archived.

All Kid could see when he closed his eyes was your broken body. He was afraid to sleep. He was shut in his workshop, sick with worry, while they pursued you. Kid tried not to think about what could be happening to you and funneled that energy into making something that would eviscerate your tormentors. Killer had brought him meals every now and then, only to find him clutching your jacket on his desk with his face buried in it, in a restless sleep. Whatever remained of the white on your jacket was smudged with the black and red of Kid's makeup. He was in this position when he got the news they had found where you were being held. From the second he heard it to the second his feet touched land, the Kid Pirates were preparing to raze the small marine base and everyone inside it until there was nothing left. 

Every Kid Pirate was raring to wreak havoc, but before Kid released them to do so, there was one rule: Warthin was to be taken prisoner, as was anyone who was still alive at the end. They cleared the few ships that were docked, making sure you weren't on any of them before Heat lit them up. There would be no escape for these marines. Kid had swapped his regular arm for the one he had been working on. It was bigger, stronger, and tipped with monstrous claws. Killer's punishers had never been as sharp as they were now. Minerva was pawing the ground and snorting, waiting to guide the two of them with her nose. 

The boar took a wide stance, bucking her head a few times before lowering it. Her red-brown fur started to turn a silvery-gray. It was something that you had been working on with her. If any animal was going to learn how to use haki, it would be something as smart and stubborn as a boar. Maybe it had been wishful thinking and a bit of boredom in the beginning, but the more you had trained with the boar, the more it seemed like it was possible. Minerva had only been able to achieve partial armament the last time you had trained. Now, the enraged boar was fully coated in the metallic gray of armament haki. 

On Kid's order, Minerva surged forward toward the main building of the base, haki protecting her as she smashed through walls. Kid and Killer were on her heels, following her path straight to you. They expected to have more resistance on their way to you, but they never expected the boar to have armament haki. Mini had been bowling over and trampling most of everything in her way. She was stopped only by a thick concrete wall, too thick to break through. 

"We'll take it from here, girl." Killer slapped Mini's flank, giving her the go ahead to run wild. 

Kid's massive clawed arm easily passed through the concrete, rendering it into ribbons and revealing a large stairwell. Mini had done most of the hard work for them, rocketing through all the outer walls and leading them straight to you. Every marine that they ran into on their way to you turned to run and was instantly smashed into the wall or crushed by Kid's arm. Killer had the wherewithal to grab keys off the bodies if they had any. He knew you had seastone restraints, which could not be removed any other way. They ran down flights of stairs. The base was deceptively small with a large portion being underground. After what seemed like nonstop running, they finally made it to the bottom of the staircase. There were a few different hallways stemming from the main opening. They were about to split up when they heard the faint echo of what sounded like your voice. They looked at each other, as if verifying that they weren't simply imagining that it sounded like you. 

Both Kid and Killer had renewed energy, that small echo giving them hope that you were still alive. They tore through the guards, the dungeon-like surroundings getting more damp and smelling more like decay as they went deeper. They approached the last cell in the corridor, at first, thinking the only contents were four dead marines. Killer was the first to realize that it was three dead marines and you. In the dark, he couldn't see the rise and fall of your chest to indicate that you were still alive. All he could see was glass held tightly in your grip and the marines you had felled with it. Kid's chest tightened when he recognized the wounds Warthin inflicted upon you. It tightened further when he saw how limp your body was. Maybe they had been mistaken. Maybe they hadn't heard you after all. Neither of them said a word, too afraid that there wouldn't be an answer if they called out. 

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Killer opened the cell with one of the keys they grabbed from someone. There were already tears in Kid's eyes. He could tell you were dead. There was simply no way for someone to survive in this condition. They squatted down by you, Killer reaching out to feel for a pulse with some hesitancy, not sure if he was ready to know for a fact if you were still there. He pulled away swiftly and caught your wrist as a reflex as he sensed malice oozing from you. He watched the glass fall from your hand, only to be caught in your other hand, and aimed at him once more. This time, Kid stopped you with his devil fruit. The shackles around your wrists were ordinary metal. 

You thrashed against their hold, trying to break your hands free. The tears in Kid's eyes fell over his cheeks. Seeing you like this reminded him of the time all four of them had to restrain you because you thought you had been recaptured. Now he realized why you had been so afraid. Kid tried to snap you out of it gently at first, though quickly escalated to yelling when it was clear it wasn't getting through to you. Killer didn't know what else to do since you couldn't see them, so he placed your hand on his mask, something that would feel familiar and recognizable. He saw relief flood your features as you accepted that the two of them were truly there. 

As Killer went through his key collection, trying them on the seastone binding your ankles, you took off the marine jackets you had put around yourself and struggled to put one of them on properly. You didn't even complain as Kid helped you. As much as you didn't even want him to look at you like this, you needed help. To protect your last shred of humanity, you didn't want to be bare. It was a miracle that you had the energy to slash at them when they first came to you. You were sticky with sweat and your breaths were rough and ragged. You were unsure if you could even stand up on your own. 

There was a clunk and a feeling of heaviness being lifted from you as one of the keys eventually took the remaining shackles off. You immediately tried to use your powers to heal some of your wounds. You didn't want to completely heal them, as it would trap the infection in. You only wanted to heal them enough that you weren't in agonizing pain every time you moved. Nothing happened, your body too tired to function. Through tears, you tried to push yourself up. Against the wishes of both Kid and Killer, you tried walking out yourself, only to stumble from sheer exhaustion and the inability to see where you were going.

"Look at you, girl. Your flesh is rotting from your bones, just like ours. As good as dead. Once they realize that they'll leave you there."

"Stop," you whimpered, clutching your ears to block their voices.

"No one wants a broken toy. That's all you ever were anyway. Just a toy."

Everything was overwhelming you, the taunting, the near-relief, the exhaustion, the pain, the doubt that this wasn't real. "S-stop," your voice cracked.

"You can leave but you will never leave us behind. Just drop dead. It's better for everyone."

"SHUT UP!" You felt your knees buckle under you as you gave in to full-on sobbing, your dignity and pride fully eroded by shame. 

You were swiftly caught by Killer, who scooped you up for the second time since you'd known him. "Hush, darlin. I've got you now. Rest." And just like the first time, you felt safe enough to black out.

"Killer, take Y/N back to the ship," Kid's voice was low, barely counting his seething, boiling anger. The only thing that was more dangerous than an angry loud Kid, was an angry quiet Kid.

Killer nodded, but paused. "I've got just as much of a right to revenge as you." It was almost a territorial type of warning to Kid, not to leave him out. Of course Killer wanted to make sure you were safe. He also wanted to make sure these assholes got what they deserved.

A sick smile took over Kid's face. "Let's slaughter these fuckers." Kid stomped on the head of one of the already dead marines on his way out, completely flattening it with a meaty squelch. 

Killer handed you off to Heat, who had already had his share of destruction. Heat's face softened into one of reassurance as he realized that you were still alive. Killer didn't need to tell him anything. Heat took off towards the ship with you firmly in his grasp. When Killer was sure that he had gotten you there safely, he returned to Kid's side. From the corner of his vision, he watched Minerva flatten a man between her head and a brick wall and rip open another with her tusks. She had the right idea. Killer presented the blood from Warthin to her and asked her to find him. 

Killer sliced marines left and right with his punishers, running through them as her followed the boar. Kid was beside him, using the claws of his arm to rip open the bellies of marines they passed. His devil fruit sent any bullets shot at them, back into the shooters. Kid pulled the nails from nearby furniture and walls, sending them into some of the marines that came after them, pinning them to the walls alive. He was going to save them for later. Killer cut down the door that Minerva led them to, just in time for Kid to yank the gun from Warthin's hands. The man had it held in his mouth, about to leave the earthly plane the coward's way.

"I don't fucking think so." Kid pulled metal pipes from the walls and coiled them around Warthin. "Yer gonna get a much slower death." 

As the pipes immobilized him, Killer leapt forward and landed a solid punch to his jaw, knocking teeth to the floor. 

Warthin spit blood. His speech was strained from the tight grip Kid had on him. "All this for some used up fucktoy." He didn't think that they would come after him, let alone find him. He had severely underestimated how much they valued you. At this point, he knew he was fucked.

Killer hit him again, this time hearing a crunch in his nose. He wanted to do so much more. He wanted to bludgeon Warthin until he was a sludge of unrecognizable meat. Both he and Kid knew that you would never forgive them for taking your prey, even if it was revenge on your behalf. They would make do with every other marine that was left. 

Warthin coughed. "She's already dead. Why do you bother?" His voice rasped.

Kid laughed. "As if she would go out that easily!" 

"She's gonna be real happy to see you when she wakes up." Killer put emphasis on his words as he punched Warthin a third time, watching his eyes roll back briefly. 

"Huh?" He was incredulous. "She- she's dead! I saw her! She has to be!" The blood drained from his face. "You're going to kill me now, right? You're not going to leave me with her, r-right?" He was becoming more frantic as he realized his grand fuck up. He knew what you were capable of before the devil fruit, and with it.... he hoped Kid crushed him until blood spurted from every orifice, because that would be preferable to whatever you would do if you got your hands on him.

Even Killer laughed this time. "I can't wait to see how she takes you apart."

Kid crushed him harder within his metal cocoon. "Ya weren't very nice to our girl." Kid snarled, "I'm gonna watch as she turns ya inside out. Then puts you back together. And does it again and again." With every sentence Kid squeezed slightly harder. Warthin's ribs splintered inside his chest, like green branches being snapped in two.

The man screamed, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth. "Kill me! Just kill me!" 

"PITIFUL!" Kid spat. He smashed Warthin against the wall until the man lost consciousness, barely refraining from turning him into a flesh pancake. "YER LUCKY I DON'T PEEL YER FUCKIN SKIN AND USE IT TA WIPE MY ASS!" 

The two men continued their rampage on the way back to the ship with their prisoner. They took their time on the return trip, Killer let his punishers rest, preferring to use his fists so he could feel the meaty crunch of facial bones breaking under his punch. He and Kid grabbed opposite limbs of a marine and pulled until they felt the joints dislocate. He was added to the group of prisoners suspended behind Kid by metal restraints. Kid sent metal flying, impaling several men and lifting them from the ground with his fruit, adding to the prisoner count. The particularly weak ones, Kid shredded by bombarding them with metal shrapnel. They weren't worth keeping. Kid and Killer kept on long after everyone else had finished, chasing down every last person living at that base and killing them. 

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A wet nose prodding your hand woke you up. If not for that, you might have woken up in a panic. Mini's presence had immediately calmed you. You could tell you were in the infirmary because of the familiar smell of antiseptic. It was just you and Mini. You dragged your hand weakly across the fur of her head and she licked your hand softly. You let out a long breath, relieved that you were finally safe. Though you were shortly taken over by a suffocating humiliation, slowly sliding yourself over the edge of the gurney and lowering yourself onto the floor so you could be closer to Mini. You buried your face into her coarse fur, grabbing it with your hands, and released the sobs that had been building up, grateful that her fur muffled your cries. 

There was a mixture of anger, disgust, and shame leaking out through your tears. Your skin crawled with the touch of unfamiliar hands. The unwanted memories bubbled through the gouges in your skin where the flesh was beginning to rot. Your entire body ached and burned with various infections and bruising. You reached under the medical gown you were wearing and touched the burning on your chest. It was hot against the pads of your fingers and your hand was sticky and foul-smelling when it came away. The other wounds were the same. You couldn't risk healing it and trapping the infection inside to fester. You could fix the flesh, but couldn't get rid of the infection with your fruit. 

However little sleep you had gotten gave you enough energy to crawl over to the counter and pull yourself up. Your legs and arms shook with exertion and a fine sweat broke out on your body. Mini stood behind you so you could hold onto her to stand and move. You felt around for the various bottles in the cabinets, trying to remember what each one was, either by where you had placed it or the shape of the bottle. They all felt similar. The smells of each didn't help either, as you had never bothered to commit the smell of each to memory when you had eyes. Hot tears reappeared on your skin. You placed your hands over where your eyes had been and willed them to appear. Without even a scarred portion remaining, your devil fruit couldn't heal them. You couldn't make matter, just manipulate it, and eyes were too complex of an organ to render from any other flesh. You slammed your fist on the counter in frustration. Useless. You're fucking useless. You grabbed all of the small tinctures and took them like shots, whipping each one across the room where they shattered, after you had drained them. Fuck it. I don't care. 

You leaned into Mini and walked to the small infirmary bathroom with a few things you grabbed from the cabinets. Gritting your teeth to keep from crying out as you felt the wounds tear open while you moved, you made it to the bathroom. Your breaths were heavy and you felt lightheaded.

"No one comes in." You were shocked by the sound of your own voice, how raw and strained it was. 

Mini snorted her understanding and sat in front of the door. No one was going to see you like this any more than they already had. You pressed your hand to the back of the door after closing it, using your fruit to make it vanish into the wall. Eliminating the door was the only way you felt secure and protected. You sank to the floor and crawled into the tub, turning the shower head on. You curled into a ball on the cool ceramic, letting the warm water seep into the flimsy medical gown and soothe your skin. Now even you couldn't tell what were tears and what was water. Several hours passed before you were ready to proceed.

After removing the gown, you felt around for the scalpel you had brought with you. The two main wounds were the ones on your leg and chest. The skin around the wound on your leg was tender and tense. As you felt it, you could feel pieces fall away. You made a rough mental map of the extent. Before beginning, you shoved part of the gown in between your teeth to bite down on. You could use your power to cut off the nerves to your leg so that you wouldn't feel it, but without your eyes, you needed to guide yourself somehow. First, you couldn't feel much as you began to remove the dead flesh from the wound. As you started to get deeper into living flesh, twinges of pain soared up your leg. Every stab wound had coalesced into one large one during your time in the cell. You groaned and bit down as the pain blossomed. The blade had made it into the living flesh. Staying at that level, you carved out the rest of the degenerating tissue. Each stroke of your blade cut away evidence of your torture and sent a fresh searing pain straight into your heart. Even though you were only cutting your leg, your entire body was reacting. Your muscles clenched and you could feel snot and tears soaking your face. After successfully concealing most of your pain, the gown fell from your mouth as you let out a final shrill cry. You could feel your hands shaking and you put them on your thighs to calm them. The warm rush of blood oozing into your hand was a reassuring sign that the deeper tissues were alive. You steadied your hands enough to tear strips from the gown and tie them around your thigh. Your chest would have to wait until you recovered from this first round of debridement. It was heaving with the breaths you sucked in trying to dull the pain. Using your fruit, you started healing the edges of the raw area, though it was too tiring to continue. 

You sank back down into the tub, the steady patter of water dimming the ache. Whenever fever took hold, you turned the water cold and when the chills returned, you made it warm again. Before you could heal yourself further, you needed to regain more strength. Your appetite was non-existent and you took small sips of water when you could stomach it. The medicines you ingested were tearing your insides up, making you feel queasy and crampy. The exhaustion of feeling like shit, non-stop weeping, and your body trying to repair itself took over and carried you into a motionless slumber. 

Your dreams were haunted by the visage of the last person you saw, just as he had threatened. Warthin's face and voice echoed in your mind and tormented you all over again. Then they would morph into Kid and Killer, saying the same awful things. It wasn't the nightmare of Warthin laying his hands on you that woke you up, but the nightmare of the two people that cared for you the most telling you that you were nothing to them. Familiar voices calling you a worthless slut transformed into the same voices calling your name and you were startled awake, breathing hard and disoriented.

"IF YA DON'T ANSWER ME I'M BREAKIN THE WALL DOWN!" Kid's voice was tinged with worry rather than anger.

You cleared your throat. "I'm- I'm fine." 

"LIKE HELL YA ARE!"

"Just leave. Please," you replied weakly. Your heart rate was picking up. 

A lower, calmer voice answered, "Darlin', let us help you."

"You can help by leaving me alone." Anxiety was building in your chest.

"Are you sure-"

"Leave me the fuck alone!" Your voice was shrill and cracked and the vicious tone shocked you as it left your mouth. 

You heard muffled arguing followed by silence. The sobs returned as you immediately felt guilty for screaming at them when they were only trying to help. Something about the threat to come in had triggered you. This thin wall was your only barrier protecting you from the world and you weren't ready to face the world. You hugged your knees and forced yourself to stop hyperventilating. The water that had been calming was now overstimulating, so you shut it off. Taking a deep breath, you reassessed your injuries. Your leg was raw and achy, but the overall feel of it was better. You shivered at the thought of starting on your chest and decided to do something else. Your face was swollen, no doubt due to the fractures within it. It wasn't noticeable compared to the magnitude of the other injuries until you yelled. There were other aches too, deep ones, in your mid back, where your kidneys sat, in your stomach where you don't remember being kicked but it felt like you had, and between your legs. It was difficult to banish the feelings of disgust and to keep from heaving. All these things were easily healed with your devil fruit, providing instant relief, yet still left you feeling drained. 

You felt around for a towel and dragged it into the tub with you, pulling it over yourself like a blanket. You were going to have to leave the room soon for food and more medicine. The fever was finally starting to break. It wouldn't fully dissipate without you first getting rid of the still-infected tissue on your chest. The tiniest pangs of hunger were developing, a sure sign you were headed in the right direction. You struggled to reminisce on more pleasant times with Kid and Killer, not for lack thereof, but because the most recent nightmares kept clawing back to the forefront of your mind.

The next time you woke up, you were drenched in sweat, shaking, aching so intensely it felt like your bones would snap. The grotesque 'W' engraved in your skin was being seared into your soul. Millions of molten-hot needles were being pressed into your skin. The infection had definitely would its fingers around you again. Maybe you should have rid the wound of the necrotic flesh when you had the chance. 

You blindly searched for the scalpel with your hand, finding it where you left it. Taking a deep breath, you used your fingertips to find the edges of the bad skin. The breath was almost instantly let out in a shaky yelp as you stuck the blade in. This was far more painful than the leg. Your hands were quivering so much, there were hesitation marks where the blade bounced off the skin as you shaved away the dead tissue. You took many breaks this time, respiring so fast that you became lightheaded. Consciously, you slowed your breathing rate until it was safe again to cut. This cycle repeated over again until you were halfway through. With the next cut, you were rushing because your mind was threatening to fade. The blade was brought down too quickly against your collarbone, causing it to glance off and go off course. It was an amateur mistake to point the blade side towards you. It should have been facing slightly away. The blade was beginning to dull, in spite of that, it was still sharp enough to slice into your neck. 

A warm sensation traveled down your hand, dripping onto your chest. You dropped the scalpel and put your hand to your throat, where blood was streaming out at an alarming pace. At first your devil fruit did nothing. You were too panicked to focus. The cut wasn't that deep, it was into an artery though, which had a fair amount of pressure behind it even though you hardly had the blood pressure of a living person at all. You could feel the blood run down your arm and drip from your elbow. The adrenaline seeping into your circulation forced you to have a moment of clarity, enough so that your fruit flickered to life and healed the nick. You leaned back in the tub, head tilted up as if you were looking at a higher power. What am I doing? After a few minutes of calming your body and making sure you were still alive, you were ready to do something braver than you had ever done. 

You gathered up your towel, which now had wet spots from your amateur surgical hours, and pulled it around you. When you were sure you wouldn't pass out, you held onto the tub and stood up. The dizzy feeling lasted a few seconds and when it subsided, you shuffle-walked to the wall, resting your forehead against it. It took longer than usual, but the glow that you could no longer see for yourself appeared and brought the door that used to be there back into existence. Your hand shook as you reached for the handle and pulled it open.

With your first step, your foot caught on something large and immovable, sending you toppling to the hard floor. Landing on your side with a surprised and pained shriek, you heard Mini snort excitedly, though it was further away from whatever you tripped over. You hardly had the energy to stand up and walk at all, you surely had none left now to get back up. There were some strange noises that sounded like something being picked up and dropped, something heavy and at a low height. Every time you heard it, you heard Mini squeal. It almost sounded like she was scolding or yelling at someone. 

"Fuck OFF, pig." There was a groan and then a sharp inhale, followed by the softest voice you had ever heard Kid use, "Doll?" It was a questioning whisper. "Y/N? Y/N!" His voice grew louder with alarm as he picked up your top half into his lap. "There's so much blood! KILLER!" Kid's hand moved the towel away from your chest. "Oh shit. Oh fuck! Wake up, Y/N! Open yer eyes. Please open yer eyes."

Just hearing his voice made you feel secure, but being cradled in his arms was home. Nothing, not even death himself, could take you from your home. All of your anxieties and fear were melted away by the warmth you could feel radiating from Kid. Not physical warmth, it was the warm tenderness of his touch and the caring that laced the concern in his words. Your voice was meek and there was the faintest hint of a smile touching your lips, "I don't....fucking.... have eyes..., you asshole." If you had all your wits about you and weren't barely clinging to consciousness, his words would have stung. Right now, though, you were happy to be alive and held by him again, and that was all that mattered.

Kid exhaled the breath he was holding in a relieved half-cry half-laugh. "Thank fuck. There's my girl." He bent over you and touched your forehead with his as he rocked gently back and forth. Your tough words didn't fool him. He could tell that you were deeply suffering, physically and mentally.

"Kid?" You could feel him pull away, hovering just above your face. "I'm ready...to ask... for help now."

He hugged you to himself, murmuring into your hair. "I would do anything for ya." 

"I know."

Next

Ace

The door to your cabin swung open with an audible creak, revealing a sight that instantly ignited a blush that rivalled the inferno he so effortlessly commanded. His footsteps faltered mid-stride, dark eyes widening in both surprise and embarrassment as he took in the sight of his crewmate in a state of half-dress. You were facing away from him, your back exposed save for a dangerously small towel wrapped loosely around your chest. Sunlight streamed through the porthole window, casting a halo around your damp hair and highlighting the freckles scattered like constellations across your back. Ace felt his heart pounding in his chest, a mix of surprise and unbidden desire coursing through his veins. He swallowed hard, trying to regain his composure as he shamelessly took in every tantalizing inch of your form.

At the sound of your door opening you pivot swiftly on your heels to face the intruder. “Ace!” You squealed in alarm. Unfortunately, your hasty reaction had the opposite effect of preserving modesty. The momentum sent the flimsy towel slipping precariously, coming open slightly and exposing even more of your sun-kissed skin. Granting Ace a fleeting glimpse of the enticing expanse of your body below.

Ace's eyes widened comically, his heartbeat hammering wildly in his chest, both from the shock of intrusion and the tantalizing image seared into his brain. "Shit! Y/n! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to barge in!" He stuttered, hastily turning around and slapping a large palm over his burning gaze.

The silence stretched tensely for several seconds before your muffled giggle drifted across the room. Ace peeked over his shoulder, relief flooding through him like a cool ocean breeze seeing you readjusting your towel. "It's fine, really, could have been worse," you assured him sheepishly, your cheeks tinted pink.

"Yeah... Yeah, of course." He cleared his throat awkwardly, turning fully around now that modesty was mostly restored. His devilish grin returned tenfold, however, at the prospect of teasing you about this later. "Just didn't expect our serious doctor to be hiding such lovely… assets, underneath those boring old lab coats," Ace finished smoothly, trying his best to diffuse the lingering awkwardness with his signature charm. His eyes danced teasingly, but there was no malice behind his words; only genuine appreciation for beauty caught unexpectedly.

You blushed deeper at his comment, rolling your eyes fondly nonetheless. "You're incorrigible," you muttered, but your lips curved upwards into a smile that betrayed your amusement.

Law

The door to your cabin slid open without warning, admitting a tall silhouette that paused mid-step as its occupant took in the unexpected sight before him. Law's gaze flickered across your half-dressed form of an open shirt and black underwear, taking in the delicate curves of your thighs and the smooth expanse of skin exposed by your loosened clothing. He quickly schooled his features into indifference, though a faint blush still stained his cheeks. The corners of his mouth twitched as he fought back the urge to smile at your flustered state - it wasn't every day one caught the crew's resident nurse off guard like this.

“C-captain! Sorry, I thought I locked my door,” you stammered as you scrambled to find your trousers and button up your shirt.

"My apologies," he rasped out, voice uncharacteristically low as he turned away, giving you the privacy you deserved. Despite his outward calmness, however, Law couldn't help but feel his heart rate pick up slightly at the unexpected intimacy of the moment. Your relationship had always been one of mutual respect and professionalism, yet seeing you vulnerable like this stirred something deep within him. As he stood there, listening to your hurried movements while you dressed, Law found himself struggling to maintain his customary cool demeanour. Once he heard the soft rustle of fabric cease, signalling that you were decent again, he finally allowed himself to turn back towards you - though he carefully avoided meeting your gaze directly. "Is there something you require assistance with?" You asked as Law attempted casualness, leaning against the doorframe with his hands tucked into his pockets.

You stood before him now, fully clothed in your usual white medical attire, yet Law couldn't help the heat pooling low in his abdomen at the memory of your exposed skin. He cleared his throat again, trying to dispel the unwanted arousal threatening to betray his composure further. "Ah yes, I merely wanted to discuss..." Law paused, mentally scolding himself for forgetting why he had entered in the first place. "...the shipment of medical supplies. It seems some items might be missing," he lied smoothly, inventing an excuse on the spot. Your eyes narrowed suspiciously, clearly aware of his flustered state, but didn't comment on it further. Instead, you sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "Alright, let me check my inventory." Law nodded curtly, watching your retreating figure as you walked towards your desk. He mentally reprimanded himself for his lack of self-control; you were his crewmate and friend, not some tavern wench for his lewd fantasies. Yet even as he berated himself internally, Law couldn't help but steal furtive glances at the sway of your hips beneath the fabric of your uniform, reminding himself to keep it professional while he discreetly adjusted his trousers that betrayed his growing desires.

Penguin

A series of clumsy thuds preceded the abrupt entrance of Penguin. The door to your cabin swung wide open, revealing your flustered crewmate mid-stumble, his hat nearly toppling off his head. You yelped, hands instinctively covering your breasts as you spun around to face the intruder. Penguin froze in place, his bugged eyes taking in the sight before him - your half-clad form framed perfectly against the dim cabin lighting. Your discarded shirt lay forgotten on the floor, exposing a generous amount of skin.

"P-Penguin!" You squealed, cheeks burning redder than Ace's devil fruit abilities could ever manage. “Wh-what do you want?" You demanded, trying to sound stern despite your obvious embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I thought, uh...L-law- I mean the Captain sent me!" He stammered out, his cheeks darkening in embarrassment. Quickly averting his gaze and pulling down his hat, Penguin's vision fixated on the ground below him, determined not to peek despite his body begging otherwise. He could feel his cheeks warming up with mortification as he fumbled for words to diffuse the awkward silence that followed.

Penguin continued to ramble nervously, clearly regretting his lack of thinking that led him to burst in on you during such an intimate moment. "I-I swear, I didn't mean to intrude, y/n! It's just, I uh, I didn't think!" You stifled a chuckle appreciating his attempt at a flustered apology despite your own embarrassment. "It's fine, Penguin. Just give me a minute to finish changing." You muttered, your voice strained as you scrambled to cover yourself properly. The cabin filled with a tense silence broken only by the rustling of fabric and Penguin's shallow breaths. “O-of course,” he stammered as he stumbled out of the door. His mind whirred with thoughts he shouldn't entertain about his fellow crewmate, but it was difficult when presented with such a sight. Y/n, usually so composed and professional, looked incredibly endearing in your current state of undress. Shaking his head to dispel the improper thoughts, Penguin mentally scolded himself. *Focus on your job, idiot!* His inner voice chastised him. *You're supposed to protect her dignity, not ogle at her!* Feeling slightly guilty but still unable to completely banish the enticing mental image, he waited patiently outside your door until you called out for him to enter again. He was undoubtedly going to find it challenging to look at you in the same way from now on.

Luffy

As the Straw Hat Pirate captain barged into your cabin without a second thought you barely managed to cover yourself before Luffy's curious gaze landed on your half-exposed form of you standing in your underwear. His expression morphed from surprise to pure childlike interest, his eyes sparkling with innocence as he blurted out, "Whoa y/n! Is this your new swimsuit?" Luffy's nonchalant question stood in sharp contrast to the mortification you felt, your cheeks burning crimson. Attempting to maintain some semblance of dignity, you quickly covered yourself up with a discarded robe, "Luffy! How many times have I told you to knock?" He simply grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head - a gesture that never failed to make your heart flutter despite the circumstances. Unfazed by your embarrassment, Luffy continued to ogle you openly, his simple curiosity untouched by the societal norms that dictated modesty. You found herself torn between laughter and frustration at your captain's antics - typical Luffy you thought internally rolling your eyes.

Still grinning brightly despite your attempts at maintaining decorum, Luffy stepped closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. He reached out tentatively towards your partially covered shoulder, wanting to touch the intriguing material of your ''swimsuit'. Before you could protest further, Luffy’s fingers trailed your bra strap, his touch warm against your exposed skin. His voice was filled with genuine wonder when he asked again, "This must be so much cooler than regular clothes though right?"

You bit back a smile despite yourself, unable to stay mad at him for his earnest fascination. You shook your head softly, trying to hide the blush creeping up your neck. "Uh, yeah Luffy, it keeps me cooler," you mumbled, averting your gaze shyly. Luffy tilted his head, looking thoughtful for a moment before nodding enthusiastically. "Then it must be super comfortable! And it looks super cute" He beamed, giving you a genuine compliment that made your heart skip a beat.

Your captain's enthusiasm was infectious, causing you to find yourself smiling despite your earlier embarrassment. "Thanks, Luffy," you said warmly, feeling a wave of affection wash over you at his kind albeit naive words. Luffy bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly, seemingly thrilled by this newfound discovery. "Hey, maybe we should go swimming together! We could show everyone your new swimsuit!"

Your face ignited once again in a brighter shade of scarlet at Luffy's suggestion, your hand instinctively pulling the robe more securely. "Luffy! These aren't swimming clothes!" You spluttered. Luffy paused, tilting his head to the side as he processed your words. His eyes narrowed slightly before realization dawned on him. "Ohhh," he muttered comprehendingly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as the situation clicked.

The only thing worse than a mall cop was a nighttime security guard, even worse: a nighttime security guard at an aquarium. Not even a museum. Zoro had been the daytime security guard until he dozed off one too many times, then he was demoted. His boss, Mihawk, said that if he couldn't wake up for the day shift, maybe he was more suited for the night shift. He didn't say it was a demotion, but Zoro wasn't an idiot. This was probably his last chance before they canned him.

He breezed through the doors, already 5 minutes late. He threw open the door to the small security office, apologizing and straightening his uniform. "Sorry. My stupid roommate baked my keys into a loaf of bread again." 

"That's either the weakest excuse you've had yet, or your roommate hates you." King already had his jacket on, ready to leave.

"The second one. Please don't tell Mihawk I was late." Zoro threw down some rice balls and chips from the convenience store down the street, his snack for later. 

King snatched one of the rice balls. "Deal."

"Oi!"

King gave him a peace sign and flicked him off.

Zoro let out an exasperated sigh. His shift had just started and it was already off to a terrible start. He plopped down in the shitty folding chair and threw his feet up on the flimsy desk, watching the small black and white monitors that overlooked the exhibits. Only a few couldn't be seen, one of them being the new mermaid exhibit. The tech guys hadn't come to install the camera yet. Which meant that Zoro had to walk the halls every so often, making sure everything was fine. If something happened to the mermaid, he would definitely be fired. 

He grabbed his flashlight from his belt, which also had mace and a nightstick. What the hell was he gonna do with some weak-ass pepper spray and a glorified baton? He walked through the aquarium, shining his light around the places that weren't illuminated at night. He jumped when he saw two eyes reflecting back at him. The mermaid's exhibit wasn't lit at night either. She was basically a person, she needed to sleep too. He tapped on the glass.

You covered your ears and frowned. The noise was amplified through water and it hurt your sensitive eardrums. 

"Oh shit. Sorry!" Zoro put his hands up to signal he meant no harm. "I didn't mean it." The mermaid swam up to the glass and mimicked his movements.

As far as he knew, it didn't talk. The mermaid did understand language though. He watched you copy him. Zoro did a few more poses to see if you would copy those too. He ended with making some kind of funny face, pulling his cheeks out and his lower eyelids down. Zoro was disappointed when you didn't copy that, and could swear you were laughing at him. Huh. He continued his rounds and returned to the office. The rest of the night was uneventful. 

The next few nights were more of the same. Each night when he stopped by your tank, he tried to make you laugh again, mostly to prove to himself that's what you were actually doing. Even though you didn't talk, you were obviously an intelligent creature. Tonight, he had a new game. Zoro wanted to see how smart you were. He also felt bad that you were stuck in that tank without anything to do and maybe this would be entertaining. He took three Solo cups and set them upside down on a cardboard box he brought over. Then, he showed you a piece of candy and put it under the cup. Zoro mixed up the cups slowly.

"Where is it?" Zoro watched as you pointed right away to where it was. "Nice. Ok." He grabbed the candy and backed away from the tank. It was nearly floor to ceiling. It was huge. There was a gap at the top where people went in and out to perform tank maintenance. Zoro aimed for the top and threw the candy into the tank, observing as it sank down and you swam to grab it. He laughed when you put it in your mouth and spit it out. "That's a sour one. Give it a chance." He laughed again as your face contorted with the sourness, relaxing a little as it got sweeter. You pointed at the cups. "So you liked that? Let's try faster." He went a few more rounds, giving you candy every time. Then, you disappeared, returning with three shells. You plucked a scale from your tail and stuck it to the bottom of one of the shells. You repeated his actions and looked at him expectantly. Zoro pointed at one of the shells and you turned it over, revealing no scale. "I meant that one." He pointed to the shell next to it and you flipped it. You grinned and took the scale out from under it, swimming to the top of the tank and leaning over the glass above him. Zoro caught the scale and looked at it in his hand. It was iridescent. He couldn't really say if it was blue or green or purple. It was kind of all three at once. “Thanks. I have to go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow, ok?” Zoro flipped the scale over in his hand, watching the colors melt together as he patrolled the corridors. He wondered what else he could entertain you with. You seemed to enjoy it a great deal. He wondered if you responded like this to any of the keepers or the guests of the aquarium. 

Unfortunately, Zoro had to call out sick the next two days, some kind of stomach bug. The next time he came around to your tank, you were nowhere to be found. He was tempted to tap on the glass again, but he knew you didn’t like that. Instead, he threw some candy in, the kind he knew you liked. Zoro waited for several minutes, opening a bag of chips that he had brought with him and popping a handful into his mouth. You emerged, drawn out by the candy, after a few minutes, darting out to grab it and go back to your hiding spot.

”Oi! Where ya goin?” Zoro yelled through a mouthful of chips.

You shot him a look from around the rock you hid behind. 

“What?!” Zoro was at a loss. “Did I do something?” 

You pointed at him, then to where he stood, then behind you. 

It took him a minute to remember, but he did. “You’re mad because I wasn’t here?”

You gave him a curt nod. 

“Aw man I’m sorry. I did say I would be back, huh?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I was sick. I couldn’t come to work.”

You stayed in your spot, eating the candy.

”How can I make it up to you?” Zoro would hate to piss off the only company he had during these long nights.  You coyly peeked around the corner and pointed to the chips in his hand.

“These?” Zoro held the bag out and you nodded. He couldn’t very well toss those to you. They would get soggy. He walked up the ‘employee only’ spiral staircase that went to the top of your tank. He didn’t like being up that high so he focused on looking into the water and not at the ground. 

You swam up to the rim of the tank, hands grabbing for the chips.

”Okay. Okay. You have to eat them here though or they’ll get mushy.” He handed the bag over. 

You carefully inspected the chip before biting into it, delighted by the crunch. 

Zoro hadn’t been this close to you previously. He noticed the different tones in your hair, how it flowed around you. He saw the slightly different colored speckles in your Y/E/C eyes. Your skin looked so soft and there were freckles he hadn’t noticed from behind the glass. There was a slight grin on his face as he watched you enjoy chips for the first time. You were particularly fascinated by the crunch, biting them slowly to listen to the noise they made. Zoro sat with you and took the empty bag when you were done.  “So am I forgiven?”

You looked him up and down before nodding slowly.

Zoro smiled. “Good. How about I come back with more tomorrow? Really this time.”

This time he kept his promise. Each day he brought you a new flavor. He figured out you didn’t really care for the spicy ones, probably because spice was a bit foreign to you, also explaining why human snacks were so intriguing. Maybe you would like the spice eventually. He would find you waiting at the top of the tank for your special treat. It was weird to watch you eat in silence, so he would tell you about his day or his roommate. Occasionally, he would tell you something about himself. You were a great listener since you didn’t talk. 

Several weeks passed like this. Zoro had to take a brief vacation to help his other roommate recover from eye surgery; there was a tragic accident involving a stag beetle. When he came back, Mihawk was none too pleased. King had taken over Zoro’s shift, but kept falling asleep since he was usually a day shifter. Every morning during this time, Mihawk would come in to take over and find that the snack counter had been raided. It looked like raccoons had gotten into the packages. Curiously, the cameras hadn’t picked up anything. They moved periodically, panning around. It seemed like whatever or whoever was stealing, could avoid them. Nothing else was tampered with or taken.  “Hey, shitbag. Hope you get the rat problem under control. Or Mihawk is gonna have your ass,” King slapped Zoro’s shoulder on the way out. 

“How is this my problem?! It happened on your watch!”

”And now it’s your watch.” King laughed as the door shut behind him. 

Zoro stopped at your tank, as was his routine now, and explained he didn’t have anything for you since he couldn’t get to the grocery store to restock. His eyes couldn’t be torn away from the disappointed pout that crossed your features. He was a bit ashamed to admit he really liked looking at your face. He wasn’t alone. Part of the attraction to the mermaid exhibit was your beauty. He didn’t like the idea he was the same as the people who paid to ogle you. He actually cared about your well-being. 

That night the thief struck again. Zoro didn’t see a thing. Oh, but he heard about it the next day. Mihawk lit his ass up, calling him as soon as he managed to fall asleep at home after his shift. He accused Zoro of falling asleep on the job again. That wasn't true, but it's possible that he was distracted, daydreaming perhaps. He would have conversations in his head with you. He imagined what you might sound like and how you might speak. He liked spending time with you and he wanted to know more about you, but couldn't do that if there was no way you could communicate with him. 

Zoro purposefully waited for King to leave before going in the back entrance. King would definitely taunt him over his shortcomings and he really didn't want to start the night that way. He was already in a bad mood since Mihawk woke him up just to yell at him earlier. Zoro sat heavily in his uncomfortable folding metal chair and slid down, knees pointing to opposite corners of the room, glaring at the monitors. He wasn't going to take his eyes off the screens for a second. He would get to the bottom of this just to rub it in Mihawk and King's faces that he could. 

When it came time for his nightly rounds, he checked every door and every window to make sure they were all locked. There wasn't any evidence around them that pointed to someone coming in from those potential entry points. He looked up at the air conditioning ducts. Is someone really going to go all spy movie just for some snacks? There was a noise in the direction of your tank that alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone. Quickly, he ran in that direction, putting his flashlight in his mouth so he could hold his baton in one hand and his mace in the other. The large, open room came into view and he caught movement in the corner of his eye. Before he could react, he suddenly lost traction under his feet and was tumbling backwards. The last thing he remembered was hitting his head. 

His head was throbbing. Zoro groaned as he came to. Why am I wet? His entire back was wet, not damp, wet. He opened his eyes to soft light and a blurry, dark shape hovering over him. He blinked a few times, each blink making his vision clearer. A person? But there's not supposed- He pushed himself back, feeling around for his mace. 

"Who- Who are you?" He made contact with his flashlight and flicked it on, pointing it in the direction of the shadow. Red eyes flashed back as the light from the flashlight bounced off the back of your eyes, reflected to him. His eyes slid from yours, down your body, and landed on your tail. "Mermaid?" What was she doing out of the tank? 

You scooted closer, using your arms to pull you across the slick floor. 

Zoro looked at the water all over the floor and back at you. Your hair was plastered to your body where it was still wet, but he could see some parts that were fluffier and strands that were blown around lightly by the air conditioning. That made him think you had been sitting here with him for longer than a few minutes. How long had he been out for? He looked at the ceiling, which was partially made of glass, so that the mermaid could have natural light. The sky outside was the dusty purple color of early dawn. His shift would be over soon. And King would be coming to take over. King is coming! Suddenly, he was panicking. 

"We have to get you back in the water!" If King saw the mermaid like this, Zoro's ass was going to get canned. Zoro crouched in front of you, about to slip his arms under you so that he could carry you back to the water. He paused. "Oh... Um. Is it ok? Do you mind if I...?" 

You opened your arms up to reach for him.

He took that as an invitation, scooping you up bridal style. Your arms wrapped around his neck for support. Zoro didn't want to slip again, but he had to hurry to get you in the tank and all of the mess cleaned up before King got here. He jogged up the stairs to the top of the tank and gently dipped you down in the water. "Stay." He had no fucking clue how you got out, but he needed you to stay in. He zipped back down the stairs and hurriedly grabbed a mop from the janitorial closet, getting all the water dried from the floor. Zoro ran around the rest of the aquarium, making sure nothing happened while he was knocked out. Everything seemed to be fine. 

Zoro had just headed back to the security office when King came in to take over the shift. Just in time. He breathed a sigh of relief and then immediately started thinking about how the fuck you got down to where he was. Did you jump out of the tank? Crawl down the stairs? He was thinking about it until he went to sleep for the day. 

He came in early the next evening. The aquarium was still open and he went to see what your exhibit looked like when it was still open. The tank was big, but he wasn't quite convinced it was big enough for a creature like yourself. He watched as some guy banged on the glass with his hand. Zoro instantly frowned, knowing that you hated when people did that. He walked over and grabbed the man's wrist, pulling it away from the glass and thrusting it into the man's own chest. 

"Stop that." Zoro glared at the man. "She doesn't like that."

The man looked him up and down. "Who the fuck are you? Her keeper?"

"Actually, yeah. I am. So cut it out or you'll be escorted out." 

The man grumbled but didn't do it again.  

Zoro stood in front of the glass, eyes searching for you for a moment, finding you with a sweet smile on your face. You made the slightest nod in his direction, thanking him for putting an end to the horrible noise. Zoro stuck around until the people cleared out, making sure it didn't happen again. The last two people were a couple, who couldn't be bothered to stop their heavy petting after the two minute closing warning. You were staring curiously at them. He shooed them off and waved at you as he went to clock in and trade off with King.

There was some paperwork he had to take care of which delayed his usual stroll to your tank. It was about an hour past his usual stop in his loop. As he approached, he could hear shuffling and some crinkling. It stopped suddenly when his shoes make a squeak on the tile flooring. He cursed under his breath, inching forward slowly. There was the hurried sound of crunching followed by the slap of feet against the floor. 

"Stop! Thief!" Zoro yelled after the footsteps, nearly eating shit on the wet floor again. "Where the fuck is all this water coming from?" He ran down the hallway, then back up the hallway, then did a full loop, and stopped. He didn't hear the footsteps anymore. "Dammit." He snuck around more quietly on his way to get a mop. The thief had to be somewhere. He cleaned up the mess without any further sign of the intruder. Curiously, the snacks that were eaten included some of the flavors of chips he had brought you. That just meant the thief had good taste in snacks. Only two bags were eaten, so he wasn't worried about actually continuing his hunt. He could cover that up. Mihawk could shove it. All he cared about was getting to your tank. Zoro sighed. Now, he was really late. You were going to be mad at him. 

As it turned out, you weren't. Especially since Zoro had brought you something new to try. He was beginning to feel guilty. What if these foods were really bad for you? What if they made you sick? He also couldn't resist seeing the way you lit up when he came around with your nightly snack, or your pout when he pretended he forgot it, so he would continue to spoil you. Zoro climbed to his spot at the rim of the tank. You were already there waiting with your hands held out in a bowl-shape. 

"Didn't we talk about begging?" Zoro tsked at you. 

You held your hands out more demandingly and furrowed your eyebrows.

"Jeez. Okay, here you go." Zoro placed some incredibly misshapen small chocolate chip cookies in your hands. 

You gave them a curious sniff before putting all of them in your mouth at once, filling up your cheeks. 

Zoro chuckled. "You remind me of my roommate, who I had to fight off by the way, to get these to you." He averted his eyes for a moment and his cheeks turned pink. "I, um, made them myself." At the cost of shining his other roommate's work shoes for a week, he helped Zoro out with the baking. When he turned back, you were holding your hands out again and licking the crumbs from around your mouth. He grinned. "So you liked them?" 

You nodded. Reaching your hands out further. As he leaned down to put more in your hand, you caught sight of the pink in his cheeks. Reaching out curiously, you poked and pinched at his cheek. You didn't know humans could change color. 

Zoro jerked back. Not that he was afraid of you, he was just taken aback by your sudden interest in something other than food. "What? Is something on my face?" He only turned a deeper hue, cheeks burning red. 

You placed your palm against his cheek, feeling the warmth in it. Humans were a lot warmer than you thought. With the other hand, you continued to munch down cookies. You offered the last one back to him, noticing that he didn't eat any. 

Zoro wasn't aware that you knew the concept of sharing. "Thanks." He popped it into his mouth, stretching to swat a crumb out of your hair. 

You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his, just like those people from earlier. 

He pushed you, very gently, back. "Whoa! Hey, what are you doing?" If Zoro's cheeks were red earlier, now they were purple. "That's for- That's just for people who um-" He saw a hurt look on your face. "No, don't do that. It's okay!"  He patted your hand and explained. "You can't just do that. That's called a k-kiss and um, it's for two people that really like each other." 

But you did like him. Did he not like you? 

You still looked hurt. "Um, here, okay." Zoro knelt by the tank, getting his knees wet from where you had dripped. He held his arms out and waited until you copied him. "We're friends. So this is what friends can do. It's called a hug." He circled his arms around you, very lightly squeezing. You did it back, except you were not very gentle about it. "Oh, wow, you're a strong one huh?" Zoro let go, waiting for you to do the same. He waited some more. "You can let go now." There was a funny look in your eyes, and your smile was awfully sinister for a sweet mermaid. 

You pushed back from the edge of the tank, dangling his car keys in front of you.

Zoro felt his back pocket. "What the-?" He laughed. "You little shit." He motioned for you to come back. "Give those back!" 

You shook your head. 

"Please!" 

You looked at him expectantly. 

"I'll bring you more cookies tomorrow?"

You threw his keys back to him with surprising accuracy and he caught them in midair. 

Zoro shook his head to himself, walking back to the security office. He couldn't stop thinking about how soft your lips were.

For the next few days, nothing eventful happened. Zoro had racked up multiple weeks of doing Sandi's chores, just so he could learn to make a few more different cookies for you to try. Why was he doing all this? He told himself it was because he felt bad that you were trapped in a tank for the rest of your life. And he did feel bad about that, that part was true. Selfishly, he wanted you to like him. Tonight's batch hadn't gone well. He wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to you. Zoro hated seeing disappointment on your face. 

He was shocked when you were nonchalant about it, and a touch suspicious. Later, Zoro remembered that he stored an extra snack in his backpack and retrieved it to give to you. Again, he heard the telltale crinkling of a chip bag. This time, he would get the thief. Zoro must have startled them somehow even though he didn't make a sound because the thief took off running. He kept up this time, barely making out a shadow in the dark. As soon as he got close enough, he tackled the person, fingers brushing against bare, wet skin. What's with everything always being fucking wet!?.This person was... nude? What kind of sick pervert-? His thoughts were evaporated from his mind when he saw that it wasn't just any random naked person. It was you. "MERMAID?!" He looked down. "But there's legs and- a-and-!!!" Zoro got up faster than he'd ever moved and covered his eyes. "S-stay right there." He turned around and ran to his backpack, where he had a change of clothes for the gym. 

Zoro came back with a T-shirt and boxers, practically throwing them at you. From the top of his head to his neck was red. It turned out that your bottom half could turn into a human's, in every way. Funny, when you had a tail, your naked top half, covered by your long hair, didn't seem scandalous. With a naked bottom half, the naked top half was painfully obvious. 

"A-are you covered up?" Zoro peeked to make sure before dropping the hand over his eyes. "I'm so sorry for- for seeing and um... Sorry!" He felt bad about tackling you even though you weren't hurt. He offered you a hand to get up. Now it made sense. Every time he forgot a treat or was late in getting to you, the thief struck. It had been you all along. And the legs explained how you were able to get out of the tank, too. 

You were wobbly upon standing, as you always were when you got your legs.  You grabbed his shirt for balance as you stumbled unsteadily forward. 

Zoro gave you his arm to hold while you slowly gained control of your legs. He tried not to think about how cute you looked wearing his clothes, leading you toward the fish tunnels, where there weren't cameras. "I think you already understand, but you can never let anyone else see you like this, okay?" There was concern in his eyes. Zoro was certain they would turn you into an even bigger sideshow attraction than they already had. "And you have to stop stealing food or I'll be fired." Zoro held out the chocolate bar he had found in his backpack, yanking it back when you reached for it. "Mermaid, show me you understand." Zoro only relinquished the candy when you nodded.

Tearing into the packaging, you discarded it on the floor, holding the chocolate in your bare hands. 

"Oi! You're gonna get it everywhere." It was too late, as he saw the brown staining your hands. He sighed. "Never mind." 

You laughed at his alarm. 

"So you think it's funny, huh?" 

You nodded, popping another piece into your mouth. Your hand reached playfully to smear some on his cheek.

"Don't do that!"

You giggled again. 

He really couldn't be mad when your eyes were glittering with joy and your giggling brought a stupid grin to his face. He wiped off the chocolate and licked his finger. 

After the last bite, you looked at the mess on your hands and wiped them on your shirt, to Zoro's horror.

"Oi! What's wrong with you?! Quit that!" He grabbed your hands. "What are you? An animal?" He dragged you to the bathroom to wash your hands. 

You thought about it and nodded. 

"No! You're a person." Zoro stood behind you and guided your hands. It made sense that you had never washed your hands before. 

Watching the water made you thirsty. You bent down to drink out of the sink.

Zoro practically jumped backwards when your hips moved back against his. "H-hey. We'll get you some water. Come on." He knew you were unaware of what you were doing. It wasn't on purpose. He was ashamed at the thoughts that entered his brain at that second. Pushing them away, he grabbed your hand again and brought you to the water fountain, where he demonstrated how to use it. 

After that, he followed you as you walked through the nearby exhibits, the ones without surveillance. Zoro watched as you excitedly pointed towards some fish. You stopped in front of one of the larger tanks, putting your hands against the glass and smushing your face against it. This tank was much larger than yours because it held whale sharks. Your smile slowly fell into something more somber as you yearned to go back home. You missed the wide open ocean. 

As dawn approached, Zoro led you back to your tank, gesturing for you to go back. 

You shook your head.

"What do you mean no? You have to." Zoro hadn't seen you like this before. You weren't your normal perky, sweet self. "What's wrong?" 

Your lip quivered. You pointed to the doors and yourself. 

"You want to leave?" 

You nodded.

Zoro scratched his head. "You can't leave. I- I wish I could help you."

Tears spilled over the rims of your eyes. 

"Oh no. No. No. Don't do that." Zoro looked around as if there was someone else that could comfort you. Relenting, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into him. "I'm sorry, mermaid. I really am." He felt you shake with sobs, gently sitting down with you on the floor. He ran his hand over your hair, thinking about how much of a loser he felt like. He let Mihawk and King walk all over him. Zoro hated this job. The only thing that made it tolerable was you. So why did he care so much about keeping it? Money and the ability to see you. He could find another job, but he couldn't find another you. "Mermaid, give me some time. I'll think of something. Okay?" 

You pulled your head away from him, with a sliver of hope in your red-rimmed gaze. You nodded. 

Zoro helped you out of his shirt, which you got stuck in trying to take off. He shut his eyes and turned around while you slid his boxers off and jumped back into the water. He squatted down and put his hand on your cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. "Stay." He said it tenderly, but he meant it. Zoro couldn't have anyone else finding out about your secret. 

Over the next few days, Zoro thought about how he could smuggle you out. If you disappeared and he never came back, it would be pretty obvious who stole you. If you disappeared, he would be fired anyway. He put that plan on the back burner and thought about how he might be able to improve your current living situation. 

"Don't you think the mermaid should be in a bigger tank?" 

Mihawk looked over his newspaper at Zoro. "Oh so you're a marine biologist all of the sudden." He was about to leave for the night but wanted to finish his articles first. 

Zoro rolled his eyes. "No. I just think the mermaid looks kinda sad lately." 

"You won't have to look at her sad face much longer." 

"What? What's that mean?" 

Mihawk lowered his paper once more. "Oh. You haven't heard? She's being transferred to a government facility." 

"Why!?"

Zoro's boss eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you care? Have a crush?" 

"Oi! Shut up, man. A guy can't feel bad for a creature that's nearly human being imprisoned? How would you like it?"

"I think if you feel bad for imprisoned creatures, this job isn't for you." 

"Yeah you're fucking right about that." Zoro was heated. 

Mihawk threw his paper on the desk. "Because you care so much, they want her for research." Before Mihawk clocked out, he tossed over his shoulder. "Say goodbye to your little fish friend. She's leaving tomorrow." 

Zoro was sweating with this new information. Tomorrow! He hadn't come up with any kind of plan. Maybe he could ask Luffy and Sanji if they would help. No, he couldn't ask his roommates to be accomplices. He avoided you until the last remaining hour of his shift, unsure how to tell you what was happening. Seeing you cry again was going to break his heart. Hell, his heart was already breaking because he knew he had no way to save you. He couldn't break you out of here, and he certainly couldn't steal you from a government facility. 

Zoro found you in your usual spot, waiting for him. You seemed to be in better spirits, which made it harder for him to tell you. He sat on the edge of your tank, setting his backpack down. He had planned to leave right after. "Listen." He let out a deep sigh. "I don't know how to tell you this but they're moving you out of here t-tomorrow." Your face brightened and you pointed to the door. He smiled apologetically. "No... not out out. You're being transferred somewhere else." He could see your eyes get glassy. You pointed to him, then yourself, then the door. "I- I can't. There's no way." Zoro held his head in his hands and apologizing over and over again. 

You pushed yourself up to sit on the edge of the tank as well, wrapping your arms around him. The two of you sat like that for some time. Zoro ran his hand through your hair, trying to memorize the way it felt before he had to say goodbye. You leaned your head on his shoulder, staring into his gray eyes. He shifted so that you could face him better. Leaning forward, you paused, as if asking permission, and Zoro didn't stop you as you pressed your lips to his again. His hand tangled in your hair, pressing you deeper into the kiss. He let out a startled noise when you bit him on the lip and you felt heat rise to your cheeks as you broke the kiss and looked away bashfully. 

"No. No. It's- It's okay." Zoro's voice was low and raspy. "Do it again." 

You did as he asked, lightly biting him on the lip, and he returned the favor. You pressed your tongue into his mouth, running it alongside his own. He groaned. Now! When he was fully distracted, you tugged him into the water with you. His eyes widened in terror as you pushed him to the bottom of the tank, sucking the rest of the air out of his lungs. You broke the kiss and touched the side of his face lovingly, watching him flail as he fought to break free from your grip. You petted his hair as he had done to comfort you. Only a minute or two more before he became unconscious. It hurt you to do it, but you couldn't live like this anymore. You had waited for him, though that didn't mean you couldn't also think of a plan in case he failed. 

When King came in, not long after, he immediately noticed something wasn't right. None of the lights were on. The power was out. He rushed to the emergency generator and powered it on. All the pumps to the tanks were connected to it in case something like this happened. Without the backup power, it would only take a few hours for creatures to start dying off. With it on, some of the lights flickered back on. The generator only powered the most important electronics, not the cameras. Naturally, the first thing King did was check on the most valuable assets. While his eyes scanned your tank, trying to find you, they instead found Zoro floating at the top of the water. 

Within 15 minutes, the aquarium was swarming with first responders. In the chaos, no one noticed someone in a gym shirt and boxers run out the front doors, all their attention on Zoro. Nor did they notice the drying puddle near the main circuit breakers, located unwisely next to the mermaid's tank.  

Zoro had no fucking idea what happened. He thought it was just a nightmare until he woke up in a hospital. They said someone broke into the aquarium and stole the mermaid. They shorted out the main power so there was no security footage. It was assumed that Zoro was defending the mermaid when the attacker got the upper hand on him. Mihawk had left him a message wishing him a speedy recovery and to take his time coming back to work, in fact, maybe he shouldn't come back at all. He was cleared for discharge after a day with some antibiotics to prevent pneumonia from setting in. 

When he came back to his apartment, Sanji greeted him from the kitchen. "Hey, assface. Your girlfriend has been waiting for you for a whole day now. What the fuck is wrong with you? Making a girl as pretty as her wait? I don't even know how you managed to pull someone like her." He was half-pouting as he said this.

"Girlfriend?" Zoro didn't have a girlfriend. 

"Yeah she was in your clothes. She's your girlfriend isn't she? While you were busy laying your lazy ass in the hospital, she showed up looking for you. Well, I assumed so. She doesn't talk much." 

Zoro didn't wait for the blonde man to finish before running into his room. 

Luffy piped up from the couch, calling after him. "Tell her to quit eating all my snacks!" 

When he opened his door, you were sitting in the middle of his bed, surrounded by empty snack wrappers. His previously white shirt, now on you, was covered in orange and brown snack residue fingerprints. Your entire face lit up upon seeing him. You jumped from the bed and ran to him, throwing your arms around him and peppering kisses all over his face. 

"Oi!" He pushed you back lightly. In a quiet voice he hissed, "You drowned me!" 

You nodded happily and bounced on the balls of your feet in an excited way. You pulled him back down and rubbed your nose against his.  

The pieces gradually fell into place. "This was your plan." He grabbed your face as you nodded again. "I knew you were fucking smart." He pulled you in for a hug before kissing you. 

You pulled away, grinning. You were hyperventilating with excitement and working up courage. 

"Easy. Breathe. " Zoro could see you were trying to communicate something. "What is it?" 

"S-s-s." You furrowed your brows. 

Zoro's eyes widened. He didn't think you could speak. 

"S-stay." You pointed to yourself, soft, hopeful eyes tilted towards the green-haired man. "Stay?" 

you talk and talk and talk and talk. you're always talking. you're always whispering in his ear and chattering as he drives and telling him some story about something he missed while he was gone as you tidy up the flat. you never stop talking, never run out of things to tell him, and despite the monotone voice and the lack of response, he hears every single word that you say, and he forgets nothing. when he makes his way back on base, johnny is waiting, eager to hear an update about the receptionist at your work and if she is actually sleeping with your manager.

you wash his clothes without even blinking. you're at the sink, a bucket of cold, suddy water there as you scrub at his shirt. there's peroxide at the side, and you use a delicate hand as you scrub at the stains on it. ghost watches from the doorway as you hum to yourself, in a little pair of shorts with your hair tied up as you rinse the shirt clean. blood runs down the drain, and his shirt is clean as new.

you always find some kind of weapon around the house. you bend down to brush crumbs off the kitchen chairs, and you scold simon with a glossy pout because he left a bloody knife taped under the table. you whine when you find a grenade sitting in the same drawer you keep your tampons in. you complain when you take out the jar of rice to make dinner, and there's a small handgun hidden between the grains. but your face always softens when he cups your cheeks with two big hands, kissing you warmly, muttering, "gotta keep y'safe, luvvie...know there's a bloody line waitin' for a taste of y'r cunny, baby."

you visit him on base once in light wash denim and a white tshirt, sneakers hitting the linoleum and purse swinging as you wave at him. he's standing in front of a line of privates, watching them do jumping jacks, and his eyes light up a little when he sees you waving at him enthusiastically. when he finally makes it to you, he shoves you into the nearest supply closet and tugs your jeans down just enough to fit his cock between your thighs. when he's walking you out, the boys watch as you cling to simon's arm, a lovesick grin on your sweaty face as you flutter your lashes up at him.

he loves when your manicured hands touch him. scratching along his scalp, tracing the edge of his jaw, cupping the bulge in his pants. you're so sweet, the most giggly girl, and he loves tasting the strawberry of your gloss as you make him cum with your hand, cooing against his lips about how strong he is, how much you love him, how you would do anything for him.

he loves it most when you see him for what he really is. when he comes home battered and bruised, bloody clothes sticking to him, a snarl to his voice and the adrenaline of an op still pumping through his veins. he loves that nothing about him scares you. that even like this, you lean up on your toes and kiss him softly, that you get some of the blood and dirt smudges on the pink of your pajama pants, and you don't care, that he strangled a man with these very hands only hours ago, and you still want him to touch you.

he loves that you love him. that when he feeds his cock into you that night, in nothing but your baby pink lingerie, that you barely need any prep at all from how wet you are. thick thighs spreading apart, sticky slick shining on your skin, cunt nice and ready for him because you have missed him that much. he loves that no matter how ugly he feels, you always find him attractive, that no matter how many people he tells you that he killed tonight, all you do is smile and pucker your lips, and tell him, "it's okay, teddy bear, they deserved it, didn't they?" and yeah, they did, cause it is kill or be killed, and there is no universe where ghost does not fight to get back here, to get back to this pretty pussy, to get back to the bed he shares with you so he can watch those pretty tits bounce every time he fucks his cock into you.

ghost loves his pretty girl. all smiles. all soft, so cute, just perfect. ghost casts a shadow over the room, and you just brighten it right back up. ghost tracks blood into the house, and there you are to cover it all up with citrus and soap.

In a flash, Mammon eats the cookie in three small bites. You barely get to take a nip of it before Mammon’s warm, soft lips are on yours. His hands fly to your hair, pulling you closer and angling you slightly so he can deepen the kiss. 

His tongue licks your bottom lip, asking for entrance, but you pull away with a giggle. He chases your lips, and you place your hands on his chest, gently pushing him away. Mammon pouts at you. 

“You lost the game,” he points out. 

“Mams, you attacked me, that’s not the point of the game!” you reply, and Mammon huffs before grabbing the packet and putting another pocky between his lips. 

“Let’s try again, then,” he says, and you roll your eyes but nevertheless lean in to put the other end of the pocket between your lips. You let out a surprised gasp when Mammon grabs your legs and pulls you in so you’re in his lap. 

Your bodies are pressed closely together, and you can feel his warmth radiating against you as he hums with contentment. “Makes it easier to go slow,” he explains when you give him a pointed look. His hands are on your hips, and you wrap your legs around him, making yourself comfortable.

“Right, if you say so,” you say, finally putting the pocky between your lips. “One, two–“ 

This time, Mammon eats the cookie in two bites before his lips are on yours. You give in this time, your eyes fluttering closed and your hands cupping his cheeks. 

Mammon’s hand grabs the back of your neck, the other now wrapped around your waist, and you can feel him slightly smiling against your lips as he somehow pulls you closer. 

The kiss tastes like pocky and chocolate as your lips move against each other. Your arms wrap around his neck, one hand combing through his hair, and Mammon whines into your mouth when you run your nails along his scalp. 

Then you pull away, gasping for air, and Mammon pouts, once again chasing your lips. “You’re not very good at this game,” he says, and you giggle, placing a small peck to the corner of his lips. 

“You’re so insatiable,” you reply, and he hums. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s play again, please,” he says, but this time ignoring the packet of sweets beside you. His lips ghost over yours, and a smile tugs on his lips. Greed twirls in his eyes like specks of gold.