Archive of Our Own ^beta

There was a boy with a straw hat in Thatch’s kitchen.

 Hunched over Thatch’s devil fruit like it had personally affronted him —though Thatch didn’t know why— salivating despite this. He couldn’t be older than nineteen, Just a hungry kid upset that the only food left out was a crappy fruit that wouldn’t even taste good. 

(It made the part of Thatch that was still hungry, still starving, cry out in affront. He had food now. He could give food now too.) 

“You hungry kid.” 

The boy looks at him and then laughs, a silly sort of thing. Like all his laughter is spilling out from behind his large grin. Like he can’t hold it in. It makes Thatch laugh too. 

He isn’t recognizable, clearly not from any of the divisions as far as Thatch can tell, but he’s hungry and Thatch has food so he comes up next to him with a smile. 

“You got meat?” Dark eyes look into his and Thatch grins wider. 

“Do I?” It sends the boy into another plume of laughter, a little softer than before. Patting the seat across the counter–not too far from the devil fruit– Thatch gets off to work.  

He glances back every once and a while as he does. Not paranoia, but curiosity. Not many people could sneak onto Moby the way the kid did. 

The kid catches his gaze eventually, and smiles wider, Thatch sends him an easy smile back. 

“A mystery power sent me here.” He tells Thatch. Simply, as if that doesn’t give more questions than before. 

“How’d you-”

“You were thinking pretty loud.” Thatch blinks, turning back to his food with a laugh. Izou always said he had a tendency to show his thoughts…

“A mystery power…” He would have thought the kid would have been more concerned about that, especially as he was on the ship of one of the world's emperors. “You know who sent you?” It would be good to know who to look for, anyone who could send someone onto the ship without warning could be a dangerous threat. 

Thatch and the others were lucky it was just this kid apparently. 

Said kid laughed—not an answer— but good enough for Thatch in the end. 

“You’re a funny guy pom pom.” The boy leaned his head on his hand, looking at Thatch like he held all the answers of the world. “I like you.”

“I’m glad.” It did make him feel happy to get this strange boy's approval, though he couldn’t understand why. “Here you go.” 

Handing the boy a plate filled with the best meat he could find he smiled wide and proud. The boy took the plate with glee, scarfing it down fast, but not fast enough for Thatch to not see the visible way his eyes widened and sparkled at the taste. 

It strangely reminded him of Ace, wide and excited for good food, no matter what it was. Similar, but not the same, in the way it reminded of himself back before Pops. 

“This tastes amazing!” He grinned up at Thatch, toothy and wide. 

“Thank you!” And then because he realized he had never said it, “My name’s Thatch by the way!” There wasn’t much of a visible reaction in the boy as far as he could tell, even at the name of one of Whitebeard's commanders. 

A strange kid Thatch had found. 

“I’m Luffy.” He smiled softly, laughing as if he had told Thatch one of the world’s secrets. Thatch wonders if he has, and that's why the name nags at his brain like a bad joke. “Thanks for the food.” 

“Of course.” No one went hungry if he could help it. 

The straw hat dips low as the boy smiles, shadows covering the upper half of his face. Underneath the dim yellow lighting it looked almost sad. 

Then he looks up again, still smiling and happy and Thatch despite the feeling that something is still wrong—still off— can’t help but grin too.

“So, you're going to need a ride home right? I’m sure my pops could hook you up with something. What do you say?” The boy shakes his head, a small scar under his eye becoming visible in a clear way that it wasn’t before. 

“No thanks! I’ll be gone soon.” Sitting down beside the boy, Thatch noticed the soft way his feet kicked from underneath the counter, brushing against Thatch’s every once in a while. 

“You will?” Thatch hopes the disappointment on his face doesn’t show, but from the sad smile he knows that he isn’t successful. 

“My crew is waiting for me.” He murmurs, eyes glistening with emotions Thatch can’t place. “I can’t keep them waiting too long.” Thatch doesn’t doubt that for a moment, such a man would no doubt have a loyal crew. 

“Alright.” It wouldn’t be right to steal him away, even if the urge is tempting. “You can wait with me until you go then.” Luffy smiles, and nods. 

They sit that way for a little longer, talking about simple things like favorite foods–meat for Luffy— and Nakama that they’re close to–Izou for thatch– just content to sit by and talk to someone willing to listen. The talk dies down to a tired silence as the edges of Luffy’s fingers and hands begin to disappear, creeping slowly up his body. 

“Thanks for the meal.” Luffy hugs Thatch quickly, a soft pressure that Thatch returns tenfold. 

“Thanks for the company!” Thatch returns with a laugh squeezing his friend goodbye. 

Luffy’s smile dips then, regretful sorrow on his face that makes Thatch frown. “Bye Thatch. I’m glad I got to meet you.” 

“Me too,” and he means it. “Is everything-” But Luffy is gone before he can say anything further. Only a left behind plate evidence he was here at all.  

Smiling softly, thatch steps back, turning around to clean the part of the kitchen he used silently, bringing the used plate with him. 

He doesn’t have much time to dwell over any of it, not with the sound of footsteps and a familiar haki that walks up behind him. 

Turning to ask if everything’s okay thatch doesn’t manage to make it far before a knife is burning into his back. When he looks up from the ground, copper filling his mouth and eyes blurry it’s to a brother standing over him. 

Thatch wheezes, heart dropping. 

Then he knows no more.