What the Heart Wants

After cleaning up and airing out the men's cabin, Thomas and Astolfo hopped into the bath together, the latter sitting in the former's lap with an expression resembling a contented cat. She felt like all the stress he had accumulated over the past year had vanished, so she was in an excellent mood.

Contrasting the at-peace pinkette, Thomas couldn't help feeling like he had crossed a line he shouldn't have. He didn't regret it, but he felt like he and Astolfo could never return to being 'just' friends. If she later returned to being a man, he wouldn't know how to act around her...

Shelving such thoughts for his future self to deal with, Thomas elicited a ticklish giggle from Astolfo as he caressed her abdomen, murmuring, "We should get out soon..."

"Eeeeeh~?" whined Astolfo. "It's still pretty early in the afternoon. Can't we stay together a while long~?"

Instead of answering Astolfo with words, Thomas surprised the pinkette by raising her chin and planting a chaste kiss on her lips. She flinched as he did so, but instead of trying to break free, she promptly turned around, linking her hands around his shoulders before kissing him with unfettered passion. Her 'vigor' caught Thomas by surprise, but he instinctually held her waist and returned her affections until they both had to take a breath.

Since she had to get on her knees to reach Thomas's lips, Astolfo could feel the former's cock poking against a dangerous place as she stared him in the eyes, narrowed her own as she asked, "Are you 'sure' you want to stop~?"

Though he could feel Astolfo practically kissing his dick with her lower lips, Thomas adopted an affectionate smile as he replied, "We're going to be together for years, if not much longer. There's no need to rush things all at once..."

Punctuating his words, Thomas planted another chaste kiss on Astolfo's lips, adding, "Let's get out." before picking up the slender woman as if she was weightless. She actually weighed around 56kg, but that was nothing to the current Thomas.

Puffing out her cheeks, Astolfo feigned pouting for a few seconds before adopting a smile and giggling as Thomas took the initiative to help dry her hair and body. She could 'fix' her appearance with magic, but having him dote on her made her happy.

Once Thomas had finished wiping her down, Astolfo left him feeling a little helpless as she playfully inquired, "You sure you don't want me to suck you off real quick~? You look like you haven't calmed down at all."

Ruffling the pinkette's hair, Thomas replied, "It will go down on its own once you get dressed and stop tempting me..."

Retracting his hand from Astolfo's head, Thomas caught the lascivious pinkette by surprise as he stated, "I've made up my mind. I had doubts before, but if things go well with Vivi, I think I might move forward with my fantasy of creating a harem. Will you help me and become a part of it...?"

Without any hesitation, Astolfo replied, "Of course. I mean, I always knew I would eventually be a part of your harem. You're not going to stop doing it with Caenis, and it's only a matter of time before Atalanta gives you her anal virginity. With Vivi and that Yamato woman, there are bound to be at least five of us. Unless you outgrow us, that is..."

Nodding his head, Thomas asserted, "I'll try to keep the number low, but I also want to live this life to the fullest. As for outgrowing you...don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure Kuma will hunt us down and forcibly separate the Straw Hats even if we keep our heads down and avoid garnering attention at Sabaody. When he does, I'll see if he can't send me to Alabasta. That'll give me two full years to focus on my training and strengthen my position as a messianic figure. By the time we're ready to set sail again, I'm certain I'll have mastered changing my size freely..."

Though he was probably pushing his luck with a prospective five women, Thomas knew he would regret it if he didn't at least try to woo Yamato. He also had a keen interest in several others, so if the opportunity presented and his other women weren't against it, he would like to sink his teeth into women like Perona, Robin, and potentially even Hancock. With Lucy being a female, the zealous Pirate Empress was technically up for grabs...

Seeing the 'possessive' glimmer in Thomas's eyes, Astolfo adopted a wry smile, gingerly placing her hand over his heart as she warned, "Just don't force yourself or undermine your integrity. The most important thing is to follow your heart and seek fulfillment. If you obtain things just to possess them, you will never feel satisfied..."

Placing his hand over Astolfo's, Thomas's expression softened into an affectionate smile as he replied, "Don't worry. I may have greedy aims, but I will always prioritize the needs of you and the others at my side. If you're against any of the women I have my eye on, I simply won't aim for them..."

Punctuating his words, Thomas pulled Astolfo into his embrace, silencing the pinkette's response with a kiss. He felt as though several of the things weighing him down had been removed in short order, so, without minding his apprehensions, he kissed the former trap until she became weak in the knees and nearly passed out...

...

..

.

Feeling famished, Thomas made his way to the galley while Astolfo clung affectionately to his arm. He felt as though nothing could ruin his good mood, but he was given a reality check when he entered the lounge area to find Nami sitting with her arms crossed, a deadpan expression on her face as she asked, "Are the two of you finally finished fooling around? I've been waiting here for like three hours."

Contrasting his usual interactions with Nami, Thomas adopted a frown as he replied, "This better be important. I didn't know you were here, nor did we agree to meet up. If you're going to heckle me over your own decision to wait around, you can fuck off."

Taken aback by Thomas's comeback, Nami didn't immediately respond to his retort. When she did, she adopted a frown of her own, asking, "What's your problem? I came here to apologize for how I've been acting. Why are you suddenly biting my head off...?"

Though he was surprised to hear that Nami wanted to apologize, Thomas maintained his frown as he replied, "I spent the past three months trying to be your friend, answering your questions and tolerating your rudeness instead of simply ignoring you. I figured you would eventually mellow out and realize I'm not your enemy, but now I don't care. Like Lucy and Zoro, I will be focusing on myself and my training from here on. I'll still help you out if you're in danger, but I'm done being a convenient tool for you to use as you please. That isn't the reason I set out to sea..."

Grabbing the picnic basket Benienma had prepared for him and Astolfo, Thomas turned around, intending to leave. He had nearly brought up Nami's past of being used by Arlong to demonstrate how fucked up her behavior had been, but he caught himself at the last moment. Now, he just wanted to enjoy his late lunch in peace...

Fortunately, though she looked like she had 'a lot' to say, Nami didn't call out to Thomas as he left. She rose to her feet and extended her hand in his direction but ultimately remained silent, waiting until he had left before plopping into her seat and sitting with her head and shoulders slumped. It had taken a lot of 'courage' on her part to admit she was wrong and to try and apologize. Now, she had the distinct impression that she had waited a day too long...

...

..

.

Waiting until they had reached a comfy place on the quarterdeck, Astolfo adopted a wry smile as she asked, "Remember that thing I said about not forcing yourself or compromising your integrity? I know you felt obligated to say something after hearing what we said earlier but confronting Nami when you didn't actually 'want' to probably wasn't the best idea..."

Exhaling through his nose, Thomas hesitated for several seconds before replying, "I suck at things like this. But what else was I supposed to do? I didn't join the Straw Hats to allow her to walk all over me. I'm also fed up with having to explain myself every time something happens..."

Nodding her head, Astolfo replied, "Yeah, I'm not saying you were 'wrong' or anything. I just feel like you could have handled things without forcing a confrontation. She was about to apologize, so if you refused to answer her questions and explained your bases for doing so, I'm fairly certain she would eventually stop asking..."

"..."

Grabbing an oversized rice ball from the picnic basket, Thomas took a massive bite out of it, using the time it took him to chew to organize his thoughts. He felt like he had burned a bridge with Nami, but Caenis's remark about putting his foot down and not needing the Straw Hats had resonated with him. He still admired Lucy and wanted to travel alongside her, but his prospective Godhood, combined with his personal ambitions, might force their paths to diverge...

Interrupting Thomas's thoughts, Astolfo placed her hand over his and softly reiterated, "The most important thing is to follow your heart. The more you think about something and have to convince yourself, the less happy you will be with the outcome. That's one of the many things you could learn from Lucy..."

Returning a smile, Thomas took Astolfo's hand into his own, teasing, "You're making an assertive push for the status of 'best girl.' I'm starting to feel like an idiot for fretting over your gender this past year..."

Adopting a smile of her own, Astolfo took the initiative to sit in Thomas's lap, using his thigh as a cushion as she replied, "That's in the past. Life is given meaning by what we do in the present. Now, why don't you stuff my tummy from the proper direction this time? Aaaahn~."

Realizing what Astolfo was asking for, Thomas allowed her to take a bite out of his onigiri, sharing an indirect kiss. At the same time, he placed his free hand on her hip, supporting her position on his thigh as they enjoyed a somewhat lovey-dovey meal under the watchful gaze of Atalanta sitting in the crow's nest...

...

..

.

As the Sun began disappearing over the horizon, Thomas departed the Going Merry and returned to the tavern for another evening of partying. Igaram had invited them for a banquet to 'celebrate their friendship,' so events played out much like they had the previous evening. Lucy ate her fill, Usopp told stories, and Zoro and Nami engaged several members of Baroque Works in a drinking competition.

Paralleling the previous night, even more, Thomas once again had Vivi seated on his lap. This time, however, she wasn't simply acting as she openly flirted with him and poured him several non-alcoholic drinks. In fact, to 'prove' to the other members of Baroque Works that she wasn't just fooling around, she was significantly more assertive, even going so far as to straddle him on her knees, arms linked around his head as she guided his face to her ample bosom...

Though he could feel Igaram's gaze pricking him like the tip of a knife, Thomas ignored everything to focus on the Princess in front of him. After their interaction earlier that morning, his Self-Doubt(C) had decreased to D-. He felt like she had removed a metal shackle from his heart, so, with her showing a genuine interest in him, he made no attempt to disguise his desire and appreciation...

...

..

.

(A/N: This has been a very formative twenty-four hours for our boy xD...)