With her sweetened breath [ONE PIECE]

19 - DREAMS

Galien had grew taller. Skin more tanner and scars now more prominent than before - it scattered on his arms like fallen stars and tiny droplets of rain.

There's a few grey strand on his head. One that sat mockingly atop his ears.

"You look older" is what she had said the second she saw him.

"Well Hello to you too and I'm doing absolutely fine, no need to ask me. How about you?"

She rolled her eyes slowly, trying to ignore the almost desperate yearning clawing on the pit of her stomach.

She missed him.

"Would you prefer if I greeted you with a hug? Declare my platonic love for you and give you a 'I miss you' card?"

"Yes I would actually" he strolled towards her with a teasing smile, brown rag wiping his grease covered hand. "I want two 'I miss you' cards with sappy hearts and crying faces, so I could atleast read your daughterly love because god knows I dont see nor hear it enough" he pretended to think "or ever actually, huh. And you even left me all alone on this sucky island with no goodby-"

"I missed you" his rambling stop and y/n could feel her heart hammering like a drum. "I..I should have," she swallowed "I should have said goodbye"

A defeaning silent hung between them like a blade on a guillotine, it made her sweat, made her nervous, made her upset, made her almost wish that the blade is real so it could put her out of her own misery now,  but before she could even utter a single curse or a sob - a hand came down on her shoulder - heavy, familiar. Y/n thinks she could cry.

"I missed you too" his voice was soft, softer than it had ever been before, filled with fondness, and  adoration and that familiar tone of someone that would part the sea and stab the sun with a single uttered word from their love - she would know, her father had it too.

In moment like this y/n wished she could tell Galien that she loved him, that she looks up to him like a daughter would, that she would hide on his office and memorize the blueprints of his work, admired the smoothness of his blades and would try so hard to suppressed the amazement on her eyes whenever its finally better and done. There are handful of times she long to embrace him, thank him, show him how much she appreciate him, say words that she knew she should say and apologies for the time that she didnt.

Today was one of those times, and yet her tounge still felt heavy on the roof of her mouth.

Y/n is never good at being vulnerable, but she wish that she is, only for a little while, so she could show the people on her life how much they truly mean to her.

"You didnt impregnate someone while I was gone did you?" She'll settle for easy jokes and the usually teasing for now, it's the only thing she's good at.

Galien rolled his eyes "are we ever gonna have a cute little moment without you ruining it?"

Y/n smiled, all tooth and gums.
"No, no we would not"

______________________

She heard them before she could see them.

Monkey D. Luffy is walking with all his chaotic glory and messy raven hair that shimmers like a black obsidian on the morning summer light.

He was grinning so widely, a soul of a child trapped in a body of someone who long to be in a war. The straw hat, dull and boring it was, hangs on the nape of his neck - it moves and swirl on the harsh wind of the salt sea. It was an ugly thing, the hat. Bland and insignifact and yet Luffy carry it with so much pride and adoration that could only belong to someone who cherished something with a desperate breath.