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Luffy loved flowers.
And bugs.
And squishy, questionable substances he discovered while scratching the surface of the earth or nestled inside the cracks of tree trunks.
Rayleigh preferred not to think about those.
It took one morning, where he had something smelling of mud and feeling like some sort of slime stuffed into his face, for him to establish a strict rule about what Luffy was allowed to bring back from his excursions.
Since then, Luffy mostly stuck to bugs and flowers.
Rayleigh particularly enjoyed the flowers.
Luffy would showcase them with an excited twinkle in his eyes, asking Rayleigh about their names and whether they were edible or not.
That had also led to the important discussion about how dangerous it could be to stick something into your mouth simply because it could fit in there.
Rayleigh had never thought it possible that he would have to explain something as obvious as this to a boy who would soon turn nineteen. At least, Luffy showed that he understood and promised to be cautious.
And still, Rayleigh harbored doubts about whether Luffy adhered to this rule even when he wasn’t being watched.
Because if he was honest, Luffy seemed to act mostly on his instincts, which often resulted in him turning off every rational thought process that could otherwise save him from a whole lot of trouble.
It might have been convenient for Luffy to be immune to poison, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t exercise caution.
So, Rayleigh made it his daily job to remind Luffy not to shove random plants down his throat.
One day, Luffy left early.
He was never a long sleeper, always up and about before the sun had even risen.
Rayleigh was sitting by the fire, preparing breakfast when Luffy returned to camp with a bouquet of shining red flowers in his arms.
They glistened beautifully in the sun and smelled of spring and cheerfulness.
“Where did you find them?”, Rayleigh asked as he took one from the bouquet, inspecting it with slightly narrowed eyes, turning the flower over in his hand.
“On top of a cliff”, Luffy replied proudly. “I climbed all the way up by my own. Is it a rare one?”
“Unfortunately, no. It’s a simple tulip.”
Luffy intently looked at the bouquet of flowers in his arms and shrugged his shoulders. “I still like them.”
Rayleigh chuckled in amusement. “As you should. They’re really pretty, Luffy.”
He tucked the flower behind Luffy’s ear, watching his face turn beet-red.
Well, that never seemed to get old.
It made a comfortable warmth bubble up in his stomach, one that never failed to remind him of older, more exciting days when he had still sailed the seas by Gol D. Roger’s side.
Sometimes it amazed him how similar they were. Even some of Luffy’s quirks made him see his old friend in him. On certain days, it seemed as though Roger’s younger self came to life in Luffy’s blazing smile.
It made Rayleigh long for something uncertain, something he knew he could never replace with another, and probably shouldn’t even be thinking about.
But it was difficult to control one’s impulses when they were in such close proximity all the time. And Luffy was a naturally cuddly person. Not that Rayleigh saw anything wrong with it.
Most of the time, Rayleigh wasn’t even sure if the boy could comprehend how strange this magnetizing pull they had on each other was.
Rayleigh tried to keep his distance. He really did.
But Luffy just couldn’t stop bringing him flowers almost every single day.
“So?”, Luffy asked, leaning over Rayleigh’s shoulder. The petals of the flowers he had brought were tickling Rayleigh’s neck. He tried to crane his head to the other side to escape this sudden intrusion into his precious personal space, but to no avail.
Luffy certainly didn’t seem to notice that he was bothering him.
All Rayleigh had wanted was to read the newspaper in peace for at least one morning without Luffy sticking his nose in. But, as always, he wasn’t granted that luxury.
“I didn’t even know they could grow in this climate”, Rayleigh said with a sigh of defeat, folding the newspaper and turning to face Luffy, who—thankfully—took a step back.
“Well, what are they?”
“I believe they’re called camellias.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen them before.”
“Neither have I”, Rayleigh replied. “Well, at least not on this island. Where exactly did you find them?”
Rayleigh knew the moment Luffy pridefully puffed out his chest that he had gone to a place no sane person would ever venture to.
“First, I followed the river up to the waterfall. But instead of climbing up, I went behind it and found a cave. Well, I suppose you could call it a cave. I had to squeeze my way in. For a moment, I thought I was stuck, but I got out again somehow. But that’s not important right now.”
He shook his head, trying to refocus his thoughts. “I made my way through and came out on the other side. There was this beautiful meadow. Really, I wish you could have seen it. It was amazing. I walked for a while, and that’s when I noticed these flowers growing, so I had to pick them.”
It amazed Rayleigh how enthusiastic Luffy could get about the simplest things. Even though he preferred him channeling that excess energy into his training, it was an entertaining sight. He wasn’t even that annoyed anymore about being interrupted in his reading.
“Could I see one for a moment?”, Rayleigh asked, opening his palm.
Luffy beamed at him, plucking a flower from his bouquet and handing it over to Rayleigh.
Rayleigh took his time, studying the flower with an appreciative hum. Its petals were as white as snow and as soft as silk. He gently ran his fingers along the edges, marveling at the intricate beauty that Luffy had so casually discovered.
“You can keep it if you like”, Luffy offered.
But Rayleigh just laughed. “It’s quite fitting”, he said, “for you to find these in particular.”
“Why?”, Luffy asked.
“Because”, he said, pinching Luffy’s nose, which made Luffy pull his head back, words of protest slipping from his lips, “you’re pretty adorable.”
Once the realization dawned on Luffy, his angry noises ceased, leaving him looking absolutely dumbfounded. “What?”
Rayleigh couldn’t stop laughing at the expression Luffy was making. “Nothing”, he said. “Forget it.”
He brushed the dirt from his pants and made himself ready to leave when Luffy started following him with determined steps. “No, wait. Explain it to me.”
“How about this?”, Rayleigh asked. “If you manage to hit me in training today, I’ll explain it to you as a reward.”
That was something Luffy liked to hear.
His face lit up almost instantly, a passionate fire burning in his eyes. “Alright”, he said, raising his balled fists. “I’m going to beat your ass today!”
In his excitement, he accidentally dropped the camellias he had been holding. Luffy fumbled, quickly picking them up again and stroking them carefully, as if to apologize for dropping them in the first place.
Rayleigh chuckled, ruffling Luffy’s hair. “Great. Let’s see if you can live up to your promise.”
Of course, he couldn’t. But Rayleigh had already known that.
Luffy may have gotten strong, but he was still light-years away from where Rayleigh was in terms of power. And since Rayleigh had no intention of explaining anything to him, he didn’t hold back, adding some nasty bruises to Luffy’s body in the process.
Luffy tried again the following days, always ending with the same result.
One evening, Rayleigh found him sitting by the fireplace, pouting, with his legs pulled close to his chest and his chin resting on his knees. He was poking the fireplace with a stick, shifting the stones around.
Rayleigh could have seized the opportunity to tease him.
But seeing Luffy making that face stripped him of any desire to do so.
Instead, Rayleigh approached with deliberate steps, kneeling down beside him and taking a seat. Luffy didn’t acknowledge him, not even sparing him a glance.
That was, until Rayleigh placed something in front of him.
Now his curiosity was piqued, and Luffy glanced down, blinking at first. Soon after, he sat upright and picked up the small flower, admiring it in the crackling, warm light of the fire.
“I know this one”, Luffy said proudly. “It’s a daisy.”
“It is”, Rayleigh confirmed. “Do you happen to know its symbolic meaning?”
“Uh... I know you can eat it, even the leaves, but it doesn’t taste good. It’s really bitter.”
Rayleigh chuckled at the answer.
He was somewhat impressed that Luffy remembered that.
Though, to be honest, Luffy most likely found out for himself rather than by listening to what Rayleigh had tried to teach him. But a success was a success, as long as he learned something useful.
“They symbolize cheerfulness. Some cultures even associate them with the sun.”
“Oh...okay?”, Luffy knitted his eyebrows together, looking uncertain.
“Your face tells me you want to know why I’m telling you this.”
“Well, why are you telling me this?”
Rayleigh couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Luffy’s bluntness never ceased to amaze him. It must be so easy for him, being able to just say what’s on his mind without getting tangled in a mess of nervous thoughts.
“They remind me of you”, Rayleigh said.
He directed his gaze to the fire, watching sparks fly while the flames crackled softly. Luffy didn’t say anything, but Rayleigh could feel his gaze on him. Luffy radiated warmth, sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder with Rayleigh.
“They’ve always reminded me of a good friend”, Rayleigh continued, his voice growing softer. “And recently, they remind me of you, too.”
When Rayleigh turned his head, he was surprised by how close they had actually gotten to each other. Luffy was studying his face, his irises moving intently.
“Is that why you started acting different recently?”, Luffy asked.
Rayleigh didn’t think he had acted any different than usual, but now even he was curious about what Luffy meant.
“Like tucking a flower behind my ear or calling me adorable.”
“Okay, but that time I couldn’t resist because of the type of flower you brought me.”
“Did it have a meaning too?”
“Every flower does”, Rayleigh explained. “But I’m no expert, so you should probably ask someone else when you get the chance.”
“Huh”, Luffy said, seeming far more content than at the start of their conversation.
“What did the tulip mean, then?”, he asked after thinking about it for a while.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Although Rayleigh’s tone was teasing, with a touch of charm and the promise of a playful challenge, it also held the possibility for Luffy to reconsider and decline if he chose to.
That much, Rayleigh felt, he should offer when it came to impulsive decisions.
But Luffy, without a second thought, replied, “Yes, I want to know.”
Nothing could waver his determination, his gaze locked steadfastly with Rayleigh’s.
Rayleigh raised one hand, cupping Luffy’s cheek, watching as he tensed under the touch. But Luffy didn’t pull back.
“Alright then”, Rayleigh said. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I don’t care”, Luffy retorted, his expression filled with curiosity and interest, getting caught up in the rising heat of the moment. Rayleigh slowly traced his thumb over Luffy’s lips, watching him hitch slightly.
He gently tugged at Luffy’s bottom lip, parting them just enough to make him look so irresistibly cute, tempting Rayleigh to push him down right then and there, demonstrating what he had been hinting at with all those silly flower gifts in recent weeks.
Not intentionally, of course, but that didn’t matter to Rayleigh at the moment.
Luffy didn’t seem uninterested.
Rayleigh paused long enough to give him a chance to pull back.
But he didn’t.
Of course not.
His eyes were fogged with hunger, his hands fumbling.
“Love, passion, lust, my little cricket”, Rayleigh said, “That’s what a red tulip symbolizes.”
“Okay, now that that’s settled...”, Luffy said, already losing interest in the conversation as he slung his arms around Rayleigh’s neck, “...Can we kiss now?”
Rayleigh chuckled. “You’re really something.”
“Please?”
How could he say ‘no’ to that? Especially with eyes that big and pleading?
“Alright”, he said. “But I’ll be expecting some really special flowers next time.”
With one arm wrapped around Luffy’s back, Rayleigh leaned in and kissed him.
Luffy closed his eyes, melting into the touch.
He was just as enthusiastic and wild as Rayleigh had expected. Another thing he had in common with his old friend. Although, there were differences too.
Luffy was special in his own way.
Maybe a daisy wasn’t the best fit for the image Rayleigh had of him. It was too small and forgettable to truly capture Luffy’s essence.
Maybe he should pick something like a sunflower next time.
That seemed more fitting.
Especially with the smile Luffy gave him after they broke the kiss.
Radiant as the sun.