgas?”

sabo moves his book further down his face to see a nurse at the door. he lets it fall face-down into his lap, giving her his attention as she moves into the room. she looks familiar, with her straight black hair, but sabo can't place her.

“i’m here to take your vitals,” she says. sabo nods and she takes a seat at his bedside, setting a clipboard down on a small table she rolls closer. she picks up a pulse monitor first and places it on sabo’s index finger.

when she's all done she tells him he was normal today, then leaves him to his reading. sabo picks the book back up but his gaze is caught on the stack of progress sheets on his door, and he finds himself wondering what all they said, if they disclosed anything he wasn’t already aware of.

the book is good. he’d acquired it the other day, and after removing the bookmark someone had left in it, he’d worked on it for a long while. he was almost halfway through now.

his mind wanders as he flips the page, wondering if he could ask the staff for another one. he’s not sure who this one belongs to, but he’ll have to return it. he wants to do that much.

“do you like it?”

sabo is startled as his visitor walks into the room. ace, he reads off the nametag. he frowns, realizing he hadn’t processed anything, and flips back a page. “it’s fine,” he mumbles, though he knows his progress spoke for itself.

ace moves to occupy the rolling chair the nurse had just been in. “do you want me to get you another one?”

sabo frowns deeper at this, but doesn’t look up from the pages. “no, that’s okay.” he didn’t want ace to give him anything. though, he thinks, glancing to his right, the flowers were nice. they were in a real vase now, getting light from the open window. they made the room smell good. less like ointment and antiseptic, something that didn’t make his nose burn.

ace doesn’t say anything else. he’s content to sit beside sabo as he reads, as the sun tracks higher and then lower into the sky, and the daisies begin to wilt from lack of light.

ace is lounging on a chair near the window, hands steepled, eyes turned toward the skyline. his legs are extended on the floor, only the backs of his heels touching the tile. he’s wearing the boots again, and the color is faded today, like frost had covered the top and had yet to melt off.

sabo observes him when he’s finished his book, last page still open to give the illusion he was reading. he drops the act when a nurse wanders in, holding up two cups of yogurt. sabo closes the book so it lies backwards on his thighs, then swings the overbed tabletop so it rested at an angle, closer but not exactly over him.

her hair dips over her shoulder when she reaches forward to hand sabo his lunch. he deposits both cups onto the table, then reaches back to take the plastic spoon from her grip. her nails clip one of the bandaids along his finger, and sabo blinks, a stern sense of deja-vu washing over him.

“if you can’t finish both, you can put one in the fridge over there,” she says, pointing to a mini fridge in the corner of the room, squished between the wall and a table of basic medical supplies.

sabo nods, wondering how he’s never noticed it before. she moves from the room after that, her long, dark hair fanning out over the back of her scrubs. the door shuts before sabo moves to open one of the tabs on the yogurt.

“you’re done with the book?” ace asks quietly, while sabo’s mouth is full. it’d been easier to ignore the eyes on his back when he wasn’t talking, but at least now, sabo doesn’t have to verbally respond, nodding instead.

sabo doesn’t trust ace, not yet, but the staff clearly seem to, so when he’s halfway through with the cup he puts it down in favor of the book, holding it out to him. “will you give this back?” he requests.

he doesn’t miss the way ace’s face drops as he reaches out to take it. he’s not sure how to interpret it, so he chooses not to, moving to finish his yogurt. he starts feeling funny at the end, so he sets it aside with a couple bites left, rolling his tongue in his mouth to try and work the feeling away.

ace is still sitting there, neck almost level with the back of the chair. his legs are bent, now, and both feet are firmly on the ground to hold himself in place. sabo doesn’t feel bad. he tells himself this. but, ace had been there all day, refusing to leave for anything. his mood was starting to wear on the blond.

“here,” sabo says, holding the second yogurt cup towards him. “you can have this.”

ace blinks, but stretches out an arm. it lingers there, both of their hands on the cup. “you’re sure?”

sabo shrugs, withdrawing. “i don’t want it.”

ace must know something he doesn’t, because he smiles as he brings the yogurt close. “thanks,” he says, but his smile crooks as he pulls the tab. his eyes wander to sabo’s spoon and the blond follows his gaze there, jerking a hand out to shield it from view.

“no,” he stresses. “get your own.” he jerks his hand to the table against the wall. “use one of those.”

ace’s shoulders are shaking with contained laughter, and he gets up with a jerky bow, too-long arm folding behind his back. “as you wish,” he purrs, and sabo doesn’t know how to feel about that. ace moves over to the table, humming as he looks everything over. his smile hasn’t left his face, but his brows grow pinched as he wonders what to use.

sabo regrets giving him the book, if only because he misses having something to do with his hands. it was good, too. he’d read it again if it was his own, especially because he wasn’t able to pick up on the lead’s motives, for some reason.

ace wanders back over to his chair with a tongue depressor, moving the seat close so that he can rest an elbow on sabo’s table. sabo glances at him again and then leans back into the pillows, staring up at the ceiling.

“i don’t even know you,” he mutters, one hand wandering up to clench his shirt, right where his heart is.

ace stills, food forgotten. “sabo . .” he tries.

“i don’t even know you!” his voice raises, but it’s not a yell, not yet. it’s enough to make ace go quiet, though, and he turns to face him. “why are you even here? why don’t you go somewhere else? i-” he cuts himself off as he feels his eyes water.

“my name is ace.” he sets the yogurt on the table, then pushes it aside to move closer to the bed. “i’ve been coming here every day for-”

“i know,” sabo interrupts. “i remember when you’re here.”

ace’s eyes widen. “that’s . . good. i’m glad.”

sabo fists the blanket tightly in both hands. “i’m not.” his eyes narrow. “you should go.”

ace looks pained, but he stands without argument. “if that’s what you want.”

sabo’s heart hurts as the door closes. he thinks it might hurt more than all his physical injuries, but he just can’t figure out why.

he’s propped up when he first wakes, not nearly as lucid as he should be. his eyes adjust to the room easily enough. it’s partially dark, the blinds half-open to let in the setting sun’s light. he puffs out a breath, face screwing up at the weight on his chest.

when he glances down, he finds himself bound in a blanket. stringy blond hair moves into the edge of his vision. he thinks, for how long it appears, it was weird how short it felt on the back. if he reached behind, he’d find a bald strip barely covered by the longer strands. but before he can, there’s a loud noise to his left, his earlier motion not going unnoticed.

“sabo!” a voice says, and he looks up to see someone in a hospital gown moving quickly to his bedside. “thank god you’re awake,” he says, looking close to tears, and he climbs up on the edge of the bed, one knee buried into the mattress. rough hands move up to cup his face, and he blinks, stunned by the emotion he’s greeted with. he inhales sharp, vision swimming, and leans out of the hold, bringing a hand to his forehead. his fingers bunch around tight bandages.

“sabo?” the voice comes again. “does it hurt? i can get the nurses. here, there should be a button-”

he reaches out and grips the other’s hand before he could press anything, one eye still screwed up. “i’m . . . overwhelmed,” he manages to say, slowly voicing his thoughts, sure he would be able to process them this way. the other settles down, nodding in understanding.

“you had surgery. they said you would-”

“no,” he grounds out. he drops the hand and gestures between them. “this.”

“what do you mean?”

“you know me,” he says, opening both eyes now to see the puzzlement cross the other’s face. “i can see that. but you aren’t-” he breaks off. “i mean i . . .” he trails off, shaking his head, eyes downcast.

“. . don’t.”

they tell him his name is sabo portgas. sabo doesn’t have anything to go off, so he takes what he’s given. he has a visitor, they say, from the room next door. his name is ace. he wanted to see sabo before he was discharged.

“it’s okay,” he hears ace tell the doctor, before he comes in. “i’m not worried. i’ll help him remember.”

“i admire you attitude, but it won’t be that easy,” the doctor warns. ace says something in a voice too low for sabo to hear. the doctor sighs. “remember to take care of yourself, too.”

“gotcha!” ace says, and then he’s pushing the door open. sabo watches him warily.

ace smiles until he shows his teeth and moves until he’s sitting at sabo’s bedside. “hey! feel any better?”

sabo gestures to the morphine drip. “i don’t feel anything, i assure you.”

ace laughs, his lips barely parted. “sorry for scaring you last time. i-”

“last time?” sabo mumbles, face screwing up in concentration.

ace’s morphs into one of disbelief. “you don’t . . remember?”

“i was told ace was coming but.” he shakes his head. “i’ve never met you before.”

ace’s eyes dim. then they glimmer, and he moves closer, setting both hands gently on each of sabo’s shoulders. he thought he could take this slow, but if he was regressing, if would be better to go all out from the beginning. “hey, sabo,” he says, voice so assertive it has blue eyes locked onto his in an instant. “i love you.”

sabo sits there for a while, until the air stings at his wide eyes. he thinks he’s forgotten to breathe in his shock. “you -what?!” his lips purse, affronted by the casual intimacy.

“i love you,” ace says again, leaning back. sabo is even more confused as he says it again. “i have for a long time, and i always will.” his grip tightens, crumpling the thin material of his hospital gown. “if you remember anything from today: remember that.”

and sabo does.

he remembers well into the night, long after ace has left, shooed out once visitor hours had ended. he falls asleep for a bit, and when he wakes, body sore, room dark, he still remembers ace’s determined look as he said that phrase sabo felt was misplaced.

he slams a hand on the call button before he can be sick. it’s a long night.

he shows up again first thing in the morning. sabo has to read the visitor tag for the name, but he remembers the face, and it makes him nervous, wary. ace is being far too assertive for someone in sabo’s position, and he’s unsure if he can trust him. he doesn’t know anything about him, so it’s hard to place his intentions.

sabo supposes he could try and learn, but it’s far easier to close himself off instead, to put some distance between the two of them. he wanted to know more about himself before he got to know the person claiming to be in love with him.

“hey, this green doesn’t look bad on you!” ace says one day, making a frame with his fingers to capture sabo in. he blinks up, distracted, and ace’s grin morphs. “dark blue would look better, though,” he admits. “too bad they don’t have it.” he leans back. “i’d bring you some, but uh, i just can’t afford it right now.” he perks up. “one day, though! before you leave, i swear it.”

“right,” sabo says, frowning. ace catches on, sitting back up straight.

“you okay? head hurt?”

“i like blue?” sabo mumbles, ace straining to hear the words.

he blinks when he does, nodding. “yeah. it matches your eyes,” he admits.

sabo lifts a hand to his face, wincing at the strain it puts on the iv. “my eyes are blue?”

ace jumps to his feet, and sabo shifts, eyeing him oddly. he holds a finger up. “wait here.”

he’s gone before sabo can reply that he’s got nowhere to go.

one of the nurses comes in, ace trailing her. they’re both smiling. “i hadn’t realized you never saw,” she admits, words directed to sabo, though he doesn’t know what she means. she takes out a small pocket mirror and places it in front of sabo, until he’s reached out to hold it in his own hands.

his reflection stares back at him. when he blinks, cerulean eyes blink back. his face is pale, too pale. there’s a bandaid on his cheek. he moves the mirror higher and cards a hand through his hair. it’s definitely seen better days.

he hands the mirror back. “thank you.”

she shakes her head. “thank ace. he’s the one who brought it up.” she waves. “let me know if you need anything else.”

ace waves back, settling again on the edge of the bed as she leaves. “they’re pretty,” he voices, and sabo looks up again.

“my eyes?”

“your eyes,” ace clarifies. “they’ve always been pretty.”

sabo blinks, feeling drawn away from the conversation. he could’ve handled it, but the last part got him, the insinuation that he didn’t know if he could trust.

“you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday,” he blurts out, because ace is still staring at him but he doesn’t want that conversation drawn out.

ace looks down at himself, then lets out a meek laugh. “it’s all i have right now,” he reveals. “but i’m working on it.”

sabo has no idea what he means, but he doesn’t move to question it. he doesn’t care enough yet.

the next time ace comes in, sabo’s bandages are unraveled from his arms. the edges are bloody, and there are red partial fingerprints staining his right arm. he’s still dragging his fingers down his left, unbothered as the stitches come open, blood seeping from the long cut running down his inner arm.

ace drops his package, and it lands on the tile with a loud thunk. “sabo!” he frets, instantly by the blond’s side, forcing him to stop. “you can’t do that! you’re opening them! doesn’t it hurt?”

“i wanted to see,” he murmurs, focused on the feeling of ace’s hand wrapped around his bloody one. “they would never let me see. i’ve been trying, i think.” he shakes his head. “it doesn’t hurt.”

“that doesn’t matter!” ace snaps, and sabo blinks, ripped from his daze. “you can’t hurt yourself like this,” he tells sabo, using his free hand to hit the call button. “it won’t get better if you keep messing with it.”

“what’s-? oh. oh no, sabo.” a nurse comes in and hurries over, turning sabo’s left arm gently in her grasp. “you shouldn’t mess with these. you’ll only make them worse.”

sabo frowns, offended. “i only wanted to see what they looked like.”

“you can do that once they’re all better,” the nurse assures him. she looks across to his other arm, and her gaze softens. “let me get some water and i’ll help you clean up.” she glances to ace. “stay here?” watch him? she doesn’t say, but she doesn’t have to. ace nods, hand clasped tight around sabo’s.

“it doesn’t hurt,” sabo mumbles, after she’s cleaned the blood off and prepped the needle with anesthetic.

“just in case,” she tells him, inserting the needle. ace watches her work as she sews up sabo’s left arm, holding onto his right. they switch as she preps another needle with local anesthetic, and sabo looks very bored as the same process is repeated on his other arm.

ace doesn’t relax until both of sabo’s arms are bandaged back up. sabo is the opposite, growing more taut as his wounds are hidden from him. again.

“where did i get these?” he holds out his arms for emphasis. ace purses his lips, and that drives sabo up the wall. “you know!” he accuses. “you know and you’re not saying anything! you have to know how frustrating that is. do-” he pauses, a thought dawning on him. “was it you?”

ace’s expression changes immediately. “no,” he breathes, and sabo almost feels bad for accusing him, but it makes sense, too.

“you were involved, then,” sabo surmises. “that’s why you’re here -you feel guilty.”

“sabo, listen to me.” ace moves closer, and sabo flinches, forcing him to stop short. “you have the wrong idea.” he leans back again, and his hands go to the hem of his shirt.

sabo watches as he raises it, revealing the bandages wrapped around his ribs. he can see the bruising peeking out from the edges of the white. or, grey, more like. sabo imagined it’s what his own would look like, if the hospital staff wasn’t so vigorous in changing them out. he mellows out, just a bit.

“i was there, but i didn’t -i would never hurt you,” ace stresses. “i was with you. you just ended up with more damage than me.” he bites his lip, hard, his eyes no longer on sabo. “i’m sorry, for that. if i could switch our places, i would, i’d do it in a heartbeat.”

sabo is silent for a long time, mulling this over.

“maybe it’s a trauma bond,” he suggests, and ace blinks rapidly.

“sorry, what?”

“we went through the same experience, and now you’re attached to me.” sabo shrugs. “it happens.”

“wh- no.” ace shakes his head. “sabo, no, that’s not it. i’ve been with you long before that. what happened was unfortunate, but it-”

“then what is it?!” sabo yells. “what are we?” his lower lip trembles, and he forces himself to hold the tears back, even as he feels his eyes burn. “just tell me already,” he says hoarsely, barely containing himself.

ace comes close again, sitting on the bed, grasping for sabo’s hand. he nods, several times, like he’s working himself up. “my name is ace portgas,” he says slowly, voice breaking.

sabo’s world shatters.

ace is out getting food when sabo decides he’s had enough of this small room. he pulls the iv out and presses down on his bandaged wrist until the bleeding has stopped. then he swings both legs over the edge of the bed, back turned from the window. he plucks the handful of electrodes from his skin and gathers himself in the new quiet of the room. he could do this. he could stand-

the door bursts open right as sabo as settled his hands on the mattress to hoist himself up. he looks up, alarmed, as several people rush in and stop short.

“i- uh.” he blanks, caught off guard. “i just . . want to walk around. if that’s okay.” he mumbles the last part, right as he spies ace just inside the door, expression fading to something unreadable.

“oh, sabo,” one of the staff says, voice hushed. they move forward to gather the disconnected electrodes from the ground. “you should ask about things like that. it should be fine . . ?” they turn to the others for confirmation.

another one steps up, nodding. “let me go get the doctor.”

they all slowly disperse until only ace is left, wandering in. ace portgas.

“they’ll get worried if you’re unhooked from the machines,” he says, bending down in front of sabo. sabo searches his face, but he can’t find any resemblance to his own. they weren’t family. they weren’t blood, which meant . .

he tsks, turning his head away. “i wasn’t going to leave,” he mutters. “not like i have anywhere to go.”

ace’s eyes widen, and then relax, as he does his best to put on a brave face. “you will,” he promises. “i’m working on it.”

sabo isn’t sure what he means, but the doctor comes in before he can question.

“portgas!” he says, and the greeting is a sting in the already-burning cut. “heard you wanted to walk around. that should be fine, you’ll just have to take your iv with you. hm? ah, let me hook it back up.”

he’s very patient, not mentioning the earlier incident, or growing disgruntled at the fact his iv was leaking. sabo sits there silently as he places the needle back under his skin, nods in satisfaction, and leans back.

“don’t push yourself. you can use the iv stand as balance, but if you need a wheelchair, i’ll issue that, too.” his lips quirk up. “walking around will be good for you, though. it’s a little early, but i suppose you’ve been here long enough.” he stands back up. “i’ll get someone to bring in slippers. just sit tight until then.” he winks, and sabo nods, trying not to feel guilty.

the slippers are the same mint green as the rest of his hospital garb. sabo feels a stab of disappointment, but he’s not sure what color he wishes they were instead. they slide on easily enough, and after wheeling the iv stand around -and under surveillance- he grabs onto it to slowly come to a stand.

his legs shake. it’s not too bad, the nurse tells him. he takes a step forward, and another, the iv stand rolling along with him. she tells him he’s good enough to go, and sabo nods, concentrating, gaze trained on his feet.

“ace can take you around, make sure you’re doing okay,” she says, and sabo’s stomach drops. he suddenly doesn’t feel like going, but he forces himself to move anyway.

“fine,” he grunts, already at the door.

“if he can’t make it back, please don’t try to carry him,” the nurse tells ace quietly. “we don’t want to upset your ribs, and we have plenty of wheelchairs.”

ace frowns. “but that’s more romantic!”

“it’s not if you both end up collapsed,” she chides, and ace relents.

sabo’s not very far away from the room when ace catches up, hovering on his free side. “anywhere specific you wanna go?”

“take me to the vending machine you like so much,” is sabo’s reply.

ace looks taken aback. “well i’m not in love with it or anything.”

no, just me, he thinks, then slams down on that thought and stuffs it somewhere he doesn’t have to think about it.

it’s at the end of the hall, illuminated in a dark corner. sabo looks at the rows, but nothing catches his eye.

“you want anything?” ace asks, leaning back against the wall.

sabo shrugs. “i don’t know what i would like.”

ace grins, fishing a dollar bill from his pocket. “i gotcha,” he says, head thrown over his shoulder as he steps forward to insert the money into the machine. he presses a couple buttons and sabo watches as a red package falls.

ace pops it out and rips it open, gesturing for sabo to follow. they move until they’re sat on a bench, a large window covering most of the wall next to it. sabo sighs in relief as he releases his hands from their deathgrip on the cold steel. he would never admit it, but he was getting tired.

when he turns to glance at ace, smiling cheekily, he finds he doesn’t need to, which irritates him. ace resists laughing and nudges his shoulder, getting him to hold his hand out. he pours some of the candy into his palm, and sabo frowns down at it as the fruity smell assaults his nose.

“i probably can’t have this.”

“no one has to know,” ace says, shrugging. he pours some straight from the bag down into his mouth, and sabo shrugs, copying him, while he presses a purple one to his lips.

his eyes pop. it was startlingly good. he immediately throws another in, this time green. “these are good,” he voices, and ace laughs from beside him.

“too bad they don’t have the blue skittles.” ace grins when sabo stares up at him, questioning. “they’d match your eyes.”

sabo strangely feels like he’s heard something similar. he can’t place the conversation, though, and his interest dies. “these are good enough,” he insists, lifting his hand to pour them all into his mouth. he chews slowly, the fruit combination strange but not unpleasant. “thanks,” he mumbles, almost too low to hear, when he’s done.

unfortunately, ace’s hearing is extremely good, almost unreasonably so. “no problem,” he says, shoulders relaxing.

they stay there until the sun starts sinking. ace has to ward sabo off from climbing the stairs to a new floor, convincing him to leave that for another day. they make it back to the room with little issue, though sabo is loath to admit he’s a little out of breath.

“your blood pressure is a little high,” one of the nurses notes later on that night. “must’ve been a good walk.”

sabo bites down on his tongue, just hard enough to keep from saying anything. his mind wanders back to the candy he’d indulged in, and he resists rolling his eyes. he knew there would be consequences.

he strangely finds himself not caring as much as he should.

sabo’s attention, much to ace’s despair, is stolen by another book. he’d gotten this one from ace himself. reading it is good -it puts him at ease. even better now that he can read it over time, no longer forced to finish it in one sitting. it had been a shocking discovery, but a good one, when the nurse had wandered in to see sabo starting from where he’d placed the bookmark. he was beginning to retain things better, the doctor said. it was a sign of progress.

it was a welcome one.

ace is fiddling with his phone by the window. he’d started to come in with it more lately, no longer worried about having the blond’s sole attention. sabo could admit he was growing more comfortable in ace’s presence, though it had more to do with the way ace was acting around him, and less so with what he was supposed to be with sabo in the past.

ace’s phone rings and sabo glances up. ace frowns down at it, meets his eyes briefly, and then looks to the door. he sighs after a moment, accepting the call, and moves over to the far corner of the room, not quite leaving, but close. he talks low, and sabo turns his attention back to his book instead of struggling to overhear.

“i don’t sell anymore,” ace says, a little louder, and sabo blinks, finding he hadn’t processed any of what he’d read. he gives up, staring blankly at the pages, and drops the book entirely when ace ends the call.

“what was that about?”

ace has the decency to look contrite, slumping over as he takes a seat in the chair. he waves sabo off, though, not wanting to divulge this -especially with their location.

“you’ll remember eventually,” he mutters.

sabo crosses his arms. “i’d like to remember now.”

ace turns to look up at him, expression pleading. “sabo, you really don’t need to know right now,” he insists. “i’ll tell you some other time, okay?”

sabo huffs. he picks his book back up, and he doesn’t speak to ace for the rest of the night.

ace doesn’t come in one morning.

sabo waits, then chides himself for thinking like that and spends the morning reading.

“no ace yet?” his nurse questions, as she takes his vitals. he shakes his head.

it’s not until sunlight is flooding into his room that sabo realizes he was still expecting the raven to waltz in. he was on the edge of his seat, literally, and he finds himself unable to concentrate on anything the longer he’s left alone.

he goes on a walk instead, pacing one side of the hall several times. he pauses near the middle as he catches wind of a conversation, pressing himself into the shadow of a doorway.

“it’s a shame, really. he’s getting better, it’s obvious to see.”

“i know, right? even though he’s been here a while, it’s not like he’s fully recovered. such a shame they won’t cover the bills anymore.”

“gotta had some for other patients, i guess. the year’s not over yet. and accidents happen all the time in the snow.”

“did you hear what was happening next?”

“i think social services will pick it up, though i’m not sure. it’s complicated, since he’s not alone.”

“it’s not like he has a place to go, either. those two are so young. they’re not even twenty!”

“it really is awful. i just hope something changes for the better. they don’t deserve to end up back on the streets.”

sabo moves further down the hall, no longer willing to listen. he had a pretty good idea of who they were talking about. it stung, but he got it. he’d gathered enough hints over time, he just hadn’t wanted to form that particular conclusion.

he stands in front of the tall window at the end of the hall until his legs ache. then he trudges back to his room, not stopping for anything, even when one of the nurses calls out to him.

“oh, sabo, there you are! you have a visitor.”

he braces himself before entering the room. no doubt it was the social worker coming to take over his case.

he’s only pleasantly surprised to find ace waiting for him. just ace.

“you came,” he says, slightly elated.

ace turns on his rolling chair, smiling wide. “sabo! i was wondering where you were.”

“where i was?” sabo scoffs, though it’s mostly in jest. ace’s attitude is infectious, he finds, moving closer.

ace laughs. “right, sorry. i had some things to take care of today. but you’ll never believe it!” sabo’s close enough now that ace rolling to meet him catches him off-guard, which makes it easier to get knocked off his feet, landing on ace’s legs instead. he grips the pole of the iv stand tight.

his breath is caught as ace wraps his arms around his middle, pulling him closer. “the most amazing thing happened today,” he insists, either unaware of sabo’s growing flustered state or choosing to ignore it. “and i got us a place to stay after you get out!”

the words ground sabo, more than anything. he calms down enough to process it, but instead of being overjoyed, he grows somber. “so it’s true. w-” he bites his lip, unable to continue to speak, and switches words. “i was homeless.” he frowns. “am homeless.”

ace’s arms tense, then loosen, around him. he breathes soft, tickling sabo’s neck. “not exactly,” he murmurs.

“tell me,” sabo pleas.

and he does.

he tells sabo how they spent nights with friends, and then at shelters, when they moved. how ace picked up money here and there, and sabo found odd jobs he could get without a permanent address. how they moved around, until their car broke down here and they’d abandoned it. how things had been tough, but after a bit, they always managed to have a little cash to spare. how they had a place, a really small one, until they got caught up in the accident. and then after that, there hadn’t been anywhere to go back to.

“until now,” ace finishes, pulling sabo closer. “if you want to,” he adds, and this close sabo can detect the waver.

“i have to get better first.”

“i know that. i meant, like . . after.” ace finishes in a mumble. sabo snorts, shoulders shaking from laughter, and he releases his hand from the pole to grab at ace.

“yeah. i would like that,” he admits.

ace looks up, stars in his eyes. “really?”

“you didn’t think i’d say yes?”

“i was worried you wouldn’t,” ace confesses. “i mean, you still don’t . . . remember everything. anything,” he amends.

sabo thinks on that for a long time before answering. “i missed you, today,” he starts. “i tried to tell myself it didn’t matter, but it did. you’re right: i don’t remember anything. but i can tell i meant a lot to you. and, uh.” he ducks his head. “you mean a lot to me, now. and not because i knew you before. it’s because . . . well. because of all the things you’ve done for me, since i woke up.”

ace’s lips are clamped, his eyes glassy. it takes him a minute to regain the composure to speak. “even if you don’t remember-” he looks away, unable to hold sabo’s gaze, but he finds it again, before finishing. “it’ll be okay. promise.”

sabo blinks, finding he knew exactly how much that took ace to admit. he starts nodding his head, but finds he doesn’t like the mood, anymore. he smirks down at ace instead. “you sure? what if i end up-”

“nah.” ace shakes his head, laughing again. “you’re stuck with me, now.”

sabo finds, just a little bit unsurprisingly, that he’s okay with that.

“ace?”

sabo covers his mouth as he turns to see the nurse in the doorway. ace looks up with an easy grin, laughter dying down. “yeah?”

“the doctor is ready for you, if you’d like your checkup now.”

ace nods. “that would be great. just give me a minute and i’ll be right out.”

the nurse hums in response, sliding the door shut.

ace comes to a stand in a hurry, snaking a hand under sabo’s blanket to leave the half-empty skittles bag hidden there, top twisted shut. sabo snorts, dropping the hand from his mouth, and finally swallows the last of the blue ones.

“i’ll come back when i’m done!” ace promises, moving to the door. sabo rolls his eyes.

“visitor hours will be over by then.”

“it’ll be quick! or i’ll sneak back in.” he winks. “but you didn’t hear the last part.”

“go,” sabo hums. ace waves on his way out, and sabo rolls his eyes again, but ends up doing the same.

he takes the skittles bag out and begins to unwrap the top, then decides against it and stuffs it under his pillows, instead. the sun is pretty low in the sky, now.

he hadn’t asked ace, he realizes. what the checkup was about. he could garner the basics, but it would be nice to know more.

he puts a hand to his chest, where he can feel the bandages through his shirt. they’d let him see it, the other day, while they were changing it out. even after all this time, it was still mottled with bruises, all in varying shades of colors. some had recurred, from what he’d gathered, but most of them were well on their way to healing.

he wonders if his injury is reflected on ace, or if it would be worse.

before he can vow to ask, he ends up falling asleep. he wakes up and the sun isn’t out, anymore. the light is dim, but it’s artificial. the lamp in the corner, he realizes.

there’s a hand carding through his hair. sabo makes a noise, turns his face up, and it stops.

“hey,” ace says, softly. “i didn’t mean to wake you.”

“you’re back,” sabo murmurs.

“i told you i would be.”

“you did.” sabo blinks, trying to shake off sleep as he works to sit up, eventually settling on his elbows. “how did it go?”

“pretty good.” ace waves him off. “no issues.”

“what is it?”

ace wants to clam up, but he feigns ignorance instead, knowing sabo would catch it. “what’s what?”

sabo sits up further. “your injury. you said it was better than mine, but . .”

“oh. uh.” ace turns away, tilts his head back. “are you sure-”

“i’m sure,” sabo says, sat up all the way, now. he crosses his legs, leans closer. “if i can’t know about mine . . i’d like to know about yours.”

“yeah,” ace breathes. “okay.”

he shrugs his coat off, then tugs his shirt up, off, and over his shoulders. he no longer has the wrap on, so the damage is laid clear before sabo’s eyes. ace moves a hand over everything, explaining.

“i was stabbed in the lung.” he shrugs off sabo’s incredulous expression, pointing to a thick scar. “it wasn’t serious or anything. sounds a whole lot worse than it was. most of the damage came from a few ribs i cracked -that certainly made breathing a bitch. the rest is just bruising, though it’s mostly lower on my ribcage.”

sabo’s lips downturn. “how were you literally stabbed and i had it worse?”

ace reaches up to tap the side of his own head. sabo blinks.

“oh.”

“really, sab, i’m fine. i’m just glad you’re fine. i’m glad you’re alive.” he shrugs, working his shirt back on. “at least those guys aren’t.”

“they’re dead?” sabo utters, expression open.

“yeah. some gang managed to break in, wanted revenge for something, i didn’t catch it all. anyway, we obviously weren’t with them, so we were left alone.” ace huffs out a hollow laugh. “though, that also meant they didn’t call for medical help. had to do that myself.” he drapes the coat over his back and tugs his arms through the sleeves. “anyway, it’s all over now. you don’t have to worry about any of it.”

sabo wonders, not for the first time, how ace manages to imply so much without actually revealing anything. he’s ripped from that thought as ace stands back up, eyeing the height of the moon through the window before moving to close the blinds.

“gotta go,” he says, waving to the door. “i’ll see you tomorrow.”

“yeah.” sabo leans back, only now aware of how tired he is. “see you.”

a man comes in with ace one day. he introduces himself, but sabo doesn’t bother to commit the name to memory. he’s a social worker, says he’s helping ace find a job. a real job, he specifies, and sabo isn’t sure if there’s an implication he’s supposed to get. ace looks disgruntled by the jab, but he doesn’t argue it.

“well, sabo, it appears you’ve entered a peculiar period in your recovery.” he folds his hands in his lap. “in short, the hospital is no longer willing to pay your expenses. they’ve passed the bill over to us.” he gestures to himself only as he says this, but sabo is still nervous. until his next words, that is. “you don’t need to worry about paying anything back. we’ll take it from here until you’ve recovered. all i ask is that you give your very best effort to the things i tell you to try. that sound good?”

“yeah. sounds good.” sabo hesitates for a moment, then adds on “thank you.”

“you’re welcome.” he smiles. “there’s no need to thank me, though. this is my job.”

sabo shrugs. “still.”

“well, i appreciate the sentiment. ace has told me about your amnesia. the surgery you underwent was a tricky one, it seems. according to the staff, you seem to have almost healed up, physically. you haven’t appeared to regress any, on that account. and your anterograde amnesia is pretty much nonexistent. if you’re willing to progress, there are some options for you.”

sabo isn’t sure how to reply. he must sense that, because he offers something else.

“on that note, have you thought about undergoing any exercises to help recall your memory?”

“i guess i hadn’t thought that was an option.”

“it most certainly is on the table, if you would like to try it,” he offers.

sabo doesn’t even have to think about it. “that sounds great.”

“glad to hear it.”

sabo gets the bandages around both arms removed early one week. it’s weird at first, having the skin so exposed to the air. the scars aren’t pretty, either, despite how well the tissue had healed in light of his constant picking at them. he grows self-conscious about it before too long, and takes to draping the loose blanket over his shoulders whenever he’s in the room, pulling it down so it hung over both arms and left his hands free to do tasks.

the first day ace writes it off, but the second he chalks it up to temperature and shrugs off his jacket to throw it around sabo’s shoulders instead, pulling the blanket down to his lap.

sabo blinks a few times, startled into silence by the gesture. it’s not until ace moves back to his chair that he reaches up to pull the jacket closer, basking in the comfort it offered.

“thank you,” he says, pulling his arms through the soft sleeves. the cuffs came down to his fingers, but they were stretchy, so he didn’t mind.

ace shrugs, glancing out the window. “it’s getting colder, now that the new year has passed,” he notes. “snowing more, too. if you get cold, you should tell someone. they’ll do something about it.”

“oh.” sabo bites down on his lip to keep from huffing out a laugh. “yeah, sure. i’ll remember that.” he tugs the cuffs further over his hands, then fusses with the blanket thrown over his legs. even if ace did misunderstand, the intention was nice.

he takes the jacket back before he leaves, ushered out by the staff after visitor hours had ended for the night. sabo wraps himself in the blanket and pulls the sheets over his legs. his fingers dig into his arms, press against the raised scar tissue.

ace comes back early the next morning and throws his jacket around sabo before doing anything else. he leans close to adjust it, and for once, sabo sits calmly and lets him do it. it’s not until he’s pulling on sabo’s arm, skin pressed into the space around his scar, that sabo reacts. it’s entirely unintentional, but his heart stutters and his chest stops moving and ace notices, of course he does, pausing to loosen his grip.

and then, as if it clicks, he slides his hand around until his thumb traces the scar line. sabo sucks in a breath and ace puts one leg on the bed to slide closer, grabbing both of sabo’s arms, now.

“you’re okay,” he murmurs, face close but eyes on sabo’s injuries. sabo lifts his own from where ace is smoothing his skin to gaze into clear grey. the nearness doesn’t escape him.

ace glances up, just an instant, just enough to catch sabo staring. he sucks in a deep breath, stills his hands to grip just a little harder, and leans forward to press his forehead to sabo’s. his eyes are trained on the blond’s mint gown. “you don’t like seeing them,” he voices.

“no,” sabo replies, after a moment. his pitch is unsteady.

“i’m sorry i-”

“it’s okay,” sabo tells him, barely above a whisper. “you helped. thank you.”

ace pulls back, and then he’s slowly pulling sabo’s arms through the sleeves of his jacket, until the whole thing hung loose on his thin frame. ace bites on his lip, tries not to think about how much weight sabo had lost here, tries not to think about how he can’t solve the problem, because there’s no clear solution to scars, and no right answer to give to reminders of pain.

it’s snowing when ace has to leave. sabo tugs the jacket off and gives it back, unwilling to let him go without it on underneath his coat. he pulls the blanket around him and tries not to think about how nice it would be to hold onto it.

ace doesn’t know what to think. sabo hadn’t shied away from the rope burns on his ankles, or the thick cuts on his hands, or the gash on his cheek from the last bandaid to have come off. he’d seen the bruising on his chest without giving rise to panic, and made peace with the welt above his collarbone. so what is it about this one that had him so worked up?

ace stops short as the elevator dings and doesn’t move to exit when the doors open. was it that he was associating subconscious feelings with the scars? maybe he couldn’t recall the event, but were the emotions from that day slowly starting to come back?

the doors close and ace jerks a hand out to catch them, digging his phone out as he passes through.

“here!”

sabo’s face scrunches as he inspects the simple package thrust at him. his forehead creases, and it’s visible, for once. it no longer hurts, either, which is why his headwrap was finally removed.

“okay,” he mutters, letting the package fall into his hands. he flexes his fingers to push the jacket cuffs to his wrists, then pushes the box open. inside is a mass of dark blue fabric.

sabo blinks, the creases leaving his face, and looks up at ace. “what’s this for?” he reaches in to bury his fingers into the plush knit, pulling it out and unfurling it as ace replies.

“well, your head is better. at least, the front part is, so i thought we could celebrate.” ace chews on his lip as sabo lifts the scarf. “here, let me.” he climbs onto the edge of the bed and takes the scarf from sabo’s hands, not sure why he’s nervous but feeling this incredible need to do the task himself. he loops the scarf and moves it over sabo’s head, careful to avoid the back of his skull as he pulls it down, loops it again, and ties it at the back. he’d been half right: the front part of sabo’s skull, where his brain had impacted, was completely healed. but he’d suffered a major injury on the back, and it was still sensitive there, from what he’d gathered. ace is very careful as he ties the scarf off, then sinks back on his knees, stomach settling when he takes the view in.

sabo is looking down at the scarf, one hand reached up to rub the knit between his fingerpads. “that was quick notice,” he mutters.

“i told you i would bring you something blue before you left the hospital.”

“i’m not leaving toda-” sabo pauses, mouth open. “you did?”

“you probably don’t remember,” ace offers with a sigh.

sabo’s lips tremble. “i’m so-”

“no, please don’t!” ace insists. “it was- i mean, i told you while you still had short-term memory. it was my fault.” he shrugs. “it was more like a vow to myself, if anything.”

“okay,” sabo says, moving over the syllables slowly. “it’s nice.” he drops his hand. “thank you.”

“is the color okay? i tried to get one dark enough-”

“it’s fine,” sabo interrupts, eyes lidding. “seriously. thank you.”

ace opens his mouth again, but no words come out as he walks himself through the facts. sabo waits patiently, setting the empty box aside. he leans back against the pillows, tugging the knot to the side so that it didn’t rest right on his neck. ace works through everything and comes to a slow realization.

“your favorite color was navy,” he says. “before . .” he doesn’t finish. “it’s not anymore.”

sabo turns his eyes away, down to his lap, where he’s unconsciously brushing a thumb over the jacket cuff. he moves away from the dark red to the bright, saturated ruddy of ace’s coat. “no, it’s not.”

ace really doesn’t know how to feel, and sabo interrupts his inner turmoil with a question before he can get sucked too far into it.

“is that okay?” he does his best to smile when ace’s eyes turn on him. “if i change . . will that be okay?”

ace snaps himself out of it the instant he realizes how fragile sabo’s expression has become. he doesn’t know what compels him to do it, but he’s suddenly leaning close to sabo, both hands gentle on the sides of his face. sabo’s eyes are wide, and then ace is kissing him.

he makes a noise and ace jerks back, hands falling away. “sorry!” he apologizes. “i- sorry, god, i’m sorry, i don’t know what-”

“it’s okay.” sabo’s voice is quiet. ace drops his arms from when he’d been scrubbing his face, hair now a mess. sabo isn’t looking at him. “it’s okay, really,” he says again, but the tension hasn’t left his shoulders, and ace needs a distraction before he screws up more.

he raises his fingers to form a frame, sabo’s head in the middle. “you still look the best in blue,” he says, willing to ignore the waver in his voice. “way better than the green they stuck you in.”

sabo snorts, and slowly, the earlier mood begins to unravel. he forces himself to relax. “i’ll take your word for it.”

“do. it’s fact.”

“because everything you say is always true.”

ace sobers at this. “it is.” he waits until sabo is focused on him. “with you. ever since you woke up.”

sabo has to swallow before he can answer. there’s still a bob in his throat, just like there’s still a phantom feeling of chapped lips on his own. he manages to speak through them. “i know. it’s why i decided to start trusting you.” he reaches forward and ace reads his intention, catches his hands in his own. “you’ve been here,” he almost breathes, voice very quiet. “even when i didn’t want you to be.” he pauses when his voice cracks, taking a moment to collect himself. “you never left, and you never lied, and you never let me forget you were supporting me.” he squeezes, and ace squeezes back. “and i’m sorry, that my memory went away. but i’m here, right here, and i care about you now. and i won’t let anything change that.” he smiles, his next inhale shaky. “and i know you won’t, either.”

ace can’t help when the tears run down his cheeks. he doesn’t move to stop them, only sniffling, and bringing their joined hands to his chest, and then bending forward again, gathering courage.

sabo moves his head off the pillows to meet him.

sabo’s assigned social worker interrupts ace’s excited rambling to politely ask him to leave the room. sabo’s smile falls when it becomes just the two of them. he’d never been able to read this one, though that might have more to do with him being the first outsider sabo had met. his social circle had been restricted to the hospital staff that attended to him, and ace. even if sabo had been proficient at reading people in the past, his limited interaction had taken some sort of toll.

“sorry, he didn’t do anything wrong,” his caseworker assures him, sensing the animosity. “he’s been very assertive, though, and i haven’t had the chance to ask your opinion.” he leans forward in his seat. “do you want to go with ace? there are other options, if you decide you’d be better off apart.”

sabo takes a minute to process this. he knows it’s only being asked out of concern, but his first intention is to take it the wrong way. he works to settle himself, and then figure out a rational response.

“i think,” he begins, “that. even if i can’t be sure ace isn’t fabricating the whole thing, it feels wrong to assume that, now. and it feels right to be with him. i only have his word to go off of, yes. but i can tell we’re meant to be together.” he shrugs. “i- i know that doesn’t sound very convincing, and maybe i’m not fully convinced myself, but i’ve been having these feelings, and the doctor said that even if the memory associated with it doesn’t return, the emotions that surface are still real.” sabo stops before he can ramble too much in that direction, looking back up. “i do want to go with him.”

“you’ve convinced me,” he hums. “even if you haven’t fully convinced yourself.” he leans back. “one more question.”

“okay?”

“are you sure you still want to remember?”

again, sabo takes some time to organize his thoughts. he comes to a conclusion that is startlingly succinct. “whatever happened before, i promised i wouldn’t stop caring about him. i’m not willing to hold myself back on that regard.”

his caseworker smiles. “works for me. how about we start psychotherapy monday?”

part 2 | notes

#writing #ywr/iwf #op #saboace #amnesia au but Not Like That

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animequeen122 · 3 years

Text

A New Dream

Chapter 1

I had fallen asleep watching One Piece wishing I could live in their world and not mine. My life was boring and uneventful. There was no magic no adventures. Just bills and wishing the world wasn’t as corrupt as it was. If I was born into the world of One Piece I would join Luffy’s crew and go on so many adventures. I made a silent wish before sleep claimed me. To live in their world and finally belong.

It seems like no time has gone past when I begin to open my eyes. I noticed that my bed felt very strange and I did not have a blanket. In fact everything is off. The sun was beginning to shine in my eyes. Wait what the sun?! I jolt up and look around. Holy shit. I recognize where I was. But how, how did I get on the Thousand Sunny?! One Piece is fake but yet here I am sitting on the deck just as morning was creeping over the sea. The sea?! I begin to panic, how and why am I here?

As I was beginning to have a panic attack, a door opens. I look towards the sound and see Sanji coming out to start breakfast. At least that is what I assume. I could have made some noise but I wasn’t sure. Sanji begins to start smoking and looks my way. I was so scared. This could go either way and I was not looking forward to either.

“Um hello?” Sanji asked questioning raising a curly eyebrow.

“Hi.” I say sheepishly raising my hand. Something catches my eye. My hand is darker than it normally is and it looks healthy. I then look down and see my body has changed. I scream and faint from the shock. I briefly hear Sanji call for Chopper as I fade into darkness.

I begin to open my eyes but the lights are very bright so I bring my hand up to shield my eyes.

“Oh you’re awake. Thank goodness.” A childish voice says. I look over and I see Chopper sitting in a chair. He jumps down and comes over to me.

“Sanji was real worried when you just fainted. But it seems like you’re okay.” Chopper says giving me a look over. Chopper opens the door and says, “She is awake guys!” You hear stampeding but Chopper morphs into Heavy Point and blocks the door.

“No rushing her. I am sure she is just as confused as you are.” He says. Luffy squeezes past Chopper and sits next to me.

“Hi I’m Luffy. Who are you?” Luffy says with a smile.

“My name is Sam, short for Samantha, but call me Sam.” I reply. I was still scared and I did not know what I could say.

“How did you get here?” Luffy than asked.

“I’m not sure. I fell asleep and the next moment I woke up and see Sanji and than fainted.” I replied stumbling over my words.

“Yeah the ero cook will do that to you.” A voice I would recognize anywhere. I begin to blush because I was in love with Zoro. Yes I was in love with a fictional character that is someone standing in front of me or nearby. I begin to blush and bring my hands up to my face.

“Chopper! Sam’s face is red.” Luffy yells at Chopper. Chopper raced over shifting back to his normal form. He put a hoof to my forehead and says, “She doesn’t have a fever.” I begin to breathe quickly just knowing that Zoro was nearby was making me nervous. Nami comes in and pushes Luffy off the bed and sits next to me.

“Hey are you okay?” She asked putting a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah just it’s a lot to take in.” I reply. It wasn’t a total lie but the real reason was mortifying to say in front of everyone.

“Just tell us what you can. Sanji bring her something to drink.” Nami orders Sanji.

“Yes my dear!” He says twirling away. I laugh seeing this in person is actually funny.

“Well I am not sure how to start but I came from another world. At least I think so since this is not my home.” I say spreading my hands indicating this is not normal.

“Cool!” Luffy says with stars in his eyes.

“From where I come from this is fake. Your world is a fictional show that millions of people watch.” I continued. Everyone is quiet and looking at me like I grew another head.

“What?” Nami asked.

“The show is called One Piece. I can tell you things about each other that is not common knowledge. Chopper is the medic and at the Human-Human fruit. Nami is the navigator and was part of the Arlong pirates before Luffy saved her. Luffy is the grandson of Monkey D. Garp and the son of Monkey D. Dragon. His brothers are Fire Fist Ace and Sabo. Sanji is the cook and the son of Vinsmoke Judge. Robin is from O’Hara and ate the Flower Flower Fruit. Franky is the shipwright and is a cyborg since a train ran over him. Brook is the musician and is alive because of the Revive Revive Fruit. Usopp is the sniper but is a coward and becoming God Usopp from a misunderstanding at Dressrosa. Jimbei is the Helmsman and saved Luffy at Marineford and defected from Big Mom to join Luffy. Zoro is the first mate and swordsman. He is my favorite.” I say that last part slipping. I cover my mouth and look at the crew again. Their jaws were on the floor and Zoro popped his head in looking at me. I drop my head onto my lap begging them to not say anything.

“So awesome!” Luffy is the first one to scream and tackle me into a hug.

“That is so amazing that you know all about us!” Luffy was yelling with the biggest smile on his face. I couldn’t help but smile too. I adore Luffy and always saw him as my brother that I had to protect.

“Huh.” Nami says getting up and taking the water from the stunned Sanji. Nami handed me the drink giving me a chance to take a drink and think.

“How could you like that mosshead more than me!” Sanji screamed in defeat.

“Cause I am just better than you.” Zoro smirked with a slight blush on his face. Sanji than proceeded to get in his face. But Nami quickly knocked their heads.

“Now is not the time to argue about this.” Nami screamed!

“I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. I know pretty much everything that happened up till Wano.” I say still being hugged by Luffy.

“So you know everything!” Luffy says still looking amazed.

“Yeah but anything after that I have not caught up on.” I replied.

“So you know all about us but we don’t know anything more about you.” Robin says resting her hand on her chin.

“Can we talk while I eat? It has been a while since I ate.” I asked my stomach growling.

“Of course my dear. Anything for you Sam!” Sanji said kneeling down next to me grabbing my hand with hearts in his eyes.

“Thanks Sanji.” I say giving him a smile. Everyone begins to leave but Nami stays behind.

“I left some clothes on the bed. No charge!” Nami says leaving the room and closing the door. I look at the clothes and saw that they are way more revealing than what I used to wear. I quickly look in the mirror and saw exactly how much had changed. I had lost weight and looked fit. My skin was tan and I was a few inches taller. My hair was the same length but now instead of brown is was a violet. My eyes were pale purple and I could see clearly.

“What happened to me?” I asked myself.

My first work. It just came to me one night at work. I hope you all enjoy.

#zoro x reader #one piece #reader #zoro

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misc-headcanons · 4 years

Text

3rd Place Prize: Ace SFW/NS.FW Letters

For @dam-snackbar, 3rd place winner of the 1000+ Follower Giveaway!

SFW

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

It'd likely start when his future friend joins Whitebeard's crew, and he wanted to go introduce himself to the newest member of the family. He'd be his usual cool-yet-dorky self, and a more perceptive person might be able to tell he's got more going on than that happy and relaxed persona of his. It would take a while to get past that guard of his, and if he trusted you enough he would eventually open up about his past. If you told him that you didn't care who his father was, just who he is, he'd be shocked (might get all silent and pull down his hat to hide how he's close to crying).

Ace seems like an ambivert to me, where he'd be down with going out on a deserted island for a two-person adventure or just chilling in his cabin and napping together. He could really go either way, so he can vibe with extroverted and introverted friends. He's also the kind of guy who can make you laugh after having a horrible day, just by putting his head on your shoulder and saying something that should just be mildly funny, but the way he says it makes it fucking hilarious.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Settling down is...a complicated desire of his. He really would like to enjoy a comfortable life with his family on the crew (and maybe an s/o, if one should come along), but sometimes he feels as though he doesn't deserve to have a happy life like that because he's the Devil's Child. And the more he wishes for it, the more self-loathing he has for even wishing for something so selfish.

He's better at cooking than cleaning, but not by much. If it's meat, he can make a damn good grilled/cooked/seared dish. If it's literally anything else, you're likely gonna get a dish that'll taste either pretty good (because he used a lot of heat) or charred and horrifying (because he used a lot of heat). If you're like me and love marshmallows (especially ones that are fucking BURNT TO ABSOLUTE BLACKNESS), he will absolutely become a living campfire. It's one of the best family activities on the Moby Dick: roasting marshmallows in a circle with Ace in the middle of it!

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

When he finally summoned the courage to tell you about himself and his heritage. He expected you to avoid him from now on, at the very least. Most pirates tend to attack/harass him (if they're not part of the crew), or tell him he'll never be able to live up to Roger's legacy. Even on the Whitebeard crew, at first his mates tended to ask a bunch of questions about Roger and his mom and whatnot; when they saw how uncomfortable it made him, they stopped bringing Roger up when talking to him.

When you told him it didn't really change much in terms of how you see him, he was equal parts shocked and relieved. The last time someone said something like that, it was when he befriended Luffy and Sabo (and later on after joining the crew, Marco and the rest of Whitebeard's family).

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He doesn't pay much attention to his appearance, believe it or not. He brushes his teeth when he remembers to, he runs a comb through his hair (more often though, he'll just use his fingers)...not much effort is put into his looks. He's just naturally pretty, lol. He's used to getting some flirty comments and glances when he's traveling, but he's got very little experience actually reciprocating and flirting back; he doesn't really see what all the fuss is about.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

I think "incomplete" isn't the right word. Ace has a lot of self-loathing and I wouldn't be surprised if he had depression. If you've seen "Bojack Horseman", Ace feels a lot like Diane and Bojack--where he's nothing but a pit that good things and people fall into. Regardless of whether or not he had an s/o, he would feel like a pit instead of a real person sometimes. An s/o who really loved him would lead to these episodes happening less frequently, but it may not lead to him feeling like a "complete person" either.

NS.FW BELOW!

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

He has two preferred position types: if he's feeling especially romantic and gentle, he wants one where he can hold his partner close and look them in the eyes (he's cool with either missionary or something like https://sexpositions.club/positions/55.html) If he's incredibly horny and wants to fuck his s/o's brains out as opposed to "making love", he wants a position where he can easily grab his partner's hips and ass. (https://sexpositions.club/positions/187.html)

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Seeing his s/o wearing his hat or his clothes (pls pls PLS ride him while wearing his cowboy hat, he'll want to marry you on the spot); any kind of flirting/groping/teasing in public; running your fingers down the base of his neck. He's got the libido of a man in his 20s, though--his s/o could give him eye contact and a smidge of affection and he'd have a tent in his pants the size of the Moby Dick.

#one piece #one piece headcanon #one piece headcanons #ace #portgas d. ace #ns.fw #1000+ followers #mine

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luccislegs · 4 years

Note

Law/male!so/Luffy in which their S/o can speak to ghosts and sometimes helps ghost. And, after some insisting by two very persistent ghosts (Ace and Cora), goes and finds Luffy and Law, and finds themselves wanting to stick around?

you have absolutely no idea how these two spirits found you, just that they are extremely persistent and are driving you crazy. so you do as they ask and find yourself standing before an ostentatious red boat, watching one stoic man watch another man in a straw hat bounce around like a fool.

you feel yourself developing a headache as the two spirits chatter incessantly in your ear, telling you to go introduce yourself. you have no idea how they’re going to react, but if the look in law’s eyes are anything to go by, you have a good chance of being murdered.

but you explain as clearly as you can, pressing your fingers to your temple as you’re inundated with small details only ace and rosi would know, and you watch law’s grip on his sword loosen even as his face pales. you aren’t sure you have him totally convinced, but he hasn’t slaughtered you yet, which you take as a good sign.

luffy on the other hand takes you at your word, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement as he chatters to ace like he can see him right in front of him. it’s a little less tedious than you expected to relay ace’s responses, and you can see the deep love the two have for each other.

usually, the loved ones of deceased people become melancholy once you explain to them about their ghosts. this is true in law, and you can’t help but feel a little guilty. rosi does as well, and asks you to encourage law in his place. you do your best, but you know he can tell it’s feigned. your comfort of him isn’t, though, and in your own way you’re helping him come to terms with it.

luffy on the other hand is completely unconcerned, and you learn from the others that that’s just how he is. nothing has ever kept him down, and even after ace’s death he bounced back remarkably quickly. he seeks you out a lot, usually to talk to ace, but it slowly morphs into discussions about pasts. he regales you with tales of his, ace’s, and sabo’s shared childhood and all the trouble they caused, and you find you look forward to the time you spend with him.

law is a little more closed off. He seeks you out to speak to cora, but they’re not the same as luffy’s conversations with ace. it makes sense, given the vastly different personalities, but cora is so lively that you really wish he were able to talk to law himself. you know you make a poor substitute, and you know law thinks so too. you begin to dread whenever he comes to you, until one night he apologizes. he knows you’re doing your best, and he’s been ungrateful. he tells you some details of his past with cora, but you know he’s leaving out a lot of– probably ugly– ones, but you understand him a little better after that.

watching law and luffy is almost comical, because you can recognize the intense attraction they have to each other, but they seem entirely unaware of it. the way luffy’s smile, already so wide, threatens to split his face in half when law comes on deck can only be described as adorable. law is harder to read, but the way he watches luffy bound to and fro across the ship is softened by amusement, and he’s remarkably patient with the hyperactive man.

you feel almost at home with them and, when it’s time for them to depart, you almost ask them if you can go with them. but no, they likely don’t want you too, and it would be too selfish to ask. so you prepare to leave, saying goodbye to the others, confused by the subtle smirks they all wear as you do.

as soon as you get to law, he stops and stares at you knowingly. “i’m afraid it won’t be that easy, ___-ya,” he says, but won’t elaborate.

you go looking for luffy, knowing that he’s going to be the hardest to say goodbye to, purely because he’s the last person you have before you really have to leave. you find him in the kitchen, raiding the fridge, and his head hits the top of the fridge when you sneak up behind him.

“goodbye? what do you mean goodbye, ___? you’re gonna join my crew, aren’t you?” he asks, and you think your brain might have frozen.

by the time it restarts, you’re already nodding. luffy’s arms instantly wrap around you, his face nuzzling against yours, and you can’t help the skip of your heart at the motion.

when you emerge from the kitchen, everyone has gathered down below, waiting for your answer. before you can say anything, luffy yells out, “he said yes!” and the others laugh. you want to facepalm at his choice of words, and you meet law’s eyes again and you think you can see relief in them.

luffy is an affectionate man. he doesn’t care where he’s at, if he feels the need to hug someone, he will. but you note right off the bat there’s a difference in the way he interacts with the rest of the crew and law. it’s adorable, and you ask robin one day if he even realizes it. the look she gives you is exasperated as she tells you no, and then asks if you even realize he acts the exact same way with you. you flush red and stutter half an answer out, and you decide never to ask robin’s opinion on something again.

after that, though, you do begin to notice that he pays more attention to you than anyone else. well, except law. but that doesn’t make a difference because you find law in your presence more often than before, and he doesn’t even always talk to rosi. a lot of times, he’s just looking for a quiet place to relax and that just so happens to be in your presence. you like law a lot, as much as luffy, and that’s a little confusing since you know they like each other, but you know they also like you.

speaking of the spirits of those two clowns, since you boarded the boat, you’ve found yourself without them more often than not, unless they want to speak to law or luffy. sometimes, you find them trailing after their respective family members, watching in amusement as they go about their day. other times, though, they’re nowhere to be found, and you have no idea where they go.

there are a few months of the three of you circling each other gently. well, you and law do. you’re pretty sure luffy is just going with the flow. he doesn’t seem to care and will lay in your lap or law’s, or pull either of you into tight, octopus-like hugs before bounding off to do other luffy things.

you’re pretty sure law has feelings for you, and you know you have them for him. rosi encourages you to tell him, but you refuse. law isn’t uncomfortable with you, you know that, but there’s still a wall up that you haven’t figured out how to bypass. it’s enough that law joins you in the crows nest on watch, or in the kitchen at night for a cup of tea when you can’t sleep. you adore luffy, but you find law’s calm presence relaxing.

it all comes to a head one night when the crew docks and decides to wander the town a little before dark. nami, robin, and chopper head off in the direction of the shopping district, sanji takes brook and goes off to look for groceries, and franky takes usopp to go look for a parts shop. zoro, being zoro, stays behind to “watch the ship”, leaving just you, luffy, and law. based on the snickers and the quick brush offs, you think the others did it on purpose.

luffy is raring to go, and you and law are just along for the ride. he finds a bar that is doing a meat special and drags the two of you inside. you nurse a drink while luffy stuffs his face, and it isn’t so bad until another pirate comes up, hitting on you. law looks murderous, luffy watching carefully, but both let you handle it. you politely brush him off, telling him you’re with the other two, but he gives them a once over and seems to think they aren’t much of a challenge, so he grabs your hand.

“oi, ___, you don’t wanna go with him, do you?” luffy asks, and you’re suspicious of the tone of his voice. law is behind him with a white knuckled grip on kikoku, and you worry he’s going to take out half the patrons in the bar. when you shake your head and pull your hand from the other man’s, you’re quickly pulled behind luffy and shoved into law’s arms.

you try to scramble back, apologizing, but law won’t let go. luffy is shielding you with his arms crossed. “he said no, now go away. you’re interrupting our date,” and there’s no way he doesn’t mean the three of you.

you almost choke, and the way law tenses says he wasn’t aware either, but neither of you say a word, just looking at each other with mild curiosity. the other pirate shuffles off, whether because he realized it wasn’t worth a fight or to bide his time, you weren’t sure, nor did you care. luffy turns back to you with a wide smile, and you can’t tell if it’s calculated or not because, knowing him he could really be oblivious to how a date worked.

when you get back to the ship, law pulls you off to the side while luffy wanders into the kitchen to pester sanji for a snack. he looks at you seriously and asks, “are you okay with that?” he hesitates before rephrasing, not even allowing you to answer the first question. “would you be okay with that? i’m not sure if luffy actually understands that he has to ask first, but it’s out there now. do you want to try with the three of us?”

you’re definitely at a loss for words for a few moments but then nod, laughing as you ask if you should bring it up with luffy. law shakes his head, wearing an amused smirk. “we’ll just let him figure it out for himself,” he says before pulling you close. “can i kiss you, ___-ya?”

you nod and his lips, chapped and rough, cover yours– just in time for luffy to burst out of the kitchen and onto the deck in front of you.

“no fair, tra, i wanted to kiss him first,” luffy says and quickly snatches you from law, who glares fiercely at him.

“maybe you should ask if he wants to, luffy,” law points out, but he’s relaxed, amused even, watching your head swivel back and forth between them.

luffy turns back to you with a puppy dog look. “can i, ___? please.” you nod without really thinking about it, and then lips are slammed on yours. He isn’t very graceful, and you can feel his teeth clack against yours. you can hear law laughing in the background and, when luffy pulls back, you’re enveloped in another set of arms and law doesn’t even ask if he can kiss luffy, but it doesn’t even matter because luffy was already reaching out to him.

ace and cora had the decency to remain silent right up until then before bursting out into whoops, doing some stupid dance in celebration for the three of you finally figuring your shit out. they’re quickly silenced when you rat them out to the other two, who start scolding the air where they think they are. all in all it looks pretty ridiculous, and you start laughing, followed by the others until you’re all doubled over in tears.

luffy is the first to recover, and he slings his arms around the two of you, squeezing you both close. law looks a little uncomfortable, but relaxes when you reach out and take his hand. he isn’t quite used to such open and obnoxious affection, and would probably always prefer your quieter version, but he can’t deny that luffy’s happy optimism is infectious.

nothing changes on luffy’s part. he’s never been overly concerned about ‘personal space’ and you’ve gotten used to that. it’s even become endearing when you come back to the ship from a shopping trip and he flings himself into your arms or law’s, littering your face with kisses as he proclaims how much he missed you. law doesn’t take that quite so well, but he tolerates it long enough to make luffy happy.

the first thing luffy does that’s a big change is to buy a bed large enough for the three of you. it’s strange, going from sleeping in a hammock to an actual bed again, and even stranger is sleeping as a triad in a room full of other people. it’s tiring never having any real privacy, but you would rather deal with that than not having them at all.

generally, you and law and curled up together while luffy is splayed out across half the bed. that means luffy is never, ever in the middle. you tried it once, and you and law almost got kicked to the floor. law absolutely has kicked luffy off the bed when he gets too rowdy, and sometimes luffy just sleeps in a hammock and leaves the bed to the two of you.

overall, it’s a calm and open relationship with a lot of physical affection and quiet comfort. and to think, you would have missed it if you hadn’t listened to those two pain in the ass ghosts all those months ago.

#trafalgar law #trafalgar law x reader #monkey d. luffy #monkey d. luffy x reader #monkey d. luffy x trafalgar law #monkey d. luffy x reader x trafalgar law #one piece headcanons

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