Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Baby 5, Monkey D. Luffy

Requested By: Tastsumi (Ao3)

Cricket song mingled with the droning of soft snores in the fresh night air. The little insects chirped in the clumps of long grasses ringing the small jungle clearing in which Baby 5 and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates snoozed contentedly beneath the stars. Alas, Baby was not sleeping. Her dark eyes fixated on the forest canopy above, where the glimmering stars peeked through the dense network of interlocking branches and waxy leaves to spill dappled white light over her. She clicked her tongue and rolled onto her side, snuggling into the warm fabric of her sleeping bag. No, there was nothing for it; sleep would not find young Baby tonight. Sighing wistfully, she tossed the blankets off herself and rose, stretching her arms above her head and glancing around the clearing.

As it had turned out, the arrival to Zou had been an ordeal in itself. The resident Minks had been hostile at first, for they had suffered an attack by pirates, not a few days before the Sunny's landing. Then, Luffy and company had learned that their cook, Sanji, had been abducted by the Emperor Big Mom for a political wedding. They established a plan to send half of the crew onward to Wano, where they would infiltrate the populace alongside the Heart Pirates and gather information on their newest enemy, the Emperor Kaido. The other section of the crew would travel to Big Mom's territory to retrieve their absconded cook. Several of the Minks had even pledged themselves to their cause, which Baby thought very kind of them.

Since the night in the crow's nest, Baby 5 had not suffered any more nightmares. To be frank, she was a little surprised to be insomnious on this night; she had not given Doflamingo another passing thought. Yet, here Baby was, wide awake in the middle of the night. Perhaps I'll take a walk, she reasoned. The last late-night jaunt had ended particularly well, so possibly, her little stroll through the lush woods would result in similar luck. Baby retrieved her trusty bazooka, the only relic of her servitude in the Doflamingo syndicate, and then descended the well-worn path leading into the jungle.

The air was alive with the sounds of the lush wilderness. The cricket song was deafening along the path, for the clumpy grasses towered waist-high. Their wispy fronds kissed Baby's hips and thighs as she strolled down the slight bumpy incline, tickling her skin with their fluffy yellow-green fibers. Fireflies flitted between the thick tree trunks, flickering greeting at Baby as she passed. A tapir lumbered out into the open, its short, stout snout snuffling through the dirt and overturning rocks in search of grubs; Baby 5 politely waited for it to finish its business. The massive creature regarded her with bright, curious eyes and wiggled its short trunk at her before shambling off into the jungle whence it came. She squatted down to observe a troupe of army ants crossing the pathway, careful not to disrupt their march lest she find herself on the business end of their massive mandibles. The forest was very much awake around her, and so Baby 5 found herself even more restless in the throng of its activity.

With a forlorn sigh, she settled herself on a nice, flat rock. Resting her elbows on her knees and pushing her fists into her cheeks, she sulked about her infuriatingly restless mind. With half-lidded eyes, she traced the trail of a meandering stag beetle trundling over the layer of decomposing leaves. It dug its horns into the spongey soil to reveal wriggling white grubs and tiny scuttling roaches. Eat your fill, little stag beetle, she thought morosely. May sleep find you quickly… whenever bugs sleep.

Baby 5 groaned and hung her head between her knees, tearing her hands into her wavy black hair. Her eyes pulsed with their own heartbeat, clearly wishing to close to the night, but her mind was too busy buzzing with energy to allow that to happen. Could I be anxious? She wondered, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Whatever could I be worried about? She sat up on the rock, tapping her pursed lip with the pad of her index finger. If anyone had cause to be anxious, it would be Luffy, considering that one of his trusted comrades had essentially been kidnapped. Yet, the captain seemed cool as a cucumber, albeit a little miffed at the bold-as-brass transgression against this authority.

Baby 5 knitted her eyebrows together as a particular thought occurred to her. Is it possible that Luffy's reaction to the situation unnerved her, and she wondered if he was restraining his emotions for his comrades' sakes? It's as good an explanation as any.

Baby peered out into the gloom as a twig snapped, piercing the air like a gunshot. The cricket song dimmed as the wee insects investigated the incoming creature, and whether it be friend or foe. Baby craned her neck to peek around the bend in the pathway as the sound of crunching dirt loomed closer by the second. She raised an eyebrow when a pair of familiar sandals tromped into view, followed by a straw hat-wearing noiret who was smiling amiably.

"Oh! There you are, Baby," Luffy called cheerfully when he spotted her perching on the squat rock. He approached her nonchalantly, stopping to place his hands on his hips and gaze out into the night. The crickets had decided that Luffy was not interested in eating them and had begun sounding their cares with fervor. "It's a lovely night for a walk," he remarked, turning glittering black eyes on her. She flushed and fidgeted on the rock.

"Yes, I suppose it is…" His lips edged upwards into a smirk, and his eyebrows crept up.

"Having nightmares again?" he asked worriedly, stroking the pad of his thumb underneath her eyes just like he had done a few nights ago. She turned pink and shook her head vehemently, waving her hands in refusal.

"No, no! I promise I'm not," she insisted. Her hands fell into her lap with a small sigh. Luffy was there, so she might as well openly ponder the intricacies of her psyche. "Truthfully… I'm worried about you, Luffy." His eyebrows inched further up, touching the roots of his dark hair.

"Me? Why?"

"Well… Aren't you concerned about Sanji?" Baby 5's eyes widened when he clenched his jaw and glanced off into the distance once more. A silence settled between them as Luffy searched for his words. When he turned back to her, he gestured to the rock. Baby 5 obediently scooched over to allow him access to the stony perch, and with a long sigh, he eased himself down beside her. He rubbed his hands together slowly, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

"Yeah. I am, Baby," he admitted in a small voice after a few seconds. Baby 5 pressed closer to him and rested her arm on his bicep. She had never heard the sunny, optimistic boy so morose. He laced his fingers together and clenched them so hard that his knuckles glared white. She cooed his name and stroked his arm in an invitation to divulge his complicated feelings to her. "I didn't wanna say anything, because the others are really worried too… If I had my way, we'd be on Whole Cake Island right now, tearing every house apart lookin' for him, but… I know that's dumb. Big Mom is a whole different ball game." Baby 5's bottom lip wobbled. His lack of self-confidence broke her heart.

"Luffy, you'll get Sanji back. I know you will." He sighed forlornly and hung his head, staring miserably down at his clasped hands. She ran her hand from his shoulder down to his wrist, then forced her fingers in-between his so that she could lace theirs together. Baby gave him a robust and reassuring squeeze, making him peer at her out of his peripheral vision. "You're the strongest man I've ever known. Once you set your mind to something, there's no stopping you. Big Mom will rue the day she dared to cross you." A small smile curled onto his lips. He leaned forward to press his forehead against her own, and Baby 5 welcomed it, nestling into him. "Sanji needs you right now, and you're the type of man that will pull through, no matter the obstacles."

"Thanks, Baby," he said softly. She jumped when he suddenly tore away from her to spring from the rock. He flung his arms up into the air and screamed into the night, "Ya hear that, Big Mom? I'm coming to kick your ass! So stay right there so you can get what's comin' to ya, ya ugly old hag!" As his voice rippled through the forest, bouncing off the tree trunks and waxy leaves, the nightbirds and crickets silenced in awe. For several seconds after his enthusiastic yowling, it was eerily quiet. Finally, a lone owl decided to hoot back in admiration. "Ah, that felt good," Luffy exhaled exultantly. Baby 5 giggled. It was so remarkable how he could switch from depressed to determined in a mere instant.

"I'm glad I could make you feel better," Baby smiled as she stood from the rock. Luffy turned to her and opened an arm invitingly, and she immediately snuggled close to him. Rubbing the small of her back with his big, calloused hand, he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut as a big smile bloomed on her face. It always made her so happy to feel that she was needed. Although she no longer felt the compulsion to be necessary twenty-four hours a day, to be reminded of her necessity in someone's life was still gratifying. Luffy continued to nuzzle his nose into her coarse black hair, until a long, loud yawn split his face. He smacked his lips together and then tiredly mumbled into her scalp, "Le's go back to bed… I'm sleepy…"

Baby 5 chuckled and rubbed his chest soothingly, then nodded. He wrapped his arms tight around her body, insistent on cuddling as close as possible to the young woman, and so they began to awkwardly penguin-waddle back up the slope. "Baby…?"

"Yes, Luffy?"

"I'm gonna bring Sanji back. Jus' you watch." He sounded half-asleep as he walked, his voice drawling with exhaustion. "I'll meet up with all of you in Wano so we can kick Kaido's ass too…" Baby 5 hummed merrily and affectionately stroked his forearms as he tightened them around her.

"I know you will- because I need you, Luffy." He responded with a mumble that was half-gibberish. Baby 5 chuckled and continued to lug his heavy, sleep-deadened body up the path even as her own eyes began to droop with the onset of drowsiness.

I'll be waiting… because that is what is needed of me.