Category: Mild Romantic Fluff
Characters: Monkey D. Luffy, Baby 5
Requested By: Wannabekurt (Ao3)
Baby awoke with a frightened gasp and her heart lurching in her chest with the phantom pain of being torn right out of her. Before her waking eyes, she could still see Doflamingo grinning deviously at her while her blood dripped from his hand that was holding her still-beating organ. Gasping for breath, her hands fisted the sweat-drenched sheets around her as she struggled to differentiate between her nightmare and the dark night of reality enveloping her. Her senses were confused with the fact that she could not see anything with it being nighttime, and for a few terrifying seconds, she really did believe that she was dying. It was only when Robin blearily asked her if she was all right that her mind was able to ground itself in the real world.
"Baby? You okay?" Robin repeated sluggishly. Baby's eyes had adjusted to the moonlit gloom then, and she stared owlishly at the black-haired woman as she rolled over in her bed to peer at her with bleary blue-purple eyes.
"Y-yes!" Baby stammered quickly. "Yes," she repeated and ran her hands through her wavy black hair, which was slicked to her scalp with a disgusting sheen of nervous sweat. "I'm all right. I was just getting up to get a drink of water and stumbled a little getting out! I toss and turn a lot, and I tend to tangle myself up in the sheets. I'm sorry for waking you!" she lied quickly. Robin's eyes glittered critically at her before she shrugged and rolled back over in her bed, body falling still as she drifted back into slumber. Baby 5 exhaled deeply, relieved she did not have to face an inquisition from the archaeologist, before peeling the wet sheets from her body and slipping out of her own bed. She might as well make good on the lie, after all, and it wasn't like she was going to be able to sleep for a while yet.
It had been several days since they had left Dressrosa, Doflamingo defeated and power returned to the ruling family. Baby was a nakama now and so the Straw Hats had no qualms about her continuing onward with them. At current, they were sailing towards Zou, where half of the crew had traveled to rendezvous with Law's own crew of pirates. Baby had of course participated in the battles to dethrone the Warlord, and it had been a very harrowing experience. Though she trusted Luffy and his companions with her life, the fear of death Doflamingo had placed with her had very, very deep roots. Though he was in the hands of the Marines and likely in the depths of Impel Down by now, Baby 5 had been plagued by nightmares ever since his takedown. Her subconscious had imagined all the gruesome ways possible he could murder her, and she didn't doubt that her wild imagination surely had several more options to explore. She shuddered as she walked down the dark halls of the interior of the Sunny. She wished these nightmares would end, but she had no earthly idea how to put her mind at ease. Simply telling herself that Doflamingo could no longer hurt her was apparently not nearly enough.
Baby 5 nearly jumped out of her skin as a door a few feet in front of her slung open and spilled bright yellow light out into the hallway. As if that wasn't bad enough, the tall, lanky form of Trafalgar Law came striding out, sipping at the last dregs of his coffee and presumably searching for more. Baby gulped as his golden-brown eyes locked on her form, disheveled and wandering around the ship in a flimsy nightgown that did little to protect her from the draft. Law had proven himself trustworthy by all means and she didn't have any worries of him betraying Luffy, but dammit, he still unnerved her with that critical gaze and potential to vivisect her on a whim if his mood was soured enough. Luffy would get mad at him for it, of course, but she didn't think that was more than a mild annoyance. Law in a bad mood was an unpredictable set of variables. Her fingers twiddled nervously as he continued to stand in the middle of the hall starkly outlined by the light, playing with the now-empty ceramic cup.
"It's unlike you to be awake at this time of night. Have the nightmares gotten that bad?" Baby twitched at how easily he was able to read right through her, like he had used his Scan. It wasn't hard to guys what she was thinking, with her mouth gaping open and her eyes blown wide; Law snorted and rolled his eyes at her completely stupefied expression. "Please, Baby, I've known you for years now, and on top of that, I'm probably the world's leading expert on nightmares," he grumbled. Baby's mouth snapped up to where her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't doubt that was true. Law had suffered more than most. With a heavy sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down the hall- dare she say, was he being bashful? "Luffy's on watch tonight," he said suddenly, and without saying more, he whirled on his heel to march down the hall in search of his bitter beverage. Baby 5 watched his gaunt figure turn the corner with a mixture of feelings. Law was many things, but "kind" was not one that she had ever associated with him. She had been remiss up until then.
Per Law's not-so-subtle hint at what she should do to seek comfort, Baby ascended the levels of the ship until she arrived at the crow's nest. As soon as her tousled head breached the barrier of the floor, Luffy was on his hands and knees scrambling over to her and practically sobbing.
"Oh, Baby, thank goodness you're here! I'm so bored I think I might die! Did you bring any meat? Any food at all? I'm starrrrrrving," he whined as he shoved his face into hers so forcefully that their noses bumped. Thank goodness for Baby's reflexes, because most people would screech in alarm and fall right back down the latter; thankfully, her instinct was to clamp down tight onto the rungs and freeze solid as her captain sprung on her like a man possessed. His eyes watered pitifully as he beseeched her, and she honestly felt bad for informing him that no, she did not bring him any food. "Dammiiiiiiiit!" he whined miserably and flung himself dramatically on his side in front of the small hatch Baby 5 was still perched in. "This is it. This is the end for me. I'm gonna starve."
Had it been the beginning of their journey together, Baby probably would have rushed down to the kitchen to procure him a midnight snack, but she had found that her insane need to help had diminished to a reasonable level. Besides, if she feared anything besides Law and Doflamingo, it sure as hell would be Sanji's wrath if he found out she was raiding his stores to satiate Luffy's endless appetite. Luffy watched her with a childish pout as she climbed the rest of the way through the hatch and gently pushed the door back into place before kneeling primly beside him. It was clear that she was not going to deliver him food so he ceased his excessive display and jolted back up into a sitting position, crossing his legs and holding onto his calves as he stared blankly at her. Baby was in her head struggling to decide how to broach the topic of her nightmares when his hands flew to her cheeks to thumb the dark circles under her eyes.
"L-Luffy," she stammered in surprise.
"Are you having nightmares, Baby?" he asked quietly. Her muscles tensed as for the second time in a very short span of time that she was effortlessly read like an open book. His thumb was calloused as it rhythmically traced the dark lines underscoring her weary eyes, but despite the rough skin, his touches were incredibly soft.
"Yes," she admitted meekly. There wasn't a point in lying and she had sought him out to specifically receive comfort anyway, but Baby felt embarrassed. Why was she the only one having nightmares? The battle with Doflamingo had been hell for everyone involved. If not the battle of Dressrosa, then surely there were things that haunted the Straw Hats too. It didn't seem that way, however. They charged headlong into everything and seemed to come out unscathed, at least mentally. Baby found frustrated tears bubbling up in her eyes. They bled into Luffy's fingers before rolling the rest of the way down her reddening cheeks. "F-forgive my weakness."
"Baby, you're not weak," he countered firmly. With a little pout, she peered at him through her lashes.
"Do you have nightmares?"
"I sure as hell do." The answer honestly surprised her. Luffy was so undaunted and brave; she just couldn't picture him having nightmares. There was no lie in his unyielding stare, though. "Having nightmares doesn't make you weak. Actually, if you get up and keep going despite your nightmares, I think that makes you pretty badass," he smiled brightly at her, sweeping his thumbs over her cheeks to wipe away the tears that were still leaking from her eyes. "It's okay to be scared sometimes. I get scared about certain things, but I just remind myself that I have my nakama, and they give me the courage to kick my nightmares' asses, yeah?" Baby 5 had to giggle at his completely botched execution of comforting her. Truly, Luffy was a unique guy. Her hands rose to wrap around his two that were cupping her cheeks.
"Thank you, Luffy. I feel better."
"Shishishishi! I'm glad!" he grinned brightly at her. Baby always thought that she may be blinded by the sheer intensity of his sunny smile, but she also found that she could never look away, wishing instead to be bathed in its illuminating magnificence. His toothy grin fell into the pleasant smile as he suddenly leaned forward to press a small kiss to the tip of her nose, and then he angled his head so that he could press another sweet, chaste one to her lips. He was still getting the hang of the whole "romantic" thing, but Baby was not one to begrudge his unique affections. They were a part of him, a part of him she loved just like everything else. When he pulled back, she hummed contentedly with eyes lidded with sleepy serenity. "Sleepy?" he laughed good-naturedly.
"Mhmm."
"C'mere! I'll keep you warm!" he beamed and threw his arms out wide on either side of him. Baby obediently crawled over to situate herself in his lap, and once she was settled, he wrapped his big, strong arms around her in a tight embrace while nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek. "Oh, I gotta keep lookin' out the window, though," he said. Baby would have gotten up so he could move, but there was no moving in his crushing hug. He made do by scooting across the floor until he reached his desired scouting spot. "Isn't the ocean pretty at night, Baby?" he asked against her ear as he propped his head comfortably against hers. Her thick black hair rubbed against his chin as she nodded in agreement. The waves were rolling calmly, stretching out endlessly on the horizon and sparkling as they caught the luminescence of the stars above. As she snuggled into him, he busied himself with tracing abstract patterns into the skin of her upper arm, trying to keep himself from growing bored, she supposed. "Hey, Baby?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm really glad you joined my crew."
"Me too, Luffy," she smiled as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, lulled into tired bliss by his body heat and slow, gentle breaths. For a guy as muscular as he was, he was also surprisingly soft. Baby's bed didn't come near as close to the level of comfort she was feeling then. Her eyes drifted shut as she abandoned herself to his presence. There, in the arms of the man she needed and who needed her, she found herself wafting into the most pleasant sleep she had ever experienced. With his strong arms wrapped tightly around her, no nightmare could even come close.
