Chapter Text
Luffy's entire body trembled as he pulled himself underneath the bed, hastly dragging in his bag as well before curling up in the furthest and darkest corner.
His hands barely belonged to him as he attempted to open the zipper which was hard to even grasp tightly. Finally he managed and rummaged around the contents as his heart thundered above everything else.
He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to die. Call ace. Call sabo. Call his brothers.Call. Call. Call. CALL. CALL. CALL. CALL!!! CALL!!! CALL!!! CALL!!! CALL!! CALL!!! CALL!!
He forced a breath in his unresponsive lungs and emptied the entire bag before he found what he was looking for. The phone. Only that this wasn't his phone. It was Usopp's. He could recognize the pretty orange charm that Nami had given him for his birthday.
The phone shook in his hands as he typed in the password which he got wrong twice before typing in the correct one. Kaya's birthday.
Usopp had a picture of their friend group as the wall paper and seeing it calmed him enough that he managed to press on the contacts number in one go. That's where he had to draw a blank.
What was ace's number again?
Tears welled up in his eyes again and the poor attempts that he had made at calming himself went down the drain, his breath hitching again as he desperately tried to remember sabo's number again. Sabo had made him learn it alongside a shanty that he loved.
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
Early in the morning
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning
Luffy hummed along to the imaginary song playing in his mind as tears trickled down his cheeks, slowly remembering the numbers Sabo had associated with each verse and he typed them in with shaking hands. A loud crash overhead made it clear the brute was back home.
"OI LUFFY!!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU FUCKING WASTE OF SPACE?!!" He screamed, voice slurred as the floorboards trembled underneath his fury.
Luffy bit down on the choked noise that came out of his throat as he slammed his fist on the call button. He squeezed his eyes shut as the house trembled under the fury of the man rampaging in it. Crashes and thunderous footsteps echoed around as the monster called out his name once again.
"LUFFY!!! YOU BETTER COME OUT WHILE I'M ASKING NICELY, YOU FUCKING INGRATE OR I'LL FUCKING BASH YOUR HEAD IN!!!"
The dial tone beeped after every three seconds slowly counting down the remaining time Luffy had.
"Hello?" said an oh so familar voice and Luffy couldn't help choking out a sob that he had been holding in as thunder struck overhead again in the form of a table thrown across the living room. "Who's this?" asked Sabo smoothly.
All of a sudden, he didn't feel like telling him that it was Luffy who had called. Maybe it would be better if they found out what happened after he had died. That'll serve them right, he thought bitterly.
Another voice joined on the call.
"Who is it Bo?" asked the other voice and the dam broke on hearing his brothers voice once again.
"A-Ace" he choked out and suddenly he could hear shouting from the other end of the line with his eldest brother screaming his name back at him.
"What happened Luffy?? Are you okay?? Did someone hurt you??" the voice practically shouted and Luffy stiffened as the crashes coming from the living room quietened.
He pressed the phone close to his mouth and whispered so Garp wouldn't hear him.
"a-ace 'u know w-where ha' our n-new ha' new h-house is r-right? P-Please come right now" He whispered gasping for air between every word that he managed to breathe out.
The other end of the line was quiet for a moment too long in which Luffy's heart started to hammer against his ribs again, unsteady and loud in a way which drowned out everything.
He couldn't hear anything other than his own gasps and thundering heartbeat and decided to end the call. "A-Ace, S-Sabo...I'm sorry a-ace, I'm so so sorry bo, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
With that he cut off the call and stared at the call log wondering if he'd have enough time to call someone else as someone thundered down the stairs.
His panicked mind told him to send his location to every one he knew in Usopps contact list and it was only through sheer will power that he managed to pull off the task, selecting anyone and everyone he saw and pressed send as the door to his room opened.
He fumbled carelessly, removing the app to stare at the wallpaper. It was a selfie taken by Usopp who stood in the middle with Nami who was grinning cheekily at the camera, a half eaten ice cream in her hand. Sanji and Zoro were standing behind them, also grinning though their hands were tight on each others collars as if interrupted mid-fight to take a picture. There was Luffy too, smiling as if there wasn't a worry in his life carrying Vivi in a piggyback ride who was making a peace sign above everyone's head.
They all looked happy and if Luffy pretended hard enough, he was back there at the amusement park hanging out with his friends.
If he pretended hard enough, his heart was hammering because with excitement for going on a roller coaster with Usopp who always pretended nothing could faze him.
If he pretended hard enough, the footsteps that were inching closer and closer to his hiding spot was just Nami coming over to him with a double scoop ice cream with that soft smile he loved.
Maybe the tears flowing down his cheeks were that of joy, he was just so happy to be hanging out with his friends, his life, his everything.
Luffy sucked in his lips and bit down hard so not a single noise escaped his throat as he took one last and longing look at Zoro's smirk, Vivi's laugh, Sanji's blue kind eyes before he closed them tight throwing the phone to the side as he was dragged out by his hair.