Work Text:
Fifty years. It was finally over.
Brook had started to wonder if it would ever end. (Well, if it would ever end positively. He tried to keep his mind away from the other options.)
But it had. It was over, and Brook had even joined a new crew.
He couldn’t quite believe it. He’d run into a crew that had fought for him and wanted him. A crew that knew Laboon. If it wasn’t for the fact that Brook felt an uncomfortable jolt with every step his broken body took, he would think the events of the last twenty-four hours must have been a dream.
But it was real.
Brook leaned his head back against the wall of rubble he’d settled by. He took a deep breath of not-fog-filled air. (Despite not having lungs, Brook was sure there was a difference.)
The party had died down, and the Thriller Bark’s Victim Association had gone back to wherever they’d set up base to rest. Brook had left the party a while before its official end.
It had been a wonderful celebration, and a night Brook was sure he’d remember for the rest of his life. (There was a rest of his life. He wouldn’t wake up on his boat tomorrow, all alone. Just the thought brought more tears to his eye sockets.)
It had been a lot, though. A lot more than Brook had gotten to be a part of in a very, very long time. (Brook preferred not to think on exactly how long.) So, Brook had taken his leave a bit earlier than most and settled amongst the rubble to watch the stars. And cry. He’d been doing a lot of crying.
He tried to breathe in and out. And to focus on the stars instead of the swirling emotions within him.
The stars looked more beautiful than they ever had from Brook’s boat. They glowed and glittered, peppering the sky in pinpricks of light after a lifetime of darkness. The fog had blotted out the sky for so long, had it always been so vast? Brook couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen so many stars.
“Brook!”
Brook startled, his head twisting to see who’d called his name. (He wondered if he’d ever get used to that; it had been so long since there was anyone else to say it.)
Luffy ran up to Brook with a grin. “There you are! Why’d you leave the party?”
Ah, my absence didn’t go unnoticed. “Sorry to disappear. I just needed a break,” Brook said. “It was very fun though,” he was quick to reassure. Brook didn’t want his new captain thinking he didn’t appreciate all Luffy had done for him. Brook tried to further reassure Luffy, “I’m just not used to…” he trailed off with a wince, unsure how to put his thoughts into words.
Hm. I’m going to have to get my communication skills back up to par…
“That’s okay.” Luffy was picking in his ear with a finger. “Robin said you probably needed a break. She said I’d probably find you super close, too. And she was right!” Luffy grinned, removing his hand from his ear and crouching down to sit on the balls of his feet. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m out here.”
Brook tilted his head. “It’s not?”
“Nope!” Luffy said. “I wanted to tell you that we’re gonna stay here tonight instead of going back to the ship ‘cause Chopper says Zoro is too injured to be moved that far.”
“Ah, okay-”
“So, you have to come inside soon because we’re gonna have a sleepover cuddle pile!” Luffy flung his arms into the air with a grin.
Brook tilted his head. “A what?” Probably not the most eloquent question; Brook wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t infer Luffy’s meaning. What he really wanted to know was-
“You don’t know what a sleepover is?!” Luffy grabbed Brook by the shoulders and shook him. “But they’re the best! Everybody sleeps in a pile- it’s the best way to sleep!”
Brook’s thoughts spun even after Luffy had stopped shaking his shoulders. He did his best to collect them. “It’s… and you’re telling me about it?”
Luffy nodded.
Brook opened his mouth, shut it. Tried again. “Why?”
Luffy tilted his head, a furrow appearing between his brows. “Why? Because you have to join us, of course!”
Join… The most eloquent response Brook could come up with was another “Why?”
“Because you’re part of the crew.” Luffy frowned. “You remember that bit, don’t you?”
“Of course!” Brook said quickly. “I’m very happy to be here.” And Brook meant that, he really did. “But I’m…”
New.
Dead.
Why in the world would you want to be close to me?
“Luffy, leave the dead guy alone.” Brook and Luffy’s heads snapped to Sanji’s voice. Sanji clicked his lighter shut, slipping it into his pocket and lifting his cigarette to his lips. “I need Brook’s help with something. Why don’t you go check on Zoro?”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Luffy gave Brook’s shoulders a final squeeze before letting go, and the smile he gave Brook would certainly have been blinding if Brook still had eyes. “Come back quick after you help Sanji. It’s going to be time for bed soon!” And just like that, Luffy was gone, leaving behind a stunned Brook and bored-looking Sanji.
Sanji blew out a breath of smoke. “You mentioned earlier that the kitchen Lola showed us wasn’t the same one you’d gotten salt from. Could you take me to the kitchen you were talking about? With Mosshead in such crap shape I have a feeling we’re gonna be here a few more days. I want to make sure we have the food resources to handle it.”
Oh, that’s a good idea. Brook pushed aside his thoughts to focus on the task at hand. “Of course!” Brook stood up, and an uncomfortable jolt shot through his body. Brook winced, pinwheeling a bit to get his balance. His bandages were doing their best to hold him together, but Brook could feel his bones protesting the decision to move instead of staying still like a good corpse.
“You good?” Sanji raised an eyebrow.
“Fine,” Brook winced. “Just a bit injured. Nothing too bad.”
“Okay.” Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, speaking again after Brook had started leading the way to the kitchen. “I’m kind of surprised you can feel pain since you don’t have any muscles or nerves.”
In truth, it wasn’t quite pain that Brook felt. Sometimes it felt like pain, but he was half-tempted to chock that up to his imagination. Most of the time though he experienced something more similar to discomfort. And that was just the times he felt anything at all.
Brook wasn’t sure how to say that though, or if Sanji was really interested, so he just shrugged. “It is what it is, I suppose.”
It was dark, but Brook had no trouble finding the kitchen he’d been looking for. It was a pretty big one, with cabinets and pantries and more than one fridge. Sanji seemed pleased as he wandered around it, opening and shutting cabinets and checking every drawer he could. “This looks promising.” Sanji grinned. “Thanks for showing me the way.”
“No problem!” Brook grinned. He liked to be helpful. “Many parts of my first trip here are a terrifying blur, but I made sure to remember the kitchen. It held the most enlightening experiences, and I knew I’d need more salt once I made it back.”
His trip to the kitchen had certainly led to some surprising experiences. Like, for example, finding out that he could in fact still eat food despite not having a stomach. (This had led to the later discovery that he could still poop. And hadn’t that been a terrifying surprise after decades of no bowel movements.)
One of the best things Brook had figured out, though, was the fact that milk could heal him. There hadn’t been milk on his ship, and even if there had been it would have spoiled in the year he was away from his body. Finding something that could so easily heal his broken bones had been a very helpful thing to- “Oh!”
“Huh?” Sanji withdrew his head from a cabinet to look at Brook, who had started for the fridge. “Did you find something?”
“I’m going to look for milk. It heals the bones, you know. If they have any it would fix me right up.”
Sanji blinked. “Seriously?”
“Yep.” Brook opened the fridge with a hum, gasping in delight when he saw they did, in fact, have milk. “Perfect.” Brook took a half gallon of milk from the fridge, shaking it in Sanji’s direction to show him. “How offended would you be if I poured this straight into my mouth?”
“Uh, not offended. I want to see this now.”
“Great.” Brook spun the lid off the gallon and poured most of it into his mouth. Sure enough, the cracks in his bones healed, and Brook found himself able to stand straight instead of favoring a leg.
“Ah,” Brook put down the milk and felt his head to check the damage. It didn’t shift terribly when he pressed on it, and the crack that had run across his eye socket had healed itself up. “Much better.”
Sanji’s brows were raised. “Huh. That really does heal you.”
“Yep! Handy, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…” Sanji frowned. “Why didn’t you mention something earlier? I would have grabbed you milk from the other kitchen if I’d known.”
“Oh, really? Thank you, that’s very nice.” Goodness, before today I haven’t had anyone looking out for me in ages. It’s… Ah, Sanji is still staring at me. Did I say something wrong?
Brook rewound their conversation in his head. Oh, I didn’t really answer his question, did I?
“I didn’t think of it earlier.” Brook waved a hand with a chuckle. “I suppose it slipped my mind.”
“You’ve been walking around with broken ribs, and you forgot that you had a way to fix them?” Sanji sounded disbelieving.
Ah, that does sound strange when you put it that way. Brook shrugged awkwardly. “I didn’t figure out that milk helped until last time I was here, and it isn’t like I’ve had access to milk in the interim. So, it just… didn’t occur to me to ask.”
“I… guess that makes sense.” Sanji sighed and looked away. “Tell me next time you need something though, yeah? You don’t have to hobble around on broken bones anymore.”
Oh. Brook stilled, and tried very desperately not to cry. He’d already cried so much that night, he would like to get through at least a few conversations without bursting into tears.
After a few moments Brook was able to collect himself enough to nod. “Thank you. I’ll try to remember.”
It wasn’t long before Sanji called it a night and they started heading back. Sanji had figured out all he needed to know at speeds faster than Brook could think. Sanji had then come up with at least twenty-two (Brook had lost count after that) full meals he could, as he’d said, ‘throw together’, with the supplies he’d found between the two kitchens.
“Goodness, you really know what you’re doing with food, don’t you?” Brook interrupted as Sanji was talking through one of his ideas. (To be honest, Brook hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud until Sanji had stopped talking and grinned at him.)
“Of course. I’m the cook, aren’t I? I’ve got to be prepared.”
“I suppose that’s true.” Brook tilted his head. The two of them were about halfway back to where the Straw Hats had set up base. “Still, it’s impressive.”
Sanji avoided eye contact, shaking his head with a chuckle. “Nah, just doing my job.”
Brook had known Sanji for only a very short time, but it was very clear that he was very good at his job. He put his all into it, and he knew what he was doing.
Brook couldn’t help but hope that he’d be a good addition to the Straw Hat Pirates too. I haven’t been part of a crew in so long… I hope I’m still capable of doing a good job.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You did great today.”
Brook would have blinked if he could. Ah, I must have spoken out loud... Oops. “Thank you, Sanji.” Brook twisted his hands together. “I… hope you’re right.”
Sanji tapped some of the ash off his cigarette. “I mean it, you know. Luffy already likes you, wasn’t he demanding you come to the sleepover when I walked up? Looked like he was practically shaking your lights out.”
Brook chuckled nervously. “That’s true, but…” he trailed off, not quite able to condense his thoughts into words.
Sanji raised an eyebrow but otherwise waited patiently for Brook to continue.
Brook appreciated that, and took a few moments before trying again. “It’s- I’m… dead. And new. I just… can’t imagine why he would want me there?” Can’t imagine why any of you would.
“I get it. It took a long time for Luffy to weasel his way into getting me involved in this kind of stuff, but Luffy’s just kind of like that.” Sanji shrugged. “He gets attached easily, and once he does, there’s no force on the sea that can pry you from his grubby fingers.”
Brook couldn’t help but chuckle at Sanji’s phrasing, even as a knot of anxiety wrapped itself within his ribcage. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’m dead, though. I’m literally a corpse.”
“So? Franky’s a cyborg, Chopper’s a reindeer, and Mosshead is stupid. We’re not exactly a very judgmental group,” Sanji said. “Luffy won’t force you to do anything if you don’t want to, though. I can tell him off for you if you want.”
That… was very nice of Sanji. Brook twisted his hands. But…
Brook wanted so badly to be included. To belong somewhere that wasn’t bound by the confines of his own head. He’d joined the Straw Hats and was happier than he’d been in decades. But.
Could I really be accepted so quickly?
The Straw Hats had gone through so much trouble for him already, so it wasn’t completely absurd that they would be fine having him close. (And Brook was so, so lonely. Waking up surrounded by people sounded like a dream come to life.)
(And oh, hadn’t he had so many dreams of being surrounded by people to then wake up alone?)
But he was dead. Dead and new and some part of him was still scared that he’d wake up back on his ship without a shadow.
The knot tightened, and Brook took a deep breath.
Would it hurt to just try and believe that they somehow want me close? I’ve made it this far, can’t I just try?
Brook released his breath, tried to focus on the sounds of a living person at his side instead of his anxious heart. “I think… I would like to be included. If it’s really okay.”
“’Course it is.”
“Okay.” The knot didn’t lessen, but Brook kept putting one foot in front of the other. “Then I’ll join.”
By the time Brook and Sanji made it back a huge nest of blankets had been set up on the floor. Something in Brook fluttered unsurely at the sight of it.
“You’re back!” Luffy cheered. Usopp, who was lying face down in the pile, swiped at Luffy’s ankle. “You’re back!” Luffy cheered quieter.
“Yeah, yeah we’re back.” Sanji put out his cigarette with his heel. “There’s plenty of food here, we’ll be good for at least a few weeks.”
“That’s good!” Chopper was curled up near Zoro’s head, who was just outside the blanket pile on his cot. Luffy sat next to him, but within the blanket pile. “Hopefully we won’t have to be here that long, though.” Chopper looked at Sanji and Brook, his head tilted. “Wait, didn’t Nami and Robin go with you guys?”
“No, they went upstairs, remember little guy?” Franky said. He was spread out on the blankets like a starfish. “Nami found some huge bed earlier, said she wanted to test it to see if we should drag it back to the ship with us.” Franky did an approximation of a shrug. “It won’t be as super as what I’ve made for the Sunny, obviously, but I figured why ruin their fun?”
Luffy nodded. “Nami also said that she wanted to look for treasure.” Luffy pat the spot beside him, sending a smile in Brook and Sanji’s direction. “Now come lay down! It’s time for bed.”
Brook was saved from having to move by Sanji, who strode forward and picked Luffy up by the back of his shirt. “If you think that you’re sleeping that close to mosshead then you’re sorely mistaken,” Sanji said.
“But Sanjiiii,” Luffy whined, seemingly unbothered by the displacement. “He needs me to make him feel better.”
“What he needs is for you to not kill him in your sleep with your clinginess.” Sanji frowned. “I’m not done yelling at him yet and he needs to live long enough for me to chew him out and kill him myself.”
“But he needs someone to be near him.” Luffy ignored the last part of Sanji’s statement and fixed Sanji with puppy dog eyes.
“Chopper is near him,” Sanji retorted.
“Pleaseeee?”
The puppy dog eyes won.
“Ugh- fine!” Sanji glowered. “I’ll be next to him, and you can be on the other side of me. Happy?”
“Thank you, Sanji!!” Luffy wrapped Sanji in a hug. Sanji just sighed.
It wasn’t until Sanji had begrudgingly laid down and Luffy turned his eyes back on Brook that Brook remembered he was a part of the conversation and not just an observer.
“Come on, Brook,” Luffy grinned.
Okay, I guess this is happening.
Brook took a step forward. “Where do I… uhm…”
A rubbery arm flung out and wrapped itself around Brook, and Brook tumbled to the ground.
“Luffy!” Chopper scolded. “Be careful of his injuries!”
“Oops. Sorry.” Luffy sounded a little bit sorry.
“It’s fine,” Brook wheezed out. He’d landed on his back between Luffy and Usopp. “I’m all healed now. I found some milk in the kitchen.”
“What?!” Chopper exclaimed. “What does that mean??”
Sanji, who seemed to be trying to lie as far from Zoro as possible without being on top of Luffy, spoke. “His bones heal themselves when he drinks milk, apparently.”
“What?? Why didn’t you say something earlier?!”
“…I forgot?”
“You forgot?!”
“Shh… sleepy time now,” Usopp rolled over and scolded Chopper sleepily. “Freaky bone questions can wait until morning.” One of Usopp’s legs ended up over Franky’s and an arm ended up splayed across Brook’s rib cage, which was still encased in Luffy’s rubbery grip.
“You can reposition yourself if you’re uncomfortable,” Franky said. It took Brook a moment to realize he was speaking to him. Usopp tried swatting at Franky’s face with his free hand, to which Franky responded by pushing his hand away and chuckling lightly. “Relax, little bro, I’m going to sleep. Just making sure bone-bro knows since he hasn’t moved since Luffy yanked him to the ground.” Franky sent a (mostly joking) accusatory look Luffy’s way.
Bone-bro?
“I apologized,” Luffy said.
Franky grinned. “And you almost meant it.” Usopp missed a kick aimed at Franky’s leg and Franky chuckled. “Fine, fine, I’m going to sleep.”
There was a sigh from Chopper’s direction. “Okay, I’m going to sleep. But you better tell me everything you remember in the morning, Brook. Now that I’m officially your doctor, I want to make sure I can take good care of you.”
…Oh.
Something finally clicked.
Brook really was accepted. Even though he was new. Even though he was dead.
He was a Straw Hat, and they were happy to have him there.
“Chopper isn’t a scary doctor, Brook, I promise,” Luffy said quietly. “You don’t have to cry. He just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
“Am I crying again?” Brook said slightly too loud. Oh, yep. I definitely am. Brook groaned. “You’d think I’d have run out of tears by now,” he said quietly.
“Hm…” Luffy hummed. “You probably have lots of years of tears, yeah? So, you probably won’t run out for at least that long.”
Brook had to, mostly unsuccessfully, choke back a laugh to keep Usopp from swatting at him. “Oh, don’t say that. If that’s the case then I’ll never stop crying.” Some fluttery anxious thing that had been trapped between Brook’s ribs was finally starting to rest.
“Maybe…” Luffy looked thoughtful. “But then we could fill a pool with your tears. Or maybe, like, a whole pond. Probably not an ocean… oceans are pretty big.”
Brook found himself able to smile without hesitation, he tried to keep his giggles quiet. “I vote for a glass. I’d like to be done with crying for a while.”
“Great, it’s agreed then,” Usopp crawled half on top of Brook to swat at Luffy with a glare, “no more crying and no more talking. We have the rest of our lives to talk or cry or whatever, but if you all keep talking I will give you something to cry about.”
“Sorry, Usopp,” Brook and Luffy said quietly. (And they almost meant it.)
Usopp didn’t move, just flopped down draped across Brook. “You better be,” he mumbled. “G’night.”
Brook couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Even a year ago he would have never believed that he would be somewhere like this.
Surrounded by people. Wanted.
Warmth filled Brook’s hollow chest. He was tired, and for the first time in years, he wasn’t alone.
The rest of our lives… I like the sound of that.