Work Text:
Reader's POV:
“I’m leaving.”
“What?! Why?!” Luffy shouted.
I sighed. ‘Because I’m in love with you.’ I thought. “I need to get stronger. Staying here with all of you is making me weak.” You make me weak.
“We’re not weak! You still can’t beat Zoro in a fight!” He cried desperately.
Of course my sudden declaration made no sense. Just yesterday I had been laughing and partying with the entire crew, and now I was cold and distant. I just couldn’t stay here anymore – not after last night. I couldn’t take the pain. Luffy was wonderful. The whole crew was wonderful, but Luffy was meant to be free. It was a quality I adored in him but also one that prevented him from even comprehending the idea of a romantic relationship. I’d never want to change him, though, so I couldn’t confront him about my feelings. I thought I could just ignore them, but after what he told me last night, I knew I couldn’t stay.
I hadn’t beaten Zoro in a fight because Luffy always watched when we sparred, and instead of focusing on the match all my attention was devoted to Luffy. I thought too hard about how he wanted me to fight and if I was good enough. I over-analyzed every move and that led to my downfall every time. Zoro could tell that my focus was divided, but he never said anything.
I was like that with everything I did. My entire world centered around Luffy and how I could make everything better for him. My attention always divided – it made me neglect things. I neglected myself. I ignored my own pain and needs to make him happy. I became weak. It wasn’t healthy for me, and I could tell that I was starting to bring down the crew as well. So I had to leave. I had to put as much space between Luffy and I as possible and hope that I could put myself back together.
“Let me go, Luffy.” I said sadly.
“No! You can’t go! Captain’s orders!” He shouted.
A small smirk graced my lips. “Ah, but what if I don’t want you to be my Captain?”
“Then you can’t go because we’re friends! We stay together and look out for one another!”
My heart sunk, and I looked him in the eyes. “I don’t want to be your friend, Luffy.”
All his anger suddenly vanished and his face fell. “Oh…” He muttered.
I had an almost overwhelming urge to throw my arms around him and take it all back, but I couldn’t keep putting myself through this. Without saying another word, I turned around and walked off the ship. Zoro was waiting at the bottom of the ramp.
“Why don’t you just tell him?” He questioned.
I gave him a small, half-hearted smile. “Because Luffy’s dream is freedom. He can’t be tied to anyone, and I won’t break the most beautiful thing about him.”
He frowned at me but nodded in response, seeming to accept my answer. As I started to walk away, I heard him say, “We’re all going to miss you, you know.”
I bowed my head, staring at the ground with tears in my eyes and walked away.
Zoro’s POV:
I walked back up the ramp onto the ship. Luffy standing in the same place she left him, a teary, dumbfounded expression on his face. I walked over to him, intent on breaking him out of his trance.
“She…” he whispered, “She said she didn’t want me to… be her friend.”
I was startled by how broken he looked. No one had ever not wanted to be Luffy’s friend. He made friends and allies everywhere he went. I guess he wasn’t used to rejection, but he really hadn’t been rejected. It was true, she didn’t want to be his friend, but only because…
“Moron. If she doesn’t want to be your friend it’s because she wants to be something more.”
I mentally cursed my inability to keep my trap shut. She hadn’t really said not to tell him when she left, but it was kind of a given. She just said she didn’t want to tie him down. I understood that, but, honestly, he’s already bonded to all of us. How bad would it really be for him to be in a relationship with her?
Luffy’s head jerked up, and he stared at me with wide, pleading eyes. “Like what?!” He cried, flailing his arms. “What does she want to be?! I’ll be anything she wants if it’ll bring her back! Zoro!!”
I frowned. Luffy didn’t react like this when Usopp left. He was upset – maybe even crushed – but he was never this… desperate. Then it dawned on me.
“Luffy…” I began. “Do you like (y/n)?”
“Of course I do!” He yelled. “She’s my friend! She’s one of our nakama!”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant. Do you like her as more than a friend?”
He looked at me confused. “More than… I don’t understand.”
I sweatdropped. I was beginning to see another reason why she didn’t tell him. Luffy was a complete idiot, an oblivious idiot, when it came to love.
“You’re just…” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Do you even know what love is?”
His brows furrowed, and a slight pout formed on his lips. “Sure. I love all of you guys. You’re my friends.”
I folded my arms and pinched the bridge of my nose. This was hopeless. “No! Dammit, Luffy! A deeper kind of love! You know, between you and a lover?! A girlfriend! A wife!”
“Oh yeah!” He cheered. “Hancock wanted to marry me, but I said no. I don’t want to get married!”
“And why not?” I asked.
“Cause to get married you have to buy a house and have kids! I don’t really mind kids, but I don’t wanna live in a house! I wanna have adventures!”
I gaped at him before recomposing my face. “And did you tell (y/n) that?”
His face contorted in an attempt to think. “Hmmm… Oh! She asked me last night if I ever had a girlfriend! I said no because girlfriends always wanna get married and marriage is the worst! It keeps you tied down!”
Breathe. Breathe, Zoro. No. Don’t do it. Don’t…
Punch!
“Ow! What was that for?!” Luffy yelled.
“You moron!” I screamed. “You don’t have to live in a house to get married! You don’t even have to have kids! You just have to love the person you’re married to forever! You can go anywhere, do anything, as long as you’re together! That’s why she left, idiot!”
“What?” Luffy asked.
“She loves you!”
Luffy’s eyes widened. “But I love her too! So why did she leave?!”
At this point I started pacing back and forth on the deck. This was really testing my patience. There was only so much stupid I could take.
“Luffy…” I managed. “When you love someone, you want to be with them – not as friends but as lovers. Boyfriends and girlfriends. She wanted to be that with you, but you said you never wanted that.”
He froze. “No…” he whispered, “I didn’t… NO!”
He stared blankly at me. His hands clenched into fists, and he started shaking.
“Well, don’t just stand there! Go get her!” I yelled. He was gone before I could finish.
Reader’s POV:
I walked up to the bar and threw my bag on the counter, waving over the bartender.
“Double shot of whiskey, please.” I said. He nodded and grabbed a glass. I rested my elbows on the counter and rubbed my temples with my fingers.
“Thanks.” I muttered.
I downed it in one gulp and motioned for another. I was going to need all the alcohol I could stomach to make it through tonight. Just one night – once the ship was gone there would be no turning back. I wouldn’t have to worry about my resolve crumbling.
What angered me the most was the fact that I couldn’t be mad at myself. Everyone loved Luffy. He was an amazing guy with an unfailing determination and loyalty. He won everybody over. It was no wonder I fell in love with him, but I couldn’t be mad at Luffy either. He just wanted to be free. He wanted care-free adventures with his friends. Those things made him happy. Who was I to take that away from him? But that left me with no one and nothing to put all my frustrations on. I had no vent – no outlet for my grief.
I sighed as I downed another double shot.
Then I heard a shout, and my heart stopped.
No.
No, it couldn’t be. I can’t walk away again…
“(Y/N)!!!” I heard the shout again.
I closed my eyes and buried my face in my hands. Why was he looking for me? Wasn’t one goodbye enough?
The doors behind me slammed open. “(y/n)! Why didn’t you answer me?!” Luffy yelled.
I groaned and turned around in my seat. “I have nothing to say to you, Luffy.” I said flatly.
“Well, I have something to say to you!” He stomped over to me.
“No! I don’t want to hear it, Luffy! Just leave me-"
I was interrupted by a pair of lips on mine, and I froze.
What?
“I’m sorry.” His breath fanned across my face.
I just stared at him wide eyed.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He said quietly. “I love you.”
“What?” I repeated. “But you said…”
He smiled sheepishly. “Zoro kinda told me I had the wrong idea about girlfriends and marriage. I don’t want to live in a house and stay there, but if all I have to do is love you forever… then I’ll marry you right now if you just come back to the ship and stay with me.”
I blinked.
“A house? W-what?” I stammered. Then it clicked, and I busted out laughing. Then I abruptly hit him on the head. “You idiot!”
“Ow! Why does everyone keep doing that?!” He whined.
“Do you have any idea what you did to me?!” I shouted.
He frowned. “Well, yeah kinda. I said I was sorry.”
“And you think that’s enough to make up for it?” I asked.
He sweatdropped. “Well… what else do you want me to do?”
I gripped his shirt with both hands. “I guess we can start with this.”
Then I crushed his lips to mine. It was an angry kiss – full of all my pent up anger and frustration, but he took all of it. He let me dominate the bruising kiss, repenting for his mistake, but soon all my anger evaporated. All my suppressed love rushing to the surface. I moved my arms up to wrap around his neck and his moved down to encircle my waist.
I let my tongue run across his lips, and he immediately granted me entrance. I explored the heat of his mouth and reveled in the sensations that, until now, I had only imagined. A soft moan escaped my throat only to be swallowed by his, and his grip on me tightened. Finally the need for oxygen pried us apart. We panted, breath rushing over our faces. He kept his hold on me and looked into my eyes.
“So… are we getting married? I’m not sure what’s happening.” He admitted sheepishly.
I laughed. “We don’t have to get married.”
“But I-" I placed a finger on his lips.
“At least not yet.” I continued. “For now, just be my boyfriend.”
“And you’ll come back to the ship?” He asked.
“As long as that’s not the only reason you want to be my boyfriend.” I said carefully.
“I want you to come back because I love you. I want you to come with me on all of my adventures. I’ll be whatever you want me to be if it means you’ll stay with me, but I really do want to be your boyfriend.”
I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “I love you too.” I whispered. “Boyfriend it is then, but you have to carry me back the ship. I already walked all the way here. I’m not walking back.”
He quickly grabbed my arms and spun me around onto his back. He supported my weight with one arm and threw the other one into the air.
“YOSH!” He shouted. “I have a girlfriend!”
The next thing I knew we were racing down the street, headed back to the ship.