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Luffy had been feeling weird lately. He couldn’t exactly explain how, he just felt… weird .
His appetite was as voracious as always, he didn’t drink or eat less. He continued to deeply sleep and make good dreams (despite that one nightmare the first night on Rooster’s funny ship). He felt full of energy even with his still healing injuries from Dressroba, they didn’t bother him in the slightest. He would fish and party with the Barto Club crew as if nothing happened.
But his eyes would always strain over the deck or room he’s in, looking for someone.
At first, he thought he was looking around for his missing crewmates, an old habit from their two years apart. He would look around mindlessly, having that weird feeling of disappointment when his eyes didn’t see what they wanted. He then would shake his head and resume what he was doing at the time. No one asked him questions.
But sometimes. Sometimes, while his eyes swept over the deck, they would fall on the tall, tattooed captain and the certitude of having found what he was looking for filled him. (At least that's what Luffy told himself since he'd get that weird feeling in his stomach. First time it happened he thought he was hungry and immediately went to claim some food but it actually went away when he left the deck. Still got that food though.) And so, the next few times his eyes happened to find the older captain, most often than not he would then call out to his ally and join him. The weird lonely feeling of looking for something would leave and he'd rub his chest instead.
They would then engage in a lively one sided conversation of mostly Luffy babbling on about whatever sea monsters they encountered and the adventures the Straw Hats went on. Torao would quietly listen most of the time, he didn’t talk or share any adventures about himself but he would make a comment or do that weird thing with his mouth where it looked like he wanted to smile but stopped himself. Which was stupid, if Torao wanted to smile at what Luffy said he totally should! The younger captain felt like he would really like that. His instincts told him so and they were always right.
But besides those times, they wouldn’t engage each other and the weird feeling of emptiness would come back after some time and his eyes would search again.
“Luffy, are you alright? Something seems to be troubling you.” Robin came to lean on the rail where Luffy sat on while fishing. She had her knowing smile on.
“I’m fine! I just feel weird lately but I think it’ll be okay when we meet up with the others.” Luffy shared with a smile.
“Oh? What do you mean by weird?” Robin’s blue eyes scrutinized him from head to toe. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all! It’s just that feeling I get sometimes. I don’t get why but it feels weird, it's all.” Luffy answered honestly, reassuring her with a huge smile. He was fine after all, really! Far from him to worry his nakamas.
“Well there’s always the Barto Club’s doctor if you need.” She paused, putting her chin in her opened palm, elbow resting on the rail. She looked towards the sea and smirked. “I think I also saw Torao heading to the infirmary not too long ago.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
“Is he hurt?” The young captain asked.
“I don’t think so, he might have gone to see their medical supplies or books.” Robin feigned disinterest, looking back towards the ocean.
Luffy remained silent for a moment. His eyes looked around the deck again then he looked at his line which was not taking any bites. He pulled it out from the ocean and jumped off the rail, abandoning his fishing rod near it. Robin straightened up and turned towards her captain.
“Are you going?”
“Yeah, I'm gonna ask Torao, he might know what’s up!” Luffy answered happily and walked toward the belly of the ship. From behind him he could hear Franky’s voice rise in a laugh.
“That wasn’t very subtle of you!”
Robin’s quiet laugh resounded. “Well, subtlety doesn’t work very well on our captain.”
That was all he heard before the door to the hull closed behind him. He wandered through the ship, ignoring the Barto Club’s crew fawning and complimenting him when they passed him. He finally found the infirmary and as Robin said, Torao was sitting on the doctor’s chair. One of his long legs was crossed over the other and an opened book was in his left hand. His head was held up by his right fist, right elbow resting on the doctor’s desk. A lantern hung on a hook from the ceiling and its glow brought warmth light to the room, showering Torao in an orange hue. Golden eyes looked up from their reading and directly into Luffy’s. The weird feeling came back, he rubbed absentmindedly his chest.
“Got hurt Mugiwara-ya? I’m a bit surprised you know the way to the infirmary, you’d usually eat until healed.” The older captain’s voice held a teasing tone to it.
“Nah I’m fine, I just feel weird these days and Robin suggested talking to you about it or Rooster’s doctor. But since you’re here maybe you can help!”
Torao's eyes crinkled slightly at the mention of Robin's name but he kept listening to his allied captain.
“I’m more of a surgeon than a regular doc though.” The older captain pointed out.
“You don’t do the same things as Chopper?” Luffy crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“Well… I probably do a bit more than him on the basis of opening people up but he probably knows more than me about traditional medicine.”
Not really understanding the differences Luffy uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips, confident. “Well maybe you can still check me out!”
Torao’s mouth did that thing again where he retained his mouth to smile and Luffy felt his cheeks pout at how his ally wouldn’t openly smile. Such a weird thing to submit himself to!
“Sure I’ll check you out if you want.” He had an undertone as if he knew something Luffy didn’t and it was funny to him but before the youngest could ask what was up, Torao uncrossed his long leg, put down his book and pointed to the bed.
Luffy nodded and jumped on the mattress, sitting cross legged near the edge, facing the older captain. The latter brought the chair right in front of him and held up a tattooed hand. He then muttered a small “Room” and the blue bubble appeared big enough to only surround the two of them.
It felt nice to be in Torao’s Room, Luffy discovered. Contrary to what others would think about being at the mercy of the surgeon, the young captain thought it felt comfy. It felt right. One day though, he and his ally should totally fight a real duel and he'd defy this Room of his.
“Scan.” Torao said then. Luffy couldn't suppress the shiver going down his spine at having the whole attention of the man in front of him. The weird feeling seemed to amplify and the young captain rubbed his chest again.
They stayed in silence for a minute until the older dropped his Room. He stayed in front of Luffy and scratched his beard lightly.
“I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Besides your healing wounds, your body is fine. I noticed you rubbed at your chest but didn’t feel anything weird in the area.”
Luffy dropped his head to the side, whining. “Whaaa- Then I have to wait for Chopper to look at it?”
For some reason, Torao seemed taken aback and cleared his throat. “Well I can try a diagnosis but first I need to gather information.” The captain leaned back in the doctor’s chair and took off his fluffy cap, ruffling his hair a bit while at it, and laid it on one of the bed’s posts. “Do you know when it started?”
A flash of a rising sun, sunflowers and a gentle smile came to Luffy’s mind. It was a quiet moment at the cabin in Dressroba. He had just wanted to take a piss and got out. He noticed Torao near some sunflowers even taller than he was, looking towards the sunrise. The young captain hadn't said anything. Just watched as the older man softly smiled. Not a smirk, not a mocking smile, a real, soft one. That’s when he remembered rubbing at his chest for the first time and getting the weird feeling.
Luffy shared exactly the scene and the train of thought to the surgeon.
Torao seemed to stop moving. Maybe he even stopped breathing because his tanned skin seemed to turn red. Though before Luffy could make a comment, the older captain came back to life and cleared his throat again.
“I see and… What do you feel when you get this weird feeling?.”
Luffy deadpanned, looking at his ally as if he was stupid. “I told you Torao, I feel weird.”
The man took a big breath and expelled it by his nose, sighing and passing his hand over his face. “I meant physically. Maybe you hurt somewhere? Something tickles?”
Luffy put on a pensive look. “Well sometimes it’s like it’s empty. Like when I’m super hungry and want to find meat. But it’s not my stomach that’s empty, more like my chest? Ah! And sometimes it feels like my heart is squeezing super hard and my stomach tickles like I’m hungry but I’m not!” He paused, realizing something. “Mostly when you’re there actually!” He pointed at his ally as if blaming him.
Torao froze again, a look of surprise in his golden eyes. His ears turned red, making his golden hoops stand out. When several seconds passed, Luffy started to wave his hand in front of the older captain’s face.
“Torao? What’s up? Now you’re weird!”
It did the trick as the older captain caught his exaggerated flailing hand and kept holding it in his own.
“Mugiwara-ya. Do you like me?” Was all Torao blurted out, agitated.
“Of course I like you Torao! We’re nakamas!” Luffy smiled, not taking back his hand. His ally’s fingers felt nice around his.
The older captain sighed and took a deep breath, seemingly calming himself. “Okay, my fault. Do you.. Do you like me like you like Long Nose-ya?”
“I… Guess?”
Torao frowned at that. “Does your heart squeeze real hard when you see him? Or Navigator-ya?”
“Hmmm nope.”
“Does it happen only with me?”
“Until now I think so, yeah.”
The Surgeon of Death took another big breath and let go of Luffy’s hand. The latter looked down at it, feeling the weird emptiness concentrating in his palm. He knew he was a touchy person, but it was the first time after a physical contact that he wanted more. So as all pirates would do, he took more. He caught back Torao’s hand and clasped it in his own, playing with his fingers, tracing the letters on them.
“Would you like me to kiss you?”
Luffy’s head tilted up and looked directly into his ally’s golden eyes. Torao was watching him with a weird face, like he couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth and if he should take them back or not. Yet he forged forward and got his face closer to Luffy’s, eyes going down to his lips then up again.
“Can I kiss you?” Came the next words, blown directly onto his lips.
Luffy knew what kissing was. He often saw other people kiss one another and Makino had explained it was because they love each other in a romantic way. Luffy never felt the appeal of this type of affection or physical attention.
So, it was a bit of a surprise that for the first time in his life, in this infirmary with his first ally, the young captain was curious enough to try it. His heart squeezed again as he looked down at his partner's lips and back up at those gold orbs.
"Yeah. I wanna try with Torao."
Both moved forward together, seemingly eager.
Only to knock their forehead and nose together.
Torao recoiled, holding his nose and swearing under his breath with a mutter of “Of course you wouldn’t follow the plan” or something along those lines. Luffy didn’t get hurt but still rubbed his forehead with a whine.
“I don’t think that’s how you kiss Torao.”
“Yeah, I’m aware Mugiwara-ya.” came the mumbled answer.
An awkward silence overcame them as Torao’s hand left his nose to pinch its bridge instead.
“Can we try again? I really wanna try it with you Torao.” Luffy broke the silence. He took back the older captain’s hand and squeezed, trying to convey his want and excitement to the new experience.
That seemed to do the trick as the surgeon sighed and looked back up at his ally. “Alright. But this time don’t move.”
“Okay!” Luffy smiled with all his teeth but closed his mouth quickly when he saw Torao get closer again. This time, the older captain held up his free hand to cup his cheek and slowly rub his scar.
Then Torao’s head tilted a bit to the side and their lips met in a feather touch. When the surgeon felt that Luffy was indeed staying still, he started to move his lips against his, starting a slow rhythm. Their lips brushed and brushed again and again and the younger captain wasn’t exactly sure what he should do but the weird feeling was back tenfold, his chest felt like it would explode and his stomach tickled so much. Yet he didn’t want this to stop. It felt... Right.
He didn’t realize his own free hand had found Torao’s hair, holding onto it gently. The older captain made a noise from the back of his throat and Luffy wanted to hear it again. So he tried to copy his partner’s lips movement but soon had to acknowledge that they weren’t at all in sync and the kiss became messy. Yet it looked like the surgeon had plenty of experience since instead of trying to regain control, he paced himself with the younger’s clumsy movements. Luffy thought he could feel a smile against his eager lips and only now realized he had closed his eyes.
Opening them he saw Torao’s golden eyes slightly opened and they crinkled at meeting the younger captain’s gaze. The kiss ended suddenly as the surgeon huffed a laugh against Luffy’s lips. “You menace.” Came the soft, endeared voice.
Clearing his voice, Torao backed up, taking his hand off his ally’s cheek yet still keeping his other one linked to the other man’s. Luffy looked at him and beamed.
“I really liked it Torao! I never felt like doing that before but it was nice with you!”
“I guess I feel special now.” Torao looked to the side, a worried look crossing his pink tinted face but promptly brought his attention back to the younger captain. “How do you feel? Still weird?”
Having forgotten his reason to come see his ally in the first place, Luffy’s mouth made an almost perfect round shape.
“It definitely felt suuuper weird when we kissed, I felt like my chest was going to explode!” The Straw Hat captain made huge gestures with his free hand, laughing between his teeth and squeezing the surgeon’s at the same time. “But it also felt good! So I like it. D’you know what it is?”
Torao made a weird face again, like he ate some bread but didn’t wanna show it. It was gone in a flash though and the surgeon sighed again. “Yeah, I think I know.”
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, the older captain unlinked his hand from the younger’s one, got up and put back his cap on his head. “I think we should wait for Tanuki-ya for a second opinion before we give you a diagnosis.”
“Whaaa–” Came the long whine as Torao took his long sword and headed towards the door.
“Don’t worry about it, you’re not sick. Come on, I’m sure lunch is almost ready.”
At the mention of food, Luffy immediately got up from the infirmary bed and passed his ally to get to the hallway in the blink of an eye. He halted a few steps away looking back at the surgeon who hadn’t moved from the infirmary’s door, a question blooming in his head. “Did you ever get what I have Torao?”
A sad smile appeared on the man’s face (Luffy wished it would leave) and he shook his head. “I don’t think I ever have Mugiwara-ya.”
Luffy put his hand on his chin, looking up and thinking. He didn’t like that the other captain seemed suddenly bummed out but remembered the feeling of a smile on his lips. He smiled at his ally as he made his decision. “We’ll wait for Chopper then! Can we kiss again later? It was fun!”
Torao huffed and walked to join the younger captain. “Yeah sure, it was fun.”
Luffy brightened and took the older captain’s hand, pulling him towards the dining hall, starting to babble about how one time he almost died because he stole one of Nami’s precious tangerines since he was so hungry.