Luffy x isakai Girl

Heal

    "Would you just be able to help me?" I said sheepishly. "This isn't like a sexual thing, but it's not like you haven't already seen it all."

    Luffy bit his lip and hummed in thought. "I guess if it's ok with you, I don't mind helping. I'll go grab you some clean clothes." He said, standing up to dust himself off.

     He came back, charmingly in his swim trunks, and asked if I wanted to wear a swimsuit too. I chuckled. "I would still have to get naked in front of you, Luffy."

    "Well, yeah but not for as long." He murmured.

      "I'll live. Just try not to gawk at me."

      We went up to the bathroom, Luffy supporting me on the way up. It was crazy to think just how exhausting it was to walk. By the time we got to the shower, I was a little wobbly.

    Luffy and I faced each other. I realized very quickly that I couldn't bend over to take off my pants. I cursed, embarrassed as I attempted to anyways, holding onto luffy's shoulder as I tried to bend over to undo the buttons. The stitches stabbed into my tender skin, and a shockwave of pain ripped through my torso, sending a hiss through my teeth. Luffy grabbed my other hand and placed it on his other shoulder, he knelt down a little and quickly unbuttoned my pants. He carefully slid them off of me. I blushed as I had to tippy toe to get them off of my feet. I hoped I didn't smell too bad. This is so embarrassing. Why did I do this?

     At some point, someone had replaced my ripped and blood stained shirt for a button up, much to my relief. It would be a lot easier to get it off this way. I fumbled with the buttons, wobbling a little, before digging my head into his chest to stabilize me. I huffed as I looked at all the buttons I was half-hazard-ly popping off. When I finished, I huffed through my nose, realizing I couldn't even roll my shoulders back to get the damned shirt off. Luffy pinched the edges of my shirt and slid it off of my shoulders. And there I was, in all my naked glory, standing in front of Luffy.

     His eyes worked hard to avoid looking directly at me, stealing a glance only to look me in the eyes here and there. He leaned over and turned on the water to let it heat up before looking back at me. He cupped my face in his hands, making me flush, and placed a kiss firmly on my forehead. My whole face tingled for a moment. When he pulled away, I took the opportunity to stand on my tip toes and steal a kiss on his cheek. Luffy froze, unsure of how to respond. He was trying desperately to be appropriate and polite.

     I sighed and turned toward the now steaming water. I stuck a foot in to see if the temperature was good. It was perfect, so I slowly slid myself underneath the thundering water. For a moment, my skin burned just ever so slightly where I had stitches. But then, it felt good. I hummed a sigh of content as the warm water washed away some of my pain.

     Luffy stood just outside of the spray as I washed my body, looking up at the ceiling so as not to let his eyes wander to the girl standing next to him. He just didn't want to be too far away just in case I needed him.

    A wave of exhaustion hit me after a couple minutes, making me slump to the floor.

    "Misaki!" Luffy said, worried. He dropped to his knees behind me and grasped my shoulders to keep me from laying all the way down.

    "Sorry... I just got... tired. Do you mind washing my back real quick? I know there are stitches there so I want it to be clean." I mumbled. Luffy took the washcloth from my hand and carefully scrubbed my back. He then leaned me forward to rinse it off better.

     "Are you ready to get out?" Luffy muttered.

     "I haven't gotten my hair yet. Just give me a minute to rest and I will get to it." I said listlessly. I couldn't believe how tired I was. Luffy grunted and shifted around, sitting with his legs around me and pulling me back against his chest. I let my head loll off to his shoulder and looked up at him as the water pounded over the two of us. "Sorry." I mumbled.

    "Don't say sorry." Luffy wrapped his arms around me and placed his chin on my head.

      "Feels nice" I admitted. I was so comfortable in this moment that I could have fallen asleep. I could feel Luffy's heart hammering against my back, despite him seeming so relaxed. His breathing was slow, however, and rhythmic.

      "I was so scared." Luffy whimpered. I was too tired to really respond, a meek sound of acknowledgement escaping my throat. He continued.

        "All I could think about was when we talked about our fears. About me losing Ace. And about how you were terrified that you might die alone." Luffy's grip tightened a little. I grasped his arm weakly, trying to acknowledge his feelings.
         "I couldn't leave you, not even for a second. Not even to get the stretcher. Because —" his voice cracked and he paused just for a second.
        "—because if you had died in that moment, when I wasn't there. I would have never forgiven myself. Ever. So I stayed. I stayed because I was terrified that you were going to die, afraid and alone."

      I let his words sink in as he rambled on. I couldn't imagine the burden he was feeling in that moment. I had never been so close to the brink of death before. And I was terrified. But having him there...

     "I'm glad you stayed." I mumbled. "You're right. I was scared. But having you there made it bearable."

      Luffy paused, squeezing me gently again and grunting out an acknowledgement to my words. Silence grew between us again, and my eyes even started to flutter before Luffy once again broke the silence.

     "Misaki. You have an old scar on your back."

       I grimaced. I hoped he wouldn't bring it up, but figured he would eventually. "Yeah. Back when I was a kid. I broke my back. Needed surgery and rods put in my back."

     "Hmm" Luffy pondered.

     "The scars here are earned. I didn't feel like I earned it, so I didn't bother talking about it. It sort of defined me back in my reality. I didn't want it to define me here." I muttered. It really was something I would rather not talk about, so why was I telling this to him?

      "Then we don't need to talk about it."

       "But it's..." I sighed. "The hardware in my back is a constant reminder that I don't belong here." My voice wavered.

       "That's silly. You belong here." He stated. He leaned back and grabbed the shampoo, leaning me away so that he could start rubbing it into my scalp. That feels good. "We are a group of misfits. We all belong together."

     Luffy finished lathering up the shampoo and tilted my head back again so that it could wash off. He then dragged me to my feet, much to my dismay, and shut off the water after letting it wash over us both for a moment. He grabbed a towel and patted me dry, careful not to snag any of my stitches. He helped me get another button up shirt and some sweatpants on. It would be a lot easier to take them off with no buttons. He then left me in the bathroom per my request, so I could use the toilet on my own merit.

     All I wanted to do was sleep, so when I finished up, I requested that Luffy bring me to my actual bed. He complied, opting to just pick me up gently and carry me there this time. He probably was tired of being so patient. When he placed me into my bed, I let out an exasperated sigh, making him jump.

     "This definitely beats the infirmary bed" I exclaimed. Luffy laughed.

     "That bed beats most beds."

      "Says the man who falls asleep sprawled out on the floor." I teased.

      "You got me there." He chuckled. "I think it's time for you to rest now."

     "I think it's time for you to take a bath!" I teased, crinkling my nose. "Sitting in the shower with me was not enough."

     Luffy thundered out a laugh. "I guess I can go do that then. Do you want some food and company when I'm done?"

    "You betcha"