Stolen // One Piece

chapter thirty-nine

When he awoke, he found that he was, once again, alone. Light poured into the bedroom from the round window on the door, and he could vaguely hear people speaking and the faint calling of seagulls outside.

Luffy sat up in Nami's bed, letting the blanket fall around his waist. He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands and yawned, before slowly climbing out of the bed. When his bare feet touched the soft, light pink decorative rug Nami had bought on an earlier island, the events of the previous night played before his eyes.

"Shit," he groaned, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He hadn't meant to look so vulnerable in front of her. He wanted to be strong, brave Captain of the Thousand Sunny. Being vulnerable left his crew open to attack. Luffy needed to be stronger; he needed to be better at shoving his emotions into that little box in his mind.

The cuddling was nice, though. Feeling Nami's warm, soft skin pressed against him, the quiet sound of her breathing, the way her hand reached up and knotted itself in his hair, and the way she wrapped around him and whispered his name in her sleep. God, it was nice.

Luffy wanted to live in that warm feeling that had spread across his chest. He wanted to live in the safety of her presence, the certainty of her arms. He wanted to hold her as close as humanly possible, and keep her there for the rest of their lives.

But she probably didn't want that. Nami wasn't exactly the type to settle. She was as wild as the weather, and her wants changed with each passing second. So Luffy would settle for the small moments with her, and he would be content. Being around her was enough for him.

The boy sighed, readjusted his sweatpants, and made his way out onto the deck.

The warm sun felt nice against his bare skin, and the cool breeze that carried the smell of the salty sea and lifted his hair filled him with relief. He wasn't quite used to being home yet, but he was getting there.

Across the grass, Chopper and Usopp were speaking about something that was seemingly distressing enough for Usopp to turn and throw his hands into the air. Perhaps they were arguing about the validity of Usopp's tales. Or perhaps they were arguing about the results of a game they had been playing.

As the Captain neared the pair, he caught the eye of his appointed sharp-shooter, who gestured at the doctor.

"Oi!" Luffy called to them, raising his hand in greeting. Chopper waved, but he appeared uneasy. "What's up?" he asked, looking between the two for an answer. Usopp cleared his throat, and stared intently into the Captain's eyes.

"Why were you sleeping in Nami's bed?" The question had caught Luffy off-guard; he felt an awkward heat growing in his face, and he opened his mouth to speak but closed it again when Usopp asked, "Were you doing," he looked at Chopper, held up his hand to shield his mouth and dropped his voice, "...the horizontal tango?" Luffy's recoiled, and he felt the blush on his face turn darker. Chopper, who rolled his eyes at his friend's unnecessary censorship of the word "sex," looked up at Luffy intently.

"Luffy, I need to know for yours and Nami's safety. If you are, it's not a big deal but I need to find you some sort of contraception. I do not have the necessary skills to help birth a child on a pirate ship." The Captain covered his face and groaned.

"No, we absolutely were not doing anything like that!" The reindeer doctor sighed.

"Luffy—" he began, pinching the bridge of his nose. Usopp was trying his damndest to prevent himself from laughing.

"Do you really think Nami would settle for a guy who literally cannot read?" Usopp squinted at him.

"Then what were you doing in her bed?" Luffy paused for a moment, before swallowing his pride.

"I had a nightmare, walked outside, fell over the railing, and Nami carried me out back onto the ship and offered for me to sleep in her bed." A half-truth. No Bluejam in this version. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was better than telling them nothing.

Both of the other boys paused at that, and Chopper cleared his throat after a long moment.

"Right. Sorry for putting you on the spot like that, Luffy." The lanky Pirate Captain rolled his eyes and covered his face once more, desperately willing the heat to leave him, before turning and walking to the ladder leading into the kitchen. His stomach grumbled as he hopped down, and conveniently Sanji was already fixing a snack for the women of the ship. The clanging of dishes and utensils was comforting.

"You missed breakfast this morning," he called over his shoulder. There was a hint of jealousy and coldness evident in his voice, enough for Luffy to cringe at his tone.

"Last night—" Luffy began, before Sanji held up his hand to cut him off.

"It's alright, Luffy, just... just treat her like the treasure she is." The Captain shut his mouth, and then opened it again.

"She doesn't want me," he said after a moment.  Sanji froze his work. "She's Nami, and I'm a... a mess," he chuckled. The chef turned to study him, leaning on the counter, with his arms crossed.

"She kissed you," he replied, blinking slowly. Luffy, who didn't know how he knew, blinked back at him.

"She thought she would never see me again."

"She still kissed you, Luffy." The younger boy began scratching his neck.

"It was a spur of the moment thing. It didn't mean anything, she probably doesn't even remember it. I mean, why would she want me? I'm loud and obnoxious, and I can't read and I'm reckless and I cost us so much money and I talk too much, and I'm stupid and I'm—I'm—I'm weak." His voice cracked on the last word, and he tried to ignore the sting plaguing his eyes. He blinked to counteract the tears threatening to spill, cleared his throat and turned to wipe his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

All words she had said to him. Granted, most of the time he had been annoying her and he deserved what she had said, but the 'weak' part... She had said it to him the second time she had left the Straw Hats. Luffy dwelled on that word and lived in the feeling it gave him. That soul-crushing, suffocating feeling. It's what made him strive to be better. Luffy cleared his throat again, composed himself, and turned to face Sanji once more.

"Nami doesn't want me. She wants someone strong. I'm not strong enough." They stared at each other for a long time, before the chef pulled out a plate of food from the fridge for Luffy to eat.

"You are strong, Captain."