Akane

You turned the page.

The door opened.

You slammed the book shut hard enough to trap your thumb.

Law stopped in the doorway.

You stared at him.

Your thumb throbbed.

Unhelpfully.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Reading.”

“I saw that.”

“Then this seems settled.”

His eyes dropped to the book held against your chest.

The cover featured a shirtless man standing behind a woman whose dress appeared to have lost a fight with the wind.

Law’s mouth flattened.

You pulled the book higher.

“It’s educational.”

“It’s called Taken by the Sea.”

“I am learning about marine life.”

His gaze moved slowly back to your face.

You could feel your skin heating.

This was ridiculous.

You were a grown woman. You were allowed to read bad novels in the privacy of your room. You were also allowed to feel strangely restless for several days every month, even if you rarely looked at someone and wanted anything physical from them.

Usually, desire was distant. Occasional. More idea than appetite.

Right now, unfortunately, your body had decided to become involved.

Law stepped inside and shut the door.

That made things worse.

He wore a short-sleeved shirt, tattoos visible over his hands and forearms. You had watched those hands stitch wounds, turn pages, and rest loosely around the hilt of his sword.

Today, apparently, you wanted them on you.

You looked back down at the book.

Law noticed.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you sick?”

“No.”

“You’re flushed.”

“It’s warm.”

“You are next to the vent.”

“I may have developed a very localized fever.”

He walked closer.

You immediately held up one hand. “Before you become medically interested, I am not dying.”

“That wasn’t my concern.”

“Good.”

“It is now.”

He reached for your forehead.

You leaned back too quickly and struck the wall.

Law’s hand stopped in the air.

His gaze shifted to the novel again.

Then to you.

Something clicked behind his eyes.

You watched the exact moment your captain understood.

“Oh,” he said.

You hated that single syllable.

“No.”

His mouth twitched.

You narrowed your eyes. “You find this funny.”

“A little.”

Law sat on the edge of the bunk.

You stiffened.

His thigh pressed against your knee.

Your legs tightened around the book before you forced them to loosen.

Law’s eyes dropped briefly, catching the movement.

“You could’ve come to me,” he said.

You stared at him.

“For what?”

His brows lifted.

“No, explain it,” you said. “I would love to hear your proposed medical intervention.”

“I wasn’t proposing anything.”

“You sat down like you were about to prescribe yourself.”

“I sat down because you look ready to throw that book at me and run.”

He took the book from your hands before you could stop him.

“Law.”

He opened to the marked page.

“Law.”

His eyes moved over three lines.

Then he looked at you.

“This is terrible.”

“I know.”

“He’s wearing boots.”

“Yes.”

“They’re on a beach.”

“I am aware.”

He shut the book and set it aside.

You reached for it.

His hand closed around your wrist. The movement was simple. Barely forceful.

Your breath caught anyway.

Law’s thumb rested against your pulse.

His eyes dropped there.

“You don’t have to want anything,” he said.

The humor left you for a moment.

You looked at his hand around your wrist.

“I know.”

“You also don’t have to pretend you don’t.”

“I know that too.”

His thumb moved once against your skin.

“What do you need?”

You swallowed.

There was no impatience in his face. No expectation. Just Law, watching you with that sharp, steady attention he gave difficult things.

You leaned forward and rested your forehead against his shoulder.

He went still.

“This,” you murmured.

His hand loosened but did not let go.

“Just this?”

“For now.”

Law shifted farther onto the bunk and put an arm around your waist. He drew you against his side, his hand resting firmly at your waist while your heart took several embarrassing minutes to calm down.

Then his other hand reached for the novel.

You lifted your head. “What are you doing?”

“Continuing your education.”

“You hated it.”

“I need to know how much damage has been done.”

He opened the book.

You settled back against him. After a minute, Law said, “His trousers are leather.”

“Yes.”

“In summer.”

“Yes.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“He has other qualities.”

Law looked down at you.

Your face went hot again.

His mouth curved.

You took the book and hit him with it.

I grabbed the mirror on both sides shaking it slightly as I yelled "Brulee I know you can hear me! You're favorite in law needs your help!" Suddenly Brulee's head popped out of the mirror as she said loudly "I heard you the first time!" I let go of the mirror smiling brightly as I clapped my hands together as I said "Brulee! I need you're help"

Brulee crawled out of the mirror saying "yes I heard that part" when she got out of the mirror and stood up fully I had to look up to stay looking at her face, she looked down at me asking "what do you need help with?" I said very excited about my plan "I want to make some donuts for Katakuri before he gets home, and I would like to enlist your help" I had a feeling Brulee would agree, I know she loves her older brother so I didn't think I would have any problem convincing her to do something nice for him with me, Brulee crossed her arms saying "Fine I'll help you make my big brother donuts"

I smiled hugging her the best I could with her large frame saying "thank you Brulee this is why you're my favorite sister in law!" She blushed looking away saying "whatever let's make the donuts" we walked to the kitchen together, I always really liked spending time with Brulee sure she could be rough around the edges but that's all of the Charlotte siblings not that I could blame them, still I tried to get along with all of Katakuri's family because I knew how much they mean to him, we arrived at the kitchen and I pushed the door open holding it for Brulee before following her inside, she looked at me asking "so what type of donuts are we making?" I responded quickly saying "I'm thinking a few types strawberry, jelly filled ones, glaze, oh and some blueberrie ones" she hummed nodding as she said "I see why you got my help" I nodded saying "okay let's get started"

Me and Brulee spent a lot of time baking, and like always I was really impressed by how good the Charlotte's were at baking it was really impressive, we plated up the donuts after that Brulee smiled at me saying "well now that we're done I well be leaving" I looked at her confused as I asked "You're not staying?" She responded "no I'm not staying I have other things to deal with" she stared walking to the door but before she opened it she said "tell Katakuri I said hi" I smiled at her saying "I well, it was great seeing you Brulee" she looked back at me smiling as well as she said softly "it was great seeing you too" after that she left

I sat alone in the house for a while till I eventually started hearing the clicking of Katakuri's boots against the ground, I quickly made my way out of the kitchen and over to him, he seemed surprised I was in the kitchen of all places, he asked softly "why were you in the kitchen?" I grinned up at him saying "it's a surprise" I grabbed his pant leg pulling him along with him because he was just a bit to big for me to pull along by his hand, I looked up at him and said "and no ruining the surprise with your observation haki" He said softly "I wouldn't dream of it sweetie" when we reached the kitchen door I said "now close your eyes and no peeking" Katakuri nodded closing his eyes, I pushed the door open leading him over to where the donuts me and Brulee made were, I took a second making sure everything was perfect before saying "okay open your eyes now"

Katakuri opened his eyes seeing the plate of donuts in front of him he took a second before looking down at me and pointing to himself as he asked "are those donuts for me?" I nodded happily as I said "yes they are, I got Brulee to help me make them for you so I hope you like them" He said softly "Brulee helped you make them?" I nodded "yeah she said hi but she left earlier" he nodded he looked touched that we would put in this effort for him, I could tell even if it was a bit hard with half his face covered, he reached up taking off his scarf, I always felt honored when Katakuri was welling to take off his scarf around me, I knew how much he hated people seeing his face so I was happy he trusted me enough to show me, after slipping his scarf off he grabbed a donut, he took a bite of it and I could see the smile spread across his face, he quickly started eating more of the donuts

I looked at him asking softly "do you like them?"

♡ Katakuri ♡

It was late in the day when Katakuri found you in your office - fully slumped over your desk, head down, and surrounded by strewn about pieces of paper. As gingerly as the big man could, Katakuri approached you and knelt next to your chair, softly whispering your name. A small, disgruntled noise emitted from your throat before you spoke up.

"If I have to look at one more line of text, my head is going to explode," you mumbled against the surface of your desk, leaving your face planted against the woodgrain. Katakuri's face softened behind his scarf at your languished display as he placed a large hand onto your back, rubbing along your spine in soothing motions. Your body practically melted under his comforting touch, the tension in your shoulders and back immediately loosening.

"How about we get you out of here? Away from all of this." His deep voice rumbled next you as he continued his one-handed massage. "I prepared some dough earlier and was going to make donuts, do you want to join me?"

That got you to finally turn your head to look at Katakuri over your arm, interest now beyond piqued. Retiring for the evening did sound nice - having your sweet husband in the kitchen with you, making his near-heavenly donuts sounded even nicer. You sat upright in your chair and nodded your head, making Katakuri's eyes crinkle upwards.

Leaving your office, and thus the center of your stress behind, you followed Katakuri to the kitchen where he gently picked you up so you could sit on the counter to watch him work. It was one of your favorite activities to do with him and a fair amount of days you actually joined in as his assistant - as much as you could at your size, anyway.

As he got to making up a batch of donuts from his prepared dough, Katakuri started to hum, deep and low in his chest. It was a song you knew by heart at this point, the one your husband always sang while he happily treated himself to his favorite snack. Resting back on your hands, you joined in with your own soft humming while you lightly swayed your head and shoulders side to side.

Katakuri looked over at you, his eyes warm and loving while the two of you hummed his little song together. You couldn't help the bashful grin that broke out across your face under his adoring gaze. The smell of freshly made donuts permeated the air and you felt your stress from the day already quickly dissipating.

Soon enough, a plate full of massive, sugar coated donuts was ready and Katakuri placed it beside you on the counter.

"You get first pick, love," he said, gentle as ever. You looked over the delicious pile of pastries next to you but ultimately settled for the first one, right on top.

You took a hearty piece of it, leaving the rest of the gigantic donut for your husband to have. Katakuri tugged down his scarf and finished his portion in two bites while you enjoyed your piece, savoring the exquisite, sweet flavor.

"Delicious as always, Kata," you complimented him and the big man flushed lightly at your words. Leaning down so he was face level with you, Katakuri gave you a tender kiss while you were in between bites and you smiled against his lips.

Between his sugary kiss and the delectable treat in your hands, your workload had been shoved to the far corners of your mind, left to deal with for another time.

♡ Crocodile ♡

With a small sigh, you closed your eyes and began to idly rub at your forehead, attempting to combat the oncoming headache you could feel creeping its way through your skull. You had all but collapsed onto the cushy, leather couch in your living room when you came home, exhaustion from the day leaving you feeling like a husk of a human.

As you were taking in another deep breath, you heard the familiar click of dress shoes as your husband entered the room.

"Something wrong?" You heard his deep voice from across the way and slowly opened your eyes to see Crocodile looking at you from over at the bar cart. With your elbow resting on the armrest of the couch, you pressed your forehead further against your fingertips and tried to wave him off. Not having it, Crocodile poured some amber liquid into a glass before speaking up once more. "Somebody bothering you? Do I need to have them taken care of?"

"You do know that murder isn't always the answer?" You dropped your hand from your forehead and gave him an exasperated look, one that matched your tone. Crocodile, drink now in hand, sauntered over to you, arrogance radiating off of him. Stopping in front of you, he handed you the drink as you tipped your head back to look up at him.

"Hm, seems to regularly work out for me, sweetheart." The way he smirked at you had you fighting the smile that was tugging at the corner of your lips. It was nearly impossible for you to deny his lethal charm and he absolutely knew it.

Placing his hook on the back of the couch by your head, Crocodile leaned down to hold your chin between his finger and thumb, causing your head to tilt back further. Those piercing eyes of his made your breath hitch, like always.

"So?" His voice was husky and low as his thumb rubbed along your lower lip. "Give me a name."

Your grip on the glass in your hand tightened as you stared at him for another beat, a small shiver running down your spine. Lolling your head to the side as much as you could in his grasp, you released another soft sigh, knowing he was genuinely waiting for an answer.

"There's no name to give. No one has been bothering me, Croc." You told him, holding his gaze to show him you were serious. His eyes flicked over your face before he shrugged his shoulders, conceding, but you could've sworn you heard him murmur shame.

Your eyes then flitted downwards, "It's just been a really long day." You let your exhaustion come through in your voice and Crocodile moved his hand so his knuckles now brushed along your cheek. A rumble came from his chest, like a noise of affirmation before he sat down on the other end of the couch.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked you, almost nonchalantly, as he pulled a cigar out from his vest. His question had caught you slightly off guard, but you decided to take him up on it. With a small, half shrug, you began to tell Crocodile about your day.

As you spoke, the two of you moved in sync with one another.

You used your unoccupied hand to light his cigar for him and as you sat back, Crocodile grabbed your legs so your body shifted horizontally on the couch and your feet were now across his lap. You swirled the drink in your hand and he puffed on his cigar, listening to you talk about the difficulties you had faced today. Here and there, he'd weigh in and you'd sip at your drink, feeling his hand languidly caress your leg as he did so.

It was a quiet, simple evening between the two of you, but as you settled further against the couch cushions, feeling yourself be lulled into a sleepy, relaxed state by his deep, rich voice and lazy touch, you found it to be exactly what you had needed.

♡ Mihawk ♡

You quietly closed the tall, looming front door of Kuraigana castle and nearly jumped out of your skin when you looked up to find Mihawk right in front of you in the entryway.

"What is the matter?" His head tilted as his keen eyes examined you from head to toe. With one hand on your chest, you let out a long breath as you tried to will your heart to calm down from the minor jumpscare he had just given you.

"Wh-What makes you ask that?"

"Simply from the way you closed the door, something is very clearly upsetting you."

"The way I closed…" You trailed off, looking over your shoulder at the door behind you before back at your lover. He truly didn't miss a single thing, even the slightest change in your body language, apparently.

From the way he still stared at you so intently, those golden, alluring eyes boring into you, it was evident he wasn't going to let up. And he wasn't exactly wrong, anyway.

You sighed and shifted your weight to one foot, looking away from Mihawk.

"Okay, yes, I'm feeling a little down today." At your words, Mihawk stepped closer and his head tilted further, silently asking you to go on. Fidgeting with your hands, you glanced at him before you looked away again, "There's not much to say. It's just been one of those days where nothing is going right and I tried to go for a walk to clear my head but it didn't do much."

Mihawk nodded in understanding before he took one of your hands into his and brought your knuckles to his lips, giving your hand a soft kiss. "How about I try to turn it around and make this day start going right for you?"

"You're welcome to try," you told him, giving him a wan smile. Mihawk gave you another kiss, gazing right into your eyes and causing your heart to skip a beat.

"Come, let me pour you a drink while I begin dinner."

With your hand still in his, Mihawk lead you to the kitchen and, with effortless ease, picked out the perfect wine for the evening. You leaned back against the kitchen counter with your glass, taking a sip here and there, while he got to assembling what he needed for tonight's dish. In between steps, he'd glance over at you, like he was checking on you and it made your heart flutter once more.

Letting the meal lightly simmer on it's own for the moment, Mihawk stepped away from his cooking to stand in front of you. Placing one hand on your lower back and threading the other through your hair, he pulled your bodies close together.

"I am always here for you. Let me help you relax, my darling." Mihawk whispered against your lips. Your eyes slowly began to close as you anticipated his kiss but then, from above, there was a loud crash and the combined yelling of the two young adults that were also currently taking up residence here. The two of you looked up at the ceiling before you let out a small huff of a laugh, shaking your head.

"See?"

Mihawk pulled back from you, eyes still trained on the ceiling before he turned to make his way for the grand hall, where the staircase leading upstairs would be. "Keep an eye on dinner, please, darling. I will be right back." His tone was still the same as it ever was - cool, even, and almost apathetic, but you caught the slight edge that hid underneath.

Over head, you then heard Mihawk's slow, prowling footsteps and the clamoring of Zoro and Perona's futile attempt to get away.

You rested back against the kitchen counter once more and hid your small smile behind the rim of your wine glass.

♡ Law ♡

The day had finally come to a close and without even thinking about it, your feet had brought you to Law's door - a common occurrence as of late. When was the last time you had actually slept in your own bunk? You didn't even intend to do much this evening, if anything at all, but still, you had naturally found your way to him.

Entering his private cabin, an unsurprising sight met you as you laid your eyes on Law at his desk, hunched over a pile of books. You gently closed the door behind you and passed by him to rummage through the small stack of spare clothes you now kept in his closet. It had been Law's idea, something he had suggested offhandedly one night, and you still remembered the way his face flushed fiercely as you hardly contained the grin you had given him.

Grabbing your favorite cozy lounge clothes, you quickly changed before you perched yourself on the edge of his desk. Law looked up from his book, cheek resting against his fist, and his eyes flicked over you - a quick once over to find anything immediately amiss.

"Feeling okay?" His question was simple, the same one he always started with. Shrugging your shoulders, you chewed your lip for a moment.

"Long day. Kinda drained." Law nodded at your brief reply and you lolled your head back, lightly sighing through your nose. "So, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go stare at the ceiling for a little bit."

He raised his eyebrows at your wry statement before he looked over his hoard of books across his desk. "You know, I think I could go for that too." His equally dry response made a small laugh slip past your lips and Law gave you a half smile, his eyes alight with adoration for you.

Standing from his desk, Law made his way onto his bed and propped himself up against the pillows. "Come on," he lifted his arm outwards in your direction, inviting you to join him at his side. You bit your lip as your heart raced, trying and failing to fight against the growing smile on your face - especially seeing the tips of his ears now pink. This sort of thing was out of his wheelhouse but seeing him try for you, and after a day like today, made your heart soar.

You joined him on the bed, curling up along his side and resting your head on his chest. Draping his arm around you, Law held you close and already you felt a little lighter.

The soft, droning hums of the Polar Tang filled the silence as the two of you laid there, staring off into the distance. You almost broke the serenity of it by laughing - surprised by how it was actually working to help you feel better about your tiring day.

While your mind usually went a mile a minute, being here with Law slowed everything down and you found yourself thinking about nothing for once. Not when he had you pressed against him like this and all your senses could focus on was him.

Tilting your head up towards him, you saw Law already gazing at you and now it was your turn to blush.

"What?" At your question, he glanced away and rubbed his hand along your arm.

"I'm glad you come here, to my room," he said quietly, before he looked back down at you. "I like just being with you, even if we don't actually do anything."

You put your head back down on his chest and traced along the parts of his tattoo that peeked out from his shirt. Maybe that's why your feet kept bringing you here, day after day.

"I feel the same."

♡ Smoker ♡

When Smoker arrived home that evening, all of the lights were off and absolute silence radiated throughout your shared quarters. If it weren't for your work shoes that looked to be haphazardly kicked off near the door, he would've thought you were still out. Smoker called your name while he removed his own boots but he received no reply.

As he continued to take off his gear to get more comfortable, you still didn't make your presence known and his brow furrowed. He entered your shared home further as he contemplated where you could be, the living space only illuminated by the soft rays of the setting sun slipping through half closed blinds.

The first location Smoker intended to check was the bedroom but on his way, his exploration was cut short as he quickly discovered you - on your side, back to him, and curled up as tightly as you could be on the couch. At first, he was going to leave you be, figuring you were asleep, but then you slowly turned to look at him over your shoulder and he caught the sad, distant look in your eyes.

Smoker was at your side in an instant.

"Hey… I'm sorry," your voice was barely a whisper as you rolled onto your back.

Smoker crouched down beside you and caressed the top of your head, "No need for sorry, pretty girl." His pet name made a minute, shy smile appear on your face. "What's going on?"

You took in a deep, rattled breath, your brow creasing and smile disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

"It's just been a really shitty day," your voice broke at the end of your sentence and you pressed your hands against your face.

"Come here," Smoker took you into his arms, pressing you close to his chest. Seeing you come undone like this made him frown deeply and in his mind, he rapidly tried to flip through some options to try to make you feel better.

Cook you a meal? He could certainly try, but somehow he figured it'd end with half - if not all - of it being inedible.

Or maybe you'd enjoy something like a bubble bath? Then he thought about trying to get the water to soap ratio right and the tub over spilling with bubbles crossed his mind.

Smoker was internally grumbling to himself on what to do when you curled up further into his arms.

"I just want this day to be over," you somberly mumbled against your hands and that made it click for him.

"Okay."

Tucking you in tighter to his chest, Smoker smoothly stood up and held you bridal style. He turned to leave the room while you let out a squeak, removing your hands from your face and looking up at him.

"Where are we going?"

"To bed. The day's over." Your mouth slightly fell open at how seriously he said it, helpless in his arms as he made his way to the bedroom. Once there, Smoker carefully put you down to help you change out of your work attire and into a cozier outfit. After switching clothes himself, he drew back the comforter and the two of climbed into the large bed together.

You made to just lie on your back but Smoker was quick to grab you, pulling you close yet again so now you were both on your sides, your face to his chest. His strong arms curled around you, creating almost like a protective barrier around you, and he could feel the way your body went weightless against his.

"I got you," he murmured into your hair, lips pressed against the top of your head. The way you burrowed your face further into his chest made his arms constrict around you even more. "Is there anything I can do?"

You shook your head and mumbled softly against his pecs, "This is perfect."

Smoker contentedly sighed through his nose, taking his own comfort in knowing he was helping you relax even the slightest bit - promptly ignoring the light flush dusting his cheeks.

It was night, Dream was asleep, and Tommy was determined to see what was under the man's mask. For the entire time Tommy had been with the human, he hadn’t seen his face, not even once. Dream never took his mask off around the teen, and whenever Tommy pestered him about it, Dream would either avoid the question or just give him dumb reasons, like; “I’m too handsome, I can’t show off too much,” and; “I got mauled by a bear once. Nobody wants to see that.” Tommy was pretty sure that Dream’s excuses were bullshit.

He wanted to know what the human’s face looked like. He was pretty sure that Dream was a human, and not a hybrid, because he had normal human ears and didn’t have any horns or anything obvious to give it away. With a smirk, Tommy had the thought that Dream might be a bunny hybrid. Then he frowned. That wouldn't fit in with the sheer size of the human. Maybe he was a donkey…? That would certainly explain the slight wheeze to Dream’s laughter whenever Tommy said something particularly hilarious.

Tommy had stayed awake until he was sure that the human was asleep, listening intently to the great whooshing lungfuls of air Dream took until they evened out to a slow, steady rhythm. When he was certain that Dream was dead to the world, Tommy crawled out of his makeshift bed and made his way to the entrance of Dream's satchel.

It had gotten too hot during the past few nights, the last of the fall heat resurging with a vengeance, so Dream had taken to leaving the flap of the satchel cracked open for the inchling. It had gotten to the point where Tommy didn’t particularly feel like running away, and Dream trusted him enough to not keep him totally captive all of the time.

Neither of them wanted another repeat of the cave spider incident, so Tommy stayed near Dream. If he really needed to, he could make a run for it when they made it to the city, but...after all that Dream had done to keep Tommy safe...he wasn’t as inclined to escape anymore. Even if...even if Dream had killed people.

Tommy pushed past the flap of the bag and beelined towards the dark monolith of the human’s sleeping figure. Dream was curled on his side, but he still towered over Tommy, the dark shadow of his shoulder almost ten times higher than the miniature teenager.

The human was turned towards the bag, one thick arm pillowed underneath his head and the other resting on the ground in front of his masked face. He had removed his cloak for once, having spread it out over the mulchy ground to sleep on for the night. His mask glittered in the moonlight filtering in from the canopy, a stark white compared to the murky greys and blacks of the night forest.

Tommy sidled closer, slipping carefully underneath the gap between the human's arm and chest. He paused for one long moment, grimacing at the heat he could feel radiating from the human’s skin, but pushing past it to listen closely to Dream's breathing. Deeming it safe, Tommy began inching along the small space until he reached the small gap between the human's huge hand and stubbled chin.

Now was the moment of truth. Tommy let loose a wicked grin as he reached for Dream's mask, chest fluttering with excitement. Finally, he would see what Dream's face looked like!

Just as he set his hands on the edge of the white porcelain, there was an abrupt rush of movement, and something huge wrapped around his whole body, sweeping him off of his feet and jerking him high into the air.

“Prime, fuck!” He yelped, body attempting to lunge out of the way, but it was too late, and he was trapped. His chest began to stagger, lungs stuttering for air as he realized that it was a colossal hand that was wrapped around his body, fingers way bigger than he could ever hope to be firmly squeezing around his limbs.

Tommy couldn’t help how his heart began to frantically pound behind his ribs, shoulders creeping up to his ears as he squeezed his eyes shut against the creeping terror that snagged the back of his neck. Shit, this was a bad idea, What was he thinking? What if Dream got mad that Tommy had woken him up? He’d…he wouldn’t hurt Tommy over it, right?

What if the human was too tired to be careful with Tommy?

The fist rose into the air, and Tommy’s eyes snapped open at the muddled groan that warbled out of the human’s broad chest. Pale shoulders shone silver in the moonlight as the colossus pushed himself upright, one knee curling upwards as he hunched over the smaller blond.

Tommy fought back the shiver that crawled up his spine, wriggling fruitlessly against the rough, calloused fingers wrapped around his body. He could feel the pattern of the fingerprints pressing into his limbs, almost like sandpaper against his skin.

A low, indiscernible mumble had his breath stuttering, and Tommy snapped his gaze upwards, past the dark chest in front of his face to the bright, silvery mask looming over him like a hanging moon.

"Tommy," Dream groaned, glancing up at the dark, starry sky past the canopy and then back down at the tiny teenager. "What are you doing?" His dirty blond hair was a dark grey in the shadows of the night, but his mask glinted brightly, contrasting heavily with the muted colors of grey and silver and black the moon created.

“You weren’t trying to escape again, were you? I thought we were past that.” Dream’s voice was thick and gruff from sleep, but there was still a gentle underlying tone that made Tommy’s shoulders relax. This was Dream. Tommy could trust him. Dream…probably wasn't mad, and he definitely wasn't going to hurt Tommy if he actually was.

Tommy forced a scoff and attempted to pull his right arm free from the warm prison of the fist. “No! I was trying to look at your face!” He could barely even twitch his fingers, much less move his whole arm. He was hopelessly trapped, until Dream decided to let him go.

Tommy choked back an odd lump growing in the back of his throat and tried not to panic. This was a situation that he had put himself in, after all.

The human adjusted his grip suddenly, fingers peeling away from Tommy's body and hand tilting until the palm was a platform that the inching could stagger to his feet on. Relief washed away the budding panic, and Tommy huffed out a shaking breath as he regained his balance.

Dream seemed to squint at him for a long, long moment before a low, long yawn escaped from behind his mask. “You don't need to see my face. I'm too ugly,” he drowsed, reaching up with his other hand to blearily bump it against his mask. He flinched, pulling his hand back and tilting his head at it accusingly.

Had...did Dream forget that he had the mask on? That was hilarious. Tommy forced back an amused smirk and strode forward over the bare palm instead, cocking his hip and pointing an accusing finger up at the bright mask.

"You don't have a face, huh? Is that it? It's gotta be!" He exclaimed, waving emphatically at the huge disk. “I bet that’s why you wear it. Because you’ve got like, no nose or something!”

"It's to protect my identity, you doof," Dream huffed, exasperated. "Nobody's ever seen my face."

"Not even your mother?" The teen shot back. Dream sucked in a breath to reply, but before he could say anything, Tommy pushed on. "Are you just that butt-ugly, then? Not even your mum wanted to look at you?"

That drew out a startled laugh from the human, a laugh that quickly devolved into a long, strangled series of wheezes. Tommy leaned back on his heels, slightly concerned. He’d never heard Dream make a sound like that.

"Are you–are you fucking dying?" Tommy accused, brows furrowing as he hesitantly stepped closer. “That doesen’t sound fucking normal, man!”

Dream just wheezed harder, curling up over his lap as he struggled to force out words. He drew the hand holding Tommy closer to his chest, large fingers curling in around the teen as he struggled to breathe past the air squeezing out of his lungs.

"You—haaaaa—no?” Dream’s voice pitched up so high that Tommy almost couldn’t hear it, and a wide grin spread over the borrower’s face when he finally realized what was going on. Dream was laughing.

“You sound like—like a goddamn teakettle!” Tommy finally cackled, and then he couldn’t help it. An explosive sound, almost like a cough, ripped out of his throat, and then he was doubling over, overcome with barking laughter.

“You—” Dream squeaked out, planting his free hand over the face of his mask. “You sound like an asthmatic duck.” And Tommy lost it, nearly keeling over from the explosive giggles rattling out of his small frame. Dream almost seemed to compose himself, but then a small snicker escaped from his lips, and it was all over.

It was almost compounded. Tommy would start to catch his breath, but then he would hear a particularly high whistle from Dream and lose it all over again. Tommy was on his knees in Dream’s palm, guffawing roughly enough to send Dream back over the edge of hysteria.

“We sound—ridiculous,” Dream finally managed to gasp, massive chest heaving as it struggled to draw in enough air to compensate for everything he’d just choked out.

“You sound like a fuckin’ donkey, man,” Tommy coughed, pounding a hand against his chest to try and clear his throat. There were tears in the corners of his eyes, and he felt nearly breathless, but in a good way. He hadn’t had a laugh like that in a long time.

“I’ll have you know, my Ma likes the way I laugh, thank you very much,” Dream mumbled, but the grin was still evident in his voice. He glanced up at the sky again, audibly yawning, and looked back down at Tommy.

“What time is it, even?” Dream muttered, turning in place ever-so-slightly. He reached down to his cloak and poked around a pocket for a minute before he pulled out a coin-sized golden disk on a chain and squinted at it. There was a dark half-circle taking up half of the front surface of the disk, and a tiny white dot decorated the right quarter section of the dark half.

Dream groaned and all but rolled backwards onto his makeshift bed like the world's gentlest landslide, hand underneath Tommy steady despite his uncoordinated movements. His hand dropped down suddenly, and the palm tilted, forcing Tommy to slide off of his palm and onto the human’s expansive chest.

Tommy lunged for the human’s face the moment his feet hit solid ground, intent on tackling his mask, but a broad, heavy palm dropped over his back and flattened him against the warm cotton stretched over the human’s chest.

“Go to sleep, Tommy,” Dream yawned, bringing his left hand to cover the seam between his mask and chin. “It's way too early to be awake…”

His free hand moved down to join the one pressed over Tommy, reaching around to cradle the back of the right hand and create a dark cave against his chest. The palm pinning the teen rose up, freeing him, but before he could make another attempt for Dream's mask, a thumb bigger than he was slid around to block his way out of the shelter Dream's hands made.

With his way out blocked so efficiently, Tommy grumbled and sprawled out onto his back. Even though it was dark, he could feel the presence of the palms hanging above his head, and could feel the warmth radiating from the skin underneath his back. Each breath Dream took rocked Tommy's body in a steady one, two, three out, one, two, three in, and he couldn't help the way his eyelids drooped.

Despite the last-minute fall heat, the warmth generated by Dreams’s body heat wasn't unbearable. In fact, it was rather soothing, lulling Tommy down into the deep dredges of sleep.

He'd get Dream next time.

And finally you have it !!! After 90 pages, Gustave and Verso meet again ! That was one hell of a slow burn hihihi (sorry)

What's going to happen next ? 👀 You'll see on the next chapter !

the first thought that comes to mind when you wake up in the infirmary feeling super groggy and sore is: “fuck.” pulling aside the blanket draped over you reveals an impeccably clean, fresh bandage wrapped firmly around your torso where, the last you remember, underneath it lays a gunshot wound you hoped the others would never find out about 

you can barely recall the lightheadedness and nausea you felt before you passed out. it turns out re-stitching and re-dressing your own infected wound is a lot harder than doing it for someone else, especially when you have to muffle your groans of pain during the process

you’d gotten the injury during a battle against enemy pirates and you’d decided that since the bullet made a clean exit, you needn’t bother your captain for medical assistance–especially since, at the time, he was busy helping the Straw Hat’s doctor with the more severely-wounded allies. having some experience doing first aid, you foolishly assumed you’d be able to handle it all on your own, that it was a small matter not worth adding to your captain’s already-overflowing plate

on top of the bedside table sits a jug and two plastic cups, one of which looked like it’s been used. there’re also numerous boxes of different medication and a handwritten note that says “do NOT leave this room until you’ve finished your entire course of medication” in Law’s familiar handwriting

knowing that he’s aware of your state–and most likely the person who treated you to begin with–eases your anxiety a little. at least now you don’t have to stress over hiding it from him and your other crewmates 

what doesn’t help with your nerves is how for the following week you spend recovering, you don’t see Law at all. everyone else has taken turns coming in to spend time with you: Bepo takes naps with you, Shachi brings you comics to read together and Penguin sneaks you little snacks but not once has your captain shown up at all. your crewmates don’t seem too keen on talking about him when they’re with you, too, which only means one thing: he’s super pissed

you begin to worry and overthink as you near the end of your mandatory bedrest, dreading the inevitable moment Law finally shows up and you have to face the consequences of causing even more trouble for him than if you’d just asked for help right after the battle a week ago

it gets worse when you’re alone with no one to distract you from any intrusive thoughts. what if he thinks i don’t trust him to be my captain? what if this ruins his view of me as his crew member permanently? what if he kicks me out of the crew entirely?

you end up lamely falling asleep with tears staining your face and end up in such deep sleep that–like every night before–you don’t stir at all when Law enters the room and takes a seat by your bedside. he sighs deeply and rubs his face, eyes burning from sleep deprivation, as he leans back in the chair and readies himself for yet another whole night to watching over you and leaving right before the sun rises

Law notices your tears and feels a pang in his chest as he recalls a conversation he had earlier with Penguin; the latter had asked him to come see you while you’re awake since it’s obvious to everyone you’re worried he’s mad at you

“i’m just saying, Captain, it might be better to clear the air sooner or later,” Penguin said as he scratched the back of his neck. “(Y/N)’s been looking more miserable by the day.”

“good. she should be.” Law’s response comes out a lot colder than he wanted it to but Penguin knew him well enough to understand that. “what was she thinking hiding an injury like that? had she hidden it any longer or if Bepo hadn’t found her passed out in her room that day, a near-fatal fever would’ve kicked in at any moment!”

he stopped himself before he could get even more riled up, knowing it wasn’t Penguin’s fault so he shouldn’t be suffering the brunt of his captain’s fury.

as he sits in the darkness of the infirmary, the room only barely illuminated by the moonlight shining in through the open window, Law thinks about what he held back from saying aloud: how learning that you’d fallen unconscious with a badly infected wound made him question everything he thought he knew about his capabilities as a captain

he knows he doesn’t need to sit by your side every night–and deprive himself of much-needed sleep–but he’s deadly paranoid. just a week ago he’d ignorantly assumed his crew members were fine and directed all his attention to Luffy’s crew, only to find out days later you’d been walking around with a bullet hole through your body this entire time 

what if i’m missing something else? he wonders, eyebrows furrowing as he rapidly blinks away the sleepiness in his eyes. what if her condition worsens if i leave? 

giving in to temptation, he picks up your hand and holds it carefully, before idly running his thumb over your knuckles and the individual joints of your fingers. it’s something you do to him often, especially during the nights when he shows up to your room unannounced, silently pleading for company

you aren’t dating. not yet, at least. though it’s obvious to the two of you–as well as everyone else–that your relationship doesn’t quite fall under the category of ‘friends’, either. for a while now, you’ve been something in between for him; someone whose opinion of him he’s more sensitive about and whose company he yearns for any time you’re not within his sight. he knows you feel the same way, too, from how you spend all of your free time ‘bothering him’ endlessly to how willingly you let him crawl into bed beside you when he needs your warmth and companionship to keep away the nightmares

Law’s pulled out of his own thoughts when he catches a glimpse of the tears still clinging to your face, the moonlight having reflected off the wet surface in a way that caught his attention. without thinking, he reaches out to dry them only for your eyes to flutter open once his fingers make contact with your cheeks

“Law?” you croak and almost instantly he begins pouring a cup of water for you before bringing it to your lips. wordlessly, you drink as he tilts the cup gently, careful not to spill anything. there’s an odd pause between the both of you when he places the cup back on the bedside table and then turns back to looking at you without saying a thing. 

he catches the way you fiddle anxiously with a corner of your blanket and a single word fumbles clumsily out of his mouth before he can stop himself.

“sorry.”

you look at him, confused. he swallows thickly.

“i’m sorry i haven’t come to see you. i heard from the others you think i’m mad at you.”

“are you, though?” you reply, biting your lip. “mad at me?”

Law sighs and rubs his face again. “no,” he answers honestly. “i’m mad at myself for not noticing sooner.”

“i’m so sorry,” you gasp suddenly before fresh tears begin pouring down your face. he panics internally and  reaches out towards you almost as if to grab your shoulders but he pauses before any contact is made, his hands hovering over you. “i’m sorry i hid it from you and the others, i just didn’t want to cause you any trouble but i just ended up making things even worse.” you wipe frantically at your face, almost embarrassed to be crying about such a thing in front of your captain.

“no, no, (Y/N),” Law shushes, finally finding the courage to touch you, resting his large hands on your shoulders before squeezing gently in an attempt to ground you. “don’t cry. i forgive you, okay? just don’t hide such a thing again. it’s my duty to take care of you. it’ll never feel like trouble, no matter how busy i am.”

you nod as you sniffle and smile wobbly at him and the sight sends an arrow straight through his chest. his heart begins to race when you reach out as if asking for a hug.

“sleep with me tonight? and maybe tomorrow night, too?” you ask softly in such an innocent manner it knocks the wind right out of his lungs. not trusting himself to speak without fumbling like an idiot, Law simply responds with a smile and a nod before crawling into bed beside you.

the infirmary bed is much smaller than your personal one–seeing as it’s made for only one adult–but neither of you have an issue with the proximity forced upon you two due to the lack of space. if anything, you welcome it happily, humming with content when you feel him wrap his arms firmly around you, holding you pressed to his firm chest. Law buries his face in your hair as he feels you nuzzle into the junction of his neck while he falls into some much needed sleep.