OOC LOG: Lucci and George
Who: Lucci and George
What: Post-Battle Fudge, a few kisses, and a Talk
Where: The lawn deck of Thousand Sunny, and then the Aquarium Bar
When: The day of the Strawhats' big battle
Rating: PG-13
---
Fudge and glass of water in hand, George headed out to the lawn deck to look for Lucci. She was feeling a little stiff, mostly because of all the bandages Chopper had insisted on wrapping around her various wounds, but other than that she was feeling pretty good, a pretty impressive looking black eye the only visible sign that she'd been in a life-or-death fight within the last few hours.
Lucci heard George coming before he saw her. He'd been leaning up against a tree and close to dozing off, but he snapped to attention as soon as he knew George was coming. She looked...beat up. But otherwise fine. He lifted his good hand in greeting.
George smiled as he waved and sat next to him, holding out the water and fudge. "Hey," she said, mentally cataloguing his injuries. "How you holding up?"
Lucci smiled back. He went to reach for both things at once, but realized just in time that he really shouldn't. He just took the water first. "Tired and sore, but surviving."
George smiled apologetically and set down the fudge in front of him. "You're really okay?" she asked, concern etched in her brow, although she was trying to keep her face neutral.
"For a given definition of okay." Lucci shrugged and then drank half the glass in one go. Apparently he'd been thirstier than he'd thought as well as hungrier. It had been a long, long day. "I hurt everywhere, but I've been worse."
George sighed, nodding. "I'm just glad it's over," she said, lying back on the grass.
Lucci nodded in agreement. He looked down at the plate of fudge for a moment, and then picked up a piece and bit into it. "Good," he said, and took another bite.
"Mmm," George said, stretching out on the grass and wincing a little when she leaned on a still-healing wound. "Sanji, Usopp and I made a ton of fudge last night."
Lucci smirked a little. "Pre-battle fudge, hmm." He finished off the piece he was eating, paused, and then took another one. He was hungry. He didn't really care that fudge wasn't an acceptable food substitute. "...I hope they're going to be all right."
"And now it's post-battle fudge," George agreed, propping her head up on one hand, supported by her elbow. "Who?"
"Sanji and Usopp." He took another bite. "I think Sanji is more psychologically damaged than physically, but Usopp is...in bad shape."
George frowned and nodded. "I'm sure Sanji will be okay," she said, sighing, "and so will Usopp. He's not freaking out and whining about being hurt as much as I thought he would, at least."
Lucci shrugged, then winced. "...I think Usopp is more inclined to whine over a paper cut than a bullet wound," he said.
George let out a short laugh. "Yeah, you're right." She noticed the wince. "You okay?" she asked, sitting up and moving a little closer to him almost automatically.
"I'm not used to this yet," Lucci said. He looked down at his sling with an annoyed sigh. "I keep moving and then realizing I can't move that way anymore."
George frowned. "How did it happen?" she asked. "I must have missed it."
Lucci grimaced. "He had seastone gauntlets and a club. Got ahold of my wrist and used the club to snap my arm."
George winced, brow furrowing. "I'm glad I didn't see that. I don't think I would've been able to..." George trailed off, shaking her head quickly, as if to shake the mental image from her head.
Lucci paused, at a loss for words. "...It was careless of me," he said at last. "I should have noticed before it was too late."
George pouted. "What happened, then?" she asked, reaching out to touch the sling lightly, as if she were afraid it would burn her.
He shook his head, looking down at the sling. "I was just distracted. Too much going on at once. I'm out of practice." Then he looked over at George. "I'll be fine, though. In about a month."
"A month is a long time," George pointed out, still pouting.
Lucci sighed. "Don't remind me."
"Sorry," she said, backing away just a little. "I never broke a bone while I was alive."
"I did. When I was ten. ...You don't have to go away."
"I wasn't going anywhere," George said, leaning back a little closer. "What did you break when you were ten?"
"Other arm," Lucci said. He was glad to have George near him, even if it did make the impulse to kiss her significantly harder than before. "Not as badly."
"How did you break it that time," George asked, boldly shifting to lie her head in Lucci's lap.
...Lucci didn't know what to do with the fact that George had her head in his lap now. It was kind of nice, though, all things considered. He hesitated for a moment and then reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I got in a fight."
George smiled a little at the gesture. "A fight?" she asked "With who?"
Lucci sighed. "...Jyabura."
George's smile widened. "I should have guessed."
Lucci scowled at his broken arm. "I got my devil fruit after it healed..."
"Aww," George said. "Poor little Lucci."
Without a change in expression, Lucci poked George in the forehead. "What I mean is that I didn't have to worry about going the entire month without being able to transform."
George frowned. "Oh yeah, that's right. That's weird. I'll miss your leopard."
"...Me too." He looked away, frowning.
"It won't be so bad," George said, taking the finger he'd poked her with and pulling it toward her, so his hand was resting on her stomach.
Lucci swallowed, realizing suddenly and viscerally that he was one roaringly painful broken bone away from being very unlikely to restrain himself from taking advantage of George right on the goddamn deck. "...Maybe not," he said faintly.
George smiled up at him innocently. "And it's only a month, right?"
"...Right." He let his hand spread out flat against George's stomach; the adrenaline from the fight and the fact that he'd killed people, a lot of people, were starting to come back to him in a heart-pounding rush.
"You okay?" George asked, frowning. Something seemed a little off.
"...Fine," Lucci said, and then, because he couldn't stop himself, "I just really want to kiss you."
George threaded her fingers through his. "Well," she said. "I really want you to kiss me too.
"Oh. Good." Lucci paused to consider the situation. "...I don't know whether that means I can, but if it does, I can't reach from here without crushing my arm."
George bit her lip. "We're out on the lawn deck," she pointed out.
"I don't care," Lucci said. "But that's a good point."
George sat up a little, facing him. "...is there anyone nearby?"
"No." He couldn't hear anyone, anyway. "I think everyone is resting up from the fight."
"Okay," she said, leaning a little closer.
Lucci wrapped his hand around the back of George's neck and leaned in to kiss her. ...That officially was never going to stop being amazing.
George made a small involuntary noise, pleased, and kissed him back eagerly, still on a little adrenaline high from the battle earlier.
Lucci immediately kissed back harder, shifting his hand into George's hair.
George pressed herself closer, bringing one hand up to the side of Lucci's face, gently tracing the line of his jaw.
Lucci didn't bother holding back this time. He opened his mouth a bit, sliding his tongue over George's lower lip, and ran his hand through George's hair and over the back of her neck.
George parted her lips willingly, cupping her hand around the back of Lucci's neck and pressing her other palm flat against his chest.
Lucci ran his hand down George's back and let his tongue slide past her lips; it was easier not to notice the pain now.
George made another soft sound, almost a whine, leaning further into him.
Lucci could feel his heart pounding faster. He bit lightly at George's bottom lip and groaned quietly.
"Lucci," George breathed between heated kisses, curling her fingers into his shirt.
Lucci had been trying to pay attention to their surroundings, but at this point, the entire crew could have walked out on deck and he wouldn't have noticed. He slid his hand underneath the back of George's shirt.
George whined again and broke the kiss, placing another quick kiss to his lips before saying again, "Lucci. Lawn deck." She kissed him again, unable to resist.
...Oh. Right. Lucci took his hand back, hesitated, and set it on her shoulder, because he couldn't not touch her. "Sorry. ...It's hard to think."
George nodded, a smile pulling at her lips. "Sorry," she said.
Lucci swallowed. He felt like every cell in his body was begging him to keep going. "...Maybe..." He was going to say 'Maybe we should stop', but he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"We either have to stop," said George, leaning in for another quick kiss, "or we need to go somewhere else."
"...Somewhere else?" Lucci asked. He was having trouble focusing. "We could do that."
"Where?" George asked, pulling away a little more and glancing around nervously, as though Usopp would come around the corner at any moment.
"Um." Lucci pressed the heel of his hand to his temple, trying to think. He'd underestimated how much a combination of pain, adrenaline, lust and the high he got from a good kill, let alone several, would make it hard to concentrate. "...Aquarium bar?" It was right near by.
"Are you sure you're okay, Lucci?" George asked, reaching out to feel his forehead.
"Fine. Just...sort of dazed."
"So do you want to come to the Aquarium bar with me?"
"Yes." That much, he knew.
"Okay," George said, biting her lip, still a little worried about Usopp catching them, even though she knew he was asleep in the infirmary. "Meet me there in like five minutes?" she asked, standing up and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"...Okay," Lucci said. He was starting to realize that this was probably a bad idea and that he should definitely just stop now, but...he just nodded.
George nodded and leaned back down to kiss him again before she stood and headed for the Aquarium bar, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she walked away.
Lucci watched her go, and then let his head fall back against the tree trunk. He wondered what exactly would happen if he went in there. He thought briefly about Usopp and the fact that he was just making out with the girlfriend of one of his best friends. After around five minutes, he got up anyway and went to the aquarium bar.
When Lucci arrived, George was lying on one of the benches, watching the fish. "I was sort of afraid you wouldn't show up," she said, sitting up.
"...To be perfectly honest, so was I," Lucci said, staring into the tank.
George bit her lip and nodded. "Did I do something...?"
"No," Lucci said immediately. "You didn't. I just..." He looked away. "...We shouldn't be doing this. Whatever we're doing."
George frowned. "...why not?" she asked, leaning back against the bench.
Lucci paused, then walked over and sat down on the bench next to George. "Because...you have a boyfriend. Sort of. And he's my friend."
"But I'm not sure that I want him to be my boyfriend anymore, Lucci," George said, shaking her head. "And that's why it's a sort of."
"...I know." Lucci stared down at his good hand, flexing it ineffectually. "I just...it doesn't feel...right. Well, it does. When I'm with you. But...I don't know. I'm sorry. I just don't like this whole..." He gestured vaguely. "I don't want him to get hurt."
George nodded, staring down at her hands. "I know. I don't want him to get hurt either. That's part of the reason I haven't completely broken up with him."
Lucci frowned. "I don't know why I care this much."
"It figures, just when I want to cash in on your lack of morals you develop some," George joked, sighing.
"Ha." Lucci smirked, but it still didn't feel right. "...I still want to. I want you."
"I want you too," George said, meeting his eyes. "What do we do with that?"
"I don't know," Lucci said honestly. "What do you want to do with it?"
"I don't know," George said honestly, shrugging. "I just want to kiss you. Because maybe it's the last chance I'll get."
Lucci opened his mouth, and then closed it again. This was...it was just hard and he hated it. But thinking about it that way was pointless. "Okay," he said instead. "Then you should. Because I want to kiss you too."
"And," said George, "I love you." She moved a little closer to him.
"I love you too." Somehow it made it a little easier, hearing that. He reached out and cupped the side of her face with his hand, running his thumb over her cheekbone.
George sighed, leaning into his hand a little. "I like it when you say that," she said, softly.
Lucci smiled a little. "I like saying it."
George smiled back. "Good," she said.
Lucci moved a little closer on the bench. "Can I kiss you now?"
"Please."
Lucci leaned in and kissed her again.
George kissed him back, tightening one hand in the fabric of his shirt, trying to lose herself again in the kiss, so that she wouldn't have to think about Usopp, about the battle they'd just fought, about how hurt everyone had gotten, about how many people had died, how many people she had killed. A little overwhelmed, she broke the kiss suddenly and let out a little noise that sounded like a sob.
Lucci was caught off guard by that and had no idea what to do about it, but for once in his life, he felt like he sort of understood. "George..." He wanted to put his arms around her, but he couldn't pull her against him without crushing his arm, so he put his good arm around her shoulders and sort of tugged her against his shoulder. "...It's okay."
"Is it?" George asked, hiding her face in his shoulder as a tear slid down her cheek. She clenched her teeth, mad at herself for crying.
Lucci sighed. He didn't know the correct response to that. "...I don't know. But we're--" alive? "We're all still here. And things can't stay bad forever."
George sighed heavily, trying to get as close as possible without hurting Lucci's arm. "I don't know how the fuck I would deal with any of this without you," she said softly.
"You don't?" That was confusing, because while Lucci felt much the same way about George, he didn't think of himself as being reassuring at all.
"I don't have to explain myself with you," George said. "You just know."
"Oh." Lucci understood that. "I feel the same way about you."
"You do?" George asked, pulling away enough to see his face. she wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand, hoping she didn't look too much like she'd been crying, even though it was obvious.
"Mmhm." He reached out to cup George's cheek, brushing his thumb under her eye. "I always tell you that you understand me."
George sighed, leaning into Lucci's hand. "I really do love you," she said.
Every time George said that, it made his heart...hurt, but in a not entirely unpleasant way. "I love you too," Lucci said.
George sighed again, smiling a little. "Now I think you should kiss me again," she said.
"Okay," Lucci said, with a faint smile, and leaned in to kiss George again.
George kissed back, much more softly this time, but somehow still tinged with a sense of urgency.
Lucci let his hand fall to rest on George's shoulder, tilting his head a bit for a better angle.
George wrapped one arm around Lucci's back, wishing she could hold him tightly, but all too aware of his injuries.
Lucci's skin prickled with the awareness of just how close George was to hurting him, but honestly, when had she not had that power over him? He forced himself to relax, knowing that she was being careful.
George kissed him a little harder, nipping at his lower lip and running her hand idly over the planes of his back.
Lucci hummed, running his hand over George's neck.
George hummed too, in response leaning into him just a little bit more, but pulling back after just a moment, afraid of hurting him.
Lucci sighed. A month isn't that long, he thought. All he could hope is that it went by quickly.
"You okay?" George asked when the kiss broke naturally, "I'm not hurting you, am I?"
"No, I'm fine." He glanced down at his arm. "It's just...annoying. If I didn't have to wear the sling it would be...easier."
"Do you have to wear the sling for the whole month?" she asked, pouting a little.
"Apparently if I take it off, I'll get bad circulation and it won't heal as quickly. So it's better if I do."
George nodded. "Well then yeah, you should leave it on," she said. "It sucks, though."
Lucci sighed heavily. "Yes, it does."
"I'm glad I made you hug me before the battle," George said, leaning in to kiss him softly.
"Mm. So am I," Lucci said, smiling a little.
George ran her thumb lightly over his upturned lips and smiled back.
Lucci sighed again, leaning forward to rest his forehead against George's. "I think sometimes we're decent at being happy," he decided.
George's smile widened. "Is this what happy feels like?"
"I think so," Lucci said. He kissed the most readily available part of George's face, which turned out to be part of her cheek near her nose.
George sighed, kissing Lucci's jaw in response. "I'd forgotten," she said softly.
"...I remember most times when I'm with you."
"I never imagined you'd be romantic, Lucci," George said, smirking a little.
"I am not romantic," Lucci said, sounding offended.
"That sounded pretty romantic to me," George said, kissing his jaw again.
"Well, I only said it because it was true." Lucci ran his hand over the back of George's neck again.
"Then maybe you're just a romantic," George said, kissing a line from his jaw back to his lips. "But just for me," she said between soft kisses. "And I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Okay," Lucci said. He let it go and kissed back.
George sighed into the kiss and broke it gently, resting her head on his good shoulder. "Lucci?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think that we would actually work?"
...Lucci had to think about that. "I..." He stopped, looking away. "I'm not exactly sure...what you mean by that. It depends."
George pulled away a little. "I don't know. Just. I know you and I could never be like Usopp and I were," she said, her heart twisting a little painfully at her use of the past tense, "but..."
Lucci started to speak twice and had to start over both times. "...I don't...I don't think I know how you and Usopp...were. And I really don't know that much about being in a relationship. All I can tell you is that I want to make it work and I would try my best. And...I feel like we would work."
George moved a little closer again. "What does it mean to you, then? Being in a relationship."
"What does it mean?" Lucci thought. "...Sort of like this. Being able to..." This was awkward to talk about. "Being able to talk to you about anything, and listening to you, and spending time with you and...touching you. Making you happy." He shrugged his good shoulder, staring fixedly at the ground. "...And not having to hide it."
"So everything we were already, just plus the physical stuff?" George asked.
Lucci thought that over. That didn't sound exactly right, but... "I think so," he said tentatively. "That's...how it usually is, isn't it?"
George shrugged. "I don't know. I've only ever been in one relationship," she said. "And usually I think it involves some kind of understanding of exclusivity, but I know you don't want that, so..."
Hearing George say that felt like being stabbed in the chest. "...Right," he said, looking down even further.
"...I just want to know what I'm getting myself into," she said, sighing. "You know?"
"...I know." Lucci couldn't look at George, not knowing how she might be looking at him. "It's just that...I don't know what to tell you, George. I love you. You're the only person I've ever loved. I don't need anyone else; I wouldn't go looking, but...sometimes...things happen, and I don't...I just don't think it's in my nature to..." He shook his head. "I know you...might not understand, but I don't understand that notion of exclusivity, either. Not in that way. I just...wouldn't need that in order to be happy with you. But if you would need it in order to be happy with me..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence.
George shook her head. "I don't have any right to ask that of you, any more than I have a right to ask Usopp to share," she said, a little sadly. "If we were exclusive I would want it to be because you didn't want anyone but me."
Lucci sighed. "I just...I wish I could explain this without..." He still couldn't look George in the eyes, but he looked up a little further. "...I want to sleep with you because I love you and I think you're beautiful and I want to show you how much I mean that. I feel like...I need to be that close to you. It's important. It would be important. With everyone else, it's...for different reasons. With other people it means the same thing as sparring or, I don't know, talking-- The point is that you are the only one I want. It's...different. ...Does that make any sense at all?"
"It's the difference between...making love and fucking," George said, flushing.
"...Yes." Finally, Lucci looked back up and met George's eyes.
George's face darkened further as he met her eyes. "Okay," she said.
Lucci didn't know what that meant. "...Okay?"
George frowned a little, cheeks still aflame, and paused for a moment before speaking. "Well...that makes a difference. I understand what you mean. But I still wouldn't like it if you were fucking someone else while you were with me."
Lucci sighed. "...I know."
"You really wouldn't care at all if I fucked someone else when I was with you?" she asked, withdrawing a little.
Lucci didn't like the way George was withdrawing from him, but he knew he had to be honest. He just had to find a way to say it that would sound right. "...Would you still love me if you did?"
"Yes," George said without having to think about it. She wanted to say something about how she wouldn't want to if she were with him, but the fact that they were even having this conversation when she was still technically with Usopp made that argument sound hollow and hypocritical.
"Then no," Lucci said honestly, after a moment's pause.
George was quiet for a long moment, thinking. "I think it's just that I'm not confident enough in myself to believe that you would still want me when you could have anyone else," she said very quietly, shrugging.
"I--" ...Honestly, Lucci didn't know how to respond to that. "But...I would. I do. I want you now even though...I can have other people but not you."
George laughed softly. "And that's hard to believe too," she said, shrugging.
Lucci wasn't sure how much she wanted him to touch her right now, but he reached up and put his hand to the side of her face again. "You're beautiful," he said honestly. "You're beautiful and I love you and nothing makes me happier than just...looking at you, let alone kissing you. I can't imagine wanting anyone more than you. I don't know how to make you believe that, but - have I ever lied to you before?"
George shook her head, speechless.
"Well, I'm not lying now," Lucci said firmly. "Can you think of a reason why I would tell you these things if I didn't mean them?"
George shook her head again, leaning her face into his hand.
"Neither can I." He didn't know what else to say.
George searched his eyes for a moment, then leaned in to kiss him again, softly but purposefully.
Lucci kissed back, just hoping this meant she believed him, at least a little.
George still had her doubts, but it wasn't often that Lucci talked so candidly about things, and that in and of itself meant a lot. She decided to just stop thinking for the moment and just kiss him.
Lucci couldn't help but be worried about what all this meant, and about the outcome of the situation, but he did his best to just kiss George and forget.
George broke the kiss again, her mind too busy to just ignore it at the moment. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't know what I'm doing."
More and more, Lucci was finding himself at a loss for words. "...It's okay."
George sighed. "I'm still figuring shit out," she said, "but I want to kiss you. That's probably not fair."
Lucci thought for a moment. "...Do you want to...just go back to being friends until you're doing figuring things out?"
George bit her lip. "Do you?"
"...I think you know what I want," Lucci said carefully. "I want to know what you want."
"I don't know what I want," George said, then amended, "No...I know what I want, I just...this hasn't gotten any easier," she said, shaking her head. "I want you. And when I'm with you I almost forget...I almost forget him. But I shouldn't. I need to...I don't know."
Lucci was back to feeling uncomfortably conflicted. He sighed. "I know. Look...maybe..." It occurred to him that this was going to be one of the hardest things he'd ever said. "...I think that if you feel that way, maybe...you should try to...actually take a break. From both of us."
George sighed heavily and pulled away from him a little. "Probably," she said.
Lucci was starting to get used to this sense of almost physical pain whenever he felt George drawing away from him, metaphorically or otherwise. That didn't make it hurt any less, though. "...I just...don't want to make this harder for you."
George stared down at her hands. "I want you," she said softly.
Lucci wished she would stop saying that if she weren't going to do anything about it, but he couldn't say that. "...I know."
George stood up. "I should go," she said. feeling stupid for this whole thing.
...All right." Lucci looked up at her, not knowing what to say. Part of him was afraid that if she walked out that door, he would never get to touch her again, and he still couldn't move.
"I hope you feel better soon," George said, heading for the door.
"...So do I," Lucci said quietly, staring at the bench in front of him. "You too."
"See you later," George said, nodding, and she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Lucci stared for several seconds longer, then turned around and slammed his forehead against the back of the bench. "Karma," he said decisively. "This has got to be karma." It felt like even the fish were sneering at him.
What: Post-Battle Fudge, a few kisses, and a Talk
Where: The lawn deck of Thousand Sunny, and then the Aquarium Bar
When: The day of the Strawhats' big battle
Rating: PG-13
---
Fudge and glass of water in hand, George headed out to the lawn deck to look for Lucci. She was feeling a little stiff, mostly because of all the bandages Chopper had insisted on wrapping around her various wounds, but other than that she was feeling pretty good, a pretty impressive looking black eye the only visible sign that she'd been in a life-or-death fight within the last few hours.
Lucci heard George coming before he saw her. He'd been leaning up against a tree and close to dozing off, but he snapped to attention as soon as he knew George was coming. She looked...beat up. But otherwise fine. He lifted his good hand in greeting.
George smiled as he waved and sat next to him, holding out the water and fudge. "Hey," she said, mentally cataloguing his injuries. "How you holding up?"
Lucci smiled back. He went to reach for both things at once, but realized just in time that he really shouldn't. He just took the water first. "Tired and sore, but surviving."
George smiled apologetically and set down the fudge in front of him. "You're really okay?" she asked, concern etched in her brow, although she was trying to keep her face neutral.
"For a given definition of okay." Lucci shrugged and then drank half the glass in one go. Apparently he'd been thirstier than he'd thought as well as hungrier. It had been a long, long day. "I hurt everywhere, but I've been worse."
George sighed, nodding. "I'm just glad it's over," she said, lying back on the grass.
Lucci nodded in agreement. He looked down at the plate of fudge for a moment, and then picked up a piece and bit into it. "Good," he said, and took another bite.
"Mmm," George said, stretching out on the grass and wincing a little when she leaned on a still-healing wound. "Sanji, Usopp and I made a ton of fudge last night."
Lucci smirked a little. "Pre-battle fudge, hmm." He finished off the piece he was eating, paused, and then took another one. He was hungry. He didn't really care that fudge wasn't an acceptable food substitute. "...I hope they're going to be all right."
"And now it's post-battle fudge," George agreed, propping her head up on one hand, supported by her elbow. "Who?"
"Sanji and Usopp." He took another bite. "I think Sanji is more psychologically damaged than physically, but Usopp is...in bad shape."
George frowned and nodded. "I'm sure Sanji will be okay," she said, sighing, "and so will Usopp. He's not freaking out and whining about being hurt as much as I thought he would, at least."
Lucci shrugged, then winced. "...I think Usopp is more inclined to whine over a paper cut than a bullet wound," he said.
George let out a short laugh. "Yeah, you're right." She noticed the wince. "You okay?" she asked, sitting up and moving a little closer to him almost automatically.
"I'm not used to this yet," Lucci said. He looked down at his sling with an annoyed sigh. "I keep moving and then realizing I can't move that way anymore."
George frowned. "How did it happen?" she asked. "I must have missed it."
Lucci grimaced. "He had seastone gauntlets and a club. Got ahold of my wrist and used the club to snap my arm."
George winced, brow furrowing. "I'm glad I didn't see that. I don't think I would've been able to..." George trailed off, shaking her head quickly, as if to shake the mental image from her head.
Lucci paused, at a loss for words. "...It was careless of me," he said at last. "I should have noticed before it was too late."
George pouted. "What happened, then?" she asked, reaching out to touch the sling lightly, as if she were afraid it would burn her.
He shook his head, looking down at the sling. "I was just distracted. Too much going on at once. I'm out of practice." Then he looked over at George. "I'll be fine, though. In about a month."
"A month is a long time," George pointed out, still pouting.
Lucci sighed. "Don't remind me."
"Sorry," she said, backing away just a little. "I never broke a bone while I was alive."
"I did. When I was ten. ...You don't have to go away."
"I wasn't going anywhere," George said, leaning back a little closer. "What did you break when you were ten?"
"Other arm," Lucci said. He was glad to have George near him, even if it did make the impulse to kiss her significantly harder than before. "Not as badly."
"How did you break it that time," George asked, boldly shifting to lie her head in Lucci's lap.
...Lucci didn't know what to do with the fact that George had her head in his lap now. It was kind of nice, though, all things considered. He hesitated for a moment and then reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I got in a fight."
George smiled a little at the gesture. "A fight?" she asked "With who?"
Lucci sighed. "...Jyabura."
George's smile widened. "I should have guessed."
Lucci scowled at his broken arm. "I got my devil fruit after it healed..."
"Aww," George said. "Poor little Lucci."
Without a change in expression, Lucci poked George in the forehead. "What I mean is that I didn't have to worry about going the entire month without being able to transform."
George frowned. "Oh yeah, that's right. That's weird. I'll miss your leopard."
"...Me too." He looked away, frowning.
"It won't be so bad," George said, taking the finger he'd poked her with and pulling it toward her, so his hand was resting on her stomach.
Lucci swallowed, realizing suddenly and viscerally that he was one roaringly painful broken bone away from being very unlikely to restrain himself from taking advantage of George right on the goddamn deck. "...Maybe not," he said faintly.
George smiled up at him innocently. "And it's only a month, right?"
"...Right." He let his hand spread out flat against George's stomach; the adrenaline from the fight and the fact that he'd killed people, a lot of people, were starting to come back to him in a heart-pounding rush.
"You okay?" George asked, frowning. Something seemed a little off.
"...Fine," Lucci said, and then, because he couldn't stop himself, "I just really want to kiss you."
George threaded her fingers through his. "Well," she said. "I really want you to kiss me too.
"Oh. Good." Lucci paused to consider the situation. "...I don't know whether that means I can, but if it does, I can't reach from here without crushing my arm."
George bit her lip. "We're out on the lawn deck," she pointed out.
"I don't care," Lucci said. "But that's a good point."
George sat up a little, facing him. "...is there anyone nearby?"
"No." He couldn't hear anyone, anyway. "I think everyone is resting up from the fight."
"Okay," she said, leaning a little closer.
Lucci wrapped his hand around the back of George's neck and leaned in to kiss her. ...That officially was never going to stop being amazing.
George made a small involuntary noise, pleased, and kissed him back eagerly, still on a little adrenaline high from the battle earlier.
Lucci immediately kissed back harder, shifting his hand into George's hair.
George pressed herself closer, bringing one hand up to the side of Lucci's face, gently tracing the line of his jaw.
Lucci didn't bother holding back this time. He opened his mouth a bit, sliding his tongue over George's lower lip, and ran his hand through George's hair and over the back of her neck.
George parted her lips willingly, cupping her hand around the back of Lucci's neck and pressing her other palm flat against his chest.
Lucci ran his hand down George's back and let his tongue slide past her lips; it was easier not to notice the pain now.
George made another soft sound, almost a whine, leaning further into him.
Lucci could feel his heart pounding faster. He bit lightly at George's bottom lip and groaned quietly.
"Lucci," George breathed between heated kisses, curling her fingers into his shirt.
Lucci had been trying to pay attention to their surroundings, but at this point, the entire crew could have walked out on deck and he wouldn't have noticed. He slid his hand underneath the back of George's shirt.
George whined again and broke the kiss, placing another quick kiss to his lips before saying again, "Lucci. Lawn deck." She kissed him again, unable to resist.
...Oh. Right. Lucci took his hand back, hesitated, and set it on her shoulder, because he couldn't not touch her. "Sorry. ...It's hard to think."
George nodded, a smile pulling at her lips. "Sorry," she said.
Lucci swallowed. He felt like every cell in his body was begging him to keep going. "...Maybe..." He was going to say 'Maybe we should stop', but he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"We either have to stop," said George, leaning in for another quick kiss, "or we need to go somewhere else."
"...Somewhere else?" Lucci asked. He was having trouble focusing. "We could do that."
"Where?" George asked, pulling away a little more and glancing around nervously, as though Usopp would come around the corner at any moment.
"Um." Lucci pressed the heel of his hand to his temple, trying to think. He'd underestimated how much a combination of pain, adrenaline, lust and the high he got from a good kill, let alone several, would make it hard to concentrate. "...Aquarium bar?" It was right near by.
"Are you sure you're okay, Lucci?" George asked, reaching out to feel his forehead.
"Fine. Just...sort of dazed."
"So do you want to come to the Aquarium bar with me?"
"Yes." That much, he knew.
"Okay," George said, biting her lip, still a little worried about Usopp catching them, even though she knew he was asleep in the infirmary. "Meet me there in like five minutes?" she asked, standing up and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"...Okay," Lucci said. He was starting to realize that this was probably a bad idea and that he should definitely just stop now, but...he just nodded.
George nodded and leaned back down to kiss him again before she stood and headed for the Aquarium bar, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she walked away.
Lucci watched her go, and then let his head fall back against the tree trunk. He wondered what exactly would happen if he went in there. He thought briefly about Usopp and the fact that he was just making out with the girlfriend of one of his best friends. After around five minutes, he got up anyway and went to the aquarium bar.
When Lucci arrived, George was lying on one of the benches, watching the fish. "I was sort of afraid you wouldn't show up," she said, sitting up.
"...To be perfectly honest, so was I," Lucci said, staring into the tank.
George bit her lip and nodded. "Did I do something...?"
"No," Lucci said immediately. "You didn't. I just..." He looked away. "...We shouldn't be doing this. Whatever we're doing."
George frowned. "...why not?" she asked, leaning back against the bench.
Lucci paused, then walked over and sat down on the bench next to George. "Because...you have a boyfriend. Sort of. And he's my friend."
"But I'm not sure that I want him to be my boyfriend anymore, Lucci," George said, shaking her head. "And that's why it's a sort of."
"...I know." Lucci stared down at his good hand, flexing it ineffectually. "I just...it doesn't feel...right. Well, it does. When I'm with you. But...I don't know. I'm sorry. I just don't like this whole..." He gestured vaguely. "I don't want him to get hurt."
George nodded, staring down at her hands. "I know. I don't want him to get hurt either. That's part of the reason I haven't completely broken up with him."
Lucci frowned. "I don't know why I care this much."
"It figures, just when I want to cash in on your lack of morals you develop some," George joked, sighing.
"Ha." Lucci smirked, but it still didn't feel right. "...I still want to. I want you."
"I want you too," George said, meeting his eyes. "What do we do with that?"
"I don't know," Lucci said honestly. "What do you want to do with it?"
"I don't know," George said honestly, shrugging. "I just want to kiss you. Because maybe it's the last chance I'll get."
Lucci opened his mouth, and then closed it again. This was...it was just hard and he hated it. But thinking about it that way was pointless. "Okay," he said instead. "Then you should. Because I want to kiss you too."
"And," said George, "I love you." She moved a little closer to him.
"I love you too." Somehow it made it a little easier, hearing that. He reached out and cupped the side of her face with his hand, running his thumb over her cheekbone.
George sighed, leaning into his hand a little. "I like it when you say that," she said, softly.
Lucci smiled a little. "I like saying it."
George smiled back. "Good," she said.
Lucci moved a little closer on the bench. "Can I kiss you now?"
"Please."
Lucci leaned in and kissed her again.
George kissed him back, tightening one hand in the fabric of his shirt, trying to lose herself again in the kiss, so that she wouldn't have to think about Usopp, about the battle they'd just fought, about how hurt everyone had gotten, about how many people had died, how many people she had killed. A little overwhelmed, she broke the kiss suddenly and let out a little noise that sounded like a sob.
Lucci was caught off guard by that and had no idea what to do about it, but for once in his life, he felt like he sort of understood. "George..." He wanted to put his arms around her, but he couldn't pull her against him without crushing his arm, so he put his good arm around her shoulders and sort of tugged her against his shoulder. "...It's okay."
"Is it?" George asked, hiding her face in his shoulder as a tear slid down her cheek. She clenched her teeth, mad at herself for crying.
Lucci sighed. He didn't know the correct response to that. "...I don't know. But we're--" alive? "We're all still here. And things can't stay bad forever."
George sighed heavily, trying to get as close as possible without hurting Lucci's arm. "I don't know how the fuck I would deal with any of this without you," she said softly.
"You don't?" That was confusing, because while Lucci felt much the same way about George, he didn't think of himself as being reassuring at all.
"I don't have to explain myself with you," George said. "You just know."
"Oh." Lucci understood that. "I feel the same way about you."
"You do?" George asked, pulling away enough to see his face. she wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand, hoping she didn't look too much like she'd been crying, even though it was obvious.
"Mmhm." He reached out to cup George's cheek, brushing his thumb under her eye. "I always tell you that you understand me."
George sighed, leaning into Lucci's hand. "I really do love you," she said.
Every time George said that, it made his heart...hurt, but in a not entirely unpleasant way. "I love you too," Lucci said.
George sighed again, smiling a little. "Now I think you should kiss me again," she said.
"Okay," Lucci said, with a faint smile, and leaned in to kiss George again.
George kissed back, much more softly this time, but somehow still tinged with a sense of urgency.
Lucci let his hand fall to rest on George's shoulder, tilting his head a bit for a better angle.
George wrapped one arm around Lucci's back, wishing she could hold him tightly, but all too aware of his injuries.
Lucci's skin prickled with the awareness of just how close George was to hurting him, but honestly, when had she not had that power over him? He forced himself to relax, knowing that she was being careful.
George kissed him a little harder, nipping at his lower lip and running her hand idly over the planes of his back.
Lucci hummed, running his hand over George's neck.
George hummed too, in response leaning into him just a little bit more, but pulling back after just a moment, afraid of hurting him.
Lucci sighed. A month isn't that long, he thought. All he could hope is that it went by quickly.
"You okay?" George asked when the kiss broke naturally, "I'm not hurting you, am I?"
"No, I'm fine." He glanced down at his arm. "It's just...annoying. If I didn't have to wear the sling it would be...easier."
"Do you have to wear the sling for the whole month?" she asked, pouting a little.
"Apparently if I take it off, I'll get bad circulation and it won't heal as quickly. So it's better if I do."
George nodded. "Well then yeah, you should leave it on," she said. "It sucks, though."
Lucci sighed heavily. "Yes, it does."
"I'm glad I made you hug me before the battle," George said, leaning in to kiss him softly.
"Mm. So am I," Lucci said, smiling a little.
George ran her thumb lightly over his upturned lips and smiled back.
Lucci sighed again, leaning forward to rest his forehead against George's. "I think sometimes we're decent at being happy," he decided.
George's smile widened. "Is this what happy feels like?"
"I think so," Lucci said. He kissed the most readily available part of George's face, which turned out to be part of her cheek near her nose.
George sighed, kissing Lucci's jaw in response. "I'd forgotten," she said softly.
"...I remember most times when I'm with you."
"I never imagined you'd be romantic, Lucci," George said, smirking a little.
"I am not romantic," Lucci said, sounding offended.
"That sounded pretty romantic to me," George said, kissing his jaw again.
"Well, I only said it because it was true." Lucci ran his hand over the back of George's neck again.
"Then maybe you're just a romantic," George said, kissing a line from his jaw back to his lips. "But just for me," she said between soft kisses. "And I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Okay," Lucci said. He let it go and kissed back.
George sighed into the kiss and broke it gently, resting her head on his good shoulder. "Lucci?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think that we would actually work?"
...Lucci had to think about that. "I..." He stopped, looking away. "I'm not exactly sure...what you mean by that. It depends."
George pulled away a little. "I don't know. Just. I know you and I could never be like Usopp and I were," she said, her heart twisting a little painfully at her use of the past tense, "but..."
Lucci started to speak twice and had to start over both times. "...I don't...I don't think I know how you and Usopp...were. And I really don't know that much about being in a relationship. All I can tell you is that I want to make it work and I would try my best. And...I feel like we would work."
George moved a little closer again. "What does it mean to you, then? Being in a relationship."
"What does it mean?" Lucci thought. "...Sort of like this. Being able to..." This was awkward to talk about. "Being able to talk to you about anything, and listening to you, and spending time with you and...touching you. Making you happy." He shrugged his good shoulder, staring fixedly at the ground. "...And not having to hide it."
"So everything we were already, just plus the physical stuff?" George asked.
Lucci thought that over. That didn't sound exactly right, but... "I think so," he said tentatively. "That's...how it usually is, isn't it?"
George shrugged. "I don't know. I've only ever been in one relationship," she said. "And usually I think it involves some kind of understanding of exclusivity, but I know you don't want that, so..."
Hearing George say that felt like being stabbed in the chest. "...Right," he said, looking down even further.
"...I just want to know what I'm getting myself into," she said, sighing. "You know?"
"...I know." Lucci couldn't look at George, not knowing how she might be looking at him. "It's just that...I don't know what to tell you, George. I love you. You're the only person I've ever loved. I don't need anyone else; I wouldn't go looking, but...sometimes...things happen, and I don't...I just don't think it's in my nature to..." He shook his head. "I know you...might not understand, but I don't understand that notion of exclusivity, either. Not in that way. I just...wouldn't need that in order to be happy with you. But if you would need it in order to be happy with me..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence.
George shook her head. "I don't have any right to ask that of you, any more than I have a right to ask Usopp to share," she said, a little sadly. "If we were exclusive I would want it to be because you didn't want anyone but me."
Lucci sighed. "I just...I wish I could explain this without..." He still couldn't look George in the eyes, but he looked up a little further. "...I want to sleep with you because I love you and I think you're beautiful and I want to show you how much I mean that. I feel like...I need to be that close to you. It's important. It would be important. With everyone else, it's...for different reasons. With other people it means the same thing as sparring or, I don't know, talking-- The point is that you are the only one I want. It's...different. ...Does that make any sense at all?"
"It's the difference between...making love and fucking," George said, flushing.
"...Yes." Finally, Lucci looked back up and met George's eyes.
George's face darkened further as he met her eyes. "Okay," she said.
Lucci didn't know what that meant. "...Okay?"
George frowned a little, cheeks still aflame, and paused for a moment before speaking. "Well...that makes a difference. I understand what you mean. But I still wouldn't like it if you were fucking someone else while you were with me."
Lucci sighed. "...I know."
"You really wouldn't care at all if I fucked someone else when I was with you?" she asked, withdrawing a little.
Lucci didn't like the way George was withdrawing from him, but he knew he had to be honest. He just had to find a way to say it that would sound right. "...Would you still love me if you did?"
"Yes," George said without having to think about it. She wanted to say something about how she wouldn't want to if she were with him, but the fact that they were even having this conversation when she was still technically with Usopp made that argument sound hollow and hypocritical.
"Then no," Lucci said honestly, after a moment's pause.
George was quiet for a long moment, thinking. "I think it's just that I'm not confident enough in myself to believe that you would still want me when you could have anyone else," she said very quietly, shrugging.
"I--" ...Honestly, Lucci didn't know how to respond to that. "But...I would. I do. I want you now even though...I can have other people but not you."
George laughed softly. "And that's hard to believe too," she said, shrugging.
Lucci wasn't sure how much she wanted him to touch her right now, but he reached up and put his hand to the side of her face again. "You're beautiful," he said honestly. "You're beautiful and I love you and nothing makes me happier than just...looking at you, let alone kissing you. I can't imagine wanting anyone more than you. I don't know how to make you believe that, but - have I ever lied to you before?"
George shook her head, speechless.
"Well, I'm not lying now," Lucci said firmly. "Can you think of a reason why I would tell you these things if I didn't mean them?"
George shook her head again, leaning her face into his hand.
"Neither can I." He didn't know what else to say.
George searched his eyes for a moment, then leaned in to kiss him again, softly but purposefully.
Lucci kissed back, just hoping this meant she believed him, at least a little.
George still had her doubts, but it wasn't often that Lucci talked so candidly about things, and that in and of itself meant a lot. She decided to just stop thinking for the moment and just kiss him.
Lucci couldn't help but be worried about what all this meant, and about the outcome of the situation, but he did his best to just kiss George and forget.
George broke the kiss again, her mind too busy to just ignore it at the moment. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't know what I'm doing."
More and more, Lucci was finding himself at a loss for words. "...It's okay."
George sighed. "I'm still figuring shit out," she said, "but I want to kiss you. That's probably not fair."
Lucci thought for a moment. "...Do you want to...just go back to being friends until you're doing figuring things out?"
George bit her lip. "Do you?"
"...I think you know what I want," Lucci said carefully. "I want to know what you want."
"I don't know what I want," George said, then amended, "No...I know what I want, I just...this hasn't gotten any easier," she said, shaking her head. "I want you. And when I'm with you I almost forget...I almost forget him. But I shouldn't. I need to...I don't know."
Lucci was back to feeling uncomfortably conflicted. He sighed. "I know. Look...maybe..." It occurred to him that this was going to be one of the hardest things he'd ever said. "...I think that if you feel that way, maybe...you should try to...actually take a break. From both of us."
George sighed heavily and pulled away from him a little. "Probably," she said.
Lucci was starting to get used to this sense of almost physical pain whenever he felt George drawing away from him, metaphorically or otherwise. That didn't make it hurt any less, though. "...I just...don't want to make this harder for you."
George stared down at her hands. "I want you," she said softly.
Lucci wished she would stop saying that if she weren't going to do anything about it, but he couldn't say that. "...I know."
George stood up. "I should go," she said. feeling stupid for this whole thing.
...All right." Lucci looked up at her, not knowing what to say. Part of him was afraid that if she walked out that door, he would never get to touch her again, and he still couldn't move.
"I hope you feel better soon," George said, heading for the door.
"...So do I," Lucci said quietly, staring at the bench in front of him. "You too."
"See you later," George said, nodding, and she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Lucci stared for several seconds longer, then turned around and slammed his forehead against the back of the bench. "Karma," he said decisively. "This has got to be karma." It felt like even the fish were sneering at him.