In Another Reality

Misaki: Part 14 Found

  "Jaggy?!" Luffy repeated, making everybody pause and look at him.

   "Luffy, I—"

   "JAGGY?!" He repeated much louder, making me wince.

   The next thing I knew, Luffy was snatching me by the wrist, dragging me away from the rest of the crew and into the aquarium.

   "Luffy, why are you—"

   "Jaggy?! REALLY, Misaki?!"

   "If you'd just let me—"

   "Eustace fucking Kidd?!" He spat, making me stutter. I've never heard him say Kidd's name — or curse like that.

   "I uh... it wasn't l-like t-that." I stammered.

    Luffy stood in front of me, absolutely fuming. His eyebrows pulled together so tight, it damn near casted a shadow over his eyes. His hat was doing that for him, however.

   "It wasn't like that?! You just admitted to kissing him!" He yelled.

   "Luffy, I—"

    "I don't want to know!" He said, putting his hand up. "If it was more or less!"

   "I wasn't gonna—"

   "Look, I can get behind Zoro, even someone like Sanji, Law, that bar guy was a piece of shit... but JAGGY?!" his fists shook as he spoke. I couldn't help but grimace at his words. They were sharp, cutting through me like a knife.

   "Luffy."

   "And you just got me over here, wondering what the Hell am I doing?!"

   "You?!"

   "Yes, me." He said. He tilted his hat up so I could see his eyes. They were fierce. Intense. But... something else... what is that?

   "You flit from man to man."

   "Hey!"

   "From compatible to just plain wrong."

   "You can't just—"

   "Guys just lean in and snatch a kiss and you just let it happen!"

   "That's not fair."

   "Misaki?!" He growled, stepping closer so he could put his hands on my shoulders. "Just how many men do you have to go through before you finally look at me?!"

   "W-what?" I forced out, no louder than a whisper.

   "I've tried being there for you. Giving you your freedom. I've given you things — DONE things!.... If you want me to stop, just say it." He rambled, his hands still firmly pressed onto my shoulders. I didn't move. I didn't speak. I couldn't. I needed to hear what he had to say. He took a breath.

   "I've seen you struggle. It's like you want to stay here, on the Sunny, but you're missing something! You're missing something, but you have no idea how to find it. It's like you don't know what else to do, so you just keep searching farther and farther away." He took another breath and brushed the hair out of my eyes, stepping a little closer as he cupped the same hand over my cheek. "What you're looking for is right here! I'm right here!"

   Was this... a confession? Luffy stood there, waiting for me to process his proclamation. I could see beads of sweat starting to form, and suddenly, this strong, fearless, unwavering man before me, was trembling. Oh my God, Misaki, SAY SOMETHING!

   I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. In fact, I was pretty sure Luffy was holding his breath too. I finally moved, cupping my hands over his face as he let out a shaky sigh.

   "I thought you wanted to be free." I whispered. Luffy got a little closer, letting his hands both run through my hair, as if he had done it a million times before.

   "I do.... But... it's not all I want... I guess you could say I'm greedy." He muttered. "After all... I am a pirate.

   I ran my hands down to his chest, noting how hard his heart was pounding.

   "But, being free isn't the same as being adrift, Misaki. You've been adrift." he muttered, cupping my face in his hands and making me look at him. "You wanna know how to be free?"

   "How?"

   "Do whatever you want. Consequences be damned."

   He waited. His eyes searched endlessly as he waited. He waited for me to make the first move. As if it needed to be my decision. Every other time I had been kissed, I always waited for the other person to connect with me. Now, it was finally my turn.

   I grasped his face in my hands, watching him intently as I stretched up. At the same time, I pulled his face closer, landing nothing but a simple peck on his lips. Electricity stronger than lightning shot between our lips, making us both jolt back. My heart felt like it was going to explode. We looked at each other, wild eyed. It was as if it were my very first kiss — done right. Luffy's eyes softened, his eyes flitting back and forth before pulling my lips back to his.

  His lips were a little too soft at first. Sloppy and uncouth, wet, and all I could smell was meat. We were out of sync at first and I could tell it was making him nervous. His lips started becoming more rigid and his movements less smooth. I squeezed his face a little and took a deep breath in. He reciprocated and let me take the lead for a moment. I showed him what was good. I showed him what I wanted. Then, I broke away, gasping for air as I pressed my forehead against his.

   His brow furrowed as we panted. I was more out of breath than I had ever been in my life. My skin was tingling and jumping and my heart was hammering loudly against my chest. Luffy looked just as out of breath. His fingers moved a little, rubbing my skin softly as his eyes barely opened, heavy lidded as he tilted his head and nuzzled at my lips again. He wouldn't connect, hoping I would initiate again. My heart was going wild, beating intensely loud in my ears as my face got even redder. I could feel his breath brush against my lips, giving me goosebumps.

   Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and leaned in for another kiss. Luffy took a sharp breath in and started kissing me with a little more purpose. This time, we were in perfect sync, both holding each other close as we moved our lips in tandem. I parted my lips and he reciprocated as we continued to kiss. Then, I flicked my tongue around his, making him gasp. He tilted his head more and did the same, letting a hand slide to the nape of my neck so he could pull me in closer. This felt so... right. No matter who I had been with before, it never felt so right. This was why. This man was the reason, for he was my one and only love.

Luffy dropped his forehead to mine and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "There you are." He kissed my nose and brought me into a hug. It was one that felt more intimate than anything I had ever experienced in my life, brimming with love and kindness. "Found you."