#prime garp x reader

Love was chaos.

And Monkey D. Garp?

He was chaos. The very embodiment of it.

You were a newcoming marine. A rookie, nothing more. You were happily recruited, you simply did your job. Smiled politely, bowed to superiours when necessary, filed paperwork, the daily training drills. You were simple, efficient and professional. Got the routine work done and left.

And then, there was Garp.

The vice admiral you only heard about on newspapers and lunch talk after a fight. You barely saw him around. Marineford HQ was quite big, and you worked on the opposite side, under Admiral Kuzan. But each time you passed by him, for some reason, it always felt like you were being deliberately watched.

It all started with a small act of kindness, rice crackers.

You made the horrible mistake of buying your own, enjoying them at the gates of marine HQ. And god, was he watching and drooling at the mouth like a maniac.

So naturally, being the ever so kind soul you are. You gave him the remnants with a smile.

"Help yourself, vice-admiral, you work hard, too."

Terrible mistake. Because that day would be marked as the rice cracker incident among his co-workers. And Garp would soon start being everywhere you went. At a comfortable distance. Not invasive, or weird.

Just there.

Watching. And so very inlove.

And sometimes, he'd do simple gestures when you weren't around, just to show, that he's here, and thankful. The first signed note on your desk that said "Thank you for the crackers." And another one that read: "You're doing great", sometimes a coffee, warm, not too sweet, the way you liked it. (Don't ask how he knows.) And you smiled at each one of them in appreciation.

Because even with his overly confident demeanor and cocky self, he simply could not bring himself to directly approach you, he knew himself too well to know that he'd do something reckless and embarass himself. But you were very well aware, you always noticed his presence, the way his eyes lingered a little longer than necessary whenever you passed with your friends, smile blinding his eyes like sunshine.

You were the only topic of conversation coming from his mouth. He'd grip the spot on his chest where his heart is, very dramatically so, as he spoke of you.

"She's inlove with me."

Tsuru pinched the bridge of her nose, "She gave you rice crackers."

"Exactly! She's flirting with me through strategically planned rice crackers." He affirmed, ever so sure of himself.

Sengoku sighed, feeding him more rice crackers to shut him up. "You're inlove with her, not the other way around. Rice crackers aren't a romantic advance."

"They are.. to me."

And you? You weren't exactly oblivious, but you thought to yourself, he's.. a vice admiral. And you were simply, well, yourself. There's nothing going on, just him being nice and motivating.. to you only.

You never spoke much, beside the occasional polite smile as you passed by eachother in the hallways. You couldn't deny one thing. He was.. oddly charming. He smiled, big and wide in the way that made you reciprocate it, even despite yourself.

He walked with an air of confidence you admired, cracked jokes that had you chuckling from a distance. But he was also serious when times called for it, trained like there's no tommorow, and despite how silly he seemed, he was just doing his job.

No conversation sparked between the two of you.

Until one morning, you were doing your running laps in training drill. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

And unbeknowst to you, he showed up, running alongside you like it was the most normal thing in the world.

You didn't notice, not until he comically cleared his throat.

You didn't stop running, simply turning your head to face him.

Blinked once,

Twice.

"Vice admiral Garp??? Wh—" You stuttered, eyes slightly wide, your pace never slowing. And then he was gone. You tried to brush it off, striding again,

Until he showed up once more. He just finished another lap, before everyone else.

"To your left."

You looked again.

"Hey. Humid morning, isn't it? How're you doing?" Garp smiled, ever so naturally.

You blinked again. "I'm— sweating like a popsicle at a summer barbecue, that's not the question here. How did you get here??"

"Sweetheart, I'm a Vice Admiral, I can go wherever I damn please." He laughed,

"You're just making the others feel inferiour."

"I'm motivating them to be better, that's different." He spoke, running comfortably at your pace now. Lips parted to speak again, but was interrupted by a shout.

Your captain, Togo.

"What did I say about chit chat during training? Hmm?" He walked up to the both of you, arms crossed. "And.. what are you doing here, Vice Admiral?" He continued.

You slowed your running pace progressively until you stopped infront of Togo.

"I could ask you the same question, sir." You sighed, looking at Garp from the side of your eye as he stood there, ever the so innocent face.

"I don't care who it is you're talking to, you know the rules." Your captain continued.

"I'm sorry, sir, I—"

"Don't," Garp cut you off, stepping between you and him, arms crossed. "It's my fault, I started it." He defended, voice firm and unyielding.

Togo looked back and forth between the two of you, a raised eyebrow.

"..Is that so? Then I guess you both share the same punishment. You'll stay behind and clean the training ground." He said, not like a request, or an order. It was just statement, leaving no room for argument.

"Seriously??" You grunted in irritation, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Do you want me to double down?"

"..No, sir."

"Good, I expect proper work next time."

You slumped to the floor, hands on your head in defeat.

Garp stood beside you, giving you a small pat on the head. In a feeble attempt to make you feel better.

The training was long over now, others retreated, until the training ground was fully empty, leaving only you and Garp together. Standing across from you, watching with a guilty expression on his face. Because when he finally built the courage to talk to you, it just had to end like this.

But on the bright side, he had an excuse to spend time with you.

As you reached for a heavy piece of equipment, he pounced in dramatically, grabbing it first.

"Nuh-uh, I've got this, princess." Garp smiled, throwing it over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. "Don't overwork yourself, I'm here to help, alright?"

You stood upright, matching his posture. "You didn't have to stay, y'know."

"Nonsense, you wouldn't be here if I didn't barge in— I'm sorry." He placed the crate aside, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. This is the first time you've heard a vice admiral apologizing to a lower ranking marine. Especially Garp in the flesh. "Might aswell make it up to you." For someone who always seemed so sure of himself, he was quite humble.

"I'm not mad at you, atleast I'm not alone, otherwise this would take forever." You waved your hands dismissively, letting out a lighthearted chuckle, focusing on your own cleaning duty.

He laughed back while still taking care of his own work, mainly the heavy boxes and crates, piling them aside. "This isn't how I imagined our first hangout but, atleast I'm spending time with you."

Garp said that. He admitted to wanting to be with you, and so, very nonchalantly too.

"Uh-huh, so.. this was just an excuse to spend time with me."

"Hey— Not that I did it on purpose, but yeah. Who else is gonna put up with my endless appetites?" He joked, taking another box from your hands casually, fingers brushing against yours faintly, a gentle whisper.

"Oh right, the rice crackers." You laughed, recalling the "incident" and how his face lit up at the sight of them. "You owe me, then."

Garp stepped infront of you, arms crossed, a grin plastered on his face like a bad decision.. he was definitely thinking of something.

"Say.. we're gonna be stuck here for like— Hours? Let's make things.. interesting." His voice dropped an octave, leaning closer to you.

"Hmm? Do let me know."

"I say.. let's make a bet. I could finish this entire area before you do. Loser has to treat the winner to anything they want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

There it is again. That shit eating grin of his. You could just tell there was a hidden motive here, but you played along anyway. Because what else was there to do now?

"I bet you'd just ask me for rice-crackers again or something."

"You underestimate me, sweetheart."

"Bet."

You chatted for a while longer, the laughs and jokes came naturally. He seemed embarassed at first, you couldn't tell if he was sweating from the heat, the cleaning, or your presence.

Probably the latter.

But give him some time, and Garp was surprisingly good at keeping the conversation going, almost making both of you forget the tedious work you were charged with.

He watched you work for a moment, gaze sharp and competitive, jumping into action himself. He moved with swift efficiency, lifting barrels effortlessly and taking them to their designated areas. He even stacked them to save space. Rearranging the weapons and whatnot.

As the two of you worked, Garp couldn't help but occasionally glance your way. The sight of you so focused on the task at hand was, in a way, captivating to him. The way you wiped the sweat off your face, the sunlight reflecting your features. Your every move did awful things to him.

The bet was still on, but he found himself enjoying this impromptu moment more than he expected.

Eventually, around an hour rolled by, and you were absolutely exasperated. And Garp? Garp was standing proudly, like this was just another Thursday and he hadn't just cleaned half of the training ground by himself without catching a break. He finished with just enough time to watch you still tiring yourself out.

You panted, catching your breath and wiping beams of sweat off your forehead, slicking the damp strands of hair back from your face.

"Alright, alright. I give up, you win." You raised your hands slightly in a surrendering gesture, laughing. Because despite your loss. It was awfully more entertaining than it should've been.

He promptly plopped himself beside you, sitting against a wall, elbows propped on his knees, breathing easy.

"I told ´ya I'd finish before you, sweetcheeks. That's the second time you underestimated me today." Garp grinned.

"Fine, just tell me your end of the deal already." You rolled your eyes, feigning annoyance.

"Mm..—" He hummed, eyes glinting with mischief as he pretended to think about what he wanted. "—Well, I'm a simple man, really.."

"Uh-huh, and what does the simple man want?" You placed your cheek in your palm comfortably, watching him with an almost bored expression as he spoke.

Garp smirked, enjoying the anticipation. With a mock-thoughtful look, he spoke. "You see, there's this one thing I really crave, that no amount of money can buy.." He looked at you again, meeting your gaze.

You pinched the bridge of your nose.

He was dragginggg this.

"Mhmmmm.."

"It's a simple thing, really, but for some reason, it always eludes me." He paused for a moment, clearly relishing your impatience. "And now that I've won the bet, I think it's finally my chance to get what I wanted."

"Just spit it out already!" You blurted out, louder than you intended, then placed a hand on your mouth. "..Sorry."

Garp threw his head back and laughed, before leaning closer to your face, barely inches away. His breath a warm whisper on your skin.

"Don't be so impatient, sweetheart." He reached out, gently tucking a stray hair behind your ear. His fingers lingering on your cheek longer than necessary.

The sun began to set, sinking lower until it brushed the horizon. The sky slowly exhaling after a long day, just as yourself. The warm light clinging to your skin in golden layers, softening every edge, turning your eyes into shimmering pools.

Eyes that Garp was helplessly lost in, his earlier cocky grin melting into a softer expression as he took the time to focus on your features.

You glared back at him, didn't say anything, didn't dare to. But your cheeks warmed up under his fingers and your heart was doing things you couldn't quite explain.

Then, he broke the sudden silence.

"This.." Garp trailed off, leaning closer until finally closing the distance between your faces in one swift motion. His hand cradled the back of your head, fingers gently threading into your hair as his lips met yours. Firm, warm, and undeniably sure.

No hesitation.

No teasing.

Just him, pouring every bit of that loud, reckless love he felt right into the kiss. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't hungry. But it was possessive, gentle, loving.

You were definitely taken aback, eyes widening ever so slightly, your hands hovering over him hesitantly. Though it didn't take long for you to melt into the kiss, fingers resting on his shoulders comfortably.

And when he finally pulled back, just an inch. Garp rested his forehead against yours for a beat longer than necessary, before fully letting go.

"..This is what I wanted. Ever since you handed me that damn rice cracker." He finished his earlier sentence. His grin was soft now, not in the earlier cocky way— but in a real way only you'd ever seen.

You, on the other hand, were completely dumbfounded, staring at him in awe, like you just discovered your favorite song was written about him. And his gaze lingered on you. The gaze of a man who just tasted sweetness for the first time. Which, technically, he did.

"..Oh, you— I knew it!"

"Knew what?" He chuckled.

"I knew you liked me." You pointed your finger at him like an accusation, but your smile and blush dusted cheeks betrayed everything you wanted to deny.

"Aw shucks.. well, since it's already obvious, let me make it clearer." He leaned in closer once more, and gently caught your chin between his fingers, tilting your head to look at him only. "What I want.. is right here infront of me."

"..Me?"

"Who else could I want, sweetheart?" He nodded, finger still softly brushing your chin as he spoke. "You've had me wrapped around your finger for months."

You reached and placed your hand ontop of his on your chin, promptly moving it away, but not quite letting go.

"I like you too but.. what about your rank?"

Garp's eyes softened at your words, smile widening at your confession. All teeth. Hearing you say you liked him back filled his chest with warmth and only added to his affection.

"Pfft— Who taught you that nonsense??" He scoffed in mock-offense, shaking his head. His free hand moved to your shoulder comfortingly, like he was breaking down the deepest secrets of the world to you. "I'm head over heels for you, it doesn't matter if you're a few ranks lower than me. Love is love, dear."

"..You really don't care about that?" You looked at him in awe and surprise, squeezing his hand a bit tighter.

Garp hummed softly in confirmation, letting go of your hand, only to reach and wrap his arms around your back in a gentle embrace, slowly. Giving you time to pull back if needed.

You didn't. Reciprocating the hug.

"Mhm, really." He whispered, the sincerity in his voice genuine. "You have me completely smitten, sweetheart. I've seen you work, relax, laugh. And all I can say is i've loved every version of you. You're smart, beautiful.. and yet, so damn dense."

You chuckled at that last one, giving him a lighthearted punch to the back. It was odd seeing the usual silly, fierce hero of the marines.. right here, hugging you and confessing his love to you. It came so easy, yet, you couldn't wrap the thought around your head.

But it was happening, and you weren't letting it slip away from you.

"..I love you too." You admitted. It was simple, three words, just enough to let him know it was mutual.

And there he was, chin rested ontop of your head, grinning ever so wide, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Took you long enough to say it." He chuckled, face nuzzled in your hair, his hands moving up and down your back in a soothing motion. "Good. 'Cause I'm not letting go now."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

.

.

Garp ended up walking you back to your apartment safely later on, before parting ways.

Safe to say,

You didn't sleep that night.

The next day rolled by. You rested your eyes for a total of one hour and fourty-three minutes. But somehow, you bursted with energy like no other day. Getting ready swiftly, uniform fully buttoned, but just today, you let your hair loose, and helped yourself to something new. Lipgloss. Not too red, just the perfect shade between brown and pink, subtle, but nice enough.

You looked at yourself in the mirror more than enough times before leaving, and made your way to HQ like a toddler on their first day of kindergarten. Who wonders why?

You hadn't even made it halfway past the front gates when whispers started fitting through the air like sparks. Tsuru shot you a knowing smirk while Sengoku simply adjusted his glasses like he just witnessed the inevitable.

He definitely told them already. Because of course he did.

And then, like a storm rolling in, you heard it— heard him.

"SWEETHEART !!" Garp's voice rang out, he came barreling around the corner like a freight train in uniform, cape fluttering behind him like a hero from an epic ballad. He didn't stop until he was right infront of you, towering and grinning like he'd just conquered an island. And then promptly leaned down and planted a kiss on your forehead.

You planted your face in your palms in embarassment, hair slouching down your shoulders, before looking at him, face entirely red. If word didn't get around, it definitely did now.

"Did you have to do that so loudly??" You complained with a sigh, crossing your arms. "What happened to goodmorning?"

"Good morning?? Sweetheart, I gave you a goodmorning. That's top-tier greeting protocol. Vice Admiral's Seal of Approval." He threw his head back and laughed, loud and unapologetic.

Suddenly, Tsuru rolled by with a clipboard, muttering: "Lord knows how she ended up with that one. Poor girl."

Garp shot her a mock-offended look, puffing his chest. "Hey, she's lucky!"

You only laughed, responding back. "I don't think I mind him."

He turned to face you again, and that's when he noticed it.

"So.. Seal of approval, huh?"

No response.

You raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

He was also looking. Very hard. Your lips were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

"..Garp?" You repeated, waving a hand over his face. "Earth to Garp."

And just like that, he grabbed the same hand you were waving at his face, fingers gently curled around your wrist as he led you away from everyone,

"Hey!!" You protested, he only dragged you to the nearest empty office, locking the door behind and pinning you against the door in one swift motion, hands on either side of your head, chest heaving up and down like he just ran a marathon.

"You're doing that on purpose."

You hadn't even processed what just happened. Blinking rapidly in his direction.

"Doing what on purpose??"

"That!" He pointed at your lips, fingers holding your chin up.

"Lipgloss?"

"A tactical charm offensive." Garp affirmed, voice unyielding.

You held back a laugh, snorting. " 'You serious? It's just-"

"Listen, I don't care what it is, but I know where I want it." He leaned closer, catching your chin between his fingers and lifting your head up.

"Uh-huh?"

"Smeared. On my face."

And without further ado, your lips crashed against eachother like a storm, captivating eachother in a hungry, urgent kiss. Your hands draped around his neck like silk, his own roaming on your sides, fingers pressing like they can't get close enough as he deepened the kiss with time-limited urgency and depth that said "I need this for my own sanity."

The room filled with sounds of heavy breathing, a messy, breathless kiss, pouring all the desire and love into it. Your gloss leaving stains all over his lips and cheeks.

"God, you—" Garp spoke, breathless, interrupted,

A knock on the door, then a voice chimed in from behind.

"Vice Admiral Garp, you have a meeting with Fleet Admiral Kong!" It was Bogard, his right hand man.

You both flinched in the spot, like teenagers caught sneaking out.. close enough.

Garp sighed, pulling away from you and breathing easy, you caught your breath aswell, adjusting yourself before unlocking the door, both of you exited looking like a total mess. Garp's hair tousled, face marked in kisses.

Bogard blinked, twice. Looking back and forth at both of you. Didn't say a word about your appearances.

"..Am I interrupting?" He said, quieter this time.

"No it's fi—"

"You are." Garp cut you off, before walking away from him alongside you.

"Did you hear what I said, sir?" Bogard repeated.

"Yeah, yeah." Garp didn't even flinch, just waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder, not looking back. "Tell him I'm busy securing my heart's patrol routine!"

Somewhere in the distance, Sengoku groaned, Tsuru snorted.

And god help your giddy self, you could only laugh and giggle. Throwing a light punch to his side.

"Go, idiot. Before I'm late too." You cackled.

Garp huffed in mock indignation as you pushed him back, "I've priorities." His eyes shone with warm mischief as he spoke proudly, like a man planting his flag on quicksand.

You threw another punch. "That's not an excuse." He rubbed his side like he just took a canonball to the ribs.

"Hey, hey now, no need to get violent." He protested with a laugh. "I'm going, I'm going."

He leaned down and placed yet another kiss on your forehead, feather light, but there.

"Don't overwork yourself." He spoke, voice lower now. "And don't miss me too much when I'm gone." And of course, a cocky remark.

You simply turned back and walked your own way, waving a hand from over your shoulder.

"Could say the same to you!"

He smiled, standing there for a moment, hands on his hips. Watching you stride away with that stupidly-him grin on his face. Like he'd just won a war instead of a rookie's heart.

Then, still smiling to himself, he turned and marched off to the command building.

Sengoku met him halfway. Eyebrows raised, taking his side and walking along.

"Did you just.. blow off the Fleet Admiral, for flirting?"

Garp clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"BWAHA! No, I was on official patrol duty. Secured my woman's heart. That's national security."

"A woman, huh?"

"She's not just a woman. She's a covert charmer in lipgloss."

Sengoku groaned again, but didn't even try to hide the smirk peeking at the corners of his lips. Because only his great friend Garp could show up at 0800 to spend five minutes doing— god knows what, with his lover, and then proceed to promptly show up late to a Fleet Admiral meeting like it was a birthday party.

And on the other side of the base, you smiled to yourself the whole morning during training, like a lovestruck teenager. Because you were dating a walking disaster.

But you loved said disaster.

Sometime before noon, after another harsh training morning, you sat on a bench in the barracks' locker room, a few buttons undone, enjoying a well deserved water break and wiping sweat off yourself with a towel. Wrapping a piece of cloth tight around a scraped knee.

Until, your peaceful, comfortable silence was interrupted as another rookie sauntered his way beside you with a sly grin, like he always belonged there.

He was the last person you wanted to talk to now, or, all the time, really.

"Oh.. Reginald." You sighed, burying your face in your towel for a second like it could shield you from his presence and teleport you away from him.

"Wellll, look at you." He teased, voice dripping with gossip. "Got yourself a high-class boyfriend all of a sudden?"

You didn't even give him a glance, still wiping your face with that same towel.

"Mhm. Guess word gets around, huh?"

"Sure does.." The guy propped his arm on your shoulder ever so casually, eyeing you with a mix of curiosity and.. something else you couldn't pinpoint. He spoke, leaning in conspiratorially. "Some folks think it's crazy to date a Vice Admiral as a rookie. Others say he's way out of your league, and some even say you're doing it for clout."

He grinned. "So which one are you?"

You finally turned to look at him, looking him dead in the eyes with a blank expression, then you excused yourself and stood up.

"I'm not entertaining you, piss off." You spoke, firmly.

"Ohh? That's sad, we're already placing bets on how long it'll take for him to leave you for some tavern bunny." He laughed, his friends behind chuckled aswell.

"Ha, ha. You're so funny. Get a life instead of butting on others', Reginald."

"Hey, I'm just sayin'.. High ranking dudes like that all have the same pattern going. And you don't see any other Vice Admirals around here and whatnot, going for rookies. Do you?"

You froze in place, stopping in your tracks. You couldn't think of anything to say. He opened his mouth again to speak, probably another jab, when a deep, rumbling voice cut through the silence.

"Oi."

The air dropped 10 degrees.

Garp filled the doorway, still in full uniform but coat unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up to his elbows like he'd just come out of a fight— or was about to start one. He stormed halfway across the base, eyes locked onto the guy beside you, sharp and threatning.

"You done talking to my girl?"

He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. The weight of it and his presence alone made Reginald shrink back an inch. His earlier confidence crumbling to shreds.

Garp stepped forward, ignoring him completely, now completely focused on you, his gaze softening as he took sight of your wrapped knee.

"..Should've told me you got hurt." He muttered, walking towards you, an arm draped around your shoulder, pulling you close to his side, then looking at the guy again with a grin that wasn't quite friendly.

"Garp, I can handle th—"

"Shh." Garp cut you mid-sentence with a little squeeze on the shoulder. "Next time you wanna gossip, try not breathing."

The rookie nodded, fast. Unsure of where to shove his face now.

"Get lost."

He then picked himself up and left in a blink.

You sighed in relief, looking up at Garp, a slight smile crossing your face.

"You didn't have to intervene, I was handling it."

"Sit down, sweetheart." He shushed you with his finger on your lips, placing you back down on the bench again. You didn't protest.

He then kneeled beside you, ever so casually, taking your scraped knee in hand and undoing the makeshift bandage cloth you wrapped around it. Taking his own bandage roll from his coat pocket and wrapping it around the cut.

"You just keep bandage rolls in your pockets?" You chuckled.

"Plenty." Garp said, his eyes never leaving your injury.

"Why?"

"Incase a beautiful woman such as yourself gets herself in this sort of predicament." He spoke again between cutting off the bandage with his teeth, sealing it tight. "There you go, princess."

You smiled, your lips crinkling at the corners despite yourself.

"Stand up now, silly."

"Oh, right." And so he did, standing upright and dusting off his clothes, giving you a hand as leverage to stand up and wrapping his arm around your shoulder again.

"..Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

.

.

╰─..★.──────────╯

The walk back to your apartment, once again, was comfortably quiet. For once, you didn't speak much, no cocky jokes from Garp and earned chuckles from yourself, you just walked. Arms interlocked, head rested on his shoulder, until you got to the door.

You turned to face him, reluctant to let go of his hands this time.

"..Same time tommorow?" Garp gave you a lopsided, awkward smile, scratching the back of his neck like he suddenly cared about formalities.

You tilted your head slightly to the side, but didn't comment on that, just nodded.

"Mhm, of course."

And just as he turned around, you reached and grabbed his wrist again, making him turn around.

"Hm?"

"Stay over today."

Three words. One simple request, and a perfectly practiced smile.

That was all it took for Garp to fold, his heart was doing cartwheels at the thought of what that meant.

And so he stayed, making himself comfortably at home on your couch beside you. You'd seen him without a uniform for the first time, just.. naturally himself. And so did he.

"So.. What was that guy telling ya anyway?" Garp broke the awkward silence that filled the room the first few minutes of his entrance. You crossed both legs on the couch, stretching your arms out.

"Ahh, it's nothing. Y'know how they are, always trying to get to your head." You dismissed it, but deep down, Reginald's words affected you, somehow. Because part of you wanted to believe he was wrong but.. was he really?

Garp placed a hand ontop of your head, gently carding his fingers through your hair. That simple gesture alone, made half of your worries disappear into thin air.

"It wouldn't be nothing if I didn't walk in on you looking like you got slapped in the face." He ruffled your hair gently, pulling you closer to his side. "Just tell me. I'm all ears, sweetheart."

You sighed, and talked away, with each word spoken, Garp's eyes widened just barely enough to notice.

"..And you believed him? Sounds like he was just jealous." He tilted his head, his hand rubbing soothing circles on your arm.

"Of course I didn't! But I just.."

"Listen." You felt his fingers pause, a deep frown creased his brow as he thought of the right thing to say. But when he spoke, his voice was uncharacterstically tender. "I don't care who that guy is, or what he said. But I wan't you to never listen to him, ever."

"Mhm.." You nodded.

He turned you to face him fully, both hands now on your shoulders.

"If he gives you crap again, or anybody else does— remember I'm here. I'll always be."

"..Thank you." You leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I'll let you know. Just.. don't scare the newcomers. Or try not to."

"No promises." His shoulders relaxed at your kiss, the tension from a moment ago suddenly slipping away under your familiar touch.

"Garp." You insisted.

"Fine, fine, I won't intentionally scare them off."

"Good. Now shut up and kiss me again."

"Why of—" Before he could continue, you pulled him by the collar of his shirt, catching him in another dance of your lips. He exhaled like you just lifted a weight off his shoulders, melting into it.

Slow at first, deliberate, like tasting him for the first time. Your hands on either side of his head, fingers through his hair, his own hands steady and soft on your waist, slowly pushing you down on the couch until you were pinned underneath him, never breaking the kiss as it grew faster, hungrier, like he was claiming you, rather than kissing.

Then he pulled back for just a second to catch a glimpse of a breath, before the embrace resumed. Your legs on either side of his hips, hands around his neck smoothly.

"You're a tease." Garp dipped his head to your ear, close enough to whisper, his voice taking a more intimate edge. His breath quickening.

Then, comfortably enough, he trailed open mouthed kisses down your jaw, to your neck. A mark here and there. The air between you grew heavy, charged with a quiet urgency neither of you tried to resist.

Each passing second stretched, blurring time into something softer, slower, as if the world outside had dimmed, leaving only you two together.

Clothes were discarded, carelessly tossed on the floor, a shirt hung lazily and coincidentally on a chair.

Garp's hands wandered with unhurried purpose, finding just the right spots as though drawn by instinct. Every touch lingered just a little longer, drawing out just the right sounds from you. Tracing unspoken promises across skin. A silent conversation deepening with every gentle shift, press, and thrust.

The first time wasn't perfect. It didn't have to be. You chuckled and laughed through it as hard as you tried to be serious.

He wasn't the rough brute you expected him to be. Everything hurt in the right places, in a good way. He always made sure you felt good, never uncomfortable, prior to anything else. And before you knew it, the hours melted away as you both laid on the couch. Breathless, laughing and smiling ever so widely.

You slicked back a few slightly damp strands of hair from your forehead.

"Garp.. what was that?" You giggled, your voice barely above a whisper.

And Garp, sprawled beside you with an arm possessively draped around your waist, cracked one eye open. Hair tousled, his lips curved in a lazy, utterly satisfied grin.

"That, my dear.." He shifted closer, warm breath ghosting over your ear as he pulled you against his bare chest. "That was the night cardio drill."

You slapped his chest lightly, snorting. "That's not funny!"

"Oh, but it is." He chuckled, the sound vibrating from his chest. "And if you're lucky, we might do it again at sunrise."

"Garp, we have to leave at six.. It's four something."

"You underestimate me, once again."

He winked, you buried your face in his chest like it could shield you from him for just a moment.

"..Just.. don't move now. Feel too damn good." He mumbled against your hair, lips brushing your forehead, gentle and almost unapologetic.

You, infact, didn't move. Arm draped around his chest, snuggled against his side ever so comfortably. The thought was still unbearably unrealistic. Because it started with just silly love confessions? Okay, crazy. But now this?

You sighed contently, unbothered to think much now, just relishing the moment, his embrace. The warmth of it, as sleep got to the both of you.

It felt like you only blinked until your alarm went off, about an hour and a half later only.

Garp stirred awake with a grumpy groan, one hand blindly fumbling the table beside your couch, while his other arm remained stubbornly wrapped around your waist.

"Mm.. Hell with it." He muttered, fingers finding the off switch and silencing the offending alarm. Then flopped back onto the blankets and buried his face in your hair. "Why'd you set that again?"

You rubbed your eyes, barely opening them. "..For..Work?"

He finally cracked both eyes open. Squinting at you like you'd just personally offended his bloodline.

"What?? Not my fault you have that much stamina." You sighed, though there was no bite behind your words. You stretched your arms with a yawn.

Garp grumbled under his breath, "Five more minutes," He mumbled against your forehead quietly, while his hand worked lazy circles on your side under the sheets. "They won't notice if we're fashionably late."

"Garp, we're always fashionably late."

"Nonsense, I'm not late, I'm strategically delayed." His gaze dropped to your face, drowsy, slightly flushed. And then to how you slightly winced when stretching. "And you're definitely sore. ´s what happens when you keep saying 'more' instead of 'mercy'"

You grumbled, sitting up suddenly and punching his chest again. "I hope you eternally run out of rice-crackers."

"Ouch. My feelings."

You stood up slowly, leaving him be while you got ready in peace, coming back to grab your uniform and dressing up. Buttons tied, hair tied in the tightest bun your skull could possibly, humanly resist.

And Garp relished. He'd have been slightly disappointed if you didn't look so damn good in uniform.

"Y'know, if you keep dressing infront of me, we might not make it to work at all."

You tossed his uniform coat at his face.

"Shut up."

"Understood." He replied, muffled against the cloth.

.

.

Garp stood by the door now, fully ready, hair slightly wild from sleep, but he still looked every inch the legend... and yet, his eyes softened the second you stepped infront of him again.

He held out his hand, not demanding, not pushing, just there. Offering.

"Let's go." He said, voice low and inviting.

And you held said hand, one that stopped wars and spilled blood, was now holding yours. Calloused, warm in the right places, intertwining with your still delicate fingers.

The early morning air was crisp as you left the premises of your apartment. The sky painted in soft creaks of pink and gold as you walked side by side with Garp.

Like this was just another morning.

Like you were always meant to walk alongside him like this, fitting just right.

His stride was slower than usual, deliberately matching your pace as he noticed the slight hitch in your step from last night's.. activities. He noticed. Of course he did.

Everytime you shifted, he glanced down, lips twitching like he's fighting a smirk.

But when you leaned into him a little more as the wind picked up, his grip on your arm tightened just slightly. Protective. Proud.

And then,

He laughed. Out of nowhere.

It wasn't obnoxious. Or cocky.

It was warm, like sunlight spilling into a dim room. Head thrown back like a madman.

You blinked at him. "What?"

"Nothing." He said, grinning down at you. "Just thinking about how lucky I am to be with the cutest rookie in Marineford like this."

A faint blush dusted your cheeks despite yourself, your ears warming up as you clung closer to him, entering the front gates of the HQ.

Sengoku and Tsuru were already waiting there, facing eachother with coffee mugs and talking about whatever.

They both froze mid-conversation as they saw you two. Arms linked like birds out on a stroll.

Tsuru sipped her drink slowly, deliberately. Sengoku pinched his nose.

"..I give it three days." Tsuru muttered.

Garp shouted across the yard.

"Make it fifty years!"

You laughed, giving a small bow to Tsuru and Sengoku as you passed by them through the gate. "Please do excuse him."

"Excuse me?!" He bellowed, following behind you in dramatic strides. "Betrayal."

"You'll get over it."

Sengoku sighed somewhere behind you; "It's gonna be a long carreer."

Inside the base courtyard, a few soldiers paused mid-drill to stare. One rookie tripped over his own feet.

Meanwhile, Garp slid up beside you carelessly, he was never the type to care about what others thought. Infact, he prized and showed you off, very loudly so.

Grinning with that shameless pride in his eyes, he spoke. "Just wait till lunch.. I'm bringing donuts, and sitting right next to you. No excuses."

You were calmly at the coffee machine, grabbing yourself a cup and taking a slow sip as you glared at him through the edge of it, holding back a smile.

"You'd sit while they whisper about you in your face?"

Garp leaned against the counter beside you, arms crossed and grin unfazed by your remark.

"Let ´em talk, they'll run out of things to say eventually." He turned his head to you, eyes glinting with that reckless fire you loved.

"Besides.. If I sit with my girl during lunch, that's not gossip."

A pause. Then louder, on purpose.

"I'm just showing off what's mine, in my own way."

You only chuckled, clapping a hand at his shoulder.

"You're insufferable.." you sighed, happily.

"You love me."

"God help me, I do."

.

.

end ! ♡ i had lots of fun writing this, i hope you enjoyed.