HC; WHEN THE CREW REALIZE YOU ARE DATING p.2
i feel like i keep repeating myself in every story, itâs horrible :/
koby, law and bartolomeoÂ
fluff, fem!reader
dating koby wasnât chaotic or loud, it was careful. koby is a marine. a disciplined one. someone who takes responsibility seriously. so when your relationship starts, he insists on keeping it quiet for a white. not because heâs ashamed, but because he wants to do things properly.Â
no distraction during training or favoritism. but above all, he doesnât want rumors spreading around the base.Â
so at the beginning you have the time to quietly building something real and honest.Â
except koby has one tiny problem which is heâs terrible at hiding how much he cares about you. he always checks if youâve eaten. if a mission is assigned, he subtly asks to be on the same team as you, and somehow, he always seems to be standing just a little closer than necessary.Â
and of course, people notice but no one is completely sure because koby is still trying very hard to act normal.Â
but the people close to him already kinda knew.Â
âuh⌠koby?â helmeppo asks one day, tilting his head, smirking a little. âyou⌠look happy all the time lately.â
kobyâs face goes beet red. âi-iâm fine!â he stammers, trying not to hold your hand a little longer than normal.
or another day, during a briefing, garp glances at you both. âhmm⌠thatâs suspicious,â he mutters, raising an eyebrow.
but one morning however, it finally slips.Â
you trip during a sparring exercise and before anyone else can react, koby is already across the field.Â
âare you hurt?!â he blurts out, grabbing your shoulders.Â
every marine around you is staring.Â
behind him, helmeppo slowly raises an eyebrow. â...koby.â
koby freezes, realising what he just did, that everyone is watching and his face turn a lovely pink color.Â
later that day, he gathers the courage to address it, because remember, koby is not the type to let rumors spread. and if people are going to know, theyâre going to hear it from him.Â
so he stands straight during the next briefing, his shoulders straight like heâs gonna deliver an official report.Â
âi have something to clarify,â he says. the room quiets immediately. helmeppo already looks amused as koby takes a breath, taking your hand in his. his hands are sweaty, and he feels like he is probably going to faint but he says very formally. âi am currently in a relationship with her.â
then helmeppo bursts out laughing. âthatâs what this was about?!â
koby blinks. â...what?â
helmeppo gestures between the two of you. âwe figured that out weeks ago.â
some of the other marines nod.Â
âyeah. youâve been grinning like a fool for weeks at least.â
one of the newer marines whispers : âyou look at her like she hung the moon.â
koby buries his face in your shoulder, mortified. you squeeze his hand gently, smiling.Â
âi-i thought we were being subtle!â he says with a pout.Â
helmeppo smirks. â...hmm well, you look more like two kids who just discovered love. everyone saw it!â
even garp chuckles. âwell⌠congratulations to both of you. you finally admitted it.â
koby peeks out from behind you, flushed and embarrassed, while the rest of the crew teases him endlessly.Â
and despite the teasing around the room, koby relaxes, because the truth is finally out.
dating law doesnât look like what most people imagine. there is no incredible, wonderful, almost dramatic gestures. even less any public display of affection for everyone to see. simply no obvious signs.
life on the polar tang simply⌠continues.Â
law still spends most of his time in his office, studying maps, reading medical journals. and you still come and go from his office like you always did. nothing unusual, not really.Â
if someone paid very close attention, they might notice small things. like the way law quietly slides a cup of tea in your hands when it starts getting cold outside, as if he had been thinking about it for a while. or perhaps the small, rare smile he only seems to show when he thinks no one else is looking. or even the softness in his voice whenever he says your name.Â
but on a submarine full of people who have sailed with him for years, those things donât feel suspicious. they feel⌠normal.
a few members of the crew start wondering eventually. not because they saw something in particular, but because of a strange feeling. like something quiet and private exists between you two.Â
one night in the hall, the topic almost came up. someone starts : âdo you think the captain andââ
then stop. because everyone else already understands what the question would be. bepo and the others glance toward the hallway leading to lawâs office. but eventually someone shrugs.Â
penguin chuckles softly. âmaybe.â
âmaybe not,â shachi interjects.Â
âbut if they areâŚâ penguin starts conspiratorially.
â... thatâs probably not something the captain wants to discussed.â finishes shachi.Â
the others nod, because everyone on the ship knows one thing about law: it's that heâs private and if something matters to him enough to keep it quiet⌠then it deserves to stay that way.
later that night, the office door closes softly. the submarine hums quietly around you and law lift his gaze from the book he is reading. you shift slightly on the couch, pulling the blanket a little closer around your shoulder. for a moment, law just watches you. his eyes linger a little longer than they usually do.
âare you not tired ?â he asks.Â
you tilt your head slightly and you give him a smile, one of your smiles that he loves so much and pat the empty space beside you, like a silent invitation.
he glances up as his eyes linger on you for a few more seconds. then he closes the book and without a word, he crosses the room and sits beside you on the couch.
the cushions shift softly under his weight and you lean a little closer, resting your head against his shoulder as he opens the book again.
he adjusts the angle slightly so you can both see the page. your fingers lightly hold the edge of the paper as he turns it.
and the submarine continues its silent journey through the sea â carrying a secret that almost everyone suspects⌠but no one feels the need to put into words.
really donât want to be mean, but with bartolemeo, itâs the exact opposite of subtle. the entire crew basically figures it out immediately, because bartolemeo is physically incapable of hiding his feelings.Â
he follows you everywhere, like â everywhere. if you move, he moves. if you sit, heâs hovering nearby, trying and failing to act casual. he compliments you constantly âyouâre so amazing todayâ! i meanâ not that youâre not always amazingâŚâ and even panics whenever you smile at him.Â
the crew watches all this for weeks but no one says anything because theyâre waiting for bartolomeo to realize it himself.Â
gambia gives it three days. it takes him three weeks.Â
and eventually one day, he burst into the room dramatically. âI HAVE AN ANNOUCEMENT!â he says, his chest puffed with pride.Â
everyone collectively sighs. âwhat is it this time?â
bartolomeo grabs your hand proudly, like this is the most important moment of his life. âwe are dating!â
â... yeah, we know.â gambia says, sounding almost irritated by his captainâs interruption.Â
âwhat do you mean?â the captain asks, already sad.Â
the crew stares at his antics. one of them says âyou talk about her in your sleep.â
another pirate nods. âand you carved her name into your sword handle.â
he slowly looks up at you, devastated. â... was i really that obvious?â
you squeeze his hand gently, smiling. â.. a little.â
bartolomeo collapses dramatically to the floor. meanwhile youâre trying very hard not to laugh, because the only person who didnât realize how obvious it was⌠was Bartolomeo himself.