A/N: Eh-heh… it's been a while. Partly because one one-shot I had prepared was a little embarrassing to post after the first one… I came back to my documents after like months and it's kinda funny to read those in-progress one-shots and sometimes being like, what did I mean with this phrasing…? …Anyway.

ONE-SHOT 3: NIGHTMARE

Even Luffy has mundane nightmares, and Dragon will easily comfort him, as long as he's there.

Warnings: One tiny mention of death


Dragon opened his eyes to a dark room, wide awake. There was no sunlight shining on him from the curtains, and at the jarring feeling he turned on his side. He sighed. The clock was saying it was only two in the morning.

Unable to fool himself that he'd be able to fall back asleep that easily, he rose and headed toward the door, carefully opening it. Luffy had just endured an important exam, for which he had studied late and gotten up early. Remembering how surprised he had been to find Luffy seriously studying, he smiled as he closed the door back behind him. It wasn't a crime to teach your own student, now was it…

It was a small second floor that had just his bedroom and Luffy's hugging each other. And upon reaching the stairs, he stopped with his hand on the railing, his attention taken by a sound floating from Luffy's room. He turned. The door was ajar, as it was often with how careless Luffy was, and the sounds coming from it were worrying.

Was it a nightmare? Luffy had had nightmares before, they were few and far between since he'd grown older. The more heartbreaking ones were when he'd been very young, when his mother had just died… And just last week, he had spoken of dreaming about a woman he only knew was his mother from the pictures they had of her. What could he even say to him…? His feet lingered on the first step just a bit longer before he walked over and pushed the door open wider.

The room within was quiet for a moment when he entered, and Dragon quickly looked towards the bed as his hand hovered on the door. It seemed like a small piece of the silence physically shattered when the sound that he subconsciously recognised as distressed muttering began again, and he swiftly but gently shut the door before going over.

Luffy had his blanket pulled to his chin for once, but it was in a tight grip, his eyes scrunched and his eyebrows furrowed, the mumbling ceased as if he was waiting for an answer.

Then he mumbled again, "…no… good… I won't cause trouble…"

Dragon frowned himself. He placed his hand on him, so big or Luffy so small that it went all the way around the edge of Luffy's shoulder, and lightly shook him. He was deep in his nightmare, so Dragon whispered, "Luffy, wake up." Luffy moaned as he stirred, and his voice dipped into a more soothing tone. "That's right."

Then Luffy's eyes fluttered open and he rubbed at them, slowly sitting up. "Dad?" he whispered, and Dragon sat himself down on the edge of the bed, it bouncing a little as he did. "Why are you here? Is it morning?"

Dragon couldn't help but chuckle. "No, it's still two a.m." He rested a hand on one lump beneath the sheets that was Luffy's leg. "You were having a nightmare."

Luffy looked away with half-lidded eyes for a moment, as if trying to recall the dream. "Yeah… but it was something stupid."

"They often are," Dragon said.

Luffy spoke before he could continue, "But it really was something stupid. It's a thing that I don't worry about."

Dragon hummed. "Well, what was your dream about?"

"I don't remember a lot about it already…" Luffy said, his face scrunching to try to recall. "You lost your job because of something I did, I guess." Dragon was surprised, but he let Luffy continue. "And then I was trying to convince them not to fire you. I'm not sure what that dumb me would have done 'cause I woke up then."

"I think I heard that part," Dragon said softly. "You promised them you wouldn't cause trouble."

Luffy stuck his tongue out at that, looking scandalised. Dragon snorted. "Yeah! You think I'd sound like that?"

Dragon smiled. "Then what would you do if that did happen?"

"It's not worth thinking about 'cause you wouldn't lose your job," Luffy said stubbornly.

"Think of it as a thought experiment…" he said, vaguely aware that he sounded like teacher Dragon at the moment. "And let's remember that I've said to not beat people up if we could avoid it."

At that Luffy's previously opened mouth remained open to say nothing. After pondering it over more, he said slowly, "I'd… say sorry? And accept whatever punishment they gave me…"

Dragon nodded in approval. "Yes, I think that would solve the problem."

"As if Ace's dad would fire you anyway," Luffy said, flopping back down on the bed.

"No, not for something like that," he agreed. "But, Luffy, I do wonder…"

Luffy turned to him, his hands already back to grabbing his blanket close, his eyes though looking as wide-awake as he felt. "What?"

Gazing at that innocent face reminded him just how young he was. "No, never mind. I just wanted to say… that even if what you dreamed about came true, I'd always be able to simply find another job. You should only worry about yourself."

Luffy being expelled would make him go to another school, away from all those friends he had made… If that were to happen because of him, that would be his, Dragon's, nightmare.

Luffy hummed tiredly. "I guess you could… But then you wouldn't be my teacher anymore."

Dragon watched him for what felt like minutes then, wondering what to say, seeing Luffy's eyes gradually shut as his smile, directed towards him, never faded. He leaned forward and brushed his hair from his forehead, dropped a kiss on it as if he were still a child.

"Goodnight, Luffy."

Luffy was breathing easily, his face relaxed once again, and Dragon slipped from his room with his heart full.