The Singer's Secret
Hey guys
So let's start with my appretiation for the reviews, it meant a lot to me so Thank You ! :*
Plus I just knew you'd think Hancock was a vampire.. hehe, I just waned to traumatize him, but not make him -let's call it- 'unclean' by doing that and it was my best idea for making it dramatic.
Well, here's the new chappy, have fun :3
Disclaimer is still on the first page.
Chapter 7 - It's Complicating...
The whole story telling took a lot out of him, he was beyond tired. The emotions didn't decrease during the years, better say, he was more capable of handling them, but to 'relive' the whole thing took a toll on him. He cried his eyes out, he didn't even notice it, but after, well… sure, the memories hurt, but at the same time, the strength to share his experience lifted his spirit even if he didn't notice it. He just felt like some of his burden was lifted of off him, or let's say, it was shared with someone, resulting him feeling better than years.
He only felt this free when he was singing, when there was nothing else just him and his music.
They sat in one place for a while now in a complete silence just thinking when suddenly Nami, before any movement wiped the salty water of off her face, she had to be stronger than this, he needed her. So, she stood up and hold out her hand. He looked at it like he never saw a hand before, innocently tilting his head too.
She saw his incomprehension so bent down a grabbed his hand, pulling him up with the momentum. He was following her whole movement with curious eyes, all the way till he was standing before her, never saying a word.
She took in his red, puffy eyes, his tear stringed cheeks, his unruly hair, which became more rugged while he was telling her the story and tugging his hair to keep occupied his hands somehow. It was his habit he developed during the years, whenever he feels anxious, he starts tugging or brushing trough his hair.
She was speechless for a minute with his innocent but at the same time sexy appearance. He's handsome, no objection, but with this vulnerable presence, he's just something else. So, when a light blush coated her cheeks, she immediately turned her head slightly and coughed to distract his attraction, while hoping he didn't notice it in the dim light.
After gaining some control over her flush, she turned back and was about to say something, but she saw he was so tired after this whole emotional rollercoaster he went through the day that he was swaying and barely standing straight, she lifted his hand and placed it around her neck, so she could help him walk until they got to his house.
He lifted his slightly dropped head to glance at her, but didn't say anything nor protested against her help. His brain was probably too tired to even comprehend what was happening. So, they started walking on the dark street to their destination.
XYZ
Sanji woke early, he usually made their food, including breakfast and he's an early bird anyway. He stepped out of his room, going across the smaller corridor which connected the boys' room to the living room, where an American-styled kitchen waited him, meaning the kitchen and the living room was connected, well, better say they weren't separated from each other.
He was heading for the fridge, when he heard a sound from the couch. After turning around, he saw an orange haired beauty sleeping soundly in their living room. He almost dropped the pan from the shock. He was frozen like a statue, didn't even move as Usopp and Zoro not soon after came out of their rooms too and were waving a hand in front of him.
The two looked at the direction Sanji was gazing so fiercely, but they stopped too, as they saw the lady on their furniture.
She stirred, started scratching her head with one hand and rubbing her eye with the other before she stretched them above her head. Yesterday was a tiringly full day, so it's not so surprising she slept well. She blinked her eyes open to come face to face with three guys staring at her. She looked up at them.
The guy during this whole introduction just tilted their head at the same time at the same direction, imaginary question marks above their heads.
Finally registering the brothers in front of her, her eyes sharply widened. The situation realization resulted her trying to stand up of the couch, but her legs were tangled in the blanket on her, so she fell off it, with a loud band at the fall and a quick shriek during it.
More question mars appeared above their heads while they tilted their head in the other direction, still wondering on the same question. She'd have laughed at their comical scene if she wasn't so embarrassed right now.
Looking around and recovering of her earlier embarrassment, she looked around and realized she was in her new friends' house. Thinking about the reason, the event from last night evaded her mind.
The talk with Luffy was a real eye opener, she admired him even tho it has a hard influence on his life, he still trying to be strong. Every song he made makes so much more sense, so much more meaning, that it's really admirable.
Her sudden staring into nothingness woke the guys out of their trance. She had a soft smile and her lips while her eyes showed adoration, but at the same time sadness too. She thought that Luffy never should have that kind of experience, so it was saddening.
Usopp spoke for all of them when he asked what was she doing here. She didn't say anything, only looking up at them from her seat on the floor. The way Luffy was struggling yesterday and since they know each other finally broke the girl.
First just a single tear drop dropped from her eye, lips sightly trembling, but not soon after the waterworks began -not a full-fledged sobbing party, but she couldn't stop her tears flowing. The boys watched her break down before them and they were uselessly powerless to stop or help it. When she looked at the direction Luffy's room, concretely his door –was the moment the guys lost every idea they had about the matter.
All of a sudden, she looked back at them, her eyes stopped on Zoro before she spoke.
"Now I understand everything, but to think something that terrible'd happened to him is just so wrong. I can understand why he couldn't comprehend it all, even after all this time." And after saying it, she looked back to the door.
The three brothers almost gagged at that, but nothing sudden conclusion ever did any good in their favor so Zoro tried to figure out what was she talking about. Maybe it was completely about a different thing, no need for unnecessary predictions. His brother's case a complicated one, only a few people knows about the incident, it's not possible for her to know if none of them tol—. His train of thought halted as she continued.
"Luffy told me about it. About the… occurrence he had, when he was fifteen."
That one information made the brothers lose their breaths, jaws wide open, gaping at her like fishes. Luffy never, not even in thought brought that up and he told her!? The only one, who heard the story from him was Zoro on that particular day in the hospital, he refused to let the story leave his mouth if he didn't absolutely have to.
So, why on earth did he do it again? What was that girl doing to him?
"So-o, uhmm.. he-e told yo-u?" Usopp asked in a weak voice, stuttering the whole time. She nodded once, before telling them the events from yesterday.
She told them about the girl, the yet another panic attack, their talk in the park and that he was so tired she had to drag him almost all the way before they got back, and she was tired too, so she decided she'd stay for the night, it was late anyway.
The guys felt a little bad for bailing on him, but his sudden talkative-self to her made them quite irritated. Usopp took upon himself to continue the conversation.
"He never talks about it. Only Zoro was told by Luffy on that day, but never again, not even to us." He angled his movements to indicate to himself and Sanji.
"I'm glad he was able to tell his story, but…" His sentence trailed off, not wanting to be mean m, because it was a big improvement form Luffy, but he wasn't able to tell them, so it's at the same time a little insulting.
The awkward moment alerted Sanji about the girl still sitting on the floor, thus being a gentleman, he helped her up and offer her to have the breakfast with them, since she was their guest after all.
Usopp walked to Luffy's door, knocked on it, waiting for an answer. Since he didn't get one, not even after his second try he opened door slowly.
The room was dark, the only light came through the open door directly at him on the bed. He was at the edge of the mattress, his right hand fell off at one point the night, hanging limply. His head was almost at the point to falling off too, drool was coming out of his mouth as it way slightly open, but he wasn't snoring. He must've been really knock out yesterday if he didn't made sound in his sleep at all.
Usopp closed the door lightly, but it looked like nothing could've wake him up at this point, well, so it seemed. They had breakfast together, then said their goodbyes to Nami.
XYZ
At about one in the afternoon, the door to Luffy's room creaked open and a zombie looking Luffy stepped out. His hair was disheveled, bangs were under his eyes, skin paler then it should've been. He slowly crawled to the dining table, slumped on his chair and bumped his head on the table when he let it fall to rest his forehead on it.
With cracking voice, he managed to say 'food', once he managed to gather enough saliva in his dried-out mouth. The hoarse voice wasn't unusual, the day after one concert, but it never got this bad, this deep and hurting. Plus, he's not offer this demanding, but his headache nor his tiredness did nothing to help his mood.
Sanji did his work, put together some light meal for him, while the others sat on their respective seats at the table. Sanji put the food next to him and sat down too.
Luffy lifted his head, but just enough that now he wasn't relying on his brow, but on his chin. That's when he noticed they were staring at him. Quickening a brow at that, he asked 'what', but they didn't say anything.
Zoro tried to avoid the topic, when suddenly Sanji lost his temper and shouted out angrily his question.
"Why did you tell her?" It was strange for Sanji to snap so suddenly, but it bothered both Usopp and him, that he couldn't tell them. Usopp was eagerly nodding, indicating his agreement with Sanji, while Zoro just face-palmed, he knew all too well, l what was gonna happen now.
Luffy lazily just shrugged with his right shoulder, then placed his head back at its first position since he was sitting here. His headache was killing him, he didn't want to deal with his brothers right now.
"Felt like it." He continues his explanation, voice still cracky and hollow but his disinterest clearly audible. His answer wasn't a lie, it was just more complicated than that and he really wasn't in the mood to comment that.
A tick appeared on the questioners' head and they both simultaneously shouted —What's that supposed to mean?— while sharply standing up.
"You couldn't talk about it to anyone, not even to us and now you just felt like it?!" Now Usopp spoke, still shouting at the deflated Luffy on the other side of the table.
"What the fuck it so special in that chick, who we just met about a month or two ago, that immediately felt the need to talk about that particular event!?" Sanji was a gentleman and he'd —in any other situation— scold them for talking about a girl and cursing in the same sentence, but he was drop-dead furious about this. Whenever they tried to talk about it, Luffy'd just without a word walk away in the other direction or simply turn them off and avoiding the topic, throw in random questions right after they bought it up.
Zoro still face palming and shook his head disappointedly at them. Luffy straightened up, looked at Sanji and Usopp and without a word stood up, grabbed his plate of food, then went back into his room, a loud bang followed as the door closed. He wasn't mad a them, just so tired and their shouting didn't help his headache either.
Zoro was leaning against the kitchen counter. It's exactly the distance he needed to net get involved in their discussion, but close enough to see what's happening. He pushed away from his spot, walked behind the two idiots and at the same time punched them on the head.
The two didn't say anything, too stunned to apprehend the occurrences from minutes ago.
"You dumbasses, it doesn't matter if he tells us or Shanks or anyone else, as long as he talks about it, lets his frustration out, 'cuz you know, that the most dangerous part in his problem is that he bottles up his emotions and what you idiots just did is the exact thing, to push him away and not open to us." Zoro narrowed his eyes at them.
"I'm worried too, you know! But at least I won't confront him about it this openly like you did!" He grumbled a few more cursing under his breath as he made his way towards Luffy's room. He had to make right what the dumbasses did.
Standing before the door, he knocked, but it was a warning of his approach, rather than being an actual question about his request to enter, because he stepped in as soon as he finished knocking.
Inside the room he found Luffy laying on his bed, on his side, facing the opposite direction of the door. He was trying to pretend his was sleeping, well, he was almost there, but he never could fall into sleep when he was troubled, when thought was running through his mind uncontrollably.
"I know you're awake." Zoro stated, already knowing him well enough to know what he's doing, plus knowing, that Zoro knows, what he's doing. The older one leaned against the closed door behind him, giving Luffy his space to process.
"So, are you gonna tell why were you so -let's just say- talkative with her?" Hearing him question this made Luffy flinch, finally giving away himself completely about his awareness.
"I-I am… umm.. I don't know?" Luffy answered in a weak voice, finishing it as a question. Zoro patiently waited for him to continue or find out about his cause.
"I really don't know, honest! I just… she asked it and I told her. I don't really know why tho. There's something about her… I-I really don't know!" He was rambling things out know, his distress about the girl clearly showing.
"But anyway," -here Luffy turned around to face him- "don't worry about it! No harm done!" Luffy brightened up and sported his sleepy, but reassuring smile to him Zoro nodded, acknowledging this as he visibly calmed down.
"So, you gonna forgive the two idiots outside?" Zoro asked as an aftermath with a small chuckle.
Luffy, half back at sleeping, hummed to sign something, before he finally fell into a deep sleep again.
XYZ
After the confrontation, the guys and Nami became even greater friends. They often went out to have fun, eat out in different food places, had movie or game nights.
But what stood out the most, what Luffy's and Nami's friendship's growing. They often spent time together, just the two of them.
But if you closely watched, you could see tiny occurrences, that showed how much closer they became. The liberation between them, like when the play games in group and them one of the teams and after a successful strike-goal-etc. they always hug. Or when they walk on the street, sometimes their arms brush together, but they didn't even notice it. No awkward moment and it's getting better day-by-day.
They'd always sit next to each other, even unconsciously. Nami always accompanied them on their show or just for simple music try-out's.
In the next show, the audience voted, that the participants have to wear some kind of costume. The day before the show, Luffy got a call from the dressers, that something was wrong with his costume, so he had to go and re-try it immediately.
He never did good at the dressers, not even when his brothers were in the room, keeping him sane, but now, they went to check out their instrument, so tomorrow won't be any itch, at least not with these.
That's how Luffy's last resort was to call their new friend. He needed someone he trusts by his side; the dressers tend to get too close for his comfort. Lucky him, Nami was eager to go with him, she was bugging them about their costumes, but the brothers made an agreement to not to tell her, because it was fun watching her 'suffer', she was too curious for her own good. They met at the entrance of the studio.
Nami and Luffy walked the long corridors of the studio building, it was quite easy to get lost in here in the lingering, wide corridors. As they were getting closer, Nami noticed Luffy was getting slower, his color started to leave him, his anxiousness was taking over however hard he tried to show off like he wasn't afraid. So, she just grabbed his left hand with her right one.
The physical contact usually wouldn't work on him, but she observed him a few times after they touched somehow, let it be a bug, a congratulating hand shake and etc. She saw he was comfortable enough with her now, so in this situation it could reassure him, that his not alone. She tried to help and if he needs this than she perfectly fine with it.
The tailor greeted them, in his hands already a few set of clothes, so they got to it right away. Mostly because the tailor pushed him to the cornered area -where he could change clothes privately- with the first costume.
Their theme was pirates and obviously the lead-singer would be the captain among them.
He came out a few times, to show them the chosen set, but none were quite the one, they were looking for. Nami wondered around the clothes around them, keeping a safe distance so Luffy could always look up and saw her.
A few rounds of clothing, the tailor was starting to lose his cool. Nothing seemed good enough. Sometimes the color or the size, or the pattern. There was one outfit, which was almost fine, but it wasn't giving that bang, they were waiting. A pirate captain somehow should stand out. The tailor went out to have a smoke and calm his nerves plus think through things.
Nami came back from her round around the place and saw as Luffy was struggling to pull off his shirt from his latest set, but it stucked around his head. He was trashing, side-to-side as he tried to pull it off, but to no avail. No wonder he was eager to get it off, it was painfully smaller, than what they call comfortable.
He bent down, then back, then turn a little and repeat it. She would've laughed at the scene, but the breath left her as she saw his torso. She didn't want to check him out, but her eyes just stuck, just as his shirt. The whole moving scene made it more visible as every muscle in his body were moving.
She slapped her hand on her mouth before she started drooling too and averted her eyes as her blush made her face look like a tomato. She was flustered, more than she was comfortable to admit, 'Just 'cuz he has a nice… build-up, it doesn't mean you have to act like some kind of school girl on a cookie day.'
After getting herself together, she asked him if he needed help. When Luffy heard she was close by he froze. Admitting defeat against a stupid shirt, when he let his arms fall down to his sides, limply and muttering a quiet 'jeah..' was the moment she finally laughed out.
She went closer to him and pealed the shirt of off his head. Nami noticed a pale, a faintly noticeable mark on his neck and without thinking she asked what it was.
He frozen in place, his breathing became uneven and labored. She wanted to slap herself on the face for being so careless. She knew exactly what that mark was. She was standing behind him when she asked it, so she didn't see his troubled face yet.
She had to distract him before a full on scale panic attack could develop. So, Nami rushed before him, grabbed him by the shoulders and with a little shake, she drew his attention in her.
"When I was walking around, I saw a few clothes that might look good on you for the show!" She formed her words clearly, but was speaking a little louder than usual to get the information through him. When he finally nodded one, she let out a breath, she didn't even know was holding. His breathing's yet to go back to average, but other than that, he seemed fine, so she rushed off, stopping a few times to fish out the clothing she saw before, and thought would look good together.
When the tailor came back, he saw Luffy fully clothed and it fit the captain image perfectly. He measured around him a few things to make it even perfect, but it was finally almost finished, and it made everyone relieved in the room.
XYZ
Later that night, the guys found Luffy lounging on the couch when they got home, headset on as he was writing in his scared notebook. A stupid grin sporting his features as he wrote.
Usopp went closer to him to greet, because he didn't notice them. He was about to touch his shoulder, when Luffy suddenly started to get up, but tripped on his own foot and fell face-first on the floor. Luffy started laughing so hard, that tears were threatening to come when he finally saw and greeted them, but his laughing never decreased. The guys looked at him strangely. Feeling their question marks forming above his best friends' head, Luffy told them he was fine, strangely fine and relieved, for the past few weeks now.
Zoro, Sanji and Usopp just shook their heads, but cracking a smile themselves notheness.
Luffy got himself of off the door, grabbed his notebook and handed it to them opened on a particular page. It was their song for tomorrow's show, with little changer here-and-there in the lyrics, in the rhythm and in some of their part of the sounding, nothing they couldn't adapt, but it's quite the last-minute change, if we've ever seen one. They looked up at Luffy as he was scratching his head, embarrassed with their staring.
"Ok! Ok, I know it's a little different, but I had to change it, the words just came and it so much better this way!" Luffy tried to explain himself, he started rambling, but the others just smirked at him.
Luffy couldn't comprehend their stared, seized his notebook back from Zoro and jumped back to his previous place on the couch, headset already set firmly on his head as he started his brainstorming.
The three brothers just laughed out at Luffy's antics, the guy was as impossible as time travel through wormholes.
To be continued...
I hope you liked it!
It had more fluff parts than any before, but no worries, it won't stop now :P
See ya till next time~