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There was a weight on your stomach and without opening your eyes, you know exactly what, or rather who, it is. The loud snoring also gives it away. Your hand moves towards your stomach, your fingers brushing against soft strands. As you let your fingers roam for a bit, you feel the lower half of your body being squeezed.
"I should be more mad about this."
Opening your eyes, you turn your head to see Nami by the bathroom, hands on her hips and a resigned look on her face. You then shift your attention to Robin who was sitting on her bed and has her leg crossed over the other, chuckling. "It seems our Captain found his favorite pillow," she teases.
"He's been doing this every night for the past three weeks!" The navigator throws her hands up in the air, exasperated.
No one on the crew was a stranger to Luffy snuggling in bed with them. He was a tactile person, always needing to touch his nakama in some way. The first time is always a surprise, but no matter how much any of them might protest, they can't refuse their Captain, not when he holds them so close to him, like he was protecting them even in his sleep. He brings a sense of security and warmth that no one wanted to escape from. It's always random who Luffy wanted to sleep with, but lately, Luffy's been sleeping with you. At first, he snuck in the girl's cabin sometime during the night. Then after the first week, he's just been following you to the cabin when you decide to go to sleep. Nami's yelling and Sanji's kicks did little to deter Luffy and it's not like you would turn him away. You couldn't, not when he follows after you like a puppy, endearing and sweet, wearing a sleepy smile on his face before collapsing on the bed and dragging you down with him.
"Franky can build another cabin just for you two," the archaeologist suggests, amusement twinkling in her eyes.
The idea of a private cabin, just for you and Luffy, was a nice thought (that you keep to yourself), but it comes with a host of assumptions (one big assumption, really) that make you shake your head. "What for? This is just fine."
Nami drags out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Well, nothing we can do about Luffy's habits." Her eyes flicker to the slumbering rubber man before holding your gaze. "He likes you."
"He likes all of us," you reply easily. It's the truth, an easy truth, as if saying the sky is blue. Luffy cares for his nakama dearly, his heart overflowing with love for them.
"He has never used any of us as a pillow for three weeks straight," the orange haired woman points out.
You pause for a moment "Maybe he'll switch to someone else soon, who knows what will Luffy do."
(He just happens to like you enough as a pillow for now, it didn't mean anything).
Suddenly, you yelp and snap your head down to find Luffy biting down at your hand that was originally combing through his hair. Groaning, you yank your hand back and flick his forehead, prompting him to wake up. "Huh?" He blinks.
"I'm not meat," you grumble out, shaking your hand to get rid of the slobber.
When Luffy comes to his senses, he laughs. "Sorry!" He smiles at you and even if you were annoyed by his biting habit when he sleeps, you're not angry at him. He looks over at his fellow crewmates. "Oh Robin, Nami, you're here too!"
"Idiot, you're in the girls cabin!" Nami snaps at him.
"Did you sleep well, Captain?" Robin inquires, resting her hand on her chin.
Luffy nods. "Yeah! I like sleeping with (y/n)!" He says happily without giving any thought to how it might sound to others. Clearly Nami took issue with his choice of wording, coming closer and smacking his head.
"Don't say it like that!"
He pouts at her, tightening his arms around your legs. "It's true! I like sleeping with (y/n)!"
"You have no delicacy," Nami groans, placing a hand on her forehead.
"Our Captain is quite straightforward, isn't he?" Robin smiles gently.
You don't attempt to try and correct his wording, though your face is warm. He looks almost cute, with his eyebrows furrowed and his bottom lip jutting out at his navigator.
(A selfish part of you hopes he doesn't go to someone else to snuggle with at night).
"Oi Luffy, don't steal from the ladies!" Sanji yells, balancing multiple dishes on his arms.
"What about the rest of us!?" Usopp cries out, holding his plate of food as far away as he can from the rubber arm that snakes across the table, stretchy fingers pouncing on any free morsels that they can snatch.
Luffy uses his other hand to stuff his face full of food, already on his tenth plate. You're grateful that Sanji was the cook on the ship because honestly, you doubt there's anyone else in the world that could keep up with Luffy's bottomless stomach.
"Sanji's food is soo good!" He praises, his words garbled from how stuffed his cheeks are.
"Don't speak with your mouth full!" Nami scolds, guarding her plate with an arm curled around it.
"Oh no!" Chopper watches helplessly as Luffy easily swipes half the food off his plate.
"Here Chopper, you can have some of my food," You say, dividing your portions and passing them off to the reindeer. You know Sanji could easily make up for the loss of food, but still you wanted to share what you had. "You need to eat good or else you can't focus on being the best doctor around," you couldn't help but compliment him.
"Praising me doesn't make me happy, you jerk!" Chopper grins as his body moves from side to side in joy. You chuckle at the sight, delighted to see the contrast between his words and bodily reactions.
"Don't worry (y/n)-swan, I'll get you more food right away!"
As you shift your attention back to your plate, a huge chunk of meat fills your vision, hiding the rest of the food. Around you, everyone grows quiet. Blinking, you turn your head towards Luffy.
"Uh, isn't this yours?" You ask, pointing at the piece of meat on your plate.
"Hm?" Luffy tilts his head, swallowing. When his eyes flicker to what you pointed at, he beams. "You need to eat more meat, it's good!" And then he goes back to eating like he didn't just do the unthinkable: Sharing food, or more accurately, sharing his favorite food, meat, with you.
"He did it again!" Usopp whispers, the side of his hand curved around his mouth. "Chopper, you think Luffy is sick?"
"You might be right Usopp! I didn't even think about that," Chopper whispers back, eyeing the rubber man as he leans into the sniper.
"Luffy-bro, you feelin' okay?" Franky comes right out and asks.
"Yeah!" Luffy nods. "I feel great!"
"I thought the first time was just a fluke but...," Nami trails off in wonder.
You keep staring at the chunk of meat. Even though Luffy shared his food with you a couple of times, it never fails to render you speechless. It's just...why? You don't get it, you really don't.
(This doesn't mean anything, it doesn't, you shouldn't read into it).
"Is there a reason why you share with (y/n)?" Robin voices what you couldn't. There's something in her smile that you couldn't decipher, like she knows something you don't.
"I want to!" Luffy answers easily.
All eyes lock onto you, as if they're searching for something. You couldn't deny the warmth you feel at how earnestly Luffy wants to share his food with you. If Luffy wants to do something, he'll do it, which is exactly what he's doing now. That's usually all there is to his reasoning, but for you, it wasn't enough. You just couldn't fathom the idea that Luffy is sharing his food with you. You couldn't possibly finish the chunk of meat he gave you, but you do cut off a piece for yourself before placing the rest of it back on his plate.
(You wonder if he'll keep sharing with you).
It didn't take much to convince Sanji to dance with you for a bit.
Luffy wanted to have a feast and naturally Sanji cooked loads of food. On the deck, Brook was playing a catchy melody, setting the mood for the rest of the crew (except Zoro, he was content to drink his sake and observe everyone else). Franky and Robin were dancing together, smiles plastered on both their faces. Luffy,Chopper, and Usopp were singing some song, arms around each other's shoulders. You and Nami were laughing together, leaning on each other's body as you both take a break from dancing. You catch Sanji picking up empty plates, no doubt heading back to the kitchen to put more food on them. He works so hard to ensure you all were fed, he deserves to have fun too. When you called him over to dance, the blond cook drops everything and immediately comes to your side, his eyes in the shape of hearts.
"I'd be honored to dance with you, (y/n)-swan!!" He swoons.
But then he changes tune and ever the gentlemen, kisses the back of your hand, eyes resolute as if he were a man on a mission. With his hand on your waist and using his other hand to hold yours, he sways with you. He keeps on eye on the rest of the crew, ensuring you don't bump into anyone. He was a naturally good dancer, not that it surprised you. He holds himself with such grace in the kitchen, it's no wonder it translates here.
Suddenly, you feel an arm coil around your stomach and you're yanked away from Sanji, spinning around until you land against something solid. "Shishi, let's dance!" You're met with Luffy's bright grin as he steals you away from Sanji whose shouts falls deaf on ears. Unlike your dance with Sanji, this was more clumsy as Luffy spins you around at random or pulls you close at times.
But it was fun.
Pretty soon, you're laughing with him. You hug him, leaning your head against his as you both continue to move around the deck. You feel the warmth radiate off his body. Your nose catches a whiff of meat seasoning, obviously from the amount of meat he ate. You also smell a bit of salt too, reminding you of the ocean. It's comforting, it's Luffy. Right here, dancing with him, you think about how you'll do anything for him. He was the sun, and you're the planet who got pulled into his orbit.
Lost in you thoughts, your foot accidentally tangles with his which sends you both tumbling down to the wooden planks. Thanks to your quick reflexes, you slam your hands down on either side of his head, stopping yourself from completely crashing into him. Hovering above him, you watch as his chest rises and falls, your eyes trail over the x-shaped scar, lingering for a moment before they flicker to the scar under his eye and you realize just how close you were to his face, your nose brushing against his. You're aware of your heart battering against your ribcage.
"Wanna dance again?" Luffy asks, his lips stretched wide in a grin.
You find yourself mirroring his expression. "Yeah."
(He wants to dance with you. He likes you as a dancing partner, that's all).
You were a towel that was fully wringed out, your head pounding and body aching. You couldn't even summon the energy to open your eyes. Each intake of air makes you wince. You won your battle, but now you don't know how you're going to make it back to the ship.
Someone is shouting your name and you turn your head towards that direction. Managing to open one eye, you spot Luffy running towards you. For a moment, the pain dulls as you focus on him. He just has that effect on people, making them feel at ease with just his presence alone.
"You okay?" Luffy asks, panting. Upon closer inspection, you see that he is a little banged up, the most prominent injury being a gash on his right leg, blood running down his skin. All things considered, he's okay. Of course he is, he's Luffy, the future Pirate King. Still, you cannot deny the relief you feel when you see with your own two eyes that your captain is okay.
"Hurts everywhere," you respond, closing your eye. "Especially my legs."
A few moments passes until you feel your body being moved around. Opening your eyes again, you realize that Luffy was putting you on his back, your arms thrown over his shoulders and his hands gripping the backs of your thighs. "Wait-"
"You can't walk, so I'll carry you," He says simply, looking over his shoulder and smiling at you.
(His smile, god his smile).
"Your leg-"
"Doesn't hurt," he cuts you off.
There's no point in trying to change his mind. Luffy starts walking, his hands firm and secure. Your gaze catches the drops of blood he leaves behind with each step he takes. Luffy says he's not hurt, but his body is injured, and yet he doesn't care about that. In this moment, he's putting you first. You have no idea whether he's going the right way or not, but you're not worried. Nuzzling your nose against the back of his neck, you sigh softly.
(You're safe. Whatever happens, Luffy will keep you safe).
You look up from your book when you hear the sound of hooves clicking against the planks, approaching you. Chopper stands beside your chair, looking up at you.
"Do you need something, Chopper?" Putting your book on the table, you give the reindeer your attention.
"I was wondering if you could help brush my fur?" He asks, almost shy with the way he glances to the side.
Your lips curve upwards. "Of course, come on," you say, patting your lap.
Chopper clambers onto your lap and turns around after handing you the brush. His shoulder relaxes as you brush through his fur, even leaning back into your chest. You also use your fingers to scratch in places that would be hard for him to reach, causing him to sigh loudly.
"Are you done yet?"
You and Chopper both jump at the voice. Whipping your head to the side, you see Luffy sitting criss cross next to your chair. He looks at you with his wide, round eyes that lure you in but you turn away, resuming your actions. "Almost, is there something you need?"
"I wanna sit on your lap," He says it so casually that your brain short circuits.
"Eh!?" Chopper's eyes widen at Luffy's words, rapidly switching his gaze between you and him.
The future Pirate King pouts. "Chopper, you're hoggin' my seat!"
"Y-Your seat?" you sputter, your cheeks warming up.
Chopper looks to you for answers, but you couldn't speak, stunned. Your mind flashes with memories from last night. Some of you were playing truth and dare and Robin, the damn instigator she is with that mysterious gleam in her eyes, dared Luffy to sit on your lap for 10 minutes. Luffy had no problem with that dare while you were losing your mind. Your body was rigid like a wooden plank for the first couple of minutes. But then Luffy started playing with your hands and he was laughing at Usopp breathing fire from chugging hot sauce that the tension melted from your body. It was nice, having Luffy on your lap, your arms around his waist and your chin on his shoulder. You still remember the way he rubbed his cheek against yours. No one commented on the fact that he stayed on your lap for more than 10 minutes.
And now, he wants to sit on your lap again. And he's claiming your lap as his seat, something that belongs only to him.
Faced with your stupefied silenced, Chopper slides off your lap. "I need to...go through medical journals! Thank you for your help (y/n)!" He scurries off, not in the direction of his office. If you had to guess, you figure Chopper is going to Usopp to talk about what just happened.
With your lap free, Luffy perks up and takes a seat. Unlike last night, he faces you this time, basically straddling you. Instinctively, your hands rest on top of his thighs as his legs curl around your waist. You feel like your heart is going to burst out of your chest. You still couldn't say anything. Your thoughts were a jumbled mess, a tangled ball of yarn that your mind desperately tries to unravel to form a coherent sentence.
"Did Robin give you a dare?" You question slowly, swallowing.
"Nah," was his response. Luffy buries his face in your neck, his breath against your skin making you shudder. His limbs tighten around your body as he noses along the column of your throat.
(You want to scream).
Barely maintaining your composure, your hands begin to roam his back. "Am I comfortable?"
"Mhmm...," he mumbles, pressing his face into your skin even more, like he wanted leave a trace of himself on your skin. He holds onto you like he never wants to let you go.
(You don't want to let go either).
The guy couldn't take the damn hint.
You just wanted to think silently in the corner, but someone just had to intrude and pop your bubble. With how he roamed his eyes over your body, you already knew what he wanted. He's flirty, overly so, leaning into your space and wearing a smile that makes your skin scrawl. Your clipped responses do little to deter him. He's persistent, and it was annoying.
"C'mon, I can show you a good time," he purrs, reaching out to hold your hand which you immediately smack away.
"Not interested," you say in a flat tone. You don't want to cause a scene in the tavern, but your patience is fading.
The man narrows his eyes at you, his lips pressed into a thin line. "You think I'm not good enough or something?"
Your tongue was loaded with bullets, read to fire off multiple bullets that would shatter his ego. But maybe he would continue to pester you or more likely, cause a fight, both of which you were trying to avoid. You suppress a groan and swallow your words. Eyes darting to the side, you run through what you could say until your gaze lands on the green haired swordsman.
"I already have a boyfriend," you blurt out, jerking your head towards Zoro. He was in the middle of drinking when he meets your eyes. His lone eye switches between you and the guy, raising an eyebrow. You keep your eyes on him, silently communicating that things were fine. For now at least.
"Oh now you say you have a boyfriend?" The man asks, indignant. Before you could retort, a new voice cuts in.
"You're not with Zoro."
Luffy appears next to you barstool, an unreadable expression on his face. "Luffy!" You hiss. Where did he come from? Dammit, why did he have to say that? You figured the guy would finally back off once he saw Zoro. His muscular stature, three swords, and a scar over his eye should prove intimidating enough, even at a distance. Except now, the man was glaring at you.
"So you were lying!" the man spits out, pointing a finger at you. "You're a real bitch-"
"Don't say that about (y/n)," Luffy says in a low voice. The brim of his strawhat was tilted down, casting a shadow across his face. There's an unspoken threat in the air and the man visibly hesitates, but still manages to talk.
"What, you two together?" He sneers.
(You wish).
"No," you respond, a hint of dejection in your tone. You've thought about a relationship with Luffy a little too much, but you know it wouldn't happen. That knowledge, as sad as it was, pushed you to say no as a way to accept your situation.
But in the exact moment you replied, Luffy answers too.
"We are-Huh?" Luffy blinks at you, frowning. "We're not together?" The strawhat captain asks with his arms crossed over his chest, tilting his head to the side.
(Wait what?)
You gawk at him, eyes wide. You and him? What the hell did he mean? He can't just say that and look at you as if you were the one who answered wrong! At a loss for words, you just stare at your captain. The certainty of his words, that he thought you and him were together, was so shocking that your mind draws a blank. You've completely forgotten about the guy pestering you until he opens his mouth again, your eyebrows knitting in anger.
You don't even process what he says. Without warning, you punch him, hard, and send him flying across the room and crashing into a table filled with people. It felt good. Huffing out a breath, you don't spare a glance at the other patrons at the tavern. Some start shouting at you, rightfully so. Ignoring them, you grab Luffy's hand and drag him out the tavern. A part of you feels bad for leaving Nami to deal with the damages, but you have something important you need to sort out. Surprisingly, Luffy stays quiet as you bring him back to the Sunny.
Once you're in the girls cabin, you let go of his hand and take a deep breath, your index and thumb pressing against your forehead. "You said we were together," you start, peeking at him. God just saying those words makes your heart race.
Luffy nods. He doesn't deny it. He's just so calm about this!
"And when you say together, what do you mean?" Maybe you're making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe Luffy meant being nakamas, not a romantic relationship, and you just jumped to conclusions. Yeah that's probably-
"Like how Robin and Franky are together!"
Oh.
Oh god.
You're losing your mind.
"Wait wait wait," the words rush out of your mouth, your hands held up in front of you. "We're in a relationship, but I don't know!? Why didn't you tell me anything!?" the tone of your voice raises higher and higher with each word.
"I was supposed to?" His forehead creases in confusion.
"Luffy-" you cut yourself off, burying your face in your hands. You cannot believe this is actually happening. How did you go from accepting that you'll never be in a relationship with Luffy to Luffy admitting that he thinks he's in a relationship with you?
(What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck-)
Gasping, your head shoots straight up when you thought of something. "How long have we been together, according to you?"
Luffy takes a moment to think. "Hmm...when we went to the island with the funny talking trees!" he laughs at the memory.
"That long!?" You shriek.
His lips curl downwards. "You don't wanna be together?"
"No! Yes, no, agh!" You release an aggravated scream, tugging on the strands of your hair as you turn away from him. So many revelations in a short period of time, your brain is beyond frazzled as it tries to keep up with your captain.
"I don't get it."
Looking over your shoulder, you see the frown still plastered on his face. You suppose you're not making it any easier on him with your reactions. Sighing, your shoulders slump. "It's just...are you sure you want me? I mean you're gonna be the future Pirate King, you sure you want me standing next to you?" You whisper, averting your gaze to the floor.
"Of course I want you!" The firmness of his tone makes your heart warm, but your insecurities, emerging from the shadows, sink their claws in deep.
"Are you sure?" You ask again, turning around but still not meeting his gaze. "I mean, shouldn't you be with, I don't know, Boa Hancock? She's an Emperor of the Sea. She's strong, very beautiful, she helped you back then."
Luffy scrunches his face up. "I don't want Hancock like that."
You've wanted to be with Luffy and now that he tells you that he thought of you in a romantic sense, that he wants you, you can't fathom it. You think of every excuse you can, rambling on and on, as if punishing yourself. You miss the frustration coloring his face as you spew whatever nonsense your brain comes up with. Walking until he's right in front of you, he clamps his hands down on your shoulders and speaks in a booming voice that silences your words and thoughts.
"Stop talking about what you think I want and just tell me what you want!"
He looks at you with such intensity that you don't dare look away. His words struck deep, chasing away the storm clouds and revealing the golden sun. For a couple of moments, your mouth just opens and closes, nothing coming out. But then, it all becomes clear now. You reach out to lace your fingers with his.
"I want you...I want us to be together," your voice was so quiet, you wonder if Luffy heard you. But with the way he smiles at you and squeezes your hand, you know he did.
"I want us to be together, always," Luffy declares and your eyes soften.
"Always," you echo.