Chapter Text
Time has passed since that fateful day, and from then onwards, Luffy spends the rest of the year outdoors— basking in unexpected companionship and coming home to Makino warmer inside than he’s ever been before.
She questions it of course. The sudden upbeat attitude the boy gives off.
Before Luffy was just as bright and cheerful as he is now, except now it's genuine.
No more faking being ‘all right’ or “I’m fine Makino, stop worrying” with tight smiles and bruised skin. No more does she hear the inexplicably soft sniffling coming from Luffy’s small room at the bar that shreds her heart into a tiny mess of a million pieces.
All Makino wants is for Luffy, her boy (despite him not being her biological child, he’s still hers) to be happy.
Despite what the young boy believes, she knows that something isn’t quite right with the way Luffy comes back to her covered in cuts and bruises that most definitely isn’t from his typical “adventuring”; his tight smiles and consistently dull reassurance also gives it away.
She knows that a good portion of the village don’t exactly see Luffy in the greatest light, the pity in their eyes bothers even Makino.
She also knows that the children in the village don’t take too kindly to Luffy either, blindsighted and influenced by their parents.
And although Makino hasn’t caught them herself, the young woman has her suspicions.
So when Luffy began to constantly come home with a smile that reached ear to ear— she knew something was up.
She questioned it of course. She wanted to know exactly what the cause of her baby boy’s happiness skyrocketing like never before. She wanted to know who or what gave Luffy a reason to love life just a little more.
And most importantly, she wanted to thank them.
Never has Makino seen the child so happy in his life, not even when she surprised him with a platter of varying meats piled high for his fifth birthday (which by the way, was so ecstatic that he promptly passed out for half a second before waking immediately back up and consuming the entire platter in less than three minutes).
And while she questions and questions to herself, Makino’s never been able to quite ask Luffy about it. With the boy racing off as soon as the sun rises and her busy with the bar.
So she waits until the moment Luffy finishes his first meal of the day and while business is slow.
“Luffy,” she calls to him, picking up a dry rag in her right and drying a wet glass in her left. When the boy hums in reply she continues, “I’ve noticed you’ve been happier recently— can I ask why?”
Instantly, Luffy’s eyes begin to sparkle with joy, squinting slightly as the skin around his eyes crinkle and his lips settle into a wide grin. He beams at the young woman and exclaims,
“I made a friend!”
And Makino wishes she could say she wasn’t shocked. Luffy’s a wonderful kid, bright and playful with a heart of gold— Makino knows that he isn’t well-liked amongst his peers. So whoever his friend is, they’re different.
Nonetheless, Makino places the now-dry glass onto the countertop and smiles radiantly back at the boy, “I’m so happy for you!” Her eyes become crescents with how wide she grins. “Make sure to bring them back with you one day and I’ll treat them to a meal!”
At the offer, Luffy’s grin widens impossibly more, “Thanks Makino!”
He then hands her his dirty dishes and steps down from his stool at the bar, “I’ll be going now!” Luffy yells before beginning to run out the door.
“Take care!” The young woman shouts back.
And as she picks up another wet dish to dry, Makino thinks to herself.
I wonder what kind of person his friend is.
As it turns out, his friend isn’t a person at all, to Makino’s surprise, but a bird.
A fucking bird.
“Her name is Sora!” Luffy chirps. And surely enough, there’s a bird that sits perched on the child’s left shoulder.
It’s a tiny little thing, and could probably fit into the palms of Makino’s hands and she wonders exactly how Luffy came to find the creature and befriend her at that.
The bird, Sora, tweets in reply and Luffy turns his head to the robin and says, “Sora, this is Makino! She’s the best!”
Said woman smiles slightly at the praise and looks toward Luffy’s companion, “It’s nice to finally meet you Sora.”
And shockingly, Sora begins to tweet out a string of noises, almost as if she was talking back? Makino's eyes widen slightly and just as she opens her mouth to speak, a voice comes crying loudly outside.
“Pirates! Pirates are here!”
It’s not that Luffy meant to keep Sora and the others a secret, he just didn’t know exactly how to tell Makino about it.
Like, how often do you hear of someone being able to talk and converse with animals? Not often at all.
So forgive the boy for being even the slightest bit frightened of how his pseudo-mom would react. Logically, he knows that Makino would be accepting, even a bit shocked if anything else; however, logic is not the first thing that pops up in Luffy’s mind.
Therefore, he hesitates. Waits and waits until maybe Makino makes the first move and asks him about it. Not that he’s given her a chance to though, considering the fact that he’s been running away at every given moment.
It isn’t until she catches him off guard one early morning.
He’d just finished his first breakfast of the day and while usually he asks for seconds, Luffy feels antsy to visit the alcove again.
“Luffy,” Makino’s voice stops him from where he was getting up from his seat at the bar. “I’ve noticed you’ve been happier recently— can I ask why?”
He freezes for a split second, slightly nervous yet answers back after a couple of seconds, “I made a friend!”
Well, more than just a friend. He thinks of all the woodland creatures that he’s befriended over the past couple of months, Sora, and Mao. Luffy briefly remembers the mother fauna that had just given birth and how badly he wants to see her fawns.
He watches as Makino stares at him for a second, shock evident on his face, before a vibrant smile takes over her face.
“I’m so happy for you!” She exclaims, and a part of the anxiety the boy feels simmers away, only a part of it though.
“Make sure to bring them back with you one day and I’ll treat them to a meal!” the young woman finishes with a grin so wide that Luffy can’t help but reciprocate back.
“Thanks Makino!” And really, he means it.
Luffy knows he isn’t the easiest child to deal with. From the fighting to how much he eats, to how much energy he seems to have. Especially since it’s just Makino raising him herself and taking over the bar.
He appreciates everything she does for him, even if he doesn’t express it half of the time.
With that, Luffy gets up from his seat at the bar, hands Makino his dirty plates and glass and says, “I’ll be going now!” Before rushing to leave the bar.
As he exits, he faintly hears a “Take care!” and he smiles slightly to himself.
The wind blows strongly that morning, he thinks to himself. A song of premonition that sings loudly it’s answer when he returns back to the village that evening.
“I think I want to tell Makino,” the young boy says, petting a baby fawn that lays dozing in his lap.
The robin squawks in surprise, waking some of the fawns that were sleeping around, “You want to tell her?!” She exclaims with a fluttering of her wings.
Luffy nods in reply, “Yeah,” he says. “I think I want to tell her.”
Sora flits her wings before settling onto the ground before the boy.
“Are you sure Kotori?” She asks quietly to which the boy responds back with a firm nod.
“Be careful of who you tell Little-One, for not all will share the same kindness we have given you,” a voice from beyond the cave echoes throughout the whole woodlands, making every creature turn it’s head towards the boy.
“Mao!” Sora exclaims, Luffy turns his head towards the large bear making his way slowly to them.
“Makino is nothing but nice!” He declares with a steady voice. “She always takes care of me and looks out for me even when she’s tired!”
Luffy looks the bear in his eyes unwaveringly.
And Mao hums, sending a loud rumble that reverberates throughout the forest.
“Do you trust her?” He states.
To which Luffy nods feverently, “Yes! With my life!” He shouts proudly.
Mao hums again, “So be it.” The bear then turns around, heading back into the shade of the alcove.
Sora flits her wings to be in front of Luffy’s face, “Are you really sure Kotori?” She asks again in a worried tone.
But Luffy nods firmly once again, “I’m sure.”
The two begin to head back as soon as the sun starts setting. Nerves wrack the boy’s mind and body and by the time they reach the village, Luffy is a bottle of butterflies.
“What if she thinks I’m weird Sora?” He questions to the robin, hands fumbling against one another in worry.
“What if she treats me like the other kids? I don’t want Makino to think bad of me!” Luffy exclaims, arms coming up to wrap around himself and he shivers.
“You said it yourself my Kotori, you trust Ms. Makino, and if she’s just as you explained her to be– then there shouldn’t be any issues,” Sora reasons, rubbing her head against Luffy’s temple.
“I-I know, I’m just scared.” And he’s never scared. Always up for challenges and such. Always ready to go against anything and anyone.
But for once in his life, Luffy’s terrified. He doesn’t want to lose the most important person in his life because of this and yet he can’t stand not telling her.
By the end of his ramble, the two have already reached Party’s Bar.
“It’ll be fine my dear,” Sora soothes. “Everything will be just fine.”
With a deep breath, he nods, putting on a bright smile before entering the bar.
“Makino, I’m back!” Luffy exclaims.
The said woman turns around from where she’s currently tending the bar, the rest of the place dry and empty; business must be slow in the middle of the day.
“Welcome back!” Makino smiles softly, “You’re back earlier than usual.”
Luffy nods, “Yeah! I brought my friend with me too!”
Makino’s smile widens in delight, “Really, where are they?”
It’s at that to which Sora flies in, landing on Luffy’s left shoulder and startling Makino.
“Her name’s Sora!” The boy says and the robin tweets out a “Hello!” in reply.
“Sora, this is Makino! She’s the best!” He declares with a wide grin that stretches from ear to ear.
“It’s good to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you from Kotori!”
Makino’s silent for a moment, eyes widened slightly and flabbergasted at the sight.
Please don’t think I’m weird. The boy cries in his head.
But as Luffy opens his mouth to speak, a loud shout refrains him from saying anything else.
“Pirates!” Someone cries desperately from outside the bar.
“Pirates are here!”