#lon writes

₊˚⊹♡

It wasn’t quite the ocean, but for today, it would do. Eyes closed, water lapping against her skin, Tobiuo floated on the surface of the outdoors pool, her arms outstretched, facing up to the sky. Summer was here, and in the absence of a balmy sea breeze to help cool the crew off, the Heart Pirates would occasionally beg their Captain to allow them to visit the local pool of whatever town or city they were docked in. And, after one too many hours of trying and failing to focus on paperwork in his stuffy office aboard the Tang, Law would relent and agree to go. 

The world was a muted, fuzzy blue behind Tobiuo’s closed eyelids, the last rays of afternoon sun making patterns in her closed vision as she relaxed further into the feeling of the water. Now, if only someone were playing some music, this would be absolutely perfect. 

Instead of music, Tobiuo’s hearing was almost shattered by a piercing scream. The security officer of the Heart Pirates had unmatched instincts and it took mere seconds for Tobiuo to turn onto her front and cut through the water to the source of the noise. Her arms gripped the slippery, cool tiles of the side of the pool, tensing, then relaxing into an amused disbelief. 

“Shachi, you jackass!” Penguin was screaming his head off, shivering and dripping from head to toe. Shachi was beaming from ear to ear, kicking aside the bucket that had previously been filled with ice and cold water for keeping drinks fresh- water that was now sliding down Penguin’s pale and goosebump-prickled body. “What’s the matter?” Shachi shrugged nonchalantly. “I thought Penguins liked cold water? I’m just helping you acclimatise, bro!” 

“Bro? Don’t bro me, you-” Penguin grabbed Shachi in a headlock, clearly set on revenge, when a sharp whistle made their heads snap up to the source of the noise. Tobiuo, her chin resting in her hand, elbow on the edge of the pool as she surveyed the two idiots, raised her eyebrow. 

‘Careful. It’s slippery.’ She signed, giving them a pointed look. Penguin reluctantly released Shachi, but not without tweaking his ear. 

“Yeah, whatever.” The darker haired man grumbled. “Thanks for looking out for our safety, Tobiuo.” Shachi gave her a big thumbs up, and a big shit eating grin to Penguin. Tobiuo smirked in amusement. These two never failed to entertain, and, ever the tease herself, she made a mental note to help Penguin get Shachi back later. 

Mila sat in the dim changing room. She was worrying away at her lip, and then, conscious that it might bleed, started worrying away at her nails instead. She had triple checked the address of the pool that Tobiuo had invited her to meet at, and with her keen senses, she could smell that the Heart Pirates were here anyway, so there was no use doubting if she was in the right place. There was a particular scent to each of them, and a particular noise. In the distance she heard what sounded like Penguin screaming for his life. Mila had no idea how she was going to maintain looking professional learning how to swim around clients of hers, but she tried to soothe herself by leaning into the feeling that she was really starting to consider Tobiuo a friend, and it seemed to Mila that Tobiuo felt the same. She wouldn’t have invited her here otherwise, so Mila knew she didn’t have an excuse. She just had to leave the changing room. Mila looked in the mirror for a quick check that the waterproof plaster she had on was still covering her scarred nose, preferring to look harmlessly clumsy to her clients than inept enough to have injured herself like that. One finger smoothed the plaster down, and then she turned and walked out into the golden, heat blurry, afternoon. 

Tobiuo was the first to notice someone else had joined them. It made sense, since not only was she always semi on guard for danger, but she had been expecting Mila to show up. Mila’s attention caught with a whistle, Tobiuo waved, then swam towards the messenger. Mila could do little but stare at the Fishwoman. Tobiuo swam so effortlessly, barely disturbing the water, casual and serene and entirely perfect as she moved through her element, surfacing and getting out of the pool, as she tried not to drip water on Mila’s wide eyed face. 

“Hullo,” Mila smiled up at Tobiuo. “Thank you for inviting me.” She spoke with her usual polite lilt, before hesitantly bringing her hand up to just before her mouth and then extending it forward, signing a practiced ‘thank you’ to Tobiuo. Tobiuo’s smile widened down at the messenger. Mila looked like a walking advert for a swimming safety catalogue. She had thick diving goggles stuck to her head, making her pink hair bunch up awkwardly, and big orange arm floats stuck just below her shoulders. Unsure of a suitable dress code, Mila had gone for a simple white tankini, though she was now admiring the gorgeous cut of Tobiuo’s sleek swimsuit with a heart shaped hole at the center. Tobiuo nodded at Mila, before retrieving a notepad from her nearby bag.

‘Are you ready to learn how to swim?’ Tobiuo wrote. 

“Yes. No. Maybe!” Mila laughed briskly, her hands fidgeting at her sides, eyes wandering to the lapping blue water of the pool. Bepo was swimming laps up and down, little goggles protecting his eyes from the chlorine, as adorable as ever. Ikkaku was sunning herself on a deckchair, a drink of some description in one hand, cool sunglasses framing her face as she relaxed in the distance. In the chair beside her sat the Captain of the Heart Pirates, a towel around his neck, his eyes squinting from the sun as he focused on his book. Mila very quickly looked back up at Tobiuo, wishing to remain unnoticed by the rest of the crew for as long as possible. Tobiuo cocked her head to one side, a smile playing on her lips.

‘Don’t be embarrassed.’ She wrote. ‘Or scared. I promise I will teach you, but I can’t if you’re wearing those. Can you trust me?’

By those, Mila knew Tobiuo meant the arm floats. 

“I-” Before she could finish her sentence, a familiar voice rang out.

“No way, Cottontail?!” Shachi and Penguin approached them, distracted from their play fighting by Mila’s arrival. 

“Penguin, Shachi,” Mila bobbed her head to them both, trying to be polite despite her growing mortification. “Afternoon.” Tobiuo stood next to Mila, a wary eye on the two boys. 

‘I invited her. We can talk later, but we’re busy right now.’ Tobiuo signed to them. 

“Yeah sure, sure,” Shachi waved his hand. “Hey, Cottontail, what’s with the gear?” He squinted at her. 

“I can’t swim.” Mila stated flatly. “Sure. I mean, no Devil Fruit user ca- ohhh…” Penguin cut himself off. “Seriously?”

‘Seriously’ Tobiuo signed at the boys. Their antics often amused her, but now wasn’t the time. ‘Give us some space.’

“Can we help?!” Shachi offered, a big grin on his face. 

“Yeah! We can totally help!” Penguin nodded, squeezing his hands into first excitedly. Mila looked desperately at Tobiuo. There was nothing she wanted less right now than “help” of any kind from those two.

‘Boys,’ Tobiuo had a daring, but resolute look on her face as she signed to them. ‘If you don’t give us a little room now, I’ll help the two of you right into the water. Ok?’ she smiled very sweetly at them, pale eyes gleaming. 

Penguin and Shachi both raised their hands in defensiveness.

“Sure, sure!” Penguin laughed nervously. 

“C’mon, Pen.” Shachi grinned, the two of them slinking away to go and tease or bother someone else. 

“Thankyousomuch” Mila breathed out a sigh of relief, looking up at Tobiuo, a few strands of rosy hair falling across her eyes as her gaze flickered between the Fishwoman and the pool beside her. “I’m…ready.” 

Tobiuo sat down on the edge of the pool, putting her legs in the water and motioning for Mila to do the same. Mila tensed at the feeling of the warm water on her skin, the two of them sitting there in silence for a few moments. Mila couldn’t even remember the last time she’d actually been submerged in water at all. A bath, maybe, but when was the last time she’d had access to the privilege of a bath? She shivered lightly, and Tobiuo reached out to place a reassuring hand on her knee. 

‘I’ll keep you safe.’ The note in her free hand said. ‘You’re in no danger, but you are under my protection anyway.’

Mila looked away, her amber eyes as wide as dinner plates as she struggled for an appropriate response to such overwhelming and freely given kindness from the wonderful woman beside her. The messenger dug her nails into her thighs, then fidgeted with her swimsuit, before settling on twiddling with her hair as she mulled things over. Mila was never still. The solitary life she led meant that not only was no one there to make her slow down, but her job demanded constant activity. A tightly, tightly wound rubber band of a young woman stuffed behind a clumsy act of professionalism, Mila hadn’t a clue why Tobiuo- the striking, dancing, teasing Tobiuo, would be interested in befriending her. Tobiuo’s presence was like a balm- Mila’s presence was like untied shoelaces. At first Mila was convinced their relationship was purely transactional. Beyond Tobiuo’s Captain being a client of Mila’s, Mila knew that Tobiuo valued her services for delivering little notes and presents between the Fishwoman and her sweetheart from the Kid Pirates crew. She assumed that was why Tobiuo took an interest in her- it was a business thing. Business things meant Mila didn’t really have the chance to create meaningful connections outside of her work, but this wasn’t work. This was a pool, and there was no mistaking Tobiuo’s candid words for anything other than words of care and of friendship. 

“I trust you.” Mila’s voice was a little strained, and she couldn’t even look at Tobiuo when she said it, but she meant her words very sincerely. With a reassuring squeeze to the messenger’s knee that matched the squeeze in Tobiuo’s heart at winning the ever skittish Mila over somewhat, the Fishwoman slipped into the water to bring over a pool float, patting it for Mila to get on. The water at this end of the pool was incredibly shallow, and bolstered by the knowledge that at least she’d be able to stand up if she fell in, Mila pulled her bulky arm bands and goggles off, before scooching cautiously onto the float. She yelped a little as it dipped into the water under her weight, catching Tobiuo’s arm who steadied her with patience and a little amusement. 

“Don’t- don’t let go?” Mila’s soft voice broke into a bit of a squeak under the pressure of the situation. Tobiuo nodded graciously, though she couldn’t resist flicking a few drops of water at her friend. Mila made an indignant noise, her amber eyes full of worry. 

“To-bi-uo!” She sounded out every syllable, tentatively splashing a little water back, much to Tobiuo’s delight. Simply pulling the pool float along behind her as she swam, Tobiuo and Mila started small, simply getting used to the feeling of buoyancy. Mila eventually relaxed enough to let her fingers trail in the water, and even very bravely didn’t get hysterical as Tobiuo dragged her along over to the deep end. Mila watched how Tobiuo did it, her scars rippling as they moved with her toned body. She quietly thought to herself how she wasn’t surprised that Tobiuo had caught the eye of a fierce pirate like Heat. Tobiuo was fierce too, and kind, and, Mila thought, really very pretty. 

They practiced all afternoon, Mila’s confidence growing, ignoring the banter and chaos of the other Heart Pirates as Tobiuo helped her learn the very basics of keeping yourself afloat in the water. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Tobiuo had finally gotten Mila to float on her back, floating right next to her and holding her hand to keep her steady. The two of them were looking up at the stars, hair haloed out in the water around their heads like pink and blue jellyfish. Mila’s breath was coming a little shallowly, and a reassuring squeeze to her hand made the messenger take a big breath.

“Sorry. I’m not- not scared.” Mila let out a little laugh, keeping her gaze up at the sky. “I’m actually really excited.” There was a small pause. “Thank you so much for being so nice to me.”

Tobiuo broke out into a smile, squeezing her friend's hand once more. Tobiuo wanted to tell Mila how it was incredibly easy to be nice to her, and for now hoped her presence was enough to show it. 

A little while later, Tobiuo and Mila were back at the side of the pool, trailing their legs in the water. The lack of sun lended a small nip to the air, and Mila had a big towel around her shoulders now, as Tobiuo sat next to her and wrung some water out of her dark blue hair. Mila finally stood with a big sigh, looking a little tired, but still smiling a gap-toothed, proud smile at Tobiuo.

“I should probably go. I have to work tomorrow, and I still need to find somewhere to eat tonight. Tobiuo…” Mila hesitated, before throwing her arms around her neck and giving her a big squeeze. “I’ve had so much fun.” Mila mumbled. It wasn’t professional to hug clients. But it was ok to hug friends. Tobiuo was a friend. Tobiuo made a noise of appreciation, standing up to fully envelop the smaller woman in a hug, before pulling away to pull out her notepad. 

‘You’ve done extremely well.’ Tobiuo wrote. 

“Thank you, thank you,” Mila squirmed on her feet, fidgeting with her hands at the joy of being praised.

‘But, what do you mean you’re going?’ Tobiuo held up the note, arching an eyebrow with a playful gleam in her pearly eyes. ‘Aren’t you staying for dinner with us?’