-x-

Pinwheel
she was afraid and he was weak

-x-

Something hot and heavy settles in his stomach when he hears Nami's voice coming out of that Dial. His hands shake, and he grits his teeth, and he can't remember ever being so angry in his life.

Maybe he messed something up somewhere along the way.

Maybe he did something wrong.

Maybe he was careless or stupid or all of these things - it has to be something, doesn't it, damnit, because Nami doesn't think he can do it! She doesn't think he can win! She left him, she left them all, because she was afraid and he was weak, and Luffy wants to scream and break something under the weight and rage the fills him up and pushes at his chest. He wants to beat the hell outta that wheel-headed bastard for taking Nami away in the first place, for making her feel like there was no other choice, for tearing away the trust that he built!

Nami deserves to be happy - like Robin deserves friends, and Vivi deserves her country - and he defeated Arlong, and Crocodile, and all of the others, but it wasn't enough and now - after everything -

Nami doesn't believe in him…

And that hurts worse than anything.

-x-

Nami says what she does because she knows it will piss him off.

She doesn't believe a word of it, but she recites them all the same, with soft conviction so they boil his blood, and it comes so easy - she is surprised, and not surprised. Mostly… she's afraid.

She knows that it's the only option she has, that it's only temporary. It's just that she doesn't want to go. She never wants to go again, even if it's all an act - if hurts more than she expects it to, and she shouldn't have to do it in the first place. Luffy has defeated everyone who stood in his way, anyone who threatened his friends or what they hold dear, and she hates the part of herself that sees him struggling against opponents who only seem to be getting stronger and stronger and thinks that maybe there are some things even he can't do.

But she knows, if she asks...

Nami hesitates, her fingers lingering on the Dial.

He's an idiot. But she has a thief's quick hands.

-x-

(A/n) Strong World is my life's blood, incase you kids were wondering. A roll-over from tumblr; Anonymous prompt was "please come get me"!

-BobTAC