"Sabo~" You chime, leaning over to peer at his face. He jumps and looks over in surprise.
"___! You're done already?" He huffs. You hum and hand him the beri. He thumbs through it. "This is a lot, but I still beat you," He says.
"What are you writing?" You ask, glancing at his papers. He blinks and swiftly flips the paper with a slight blush.
"Nothing!" He says quickly. You blink, lifting an eyebrow. He stands abruptly, "Anyway, Ace and Luffy shouldnt be coming back anytime soon... Do you want to go to the cliff?" He adds.
"Sure," You say cheerfully, heading out with him. He leads you to the cliff and sits down on the edge. You remain standing, smiling at the blue sea that you had grown fond of. Sabo looks over at you, seeing your smile.
"Do you ever miss Skypia?" He asks. You look at him.
"Not really," You admit. You sit down beside him.
"What about your parents?" He inquires.
"I never met them, and I didn't have any friends... The chief was too busy training me for something," You murmur. He tilts his head.
"Well, you have friends now," He points out. You grin at him, and kiss is his cheek.
"You're right! Thanks Sabo," You giggle, jumping to your feet. He stays where he is, blushing in shock.
"___! Sabo!" Ace calls, making you both look over. He and Luffy come running up, looking worried.
"Ace, Luffy, did something happen?" Sabo asks, getting to his feet. Ace grabs your wrist.
"Bandits are looking for ___, we need to hide her," Ace tells him.
"What? Why are they looking for me?" You ask, feeling uneasy.
"They were talking about selling you," He informs you.
"What?!" You and Sabo gasp.
"Come on! You have to hide!" Luffy says, grabbing your other arm. You let them lead you to the tree house and into it.
"How did you guys find out?" Sabo asks.
"We passed them on the way back, they didn't see us... They mentioned a winged girl and celestial dragons," Ace told him. You back up and sit down, hugging your knees. Sabo pales a bit and looks over at you.
"Hey, don't worry! We won't let them get you," Luffy assures, putting a hand on your shoulder.
"Damn right," Ace agrees, folding his arms. Sabo kneels in front of you and places a hand on your head.
"It's gonna be okay ___," He murmurs. You blink and nod.
"Anyways, here's the money," Ace tells Sabo, taking out a stack of beri. Luffy hands over his earnings too.
"Lets go get something to eat!" Luffy cheers, throwing up his arms cheerfully. Sabo nods and stands.
"Hold on, one of us should stay here with ___," Ace points out.
"No, I'm going too," You say, getting to your feet.
"But-" "I can take care of myself Sabo," You interrupt him. The boys exchange uncertain looks. "I'll be fine! Don't worry!" You insist, wrapping an arm around Luffy's and Ace's necks. Sabo still had an uncertain frown, but the other two seemed to relax.
"Alright, you'll be with us anyway," Ace says.
"Yes~" You hiss, hopping out of the tree house.
"Wait for me ___!" Luffy laughs, jumping down after you. Ace and Sabo swiftly join you and you head into the forest.
"What should we eat tonight?" You ask.
"Boar," Ace says.
"Gator!" Luffy declares.
"What do you want to eat?" Sabo inquires. You blink at him and think for a bit.
"I'm with Luffy this time," You admit. Ace lets out a grumble.
"Sounds good to me," Sabo states.
"Try not to get eaten this time," Ace tells Luffy, before running off toward the swamp.
"I slipped last time!" Luffy says with a pout.
"Don't worry Luffy! I'll make sure none get you!" You chuckle, running past him. Sabo laughs as he and Luffy chase after you. You reach the swamp, scanning the gators.
"That one looks tasty!" Luffy says, pointing to the largest gator in view. You grin, "Then what are you waiting for?" You quiz. With that you and the boys leap off the tree branch and attack.
"Got him!" Ace calls. You rush over, tossing Ace some vines to tie down the gator's snout.
"Luffy! Get over here! More are coming!" Sabo shouts. You look over at Luffy as he slips. "LUFFY!" Sabo gasps, spotting a gator that rushes Luffy. You run over to intercept the gator. It lunges at Luffy, jaws wide. You grab a hold of the gator's jaws, skidding back as the gator came to a stop. You meet it's eyes.
"Back off," You growl. The gator pauses before tearing away and fleeing. You turn back to Luffy which stared at you in shock. "Are you okay Luffy? You didn't hurt yourself did you?" You ask, leaning down and offering a hand. He blinks and shakes his head before taking your hand and standing.
"Hey! Are you two okay?" Sabo asks, running over. You nod, glancing at Luffy.
"Yeah, lets go," You tell them.
You woke from a nightmare, sitting up and rubbing your eyes. Someone touches your arm, making you jump. "Hey, are you okay ___?" Sabo asks when you look over at him. You take in a breath.
"I'm okay... Sorry if I woke you," You murmur. He shakes his head.
"You didn't, I was writing," He replies, glancing at his papers.
"Oh... Carry on," You yawn, rubbing your neck. He hesitates then goes back over to his papers to write. You blink as he starts writing again, and shuffle to his side. He pauses as you sit next to him.
"Can't go back to sleep?"He guesses. You shake your head sleepily.
"Can I read some?" You ask. He thinks for a bit, eyes scanning over the papers. He picks one and hands it to you. You blink at the title.
Wings
White as milk
Soft as silk
Pulling against the wind
Glistening in the sunlight
Yearning for flight
Smile that shames the sun
Laugh that compares to none
Makes the day not want to end
Eyes that shine brighter than any star
Hair unmistakable from afar
As free as a dove
Makes me think about love
Hands that can mend
This broken shell whole
And kisses that uplift my soul
Your head rests on his shoulder as you read, smiling a bit. "It's beautiful," You murmur. Sabo pauses, smiling.
"You... Like it?" He questions. You nod, setting the paper down. He blushes, and looks back down at his papers. "Good, because it's about..." He trails off, but you already knew what he was gonna say. You had caught him looking at you thoughtfully a few times. You lean over to kiss his cheek but he turns his head at the last moment and your lips meet his. Sabo freezes and you pull away, swiftly realizing what had happened.
"That was supposed to be your cheek!" You gasp, covering your mouth with a heavy blush. Sabo doesn't respond, in total shock. "S-Sabo?" You murmur, tilting your head in worry. He blinks and covers his mouth, blushing as well.
"Hm?" He hums, slightly dazed. You shift, eyes going to another paper.
"Can I read this one?" You ask, trying to distract him.
"Oh, yeah sure," He huffs, turning his attention back to his papers. You start to read the paper, slowly drifting to sleep, head resting against his shoulder. Sabo pauses looking over at you fast asleep. He grins to himself and continues writing.
