Not Alone Anymore (Luffy x OC)COMPLETED

Chapter #21

Amazing song, perfect for this chapter.

"Luffy-san?" I yawned when I was poked awake and saw him kneeling in front of me.

"You were crying," he frowned and then thrust out an arm with the bundle of brown leather towards me, "it was cold, so I brought you this."

I stared at it before carefully taking it. Upon unraveling it, I found that it was my mothers coat, "you went out in that storm to bring me...my coat?"

He nodded and smiled.

My heart lifted and I looked back down at the coat, it was dry despite having just been in the rain, he used his body to shield it.

"Why..." I uttered. It just didn't make sense, I had yelled at him, said we weren't nakama. And he still thought about me.

"Because it's special to you, I thought you'd want to have it," he smiled sincerely at me. He placed his hands on his knees before sinking down to sit in front of me with his legs crossed.

I pulled the coat over my bare shoulders and fastened it, glad to have something to wear over my bra, "thanks..."

He then looked down at his hands on his lab, "I-" he gulped and then looked up to meet my eyes, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I should've just fought Téras myself, and then Reeth would still be here. I'm sorry."

I opened my mouth to speak but then stopped and reached out for his hand, holding it in my own, "it's not your fault, you couldn't have know. I don't blame you for it, I was just upset and mad, and I needed someone to blame. I'm sorry it was you,"

He stared down at our hands and intertwined them, rubbing his thumb over the back of mine, "I don't mind it being me, if it makes you feel better."

My breath hitched What did I do to deserve you. This must be my reward for living through those years here with Téras.

"Yeah, but I do. If I ever break like that and blame you again, you are allowed to hit me."

He laughed a little, "I was thinking about what Taurus said, about how he was gonna break you. I don't think you're broken, just a little bent."

"That's a nice way to put it..." I quickly said, trying to hide my smoke at hearing such deep words come from him.

I wanted to get off this subject, "what you said, back in the storm, "I started, "that you loved me?"

His eyebrows furrowed, "I don't remember that..." my face fell but he continued, his face bright with blush, "but it's true. That I love you. More than a friend."

My face erupted with blush, like my nickname suggested, "well I haven't really thought about it before. But I love you too, more than a friend."

He smiled and tugged my hands, bringing me closer to him, "that's good, because if you didn't love me then you wouldn't like it when I kiss you!"

"Kiss?-"

And then he kissed me, cutting off my rising question as well as answering it. He pulled me close against him with one hand on my waist and the other cupping my cheek. My wife eyes fluttered shit and I leaned in, letting his lips control mine.

It was different than what I had read in the very few romance novels I've ever bothered to pick up. There was no racing heart, or butterflies, just a warm feeling in my chest. The only way I could describe it, was like the feeling of a sunrise, if that even makes sense.

He broke the gentle and passionate kiss up and tilted my head down before placing a soft kiss between my eyes right where the scar ran down my face. I had an uncontrollable smile on my face and by the feeling of luffy's lips, I could tell he was smiling too.

"Here," Luffy said, leaning back and sitting against the opposite cave wall. His arms were outstretched towards me, "I'll hold you so you won't have anymore bad dreams when you sleep."

I pushed off from the wall and crawled over to him, sitting right in front of him and letting his legs wrap around mine and his arms hold my waist. My back was pressed against his chest.

"Thank you," I said, it was much more comfortable than the stone. He hummed and rested his chin on my head.

He tightened his arms around me more and then began to speak again, "Red. before Reeth died, he told me that if he gave his life to you, that means he's a part of you. You just won't be able to physically see him."

I paused in the circles I was tracing over the back on luffy's hand and looked over to the dying down fire. Once again it looked like Reeth's feathers, "he told me that too...but it's not the same as having him next to me, being able to hold him in my arms. And hear his overprotective nagging. H-he used to braid his feathers into my hair, whenever I went somewhere looking nice-" my voice hiccuped and I had to regain my breath before continuing, "I'm going to miss him so much Luffy-san. I never thought this could happen. I always thought we were going to find my treasure, and that he would always be there, to tell me when I'm being stupid, or calm me down from losing my temper...."

I rambled on and on about the things I was supposed to do with Reeth, and Luffy sat quiet, just listening while running his fingers through my hair and the occasional stroke over my arm. And when my voice was too tired, he would talk to me, about his brothers, about Shanks, about what he was going to do after becoming Pirate King. I listened until I had forgotten about everything that had happened, until I fell asleep. And when I woke up the next morning, it was with a smile.