Hello, my lovelies!
I know it's been a little while and I apologize for that. Thanksgiving break ended and as soon as we came back, everyone pretty much entered 'OMFG FINALS' mode. Needless to say, it's been a bit of a rough month. But! Finals are done now and my semester is officially over. So, I figure it's the perfect time to update. To be honest I have been writing off and on for the entire month, so I do actually have things to post!
And holy fudge is it a lot of stuff. Prepare for a binge update, guys! To those of you who have my on author alert, I apologize in advance. To those of you who do not, and will therefore not receive and email notice of this, I have an announcement!
PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:From this point onward, I will NOT be posting anymore Wild!AU chapters in The Deepest of Ties. From now on, Wild!AU will be posted in it's own, SEPARATE story. So if you are interested, please go to my profile to find the story. It will still be titled Wild and I will be publishing it as soon as I finish posting this chapter and it will contain and update, so if you are interested, I encourage you to go read it because I will not be posting it here. I will also be posting two new One Piece stories as part of this binge update so feel free to check those out as well (Shameless self-advertising~).
Now.
On to other things.
This chapter was no pre-planned in anyway at all. It literally just popped into my head and I wrote it. It focuses on Luffy and his cuteness, so no Ace. Sorry. The first part takes place sometime while Vivi is on the ship (because I wanted to write her) and the second is sometime after Fishman Island (You can decide when). It's basically just a little headcanon chapter.
Characters: Luffy, Vivi, Nami, Robin, Sanji, mentions of Makino (because I love her)
Warnings: fluff of epicly poofy proportions, Luffy being perfectly adorable, Sanji being Sanji about women
Disclaimer: I live through finals...I think I'm just going to sleep now...after I update everything...I hope you people appreciate this (I kid, I kid, I love all of you.)
ONWARD!
~ Braid ~
In which the crew finds out how Luffy was taught to tie knots.
Vivi is sitting on the rear deck, leaning on the railing and watching the sea, when Luffy appears out of no where and plops down next to her. The princess startles, hand flying to her chest as she just barely manages to swallow back her scream of surprise.
"Luffy-san! You scared me!"
Luffy just chuckles and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Shishishishi! Sorry, Vivi!"
"It's fine," she says, "Was there something you wanted?"
Luffy doesn't say anything for a moment, just stares at her, expression blank. Vivi fights the urge to look away; Luffy's gaze can be extremely unnerving, almost like he's looking at you're very soul. He doesn't seem to realize it though and it never lasts long, but it still leaves an impression. It's uncomfortable in a sense, like he can see everything and nothing is hidden and that kind of exposure is scary even to the bravest of spirits. But at the same time, it's warm. Safe.
The princess is snapped from her thoughts when Luffy reaches out and gently takes a strand of her hair between his fingers. He stares at it for a moment before looking up at her. "You have long hair," he says bluntly.
Vivi blinks and raises an eyebrow. "Yes…?"
"Can I braid it?"
And Vivi stares because she was not expecting that at all. But Luffy is looking at her earnestly and she realizes that he really does want to. "Why?" she can't help but ask.
"Nami's hair is too short," he states matter of factly.
"Oh," she replies dumbly.
"So can I?"
"Uh, sure?"
Luffy grins and moves so he's behind her and with surprising gentleness, cards his fingers through her hair, dividing it carefully into sections. They sit in silence for a while, Vivi watching the sea and Luffy braiding her hair. It's actually very relaxing and it makes Vivi curious.
"Where did you learn to braid hair, Luffy-san?" she asks.
"Hmm? Oh, well sailors are supposed to know how to braid ropes together and make knots and stuff, right?" Vivi makes a noise of agreement. "Well, when I was little, I already knew that I wanted to sail on the sea, and I wanted to learn. But the docksmen wouldn't teach me cause I was so little and they wouldn't let me have any materials to practice on either. So Makino let me practice on her hair. She had really long hair before she cut it when I was seven."
"Makino?"
"Mmm. She owned a tavern in the village I grew up in. She looked after me a lot when I was little."
Vivi smiles at that. "So you like braiding hair?"
"Yeah!" he says, and she can hear the smile in his voice, "I wasn't very good at it at first. Braiding was really hard! But Makino never got mad when I messed up her hair."
"But you're better now, right?" she asks, unable to hid the tone of worry creeping into her voice.
Luffy laughs. "Yeah, I got better. Makino let me do her hair in the morning and let me practice whenever I felt like it. She really seemed to like when I did her hair. Don't know why though."
Vivi hums softly at the feel of his fingers in her hair. "It's because it feels good," she says.
"Huh?"
She lets out a small giggle at his confusion. "Has anyone ever run their fingers through your hair? Or just play with it?"
"Yeah…" he says slowly.
"And how did it feel?"
"Nice," he says simply, "It made me sleepy."
"When you braid hair it feels like that," Vivi states.
"Oh."
Vivi smiles as they lapse into silence again and she relaxes, letting her mind wonder. She isn't sure how much time has passed but she's pulled back to reality when Luffy removes his hands from her hair.
"Done!" he chirps.
She automatically brings a hand to hair and is surprised by the intricate patterns she feels. Luffy grins and pulls her over to the nearest porthole so that she can look at her reflection. Her top layer of hair has been braided around her head in a crown and then pulled into a delicate knot at the base of her neck like a ponytail held in place by a series of thin braids that look almost like a net. Vivi is impressed.
"Luffy-san, this is amazing!"
The young captain just laughs. "Thanks for letting me practice," he says with a grin, "I haven't been able to since I left home."
Vivi returns his smile. "I'm glad I could help."
Nami is annoyed. Luffy has been staring at her, or more specifically, her hair, for what seems like hours. He has been unusually silent, sitting on the rail, just watching her. She and Robin are out on the deck, reclining in law chairs, Robin reading a novel, Nami reading the paper. It takes her a few minutes to notice her captain's stare, but when she does the frustration is quick to build.
"Luffy!" she finally snaps.
The rubber man blinks. "Yeah?"
"Why are you staring at me?"
"Huh?" he says, tilting his head to the side, confusion clear on his face. Nami hears Robin giggle softly next to her. "I was staring?"
"Yes!" Nami exclaims, exasperated.
"Oh," is the short response, "I was just thinking that your hair got really long."
Now it's Nami's turn to look confused, her annoyance melting away to curiosity. "So?"
Luffy just shrugs, an easy grin on his lips. "Nothing. It looks pretty."
Nami blinks. "Uh…thanks," she says slowly, not quite sure what to make of the situation. Luffy has never complemented anyone of their looks in terms of beauty. And yet her he is telling her her hair is pretty. She isn't really sure how she's supposed to react.
"Can I braid it?"
Luffy's sudden question snaps her from her thoughts. Her brow furrows. "Braid it?" she asks.
"Mm. Your hair. Can I braid it?" Luffy asks again, that same easy grin never once leaving his face.
Nami exchanges looks with Robin, who looks equal parts amused and intrigued. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nami remembers a conversation she had with Vivi during her stay on the ship all that time ago. One day, her hair had been beautifully done and all she would say about it was that their captain was far more gifted than he let on. After a moment of thought, Nami scoots forward in her chair and gives a short nod.
"Alright," she says, "But if you mess up my hair, I'm throwing you overboard."
Luffy beams. "Okay!" he says, bounding across the deck and sliding in place behind her.
Carefully, as he has so many times before, he separates the hair into sections, fingers surprisingly nimble. Nami finds herself relaxing under his hands and Robin watches with curiosity, her book laying forgotten in her lap. They stay like that for a while, Luffy braiding in an almost trance-like state, Nami relaxing and reading her paper, and Robin watching them both with a small, curious smile.
"Where did you learn to braid, Luffy?" Robin asks eventually.
Luffy blinks, turning to Robin briefly before answering with a small smile. "Makino," he says.
Robin just grins, remembering that night in the crow's nest and the dance that had been shared, and picks up her book to continue reading.
"Who's Makino?" Nami asks. Because she has not heard any stories and therefore does not know.
"Makino owned a tavern on the island I grew up on," the Angel answers matter of factly.
Nami raises an eyebrow. "And she taught you to braid hair?"
"Mm! A sailor needs to know how to braid ropes and stuff so Makino let me practice on her hair," the captain says with a grin, fingers moving absently as he talks, "She used to have really long hair, all the way down to her waist!"
Nami can't help the smile that spreads across her lips and Robin chuckles softly. Luffy is always animated when he speaks, but this time, there's a certain softness with it. Something that comes from home.
The moment doesn't last long, however when Sanji come out on deck carrying drinks that he's made especially for his Nami-swan and Robin-chwan.
"Naaaaaaaami-swan~! Roooooobin-chwan~!" he calls, twirling while carrying a tray in his hand and somehow not managing to spill a single drop, "I've made you some – LUFFY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO NAMI-SWAN, YOU SHITTY CAPTAIN?!"
Robin's hands sprout from the deck and catch Sanji's ankles before he can attempt to kick the rubber man, who just stares at his fuming cook blankly, fingers moving steadily all the while.
"I'm braiding Nami's hair," he says simply.
Nami sighs. "Honestly, Sanji-kun, he's not doing anything wrong. He asked and I gave him permission."
"I would braid Nami-swan's hair everyday if she so desired!" Sanji exclaims, hearts in his eyes.
"Yes, yes," she says dismissively, "I'm sure you would."
Robin covers her mouth with her hand in an attempt to muffle her delicate laughter. All the while, Luffy keeps braiding. When he reaches the end he frowns a bit and leans over Nami's shoulder, cutting across Sanji's flirting.
"Na, Nami, do you have a hair tie?"
"Hm? Oh. Of course," she says, slipping the tie off her wrist and handing it over her shoulder.
Luffy takes it with a grin. "Shishishi! Thanks, Nami!" He ties off the braid and sits back to examine his work. Nami's hair has been done up neatly in a simple fishtail braid. Upon closer inspection, however, it's clear that a few of the strands making up the braid have been braided themselves.
Nami's hands trail over her hair, gently fingering the braid. Sanji is bending over to look at it. Both look impressed.
"This is incredible, Luffy," Nami says, amazed.
"Nami-swan looks so pretty with her hair in a braid," Sanji gushes.
Luffy just smiles and turns to look at Robin. The older woman scoots forward on her lawn chair with a chuckle. The Angel beams at his archeologist and takes the silent invitation, slipping into the lawn chair behind her.
"So Makino taught you how to braid?" Robin asks, picking up the previous conversation thread as Luffy starts combing his fingers through her dark hair.
"Yeah! She kept it long for a while, but then cut it when I turned seven cause it kept getting in the way," he says, "It was too short to braid then, but Makino still looked pretty. She's even prettier than Robin and Nami!"
"Oi!" Sanji exclaims, frowning, "Nami-swan and Robin-chwan are perfect angels! They are beautiful!"
Nami sighs and rolls her eyes while Robin just smiles.
Luffy blinks. "Well of course they are," he says, surprising them, "Nami is prettiest when she smiles, cause happiness looks best on her. And Robin is prettiest when she talks about history and stuff, cause it makes her look alive, ya know?" And Robin is surprised to find herself blinking in shock and fighting the slight flush rising in her cheeks at the sincerity in her captain's voice. Nami is staring at Luffy, cheeks red, and Sanji has been stunned into silence, surprised that his idiot of a captain can complement a woman so thoroughly without even trying. "But Makino is still prettier because she's Makino," Luffy continues.
"And why is that?" Robin asks when it appears the other two are still trying to recover from his earlier comment.
"Hmm?" Luffy tilts his head to the side, hands stilling for a moment as his eyes cloud over in thought. "Makino is pretty because…because she's warm," he decides, lips spreading into a nostalgic grin. It is by far one of the softest, gentlest expressions they've ever seen on his face before. "She's like a light in the dark, ya know? Gramps wasn't around a lot when I was little causea marine stuff, but Makino was always there when I needed her. Gramps was all I had when I was little; I didn't have any parents. But I think Makino is what a mom is like. Or maybe a big sister. She's that kinda warm."
And they smile then, finally understanding just who this woman is to their captain.
"She sounds like a lovely woman," Sanji says with a small smile, taking a drag of his cigarette.
Luffy giggles. "Shishishi! Yeah! She let me eat in her tavern all the time! Her cooking isn't as good as Sanji's, but it's still really good!" He pauses, as he just remembered something and looks over to Nami. "Oh yeah! Nami! We need to set aside some treasure for Makino!"
Nami blinks at the sudden exclamation. "Huh? Why?"
"Cause I promised Makino I would pay her back for all the meals she fed me when I became a pirate and got lots of treasure!" the rubber teen exclaims.
"Oh? Does this mean we're going to meet her at some point?" Robin asks.
"Yeah! She'd love to meet all of you!" Luffy says, resuming braiding Robin's hair.
The young captain then proceeds to tell them exactly how Makino will greet all of them. At some point, the rest of the crew wanders over and they all listen to their captain tell stories about one of the woman who helped raise the future Pirate King.
So there you have it. Nice little fluffy thing about Luffy. I seriously cannot even remember how I thought of this. But I hope you like it! Thoughts?
Until next time,
~Elri
