I really love your art and how you draw the One Piece characters; you're one of my top 3 favorite artist!!
Idk if I can make requests yet, but could you draw Sabo or the ASL in general pls? I need to see my man in your style 😭🩷
the american sign language brothers!!
warm up doodles i made of sabo (ty for recommending sabo i enjoyed drawing him a lot haha)
here's another version
Also thank you for the compliments!! I'm glad you like my stuff!! Everyone can feel free to request whatever they like, but i can't promise that i'll draw your idea. (im more inclined to draw one piece stuff atm)
Two years since he left you. Two years since he promised he would come back soon. Two years of missions, battles, searching, asking questions in every island and town he could reach. Two years of finding nothing about you.
Until now.
His eyes stop on the old house… Dadan's place.
He almost laughs at himself.
How did he not think of it before?
Of course you would come here and of course Dadan would take you in.
The door suddenly opens as soon as he knocks.
Dadan freezes, then her eyes narrow “You...”
Sabo scratches the back of his neck “Hey, Dadan.”
“Get lost.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Leave.”
“I just want to—”
“Leave.”
Her voice is loud enough that the birds nearby fly away.
Inside the house, someone speaks. Your voice “Dadan? Who is it?”
Sabo feels his heart jump into his throat “Y/N…”
Inside the house, you freeze.
That voice… after two years.
Dadan quickly steps outside and almost closes the door behind her.
“Nobody!” she shouts.
Sabo blinks “Nobody?”
“Exactly. Nobody important.”
“Dadan…”
“Go away.”
“I came all this way to see her.”
“Too late for that.”
His stomach twists “Please.”
Dadan's face hardens “Did you say please when you disappeared?”
Sabo opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
Dadan points down the mountain “Leave.”
Instead, Sabo gently pushes past her “Sorry.”
“Oi! Brat!”
He steps inside and stops. His bag almost slips from his hand.
You're sitting at the table.
You're here…
And for a second, all he sees is you.
Then his eyes move lower, to the small child sitting beside you.
The little boy kicks his legs against the chair. He looks unhappy, because you've stopped moving. because the spoon with his food stays frozen halfway to his mouth.
The little boy reaches toward it “Mm.”
No answer.
He points at his mouth “Mm!”
Still nothing.
Your eyes stay on Sabo. Shocked and unbelieving.
The child pouts, then he grabs your sleeve “Mom!”
The word hits the room harder than a cannon.
Mom.
Sabo stops breathing.
Reality crashes back in you and you finally move the spoon toward the child.
He happily eats the food.
Then you stand “Magra?”
Magra looks up from the corner “Yeah?”
“Can you feed him for a bit?”
“Sure.”
The little boy frowns immediately and calls you “Mama.”
You gently touch his hair and try your best to smile at him “I'll be back soon.”
He stares at you for a few seconds before looking toward Magra with great disappointment.
Magra snorts “Wow, thanks for the trust.”
The child ignores him completely.
Sabo is still standing near the door, still staring, and still trying to understand.
Dadan grabs his shirt hard “Out.”
This time he doesn't fight her, he lets her drag him outside.
The door slams behind them.
Then she yells “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”
Sabo jumps “Dadan!”
“You disappear for two years!”
“I know.”
“You don't send any letter!”
“I couldn't—”
“You don't come back!”
“I was searching for her!”
“After leaving her alone?!”
Sabo falls silent.
Dadan steps closer “You idiot! Do you know how much she cried?”
His chest hurts.
“Do you know how long she waited?”
He lowers his eyes.
“Do you know what she went through?”
He says nothing, because he doesn't know… because he wasn't there to know all that.
Dadan points toward the house “She needed you.”
Every word feels heavier than the last.
“Instead she had us.”
Sabo clenches his fists.
Dadan steps closer “She… needed you.”
Sabo lowers his eyes “I know.”
“No, you don't.” her voice shakes with anger “You left and expected her to wait forever.”
“I never asked her to wait.”
“You didn't have to ask.”
The words hit harder than any punch.
Dadan points toward the house “She believed in you.”
Sabo says nothing… he just remembers everytime he left and you smiling and telling him to come back safely.
Because every time, he did come back… until he didn't.
“The Revolutionaries needed me.”
“And what? She didn't?”
He clenches his fists “I thought I still had time.”
Dadan lets out a bitter laugh “I'll tell you a funny thing about time.”
Silence falls between them.
“One day you look back and realize you missed the most important things… you should already know this very well, Sabo.”
Sabo looks toward the house… toward you.
His voice is almost a whisper “I searched for her.”
Dadan crosses her arms “After how long?”
He doesn't answer immediately, because there is no good answer, then he answers “Too long.”
Dadan clicks her tongue “Yeah.”
His eyes stay on the house “I checked every place I thought she could go.”
“Apparently you're still an idiot.”
For the first time since he arrived, Sabo lets out a small laugh “Looks like it.”
“You should've checked here first.”
“Yeah.” he smiles sadly “I should have.”
The door opens and both of them turn.
You step outside slowly and Dadan immediately moves toward you “You don't have to talk to him.”
You give her a small smile “It's okay.”
“It's not okay.”
“I know.”
Your eyes move to Sabo. The face you spent two years trying not to miss… but it was impossible, for different reasons.
He looks older and more tired.
His eyes meet yours and quietly he greets you “Hi.”
Such a small word and yet, somehow, it hurts more than anger would.
You almost laugh or cry but you simply say “Hi, Sabo.”
Dadan looks between the two of you and groans very loudly “I’m too old for this mess.”
You step closer and Sabo doesn't move.
He probably thinks you'll yell or that you'll hit him. Maybe he thinks you'll tell him to leave.
Instead, your fingers wrap around his wrist “Come with me.”
He follows immediately as you lead him away from the house and into the forest nearby.
You finally stop walking, but you don't let go of his wrist.
After an infinite while, you finally let go of his wrist.
The loss of your touch is immediate for Sabo.
His eyes fall to his hand… because he noticed way too fast that you grabbed his wrist and not his hand.
Not the way you used to.
Not like the countless times you dragged him through markets, through forests, through crowded towns.
Back then your fingers would slip between his without thinking.
Now it was just a careful choice from you.
His chest hurts more than he expects for that.
“I'm sorry you had to find out this way...”
Sabo looks up immediately, but you aren't looking at him.
Your eyes stay fixed on the ground but then, finally, you look at him, and the tears in your eyes make something inside him twist painfully.
Before he can say anything, you continue.
“I'll introduce him to you, step by step...”
Sabo freezes.
“It's a big change, it needs time.”
Your fingers tighten around your sleeves “I know you won't run...” the pause lasts less than a second “...from him.”
Sabo stops breathing, because he understands exactly what you mean.
You trust him not to run from your son, unlike when he ran from you.
His throat feels tight “I didn't—”
But you keep going again, before he can answer “I waited months for you before coming here...”
His words die immediately.
“Months.” your laugh is small and broken “I kept telling myself you were busy.”
You wipe at your eyes quickly and angrily “That your mission took longer.”
Another shaky breath “That maybe your Den Den Mushi broke.”
Sabo lowers his eyes.
You smile… a sad smile “I was very creative with the excuses.”
His chest aches.
“Then I came here. I tried so hard not to think about you after that.” your voice cracks “Really hard.”
The tears finally spill over “But it was impossible.”
Sabo takes a step forward but he stops himself immediately.
You don't seem to notice, you don't look at him anymore.
“You saw him...”
His eyes soften instantly, he thinks of the little boy, your son.
His son.
“He looks just like you.” your voice breaks completely this time “It's not fair.”
You squat down suddenly and then you lower yourself to the ground.
Your arms wrap around your knees.
Your face disappears against them.
Sabo freezes, because he knows this exact position. You always did this after arguments, after nightmares, after bad days, or whenever sadness became too big.
You curled into yourself and hid your face.
He remembers sitting beside you years ago. Never forcing you to speak first.
His chest tightens painfully, because now he’s the reason.
Not some stranger and not some bad day.
Him.
Your shoulders shake slightly “Every time he smiles… Every time he laughs… Every time he tilts his head when he's confused...”
Sabo feels his heart sink lower with every word.
“It's you.”
The wind moves through the trees above you.
“I loved you so much, Sabo.”
Past tense.
The word hits harder than any punch he's ever taken.
“And he looks so much like the person who broke my heart.”
Silence.
Heavy and painful.
Then finally Sabo moves, slowly and carefully.
He lowers himself onto the ground beside you, without touching you, because he doesn't think he has earned that.
For a long moment he simply sits there, just like he used to, just like years ago.
Then quietly “I know.”
His voice is rough “I know I don't deserve forgiveness.”
You don't move.
“And I know saying sorry won't fix two years.”
Nothing.
Sabo stares at the dirt beneath his boots “But if you'll let me...”
His fingers curl against his knees “I want to know him.”
His voice grows quieter and softer “I want to know everything.”
His eyes move toward you, toward the girl he left behind and toward the woman he found again.
“His favorite food.”
A small smile appears, even if sad and fragile.
“His favorite game.”
Another pause.
“What makes him laugh.”
His throat tightens.
“What scares him.”
His next words are barely above a whisper.
“I want to know every single thing I missed.”
For the first time since sitting down, your shoulders stop shaking, and slowly, your breathing evens out.
The silence between you isn't uncomfortable anymore.
You slowly lift your head from your knees.
For a moment, neither of you says anything, you simply look at each other.
Seconds pass, maybe minutes.
For a moment there is only you for Sabo. The girl he laughed with. The girl he dreamed about. The girl he left behind.
The woman he somehow still loves just as much as he did years ago.
Maybe even more.
The words leave his mouth before he can stop them, before he can think and before he can wonder if he still has the right to say them.
“I love you so much, Y/N...”
Your eyes widen slightly and that makes you break eye contact.
Your gaze falls to the ground between you and Sabo immediately regrets it “Sorry.”
He runs a hand through his hair “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
He stops.
But he finally understands that he’s done stopping and running from difficult things.
“No, actually...” he takes a shaky breath “I’m not sorry for loving you.”
Your fingers tighten slightly around your knees.
“But I am sorry for everything else.”
His voice becomes quieter.
“I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I thought staying away was protecting you.”
His eyes lower.
“I’m sorry I convinced myself that if I stayed with the Revolutionaries and kept danger away from you, that somehow made everything okay.”
The guilt in his voice is impossible to hide now.
“It didn’t.”
Silence.
“I missed your hardest moments because of it.”
His throat tightens.
“I wasn’t there when you needed me… I wasn’t there for him.”
His voice almost breaks on the last word.
“I wasn’t there for either of you.”
For a long moment, you say nothing.
Then finally you admit “I never thought that you, out of everyone, would leave me.”
Sabo looks up immediately.
Your eyes stay on the ground “After everything you went through as a kid… After losing your family here.”
Another pause.
“After Ace.”
His chest tightens painfully at the name.
“After all that...”
Your fingers grip your sleeves.
“I thought you would understand what being left behind feels like.”
The words aren't cruel and that somehow makes them hurt more.
“Maybe that's why it hurt more than I expected.”
Sabo opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Because what can he say to that?
You're right.
“Yeah...” you let out a small breath “Our son has the face of the man who broke my heart.”
Sabo closes his eyes briefly, but then you continue “But he was made out of love.”
His eyes open immediately.
You finally look at him again. There are still tears in your eyes, but there is warmth there too.
“And that little face...” a tiny smile appears “It looks just like the face of the man I loved.”
Sabo's breath catches.
Your smile grows just a little “The man I still love.”
His heart stumbles.
“The man I'll probably always love.”
For a moment he simply stares at you, unable to speak or to breathe.
Finally he calls your name “Y/N...”
You smile softly at him “I just need time, Sabo.”
He nods immediately, but you continue “I love you.”
His eyes widen.
“But I need time.”
This time Sabo answers immediately, as if he's afraid you'll change your mind “I'll give you all the time you need, Y/N.”
There isn't even a second of hesitation.
“I'm not leaving again.” his voice is firm and certain “I regret that with all my heart.”
He shakes his head “I won't make the same mistake twice.”
A small laugh escapes him “Honestly, I'm lucky you're even talking to me right now.”
That makes you laugh a bit, probably the first one he's heard from you in years.
You smile at him and for the first time since arriving at Dadan's house Sabo smiles back.
Then suddenly, you move forward and wrap your arms around him.
Sabo freezes for exactly half a second before his arms are around you too, almost instinctively. Like they've been waiting years to do this again.
He holds you carefully.
His face presses lightly against your hair.
Your arms tighten around him.
The last two years disappear at that moment… not forgiven and not forgotten, but love survived them. Bruised and changed, but still alive.
And as Sabo closes his eyes, holding you against him for the first time in years, only one thought remains in his mind.
This time he's staying.
The walk back to Dadan's house is quiet, but not awkward.
When the house finally comes into view, voices reach you before the door does.
“Get back here!”
“Oi! Stop running!”
“He's heading for the door again!”
“I got him— NO I DON'T!”
You stop and Sabo blinks.
“...What is happening?”
You smile immediately “Sounds about right.”
The moment you open the door, chaos greets you.
Magra is trying to block the doorway.
Dogra is kneeling on the floor with both arms spread like he's trying to catch a wild animal.
Dadan stands nearby looking seconds away from giving up on life entirely.
And in the middle of it all, your son… tiny but determined and very angry.
The little boy pushes against Magra's legs.
“Mama!”
Magra sighs dramatically “Kid, your mama has been gone for like ten minutes!”
“Mama!”
“We're not keeping her hostage!”
The little boy points furiously toward the door “Mama!”
Then he rushes toward you with all the speed his tiny legs can manage, which isn't much, but the determination is impressive.
You barely have time to crouch before he reaches you and his tiny arms wrap around your legs.
Then his eyes move upward, toward Sabo and the little boy immediately narrows his eyes.
The child steps in front of you, his tiny arms spread wide, protective and serious.
He faces Sabo directly.
“Me...” a tiny finger points toward his own chest “Mama's hero!”
The room falls silent, Then you burst into laughter, real and so bright that Sabo thinks it may be his favorite sound in the world.
You quickly pick up your son and he immediately starts squirming, trying to escape, clearly because his important hero duties aren’t finished.
“Wait! Hero work!” he protests in toddler language and gestures.
You laugh harder “I know, I know.”
He points accusingly toward Sabo, still suspicious.
You look toward Sabo with tears of laughter in your eyes “He loves superheroes.”
You adjust the little boy on your hip “So I always call him my hero.”
The little boy nods proudly of this title.
“Now he threatens every man that gets close to me.”
Dogra snorts “Last week he tried to fight a mailman.”
“To be fair,” Magra says, “the mailman looked suspicious.”
“He was delivering letters!”
“Exactly what a suspicious person would do.”
Dadan smacks Magra's head.
The little boy finally calms down at the sound of your laughter and his little arms wrap around your neck instead.
The dangerous man has apparently been temporarily tolerated.
Sabo watches the two of you quietly, then softly “You two are so cute...”
The words leave before he can stop them.
His eyes stay on the kid… the same eyes.
The same hair but with your colour.
The same little tilt of his head.
The regret of missing all these things settles heavier in his chest.
You notice, so instead of letting him drown in it, you smile a wider smile this time.
Then you look at your son “Hey, hero?”
The little boy looks up immediately “Hmm?”
You point toward Sabo “This is Sabo.”
Your son's suspicious expression immediately returns and you almost laugh again “He's not one of the bad men.”
The little boy thinks about this very seriously and veryyy carefully, before pointing at Sabo “Not bad?”
“Not bad.” you smile softly “He was my hero before you arrived.”
Sabo freezes.
Then you finally say it… “He's your dad.”
Silence.
Sabo is pretty sure his heart stops.
Your son looks at Sabo, then at you as if looking for a confirmation, you nod and then he looks back at Sabo.
Meanwhile Sabo looks almost more shocked than the child.
“Dad?”
The little boy tests the word carefully, as if trying to understand it.
You smile “Yeah.”
You gently brush some hair away from his forehead “Do you want to say hi to him?”
Suddenly your brave little hero becomes shy and he hides part of his face against your shoulder.
Sabo's heart somehow melts and breaks at the same time.
You slowly step closer, until your son is standing between both of you.
Sabo tries his best to not look too intimidating and gives him the softest smile you've ever seen, then he waves.
The little boy stares for a moment, then a tiny hand appears, waving back.
Sabo smiles wider, the kind of smile that reaches his eyes.
His attention slowly returns to you and for a moment neither of you says anything, then his hand lifts slowly, giving you enough time to move away if you want to.
You don't, and his fingers brush softly against your cheek in a gentle caress.
You lean into it slightly before you can stop yourself and your smile softens.
Across the room Dadan snorts, loudly “Amazing.”
Nobody answers and that doesn't stop her “Guy disappears for years and still gets the girl and the kid.”
Magra immediately nods “Honestly, that's a crazy level of luck.”
“Should buy a lottery ticket.” Dogra agrees.
Dadan crosses her arms “Should buy some brain cells while he's at it.”
Sabo lets out a quiet breath but says nothing, because she's right and she has every right to say it.
Instead, his eyes move back to you, to your smile and to the little boy still holding onto your neck.
To the family he almost lost before he even realized he had one… and silently, Sabo promises himself he won't waste this second chance.
Months later.
You sit on the grass beneath the shade of a large tree, when a familiar laugh reaches your ears.
Your smile appears before you even turn to look.
Sabo stands a few meters away with your son sitting proudly in his arms.
Half sitting and half climbing him.
The little cape flowing behind him certainly isn't helping.
“And then Ace got angry because I caught more fish than him.”
Your son's eyes become huge “Dad won?”
Sabo grins “Of course I won.”
“Liar!”
Sabo gasps dramatically “Excuse me?”
The little boy points accusingly at him “Mama says heroes don't lie!”
Sabo looks toward you immediately “You're ruining my reputation.”
You laugh “Good.”
Your son giggles proudly.
Sabo sighs dramatically “Fine. Maybe Ace caught one more fish than me.”
“Ha!”
“But I climbed trees faster.”
“And Uncle Ace?”
“Faster than me.”
“And Uncle Luffy?”
Sabo laughs “Luffy fell out of the tree.”
The little boy laughs loudly.
Sabo smiles at him before continuing “And then there was your mama.”
Your son immediately looks toward you, interested “Mama climbed?”
“Mama climbed higher than all of us.”
Your son looks shocked.
You laugh “He's lying.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“More stories.”
Sabo smiles softly “Alright. Come on, hero. I'll show you where your mom used to hide from us when she was angry.”
You gasp “Traitor.”
“Historical accuracy is important.”
The little boy immediately points forward “Adventure!”
“Adventure!”
The two disappear further into the forest.
And for a while, you stay where you are, sitting quietly in the grass, thinking about the last few years, about heartbreak, about waiting and about forgiveness.
Life isn't perfect, but it's good.
Then “Mama!”
You look up immediately. Your little hero runs toward you with all the speed his tiny legs can manage.
He almost trips but recovers.
A tiny hand is stretched forward, holding something tightly.
His smile is huge and bright.
Behind him, Sabo walks toward you with a smile of his own.
Your son finally reaches you, breathing hard but proud of himself.
He holds out his hand and shows you a beautiful little flower “For mama!”
Your smile softens immediately and you take it carefully “Thank you, hero.”
He beams.
You turn the flower slowly between your fingers and then you smile.
“You know?”
Your son tilts his head.
“Your dad used to bring me flowers all the time when we were little.”
Sabo laughs quietly behind him.
You look toward your son as if telling him a secret “He always said I was as beautiful as the flowers.”
Your son couldn't possibly care less, instead “Look what dad gave me!”
He proudly shows off his little cape “I'm real hero now!”
You laugh softly “You are.”
He immediately starts running around you with the cape flying behind him dramatically.
Sabo sits beside you on the grass, then he smiles.
He opens his hand and several flowers rest in his palm.
Your eyes widen slightly.
Sabo shrugs “Little me was wrong back then.”
You raise an eyebrow “Oh?”
He smiles softly “You're more beautiful than flowers.”
You laugh immediately, his favorite sound.
Without warning, your arms wrap around his neck and you pull him down with you.
Suddenly both of you are laying on the grass.
Sabo laughs softly.
When you open your eyes again you notice how close he is.
His eyes move between yours and your lips.
Slowly you lean closer and kiss him.
Sabo freezes for a second… because since he came back, there were hugs, smiles and small touches but never this.
Then his hand finds your cheek and he kisses you back.
There's no rush, only love… years of love.
“WAAAAAH!”
Both of you jump apart immediately as reality returns with incredible speed.
Your son sits on the ground a few meters away, looking deeply offended by gravity.
You laugh softly and start getting up, but Sabo gently catches your wrist “I've got this.”
You sit back down, watching Sabo kneel beside your son “Where does it hurt, hero?”
A tiny finger points dramatically toward his forehead.
Sabo inspects the damage seriously.
Then he says “Hey.”
The little boy sniffles.
“It's just a small cut.” Sabo points toward his own scar “Look.”
Your son blinks.
“We're matching now.”
Silence.
Then your son's eyes become huge “Matching?”
“Matching.”
Immediately the tears disappear and your son nods proudly.
Sabo looks toward you and gives you a thumbs up.
You laugh softly and then silently mouth the words "I love you."
Sabo freezes completely.
Your son chooses that exact moment to stand up and unfortunately, he uses Sabo for support.
Sabo loses the battle immediately and falls backwards onto the grass.
“Dad fell!”
Your son points at him triumphantly and you burst into laughter.
Sabo stares at you from the ground, at your smile and at your happiness.
A/N: I know it's been a while and I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things again and find a proper routine and schedule because I'm not posting as often as I'd like to be. Things are slightly settling again so hopefully that means I can catch up on requests and other things. Thank you for this request anon and thank you to everyone who voted for Sabo and Lucci to feature too. Lucci was a trickier one for this scenario but I'm happy with what I came up with for him. Hope you all enjoy ☺️
*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*
DIRECTORY | PROMPT LIST | KO-FI
———————
BUGGY
For every success, every accomplishment, every ounce of praise and adoration he received from his crew coupled with every rise of his bounty in the paper, Buggy always waited with gnashed teeth and hardened glare to see that again and again the spotlight, his spotlight, was taken from him. The recipient of the focus and attention that was rightfully his? That no-good rival of his, the one ruining his plans and getting in his way again and again. Buggy always anticipated it, knew it was coming because it was in his rival’s very nature to outdo him. It was like he would rest until he made him look like a fool, until he’d taken all of his spotlight, his dreams, his treasure.
Tonight his rival had accomplished the most heinous theft of all. Buggy’s eyes were trained on the despicable sight before him. There you stood, his greatest treasure, looking a greater vision than usual with a the brightest smile and a gaze so filled with love that it made him overcome with joy and jealous fury. That was a look you ordinarily only gave him, that made him feel like he could take on an entire Navy fleet single-handed. Now? You were giving it to him. Shanks. It made Buggy’s blood boil to see the smug bastard stare at you the way he did, hold your hand the way he was all the while you spoke your wedding vows. Vows that you should have said-that Buggy had hoped you’d one day say- to him, no one else.
Buggy was rooted in place, unable to intervene, unable to stop either you or Shanks from finishing your wedding. Then as you leant in to kiss your now husband, Buggy flinched to see Shanks briefly look away from your face to look his way. The lazy smirk was enough, no words were needed. It was his way of saying ‘I won.’
You had been sleeping so soundly, warm and secure under the blanket and curled up against the pillows and in Buggy’s arms only to be suddenly and jarringly woken by a furious yell and sent flopping back against the mattress. As you blinked through your disorientation and tried to gather your wits about you, Buggy was already out of bed and angrily spitting curses and declaring war on Shanks as he he threw on the light causing your to groan and shield your eyes to the abrupt brightness. “Buggy what’s going on?”
“Oh he’s done it this time!” Buggy ranted, too lost in his plan for vengeance to discern reality and his mind’s imagination. “That bastard is going to be begging me for mercy by the time I’m through with him! He’ll scream and cry and it still won’t be enough! I need him to suffer for this.”
“Wha? Who?” You grumbled in confusion trying to force your limbs to comply and force yourself to sit up in the bed. Biting back a heavy yawn you crossed your arms loosely on your propped up knees and slowly followed Buggy’s manic pacing around the room. “What happened Bug?”
“Red hair!” Buggy seethed, tearing open a drawer and grabbing handfuls of sea charts and began to look them over as if one of them would magically have a ‘Shanks is here’ written next to one of the drawn islands. “Thinks he can just marry you and get away with it?! I don’t think so! He doesn’t deserve you!”
That was enough to shake you from your sleep-heavy stupor and the pieces were finally beginning to fall into place. You let out a small, soft sigh and pushed away the covers before padding towards your lover. The more agitated he was getting the more he was separating his body to gesture widely and angrily. By the time you reached him, he was in the middle of describing the in-depth way he was going to torture his former crew-mate. You settled your hands on his shoulders and coaxed him to turn and face you. At the feel of your touch, Buggy stopped and his severed head that had been reaching very close to the ceiling stopped and looked down at you. He slowly began to let his limbs retract back and once his head was in reach you smiled up at him, lifting your hands you managed to cup his jaw.
“Shanks didn’t marry me.” You reassured him softly, thumbs soothingly caressing his cheeks as he finally reattached himself. “Just a silly dream. See? I’m right here with you.”
“Yeah…You’re here.” Buggy let out a restrained sigh, his gaze dropping from your face to glare at the floor. It may have been a dream but Shanks always got his way. If he wanted you, he’d swoop you off your feet like it was nothing. “For now at least.”
The last half had been a soft muttering, he hadn’t even intended to say it, only think it but with the nightmare still clinging to his mind and it unrooting his deep and longstanding feeling of insignificance compared to Shanks. Abruptly you flicked Buggy’s forehead, snapping him out of his twisting thoughts. “For always.” You insisted firmly. You leant in and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek before turning towards the bed again, confident your words would snap him out of his worries. “Don’t believe me? Put a ring on my finger if you really want to make sure.”
CROCODILE
Crocodile knew the high stakes gambles that occurred in everyday life. Especially the life of a criminal. A pirate. Every action came with the risk of a reward and an even greater risk of losing it all in a matter of seconds. He knew that better than most. He’d lost his hand and didn’t let it break him. When he was on the cusp of gaining everything he’d ever dreamed of in his plans to overtake Alabasta and gain a secret weapon it was all taken away from him by some no-good rookie in a strawhat. Even then he managed to claw back from that, breaking out of prison along with the same little runt responsible for putting him there. Crocodile put everything into his newfound freedom to getting stronger, to being on top once more. With every passing day that came and he built his name back up from nothing he truly believed he wasn’t going to lose again.
That was until he realised all those other loses meant nothing. They paled in comparison to this. He would gladly take those knocks and defeats time and time again if that meant this, what he was seeing now wasn’t happening, would never happen. At this moment he wished nothing more than to be able to conjure his sand to shield you and to envelop the cretin that dared to lay his hand on you while reciting marriage vows but for some reason his power wouldn’t work. Not even a single grain of sand would appear and do his bidding. It failed him and he had no choice but to stand and watch you marry Doflamingo. Even worse you were doing so willingly. As you spoke your vows you held no sign of hesitation or fear. No matter how hard he looked he saw no sign of Doflamingo’s strings manipulating your body to force you to reach out and take his hand. You didn’t even flinch when it came to the kiss and Crocodile felt bile rise in his throat to see you eagerly lean into the embrace.
Crocodile woke with a short but sharp inhale and with a low sigh he lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose as he calmed himself from the tension still coiling in his body and rid himself of the images that had decided to disrupt what should have been a pleasant night’s sleep. Ever since getting out of Impel Down and reuniting with you, he’d only be able to find a peaceful rest with you. And those dreams that did feature you were always something he enjoyed. Until tonight. See you looking so stunning and so in love but doing so for someone else, especially someone like Doflamingo had gotten to him more than he wanted to admit. With another sigh he looked down to see you draped over him, sleeping soundly and from your expression he could see you were not afflicted with nightmares like he had been. As he studied your face the image of you beaming excitedly at Doflamingo in anticipation of the kiss flashed in his head and he let out a frustrated growl.
It was childish to cling to thoughts like that. It wasn’t real. You weren’t interested in Doflamingo. Certainly not that way and hardly enough to marry the Warlord. He knew the difference between reality and fantasy. So why was it still playing on his mind like this? Knowing he wasn’t going to get back to sleep anytime soon, Crocodile began to ease out of the bed only to stop when you stirred. In protest your arms tightened around his broad frame and your face scrunched up in annoyance. “Where’re you goin?”
“Just to get some fresh air.” Crocodile murmured, settling his hand on your shoulder to begin getting out of bed again. Instead you strengthened your efforts to cling to him and keep him where he was. “Just go back to sleep and I’ll be back before you know it okay?”
“No don’t go!” You grumbled, now throwing your legs around him too. At the moment you were both traveling through a winter island and it made you clingier than normal. With a yawn you nuzzled in closer to Crocodile. “You’re warm, too cosy. Stay.”
“If you were in Dressrosa you’d be warm even without me.” Crocodile mused softly, knowing it was pointless to try and move again. He would’t fully admit it but he didn’t want to.
“Why’d I want to go there?” You asked sleepily, managing to lift your head up enough to look at him curiously. “You do remember who lives there don’t you?”
From the look of unrestrained annoyance at the implication of Doflamingo, it was safe to say that yes, Crocodile did in fact know who was there. Which only furthered your sleepy confusion about why Crocodile would mention the island. “What’s wrong Croc?”
“Just a dream.” Crocodile’s answer was short but not sharp. You were the only person he would speak openly with. Even with a handful of words, it was enough for you to begin to decipher.
“That I ran off to Dressrosa?”
“Mhm…” Crocodile gently ran his knuckles against your cheek. “To marry Doflamingo.”
Your eyebrows rose slightly and you let out a soft laugh. “I’d rather eat glass.” You grinned at the sound of Crocodile’s deep chuckle, feeling him relax at last. “But maybe dream-me only said yes because dream-Doflamingo asked?”
“Is that so?” Crocodile asked with a smirk, watching you settle back down against his chest and close your eyes to go back to sleep. Your hold on him remaining just as strong as it had been earlier.
“Mhm. Just something to think about.” You uttered softly, smiling to yourself when you began to drift to sleep to the feeling of Crocodile’s fingers lightly move over yours, specifically focussing on your currently bare ring finger. Yes, he’d definitely think about it.
SABO
It had been amazing to reunite with Luffy and his crew again in the middle of another mission. Thankfully this one was more laidback and not as intense or with as high stakes as the events on Dressrosa. Even better had been the fact that you had come along with Sabo on this particular mission which meant you finally got to meet the little brother of your boyfriend. Yes you’d seen his face on the bounty posters and scattered in newspaper reports, and when Sabo had reclaimed his memories of his brothers and returned from Dressrosa, he couldn’t help but excitedly talk about his remaining brother. It had felt like you’d known the chaotic and energetic Captain your whole life before actually getting to meet him face to face. It made Sabo’s mood even better to see you get along so well with Luffy and his crew.
So it was shocking when later that night he was given such a twisted dream to torture him. He was stuck in the dream with no control to change the images before him, unable to even move or shout out. Try as he did to shut his eyes and try to wake himself up he couldn’t. No. He had to take in every single detail and watch you -the person he loved more than anything- literally walk through him like he didn’t exist and walk to the front of the altar where your husband-to-be stood waiting. While Sabo’s jaw had dropped at how amazing you looked and literally made his heart skip a beat even though you didn’t seem to know he existed in this dream, his shock and horror came at the sight of who it was. It had been years since he saw him but the Revolutionary Army’s extensive intelligence had allowed him to know how he’d look now and his hate all but grew to even greater reaches as he watched this horrorshow of a wedding play out.
Thankfully his subconscious took pity on him and ended before the stomach churning kiss happened. He must have tried to stop you both at the same time he woke because with a yell he’d launched himself out of the bed and landed awkwardly on the floor, legs tangled in the sheets and his bleary vision sharpening to find everything was upside down. Craning his head back Sabo saw you looking down at him expectantly, lips curved in amusement in spite of clearly being woken by him. “Even when you’re sleeping, you aren’t satisfied unless you’re playing the hero, huh Chief?”
“What do you mean?” Sabo asked with a groan as he untangled himself and climbed back into bed with you.
“You were talking a lot.” You explained, having been awake for most of watching Sabo experience his dream. You were used to being woken in the night when he was suffering recurring and terrifying nightmares but knew this one wasn’t as bad as any of them which was why you hadn’t attempted to wake him from it. “Mostly telling someone ‘stop, don’t do it’ there was a lot of calling them a ‘bastard’ too. So what was the mission?”
“Not exactly a mission…more a torture than anything.” Sabo explained as he slumped down onto the bed, wrapping his arms around you and tucking his head under your chin while you held him close and played with his hair, your usual positions for when Sabo had a bad dream. Sabo let his eyes drift closed under your practiced and soothing touch. Then when he’d relaxed and not as shaken of what he’d seen in his sleep he was ready to talk about it. “I dreamt you married my brother.”
“Luffy?” You asked in confusion, thrown enough to stop your motions. Sabo let out a small laugh.
“No! Sterry, the adopted stepbrother.” He clarified, his smile lessening slightly. “Remember I told you about him and my birth family?”
“Yeah…” You nodded gently, unable to hide the frown from your face. When Sabo told you of the past he’d finally remembered you experienced the sharp contrast in seeing his happiness in recounting his adventures with Ace and Luffy and then the darker expression that took over him when he eventually opened up about his parents, not that they deserved to be called that. You could only reason that meeting up with Luffy and sharing stories about their childhood with you and the others made him more thoughtful on his past than he’d realised. Gently you started to play with Sabo’s hair again, needing to ease his worries. “So looks like I don’t need to worry about being stolen away to marry some creep then. From the way you leapt off the bed I can tell I’m in safe hands.”
“You’re always in good hands with me.” Sabo grinned, tightening his hold around you a little for emphasis making you laugh softly. “Not that it’s anything to worry about but if some creep did try to steal you away they wouldn’t get you near the altar before I stopped them.”
“My hero,” you swooned before pressing a kiss against his head and stifling a short yawn. Now that Sabo was calmed, you were able to settle back and get back to sleep. As you were falling back over you let out a sleepy laugh. “I should offer you my hand in marriage as a reward.”
Sabo perked up at the suggestion, the gears in his mind slowly turning at the idea. It wasn’t like you and Sabo hadn’t discussed getting married before, you were both committed to each other with just as much devotion you offered the Revolutionary Army. Plus Luffy’s ship was still docked at the island and Captains could marry people. What better time than to make newer, happier memories like this?
LUCCI
For anyone that knew him, they would claim Lucci was hard to render shaken or put into a state of disbelief. For all his immense and diligent training he was a master over his emotions. Yes, sometimes people mistook that as believing he was incapable of showing any true emotion the truth of the matter was he suppressed any that would be seen as a possible risk to the current mission he was on. And he always ensured his missions were completed successfully with as little issues as possible. It didn’t matter if he was to be gone for years, like he’d done when he was stuck on Water 7, the time away from his home on the Cipher Pol base was inconsequential as long he achieved the task set.
When he returned from such a lengthy mission, he was greeted by the usual salutes and chorused welcomes and congratulations. He stared blankly ahead, ignoring how the practically faceless and insignificant lower ranked agents stared at him in equal parts awe and fear, as it should be. As he entered the base he slowed his steps, glancing around curiously to the sight of extra decorations adoring the place. His nose wrinkled at the heightened smell of flowers practically masking all other scents and the distant sound of excited talking. “Well look what the cat dragged in!”
“Shut it, mutt.” Lucci turned his head to glare over his shoulder as Jabra strutted towards him, smug grin plastered over his face. He was not who he wanted to see on his arrival. “What’s the meaning for all this?”
“Oh you mean you didn’t hear?” Jabra’s grin spread wider, failing to hold back his own laughter. “Well come on and see for yourself.”
“What nonsense are you talking about now??” Lucci asked, his mood souring as he followed Jabra out of the room and towards where the talking was coming from. Stepping into the large banquet hall Lucci stopped to see the many seats filled with spectators, none of them mattering. The only thing that immediately stole his attention was you standing at the other end of the room, your arms around Kaku as you both shared a kiss to the sound of applause.
“Guess you were away too long to bother sending an invite to.” Jabra cackled from beside him, lightly slapping him on the shoulder. “At least you got here before they cut the cake though.”
Lucci ignored Jabra’s echoing laughter, his sharp gaze only on you as you finally looked his way. You broke out into an excited smile and hurried towards him.
You’d been sleeping peacefully with your back to Lucci, blissfully unaware of what had been going through his subconscious. You stirred the smallest amount when you felt his hand that had been loosely settled on your leg moved to curl around your waist and sharply pull you back so you were held tightly and possessively against his chest, his head buried into the crook of your neck. With a small, questioning hum you began to wake. “Lucci?”
He didn’t twitch and from the new position you could feel his steady breath against your skin, telling you he was sleeping deeply. You could also tell whatever it was he was dreaming it wasn’t by any means peaceful. You thought you caught the muttered growl of ‘mutt’ and assumed it was simply a dream about the man he reluctantly had to work with and relaxed with the intent to fall back to sleep but that was stopped once more when Lucci’s already iron grip around you tightened and a long growl built in his chest. With more effort that you thought you’d have to exert so late at night, you managed to turn in the man’s hold so you were facing him and reached up and rubbed just behind his ear. “Wake up Lucci.”
Lucci’s eyes snapped open and he frowned heavily. While his mind began to separate what had obviously been a dream he stared down at you, his expression giving nothing away. He knew dreams were nothing to read too much into, for the most part they were nothing, barely remembered when he woke up. But this, what he’d just seen held onto his mind in a way similar to how he continued to hold you now. His life always prioritised the mission and wishes of the organisation he served, emotional attachments were secondary. When you both originally started this, it was purely physical, something to ease tension and satisfy needs, nothing more. Lucci had respected you as a skilled agent, he wouldn’t have looked your way if you hadn’t been. But he knew whatever this was hadn’t been ‘just physical’ for a very long time. You hadn’t pushed him on any aspect of it or questioned what the two of you were to each other. The times he had been away for long missions, he would by lying if he said you hadn’t crossed his mind or said you weren’t the first person he sought out on his return. When he finally shook the ridiculous image of you married to and kissing Kaku free from his mind, Lucci, took your wrist to stop your movements and released it just as quickly.
“Better?” You asked settling your hand against the bedsheets.
“Yes, go back to sleep.” Lucci nodded readjusting you in his arms so you were still firmly in his hold but not so tight that it would cause you any pain. “You have a mission to prep for.”
“The undercover one with Kaku?” You asked with a yawn, noticing Lucci’s fingers flex slightly as he closed his eyes. “That’s not until next week.”
“There was a change of plan, you’re off that mission. Kaku can manage with someone else.”
“So what’s the new one?”
“You’ll be coming with me. I’ll give you the details in the morning.” Lucci explained and you stared at him as a slow smile curved your lips. For as guarded and aloof as Lucci seemed you were able to read into his limited words and actions a lot better than others. Feeling your stare, Lucci’s eyes opened to stare at you hard. “What?”
“You aren’t taking me off that mission because you didn’t like the idea of me and Kaku having to pretend to be a married couple did you?” Lucci clicked his tongue and slid his eyes closed once more while pulling you against him. His silence all the answer you needed but you couldn’t help but lean in to press a tender kiss against his lips. While Lucci was never the one to openly voice his feelings, you knew he would always find a way to show it.
