One Piece Goda belongs to. Author's notes bottom at.
Chapter Titles The Beatles belongs to.
I'm back, beetches!
Chapter Nineteen
Golden Slumbers
It was the mini Den Den Mushi that had woken Robin up the next morning. Garp had called — under Dadan's request, or so he claimed — to supposedly ask for Sabo and Koala's whereabouts. They were not answering their Den Den Mushis since they have left Ivankov last night at the bar, and since today is wedding day, having both the bride and the groom missing would make one hell of a historical wedding. Perhaps they have decided to elope elsewhere, but the idea of eloping itself would be pointless.
Robin told him that she would go check on them at their hotel, because what else should she tell him?
She got out of bed impossibly flawlessly, and went to brush her teeth and wash her face. It was about seven in the morning, and when she got out of the bedroom she shared with Nami, she was already in her pair of denim jeans and a loose white button up shirt. The house was unusually less cheery as expected, in absence of Luffy and Nami. Franky and Brook might still be sleeping. Sanji was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, with little Chopper excitedly anticipating breakfast on the kitchen table. The two were discussing cute cheesy wedding things, and Robin found it adorable.
"Oh, Robin-chwan! Good morning!" Sanji greeted, stirring scrambled eggs in his frying pan.
"Good morning, Sanji," Robin repiled, and tied her hair up into a messy bun. She grabbed a piece of toast on the table and poured herself a cup of coffee. Caffeine smelled so good. Koala and Sabo might be missing, but if coffee was the one missing, Robin had a feeling that she would get crankier. "Did Luffy and Nami come home last night?"
Sanji shook his head, but it didn't seem to bother him that Nami didn't come home. "I bet she's with Koala anyway. Ah, can't wait to see her in her bridesmaid dress! She'd look so fine—"
"Hmm." She sipped her coffee, but it was too hot to be rushed down her throat, so she decided to abandon it. "I'm going to the hotel for a bit."
"Don't you want breakfast, Robin-chwan?"
"I suppose I could have breakfast with the girls," she said.
"No, no, wait." Quickly, he grabbed several tupperwares and placed a handful of ham-and-cheese sandwiches, potato salad and scrambled eggs. The blonde cook arranged those tupperwares neatly into a paper bag, and held them out to Robin. "Take these, eat them with Nami-swan and Koala-chan!"
Robin thanked him sweetly.
"No one skips breakfast under my watch," Sanji winked.
"Cooks," Robin scoffed. "See you later at the wedding, Sanji. You too, Chopper." Robin bent down, and kissed the little reindeer lightly on his antler.
It made him feel like Robin was his mother.
Outside the front door, she found Zoro, who stood by the gate with a recognizable pink parasol in his hand. He looked confused as he turned his head left and right, scratching his head groggily. He seemed out of place with the parasol, but it also looked like a fourth sword in his hands — doesn't matter if it's pink.
"Zoro," Robin called. She thought it was going to be awkward, but she felt surprisingly natural. The green-haired swordsman turned towards her with no reply, only observing her as she came closer. "Are you going somewhere?"
He nodded. "That brat left her umbrella, so I wanna go return it. But I don't know where did she go."
Robin rolled her eyes. Dear Lord, give this man a GPS. "Brat is such an uncommon name. Perhaps you could return it to her the next time you see her, no?"
"I suppose," Zoro said, "she's going to be at the wedding, anyway. She's the bass player for tonight's live band."
"Bass player? Interesting."
Zoro shrugged. "I have no idea what shit she had gotten herself into. I'd never thought she'd pick up a musical career, heh."
Robin recognized a tone of affection as Zoro spoke. She suddenly felt like a butcher's knife had dropped into the pits of her stomach, but perhaps it was just her mind playing with her. "I... have to go," she said, proceeding to step out of the gate before Zoro caught her arm.
"You're going where?"
"I have things to settle."
"What things?"
"You're just being unusually nosey," she commented, and yanked her arm away from Zoro's grip. She had to admit, that was unusual too. She never had to yank her arm away from anyone not evil.
"I asked because I wanna know," Zoro replied, half-irritated. "I worry about you cos you're my nakama."
"Nakama," Robin repeated. "That's right. We're nothing more than nakamas."
Zoro paused, he felt like he had said something wrong, but he didn't know what. Woman are such complicated beings, especially someone as mysterious as the one standing before him. "Fine, then. Nakamas, like the way you wanted it. No more sleeping around and shit, you and me."
Robin gave out a little gasp. "F-fine," she finally said, "we're through." Robin stormed off, trying to contain her sudden anger. Maybe it was disrespect that she was angry about? Maybe. That would be it.
From the front door of their guesthouse, Chopper was sobbing. "So this is what it felt like, watching your parents fight," he said in between ugly sobs, rendering a clueless Sanji to yell out a confused 'eh'.
Nami was hugging something when she woke up from her deep slumber.
The hotel bed was too cosy to get out of, and she felt as if she had sank into a sheet of cotton clouds. She felt herself tangling the heavy white comforter under her long legs. It was cold, but the only thing that kept her warm is the red shirt she was wearing to sleep the night before. The morning sunlight splayed into the room, and it was unfortunately too bright for her. She wished she had some magical telekinesis power to draw the curtains without having to leave the bed. She had forgotten that they were watching the star-scattered night sky from the window before they finally fell asleep on the bed...
Nami's eyes went from half-lidded to entirely wide. She found herself tangled with her captain, their bare legs interlocked and his arms over her as if he had pulled her into an embrace in his sleep. His fingers were tangled in her fiery orange hair, and her hands were awkwardly on his waist. They had fallen asleep side by side, but they seem to ended up like a pair of husband and wife on a honeymoon.
She blushed at that thought.
Well, this is awkward.
Nami pulled her hands slowly away, and tried to escape her legs, but that was the best she could do. Her body was locked down, and there was no way she could have roll away or slide down. She couldn't even face him — all she could do now was stare at his chest and wait until he wakes up. If he could wake up.
"Luffy," Nami called, trying to shake him as she pushed his chest.
Luffy groaned in response, but pulled her closer. She gasped and held her breath. The warmth of his body was enveloping hers in the most comforting way she could ever imagined, that she somehow didn't feel like leaving. She could feel his chest rose and fell, and she could feel him breathing into her hair. She could feel his skin colliding with hers, and she could feel the weight of his arms on her shoulders. She could feel his heartbeat.
She blushed even harder, she swore she could fry an egg on her cheeks.
Nami braved herself to slap Luffy's chest lightly, because well, with her hands locked like that, it was the only thing she could do. "Luffy!"
"Whaaaaaat..."
"Wake up," Nami threatened, struggling uneasily to break free.
"But I don't wanna wake up..." He was speaking into her hair with his laziest morning voice.
What a sexy asshole. "Well at least just let me go."
"What, let you go?"
"Please?" Nami was surprised she found herself pleading like a child. She felt like knocking her own head with a glass mirror and bleed the stupidity and embarrassment — and perhaps, special feelings — away.
Instead, he pulled her in tightly until she swore there was no space between them. She was literally breathing in his chest, and her bosoms felt uncomfortable between them. Damn these boobies. She felt her cheeks heated, but there was no way she could stay any longer or she'll explode. Being in her captain's embrace felt so weird — her stomach felt like it had contained dozens of butterflies, her heartbeat was pounding like sledgehammer if she could take her pulse right now, and yet it felt like leaving was the last thing she wanted to do.
Maybe she could just stay a just a little longer.
No, she told herself. Weren't she sure that she have no certain that that that that, that that feelings towards Luffy? They're just friends, god damnit, and she was currently in the worst situation to prove it wrong. Nami summoned all her strength — although oddly, her knees felt weak — and struggled as she tried to slide down out of Luffy's arms instead. The boy didn't bulge, but the worst part was the shirt she was wearing. His shirt, that he had lent to her because her clothes were wet, and she had to make sure they don't slip as she struggled away from his grip — she didn't have a bloody bra underneath.
She managed to slip halfway through, but a lock of her hair was stuck, tangled in his fingers. She silently cursed herself, but she tried pulling her hair, hoping the knots would loosen around his fingers and she'd manage to escape.
She didn't.
"Nami, what are you doing?"
Nami raised her head, and found Luffy entirely awake, looking at her puzzled. He ought to be. She was stuck in the most awkward position ever, her face on Luffy's belly, and her arms stretching upward trying to yank her hair away.
"Are you okay?"
She wanted to kill herself now. "Shhh. Go back to sleep."
Luffy shrugged, letting go of Nami's hair. She quickly pulled herself away and sat up in relief. It didn't last long. Her captain's rubber arms pulled her back again in an embrace, and she stumbled over him messily. "LUFFY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? LET ME GO!" Nami struggled as she fell sideways and he locked her in a spooning position, trying to tickle her while at it. She was bloody ticklish, laughter escaped from her mouth and eventually the wrestle turned into a tickle fight. She tried to pull a pillow to smack him with it, but she obviously had forgotten that his rubber-like arms can reach for the pillows faster than her. She pulled her cheeks, tickled him on his belly, and eventually he tried so hard to escape, he ended up on top of her, locking both her hand by her side.
She turned red. The awkward position was one thing. The fact that they were both barely in adequate clothing was another.
The pair of blue eyes on the interior side of the door of Suite 608, Hotel Venezia disappeared, leaving petals of flowers to fall on the floor. On the other side of the door, Nico Robin held her hands on her chest, strands of hair framing her face, and her stunned expression confused Makino. "Oh my."
"What? What is it?" Makino asked curiously.
Robin turned to her. "Your boy, my captain. I believe he's actually grown up."
Makino gasped. "Oh no he didn't. Is he with—"
"—Nami, mmhmm." Robin nodded, half-whispering.
"Are they—"
"Not sure if Nami wears anything other than his red shirt, back there."
"Ooh," Makino smirked. "Finally he made a move! I was beginning to worry he'd stay single for the rest of his life!"
"I was beginning to worry if we're going to interrupt," Robin said. "We'd best be going, Makino-san. Koala and Sabo's wherabouts are yet to be found. I hope they didn't drown in the canals, oh dear."
"Right," Makino said, ignoring Robin's morbid thoughts.
"Get off me, Luffy."
Nami's cheeks were of intense colour, and she avoided eye contact with Luffy. It was such a lewd position to begin with, with him pinning her on the bed like that, and with their lack of clothing. Dirty thoughts swarmed her head, but she shook it of violently in all her imaginary might, and tried to struggle free from Luffy's strong grip.
Finally Luffy rolled away, and sat on the bed. His eyes didn't left hers as she sat back up, pulling the comforter around her shoulders.
Finally he asked, "are you upset?"
Nami was surprised by the question, but shook her head nevertheless. "I'm just playing around with you."
"But you were crying."
She wiped her cheek, and to her surprise, a trail of tear fell of the edge of her eye. She was probably afraid — of what, she don't know, her feelings, perhaps — but she didn't meant to cry. "Ridiculous! I'm not crying, you idiot!"
Luffy stretched his arm to retrieve his straw hat on the dressing table, and placed it onto Nami's head, to her surprise.
And then, he smiled.
Ah, finally! It's been a year and a half (or more than that) since I left. I didn't mean to stop writing. When I left, there was a bloody bunch of projects falling on my lap and I just couldn't find enough time to continue 'Luffy In The Sky With Diamonds'. And then I think you understood — I lost my muse and couldn't continue.
I got my inspiration back when I was in the bus alone one Saturday, thinking I could expand 'Of Backyard Swings and Popcorn Kisses' into a coming-of-age themed one shots. I think the main characters (Ace, Luffy, Sabo and Koala) suited the theme so much in that AU and I wanted to imagine them in various of conflicts and challenges of the youth and innocence they had growing up. I posted a continuation, do check it out and leave a review! I'll have the third chapter focus on Luffy and Nami so LuNa shippers you know what you need to do eh.
I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the previous ones. It has been more than a year since I left writing (this way) and I might have lost my touch. But I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter and (possibly) future installations of this series! Don't forget to give me your thoughts, should I continue up to the wedding or should I not? Because if no one's reading, there would be no point for me to continue this series, but ah, you know.
