monkey d. luffy - crush
cw: fem!reader, lowk just me thirsting over luffy, sfw
you were an invaluable member of the straw hat pirates, having joined up with the crew in the east blue, right after usopp. the situation with nami at arlong park only stood to solidify the crews bond, and before you knew it, you were entering the grand line with this ragtag group of teenagers, reaching for their dreams. sanji fawned over you and nami, who very much took advantage of his infatuation. little did anyone on the crew know, you had an ulterior motive for joining this odd gang:
monkey d. luffy was cute.
it's almost like he knew it too. like running around the going merry with usopp was a tactical decision with the sole purpose of bringing a grin to your face and squeeze to your chest. as if his honest, kind, and loyal nature only served to make you imagine what it would be like if he was your boyfriend.
it certainly didn't help when luffy would corner you personally on the ship. being the type of person he is, luffy can never spend too much time with one person, and with a crew of his own, he bounced (literally) from one crewmate to the next. whatever you would be doing, he would disregard and move his head directly in front of your face to take up your entire field of vision. sanji would yell at the captain from wherever he is, but you would disregard his protests with a non-committal wave of your hand and bashful giggle, not taking your eyes off of luffys. the invasion of personal space was accepted with open arms.
in the grand line, islands came and went, princess vivi and chopper boarded the merry, and the crew set a course for alabasta to take down a warlord. the dread slowly set in to your bones as you realized what luffy had set out to do.
it was on the back of a pervert camel, traveling through the hot desert of alabasta, when nami and vivi were clued into these feelings you held for the captain.
"...luffy? as in our captain? that stretchy bozo? well... whatever floats your boat, i guess." nami thought you could have done better, but with the other options on the going merry being zoro, sanji, and usopp... in her opinion, it could be worse.
"i never thought of luffy as the type to express romantic interest..." vivi wonders aloud, grateful to have been able to take her mind off of the current state of her country.
you sighed at her comment. "thats my problem, i don't think he can. but come on, have you seen luffys muscles?" if you weren't already fanning yourself because of the alabasta heat, you would have fanned yourself to cool down just from the thought of the captains lean musculature.
nami let out a snort, a mix of exasperation and amusement. "stop, you might overheat." vivi herself was just glad to have some girl talk, a temporary reprieve from her stress.
"you like my muscles?" came a voice from beside the camel, causing you and the other two girls to jolt in surprise. luffy walked alongside the pervert camel, his pinkie finger prodding at the inside of his nose as if he hadn't heard you fawn over him.
"luffy! stop doing that!" nami scolded, which was all the threat luffy needed to take his finger out of his nose. you were mortified, hoping from the bottom of your soul that luffy wouldn't connect the dots from what he heard. "hey, answer my question!" the captain whined at you, a mix of the oppressive heat and his curiosity making him impatient.
it's now or never, you supposed. "i mean... yeah?"
"why?"
"i like a lot of things about you, luffy." you said, almost too soft.
"...hm." luffy hummed thoughtfully. he might've responded as well, if not for zoro and sanji causing a scene over who has to carry chopper. in their scuffle, sand was kicked into luffys eye, making him join in the fray.
you let out a shaky breath, both relieved and frustrated with the ending of the moment. vivi sent an encouraging look to you, while nami had a teasing glint in her eye.
as night fell over the desert and the crew set up camp, you found yourself shivering despite the fire. luffy, with his usual lack of personal space, plopped down next to you, yet there was a certain anticipation in the air.
"what do you like about me?" he asked suddenly, yet not so loud that everyone will hear.
you'd gone over this list dozens of times in your head, yet in the moment, it didn't feel long enough. "your smile. your laugh. your kindness. your loyalty. your muscles." you said the last bit with a small bit of teasing to mask the admission.
luffy was silent for a moment again, until he said what he was probably going to say earlier before the interruption. "i think you're really pretty. and funny. and sweet. i like when you smile, too." his genuine words made your heart swell so much you thought you could have seen the outline of it through your rib cage.
you leaned your side against his, letting his warmth seep through his clothing to you. luffy turned his head to you, an almost excited look in his eyes. "is this where we kiss?" it took everything in you not to crash your lips against his in that moment. instead, your smile grew so much that it crinkled the corners of your eyes. "how about we do that after you beat crocodile and save alabasta?"
luffy pouted. "but i already know i'm gonna beat him!"
well, that was enough convincing for you. the next moment, your lips had met in the most clumsy, perfect kiss anyone could have asked for.