Doll (Sequel To Blue)

The Return

You were hoping Luffy's crew wouldn't bombard you when you arrived but it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Since Zoro had given them the heads up that he was coming back with you, they met you with full force. And while you weren't sure if you wanted this kind of attention before, it quickly became obvious that it was more than you thought you could handle. It was like they were waiting at the door to their all too familiar hide out for you.

First you were greeted with the sight of the lion's head plastered above the door, practically smiling down at you like the ray of sunshine it was. It hadn't changed a bit. The paint looked as fresh as the last time you saw it what felt like ages ago and you had a feeling Usopp and Franky had something to do with that. If you remembered correctly, they were sticklers for keeping their hideout in prestine shape.

Zoro approached the front door first and opened it, motioning for you to go in with a slight tilt of the head. He was cautious as always. But he didn't have to coax you in, Luffy took care of that well enough.

You let out an involuntary squeak of surprise as his limbs stretched out, coiled around your waist, and pulled you straight through the doorway. You dug in your heels to no avail as you smacked into Luffy and he let out a glee filled laugh.

Everyone else crowded around you two, all talking at once. You caught snippets of what they were trying to say here and there but their loud voices mixed in too much to understand more than they were glad to see you again. That was until Luffy practically shouted in your ear.

"We missed you Blue!"

At some point in the time you'd known him, he went from calling you "dragon lady" to Blue. But that nickname carried too many bad memories for you to allow yourself to get swept up in the reunion like everyone else. You gingerly peeled his arms off of you, itching for personal space once again. And once you had him off of you and took a step back, you fought to find your voice.

"Uh, it's not Blue anymore. I don't go by that."

The lack of confidence in your tone was sobering. The mood of the entire room shifted as you hugged your arms close to yourself and shuffled around in place, now very uncomfortable. You were sure they remembered you as being bright, friendly, and anything but unconfident in yourself. A year had passed and you had yet to feel like your old self. It was a long time to be stuck in your shell and everyone, even Luffy, seemed to understand that.

"Should we call you by name then? Or perhaps something else?" Robin asked sweetly to cut through to sudden silence.

"People have been calling me Doll lately but (Y/n) is fine too."

"Doll." She smiled. "I can see where they got that."

"Sanji!" Luffy suddenly barked. "Cook us something so we can have a feast!"

"Quit your demanding." Sanji snapped back at him before looking back at you. "But I'll cook anything for our newly returned Doll!"

"Please." You forced a small, tense smile and shook your head. "You guys don't have to go out of your way for anything special for me. I'm only staying the night."

"Whaaaaaatttt?" Luffy frowned. "I want you to join my crew!"

"I told you Luffy," Zoro grumbled as he stepped around you, heading towards the kitchen. You bet he was looking for alcohol, like always. "She doesn't want to join a crew. If you want her, you gotta talk her into it."

As soon as he disappeared around the closest corner, Sanji was hot on his heels, ready with an argument. In his defense, he was probably heading that way to start preparing something to eat as well. Despite you telling them anything extra wasn't necessary, you knew they weren't going to listen.