AN: I reallydon't know how came up with the title for this. Kinda weird, but eh, who cares. Anyway, this was supposed to be my first attempt at a lemon, but it'd be way to OOC for Luffy and Vivi to do naughty stuff while Nami's sick, so I decided for a simple Hurt/Comfort fic. Because I can really imagine them talking like this, and comforting each other, just because they understand each other so well. Aw, I just love them so freakin' much!
I love them too much, the fic got totally out of hand. It's pretty long, so you've been warned. But I hope you'll enjoy anyway!
It's All Good and Rotten
Vivi shivered when the trapdoor opened and cold wind waved inside the cabin. She looked up from the heavily breathing Nami lying in her bed to find the ship's cook walking down the stairs, smiling softly when she saw the anxious expression of concern on his face. Sanji paused momentarily when he spotted the princess, but then offered her a small smile in return.
"You're still up, Vivi-chan?"
"I couldn't sleep."
Sanji sighed. "Me neither. The suspense is killing me." They both fell silent, and watched the feverish Nami pant and gasp for a while. When he saw Vivi yawn, he smiled. "You should go get yourself a glass of warm milk and try to sleep. I'll watch over Nami-san for you."
Vivi blinked, and then waved it off with both hands as she shook her head. "Oh no, I'm perfectly fine! Really!" she insisted. "Please, don't worry over me, Sanji-san. I'm fine."
"You don't have to push yourself so much, Vivi-chan", said Sanji, offering a warm smile. "You look worn out. You should sleep."
She raised her brows when she saw an odd glint in his eyes; a silent begging. He wanted to be alone with Nami, she noticed. Who was she to possibly refuse this request when it obviously was so important to him? She gave a soft sigh of understanding.
"All right," she quietly said, standing up from the chair beside Nami's bed. "Then I guess I'll try a glass of warm milk."
"Okay," Sanji smiled when she walked past him.
-- -- --
Following Sanji's suggestion, Vivi walked to the galley, physically. Mentally, she was still with Nami, comforting her, trying to help her somehow. She couldn't even express how worried she was. It was odd, so very odd; Vivi had only known this small band of pirates for a few days and yet she already felt an extremely strong bond forming between them, almost as though she had known them forever. And if she were to lose Nami now, she would never be able to forgive herself.
When she opened the door to the galley, she found out that she and Sanji by no means were the only ones worried sickly on this ship. There was still one person, one position, whose duty it was to be far more worried than anybody else – the captain.
Luffy sat on the counter, right beside the stovetop, on the spot where Sanji always used to chop the food, and leaned against the wall. He looked tired; almost as tired as she felt, as though he had not slept for days. And then there was that glint of concern in his eyes, the same glint they all had in their eyes ever since Nami fell ill.
Vivi gazed at him in sympathy. "Luffy-san… you couldn't sleep either?"
The captain startled a little, looking up at her. "Ah," he said then, his expression softening. "Nah. How could I anyway? I'm the captain, aren't I? I can't sleep when one of my nakama's sick. That'd be such an uncool thing to do," a sudden grin grazed his face, "right?"
The princess gave a faint smile. "Right."
"What about you?" Luffy asked.
"Eh?" Vivi blinked a little, and then scratched her head, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I guess I'm just as worried for some reason. It's maybe because I'm also a leader, so I easily put myself in drastic situations and try to feel what others are feeling in that moment… or something like that."
Luffy grinned widely at her. "Or maybe you fell in love with us." Then, he paused, blinking. "No, wait. That just sounded plain wrong."
She laughed quietly into her palm. "It's okay. I get what you're trying to say." She grinned back. "Maybe I really am in love with you."
The captain blinked a little at first, then burst out laughing.
Vivi was taken aback. "Wh-what's so funny?"
"Nothing, just… y'know," said Luffy, chuckling. "It kinda sounded like a love confession. From you to me."
The princess felt sudden heat rising to her cheeks, but she tried to repress the feelings soaring up inside her like they so often used to whenever she was around Luffy, and instead made her way for the fridge beside him.
"Ahaha, r-really?" she giggled nervously, opening the fridge to look for the milk. "I – I didn't even notice."
"So was it one?"
Vivi's eyes widened as she spun around to face him, bewildered by his sudden question. But when she saw his serious expression, her breath caught and her heart skipped a few beats, not to mention what the heat did to her skin color in the facial region. Just when her lips parted and she drew breath for an unconscious answer, Luffy's mouth started twitching like crazy and soon he was laughing at the top of his voice, confusing Vivi even more than with the question, though in a different way.
He wiped a tear from his eye, still laughing. "Sorry! Just kidding, Vivi!"
Very much flustered, Vivi blinked in total confusion while Luffy continued to laugh; not as loud as before, though. And somehow… It might just be her imagination, but did it sound maybe just a little forced? A little desperate even? She managed to calm herself down, giving him a curious look. No, she wasn't imagining this – Luffy did force this laugh. Vivi smiled at the realization.
"And here I thought I was the only one who did that," she said, pointing at his lips.
Luffy peered at her finger, grinning. "Who did what?"
Vivi smiled a sad smile. "Who could force a laugh, a grin or just a smile so easily as if it was nothing, just to make all the others believe everything was going to be alright."
The captain's grin faltered a bit as he frowned at her. "What're you talking about?" he chuckled. "I'm not forcing anything or something along those lines. What gave you that idea anyway?"
"Oh, please," said Vivi. "I'd recognize a person who's faking a laugh. I'm one of them." Luffy opened his mouth to answer something back, but she was faster and cut him off, "You're worried. You're just as afraid as anyone here, which is only natural since Nami-san's your important nakama. But since you're the captain, you can't let the others see that you also have some rare moments of doubt, and that you also ask yourself if she's gonna live through it. After all, what would they do if they found out that the person they look up to the most isn't nearly as confident as they think?"
"Wow," said Luffy, smiling slightly. "You really do know a lot about that stuff."
Vivi smiled back. "Of course I do. Since I'm a princess, I know everything about those duties, inside out," she said. "You can fool the others, but you can't fool me, Luffy-san. I saw through you right from the beginning. I'm the same way after all."
Luffy chuckled quietly, scratching the back of his head. "Seems like I'm busted."
The princess offered him a soft smile. "You know, it's okay," she said and he blinked up at her. "To be afraid, I mean. Everyone's afraid somehow, right? It's what makes us human."
Luffy smiled at her, which made her feel uneasy for some reason.
"I mean, it's totally natural that you wouldn't want the others to see that, since you have to be there for them and all, but… well, there's only you and me in here right now."
The captain grinned teasingly, arching a brow, and Vivi blushed.
"Wh-what I'm trying to say is that you don't need to put up an act with me!"
He blinked at her. "Huh?"
Vivi offered him an encouraging grin. "You don't need to do what you think you have to do. I'm not one of your crewmembers, and you're not my captain. So it's not on you to cheer me up," she said. "You can just be yourself with me. We're both leaders, so I know your feelings pretty well… I think. Anyway, when you're with me, you can just go ahead and do whatever you feel like doing." She smiled softly. "It'll be our secret, I promise."
Upon hearing that, Luffy actually blushed. Hard.
Vivi blinked at the captain's antics, as he lowered his head and bashfully started to scratch his cheek to avoid her finding out what was already obvious anyway. She figured that she must have been the first one to see all that, and offer him to be there when he needed someone to talk; which he definitely did, since a nakama was sick. She also figured that she only said all that because he reminded her of herself in just too many ways. It wasn't easy to smile no matter what, to grin when there's no happiness, to laugh when there's nothing to laugh, just to ease things up for those looking up to you. For those depending on you, believing whatever you did was the right thing, and whatever you spoke was nothing but the truth.
And the way he managed to handle all of it was just another reason for her to be attracted to him. Maybe even enough for her to…
"Vivi."
She startled out of her thoughts to look at him, but his face was still lowered.
"If you really mean that…"
His voice was not more than a whisper, but it was enough to cause her goose bumps.
"Then… lend me your shoulder."
Vivi watched in surprise as Luffy lowered himself off the counter until his feet touched the ground, his head slowly sinking onto her shoulder. When he gave a quiet sigh right into her ear, she finally snapped back to reality and flushed crimson, her heart suddenly beating half so fast. Her breath caught when she felt his nose nuzzle her neck, his even breathing tickling her sensitive skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine.
"She's my friend, Vivi," he whispered then. "And I don't wanna lose her."
Vivi was speechless at this sudden confession at first, knowing it was more than he would have told anyone else, even Zoro. She couldn't help but give a faint smile. "I know, Luffy-san. I understand you."
"I…" Luffy closed his eyes. "It… just took me so long to find them all, you know? I can't lose anyone, now that I finally found them. I can't let them die, even if I have to give my own life for that. I just… Nami can't die. She's my friend, and she's irreplaceable."
The princess' smile softened as she slowly brought up her arms to embrace him gently. "I know," she said once more. "She's my friend, too."
They kept silent for a while, or rather Luffy did, and so Vivi did too. There were tons of things running through her mind, tons of questions, some pointless nonsense, and much, much more, but she kept silent nonetheless. Obviously, he wasn't in the mood to talk, and she really didn't want to ruin this moment when he had opened up so much. And if he had opened up so much, then didn't that mean that he was starting to trust her? She would give anything to make that true…
"--said--what I--right?"
It was only then that she realized that Luffy had been asking her something. She gave a nervous smile. "Um, I'm sorry, what?"
"You said I could do whatever I feel like doing when I'm with you, right?"
Vivi blinked a little, and then nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's right."
His mouth was right beside her ear when he whispered, "Then can I hug you closer?"
"Eh?" She felt her cheeks heat up in shock, and she was glad that he couldn't see it. "U-um… that… okay, I guess…?"
She felt him smile as his hands gently grabbed for her waist, sending a strange sort of tingling sensation through her body. And when he pulled her close, closer than she had ever thought they would get, she felt her arms move around his neck on their own, her heart beating faster and faster. She heard him give a small sigh when their bodies touched and Vivi couldn't help but blush in excitement.
"Vivi," he murmured quietly, somewhat amazed. "You're so… warm." The princess blushed once more when Luffy only cuddled closer. "Feels nice…"
She frowned in embarrassment, twitching slightly when Luffy's cold bare arms encircled her petite frame. "And… and you're cold, Luffy-san. You shouldn't wear nothing more than that thin shirt when it's freezing outside. What if you're also gonna catch a cold or worse--"
"I wanna kiss you, Vivi," Luffy suddenly said when he looked up at her, his expression gravely.
Vivi opened her mouth in shock, but not even one single sound escaped. She was so utterly shocked that she didn't even blush anymore; she was just… taken aback. Just shocked.
"Wha -- what?"
Luffy looked like his own words weren't affecting him the least. "I wanna kiss you," he repeated easily. "Can I?"
That was when Vivi finally blushed in alarm, her eyes widening. "E-eh? What? What, what, what, what, what?" she sputtered, very much flustered. "Th-this is… you… sudden! I mean – um, I – you – wh-why?"
The captain smiled a little, suddenly bashful. "Because you're just so awesome," he said. "You made me feel better, and I wanna show you that I…" He paused, moving closer just a little, and Vivi gasped. "Don't think I'm just doing this as a thank you or anything… it's because I…" He paused once again, frowning, visibly at a loss.
Vivi arched a brow. "What…?"
Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him. "Ah, you know what they say about love at first sight?" She nodded, blushing. "Well, that wasn't the case for me… I rather… uh, damn."
She giggled quietly at his nervous expression. So cute.
"I guess I just really don't know how to say it," he admitted. "But what I do know is that… Vivi, I was never…" He smiled. "I was never so happy about having met someone."
Vivi blushed in surprise. Was that maybe… a confession? Did it mean that Luffy was in love with her? She stared at him, unable to move, unable to say anything. And he stared back, right into her eyes, with that rare look of pure graveness. He raised his eyebrows at her in expectation, and she found herself blushing even more.
Looking down bashfully, she mumbled, "Um… I…"
Luffy frowned. "Hn?"
She looked up at him, her face flushed. Then she decided, since they were too close anyway, that words didn't matter, particularly since she wasn't sure if her voice would betray her or not. With that, there was only one thing left for an answer, and she needed to gather up all the courage she could find inside of her to pull it through. Shaking with nervousness, she stood on tiptoes and reached up to cup his face. When his mouth was close enough that she could feel the heat and moisture rising up off of it, she closed her eyes, sweeping her lips across his as if to make it seem like an accident.
The kiss was over before Luffy could even think about responding, and when her mouth was gone, he could only blink at her blankly. Vivi was blushing furiously, which was maybe another reason why she was avoiding his gaze. After a moment that seemed like an eternity but probably was just a few seconds, she finally gazed up at him just in time for her eyes to widen when he leaned down and crushed his lips against hers in a kiss that was nowhere near as chaste as hers had been.
Vivi gave a small yelp of surprise against his mouth as his raw lips moved a bit roughly over hers in an odd but pleasant rhythm. The most intoxicating part about the moment wasn't even that their lips were locked, but rather that Luffy was looking deeply into her eyes while they kissed. It was like his gaze was sending her a silent message, urging her to give in and respond. Unable to withstand, her lids fluttered close and she melted into their inexperienced kiss, her lips trying to catch up with his rough rhythm.
Luffy smiled against her lips as she gave a small sigh of relaxation and also closed his eyes to fully savor the kiss. His hands found their way to Vivi's waist to bring her even closer, until there was no space left between their bodies, not even enough for a paper. When she brought her own small hands up to cup his face, the captain took a chance to deepen the kiss as he slowly, carefully brushed his tongue against her soft lips. Vivi flinched a little, but soon opened her mouth to him, widely, allowing their tongues to touch. Still a little chaste, she soon drew back from his mouth only so much that she could speak.
"I… I'm not very good at this," she told him with a bashful smile.
Luffy's lips spread to an amused grin. "I don't give a damn right now."
With that he leaned forward, pressing his mouth to hers a little softer than before, maybe to ease her up a bit. Much to his and her own surprise, it was Vivi who brought the kiss to the next level as she pressed her body firmer against his, almost demanding. Eventually, they had to break the kiss for the sake of air.
Vivi smirked. "I can learn, though."
"Then I'll be the teacher," grinned Luffy proudly.
"Oh, so you're an expert now?" She arched one brow, visibly amused.
"I'm not an expert at all," he told the princess earnestly. "But you can't learn with anyone else but me. That's an order."
Vivi giggled. "You're not my captain."
"But this is my ship you're on, and as long as you're here, my word is law." He cracked a triumphant grin.
She sighed, but smiled. "Fine then. So what do you want me to do, Captain Luffy?"
Luffy's face spread into a wide grin. "Undress!"
The princess blinked at first, but after a moment of silence she burst out laughing with a hand covering her mouth. "Yeah, right," she managed to choke out wryly, but when Luffy's grin vanished and a bewildered expression appeared, her laughter immediately died off, eyes wide. "Oh my God, it wasn't a joke. You were serious?"
"Of course," he answered easily, looking at her as though she was impudent for even thinking that it could have been a mere joke. "Undress, Vivi. It's an order."
"You can't order people to undress!" Vivi shrieked, her cheeks heating up rapidly.
Luffy stared at her, intensely, apparently giving her statement some thought. A heartbeat later, he nodded in comprehension and smiled. "Okay, you're right. That wasn't very nice."
Vivi breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, thank you."
"I'll rephrase it," he said as he leant forward until their lips touched to breath against her mouth, "Let me undress you."
Vivi barely had the time to widen her eyes in shock as Luffy grabbed her hips and switched their positions. She gave a small noise of surprise when she found herself being pinned against the counter, Luffy's body pressed up against hers as their mouths melted into each other. His tongue pushed past her lips, demanding and forcefully, his hands slipping beneath her sweater and suddenly, she was engulfed by a heat she had never felt before. Her eyes fluttered close as she returned the fierce kiss, head swimming as she pulled him even closer, his fingers sending tingly sparks down her spine as they moved up further, lightly touching her breasts…
Okay, now wait a minute. She had to think clear. What the heck were they doing here?
Abruptly, Vivi struggled to pull away from his lips, "W-wait! Luffy-san, please wait a minute!"
"Whyyy…?" Luffy murmured as he arched his brows and moved his lips down to nibble at her neck, eliciting a small moan from the princess.
"Be-because," Vivi sputtered, cheeks flushed as she fought hard to keep herself focused, "Luffy-san, isn't this too fast?"
Luffy looked up at her, curiously. "Too fast?"
She gulped as he gazed into her eyes so intently, his nose touching hers. "Y-yeah, since, you know, we know each other barely a week or something and… and…"
"And?" he breathed as he played with a blue lock of her hair.
"And," said Vivi rather weakly, "I-it's… too fast!"
Luffy smirked at her. "Vivi, you're thinking too much," he told her, making her blink. "It's obvious that we both really like each other. Who gives a crap if we've known each other only a week? If you feel something, you feel it. And if you wanna do something, you should do it. Love's crimeless anyway."
"Timeless," said Vivi. "Love is timeless."
"Yeah, that too," he waved off.
Vivi gave a sigh. "Alright, so you might have a point there, but still, it's inappropriate."
"Huh?" Luffy blinked at her, bewildered. "What do you mean? Because you're a princess and I'm a pirate or something? You know, you're really dumb if you're so hung up on —"
"No!" she said forcefully, frowning at him. "I don't care about that at all. It's because of…"
Luffy stared at her, curiously and expectant, until something apparently occurred to him and he paled. "Oh no!" he blurted out, shocked and panicked, backing away a bit. "Don't tell me you're engaged to some slimy prince or something! I mean, you're a princess, and kings always give their daughter to really disgusting princes, and –"
"Luffy-san," Vivi tried with a small smile, but he was too caught up in his state of horror.
"— Oh my God, don't get married! Just wait 'till I'm Pirate King and then I'll come to –"
She would have loved to hear him say it, but it was maybe better to cut him off, "Luffy-san, I'm not engaged to anybody. My father's not like that, he'd definitely leave the choice up to me."
The captain blinked before he clasped a hand over his heart, giving a relieved grin, "Phew. Okay." He arched a brow at her, "But then, what's the problem?"
"Nami-san," Vivi said quietly.
Luffy's eyes widened in realization. "Oh…"
The princess looked down at the ground, playing with her fingers. "It's just not right to be doing something like that while our friend is sick. I'd just feel so horrible, you know? Being happy while she's in so much pain…"
He lowered his gaze, and then there was silence for a long, long time. Maybe Luffy felt ashamed, maybe he felt bad for forgetting about the situation for a while, Vivi didn't know. But what she did know was that she had never seen him looking so downhearted and sad. She looked at him insecurely, watching how he reached back to put his straw hat back on his messy hair and giving a small sigh. Vivi brought her hand up to touch his face in a comforting gesture, but Luffy caught her hand, gently pushing it away.
She bit her lower lip, feeling a sharp pain inside her. "Luffy-san…"
Luffy backed away from her, until he leaned back against the table. He had brought only a few steps between them, but it still felt to her like he was a galaxy away. She knew it was right to bring this up, to remind him of Nami's state and how she was suffering, but it pained her, being pushed away by him again after he finally opened up a bit. It just hurt, seeing him like this and not being able to help or do anything.
"I'm…" she whispered and she didn't even know why she was saying it. "I'm sorry."
Luffy gave a hollow laugh. "No, I'm sorry," he murmured, running a hand over his forehead with a desperate smile. "Jeez, you probably think I'm a rotten person, getting all lovey-dovey with you while Nami's sick."
"No," said Vivi, firmly and earnestly. "No, I don't. You… and I, too… we needed comfort."
"Yeah, but… but, Vivi," he looked up at her, smiling faintly, "I really didn't do it only for comfort. I'd never do something like that just to… you know."
The bluette smiled back. "I know. Me neither."
Luffy gave a half-hearted grin. "Yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head.
Vivi gazed at the ground, cracking a nervous grin. "Well, this is awkward."
"Yeah," Luffy said once more, laughing quietly.
"Yeah," Vivi echoed nervously.
"Thanks, Vivi."
She looked up in surprise, blinking at the captain. "For what?"
He offered her a smile so gentle that her knees almost melted. "I dunno. For everything. That I met you."
Vivi felt her cheeks heating up rapidly. It was the second time he had said this in just one night. "I should thank you, you know."
"No, don't," said Luffy, bashfully running a hand through his hair, his straw hat dangling from his neck once more. "I really needed you. I don't know why, but you make me forget about everything. When I'm with you, there's only you, and nothing else for me. I just feel like there's nothing impossible as long as I'm with you. Like I can talk to you about everything."
The princess offered a warm smile. "Maybe it's because we understand each other."
"Well, we're both leaders," Luffy said with a grin. "I guess you just know best what I'm going through right now, with Nami being so sick. How worried I am."
"And scared," Vivi whispered. He looked up in surprise and she smiled weakly. "I mean me. I'm kind of scared. I became really fond of you all and… if Nami-san… I'm just, just kind of scared."
The captain looked down, mumbling a very quiet, "Yeah, scared. Scared of losing her. Me too." Vivi watched him balling his fists so hard that the whiteness of his knuckles was showing. "But I won't let it happen. I'm gonna make sure she pulls through this. I'm not gonna allow her to die. It's not gonna happen. She's gotta live."
Again, there was a silence. A long one.
Until suddenly, he felt two delicate arms around his neck and the scent of Vivi's sweet fragrance tickling his nose. It was only then that he noticed he was trembling, with anger, with concern, with fear or with something different. He didn't know, but she calmed him down bit by bit, her warmth did. It was the moment that he knew, that he realized what she really meant to him.
She was his remedy. His remedy for everything.
Vivi pulled back a bit to look him in the eye, her smile so soft and warm, comforting, "She will live. I'll do everything I can to make sure she does."
"Yeah," Luffy murmured. "Me too."
"I know that being a leader is hard," she continued. "It's situations such as these that make you doubt yourself. But if you're the good captain I believe you are, you will find a way out of this. You know, I think this will make you grow, Luffy-san."
Luffy blinked weakly. "Really?"
Vivi nodded enthusiastically. "Sure. You'll definitely learn something from this. And who knows, maybe it'll make you an even better captain."
He gave her a grin. "You know, Vivi, you're really something. You're incredible," he said in all honesty, cupping her cheeks and leaning his forehead against hers. "Yup, you are."
She gazed up at him as much as she could, blushing at him being so close to her, but happy that he looked so relaxed; eyes closed, just breathing in out, and then there was that contented smile on his lips. He almost looked like he was sleeping, so adorable and… she knew it was wrong. It was wrong to do it now of all times, it wasn't fair to long for someone so bad while a nakama was sick, but she just couldn't pull herself together anymore.
So she brought her hands up to his face, leaning even closer with a whisper, "Sorry. I'm gonna be a rotten person now."
Luffy opened his eyes, gazing down at her with that expression that was so rare for him, full of seriousness. Vivi paused when he grabbed her hands, pulling them away from his face like he had before, but this time only so he could pull her closer. She practically fell into his arms, mouths crushing into each other in a hungry kiss, so fierce and desperate that it almost made her forget her own name and it left her feeling dizzy when he broke away for the sake of air.
He smiled warmly, pressing a soft kiss against her swollen lips. "We're not rotten, Vivi. We're worried and scared. And there's only us for comfort."
Vivi smiled back. "Let's go check on Nami-san."
"Yeah," he replied with a nod.
She turned to go and Luffy straightened up to follow her, but when she reached the door, he grabbed for hand to hold her back. Spinning around to him, her breath caught when he breathed a kiss to her forehead. And then, he flashed her a grin so bright that her heart felt all warm.
"I'm really glad you're here, Vivi."
And she, she just giggled, feeling home though she wasn't.
"I'm glad, too. Really, really glad."
end