Don't Get in His Way

Brook

Then, he quietly walked over to every bed in the quarters. The nightmare was still haunting him, so Luffy wanted to see for himself that his friends were still alive.

Usopp was snoring and muttering about "the great Usopp-sama" while grinning like an idiot (though Luffy knew he wasn't one to talk). Sanji had slight drool dripping out of his mouth and the blonde's hands were positioned as if he was hugging a lady. Franky was snoring and drooling at the same time, and he was muttering about shipwright stuff that Luffy didn't understand at all. Chopper was drooling but he still looked cute, unlike the others. And, Zoro was just sleeping like usual. The Straw-Hat captain couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Then, Luffy walked out from the men's quarters and made his way to the women's. When he arrived, the captain slowly and carefully opened the door and saw Nami and Robin sleeping peacefully on their beds. Luffy smiled in satisfaction before he closed the door quietly and walked towards the deck.

The night was cold and the waves were calm. The scent of the sea welcomed Luffy as he stood upon the grass deck. For a minute, Luffy did nothing but gaze at the stars. The nightmare was still fresh in his mind, and Luffy could still feel his body trembling.

Luffy frowned, this wouldn't do. If he continued to be like this, there's a chance that his nightmare would come true. He had to be stronger, or else-

"Luffy-san?"

Luffy was snapped from his train of thought and turned around to see his musician looking at him with worry (or that's what he thinks. The skeleton didn't actually have an expression).

Luffy realized that his body was in a tense state, so he quickly relaxed and gave his friend a smile. "Hey, Brook."

The skeleton tipped off his hat and smiled. "Hello to you too, Luffy-san. Is something the matter?"

"Nothing." Luffy shrugged. "Just can't sleep, that's all."

Brook mentally frowned. He knew something was up when he saw his captain walk out of the men's quarters this late at night. "Oh, that's a problem."

"No, it's fine!" Luffy grinned, not wanting to worry his musician (though Brook easily saw through his act). "Weren't you on watch duty, though?"

"Yes, I am." Brook nodded. "But, I wanted to accompany Luffy-san when I saw you here on the deck. Though I have no eyes to see, yohohoho!"

Luffy laughed as well. "I see. Then, let's sit here together!"

"That's a good idea." Brook agreed. Then, the two pirates settled down on the grass and gazed up to the starry sky.

A comfortable silence filled the air. After the short conversation, neither Luffy or Brook said anything else. They seemed to be content just by being with each other (as cheesy as it sounds). Although Luffy didn't have any thought on his mind, Brook did.

The skeleton didn't say this, but earlier he had witnessed Luffy waking up from the nightmare and checking the other beds. At first, he was confused to why his captain would do such a thing. But one quick look at Luffy's desperate and scared eyes, and Brook understood.

The musician didn't walk over to him immediately because he knew that Luffy would end up on the deck sooner or later. That was what the captain usually did when he couldn't sleep, whatever the reason.

Truth be told, Brook wasn't very good at comforting. He wasn't the type to hug or give advice, both fifty years ago and right now. There were times that the pirate tried, but his old crewmates would complain from the noise. That's when he realized that comforting is not his forte.