(This is an emergency request about molestation/sexual abuse from a mother. Due to some things that came up, I deleted the original request. This may help those who have been through this so I hope this helps someone out there at least.)
They had given you the chance to leave everything behind. The abuse, the ridicule, the judgement, everything... and you took it. They brought you along with them and you finally felt free. One thing that was heavy on your mind was the fact that your (now) crew were so accepting and looked out for each other, you felt down that you hid a part of your life from them. A very difficult part of your life but nonetheless you kept it to yourself. After building up your courage, you went to your crew members and told them, hoping that it didn’t change their view on you. You told them about your mother and how she had assaulted you for years, how you seeked help but were dismissed and called a liar, how your town basically shunned you and shamed you for it.
Monkey D. Luffy: Luffy’s an amazing captain. Completely reckless and sometimes a menace to himself but he had a big heart and loved all the members of his crew. He was pretty out of touch with serious things that didn’t interest him so you were nervous on how he was going to react when you dropped such important information on him. He had been sitting on the railing with Usopp and Chopper, fishing, when you walked over. You lightly tapped his shoulder and he grinned when he turned to look at you.
“Hey!” A small smile lifted on your lips, his grins were always contagious. You gestured your head to the side, feeling your palms starting to sweat.
“I want to talk to you about something.” He blinked, already noticing how nervous you were.
“Oh. Sure.” He gave his fishing pole to Usopp and hopped down, following you to somewhere more private on the ship. He plopped down on the cushions, his legs crossing on top and gripping his ankles, leaning forward as you sat across from him. “What’s up?”
“I...” You let out a breathless chuckle and ran a hand though your hair. “This... It’s kind of hard to talk about...” The rubber man just stared at you, patiently waiting for you to continue (probably understanding the severity of the situation).
You began from the very beginning, only sharing what you felt comfortable with sharing. Throughout your recollection, he was unnervingly quiet with his attention entirely on you. It was almost scary how your usually energetic captain hadn’t said a word. You took a breath, your body losing its stiffness once you let everything out. You shut your eyes and waited patiently for his response. When none came, you glanced up at him.
You noticed that his fists where clenched against his ankles and his face was scrunched up. You could have sworn you saw smoke coming out of his ears from his face reddening.
“L-Luffy?” You murmured, hesitantly. A puff of air left through his nostrils as he declared proudly to you.
“It’s a damn good thing that we brought you with us! If we were still on your island, I would have- I would- Uh- I don’t know what I would have done but those idiots deserve it!” He exclaimed, fumbling for his words as his nostrils flared slightly. He puffed his cheeks and you could see how his whole body moved as he took a deep breath. A crooked smile lifted your lips.
“I didn’t want you to do anything about it, captain. I just wanted to tell you.” You confessed, watching him take another breath. His cheeks stayed puffed for a while until he grinned broadly.
“Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about from now on! I’ve got your back from now on! So does the crew! We’re your friends!” You felt another sting at your eyes and it took all you had in you to smile instead of crying from the relief.
“Thanks, Luffy... That’s what I needed to hear right now...”
Roronoa Zoro: Zoro was a bit more complicated. What seemed to peak his interest, on the surface, was booze, the occasional nap, training, and more booze. Looking closer, however, he did genuinely care for his crew but, for the sake of his pride, he wouldn’t show it. He was very observant as well. He knew there was something that you kept hidden but he must’ve deemed you harmless as he didn’t push you to tell him or the crew.
He wasn’t surprised when you came up to him. He must have been waiting for you to be ready enough to tell everyone else on your own accord. He was surprised that you wanted to tell everyone privately, including him. He was training when you came up to him and he raised an eyebrow, his arms still swinging the weights. You went over and plopped down on the bench by the side, wringing your hands as he finished up his training, He grabbed a towel and plopped down next to you on the bench. A small smile twitched on your lips as you noticed that he cut his training short to hear what you had to say.
“Sorry for interrupting.” You muttered as he shrugged and wiped the sweat off his face.
“Must be important.” He was right. You weren’t the one to interrupt his training unless you had something important to say. You nodded and took a breath.
“It is. I would appreciate it if you would listen.” He grunted but you could see that he put his towel down and you knew that he had his full attention on you.
You told him everything. Your voice shaking at some difficult parts when you spoke about your mother or the town. You could feel that his eyes were on you but, at the moment, your hands seemed to be more fascinating. When your voice wavered, he would put a hand on your shoulder until you found some strength in you to keep talking. When you were done, you could hear him take a breath.
“Must’ve been hard.” He said after a moment of silence. You nodded, mutely. You were more focused on trying to keep yourself from crying in front of him. He must have noticed because his next words surprised you. Look, you went through something that no one should, alright? I’m not gonna find you weak or anything if you cry or yell or scream. That’s the opposite of weak. That was a brave thing to just tell me.” He muttered, feigning annoyance but you could tell the undertone of admiration. You cleared your throat and rubbed your eyes, feeling a couple tears leak out.
“I just... I just want to thank you. You actually listened to me.” He put his hand on top of your head and ruffled your hair, a slight smile on his lips.
“That’s nothing you should be thanking me for.” You shook your head.
“I’m serious. I feel... safe here with you all...”
“You won’t have to be ridiculed anymore or hurt by someone that cares about you anymore, (Y/N). You’ve got us. If anyone does, you bet that we’ll beat some serious ass for you.”
Cat Burglar Nami: Nami had her ups and downs. It did seem like she cared more for money over anything but you still found the good qualities in her. Due to your past, however, you kept your distance from her and Robin. She was the more direct one of the two and you felt a bit more intimidated when you were around her, leading to you avoiding her when you could. It wasn’t fair to the two of you so she was really surprised when you came up to her one day.
She was enjoying a cup of tea out on the deck at the small table. She thanked Sanji and watched as he literally skipped away. She was surprised when she saw you step her way, your hand rubbing your arm and your eyes glancing at anywhere but at her. She tried to hide how giddy she felt that you approached her.
“Hi there, (Y/N).” She chirped, making you smile slightly.
“Um... Hey, Nami. C-Can I join you?” She nodded and gestured to the chair across from him.
“Of course!” You could see how she was buzzing in her seat as you sat down. This was a bit odd for you to do but you wanted to let everything out into the air. Especially to her. It wasn’t fair to her that you avoided her even though you were both on the same crew. She noticed how you bit your lip and how you tugged on the sleeves of your shirt. “Is... something on your mind?”
You let out a breathless chuckle and raised your head to timidly meet your eyes with her.
“I know that you’ve noticed that I’ve been avoiding you...” She nodded solemnly.
“I have. I... Did I do something wrong? Was it a bad first impression or something?” You shook your head and went back to playing with your fingers. You weren’t used to speaking with her for so long.
“It’s nothing like that... It really isn’t fair to you but the truth is...” You began your story. Your mother’s assault, the torment from your town, and your current confusion about your sexuality. All of it came tumbling out of your lips and it took everything in you to keep the tears from falling. You felt so vulnerable at the moment. You were putting all your pent up nerves on the table and you were far too nervous to hear her response.
When she didn’t say anything, you urged yourself to look up. Your eyes widened as she had a tight grip on her cup of tea and there were tears falling from her eyes.
“Nami...?” A choked sob left her lips before she responded.
“What a poor excuse of a woman- I- What kind of people would do that instead of helping?!” She let out before taking breaths to calm down. She put her teacup down and rubbed at her eyes to urge herself to stop crying. She looked at you with determination in her eyes. “You won’t feel that way anymore! I swear it! If you need me to give you space, I will. If you need our support from now on, you’ve got it.” A small smile lifted on her lips as she took a napkin, handing it to you so you could wipe your tears away as well. “I promise. We’ll protect you.”
Sniper King Usopp: Usopp was one of the members that you connected easily with, that group included Luffy and Chopper. The innocence that all three of them held was something that you had the need to protect. Usopp wasn’t as brave as Luffy or as fluffy as Chopper but you admired the bravery he had when he squashed his fear. You hoped that he would be empathic and, even if he was a bit awkward at times, still accept you. You found him planting some seeds, possibly for an attack he’s working on, and you plopped down next to him. He jumped slightly at the unexpected company but smiled nonetheless.
“Hey, (Y/N). What’s up?” A small smile lifted your lips and you looked at where his hands where digging another hole.
“I wanted to talk to you. You look busy though...” He shook his head, putting a small seed into the new spot he just made.
“I can do two things at the same time. Go for it.” He said as he shuffled to the side and made another small plot. You took a breath and glanced over at him.
“You know how I don’t say anything about my past?”
“Yeah? I figured it was something you didn’t want to talk about.”
“... Well, I do now.” Without waiting for him to answer, you looked at the dirt in front of you and began the difficult story. All the bad memories came back up but you willed yourself to continue. You told him about your mother, the abuse you endured, how you reached for help yet no one believed you, and how your confused about your own sexuality.
At some point in your story, you saw that his hands had stopped working on the garden and that he had turned fully to focus in on you. You could feel his eyes on you but you couldn’t bring yourself to meet his gaze. After a shuddering breath,, you waited for how he would respond. You could see how he had raised his hand but he must have thought against it because his hand retracted to his lap again.
“That’s what’s been hanging over you this whole time?” He asked once he was sure that you were done telling your story. You took yet another shuddering breath and nodded.
“Yeah... I’m healing... Especially since I have you all now.” This time he raised his hand and placed it on your shoulder, making you look up into his eyes and smiling slightly at seeing the small grin on his face.
“Exactly. I may not be the bravest, let alone the strongest on the crew, but believe it when I say that I’m on your side.”
“I know. That’s why I’m comfortable enough to know that telling you guys will help me heal.” He nodded and patted your shoulder.
“The fact that you trust us enough with something so personal and traumatic... Well, I’m sure that the crew will feel the same way as I do. Thank you for telling me something so difficult. You have anything else on your mind, you can come to me.” He smiled and held out some seeds to you. “Wanna help?” You smiled and nodded, helping him plant as well. You were just glad that he wasn’t treating you any differently.
Black Leg Sanji: Now, the blonde cook was a reaction you were afraid/nervous for. You knew his love for women and you were nervous at the fact that he would be like your town and think that you were in the wrong. You knew that Sanji was much more than what he led on but there was still that thought in the back of your head that he wouldn’t believe you either.
It was early in the morning and Sanji was already cleaning up the kitchen whiile also getting ingredients out for breakfast. You knew that that would be the only time you could catch him by himself. He turned to look at you when the door creaked open and he blinked, the smoke from his cigarette floating up to the ceiling.
“(Y/N)? Morning. What are you doing up already?” You took a seat on one of the benches and smiled slightly.
“I wanted to uh talk to you in private.” You got out hesitantly. He must have noticed something from your voice, either the shakiness or the seriousness behind it. He went over and sat down on the bench across from you, bringing his ash tray along with him.
“Is that so? What about?” Your eyes glanced at the counter and looked back at him. He raised his eyebrow before looking at the counter. “Ah. I’ll work on breakfast in a couple of minutes. What you want to talk about seems serious.” You nodded slightly.
“It’s... It’s about my past...” You mumbled before you started the whole story from the beginning. You were hesitant when you came to the part of your mother abusing. From the corner of your eye, you could see how he took the cigarette out of his mouth and smothered the butt of it on the ashtray. You also noticed that he didn’t light another cigarette.
You told him about the ignorance of your town and how your claims were discarded from even the officials of your home. You also confessed to him about how you believed that your experience may be why you’re not sure of your sexuality. You also decided to tell him the worries that you had for telling him.
“You deserve honesty... I-I’m still nervous that you won’t believe me and that you’ll just disregard what I said just like my town...” You mumbled, your eyes glancing up to meet his visible one. He let out a soft sigh before running a hand through his hair.
“If I’d have known...” He shook his head and looked you straight in your eyes. “First off, I wouldn’t purposefully try to make you feel like you couldn’t tell me something so serious. Second, just like anyone on this ship, I’m on your side and I believe you.”
“You’re not mad at me?” You questioned. He shook his head, lighting another cigarette.
“There are evil people out there, women are included in that. I’ll take your side no matter what.” You felt a weight come off your shoulders as he said that, rubbing at your eyes as he smiled slightly and handing you a tissue that was on the counter.
Tony Tony Chopper: This little ball of sunshine brought the biggest smile on your face even when you had the darkest of days. The two of you were close as he was always finding a way to cling onto your leg or sit on your shoulders. You were the closest to him and you wanted to finally open up to him.
You found him in the infirmary, working on some knew vaccines or medicines. You knocked on the door to catch his attention and he spun around in the chair that was way too big for someone his size but it made him even cuter. He smiled at you as he put a test tube down.
“(Y/N)! It’s rare to see you in here!” You smiled slightly and nodded, going over to sit in a chair by him but you stopped yourself from sitting.
“Yeah. I could come back later if you’re busy?” You questioned but he shook his head and gestured to the chair.
“It’s okay. You can sit down. Something on your mind?” You nodded as you fiddled with your thumbs, feeling the nervousness bubble back up at what you were going to say.
“It’s important and I wanted to tell you...” He turned fully in his chair to face you.
“It’s about my past...” He suddenly became quiet as his eyes trained on you.
“Are you sure?” His question made you smile slightly at the concern laced in his voice.
“I’m sure...” You started from the very beginning. Even if Chopper had a childish air around him, you knew that if you censored yourself, he would just figure it out on his own. You told him about your mother, your town, and your own confusion right now about your sexuality.
In the middle of your story, when you glanced up at him, he was biting his lip and holding back from outright sobbing. You could see that his eyes were filled with tears. Once you were done, Chopper slid down from his chair and went over to you, hugging your legs tightly. You were surprised at the sudden affection but, before you could say anything,
“You don’t have to worry anymore, (Y/N)! You have friends that care for you a-and that will protect you! Like me! You won’t have to be afraid anymore!” He sniffled and a small smile made its way onto your lips.
“That’s all I needed to hear... Thank you, Chopper.” He looked up at you and the tears in his eyes contradicted the smile on his face.
“You’ve got us now! You don’t have to worry anymore! Okay?” You put your hand on top of his hand pet through his fur.
Nico Robin: Robin was the calmer one of the two ladies but you were still hesitant on approaching her due to your past. After a rather tough fight with the marines, everyone was resting but you could see that there was a light coming out from the aquarium room. You stepped over and peaked in through the porthole to see Robin sitting on the seats and reading with a candle on the table in front of her, keeping her alit through the dark.
You took a deep breath and nudged the door open so you could slip in. She must have heard you because she looked up and a polite smile crossed her face.
“It’s late, isn’t it, (Y/N)?” You nodded and went over to take a seat by her, giving enough space so that your anxiety wouldn’t build up.
“It is but I could say the same thing to you.” Her soft giggle filled the room and she moved the blanket on her lap to you. You were grateful that she didn’t touch you, your nerves calming down. You grasped the blanket and covered some of your own lap, realizing the fact that it was kind of chilly.
“You have a good point.” The two of you stayed in silence for a little while. “Was there something on your mind?” You nodded. You knew from the beginning that she was observant so you wanted to tell her this and maybe with her help, you can be more comfortable around her and Nami.
“I wanted to tell you... About my past...” She closed her book and laid it down on the table, smoothing out the blanket on her lap.
“I’m predicting that it’ll explain why you avoid Nami and I?” You nodded slightly.
“Yeah... Something like that.” You started from the beginning about your mother and how she abused you, the help you looked for yet never got, how your town ridiculed and disregarded you, and how you weren’t sure about your own sexuality. She had stayed quiet for your whole story waited until you got everything out. You sniffled, not used to being so vulnerable in front of her. You felt a couple tears slip from your eyes.
With her devil fruit, a hand grabbed the tissue box from across the room and placed it on the table. With her actual hand, she took a tissue and held it out to you. You took it and rubbed at your eyes.
“Sorry... I didn’t want to cry.” She shook her head and a soft smile was what she answered with.
“You don’t have to be ashamed of letting your feelings out. Especially with us. We’re your friends, (Y/N).” You sniffled and nodded.
“I understand... I’m sor-”
“Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. That goes for your past as well. No one deserves what you went through and I know that the crew and I will support you.” You smiled slightly and nodded, taking another tissue from her.
Cyborg Franky: The usually positive robot always brought a smile to your face and he was especially empathetic to everyone. He might be a bit over the top but you knew that he would try to understand you the best he can. You made your way to below deck and looked for the cyborg. He had been working for a while on a new way of transporting small groups instead of taking the Sunny everywhere. A very secret project that he only mentioned to you.
You stepped down the ladder to where he was covering his face with a metal plate as to not get any sparks flying from where his torch was hitting the metal. You kept your distance as to not get hurt from the sparks and cupped your hands around your mouth.
“Hey! Franky!” He must have heard you because he turned the torch off and moved the plate off his head. He looked in your direction and grinned.
“Hey! Sorry! Were you waiting long?” You shook your head and, once you deemed it safe to walk over, you sat down next to him.
“I just got here. How’s it going?” You asked, looking at the contraption in front of him that looked like a bunch of metal parts put together.
“It’s a work in progress.” He placed the torch and mask down, tinkering the screws with his hands. “You wanted to talk about something?” He turned to look at you when you stayed quiet. “Hmm?”
You took a breath before facing him, “I did. It’s rather important to me for you to know.” He nodded and fully turned to look at you, obviously sensing the seriousness in your voice and the stiffness of your body.
You started telling him from the beginning, unable to meet his gaze from the nervousness building up in your stomach. The words came out of your mouth hesitant and unclear but you wanted to put your trust in him and the crew. You went through each of your memories, no matter how painful, telling him how you were treated by your mother and the town. How your past still affects you and even has made you confused about your sexuality now.
You heard sniffles above you and turned to look at the cyborg. There were tears going down his cheeks and, when he realized that you were done, sobs started coming out of his mouth. A slight smile lifted on your lips and you gently rubbed his arm.
“You okay?” You mumbled. He shook his head and rubbed at his eyes furiously.
“I-I should be asking y-you that!” Through his cries, his hand brought out the smaller hand installed in it and wiped his eyes with a tissue (unbeknownst to you how he got those tissues anyway). “Don’t worry now, (Y/N)! You’re safe now and you don’t have to worry about anything like that anymore!”
“Thank you, Franky...” You mumbled, patting his arm again to try and calm him down from crying. He really was empathetic.
Dead Bones Brook: The happy-go-lucky skeleton wasn’t in the crew as long as everyone else but he still treated you and the others like he’s been a part of the crew for years. You treated him the same. With his musical talent, his melodies and joyful personality always managed to cheer you up. Once he relied his past to the crew, you knew that moment that you could trust him.
When the ship stopped for supplies, you volunteered to stay on the ship with Brook while everyone else went to get missing stock (or just explore, in Luffy’s case). You saw this as a good time to tell him after keeping it to yourself all this time. You stepped over to him as he was tuning his violin, the bow letting music out whenever it brushed against the stings. He spotted you and tipped his hat in your direction.
“Afternoon, (Y/N)-san.” You smiled at him and sat down on the railing next to where he was standing.
“Afternoon, Brook.” He strummed a line of melody before looking at you, seemingly satisfied at the tune that came out from his, now, tuned violin.
“Did you want to tell me something?” You blinked and looked up at him as he was smiling at you.
“We are friends but there must have been a reason as to why you wanted to be with me on the ship to keep watch.” You smiled slightly and changed your view to your shoes.
“Very observant.” You complimented while he chuckled softly, placing his violin down to let it lean against the railing. “There is something rather important that I wanted to talk to you about.”
That’s how you started your recollection, going from the beginning. About your mother, the mistreatment, the ridicule, and the confusion you feel right now. He showed you that he was listening with small hums and rubbing your shoulder when you had to pause for a breath or something. His soft mumbling of ‘it’s okay’ and ‘you’re in a safe place’ helped you get through it and you sighed softly once you were done.
“Thank you for telling me.” He said, gently patting his bony fingers against your head. “I know it’s hard to deal with right now but just know that we won’t treat you any differently. You’re still our friend and we care deeply about you.” You breathed through your nose and smiled slightly, willing for the tears to not slip out.
“Thank you, Brook...” He smiled and picked up the violin by his feet.
“I can see that you’re still upset. How about a song?” You mutely nodded, looking up at him as he started playing at the sign of your nod. The melody immediately soothed your stiffness.
Trafalgar Law: At first glance, your captain seemed ruthless and uninterested in anything but personal gain. When you joined, however, you found that that wasn’t the case. He showed that he cared in very subtle ways but those small gestures spoke volumes to you. The crew treated you like family and you finally felt like you belonged.
You were laying in the infirmary, eyes closed as you tried to fall asleep. You had caught a rather harsh fever after an incident where it lead to you falling into the ocean. You were scolded by your captain for doing something so reckless which led to him confining you to the infirmary until you got better. You heard the click of the door and you opened your eyes to look at that direction.
Law walked in, closing the door behind him and a glass of water in his hand. He went over and put the glass down next to you, glaring at you slightly.
“Didn’t I tell you to rest?”
“I can’t sleep.” He grunted before pulling a chair over to the side of the bed.
“Something’s bothering you. From previous experiences, when the crew gets sick, they’re happy to get rest.” He stated, taking the cold pack off your forehead and tossing it over to the side to refrigerate later. You smiled slightly and turned your gaze to the ceiling. Maybe it was time for you to get the weight off your shoulders.
“You’re very observant... There is something.” You murmured. His gaze never left your face.
“If it’s important, just wait until you’re done with this fever.” You shook your head and took a breath.
“Might as well, right? I’d like to sleep...” You said before taking another deep breath to collect your thoughts. It was now or you would lose your nerve.
Before you even realized it, the words tumbled out of your mouth from the very beginning. From your parents to just your mother, to the abuse, to the town that you live in, and how they turned what happened to you against you. You didn’t realize that the tears were slipping from your eyes from the pain behind the memories. Your captain was quiet through the whole story, getting up halfway to get a towel and wipe not only the tears but the sweat from your fever from your face. When you were done, he placed another fresh cold pack on your forehead.
“Don’t put stress on yourself.” He muttered. His usually narrowed eyes were softened and had a hint of kindness in them. “You can rest easy now. You won’t have to go through that ever again while I’m around. From now on, just rest and focus on getting this fever over with.”
Red Hair Shanks: You almost let out a yelp when an arm was swung around your shoulders and there was a weight against your side. You immediately relaxed once you heard the familiar laugh of your captain. It was already late in the night and most of the crew was already sleeping out passed out from the drinks. You glanced at your captain and took the beer mug out of his hand, after he almost spilled it all over you.
“Why don’t you drink with me, (Y/N)?!” He chirped, pouting out when you put the mug down.
“You’ve had enough, Shanks. You should rest like everyone else.” He let out a puff of air and plopped down next to you.
“I guess.” He looked at your expression and raised an eyebrow. “Something bothering you?” Your body stiffened and you turned your attention to dumping the beer from the mug down on the ground. He was always so damn observant.
Nights when the crew would go drink or have rowdiness reminded you of a family and it only led to you thinking to your past which always made you down in the dumps. You tended to stay out of the way, eventually appearing to help those who had a little too much to drink some water or finding them somewhere to rest.
“You could say that.” You murmured, grabbing a mug and filling it up with water. When he took the mug in his hand, he still looked over at you with a raised eyebrow.
“Did something happen?” You could see how his eyes suddenly darkened and narrowed. “Did someone do something to you from town?” You quickly shook your head and put your hand lightly on top of his shoulder.
“No, no. I was just thinking about the past. You don’t have to get all protective.” He seemed to relax before downing the water in his mug.
“That’s good. You’re family now. No one will mess with you while we’re around.” He stated after he was done with the mugful of water. You felt a familiar sting to your eyes and brought your gaze away from him.
“I... I understand.” He noticed your gaze and gently wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to his side and pointing at the crew, some were passed out and others were enjoying even more drinks.
“Look. I trust these guys with my life.” He lightly pointed his finger where your heart was and grinned at you. “And now, you’re a part of this crew so that goes for you too. With what happened to you in your past, doesn’t change the fact that we all care about you and that we’ll protect you.” He moved his hand to ruffle your hair, not pointing out the tears in your eyes. “You’re safe now.”
Benn Beckman: Benn was surprised when you looked at him for comfort to your distress. Usually, Shanks was the one that everyone went to for advice or comfort since he was much more approachable. But just because this was a first for him, it didn’t mean that he would toss you aside. He found you crying to yourself in the supply room. He ushered you out and led you to one of the cabins that was empty and somewhere you could have some privacy.
You rubbed at your eyes, urging yourself to stop crying. You didn’t want to burden anyone with your inner turmoil but it looked as if your luck wasn’t with you today. You found yourself sitting on Benn’s bed, looking at your lap as he had went to go do something. You stiffened and raised your head when you heard the door to the cabin open and close with a click. It was Benn and he was holding a tray with two cups of tea. He placed it down on the nightstand and handed you a cup. You took it and your hands immediately felt warmed from the glass. The bed dipped when he sat down next to you and took his own cup. The two of you sat in silence while you drank the tea from your glass.
“Looks like it worked.” You jumped slightly, a bit startled at his sudden comment and you looked at him, your eyebrows furrowing slightly.
“Worked?” You winced at your own voice cracking slightly. He either didn’t notice or he wasn’t going to bring it up.
“Tea usually helps to calm down the body while also adding health benefits. That’s what people say anyway.” He stated, taking another sip of it. “It worked for you, technically. You’re not crying anymore.” You suddenly did realize that he was right and rubbed at your eyes, noticing how puffy they felt and how tired you suddenly were.
“Right... Can you not say anything to everyone about me crying?” He raised an eyebrow at this and took your empty cup away to put back on the tray.
“If that’s what you want, but there’s nothing wrong with crying. You’ve seen Shanks cry over booze when he’s drunk before.” He cracked a small smile when you let out a breathless chuckle. He suddenly turned to look at you and there was a sense of seriousness behind his gaze. “If I’m not intruding... Why were you crying?”
You rested your hands on your knees and shut your eyes. Benn was nice and he didn’t have anything that made your guard up so maybe you could rely on him. That’s what you were thinking before starting from the beginning. Your voice cracked at some parts and you wanted to curse yourself for feeling the tears coming back up. He was quiet, like always, during your retelling and, from just him listening, you already felt better. He didn’t even say anything else once you were done, just rubbing your back and letting you cry it out like you needed. He was there to listen to you.
Eustass Kid: You actually didn’t tell Kid on your own terms and that’s what frightened you the most. He asked you to join his crew after being impressed by your fighting ability and you were more than happy to leave the town you were currently residing in. Too many bad memories. You walked along with the crew through your town, your head ducked down at hearing all the whispering comments about you. It must have started to annoy your new captain because he scowled and grabbed the nearest citizen by their collar and held them up.
“The hell you all whispering about?!” He growled out, the person paling at the demand. Your eyes widened as you recognized that the person was a police official and knowing what was about to come from that person’s mouth.
“Uh, Kid, shouldn’t we get going? You did say we were in a rush, after all.” You wanted to congratulate yourself for getting through your sentence and not stuttering, even though your fear was starting to show itself. He only spared you a glance before looking at the person.
“I’m going to get answers. What the hell was that about?” He glared at the person in his hand and said person let out a slight whimper at the intimidating men behind Kid as well.
You wanted to cover your ears and curl up somewhere as the person spewed insults and condemned you for what happened with your mother. You chose to look down and willed yourself to not listen. You didn’t want Kid to question your strength or think of you as weak. From the short amount of time you’ve met him, you knew that he hated weak people and you hoped that he wouldn’t see you weak even after he knew the truth. What you didn’t notice was that while the townsperson continued rambling on, Kid was getting much angrier.
You jumped slightly as you felt a hand on your shoulder and turned to look at the owner of it. Killer motioned with his head for you to look up. You turned to look at Kid and your eyes widened at how angry he looked.
“Shut up!” He finally shouted, startling the man in his grip. “Quit spewing this crap!”
“But he-” Before he could finish his own sentence, Kid tossed him away, not caring where he landed. The townspeople that were witnessing cowered in fear at Kid fuming in front of him. Killer must have sensed the murderous intent his captain was leaking as he stepped forward.
“Captain, let’s get going.” The red head grumbled under his breath before reluctantly agreeing and starting his path back to the ship.
“(Y/N)!” You jumped at the sound of your name and caught up to him, yelping in surprise when he threw his arm around you.
“This is why I hate officials the most. Justice my ass. They failed you but we won’t, got that?” He uttered, making you look at him in surprise. After a second of thinking, you nodded and let him lead you.