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anubislover · 4 years

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Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya chapter 10: Heated Discussions

Nami wasn’t sure how long or how far she’d run through the winding backstreets of Grimm, but she didn’t stop until her legs literally gave out from under her, forcing her down onto the hard pavement of a dark alley.

Panic gripped her vital organs like a meaty fist. Her body was on fire, sweat dripped down her spine, and every inhalation was agony as her lungs struggled to draw in the barest amount of oxygen needed to keep up with the blood rushing through her veins. The Heart Pirate jumpsuit was suffocating her, holding in the unbearable heat and chafing her hyper-sensitive skin, but she was too weak and exhausted to take it off, forced to broil alive in the heavy canvas.

For a few minutes she just lay there, her sole thought a silent plea for her heart to stop trying to beating against her ribcage like Luffy’s angry punches. Orange hair darkened with sweat, tears streaked down her face, and the only sounds she could make were ragged sobs.

“Miss? Are you alright?” came a deep, authoritative voice from above her, and she trembled. Was it Arlong? Had he found her? Was he going to beat her for running away? Kill Nojiko and Mr. Genzo? Destroy some innocent villager’s house as a display of his “superior” species’ power?

Please, please don’t hurt them! I’ll be good, I swear! Nami thought, squeezing her eyes closed and drawing her legs against her torso to protect herself. It would hurt, but if she had to choose between getting hit and seeing the people she loved suffer, she’d take the blows every time.

“Miss, speak to me—are you hurt? Were you attacked? Do you need a doctor?”

Did she need a doctor? Dr. Nako had fixed up fevers, scraped knees, and stomach aches since she was a child. But no, Arlong would find out and make an example of him. Nami managed the barest shake of her head, curling even more tightly into a ball, mentally begging the stranger to just leave her alone before he got himself killed. People who tried to help her always died the most horrible deaths. Memories of Bellemere’s final moments, of blood and skull fragments splattering as Arlong shot her point-blank, made Nami start hyperventilating. She couldn’t see that again, not even to a stranger, no no no no nononononononono…

Large, strong hands rested on her back and legs, gently straightening her out. “I know you’re scared, but you need to stop pressing your knees into your stomach—it’s keeping your lungs from expanding fully, so you’re not getting the air you need.”

The voice was steady and knowing, at just the right octave to cut through the heavy pounding of blood in her ears. Unconsciously she obeyed, knees lowering, and her lungs swelled as she took several deep breaths.

“There you go. Just focus on breathing. In. Out. Here.” Nami flinched as she heard fabric rustling, trying to draw into herself again as she imagined her mystery man drawing a weapon, but she immediately relaxed as her nose was greeted by the clean, familiar aroma of oranges and mikans. “Breathe this in. Citrus scents reduce stress and anxiety.”

Like an ocean wave, the thought of Bellemere’s grove washed over her. She remembered the safety of her mother’s arms, how her hands always smelled like mikans no matter how many times she washed them. She remembered Nojiko making mikan shampoo for the first time, giving her a bottle before going off to rob more pirates. She remembered the delicious fruit dishes Sanji would make her, the times she’d find Zoro napping under the trees, the iced tea she’d share with Robin, watching Chopper try a fresh mikan for the first time, and knocking Luffy over the head when she caught him pilfering her fruit.

The smell made her feel safe. Like she was home, with her family and nakama.

After a few minutes her heart rate began to slow, aided by the hand on her back rubbing deliberate, soothing circles between her shoulder blades. “That’s better. Miss, can you sit up? I want to make sure you’re not injured.”

Nodding mutely, she allowed the man to help her sit upright and lean against the hard brick wall. She could breathe again, but she was still miserably hot. Lethargic fingers clumsily tried to unzip the top of her jumpsuit, desperate to vent the heat that had built up inside the thick fabric. Her hands were halted by a larger pair quickly grabbing them, however, as the voice shouted, “Whoa, whoa! Miss! There’s no need to get undressed!”

Her eyes finally opened enough to see a blushing, wide-eyed man around thirty years old staring down at her in shock and embarrassment.

“Please,” she whimpered, struggling weakly against his grip. “I’m burning up.”

His cheeks turned a dangerous shade of scarlet at her needy tone, and he looked away, clearly uncomfortable. “Are you at least wearing something underneath?” he choked out.

A tiny smile lifted the corner of her lips. It seemed her savior was either a gentleman or just incredibly shy. Good thing she’d had the foresight to wear a sports bra and shorts under the jumpsuit. “Uh huh. Please, I just…I need it off.”

“Ok. I’ll…help you undress, then.”

She audibly moaned in relief when the cool air touched her sweaty skin. Invigorated, she managed to peel the whole uniform off, a satisfied smile coming to her face as her temperature finally dropped. It was like jumping into a cool lagoon on the hottest day of the year, banishing the wretched layer of stifling humidity that had trapped her.

No longer panicking or burning up, Nami’s mind at last cleared enough to realize what she’d done. She’d managed to disobey every order Law’d given her—she ran off on her own, ditched her companions, and removed the uniform. She was in so much trouble when he found her.

She didn’t disillusion herself with the idea that he wouldn’t. Law’s abilities could let him scan the whole island and teleport her back to his ship in an instant if he wanted. It’s not like she could escape Grimm, either—she had no boat, no crew, and no real idea where to go, and she was smart enough to know he’d still probably spend his days searching for her, if for no other reason than she’d attacked his crew.

Oh, damn, I hope they’re alright, she thought, burying her face in her hands. Her wind attacks weren’t deadly, but accidents happened, and she really couldn’t remember exactly what she’d done in her panic. What if it had been strong enough to trip Ikkaku and crack her skull open on the street? What if it knocked Shachi over and re-broke his arm? What if it sent Bepo stumbling back into a stray, sharp piece of wood, impaling a vital organ? Nami might have been scared, but she’d never forgive herself if she’d brought any harm to them.

An awkward cough caught her attention, and forcing the dark possibilities that she’d killed her friends from her mind, Nami distracted herself by finally giving her savior a proper look.

Even sitting down, the man was large. About Bepo’s height by her estimate and as muscular as Smoker, he had a hooked nose, X-shaped scar across his chin, and blue eyes that stood out starkly against the black domino mask and the shadow cast by his pointed, plumed hat. His ginger hair was a few shades darker than hers, with thick sideburns framing his chiseled, lantern jaw. Nearly his entire outfit was made of midnight blue leather, from his gloves to his thigh-high boots to his bolero. Clipped to his broad shoulders was a long cape, also blue but lined with burgundy red on the inside. His chest was exposed, showcasing the enormous X tattoo adorning his torso, and at his side were two massive weapons—a saber and what appeared to be the lovechild of a mace and an axe.

That’s “Red Flag” X Drake, Nami realized, the Supernova’s wanted poster instantly popping into her head. He wasn’t quite as notoriously sadistic or infamously violent as Law or Eustass Kid, but it was easy to remember a pirate who’d defected from the Marines. She’d assumed he’d headed off to the New World like the others, but perhaps he was like Law and thought it better to wait things out?

“Are you feeling better?” he asked, deliberately keeping his eyes on her face.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Th-thanks for the h-help,” she replied with a stammer, desperately trying to convince her heart there was no need to panic again. Of course, her instincts knew better; X Drake was a pirate on the Grand Line and a Supernova at that. His bounty was even higher than Law’s, and probably for good reason. She was alone with him in a back alley with no crew to back her up, whether Straw Hat or Heart Pirate. A woman with her limited combat prowess stood a snowball’s chance in hell against him in a fight, and he was big enough to crush her throat with one hand if he wanted to.

Yet…he seemed nervous. The redness had faded from his face, but there was still a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. His posture seemed casual at first glance, but she could see the subtle tension in his neck and shoulders. Most noticeably, he was doing his damnedest not to look anywhere below her chin, even though his greater height gave him an excellent view of her exposed cleavage.

Drake was a rival pirate and former rear-admiral of the Navy, but she got the feeling that if she really needed to, she could easily escape by flashing him.

“Good to hear, though I really don’t think you should be stripping around here, and especially not asking strange men to help you. Most might consider it an…invitation,” he said, awkwardly scratching his jaw as he glanced away, blushing harder at the thought.

A small smile curved her lips. Yup, he was definitely trying not to stare at her half-naked body. Who would have thought a man as infamous as X Drake would be so bashful? “But not you?”

“I prefer my invitations to be enthusiastic and explicit,” was his stiff reply as he leaned against the wall beside her. Nami didn’t miss the brief, almost guilty glances he stole at her from the corner of his eye, though. “And certainly not from a woman in the midst of a panic attack.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said with a wink. She was feeling much more clear-headed and like her normal self now that her brain wasn’t being cooked, and the knowledge that X Drake had such an easily exploited weakness to her body made her relax. “Why do you carry around mikan perfume, anyway?”

The pink tips of his ears deepened. “It’s not perfume; it’s orange extract. During my time in the Marines, I had many comrades who suffered PTSD or panic attacks, and aromatherapy has been proven to be good for reducing anxiety—particularly citrus scents. I rarely experience them myself anymore, but it’s still useful during periods of extreme stress. Seemed to be rather effective on you,” he said with a raised eyebrow before quickly glancing away.

Taking pity on him, Nami drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them so he wasn’t given such a shameless view of her bountiful chest. “I grew up in a mikan grove. The smell reminds me of home.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, a look of understanding softening his stern features. “Does it? No wonder, then.” He handed her the bottle. “Dab a little under your nose and rub some on your hands—better safe than sorry.”

Gratefully she did so, relishing the refreshing, familiar scent of her favorite fruit. “Thanks. Guess I’m lucky you’re the one who stumbled across me, huh?”

“I’ll say. I was passing by when I saw you running like the Devil himself was after you. Piqued my curiosity, and I suppose not all of my Marine training has left me; simply had to help a damsel in distress.”

She chuckled, though it turned into a soft moan of relief as the bare skin of her back pressed against the cool brick behind her.

Drake’s brow furrowed as he looked her over critically. “You really shouldn’t sit around half-dressed out here, you know.”

“Because of men without invitations?”

“Because it’s far too cold to be walking around in so little, and with the sheen of sweat on your skin, you’re at a high risk of getting hypothermia.”

Nami stubbornly shook her head, though she frowned at the feeling of the damp ends of her hair against her bare shoulders. “Honestly, that damn jumpsuit was so hot, freezing to death sounds like a dream come true right now.”

“Yes, but I’m sure your crew would be quite distraught to find out you’d died in such an ignoble way.”

She stiffened at the mention of her crew. Was he talking about the Heart Pirates or Straw Hats? “Yeah, fair enough. I just really don’t want to get back in that thing,” she replied, toe nudging the boiler suit disdainfully.

Drake scoffed in agreement. “Considering whose emblem is on it, I don’t blame you.” Standing, he hoisted her to her feet as if she weighed nothing. Now Nami could see just how tall he was, completely towering over her. She thought he might get all flustered again as her cleavage was once more on display, but his intense blue eyes were fixed upon the swirling tattoo on her shoulder. “I must say, I’m surprised—I didn’t believe the outlandish rumors that Cat Thief Nami had joined the Heart Pirates, even after Jinzo started babbling about why he didn’t have my money. I figured he was just making excuses. And yet, here you are.”

She stiffened. Well, now she knew who the broker’s next appointment was supposed to have been. “Ah. I’m guessing he was mad?”

A red eyebrow quirked, and his lips twitched upwards in amusement. “He was quite vocal about what he hoped to do to you for costing him so much belli. You’re lucky I found you instead of any of his men. A woman by herself is already taking a great risk wandering around in these back alleys—even more so when she’s made an enemy of the island’s most unscrupulous black market broker.”

She gulped at the implication. Damn, Law really was right, wasn’t he? If someone other than Drake had come across her while she was helpless on the ground…

“Well, I appreciate the rescue,” she squeaked, deciding it was time to head back to the Polar Tang. Glancing up and down the alley, she tried to recall her steps. She’d pretty much run blindly through the alleyways, but she was certain her natural sense of direction could get her back to the docks. Sure, Law would be mad at her for running off, but he was a hell of a lot safer than Jinzo. She shivered at the memory of the man’s hateful stare as Law had led her away, certain she’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble if she ran into him in the grungy alley.

Mistaking her shiver for the cold finally getting to her, Drake unclipped his cape, wrapping it around her shoulders with a flourish, bundling her in tightly. “There. It would be a shame for you to die of exposure before I got you back to the ship.”

A small whine escaped the back of her throat as she was engulfed by the thick fabric, once more feeling stifled and too hot. She struggled to escape the long cloak, but he only wrapped her up tighter.

“Let me go,” so moaned pathetically, face once more flushing as her heart sped up. The material was softer than the boiler suit, but it was still heavy and suffocating, and Drake’s lingering body heat in the fibers made it worse. “It’s too hot!”

“Miss Nami, unless you’ve recently eaten some sort of fire-based Devil Fruit, I can’t imagine how you could be anything but freezing,” he said with a stern frown. “I understand you’re afraid of me, and with good reason, but I won’t hurt you if you come quietly. I’m not in the business of harming hostages unless absolutely necessary.”

“Hostages?”

A hint of a sly smirk tugged at his lips. “I confess, I am a bit miffed at you for causing Jinzo to reschedule on me—he owes me a lot of belli, and I was hoping to be off this damn island by now. Kidnapping you is not only cathartic, but profitable; your bounty’s hardly worth turning you in for, but perhaps Jinzo might make me a better offer. Or I could put your skills to use in exchange for your eventual freedom. After all, your thieving skills are quite notorious, and Trafalgar must have recruited you for a reason.”

Oh no. The last thing she needed was to be the slave of another pirate captain. “Um, how about you ransom me to Law?” she suggested hopefully. “I’m sure he could pay whatever you were going to ask Jinzo, and then some!” Angry as the Surgeon of Death might be about her running off and getting kidnapped, surely he’d be able to rescue her if he knew X Drake had her, right? It’d be easy with his powers, and there’d be no need to buy her back when he could snatch her away with a flick of his fingers.

There was a brief, angry flash of sharp fangs as he growled, “Because the less I have to interact with that smarmy bastard, the happier I’ll be. Don’t think I don’t see through your little scheme; why would he pay when his powers can easily steal you back? Besides that, I’ll be damned if I let that ingrate gain an extra advantage by poaching Straw Hat’s thief.”

“Let me go!” she cried. Drake’s sudden switch from surprisingly helpful to a legitimate threat to her well-being demanded she pull together what little energy she had and escape. The problem was she was running on fumes and in the clutches of an eight-foot-tall former Marine whose bicep was thicker than her waist and could probably crush her skull with one hand like a rotten apple if he desired. Fighting was definitely out, and with the way he’d swaddled her in his cloak, she couldn’t even flash him like she’d planned.

Desperate, Nami attempted to wiggle out of the heavy fabric, but he grabbed the collar and tugged her close, looming over her threateningly.

“Don’t bother trying to run—even if you did somehow get away, you’re covered in both my scent and the citrus oil.” For a moment, his eyes shifted, harsh, reptilian yellow overtaking the blue, and he took a deep breath through his nose. “In a rancid cesspool like this, I’d hunt you down easily. If you come quietly, I promise you will be treated well; perhaps even invited to join my crew, if you play your cards right. If you resist, I’ll have to switch the orange extract for chloroform, and the next time you wake up, you’ll be in Jinzo’s possession.”

Once more, her heart began to race, but thankfully her mind wasn’t overcome yet with memories and panic. “Look, I…I’m sorry if I accidentally caused you trouble, but Jinzo’s a cheapskate who’d rather kill you to get me than actually pay. And if what you’re worried about is my alliance with Law, it’s just a temporary partnership! I don’t even like the guy!”

“Nobody likes Trafalgar; he’s a sadistic asshole.” A massive arm wrapped around her tiny waist and he hoisted her up so her feet dangled above the ground, pressing her against his scorching chest. “And if that’s truly the case, then you have even less reason to resist—think of it as a rescue.”

“From the way things look, the only one she needs to be saved from is you, Drake-ya.”

A blue aura surrounded them, and in an instant Nami was out of Drake’s grasp and firmly in Law’s, one tattooed arm wrapping possessively around her bare midriff while the other leaned Kikoku casually on his shoulder. Hard plains of muscle pressed against her back, and she could feel his sharp chin rest on the top of her head.

Nami’s body was tense, but not as much as it had been with Drake. Some of it had to do with the essential oil keeping her calm and the cool air once more regulating her temperature, but it was mostly because, dangerous as he was, Law was the devil she knew. No matter how pissed he might be at her disobedience, he would protect her; she was his property, right? Arlong had certainly punished her for her misdeeds against him, but he’d never allowed anyone not on his crew lay so much as a hand on her.

Pirates didn’t like other people touching their things, after all.

“Been a while, Drake-ya,” Law’s smooth voice caressed her ears. “Making a move on my Cat Thief, I see. How’s that going so far? Have you told her how many people you’ve killed? I’m sure that always impresses the ladies.”

“Trafalgar,” Drake spat, glaring disdainfully between the empty cape in his hand and the man standing ten feet away. “I’m quite certain the woman belongs to Straw Hat, not you.”

“Hmmm, normally, but since I was nice enough to save his life, I thought it was only fair that he let me borrow her while he trains.” Law chuckled and Nami felt his nose playfully nuzzle her temple as his hand slid up to splay just beneath her breast. “You know I’ve got a thing for feisty gingers.”

The former Marine snorted in response as he donned his cloak. “Well, since she’s apparently the reason Jinzo had to reschedule our appointment, I think it’s only fair that I ‘borrow’ her for a while as recompense.”

“Sorry, she and I have dinner plans tonight. Besides, I did you a favor—he’s not as good as Kimo when it comes to honoring deals. Had the nerve to try and give me less than a third of our agreed-on price. If it hadn’t been for my little kitten here, you’d be trying to negotiate with a corpse.”

Hearing Law call her “kitten” made Nami shudder, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It felt disturbingly familiar somehow and made the hairs on the back of her neck rise as goosebumps rippled across her skin.

Drake crossed his arms, unimpressed. “Jinzo’s unscrupulous scum, but he owes me money. Money that your ‘little kitten’ managed to swindle from him, the way he tells it.”

“If he’d brought the amount Kimo had agreed to pay me, I wouldn’t have needed her uncanny haggling skills.” Law cocked his head to the side. “Out of curiosity, how much does he owe you?”

“600 million belli.”

“He only had 725 million on him for his four scheduled deals, and he only planned to pay me 200 million. So even if his other clients were working for free, he had no intention of paying your asking price.” He let out a wry chuckle. “The man must have a death wish, looking to cheat two Supernovas in one day.”

Drake swore under his breath. “Fine. If he won’t pay me properly, I’ll just have to wring his neck and take the money from him. But considering how you still ruined my plans to leave this wretched place on schedule, I’m ruining your dinner plans. Now hand the Cat Thief over,” he growled, gripping the hilt of his saber. “I have a greater need for her than you.”

The nodachi on Law’s shoulder shifted in response. “Look, not that I’m opposed to you getting laid—anything to get the stick out of your ass—but Nami-ya’s mine.” The woman in question could practically hear Law’s smirk as he continued, “Why don’t you try the brothel the next street over? I’m sure the lovely ladies there will be happy to service your ‘needs’ for the right price.”

Drake gaped for a moment before sputtering, “I’m not looking to sleep with her!”

“Now don’t be bashful, Drake-ya! Sexual urges are completely healthy and natural, and I certainly don’t blame you for wanting a sexy redhead. Hell, maybe she can finally help you ditch your V-card.”

“You know I’m not a virgin!” he snapped, face flushing dark red in humiliation a second later as he realized precisely what he’d said.

Law’s grin widened, more than happy to take advantage of the slip. “Oh yeah—I do, don’t I? Never imagined I’d get to tame a dinosaur, but anything’s possible on the Grand Line, right?”

Nami’s jaw dropped as her cheeks heated. Holy crap, Law and Drake? Together?! She had so many questions.

“You didn’t ‘tame’ me,” Drake growled as he forced himself to calm down, though his ears still burned to match his ginger hair.

“Oh? So you’d let any man ride you? Slut.”

Maybe it was her imagination, but Nami swore she could feel Law’s erection against her lower back. Was he seriously getting turned on by this? She began to feel warm again as her own arousal spiked, much to her irritation. Could anyone blame her, though? Drake was not an unattractive man, and the mental image of him and Law battling for dominance in the bedroom was certainly titillating.

“Trafalgar,” he snarled, eyes morphing into their yellow, reptilian state, “either you hand over the woman right now or—”

“Or what? You’ll take her from me? Sorry, Drake-ya, but you know what a possessive bastard I am. I found her first, so she’s mine.”

“I don’t see your name on her,” he said petulantly.

Law spared the woman in his arms a small glare. “She’s a crafty kitten that likes to slip her leash sometimes, but I’m happy to stake my claim here and now.” A tattooed hand cupped her breast as her rolled his hips against her ass. There was no mistake what he had in mind. “Feel free to watch—you might learn something.”

There he went calling her “kitten” again, and his shameless groping nearly made Nami choke. She’d grown used to his flirting and suggestive touches, but he’d never been this blatant! Hell, compared to this, he’d been downright chaste when they’d made out in the mansion hall and when he’d given her that hickey! Was it his weird form of punishing her for running off? Or was it just to mess with Drake? Law certainly seemed to enjoy riling the other pirate up, but did he need to go so far as to threaten to fuck her in front of him to scare Drake away?

More importantly, would that even work? Law’d basically been putting her scantily clad figure on display for him throughout the entire conversation, but Drake didn’t seem nearly as flustered as he’d been when it had just been the two of them. Maybe Law’s insults and innuendos had distracted him enough to look past Nami’s full breasts and sensual curves before, but the way he was looking at her now…

It was similar to the hungry gaze Law sometimes gave her, only more feral. Animalistic. And she wasn’t fully sure if it was directed at her, the Surgeon of Death, or both.

Whichever it was, Law was playing a dangerous game of chicken, and if Drake snapped, she was the one caught in the middle.

The idea that the argument might morph into a violent, sexual brawl made Nami renew her struggles. “Will you both quit fucking talking about me like I’m some stupid toy you’re fighting over?!” she snapped, twisting and writhing in Law’s arms. “If you want to measure dicks, go ahead; just leave me out of it!”

Both men seemed momentarily taken aback by her outburst, though Law recovered quickly enough to tighten his arm around her waist. The sheathed nodachi pressed threateningly to her bare throat, saying without words that she was dancing on thin ice, and Nami reluctantly stilled. Out of the corner of her eye she saw gold eyes narrow at her defiance before his expression morphed back into a cocky smirk. “See, Drake-ya? This little kitten’s way too feisty for you to handle.”

“I only hope she scratches your eyes out,” he countered, though he did back off slightly, his eyes returning to normal. Ignoring his rival, he addressed the Cat Thief directly, though it was obvious her bare skin distracted him. “Miss Nami, I’m sure with Straw Hat missing you’re only associating yourself with Trafalgar out of desperation. However, I can assure you that you can do far better than this psychopath.”

Before she could answer, the alley was once more engulfed in blue, and Nami groaned as she found herself redressed in the Heart Pirate uniform. Behind her, Law sneered, “Maybe she can, but she’s paying off Straw Hat’s life debt to me, so she’s mine until her contract is up. I might be willing to lend her to you in exchange for a few favors, but that’s something you negotiate with me—not her.”

The jumpsuit was hot, uncomfortably damp with sweat, and combined with Law’s arms wrapped tightly around her, even more suffocating than before. Nami’s heart was once more beginning to race, chest rising and falling hard as she fought to draw breath. It wasn’t as bad as before due to the essential oil still lingering under her nose, but her body was slowly reverting back into fight or flight mode.

Tension rose as the two pirates glared at each other, neither noticing nor caring about the woman’s distress.

Pulling off a leather glove, Drake’s hand shifted into a reptilian claw before their eyes. Flexing his talons menacingly, he growled, “A debt, huh? Well, if I kill you right now, that should clear any debt away and she’ll be free to do as she pleases. How about it, Miss Nami? Agree to help me strip Jinzo of every last belli he’s ever earned, and I’ll be happy to tear Trafalgar’s head off.”

“You threaten that every time, Drake-ya, and yet the only ‘head’ you’ve ever gotten—”

“Law, please, let me go,” Nami cut in, desperate to gain some breathing space and shed the jumpsuit like a snake would its skin. His body heat made it even worse, managing to seep through the dense canvas into her back, and his hot breath at her ear sizzled the damp skin. Despite the lingering smell of citrus, her pulse fluttered, anxiety strumming her veins like guitar strings.

“Stay right there,” the dark doctor rasped, Kikoku dropping to press against her waist while his free hand slid up to wrap threateningly around her throat, “or I really will put a collar on you.” Glancing back up at the former Marine, Law flashed a dangerous smile. “You know, Drake-ya, there’s no reason we can’t all get along. Hell, why don’t you join my crew? The pay’s good, and I wouldn’t mind my very own pet Allosaurus.”

Drake’s mouth twisted in a deep scowl, though Nami didn’t miss the way his eyes briefly dropped to Law’s hand as it trailed down to trace the Heart Pirate logo on her chest. “I’m no one’s pet, least of all yours.”

“You say that now, but I think you’d enjoy it—I know I would. Two sexy, fiery redheads, naked in my bed is pretty much my ultimate fantasy. I’d even let you help me train Nami-ya—she needs to learn obedience, but I know you’ve got no trouble following orders, eh, Navy-boy?”

For a moment, Drake’s eyes lingered on them, and she swore it looked like he was considering it, especially when Law nipped her ear, making her gasp, her chest expanding upwards as her cheeks deepened to an obscene shade of scarlet. She could imagine she looked like a wet dream; sweaty hair tousled, face flushed, cleavage peeking out of the jumpsuit’s opening, lips parted as she panted lightly. Law probably looked just as tempting, with his inviting golden stare, dexterous fingers, and wicked smirk.

Law was absolutely giving an enthusiastic and explicit invitation, and both pirates had shown that Nami’s opinion on the matter was a mere afterthought.

The man behind her shifted, and this time she was positive she could feel the Dark Doctor’s cock straining against her. “Law, please,” she whimpered, sweat breaking out across her brow.

“Mmm, much as I love hearing you beg, Nami-ya, you’re just going to have to be patient. Unless you want to put on a show for Drake-ya?” Long fingers pinched the tab of her zipper, slowly pulling it down to expose more of her cleavage. “Give him a taste of what he could have if he joins us?”

That seemed to snap Drake out of whatever lustful trance Law had lured him into, as his face went bright red and his scowl returned. “Ugh, you’re a disgusting cretin, Trafalgar. I’m not subjecting myself to your presence any longer.” Tipping his plumed hat, he spun on his heel. “If you ever come to your senses and decide to ditch this sadistic bastard, Miss Nami, feel free to seek me out.”

“Damn. I was hoping he’d try to call my bluff,” Law chuckled as the tall redhead disappeared down an alley. “I’d love to show him how I discipline disobedient kittens when they run off.”

“You’ve got the weirdest kinks!” she snapped, struggling desperately in his arms. The moist jumpsuit rubbed unpleasantly against her bare skin like wet sandpaper. The sensation finally brought to light why Law’s new nickname made her so uncomfortable—Arlong had often referred to her as a kitten. Usually as a term of affection, but also a way to further show how little he thought of her species, that he regarded animals typically kept as pets as more worthy of his respect than humans. “Let me go—I’m not your kitten!”

Law released her long enough to spin her around and start walking her backwards with slow, sure strides, gold eyes drilling into hers. “And yet it’s the most accurate description I can think of—you’re a clueless little kitten who has no self-preservation skills likely to get ripped apart by wild dogs!” With a thump her back hit the rough brick wall, but any relief the cool stone might have provided was short-lived as Law pressed his entire body against her front to trap her. “Ditching the uniform was bad enough, but running off on your own? Making a scene in public and attacking your crew? If you were even half as smart as you claim to be, you never would have taken such a stupid risk.”

“I wasn’t thinking—”

“Damn right you weren’t thinking!” he snapped. “I don’t care if you think the uniform’s ugly or uncomfortable, when I give you an order, you obey it!”

“It’s just clothes!”

“If it were just clothes, you wouldn’t have been the one to make it such a huge fucking deal! The fact that you couldn’t follow such a basic order proves you can’t be trusted.” Without breaking eye contact, he reached down, dragging the zipper up to her neck and buttoning the collar so not an inch of flesh south of her chin was exposed. “Now, unless you want me to make good on my threat to discipline you, you’re going to leave that as it is. You managed to punt any leniency I had for your bratty antics right out the window. We’re going back to the ship, where you will be confined for the foreseeable future. If I have to, I’ll chain you to a desk where you’ll spend the rest of the year drawing maps and sea charts for me.”

Her eyes widened at the threat. It was far too much like her dream; like what she’d gone through with Arlong. Panic made her adrenalin spike, and with ever less ventilation than before, the temperature inside the suit rose further. “Please, Law, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t—”

Furious that she was still trying to argue, his voice was as hard and biting as ice as he said, “I’m not interested in excuses, Nami-ya. You disobeyed me, and even more damning, you attacked my crew. I told you when we first met that I’d make you suffer if you brought any harm to them, and I intend to keep that promise.”

“I didn’t mean to! They were threatening me!” she simpered, trying to pull away, but like the man pressed to her front, the wall at her back wasn’t going to relent for the sake of a small, terrified woman.

“Threatening you? Ikkaku, Bepo, and Shachi? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable,” he snorted, grabbing her left arm in a bruising grip when she tried to unzip the uniform.

“They wanted to tattoo me! To brand me as your property!” Unconsciously she clutched her shoulder, fingers digging into the scars left by her old tattoo. “I couldn’t let them do that to me. Not again.”

“And why would they want to do that?” he asked sarcastically. “Convince me before I cut out your slanderous tongue.”

“So that I couldn’t escape. So that no matter where I went or how I tried to hide, everyone would see that I’m yours,” she whispered, eyes dulling as she recalled the judgmental glares the villagers would give her every time they saw Arlong’s tattoo. Even if it had all been an act, they had cut deeply at the time, and even now she felt overwhelming shame.

Tsking in irritation, he finally gave her a few inches of space. “You make it sound like I’ve enslaved you—you’re the one who came to me, demanding the I let you settle Mugiwara’s debt. What we have is a deal; join my crew until it’s paid off. But it’s pretty hard to do that if Drake-ya or others make off with you, isn’t it? So if I have to make you wear a uniform or even tattoo my mark onto you, so be it.”

Nami’s mind clouded, fear firmly taking hold. She and Arlong had had a deal, too, and he’d used every dirty trick imaginable to deny his cartographer her freedom. What made Law any different? How did she know he’d keep his word and let her leave at the end of the year? What was stopping him from chaining her up and keeping her as a pet, from basically enslaving her even as he called her a valued shipmate?

It was too hot, her flesh felt like it was melting off her bones, blood was pounding in her ears, her scars throbbed, and her vision grew hazy as she began to hyperventilate. In her mind, Law and Arlong shifted and blended together, and trapped and scared against her monstrous captain, panic finally overwhelmed her.

“I’m not your fucking property!” she screeched, slamming her fists against his chest, nails attempting to claw at his face like a caged animal. Unwilling to let her gouge his eyes out, he grabbed her by the wrists, pinning her to the wall with his full body weight. “Get off of me! I’m not your fucking shipmate, or your kitten, or anything! I’d sooner die than let you use me again! I hate you!”

“Will you calm the fuck down?! What is your problem—” Law snapped, but his anger shifted to concern as he felt just how sweltering her skin had become and how erratic her pulse was. The last dregs of irritation vanished as he finally allowed himself to carefully study her, taking in her flushed and sweaty face, unfocused gaze, and shallow wheezes.

His brow furrowed as he stepped back, surrounding her with his Room and quickly Scanning her.

“Fuck,” her bit out under his breath. “So that’s your problem. Nami-ya, close your eyes.”

“Why the fuck should I do that?!” she screamed, attempting to dart to the side, but her escape route was swiftly blocked.

“Because this’ll be a lot less traumatizing if you don’t watch what I’m about to do.” When her eyes widened further, he smacked his forehead, annoyed at himself for his poor wording. “It’s the birth control medication I injected you with—you’re having a bad reaction to it. The chemical imbalance is giving you a massive panic attack, and the stress is causing you to overheat, which is slowly frying your brain. I need to remove the drug from your system, and considering how squeamish you are, I can promise, you’re not going to want to see how.”

“I…”

His expression turned desperate as he beseeched, “Nami-ya, please, I know it goes against your every instinct right now, but I need you to trust me.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, forcing herself to close her eyes as tightly as possible and hold still despite her legs trembling with the urge to run. He was right; she needed to trust him. Law wasn’t asking as her captain, but as her doctor. He wouldn’t hurt her any more than Chopper would. He was trying to save her, and she needed to have faith that anything he did was for her own good.

“Room. Shambles.”

A strange sensation overcame her. It was almost like she was floating, and while she could still feel her individual body parts, it was…dull and disjointed, almost numbed, like when your foot falls asleep and you wiggle your toes.

Then came another odd feeling. The closest she could compare it to was what she imagined it would feel like to be a sugar cube slowly dissolving in a glass of water, but the heat and adrenaline slowly vanished, and bit by bit, her heart began to slow to a normal pace.

When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on the ground, the sweaty uniform in a neat pile by her leg. Law knelt before her, studying her face and body intently. His mouth was a hard line and his gold eyes cautious as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“…cold.”

With a relieved chuckle, he pulled off his hoodie and carefully slipped it over her head. “Well, better than heat stroke and cardiac arrest.” He sighed, giving an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry the drug fucked you up so badly. I must have gotten the ratio off. I can’t even remember if I’d informed you of the potential side effects. At the very least, I shouldn’t have administered it when I was functioning on so little sleep—it was irresponsible of me as a doctor.”

Gratefully, Nami slipped her arms into the long sleeves, soaking in the residual body heat in the soft fabric. The sweatshirt was long enough to be a mini-dress on her, and she very nearly tucked her legs inside to block out the chilly air. Her skin was slick with sweat, and the cold air and stone beneath her was leeching the heat from her body. Now she understood why Drake had been so concerned about her lack of clothes. “It’s my own fault. I should have told you I was feeling weird. I just figured it was my body needing time to adapt and me being stressed about…stuff.”

The skin beneath the DEATH tattoos went white as Law gripped Kikoku harder. “No, it isn’t alright—I should have demanded a follow-up appointment to check how you were doing instead of putting my focus on fucking fertilizer. And I definitely should have noticed there was something wrong with you—you were literally having a panic attack in front of me, but I was too stubborn to acknowledge it.”

“Law, I know my body—I should have realized there was something wrong with me. And you were a little…distracted.”

“So, we’re both idiots, then?”

Nami couldn’t help the wry smile that tugged at her lips. “Guess so.” She glanced over at the jumpsuit. Part of her was nearly tempted to put it on due to how cold she suddenly felt, but one touch of the sweat-sodden fabric quickly changed her mind. “Look, I get that I don’t have much of a right to ask, but do I still have to wear this?”

Law frowned at the damp uniform. “Not until it’s been laundered and properly dried, at least. I’m taking you back to the ship regardless—I want to run some tests to be sure the birth control is completely out of your system, and you’re staying in the infirmary overnight for observation.”

“Yeah, makes sense,” she said sadly as the familiar blue aura overtook them. In a blink they were in the Polar Tang’s infirmary, their sudden appearance making Penguin jump from his place at the desk.

“Law! You found her!”

He tossed Kikoku to the first mate before hoisting Nami onto the examination table. “Yeah, but I’m going to need you to run some blood tests for me and fetch some clothes and toiletries from her room—she’s sleeping in here tonight for observation.”

Penguin nodded before rushing out the door, barely giving the navigator’s lack of uniform a second glance. Meanwhile, Law strode over to the cabinets, pulling out blankets, pillows, and towels. “What other symptoms have you been having?”

Rubbing her arms, Nami replied, “Nightmares and trouble sleeping, but that’s it.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?”

“I should.”

“Good, then I won’t give you a sedative. I’m not risking putting anything else in your bloodstream until I’m 100% sure what caused your reaction.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, “for removing the drug. And…not making me watch how you did it.” Law was sadistic and cruel, but that moment of compassion spoke volumes of how much he cared about a patient’s well-being. It was a fascinating juxtaposition—the doctor and the pirate. One that made her respect for him rise a little.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for trusting me.” He gave a small smirk as he handed her the supplies. “Assuming there are no lingering side effects I should be able to declare you well enough to go to dinner with me tomorrow night.”

Her head shot up in surprise. “You still want to do that? Even after I attacked your crew? After I tried to claw your eyes out?” Good God, she expected Luffy to be that forgiving, not the Surgeon of Death!

“You did it under the effects of a drug that I improperly administered—I have no one to blame but myself. Plus, I already made reservations.” At her disbelieving expression, he shrugged. “Honestly, Ikkaku, Shachi, and Bepo weren’t even mad; they were more scared something would happen to you.”

“Really?”

“Really. I was the one who was pissed.”

Draping a blanket over her cold legs, she snorted. “Clearly. Would you have really made good on your threat?”

“Which one?”

Unconsciously, her hand fisted the blanket. “Chaining me to a desk and forcing me to make maps for you.”

“That’s the one you’re most worried about?” he asked, bewildered.

“Let’s just say it’s something that would have happened to me if Luffy hadn’t intervened.”

Law’s brow furrowed when she didn’t elaborate, and he crossed his arms in irritation. “You’re welcome to your secrets and privacy, Nami-ya, but considering how you very nearly clawed my eyes out over it, you’re going to have to give a better answer than that. I can’t know what will trigger you if you don’t tell me.”

“Maybe I’m not comfortable with someone like you knowing my weaknesses.” She shot him a glare. “You seemed to take a lot of creepy pleasure in threatening to put a collar on me, among other things.”

The brim of his hat cast a shadow across his eyes as he scowled. “I’m a sadistic bastard—I’ve never hidden this. But I was trying to scare you into compliance, not give you a panic attack.”

“Either way, it doesn’t exactly inspire me to trust you.”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. In the harsh light of the infirmary, the circles under his eyes seemed even more pronounced. “Nami-ya, I’m sorry I went too far. I was angry and keyed up from dealing with Drake-ya.”

A scoff and a roll of her eyes was Nami’s immediate response. “Yeah, sure, ‘keyed up’. Personally, I would have gone with ‘horny as hell’.” She blushed slightly at the thought. Looking back on it, that moment had felt like something from one of her raunchier novels. And she really needed to not imagine what the two Supernovas would be like together. Who would top? Drake was certainly the larger man, but she had a hard time picturing Law being submissive, control freak that he was….

She shook herself from her musings as Law responded, removing his hat to run a hand through his dark hair, “We have…history. Generally when we meet, we either try to kill each other or fuck. In such close quarters and with you as a liability, I didn’t trust my chances if it came to a fight, so yeah, I fully leaned into the sexual tension.”

After the day she’d had, Nami should have been immune, but she couldn’t help but appreciate how hot he looked when he mussed his hair like that. Her blush deepened as she glanced away. “Well, you should have left me out of it.”

“Drake-ya’s shy with women. I knew he’d turn tail and run if I got you involved.”

Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t quite argue his logic, mostly because it was completely fucked up. “Bullshit; you were totally hoping for a threesome. You are seriously such a freak. Next time, just teleport us out of there.”

“He was talking about kidnapping you,” Law countered, leaning in and resting his hands on either side of her thighs. His breath tickled her face as he continued, “I needed to make sure he knew you were completely off-limits.”

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned back slightly. “I thought we established that I’m not your property?”

“Nami-ya, that’s the way it is—if you’re not strong enough to protect yourself, you’re the property of someone who was strong enough to claim you.” For a brief moment, his eyes softened, getting a faraway look as he lifted his hand to gently brush his knuckles across her jaw. “I know you hate it, but for now, accept that it’s the only way to protect you from the monsters of the world. Because believe me; there are men far worse than me who’d love to get their hands on you. Men who don’t have my limits.”

Her breath caught at his gentle action, and Law seemed to snap out of his reverie, quickly pulling away to grab her chart from the filing cabinet. “Penguin should be back soon to draw some blood and examine you. I need to tell the rest of the crew you’re back, safe and sound. You’re still confined to the ship until dinner tomorrow as punishment for worrying everyone.” Without looking at her, he tossed her chart on the desk and left, all but slamming the door behind him.

Wide, brown eyes stared at the metal barricade in shock. What was that about? Where had that flash of softness come from? Was he seriously running off because of a moment of…what? Kindness? Affection? Concern?

It seemed like every time she thought she had Trafalgar Law figured out, he had to do something to completely throw her.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a brisk knock on the door.

“Come in,” she called hesitantly.

Penguin stuck his head inside, little stuffed bird on his hat bobbing slightly. “You ok?”

Tugging at the black sleeves of Law’s sweatshirt, she sighed. “Fine, I guess. Managed to not get kidnapped by X Drake, thanks to your captain.”

“You ran into Drake? My condolences.”

“He was actually pretty nice up until he decided to take me hostage.”

Penguin chuckled as he tugged on a pair of latex gloves, grabbing her chart and the medical supplies he needed. “No, the condolences are for having to watch him and Law interact. It’s been going on since we were terrorizing the North Blue, back when Drake was tasked with bringing us down. The boss is not subtle when he hits on him, and Drake’s usually a coin flip between trying to kill him and pinning him against a wall. Makes things super uncomfortable for the rest of us.”

His look of exasperation drew an easy laugh from the redhead. “Yeah, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Law all but proposed a threesome.”

“Unfortunately, I believe it,” he groused as he rolled up the sleeve of the hoodie to expose Nami’s arm. Swabbing a patch of skin with a sterilized cotton ball, he continued, “I’m not sure if Drake brings out his kinky side or if he just did it to mess with you two. Probably both. Boss has a thing for gingers.”

“Then why doesn’t he hit on Shachi?”

“Oh, he did, briefly, when we were teens, but once he realized Shachi wasn’t into dudes, he backed off.”

“Dare I ask how Law found out Drake was interested?”

Penguin threw her a teasing wink. “You’re gonna have to get me seriously drunk to tell that story; I’ve worked damn hard to repress it.”

Nami had to laugh. Though he could be an awkward flirt and sometimes a bit too hard on his crewmates, Penguin was an easy guy to like. He was definitely the big brother of the ship, bullying Shachi and Bepo during downtime but quickly stepping up and making sure they were alright when things got serious.

His mouth turned down in a reluctant frown. “Look, I hate to bring down the mood, but as first mate, I have to know; why’d you run off?”

Averting her eyes, she nervously twisted the blanket in her hands. “What, Shachi didn’t tell you?”

Carefully inserting the syringe into her vein, he began drawing blood. “Figured I’d hear your side of the story before I made my judgement. Law gave me a quick run-down on how the medication gave you a panic attack, but something had to trigger it.”

“You mean besides nearly being cooked to death in that hideous jumpsuit?”

As he removed the needle and taped some gauze to her arm, he gave her a serious, but not unsympathetic, look. “Heat stroke can certainly cause a person to be unreasonable, but Bepo said you were yelling about not being ‘that monster’s property’. I know Law’s not the nicest guy around, especially when compared to Straw Hat, but he hasn’t done anything that would warrant that kind of reaction from you, has he?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing with genuine concern.

Blunt white teeth worried her lower lip. Part of her wanted to say he had—killing Harpin, threatening her, all the things he’d done to earn his reputation—but in reality, she’d seen much worse from other pirates, and he’d done enough halfway decent things—giving money to the jewelry seller, saving her from the Baron, his kindness towards his crew—that she couldn’t even bring herself to lie. “Well, no…”

“You don’t have to spill your life story, Nami; everybody has baggage and things that set them off. Everyone on board cares about you enough that we want you to feel happy and safe, but you need to trust us enough to tell us if we’ve done something to make you uncomfortable.”

She sighed. She may have been able to avoid this talk with Law, but it was clear Penguin wouldn’t be distracted by snarky jabs or petty fights. It was hard to argue with him, too, when it came from a genuine place of concern. And someone should know, right? At least a little bit? Enough to set some boundaries between her and the rest of the Heart Pirates. “Look, I admit, I was being a brat about the uniform, and Law’s stupid medication made things a hundred times worse, but when they started talking about tattooing your Jolly Roger on me…I snapped, ok?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not one of you. You guys aren’t bad—better than most pirates, at least—but you’re not my crew.”

“What’s wrong with getting along with your allies?” he asked as he labeled the vial of blood and jotted a few things onto her chart. Most might think he wasn’t really paying attention to her, but Nami knew by now it was his way of giving her a small bit of space; putting her at ease by not making her feel like she was being scrutinized and judged.

Smoothing the blanket over her legs, she replied, “Nothing. The problem is when they refer to Luffy as my ‘old captain’ and act like I defected from the Straw Hats. I’m here for Luffy’s sake, and in two years, I’m going to be his navigator in the New World. Nothing is going to change that.”

“You’re pretty loyal to him, huh?”

She caught his eye, and with a look that left no room for argument, stated, “If it weren’t for him, my entire village would be dead and I’d still be forced to work for my mother’s murderer. I owe him everything, Penguin. He didn’t recruit me—he freed me.”

The first mate nodded in understanding. “Kind of like how Law freed Jean Bart?”

“You could say that.” She rubbed the spot where Arlong’s mark once lay, fingers absently tracing the scars. “Look, I’m sorry I ran off and worried everyone. I’m really sorry I attacked them. But—I was forced to join a pirate crew when I was ten. They pinned me down and branded me with their Jolly Roger so the whole world would know who I belonged to. I can’t…”

He held up his hand to cut her off. “I get it. Even if it was just a joke, they triggered some bad memories. I’ll tell the crew to ease up on calling you a Heart Pirate, and absolutely no talk of tattooing against your will. But it’s still ok to consider you our shipmate, right? At least for now?”

She gave a watery smile, using Law’s sleeve to wipe moisture from her eyes. Funny, she hadn’t even realized tears had formed. “Yeah. I can live with that.”

Jotting a few more things on her chart, he handed her the fresh set of pajamas and one of the towels. “Good. I’ve gotta go run these tests; go grab a shower in the meantime. I’ll be back in an hour with dinner and to take your vitals, and then you’re going to get a good night’s sleep. Those circles under your eyes don’t make you any less hot, but this ship isn’t big enough for two sleep-deprived, stubborn pirates.”

Despite his light tone, Nami frowned. “You’re going to tell everyone about my past, aren’t you?”

A warm, gentle hand rested on her shoulder, covering up Arlong’s scar. “Not if you don’t want me to; it’s not my place. What you went through…I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t want to murder the bastards who did that to you.” Nami could feel the tension in his fingers and heard his teeth grit in anger. It was clear he’d connected the dots between the scars and her story. “I mean, to brand a fucking child…”

“I’m ok,” she said softly, as much to herself as Penguin. “Luffy freed me. It’ll never happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t.” Taking a deep breath, he pulled away, once more composing himself. “I’ll just tell the crew that you’ve been through some shit in your life, and because of it, you wouldn’t leave Straw Hat any more than we’d leave Law, so we should ease up. They’ll understand.”

“Thank you.”

He gave her hand a quick, comforting squeeze. “You really should tell Law all this, though. You’ve seen how intense he gets, but if he knows he’s opening old wounds, he’ll back off. Guy’s got demons even I’m not privy to, so he’ll respect there are certain lines he shouldn’t cross.”

With a smile, Nami returned the gesture. “You’re probably right. You really are everyone’s big brother around here, huh?”

“I’m the first mate; it’s my job to keep things running smoothly and take care of disputes between shipmates.”

“In that case, could you do me a favor?”

XXX

The next morning Nami was rested, physically feeling better than she had all week, but worried about facing the crew. Despite the affirmations that nobody was upset that she had run off, at least not once they learned it was in response to improperly administered medication, she still felt nervous. Penguin had told them to ease up on treating her like she was part of the crew, but was that a good thing? Would they now treat her like an enemy, or hold her at arm’s length? Was the easy camaraderie she’d started to share with them over, sacrificed for the sake of maintaining her status as a Straw Hat?

However, despite her nerves, she had no reason to skip out on breakfast in the galley. Law had stopped by the infirmary long enough to Scan her and give her a clean bill of health (and also steal back his sweatshirt) while Penguin had come through with her request.

“Think these’ll smooth things over?” she asked the first mate, holding up three wrapped gifts.

Penguin shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think you even needed to go this far—none of them were really angry, and you didn’t injure anybody. But it can’t hurt…though I can’t promise Ikkaku won’t still make you suffer just a little bit; in a way, it shows she cares. It’s when she goes completely cold with a person that you know you’ve fucked up.”

“You know this from experience?”

“When we went to Amazon Lily and most of us went gaga over the women there. I think the fact that we acted like we’d never even seen a woman before really hurt her pride. She’s a tomboy, but she’s still a girl, you know? Probably sucks when every guy on board forgets that. Flat-out wouldn’t talk to anyone but Bepo for a week—hell, the silent treatment ended only a day before you got here!”

The mention of Amazon Lily piqued her interest. Hadn’t Law mentioned they’d been there once? And apparently, it hadn’t been too long before she’d arrived. “Wait, Bepo was the only one she’d talk to? Did Law act like a lovesick idiot, too?” It was hard to imagine, but if the women of the island were as beautiful as stories said, anything was possible.

“No, but he made a pretty stupid comment that rubbed salt in the wound.”

Though Nami was curious as to what Law could have possibly said to piss off Ikkaku, she was forced to push that mystery aside as they’d arrived at the galley.

“Ready?” Penguin asked, watching for any sign of distress from the navigator out of the corner of his eye. Though he honestly felt she had no reason to worry about his crew’s reaction, he wouldn’t force her to confront them if she wasn’t ready.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting the packages in her arms, she nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

The door opened to reveal the rest of the crew sitting at the various tables, sipping coffee and chatting quietly, a few catching up on what they’d missed over the past few weeks from the pile of newspapers. Several of them looked up and greeted her with sleepy hellos, and Nami nodded in acknowledgement, though her attention was mostly focused on the fact that, though there was bacon and eggs and a few rolls, breakfast seemed to mostly consist of assorted fruits.

From his spot at the table Law glanced over his shoulder at her and chuckled at bemused expression. “Morning, Nami-ya. Care for an apple? Winter melon? Kiwi? Apricot? Pomegranate?”

Her brow furrowed at his casual greeting. After he’d disappeared last night, she’d assumed things would be awkward between them. His brisk visit that morning had only reinforced that belief, but here he was, making cheeky comments with that smug grin of his.

Before she could question him, or the fruit, Penguin lightly nudged her shoulder. “You didn’t hurt anybody, but that gust of yours did upend a few fruit stands, so Ikkaku had to buy it all to keep the vendors from causing a scene. You never know who might be a spy for Jinzo in this town, and from what I heard, you earned yourself a place on his shit list.”

“Which is another reason you’re not to leave the sub until dinner tonight,” Law added as he took a bite of a bright red apple. He met her gaze as he chewed before saying with a smirk, “That’s an order, by the way. One you won’t have a problem following, right?”

Swallowing down her instinct to argue with him, she nodded stiffly. “Right.” Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the table, bowing deeply as she held two of her packages out to Shachi and Bepo. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you yesterday. Please take these as a sign of my sincerity.”

“You didn’t have to, Nami,” the bear said, twiddling his claws. Despite his fur, one could almost see a pink blush on his cheeks. “Penguin explained what we did to set you off, and we weren’t upset at you.”

“Did Law get mad at you for losing me, though?”

His ears drooped. “Well, a little, at least at first—”

“Then I owe you an apology. I promised wouldn’t do anything to get Law mad at you, and I broke that within four hours of making it. You’re getting an apology gift.”

“Well, to be fair, you said you’d never intentionally get me in trouble…”

“Just take it, Bepo,” Law said, taking another bite of his apple. “You managed to get the greediest pirate on the Grand Line to willingly spend money on you; if you keep arguing, she’ll change her mind and charge you double for it.”

Nami glared at him, though it faltered when he threw her a conspiratorial wink.

“Well, ok,” the Mink agreed, taking the parcel at his captain’s encouraging nod. Shachi followed suit, though he appeared more suspicious than apprehensive.

“When exactly did you have time to get these?” he asked, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses, “Because I sure didn’t see you buy anything that could be for us yesterday.”

Nami pointed at the first mate. “I made Penguin do the actual purchasing, but I told him what to get and it was my money he used to buy them. I never left the ship.”

Mollified, Shachi ripped off the wrapping paper, laughing heartily at the orca-shaped hat. “Oh, this is fucking perfect!”

“She asked me to get the ugliest, dumbest hat I could find,” Penguin said with a snort. “The local hat shop practically paid me take it of their hands. It’s like it was made for you.”

“Yup, and now you have to suffer for it!” he crowed, tossing away the green and pink and pink hat and replacing it with the killer whale.

Meanwhile, Bepo happily tucked into the enormous salmon, fresh from the Grimm fish market. He spared a thumbs-up, declaring his approval of the gift, and Nami giggled. He was like Luffy, in a way; buy him lunch, and you were friends for life.

“Take it easy, Bepo; you’ll choke on a bone,” Ikkaku said from behind her. Nami turned to find the older woman shaking her head. “You really don’t have to do this; we’re all just glad that you’re safe. Honestly, I’d settle for an explanation,” she said with a meaningful frown, “but I also get opening up isn’t easy, especially to people who aren’t your crew.”

“Yeah, but given time, I might be willing to open up to a friend.” With a nervous smile, Nami held out a box. “I kind of owe you this anyway, so you’re taking it whether you like it or not.”

Without a word the engineer opened the box, eyes widening at the slinky, silver dress that glimmered back at her.

“Thanks, Nami,” Ikkaku said with a small smile. “This’ll be perfect for when we go out tonight.”

“You still wanna go?” Nami gave Law a sideways glance. “Assuming I’m even allowed.”

Ikkaku scoffed. “You’re my only female friend on this ship; like hell I’m giving that up over a little freak-out. And of course the captain’ll let you join me for Ladies Night,” she said, raising an eyebrow at the Dark Doctor in challenge. “Right, Boss?”

Law held up his hands in surrender. “So long as she stays with you and you’re both on your best behavior, I’ll allow it. After she has dinner with me.”

Beaming in triumph, Ikkaku bumped her hip into Nami’s. “See? We can do each other’s hair, and you can complain about whatever stupid thing Law says or does tonight over drinks.”

A bright grin lit up the redhead’s face. Penguin had been right—they really weren’t mad. “Sounds perfect. And I’ll pay you back for the fruit, too, since that was my fault.” Whatever the cost had been, it was well worth keeping Ikkaku’s friendship.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Just meant we got our produce shopping done a little early. But if you’re that worried,” she said as she strolled over to her table, grabbed a plain white box, and sauntered back, handing it over to Nami with a grin, “here. A peace offering of my own.”

Brow furrowing in confusion, Nami peeked in the box, only to immediately slam the lid back down, face a brilliant scarlet.

“You. Bitch,” she ground out. Ikkaku was so lucky she hadn’t really opened it in front of everyone—what was she thinking? Dear God, what if Law had seen what was inside?!

“Just a little something to help you out when those trashy novels can’t get the job done,” Ikkaku cackled, ducking away as the blushing thief attempted to smack her over the head. “And now we’re even!”

“What’s in it, Nami?” Shachi asked, shit-eating grin telling her he already knew. “What’s in the box?”

“A severed head,” she lied, glaring at him, white-knuckled grip crushing the corners of the package.

“Is it one of mine? I think I misplaced one,” Law chuckled from his seat. He reached for the box, grin stretching his face. “Let me check.”

“Hands off!” she snapped, yanking it away. “It’s none of your damn business!”

“Room.”

“Fuck you, Trafalgar!” she shrieked as the box vanished and reappeared on Law’s lap, replacing the apple he’d been munching on. Her attempt to retrieve the damming parcel was thwarted by Ikkaku grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around, laughing as she shrieked indignantly.

Opening the box, Law pulled out a pair of fuzzy black handcuffs. “Strangest looking head I’ve ever seen,” he said, twirling them around on one long finger. “Though full marks to whoever sculpted the dildo. Even got the veins right.”

The whole galley cackled as the blushing navigator buried her face in her hands, mortified. Part of her wanted to rip their tongues out, but another part accepted that she deserved this. Penguin hadn’t been kidding when he said she’d suffer, but she could also feel the mood lighten significantly.

“So, still up for Ladies Night after your dinner with the captain?” Ikkaku asked as she set her down, grin wide and unrelentingly smug as she threw an arm around her shoulders, playfully mussing her hair. “Or would Miss Straw Hat rather stay in and play with her new toys?”

Despite her humiliation, Nami felt a smile pull at her lips. “You’re an absolute bitch, Miss Heart Pirate, but yeah, I’m in. And for what you just put me through, you’re buying the first round.”

17 notes · View notes

theundergrounddrabbles · 5 years

Text

YukoTaeyeon (request)

“Miss Kim, you have a company.”

Taeyeon leaned back when she saw a person sitting behind her. She was always curious to the people around her and especially ones who snitched. However, she was out of the element of the home but in the confines of the foreign country she had visited many times before.

Her life was that and now with the mixed groups she was irked by it and now delved into her own career that was a simple stop to perform and now hiding in the shadows of a hostess bar to the girls with buxom in the deep cut dresses.

“I didn’t know you like breasts.” The voice asked behind her when a smile came upon the Korean’s face.

“I called you out here so you get the view. You’re former friend was pretty hefty on top and now you have a boyfriend.” Taeyeon jeered towards her. “Oshima Yuko. The ace of AKB.”

“You know well while you continued after that spat.” Yuko hummed.

“For one, when an American gets in your way, I had to fight. She knew her limits and she ran away. I did what was needed to gain my spot and luckily it wasn’t total war.” Taeyeon growled with her eyes upon the crowd.

“I had them but too much battles to pick and once Acchan decided to leave, I had to take up the role until I felt ready myself. I could do whatever I want yet I felt empty to grind in the industry.” Yuko admitted softly when she received a drink from the hostess.

“Let’s go face to face.” Taeyeon suggested when Yuko walked over to sit across of the Korean. “I needed dick so badly.”

“I wasn’t one like that. I was aggressive and groped the others as much as I want. Made the younger ones cover their eyes because I liked to be naked. It felt free however it was a ploy to compare. Size and shape.” Yuko grinned. “You never felt curious?”

Taeyeon nodded, “Problem was mainly to compare. We were all separated from the start. Perform together but we had our times to communicate however limited on checking each other out.”

“Tough I say. How do you like the members in the group?” Yuko asked in reference to the Produce group.

“They are polished for now but the Koreans hold the power. It’ll never change.” She shot her opinion.

“I see. You really tend to scan them as much as the others.” Yuko sipped from the glass.

“No. I had to aim for them as a group to determine the future.” She sighed. “Best thing was always to concentrate on the people.”

“I have been away from the scene for a while. My friend was wondering into the group to cheer them on but the only one was Sakura since I scarred her.” Yuko chuckled.

“I guess. These women are quite active on the floor.” Taeyeon noted with the booths around them filling up.

“They want their share. Lower their tops and smash the men’s face into their soft chests. Natural pairs.” Yuko explained.

“I don’t want to deal with them. I thought it would be nice to hang out with a fellow peer.” The Korean grinned as the women were only passing glances.

“Well I guess not many people would choose here to find musicians yet you’re not drinking?” Yuko raised her eyebrow.

“I had to get out alive first and just to meet you without trying to feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere. The waitresses were pretty irritated until you came.” Taeyeon spelled out her concerns. “There are a few things to do on my end.”

“What are you considering?” Yuko inquired as she leaned in.

“A little adventure.” The Korean winked. “You feel comfortable naked, right?”

Yuko glared at her when the thought simmered in her mind. It was a character trait around the other members but not in private or other people she did know. Taeyeon smirked back as she placed an item on the table and sat back in her seat.

“Nice bra.” Yuko clicked her tongue. “I don’t wear fancy ones.”

The Korean laughed, “I have to keep the image. The cheap ones at home and away to get the custom fitted and expensive ones.”

“What’s the plan? You want to go braless.” Yuko leaned in.

“That’s a start. Your boyfriend probably would be wondering as well.” Taeyeon sneered. “Let’s go to Roppongi.”

Yuko was familiar to the area. It wasn’t much to consider in her status however to be with another idol had been rare and unclasped her bra before pulling it out from her shirt as her nipples were protruding from the shirt.

Following Taeyeon out the club, she gave a wink and got a taxi to come within seconds. Yuko pondered over it as a private driver would have been better but as they drove off, she glanced out at the window with the cold touch attracting her back to Taeyeon.

“So, you must have been anxious since you left.” The Korean snickered.

“I was drained and went to America. It was difficult to fit in but knowing the people helped although I wasn’t ready for it until I met him and we hit it off.” Yuko explained.

“I see. What about your former partner?” Taeyeon pondered.

“Her... she was done. I told her to get it over with especially with the offers. She built a brand of herself through the endorsements and in the end, just do what you can.” Yuko answered. “Since I left, only a few times I have talked to her but nothing much like before.”

“I guess that’s the case. It feels warm.” Taeyeon tugged on the shirt.

“Usually it is. I guess it’ll feel worse without it.” Yuko laughed.

“A little. Maybe a chance to enjoy the outside atmosphere.” Taeyeon smirked.

“Okay. We are here.” The driver called.

“Thanks, you can go home.” Taeyeon announces as the two exited to a tall building.

Yuko followed her closely behind. It felt unusual to be behind someone but she glanced down upon her black skirt before scanning up upon reaching the elevator.

“I rented this place out for myself. It has a nice garden outside with the view of the city in the background. I had pondered over it and see who I could ask for tonight being the only free night I had. So I decided to contact you.” Taeyeon laid out the thoughts.

“I guess so... but I’m not the one to have the accolades.” Yuko chuckles.

“You were the original one.” She mentioned when the doors closed. “It was difficult to understand it but those are the fans. However, the two pawns in the game were pushed by her.”

“What do you mean?” Yuko asked with the thoughts upon the statement.

“Sakura and Nako are the future. She pushed them to go into it because of the situation at hand. I questioned it to have their best going forward but Sashihara was quite adamant about giving them up.” Taeyeon grinned as they exited the car. “The gondola should be suffice.”

Being away, Yuko shrugged. She knew Sashihara more than anyone and to hear it wasn’t surprising yet under attack, Yuko kept her peace. There were a few select things that bothered her most and those were beyond the fact of the people who she had trusted.

“In your opinion, was it the correct move?” Yuko asked.

“It was probably the best.” She smiled. “One did quit to go to Korea, talent is one thing and the other is grit.”

“True.” Yuko grunted. “Now you dragged me here for something...”

“I’m curious. Does the dick work for you?” Taeyeon scoffed.

“You could be blunt about it. Just the problem is... you seem ready.” Yuko hummed.

“I have a wireless wand.” Taeyeon pointed to the container in the corner. “One thing to learn is to buy stuff incognito.”

Taeyeon was an after thought for her since passing by at Kouhaku. She wasn’t open as she was now but Yuko had an eye out for her for the charm and leadership ability. Now, her sex appeal was grabbing at her when she conceded her defense and slipped the shirt and jeans off to her black underwear with the Korean leaning in.

“Conservative, aren’t you?” She laughed.

“Being naked and being sexy are two different things. I can wear items but not for meeting friends. I was cautious to be with others I’m not too familiar with.” Yuko elaborated.

“I see... well let’s see what you think of me.” Taeyeon smirked, lowering her skirt and pulling the shirt off her body.

“T-back and a bra.” Yuko snickered, walking to the container. “You want to share?”

“Why not?”

Taeyeon eyed the lounge chair as Yuko brought the toy over and straddled over the feet end while Taeyeon had leaned back and ran her fingers along the material. Yuko scooted forward and pulled her partner back up when she flicked the switch between the two, aiming upon the sensitive area as both let out and audible cry.

Taeyeon pulled Yuko into the embrace with the vibrations rubbing between the two woman as Yuko adjusted often to get the head to stimulate her drive.

Slipping away to allow a moan to escape, Yuko withdrew the toy and pushed the Korean back to the seat. She leaned in, pushing up the bra from her chest to the pale colored orbs and pecked upon the canvas to admire her tiny nipples.

The loud cry escaped into the area with Yuko grasping the other side. She wasn’t Haruna by any means. It was small even compared to hers but her instincts were always in play when in the mood and pulled the body to unclasp the back and pulled it off, placing it to the side.

Her mouth rounded the orb swiftly as the hands cupped behind Yuko’s head. She had a few partners which even for the tiniest of bosoms, Yuko had a way around it but Taeyeon was quite full on her chest as the soft pillows filled the hands.

The cries were audible but Taeyeon was quick to concede to the pleasure when Yuko slid the free hand down to the core with the fingers sliding up and down the area.

“The teasing is a bit overwhelming.” Taeyeon murmured.

“I guess it’s up to you now.” Yuko withdrew her body and took to the seat.

Taeyeon reaches behind and snapped off the clasps to pull forward upon the large bosom. They were about the norm she had seen before among the group yet her hands were consumed by the masses as she rolled them around in her grip.

Yuko’s voice shriller upon the touch. The effort was suffice for herself when Taeyeon tugged on the bottom and slid down the chair as her partner was at the feet.

Taeyeon climbed upon the incline and latched her body on with her face into the crease. Yuko reminded herself that it was only once that her boyfriend had pleaded her this way with her blessing but her active tongue kept the lust flowing out from her woman. She clenched onto the chair when she heard a grunt.

“I think the pool is better.” The Korean smirked.

“There’s a pool?” Yuko pondered.

“Indoor. Follow me.”

She grabbed her clothes and traced behind Taeyeon to the pool in the room nearby. It was square that would fit about five and a shower opposite of the pool when they entered inside. Yuko dropped her pile onto a bench as Taeyeon removed the last piece and stepped into the water. Yuko tracked behind her to the warmth of the water as she felt the lips pressed upon her again.

The waist deep water was the depth they got up to as they saw the ledges and Taeyeon swiftly pulled her body up onto it and sat with her legs parted. The forest was short but covered the crotch when Yuko rubbed the clit slowly before planting her fingers into the canal to the loud groan from her partner.

Despite the truth, Taeyeon was still squeezing the fingers within her body. Thrusting then back and forth, it was different to perform acts on others with the fit and form yet the lone constant was restriction. Being a virgin, was a challenge yet upon the seal breaking, it was still tight to feel the fingers wiggle often within the canal.

The Korean spilt swiftly into the wading waters with Yuko’s assistance to taste her partner’s juices flowing into the pool below.

“The warmth is way too much for me, let’s switch.” Yuko suggested as Taeyeon jumped back in and sunk a little with Yuko holding her her head above water. “Was it that good?”

“That’s why the rumor was true with Haruna when she told me about you.” She laughed.

“Okay hold onto the ledge and I’ll get on.”

Yuko presented the gift to her partner as the finger was shoved into the canal. She felt the digit move within her body. The suddenly jolts were moderate as she kept her mouth open with a few inaudible cries into the room. Taeyeon worked the length of her finger into the depths as the moan escaped promptly. The jerk of her hips brought a torrent with the partner quickly moving her mouth over.

The work of her partner seemed exciting for her yet the finger was replaced again with another set of piston like thrusts as the cry came out louder into the room. Yuko acknowledged the effects before sliding down and dipping her head into the water below before popping back up.

“I guess thanks for the night.” Yuko laughed.

“Stay for now. It’ll be our secret.” Taeyeon smirked.

“Sure. One more thing. Our way of cementing this.” Yuko murmured as they walked out of the pool when the wind dried out their bodies upon the sight of the Tokyo evening.

Yuko liked the freedom while Taeyeon gripped the bar with the sight of the lights below. The few minutes were a good sight of the two above in the hills before retreating back to the pool to warm up.

The skin pruned to their indication of the limits and showered off. The clothes were just the shield for the night upon the morning to have the visitor skip out before the sun. For both it was a chance encounter yet the bodies understood what it meant to sense a different partner from another country.

#oshima yuko #kim taeyeon #smut #request

5 notes · View notes

creativegago · 3 years

Text

Iyak at Ulan (Discontinued Story)

Deleted Wattpad post under the pseudonym: goldiiblox

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Verbal and Physical Abuse, Derogatory language, Mentions of suicide, panic attacks/manic episodes, death, depression

Synopsis: No synopsis available.

Chapter 1 - Ano? (December 7, 2017)

Sunday

"Wala ka ng masabi!? Ha? Ano? Papalag ka pa?!"

Naitulak niya ako ng malakas sa pader at naramdaman ko ang pagsuka ng dugo.

Pano pa ba ako papalag sa ganito? Tanga mo rin eh. Pero ang sakit mong mangbugbog.

Sinakal niya ako sa leeg at naramdaman niya ang malamig kong pawis at binitawan niya ako ng malakas.

"Aw."

Yet you wanted fancy beginnings called prolouges and unwanted sequels to an already finished book called epilogues.

I wish this isn't how it's gonna end. But I'm hidden behind a big, green trashed can.

----------------------------------

Monday

May pasok pa bukas. Hindi na lang ako papasok, wala namang kwentang mag-aral kung lagi ka lang namang napagagalitan.

"Ano na naman 'yan? Mukha ka na namang trapo, lintek kang bata ka! Trese ka pa lang yang inabot mo pang bente na? Saan ka na naman ba nagsusuksok, ha?"

Malamang nakita niya na akong ang bagal na naglalakad sa may gate kanina.

"Aray! Ate naman ano ba?!"

"Puta 'to."

"Hoy Chloe, ayusin mo ang sarili mo. Nasobrahan ka na sa Tekken."

"Ate hindi naman ako naglalaro ng Tekken, single pa ako."

"Hindi nakakatawa."

"Pangit mo."

"Bahala ka nga diyan! Linisin mo sugat mo ng mag-isa!"

Tapos naman na eh, nanghamon pa.

Oo nga pala, magpo-post pa ako.

Pero inaantok pa ako. Kakatok pa sana ako para kunin yung isang canvas sa kwarto ni ate kaso wag na, ginalit ko eh.

Binuksan ko na lang yung groupchat ng Grade 7 at tiningnan yung mga mensaheng nagdaan.

Seen by Chloe Valdemoro at 00:00

Again, O.P. na naman ako. Ang sakit ng konti.

----------------------------------------

Tuesday

Mga tatlong oras na rin akong nakikipagsapalaran sa harap ng computer kakadrawing.

hey me, sleep dearly.

Papasok na siguro ako mamaya

Time check: 17:21

....oops...?

Lumabas si ate Nat sa CR ng bihis na bihis.

"Ate, saan lakad?"

"Magdrawing ka na nga lang. Alam mo naman na, eh"

"Wow ate, isang buwan na rin."

"Na ano? Tulog kain, tulog kain?"

Ngumiti siya sa akin at pinuri yung lalakeng anime na dinodrawing ko.

"Bakla, tirahan mo ako nung noodles, homemade natin yan."

"Oo, grabe naman tingin mo sa bunganga ko."

Tumingala ako sa family picture namin nung buhay pa sila.

......ang ganda naman nung mga ngiti nila.

Oh. A tear.

Oh. Another one?

Ang sakit mawalan ng magulang, lalo na kung mahal ka nila ng sobra at hindi ka tinuring iba. Ang hirap mag-move on sa ganitong klaseng sakit.

And then I realized that I stopped drawing. Ang daya. Bakit kailangan nilang mawala?

Si ate, tanggap niya agad. Parang wala silang pinagsamahan, parang walang alaala ang ginawa, pero hindi ko namang pwedeng isipin na totoo yun, kasi ang layo na ng narating ng pamilya namin.

Oo nga, ang layo. Sa sobrang layo hindi namin alam na nakarating na kami sa dulo.

May shift pa si ate mamayang 9 tapos hanggang 3 A.M. siyang magtatrabaho sa Call Center. Tapos yung pagbabanda niya magtatagal ng mga isa pang oras.

Isang buwan.

Nagbibilang kami ng mga araw noon. Pakiramdam namin na bigay na kami. Nakakapagod kasing magisip na andyan pa sila. Nakakabaliw rin minsan, pero pilit namin itong iniiwasan.

Tapos nagsisimula pa ako ng gulo, naghahanap ng away kung kani-kanino. Kung saan-saan napapapadpad.

Since summer, nalaman ko na pwede pala magbenta ng mga painting, drawing- just art basically tapos ginawa ko na yung puhunan yung kakayahan ko sa drawing para makatulong kay ate.

Wala eh, kailangan ko ring kalimutan ang sakit, wala rin mamang yung maidudulot na mabuti sa amin. I needed distractions. I need to get away with this fear inside me, na hindi ko ito kaya at wala akong magagawang iba kundi iyakan ang lahat. Ayoko mg makinig sa mga dahilang 'Bata pa ako at kailangang kong ayusin ang pag-aaral' kasi

Paano ko mahahasa ang talento ko kung igugugol ko ang halos 12 na taong pinagaaralan ang mga bagay na hindi ko gusto? Di'ba parang ang tanga lang. Importante nga, pero ang mahal naman ng bayad kapalit.

Paano ko hahanapin ang 'passion' ko sa isang paaralan na itinuturo ang mga bagay na hindi ko namang masyadong kailangan? Ang daming bagay na pwedeng ituro ng maayos pero ang nakukuha ko lang naman puro galit mula sa aking mga guro.

Mali ang pagtingin ko sa edukasyon, pero ang dami rin kasing dahilan. Mga dahilan na malapit na sa katotohanan na ayaw nilang paniwalaan; at patuloy na ginigiit ang 'epektibo' nilang mga kasinungalingan.

Para akong batang kalye sa umaga tapos artist sa gabi. Ang weird ko.

"Shit, 'di pantay yung sleeves niya."

---------------------------------------

Monday

"Pumasok ka."

"Ate, ayoko nga eh."

"Tanga! Hindi mo ba alam isang buwan na yang bakasyon mo? Ay nako Chloe simulan mo ng magpakatino-tino kung hindi, walang sneak in sa bar."

"Ano?! Wow ate napahamak na nga sila mama at papa tapos ipapahamak mo pa tayong dalawa? Talino mo."

"Lunes na, hoy. Magparadam ka naman sa mga kaklase mo. Kung hindi lang dahil diyan sa commission mong 'yan nako, ang kulot mong buhok marerebond yan kapag hindi ka pumasok at nag-DOTA sa tabi tabi."

Bumuhat ako at naglakad papuntang kusina ng nakabaluktot.

"As if naman na hindi mo rin yun ginagawa sakin? Kumain ka na nga."

-----

Lumabas na ako ng bahay, halata pa rin yung pasa ko sa may pisngi.

Inagrabyado eh.

Naalala ko yung itsura nung nangbugbog sa akin.

Naabot ko pa yung flag ceremony, ayan tuloy pati yung ibang grade pinagtitinginan ako.

"Ayan na si Chloe, may himala! Magpamisa na tayo guys."

Dati kasi may kasama rin ako nung kaklase ko na nagco-computer shop dun sa may tabi ng isang karinderya malapit sa palengke dati, siguro hanggang ngayon.

Yun na lang nga rason ko.

"Uy, isang buwan? Hahahaha"

Pagdating namin sa classroom nagtaka sila kung anong nangyari sa may pisngi ko at bakit daw may pasa.

Pagtawa ko.

Welcome back, Chloe? Haha.

----

And since malayo layo ang bahay namin, kailangan ko pang mag-abang ng bus. Haha. Diba dapat tricycle lang? Diba dapat jeep na lang? Or train? No. Malayo nga diba? Tsaka ok lang naman ang mga bus stop, may upuan. Tsaka magdadrop naman na ako sa Grade 8.

Nang makasakay ako ng bus may tumabi sa aking matandang lalaki, bigla akong nagoosebumps sa presence niya, buti na lang hindi ako sa may bintana nakaupo.

Mga 10 minutes after, biglang umulan ng malakas. Shit, yung payong naiwan ko sa may bintana nung kwarto ko.

"Ineng? Tulala ka na ata? Diba pumapara ka na?"

Tikwil sa akin nung matanda.

"Ah! S-sorry po"

"Andito na po ako."

Humiga lang ako tapos bigla na namang umulan. Napabuntong hininga ako kasi nagagawa pa rin akong mahalin ni ate kahit ilang beses na akong gumawa ng kasalanan.

"Haaaaayy."

Pumikit ako ng saglit hanggang sa makatulog na ako.

"Mama! Papa!"

Pero walang sumagot. Walang reply.

"No signal?"

At sinundan ng putok ng baril.

"MAMA?!"

Napaatras na lang ako sa nakita ko at natakot. Nalungkot. Nagalit. Ewan.

Nakakapoot. Hindi na ata ako makahinga, ang bigat na ng puso ko.

Umiyak lang ako ng umiyak. Hanggang sa dumating si ate at humingi agad ng tulong. Ang tulong na dumating sa huli, kung kailan na sila patay.

Ayoko na. Tama na. Pakiusap, tumigil ka na.

"Ang sakit. Ang sakit, sakit."

Akala ko okay na ako.

Masakit?

Oo. Sobra.

Tulong?

---------------------------------------------------------

Nagising ulit ako. Friday.

And then I knew to myself,

Ayoko na talaga.

------

Kumakain ako sa canteen kasama yung mga kaklase kong babae, na sinasabing namiss daw ako ng buong section namin. Hindi naman ako masyadong na-flatter. Yung mga teacher 'di naman nagbago pagtrato sa akin.

"Miss ka namin Chloe, swear."

"Namiss namin si popcorn!"

Kasi lagi akong nagbabaon ng popcorn. Tapos ang corny ko magpatawa.

"Oo nga! Tsaka lagi ka bagang nachat sa gc natin? Anong nangyari? UD naman nga diyaaan."

Narinig ko yung mga dinadaldal ng mga kaklase ko sa akin. Oo nga, ang daldal ko. Dati. Nakakainis yun eh. Ngayon wala akong ganang makipagusap, ewan ko kung bakit. Ayoko lang siguro?

Tumayo ako at umalis na ng klase. Ang sarap magcutting.

---

Nakauwi na ako. Kinuha ko yung maliit na shaving blade at naglaslas sa may hita ko. Pumikit ako habang itinatatak sa balat ko ang sugat na puno ng lungkot at pagdurusa. Hindi ko na kaya ang lahat. Ang paligid. Nahiga na lang ako at tinigilan ang paglaslas. Ang bilis nung nangyari.

Umiiyak akong tumingin ako sa labas. At pagtingin ko ay umuulan.

"Parang kagat lang ng langgam" sabi nung nurse habang kukuhaan niya ako ng dugo.

Unang beses ko lang ito gawin at naalala ko pa yung mga panahon na pinangako ko sa sarili ko na "Ayokong saktan ang sarili ko". Pero hindi eh.

Wala na akong gana.

Chapter 2 - Bakit (December 9, 2017)

"Ate, ano na?"

Tumigil ako sa pagkain ng hapunan at tumingin kay Ate Nat, na pinagtutuunan ng pansin ang linuto niyang sinigang. Tiningnan niya ako at bumakas ang pag-aalala sa kanyang mukha. Alam niya at kita ko ang lungkot sa kanyang mga mata.

"Pumasok ka, Chloe. Kailangan mong makapagtapos ng high school, kailangan mo 'yan. Hindi matutuloy ang pag-drop mo next year. Tsaka aalis tayo dito at lilipat ng tirahan malapit sa siyudad. Alam kong nahihirapan ka na-"

"Chloe, punasan mo luha mo. Ang drama mo."

Ginawa ko na lang ito at nagpatuloy sa pagkain nung tilapia sa plato. Bakit kaya hindi ko malasahan?

-------------------------

Titigilan ko na ito. Ayokong lumala, kasi mas mahirap silang pakawalan. I don't want constant disturbance resonating in the silence. Ang hirap. Parang isang ink blot sa pinakalikod na pahina ng kwaderno tapos ang lalim nung absorption. Sa harap, akala mo ang liit, pero habang binubuklat mo ang mga malilinis na pahina, palaki ito ng palaki.

I never expected it to happen, it feels like when I paint. But they were spontaneously evil.

Why do I create art? I want to know how it feels like to be alive. I create art because it's my own way to revive. It's the cable to my charger, and now it's disconnected.

Paano ko ba naman kasi ititigil ang lahat ng ito? Nasaan ang mga kaibigan ko? Nawawala na ba sila? O sadyang, hindi nila akong tinuring kaibigan pabalik? Gabi na naman, isa na namang magandang bahagi ng kawalan. Hindi nakakasilaw, kahit maliwanag ang buwan at kasama ang mga tala.

Ganyan pala ka-dominante ang dilim, na kahit anong klase ng ilaw ang nakabukas, makikita mo pa rin sila.

Pumikit ako at ihinanda ang sarili ko sa susunod na namang bukas. These weekends are mocking me, celebrating my funeral.

------------

I have a liking for Wednesdays.

Of course, meron na namang social interactions.

"Hindi ko lang kasi maintindihan kung bakit ora-orada nilang kailangan! Talagang mamadaliin nila yung pagpasa ng mga project tapos magagalit kapag late?"

"Oo nga eh, tapos hindi man lang nila isipin na hindi lang sila 'yung subject na meron tayo. Yung feeling na kailangan mo silang i-prioritize kesa sa mga major subjects natin."

Ingay ng klase. Palibhasa hindi pa time, tapos wala pa yung mga teachers. Naiisip ko na kailangan ko ring gawin 'yun, kung gusto kong umayos ang mga grades ko. Wala naman silang alam. Galing kasi naming magtago.

"Kailangan mo 'yan ."

"Chloe, punasan mo luha mo. Ang drama mo."

"Kailangan mo 'yan ."

"Chloe, punasan mo luha mo. Ang drama mo."

"Kailangan mo 'yan ."

"Chloe, punasan mo luha mo. Ang drama mo."

Halos buong umagang nagreplay sa utak ko yung sinasabi ni ate kagabi. Parang sasabog na ulo ko sa sakit. Pati ba naman 'yan.

Kaya ito ako ngayon, naghihingalo sa isang gilid sa mga corridor. Hinahanap yung contest room sa isang Painting Contest na pinag-awayan namin kanina nung teacher ko tapos sa huli, ako lang naman yung napa-oo.

Paano ba naman kasi, may hayop sa classroom ang nagsabing

"Tangina, um-oo ka na nga lang! Pa-importante 'to, wala na tayong oras!"

"Omg! Ikaw 'yung Grade 7 contestant diba?"

"Opo ate! Hinahanap po kita eh!"

Ayun na nga, dumating kami sa taas na mukha akong binagyuhang hawak hawak ang natitirang piraso ng yero sa bahay namin. Good job, masonite board.

"OMG sorry ulit!"

Pero ang cute eh, sobra. Bawat contestant merong parang isang maliit na stall, yung parang sa mga book signing kaso may malaking umbrella lang tapos yung background namin isang cafe o kaya naman checkered black and white. Yung mga upuan parang pinalaking study table ng mga bata tapos Sentimental Circus yung background. Tapos uupo kami dun na parang naghihintay kung sinumang magpapa-autograph. Haha. Isipin mong nagbebreakdown ka lang ngayon tapos tumaas ka sa rooftop, tapos makikita mo yung mga pina-paint namin kasabay ng preskong simoy ng hangin. Ewan ko kung gagaan loob mo o hindi.

Sabi daw magsisimula na. Hanggang ngayon nakatunganga pa rin kami. Naghihintay ng 'go' signal.

Maya-maya ay may isang lalaking nagsalita. Tapos parang ang uneasy niya sa presence naming lahat. Inayos niya muna ang buhok niya at pinipilit ang sariling 'wag na bumuntong hininga.

Di ko ba alam, paano ba 'yun? Kanina kasi parang every 2 minutes nagbubuntong hininga siya.

"Okay. Ehem ehem-"

Panimula niya at hinawakan ang papel na nakapaloob ang kailangan naming sundin, tapos inangat niya yung tingin samin, na hinihintay ang kanyang sasabihin.

He hopefully smiled, tila ba nawala ang kanyang nerbyos. Itinaas ko naman ang kamay ko at nagtanong

Ngumiti siya sa akin, na parang na-miss niyang tingnan ang mukha ko kasi importante ako sa kanya. Pero OA 'yun kaya, simple smile lang.

"A-ako yung nagsabi, tutal hindi naman masyadong mainit dito. Gusto ko kasi sanang magpaint kayo malapit sa ulap."

Tumango na lang ako at nagsimulang magpinta sa masonite board.

Sa ulap. "One endless canvas."

"Never stop painting;"

Pumikit ako at tiningnan ang kaharian ko. Parang isang panaginip. A lucid dream. Pero naglalagas ang mga lantang dahon mula sa mga puno.

Ang dilim ng itsura nung painting. Kailangan nito ng ilaw. Kaya linagyan ko ang madilim na kalangitan ng mga fireworks at para bang lalakarin mo ito hanggang sa makarating ka sa isang amusement park. Iginuhit ko ito sa nakikitang kalayuan. Okay na, bulong ko sa sarili ko habang napangiti

Ipininta ko na lamang ang sarili ko. Ito ang alaalang ayokong kalimutan at paulit-ulit kong binabalikan. Naglalakad ako sa gitna ng taglagas, at nasa dulo nito ay ang tagsibol, at ito ay aking walang pagod na hinahabol.

Dahil gusto ko pang mabuhay ng maayos. Ayokong lumala.

Chapter 3 - Pangyayari (December 12, 2017)

Saturday

Wala si ate, namamalengke. Nakuha niya pa lang kasi 'yung sweldo niya ngayong araw tsaka mamayang hapon nagbabalak na isama ako para maghanap ng matitirhang apartment sa siyudad. Isabay ko na lang daw na ibigay dun sa pag-deliver ko ng painting mamaya.

Napabuntong hininga ako at blangkong tumingin sa harap ng computer ko.

Ang tahimik. 'Di ako sanay.

"Ano ba 'to?!"

Pero wala, dapat nagpa-paint ako ngayon. 'Yung ide-deliver kong painting naghihintay na lang ibigay. Tsaka nagrequest pa 'yung customer ng isa pang painting, nagandahan daw kasi siya sa binili niya nang sobra, kaya ayun, isa pa.

Kung hindi talaga dahil kay ate, hindi pa rin ako makakabenta ng mga painting ko ngayon. Dami kasing kakilala nung babaeng 'yun.

Punyeta. Wala akong maisip. Binuksan ko na lang ang cellphone ko at nagscroll sa mga messages ng group chat. Himala kasi ang tahimik. Si Francie lang yung online tapos kung ano-ano sinesend.

--------------------------------------------------

9:10 A.M.

Mga Malilibog At P0qP0q💞

Feeding Freanzcie: Chloe, long time no chat? HAHAHAHA

Chloe: Oo nga eh di naman ako laging online sa fb lol

Feeding Freanzcie: ikr anong ginagawa mo ngayon?

Chloe: Chinachat ka?😂😂

Feeding Freanzcie: 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸

Feeding Freanzcie: ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

Feeding Freanzcie: (ノಠ ∩ಠ)ノ彡( o°o)

Chloe: aray ko ((((*｡_｡)_

Feeding Freanzcie: Seryoso nga, anong ginagawa mo maliban sa pakikipagchat ditoes? ∩(｀・ω・')∩

Chloe: wala naman, nakaupo. humihinga. nagiisip ng pwedeng i-drowing

Feeding Freanzcie: i-i rip artblock ƪƪ'▿')

Chloe: lol bigay ka nga ng ideas

Chloe: bago bagang emoji yung i-i lololololol

Feeding Freanzcie: ay syempre^^

Feeding Freanzcie: teka

Feeding Freanzcie: Alam mo 'yung Eidetic Imagery?

Chloe: di bakit?

Feeding Freanzcie: Nabasa ko lang eh, sabi daw isa daw sleeping disorder na parang isang sintomas daw ang insomnia tapos 'yung pasyente daw may mga imaginary creatures na kausap sa gabi. Tapos may nabasa akong isang bata na nagkaroon daw nun tapos 24/7 wala siyang tulog. Sa gabi daw, pagod yung mga magulang niya kasi siya gising na gising tapos parang may kinakausap siya.

Chloe: wow.

Feeding Freanzcie: binigyan daw siya ng therapy ata yun? tapos nung una akala nung mga psychologists wala nang lunas

Feeding Freanzcie: oy alam mo, try mo kayang magdrawing tungkol doon hehexcz

seen by Chloe Valdemoro at 9:17 A.M.

Alam niyo yung tipong 'eid' pa lang natatype ko sa computer lumabas agad 'yung eidetic imagery. Pero iba naman 'yung mga nakikita kong meanings, ang nakalagay parang isang term siya para sa photographic memory. Alam niyo 'yun? 'Yung para kayong may superpowers kasi parang naaalala mo yung mga nakikita mo, parang si Cam Jansen, 'yung 12 years old na fictional character na detective. Binabasa ko dati 'yung mga series ng libro niya sa library namin, nung mga July andun pa 'yun pero nung last library period namin wala na. Hindi ko nga alam kung ano ang dahilan at bakit nila 'yun inalis, eh.

Nagsimula na akong magpaint dun sa tirang masonite board. Pinulido ko muna ang mga sides at edges nito at nagsimulang magpinta. Ayun, tumahimik ako ulit. Tahimik akong nakikinig sa bulong ng aking imahinasyon, sinusundan ko ang kanyang magic carpet at hindi ako nagsasawang pagmasdan ang kabuuan ng aking kaharian. Syempre nasa isip ko lang 'yun pero kahit na, hindi ko alam kung saan na naman ako lulugar kapag nawala sila. Nasa isip ko na nga lang sila tapos pakakawalan at kakalimutan ko pa. May mga bagay kasing hindi madaling ibaon sa limot. Kagaya ng pagkamatay nila mama at papa dahil sa murder.

Nahanap na 'yung pumatay. Naikulong na nga eh. Sana manatili na siya doon, walang hiya siya. He is a freaking psychopath. Ang sarap din niyang patayin pabalik. Ang sarap niyang i-hostage at pahirapan, ubusan siya ng dugo habang nakikita niya ito. Ang sarap niyang pahirapan. Pero letse naman kasi, I personally think those nineteen years are not enough. He has to die first before that jail hourglass ends.

Okay so nakapaint ako ng first layer ng camera. Actually hindi siya camera. Malayo siyang magiging camera. Isa siyang halimaw. Katulad nung mga nakakatakot na mukhang nakaguhit sa kulay itim na pintura tapos in chaos silang masyado tapos yung kamay niya parang 'yung sa puppeteer. Puppets. Sentimental Circus. Ipininta ko sa likod si Shappo at siya ay lumuluha ng itim, nasa kaliwang gilid niya si Mouton, at sa kanan si Kuro. Inilagay ko na ang ibang mga laruan sa Sentimental Circus sa taas na bahagi ng board. Sa baba ng halimaw ay sinimulan ko nang ipinta ang makukulay na sinulid na nakatali sa isang lalaking walang mukha. Ang lalaki namang iyon ay napahawak sa ulo ang kanyang dalawang kamay; na para bang naiirita na siya at napapagod na. At nasa harap niya, ay dalawa pang kamay ng ibang tao, hawak hawak ang isang camera at rinerecord siya. Mga magta-tatlong oras akong nangawit sa paghawak ng toothbrush este---paintbrush habang pinipinta ang isang obrang may madilim na mensahe. Napaisip na din ako kung bakit sinama ko ang Sentimental Circus? Napangiti na lang ako ng mapait. Naalala ko na naman kasi 'yung araw na halos bilhin ko na ang lahat ng gamit dun sa shop na 'yun, tapos nagkaingay nang dahil sa pag-aaway naming apat nila mama at papa.

---------!

Who are you Chloe?

Who were you before?

What have you done to change massively in an instant?

Nasaan ka na, Chloe?

Akala mo tapos na, Chloe? Akala mo ang ganda niyan? Sa tingin mo ba mabibili 'yan?

Ang pangit, Chloe. Bakit may itim? May mamamatay?

Ang pangit, Chloe. Hindi 'yan maganda. Itapon mo na.

Oh no. They're back.

Ano na Chloe? Ituloy mo lang 'yang ginagawa mo sa sarili mo. Saktan mo pa ang sarili mo.

Pakiramdam ko may malamig na hanging pumapalibot sa akin at ako lang ang naninindig ang balahibo dahil dito, na parang may lumulunod sa akin dahil ang sikip na ng paghinga ko. Pakiramdam ko napapagod ako at nahihilo. Parang kinakain ako ng hangin nang buhay, hanggang sa wala na akong maramdaman. Hindi ko alam kung naku-kontrol ko pa ba ang sarili ko o hindi.

Chloe, lingon ka sa kanan, nakikita mo ba ang kutsilyo? Wala ka namang kwenta di'ba?

Pasanin lang ako. Chloe, pasanin ka lang sa likod ng ate mo.

Kung wala ka, natuloy na ang pangarap niyang sumikat. Di'ba ang sakit na kailangang isakripisyo mo ang lahat para sa isang taong mahal mo?

Sayang naman, Chloe. Wala kang kwentang ipaglaban. Humagulgol ka lang kesa habulin mo 'yung pumatay sa mga magulang niyo.

Hindi na natulog at nagpatuloy sa pagdrama!

Kaya mo ba ito?! Natitiis mo ba ang lahat?

Ang galing mo Chloe, kung hindi dahil sa'yo hindi mangyayari ang lahat ng iyon.

Buhay pa sana sila.

NAIINTINDIHAN MO CHLOE?! BUHAY PA SANA SILA!

!--------

"TAMA NA! PAKIUSAP TUMIGIL KA NA!"

Naisigaw ko sa kawalan.

"Tama na...please naman.....please.."

Halos hindi ko na marinig ang boses kong nagsalita. Nanginginig ang buong katawan ko at bigla akong napaupo. Kumapit ako sa mesa upang tulungan ang sarili ko ngunit natabig ko ang baso ng tubig na kinuha ko kanina. Nawalan na ba ako ng buto? Hanggang ngayon hinahabol ko pa ring makuha ang normal kong paghinga at patuloy sa pagpunas ng aking mga luha.

Dahan-dahan akong naglakad papuntang sala para tingnan kung andyan na si ate habang pinagpapawisan ng malamig.

Naiinis ako. Naguguluhan ako. Natatakot ako. Paano ba naman kasing bigla na lang akong naging ganito? Sana may makasagot na sa tanong ko. Gusto ko nang manahimik.

Manahimik.

"Chloe, lingon ka sa kanan, nakikita mo ba ang kutsilyo? Wala ka namang kwenta di'ba? "

"A-ate, tu-tulangan na kita."

"HAaaayyyy."

Naglakad papunta sa kusina si ate at nakita ang mga kalat at yung isang basag na baso.

"Chloe?"

Tila ba nanginig ang mga labi ko at humagulgol akong muli. Kasabay na naman ng pagbuhos ng ulan. Lumalakas ito ng lumalakas hanggang sa hindi ko na narinig ang ingay na galing sa aking bibig, pati na rin ang paulit-ulit na pagpatahan sa akin ng ate ko.

Linilinis namin ngayon ang bahay dahil may pupuntahan pa akong delivery mamaya. Pinilit kong ngumiti at sabihin kong "Okay na. Te, wag ka nang mag-alala."

----------

Tanong niya at tumango naman kami.

"Ang gaganda naman nito mga hija. Sino ang nagpinta?"

Curious niyang anong at tinaas ko ang kamay ko. Napatitig siya sa akin ng matagal tagal ng may blangkong ekspresyon sa kanyang mukha. Pagkatapos ay umiling siya at kinuha ang isang kahon na nakahugis na parang treasure chest.

"Salamat po!"

Umakbay sa akin si ate habang naglalakad kami sa kalsada. Nakatingin lang ako sa baba. Ayoko. Pagod na ako.

Alam kong hindi na rin ako maintindihan ni ate. May mga pagkakataong umiinit ang ulo niya bigla dahil sa akin, pero isinasantabi niya iyon dahil naiintindihan niya ako. At least ang sitwasyon ko.

Kanina ang saya kong gumising, kagaya ng sikat ng araw tuwing ala-sais pa lang. Ngayon naman ay bumabalik sila, ayaw nila akong tigilan.

Pero bumuhos na namang muli ang ulan.

Chapter 4 - Sa Apartment (December 15, 2017)

Okay na ulit ako. Salamat, Lord. Kahit ngayong araw lang, gusto kong tumulong. Gusto kong kalimutan ang nangyari kahapon. Sana, magpahinga naman sila. Kung hindi pa sila aalis, magpahinga man lang sila.

"Bakla, pagkasimba bibili muna tayo ng siomai kila Lola Puring tapos yung grande na Zagu sa mall. Oks na?"

Mabilis na sinaad ni ate. Akala mo naman parang isang businesswoman samantalang naka-shorts ngang pumunta sa simbahan.

"Eh ate 'di ba pwedeng isang lugar na lang? Kung sa mall bibili ng Zagu edi sa mall na din 'yung siomai!"

"O sige dun tayo kakain kila Lola Puring."

Tumingin siya sakin ng saglit, na para bang walang nangyari kahapon sa akin. Tsaka kinaladkad na ako papunta sa kanila Lola. Si Lola Puring, lola siya nung bestfriend ni Ate Nat na nag-aaral sa abroad ngayon. Dati kasi, nagkaroon sila ng isang banda sa school nila tapos doon na sila nagkakila-kilala ng squad niya. Nanggaling 'yun sa music club na sinalihan nila dati tapos nagkawatak watak kasi sabi niya wala namang kwentang sumali 'dun, di niya alam na may mabubuo na palang banda doon na sisikat at magsusulat ng kanta para sa lahat.

Natupad naman 'yun. Nagkaroon sila ng exposure kasi nakapagplay sila sa isang variety show at gusto talaga ng mga manononood ang mga kinakanta nila. Pero simula nung trahedyang iyon, pati sila nagkawatak-watak at naglaho ng parang bula. History repeated itself? Ganun lang?

Masaklap kasi si Ate Nat ang leader nila. Kung wala siya, wala ang "Paris". Oo, pangalan ng banda nila. Akala ko acronym 'yun ng kung ano pero wala naman daw 'yung mas malalim na kahulugan. Kaya Paris ang pangalan ng banda nila kasi nung mga Foundation Week nung Grade 9 sila may parang mini gig ang bawat banda sa bawat grade level tapos 'yung isang member nila patagong nagpafire-works. Dapat daw ang papaputukin niya 'yung parang makakabuo ng star pero may milagro kasing nangyari kung bakit parang naging hugis ng Eiffel Tower 'yung shape nung fireworks.

"Kloya, ok ka lang? Na-swimming na naman siguro ito."

"Dingdong, wag ka nga diyan. Naalala ko lang kasi yung kwento mo sakin. Binabasa ko ulit sa kanila."

"Dingdong? Wow, kailan naging Dingdong ang Nat---oo nga. Edi wow. Henyo."

"Natasha, hija!"

"La, namiss ka na po namin! Pwede po utang muna....ulit?"

"Naku! Walang katapusang utang 'yan Natasha, malulugi na naman ang tindahan ni Puring."

"Si lola, parang bata magsalita. Millenial na po kayo?"

"Hayaan niyo na, libre naman lagi kain niyo dito."

Grabe, halos isang buwan lang naman kami nawala. Akala ko ang ikli lang nun, pero ang dami pa ring nangyari.

"Namiss ko 'to ate."

"Ikr."

"Ah, ate magbabayad na po kami, eto po 'yung bill."

-----------------

Punyeta ang init. Nakalimutan pa naming magdala ng payong.

"HOOOOOOHHH"

"Ate, kanina pa 'yang walang laman. Tsaka pinagtitinginan ka ng mga tao, huy."

"Ay pake nila? Naghihirap tayo dito, okay? Hanggang ngayon wala pa rin tayong mahanap na paupahan na maayos."

Natanaw ko sa di kalayuan ang paaralan ko ngayon. Nasa sentro kami ng bayan, andito na lahat ng sibilisasyon, lahat ng pangangailangan halos dito mo na matatagpuan. Kaso, maingay tsaka magulo. May iba ding bahaging madilim at delikadong daanan kapag gabi na. May mga eskinitang 100% sure na sure ang PCSO na may mangyayaring milagro. Pero may bahagi ding tahimik. 'Yung mga subdivision. Kaso saan naman ang pag-asa naming may apartment dun.

Pero teka. Pwede rin eh. May malapit na subdivision dito. Mga 20 minutes lang ata ang oras sakay sa tricycle.

"Ate, sa mga subdivision? May mga bahay ba diyang parang wala ng nakatira tapos pwedeng paupahan?"

"Ewan ko, Kloya. Pero alam mo kapag meron, kakain ako ng maanghang na noodles. 'Yung nakatago sa aparador mong hayop ka ha, may nalalaman ka pa diyang 'Spicy Noodle Challenge' eh halos iluwa mo na 'yung noodles."

"Naawa kasi ako ate, kalahi ko 'yun tapos kakainin ko lang? Duh?"

Tumigil kami sa daanan papasok. Eh halos straight lang 'yung daanan tapos ang lawak pa. Ang daming mga bahay.

"May alam po ba kayong pwedeng paupahan dito?"

At ang famous lines?

"Wala."

"Ay hindi ko po alam, bago lang po kasi kami dito. "

"Tanong kayo sa kabilang bahay."

Halos malapit ng makasapak ng tao si ate tuwing isasarado nila ang mga pinto. Ayaw niya daw ng atmosphere dito. Ang gloomy.

"Ate, titira lang tayo dito. Hindi magpapaka-role model para sumaya sila. Tsaka ate, may buhay sila. Wala pa tayong alam kaya, halika na."

"'Wag muna mag-give up. O sige, Kloya, tara na!"

-----------------

"4.6k ang renta dito monthly, kasama na 'yung sa tubig niyo, at kung magkasya bayad niyo, isasali na namin na ibayad ang sa kuryente. Tutal dalawa lang naman kayo. Kung gusto niyo mag-advance na kayo ng dalawang buwan para wala na muna kayong problemahin."

Halos maka-ilan na kaming "Thank You, Lord" sa mga isip namin ngayon.

"Ah, sige po ma'am. Bukas na po kaming magsisimulang maglipat. Maraming salamat po talaga, hulog kayo ng langit."

Napangiti na lang ang landlady kasi parang naawa na din siya sa itsura namin pero, dinedma niya lang eh.

"Sasabihin ko naman sa inyo kung nabayaran ko na 'yung mga bill. O sige na, uwi na muna kayo. Kung hindi kayo makalipat bukas, pwedeng sa Miyerkules na lang. I-do-double check ang status ng bahay."

"Salamat po!"

---------------------------

"Hala syet! Hoy Kloya! GISING NAAAA!"

"ATE KANINA PA HOY MAG SI-SIX THIRTY NA MAGLUTO KA NA NG ULAM!"

Late na naman tuloy ako.

Chapter 5 - Holiday (Unfinished; January 12, 2018)

"Cruz may naghahanap sayo!"

Nakasanayan niyang bumanggit ng bawat salitang may bahid ng glait sa kanyang boses. Titigan mo siya sa kanyang mga mata at mukhang papatayin ka na niya.

Linakad niya ang silid at tiningnan ang ibang presong kausap ang ibang tao. Dahil hindi niya ito kilala, at hindi siya nito kilala.

"Paano mo nasasabi 'yan? Wala kang alam. Ibinigay mo na sakin ang parusa ko, diba dapat ako ang magtatanong kung masaya ka na?"

Natigilan ang lalaki sa sinabi ng bilanggo at inayos ang kanyang salamin.

Sunday

Sumapit ang gabi at naghintay ang lahat sa pagdating ng unang oras ng pasko. Naghanda ang lahat, pati ang bahay nila Natasha at Chloe.

#IyakAtUlan #wattpad #deleted

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