Work Text:
Luffy was flipping through the pages of the book, before dropping it and groaning out loudly. This was way too boring! He didn't want to do the stupid homework.
He glared at the offendable item and all the pain and misery it's caused him. Luffy huffed loudly, but hesitantly touched the book.
Gramps told me that if I had another missing assignment, he would give me a “special” training camp, Luffy remembered. He shuddered at the thought. Last time Garp decided to give Luffy and his brothers a training camp, he decided to increase their swimming abilities since all three of them sunk like anchors. To “encourage” them, he released some sharks to chase after them. Not any normal sharks either; these sharks could easily swallow you whole.
At first, the three of them swam away for their lives, before eventually realizing it was fruitless and beating them up. They did get a meal out of it in the end, but Garp punished the three brothers for eating the sharks he rented (who knew there was a renting site for sharks). At the end of the day, the whole experience was torture.
Luffy fidgeted in his seat, while the librarian glared at him warily. Everyone knew how much of a ruckus Luffy could be. Luffy childishly stuck his tongue out.
Nami frowned at him and threw a book at him.
“Focus and study! Isn't that the pointing of even being here right now?”
“But it is so boring and I want some meat! I want to play games with Chopper and Usopp too. It isn't fair that I have to do this stupid work,” Luffy stared and jabbed his worksheets. Nami rolled her eyes, muttering about how if his whining costed her grades, she will raise his interest.
Zoro snored loudly next them, sitting next to the bookcase. With a book covering his face, Zoro slept untouched. Luffy puffed out his cheeks in jealousy. Zoro didn't really care about his grades, as long as he didn't fail.
“I don't need grades to become the best swordsman,” Zoro proclaimed. Garp would hit Luffy won't his Fist of Love when he told Gramps that. Grandpa blabbered about how grades were very important if you wanted to join the police.
Luffy didn't care though overall, much to Garp’s frustration.
This led to where they are now, with the three friends studying in the library while everyone else was having the time of their lives.
“I bet someone else would sympathize with me about the horror of homework and how we should never do it. I would prefer giant man-eating chickens to rain out o of the sky because we can at least eat them!” he muttered. Nami facepalmed for some strange reason that he couldn't understand. Luffy pouted as Robin chuckled. “I’ll prove it!”
“Maybe put something about how awesome I am,” Zoro said from his spot as he yawned. Luffy nodded in agreement.
Luffy took a lined piece of paper (“Hey, Luffy! That’s my paper, you idiot!”) and ripped off the bottom of it.
On it, he scribbled: Isn't HW the worst thing in the world? Man-eating chickens would be better! Also, my best friend Zoro is really strong and is the best. :D
Nodding with satisfaction, Luffy tucked his note into the book he was using and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Nami said in confusion and looked up from her math work.
“I’m going to play now! I finished half the work. That should be good enough, right?” Luffy said, not actually wanting an answer. As Nami was yelling him to get back, Luffy dashed out of there like there was no tomorrow, laughing all the way.
A quiet English classmate looked up from his spot in the library. He regarded the laughing figure curiously, before looking down his work. He frowned at the instructions to get a book and start reading from this page to this page.
He needed the required book to answer these questions, doesn't he? That was stupid. They got a textbook for a reason. Law sighed. He stood up, in search of that book.
~OoOo~
Luffy came the next time. Nami dragged him by his vest, but eventually, Robin convinced Sanji to help with help of bribing food.
Luffy squirmed and fidgeted in his seat. He knew he tried to stay focus though. This giant packet was due next class, but he didn’t want to do it. Luffy threw the book open and stared at the packet, hoping the answers would appear like magic. He turned back and frowned. A paper fluttered out of it. Luffy curiously picked it up.
His eyes lite up.
“Nami, Zoro, look! Someone replied to my message!” Luffy beamed at them. Nami raised an eyebrow.
“Are you serious? Someone replied to your stupid note?” Nami asked, snatching it out of his hands. “Homework isn’t stupid. It is a very important role to life, but if I did have to choose between the two, I would choose the chickens because I could actually allowed to beat them up, unlike Kidd. Your best friend Zoro is very strong. My best friend is my dog Bepo. I can hear my friends groaning in exasperation at that,” Nami read out loud.
“Someone actually replied! Shishishi. They choose the chickens! You hear that? This person is awesome!” Luffy bounded up and down with glee.
“They did say homework is important,” Nami reminded him. Luffy filtered that out.
“Hey, you think if I wrote something back, would they reply again?” he asked her. Nami and Robin exchanged looks, but Luffy gave it no thought.
He bent down and start to scribble a note back about the mysterious person’s dog. He wondered if it was a huge dog? That would be so cool! He agreed with the person’s opinion on Kidd. Kidd was a jerk, but he was a strong jerk. The two often argued about who was stronger.
Luffy grinned in satisfaction as he finished the note on a new piece of paper. He tucked the page into a random page of the book. He hoped the person would reply.
This was only the beginning.
~OoOo~
“Zooorrrooo!” Luffy called as he hung upside down from the tree. Zoro groaned at his best friend.
“What?”
“The person didn’t agree to meet up! He won’t tell me his name,” Luffy whined. Zoro grunted in response.
“Didn’t you refuse to tell him your name? It is right for him to refuse,” the green-haired replied.
“But he refused first! It is only right if I refuse right back,” the teenager childishly huffed.
“Ya know, Sanji is making some lunch right now in Home Ec?” Zoro suggested. Was it wrong that he wanted to beat up this mysterious person? Luffy was obviously upset about the real fact of the matter; it wasn’t the refusal of his name, but a refusal to meet up altogether.
Luffy has been exchanging notes with that mysterious person for about two weeks now. The assignment was long ago turned in, but the notes continued.
Luffy was really happy about making a new friend, but said friend refused to tell anything that would give huge hints to his identity. That caused Luffy to be sad, though he tried to hide it. That look made Zoro’s instincts kicked in, much like how it kicked in when Luffy kept falling into the pool or Sanji was being an idiot. He wanted to help Luffy, but also beat up the person who was making him sad.
Food was always the best distraction.
“Really? Food!” Luffy’s eyes turned into meat. Zoro rolled his eyes at his best friend’s antics.
“Before you go, maybe you should stalk the library to find the person if you want to know that bad?” Zoro suggested.
“That is a great plan! But, I don’t want to break their trust,” Luffy replied, looking a bit torn. Zoro shrugged.
“It is just a suggestion.”
“Hmm. I’ll think about it, thanks!” Luffy said as he swung up and slide off the branch. “SANJI! GIVE ME SOME MEAT!”
Finally, some peace and quiet. Zoro was slowly falling back asleep, when he felt a gut feeling that Chopper fell into the pool again. There goes his nap.
~OoOo~
Luffy munched on the armful of food he was given. He was walking around, pondering about Zoro’s suggestion. If he did keep an eye out, he could finally find the person he was exchanging handwritten notes with! Then again, would the person be angry for spying.
Walking by a window, Luffy gave a curious glance through the window. Looking into the library, Luffy’s eyes turned wide.
There, was a tall man with a spotted hat tucking in the note into the same book Luffy has been using for the past two weeks! He recognized the dude! He was always arugeing with Kidd, a really smart student, and was his English classmate.
His name was T-something Law, right?
Watching as the man placed the book back on the shelf, he exited the library. Luffy barely thought about his next move. He finally found his note-exchanging person! And it wasn’t like he was spying on purpose. Plus, he didn’t have to tell right away that he was the one exchanging notes, right? Seeing Law exit the building, Luffy yelled out.
“Hey, Torao! I’m Monkey D. Luffy and am your English classmate. Let’s be friends!”
That was the start of their relationship. The two would become friends and become very close. Luffy being the not-so-subtle person would eventually tell Law who he was by their handwritten notes.
Written on the note: Hi. Just wanted to say I love you. -Luffy.
Luffy grinned widely when he read Law’s reply.
I love you too. -Law.
FIN