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Running Up That Hill
By : yinneko23
Category: +M to R > One Piece
Views: 11948 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or make any money from this fic.
Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Nami stands in the doorway of Cocoyashi�s only medical center, where the most hideously injured of her nakama - it almost frightens her how easily she can think the word now and, though if she is wholly honest with herself, this began before she returned to stare her nightmare in the face - lays recovering.
Zoro is sleeping on one of the many beds populating the room, bandages obscuring his entire chest. Luffy has finally passed out too, curled up at the end of Zoro�s bed like a cat, arms draped over the swordsman�s legs and face pressed to the arch of his foot. Usopp had covered them with a blanket not long ago but the blue swath of material already lies abandoned on the floor. Even while unconscious, their desire to have bare skin touching cannot be hindered by anything. Certainly not a thing so fragile. Nami is shocked the poor, defenseless blanket hasn�t been shredded.
With an exasperated shake of her head, Nami leaves, letting the door swing shut behind her, catching the knob before it can slam; she doubts the noise would disturb them, but on the off chance it might�
The village is still alight with joy, the relief at finally being free of Arlong�s hold now more drunken revelry than cheerful celebration yet no less meaningful for it. Nami watches two men stumble past, arms entwined and singing at the top of their appallingly off key voices. Tears glimmer in their eyes.
Nami loves seeing this, what she�s been dreaming of for so long she swears that forever has passed by twice over. If she hadn�t met Luffy, if she�d continued writing her off as another good for nothing pirate, blinded by her deep and justifiable hate of those that sailed the seas beneath skull and crossbones, this wouldn�t be possible.
Again there is that fear, this time of owing one person so much of herself, but strong enough to nearly smother the fear entirely is the understanding that Luffy will never, ever ask for anything in return.
Except, of course, that Nami join her crew.
Would it really be so bad? By Nami�s definition, Luffy barely constitutes a �pirate� - someone who pillages and kills and ruins the lives of innocents for the fun of it, for the simple, cruel pleasure of knowing they could, because they are strong. Luffy is none of those things. Even her Jolly Roger is nothing to be intimidated by.
But there is an animal in her, a snarling beast that sets Luffy apart from ordinary men and women of the sea. Her fights are bloody. She revels in it, enjoys crushing those that push her beyond the limits of rational thought. When Luffy is truly angry, even Nami is afraid. She almost feels sorry for Arlong. Almost.
Nami leaves the raucous village behind her and heads towards the coast, where a familiar grave watches over the shifting tides. Moonlight illuminates her way, and Nami is surefooted as she approaches the marker, the ultimate symbol of Bellemere�s love for her daughters.
It�s peaceful out here, away from the jubilant noise, but not so far that Nami cannot hear the proof of her extended family fully alive for the first time in too long. She reaches out to touch the cross, wood weatherworn and smooth beneath her fingers. The only way this night could be better is if Bellemere were here to laugh and dance and drink with her.
She doesn�t know how much time passes, loses herself in the swirling reflection and pull of the waters she�s charted with such detail. It isn�t until someone sits beside her that Nami comes back to herself.
Luffy is there. The pirate stretches out on the grass to gaze up at the moon, gloriously full and bright as though it too were celebrating.
Luffy is always there. Nami wouldn�t have it any other way.
She bites her lip to hold back the laughter bubbling up inside. How easily her mind has been changed. How easily she has been drawn in by this odd creature.
Nami plucks the straw hat from Luffy�s head and places it on her own, taking pleasure from the weight of it, the stray bits of straw that catch at her hair and scratch her skull, things Luffy is oblivious to. Her friend tears her eyes from the moon to look at Nami instead, smiling so beautifully at the sight of her hat being worn by someone she considers an irreplaceable component of her life that Nami just can�t resist kissing her.
Luffy is docile under her, lips parting to let Nami�s tongue inside to do as it pleases, hesitantly exploring everything she can access at such an awkward angle until Luffy grabs her shoulders and tugs her down so Nami is laying against her chest, and suddenly it�s perfect.
Flattened by the bindings it's almost as though Luffy is a boy, except her mouth is softer, whole body loose in surrender as she lets Nami have her way. Luffy�s hands stay gentle on her arms and upper back, never straying beneath her clothes or further downward. She knows what Nami needs and wants, and Nami can�t help but love her for it. A friend - four friends - she�s so fully at ease around isn�t something Nami expected to find in this lifetime, or any other for that matter.

Thank you.

The navigator keeps sharing kisses with her chosen captain - the decision has already been made, as if there was really any other option after everything they�ve gone through together - until Luffy goes pliant, her tongue so sloppy saliva smears between them, and Nami pulls away to see she�s fallen asleep again.
Nami giggles so hard she trembles and wetness gathers in her eyes. When the last spasms of laughter subside, she rearranges Luffy�s limbs into a more comfortable position and feels no shame for using the rubberwoman as a mattress. Sleeping under the stars, her mother close by, isn�t bad at all.
-
Nami�s shriek engulfs the Merry. Zoro and Luffy are up and crouched and ready for a fight as Usopp echoes her scream and flees into the relative safety of the galley. Sanji is at Nami�s side a second, ready to save his precious flower from whatever it is that�s causing her such distress.
When no physical enemy appears after a few tense beats, Luffy and Zoro drop their stances and peer around in confusion.
�What is it, my lovely angel? Tell me what�s wrong so I can soothe your fear away with my ~love~!� Sanji coos. Nami slaps a hand to his face and forces him away, newspaper falling open. A piece of paper drifts to the floor. Zoro picks it up and snickers at what he sees. He offers it to Luffy.
�Waaaaah, so cool!� she beams, holding the paper high above her head and waving it about energetically.
�No!� Nami moans. �Bounties aren�t cool, they get pirates into deep, deep trouble. We�ll won�t be left alone from now on! Hunters will attack us wherever we go! And the Marines-�
�Yeah, but it�s nothing worth worrying about. Luffy and I will just beat �em up. Right, Captain?�
�You betcha.� Luffy grins at Zoro, who smirks back, one hand curled casually around the hilt of his katana. Nami groans and rolls her eyes at their eagerness for battle. Honestly, those two would get them all killed one day.

I wonder if Ace will see this? Luffy wonders, more excited by that one thought alone than the many zeros on her wanted poster. Heh, I�m on my way, big brother. Just you wait!

-
Ace has no idea what time it is. With his face smothered by a silky swathe of azure and gold that burns without burning, he can�t see the window or how much sunlight is pooling across the floor. It had been just after lunch when Ace wandered into their room, but as usual there was no telling how long he�d slept.
He yawns and rolls over to escape the soft down tickling at his nose, comfortable and perfectly willing to stay exactly where he is until the ship was attacked or freak Grand Line weather tried to drown them all. Nothing less, not even Pops himself, could drag Ace away from his cozy nest of sheets.
Burrowing gently against an elongated neck, Ace feels something drape across his waist, hotter than the rest of his bed partner. He knows without looking it�s the chain-like feathers of a tail urging him closer.
As he�s about to comply with the unspoken demand, there�s a pounding on the door and a deafening male voice, one Ace doesn�t care to identify, blasts apart his peace.
�Ace? Are you in there, Commander?� Several other men echo the question more quietly.
Maybe if he ignores them they�ll take the hint and fuck off. Sadly, his division isn�t the brightest around; another volley of banging and yelling follows shortly.
A huff of laughter teases Ace�s hair. �They aren�t the type to give up just by being ignored. Best say something, yoi.�
Mumbling in reluctant agreement, he pokes his head out from beneath a wingtip long enough to roar, �Unless we�re all going to die in the next five seconds, go away! Tell Pops I�m taking the day off.� Not true, of course - no such thing as a day off for the commanders of Whitebeard - but he could dream.
There are uncertain whispers, and Ace thinks they may actually do as he says, but one brave soul steps up to the plate. �It just, um, the new wanted posters are out and one has a name you�ve mentioned before. This guy, the two of you look similar. Do you have a brother?�
A brother? His mind conjures a hazy image of Sabo before he remembers that one, he and Sabo looked nothing alike, and two, someone ten years gone had little need for a bounty. Ace edges further out from under his feather blanket.
�What�s the name?� Luffy pops up next, but he discards the thought. Why would Luffy be called a guy? Sure, she�s not the girliest around, but her chest is kinda hard to miss. Those curves had never failed to startle the unsuspecting.
�Monkey D. Luffy.�
Ace nearly falls from the bed in shock. How on earth�?
He uncurls and sits up, dropping over the rim of the study wooden platform he�d been lazing on to stumble across the floor, tripping on strewn articles of clothing as he went.
�Let me see,� he says, throwing the door ajar. The five pirates in the hall all splutter and glance away at once. Ace looks down at himself then over his shoulder, where his pants are dangling from a light fixture.
One man shoves out his hand, offering a folded piece of brown paper between thumb and index finger. �Here, sir.�
Ace takes it and shakes it open. What he sees makes him gape.
�Well, Commander?� None of the men have left, despite being given no choice but to stare at the ceiling in respect of the privacy Ace doesn�t give two shits about. �Is he your brother? Or a cousin?�
�My brother�� Ace says faintly, and closes the door in their faces.
He collapses on the other bed, the normal one meant for those days when everyone preferred to be human. The nest really wasn�t built to hold them both, but Ace enjoyed napping up there and Marco hardly minded snuggling to make a little extra space.
The phoenix in question lifts his head to peer at him as Ace continues to gawk at the crinkled wanted poster. Luffy looks cheerful as always, if a bit beat up, and though he�s glad to see it her chest keeps drawing his attention; the picture was taken far enough away that her upper body is visible - the photographer was too nervous to get close enough for a face only shot, Ace is sure - and her breasts are not where they should be.
�W-what,� Ace stutters, �what the hell did Luffy do?� Breasts don�t vanish into thin air. Especially not those breasts, which Ace had been up close and personal with on countless occasions. Warm in his mouth, yielding under his hands, the ultimate pillow for his narcoleptic head�
Marco coasts down from his perch to join Ace on the bed, curious about what had his friend so riled. The picture itself is far from intimidating, just a goofily grinning boy with more than a passing resemblance to Ace - Monkey D. Luffy, someone Ace tended to ramble about when he�d had too much to drink, voice slurred into near incoherence but eyes brimming with affection.
Feathers and flame give way to skin and hair until Marco sits in his human form, places one hand on Ace�s should and peers closer, asking, �Did you say he�s your brother?�
�Yeah, but she�s...� Marco raises an eyebrow at the mix of gender specific terms and takes another look at the photo. There�s a suggestion of femininity in the fullness of her lips, the length of her lashes where they lay against her cheeks, but only if he squints, and only at a certain angle. You certainly couldn�t tell by her chest, flat as it was.
�But where are her boobs?� Ace says, strained, clutching the poster with unwarranted force. �What did Luffy do to them?�
Marco thinks Ace might actually cry.
�So she doesn�t normally look like that, yoi.�

�No!� Ace yells, raking his fingers through his hair so roughly a few strands part from his skull. �She has boobs! Nice boobs! I know very well that her chest is all�curvy.� He gestures at his own chest, hands arching out in an example of size.
The phoenix is more interested in that revealingly placed emphasis than how wonderful Monkey D. Luffy�s breasts may or may not be. It�s an odd thing to be panicking over, unless- �A lover, yoi?�
Ace nods, back to staring helplessly at her poster. �We�re siblings in the same way you and I are, kinda unofficially adopted. We grew up together.� He doesn�t say anything else, but Marco can�t imagine growing up in close quarters with Ace and not doing something rash, and possibly very, very naked and can�t even begin to feel jealous about sharing Ace with a girl he considers family.
Her smile is bright, wild, genuine. It reminds him of Ace, of the person Ace has become since accepting Whitebeard�s mark.

Since Ace began sleeping in his bed.
So Marco makes a quiet sound of acceptance, and says, �Maybe she�s binding them.�
�Binding?� Ace frowns. �Doesn�t seems like a very Luffy thing to do.�
�A mystery easily solved,� Marco says, relaxing backward onto the bed and bringing Ace with him, �by asking her the next time you meet, yoi.�

Ace blinks and lets himself be dragged atop the first division commander. As their skin touches he�s pleasantly reminded that they�re both quite naked and he has better, less confusing things to be doing than plumbing the depths of Luffy�s madness. Now that she�s heading towards the Grand Line, they�ll meet again sooner rather than later.
When Marco kisses him, Ace forgets everything else entirely.
At dinner that evening, he takes the poster with him and shoves it in the face of everyone he passes until his nakama being to scamper in the opposite direction whenever he approaches. Ace suspects they might be avoiding him. He can�t think why.
Whitebeard is drinking sake under the stars as Ace makes his way over to his customary spot on deck. The old man musses Ace�s hair with one enormous finger when Ace clambers into his lap, poster held between his teeth.
�Pops, this is my little brother!� he declares, full of pride. �Luffy wants to be Pirate King, but...� Ace shakes his head at the futility. Luffy is strong, most definitely - it isn�t only pride at having trained her himself that encourages the thought - but his captain is stronger still, and always will be.
Whitebeard carefully accepts the paper Ace holds out and roars with laughter at what he sees. So there is another out there, another D who may even give his fiery son a run for his money - he just might have to try and recruit this brat too if she�s going after One Piece. Really, kids these days�
Ace accepts the poster when his father hands it back with an approving tilt of his mouth and looks yet again at the numbers stamped across the front. Thirty million isn�t half bad for a first bounty, and Ace is burning to know exactly what Luffy did to earn it. He bets it�s something reckless and ridiculous and just like her. Ace grins in excitement.
He can�t wait to find out.
-
Luffy sneezes. It�s been happening over and over again all evening for no discernible reason, and Zoro is growing aggravated at the constant disruption.
�I think someone is talking about me,� she says in answer to his quelling glare. �I can�t help it!�
�Then tell whoever it is to shut the fuck up,� Zoro growls, ignoring the sheer absurdity of the statement.
�How am I supposed to-� Luffy is cut off by the mother of all sneezes, one so harsh it sends her tumbling off Zoro�s knees and slams her head against the unforgiving wood of Merry�s deck. Zoro leans over her, hoping the blow to Luffy�s skull will knock some sense into her. Not that it�s ever worked before.
Luffy is unharmed, if a bit confused, sprawled half on the planks and half in Zoro�s lap. Who could possibly be talking about her so much, and with such enthusiasm?
But it seems that the whatever stops after that, and Luffy is free to curl up in Zoro�s arms to share his post meal nap. She�s sure she�ll find out one of these days.

Soon, her instincts promise in a whisper. Soon.

�Shishishishi,� she laughs. Zoro�s expression says she�s acting even crazier than usual but that he doesn�t much care, that Luffy is free to be as insane as she likes, as long as she does it quietly so they can doze in peace.
So she nuzzles further into his embrace and let�s the peculiar image of Ace, happy and surrounded by family, lull her to sleep.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Running Up That Hill	By : yinneko23 Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 11948 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or make any money from this fic.

Running Up That Hill