Work Text:
Garp followed Luffy’s crew tracks, they led him into Baratie, the restaurant ship.
The marines looked amazed at the place. It was too elegant for any of them.
“This place is huge,” Koby said. “Alvida used to come here, but we weren’t allowed to eat with her, we waited on the ship.”
“My father used to bring me here all the time,” bragged Helmeppo, he tilted a little bit his head so the conversation with Koby was more confident. “We ate a bit of everything, there’s a chocolate dessert here that he always bought me, you should try it.
Between the cadets' group, they were the only two that were whispering, several of his mates gave them weird looks while they stayed quiet waiting for orders.
Limping with his metal leg, the chef Zeff came to greet them.
“The Marines,” he suppressed a laugh. “You’re late to the party.”
“I always wonder what happened to the infamous Red Leg Zeff” Garp answered hiding a smile. “Captain of the Pirates Cooks” (tengo que ver el episodio para corregir como lo dice)
“Now the only thing I’m captain of is this restaurant,” he said, pointing to one of the tables and inviting him to sit facing each other.
In the meantime Garp was sitting with Zeff, Koby was staring worried, his eyes were focused on the back of the man's neck.
“I’m looking for a straw hat pirate,” Garp said. “He goes by the name of Luffy”.
Helmeppo noted that Koby got tense hearing that name, he knew that they were friends. Even more, Koby hit him to prevent Luffy from getting arrested.
He remembers perfectly how his father criticized him that a skinny boy could knock him out and let the pirates escape. After that, he was given the obligation and duty to follow him closely. He was planning to treat him poorly but quickly realized how wrong he was about Koby. Koby was a shy kid, frightened, but usually found courage where there was none just to fulfill his dream. He was smart and skilled, the only thing missing was being more up-front and agile, both things that Helmeppo himself believed he fulfilled completely by being his mate.
They complement each other.
For a while now he learned to read Koby's movements, almost like he could read his mind, except when it was about Luffy.
Why did he get so nervous when his name was mentioned? Did they have a fight when he was unconscious? Was that why Koby joined the Marines?
Did something happen between them?
Weren’t they friends? Or something else?
Helmeppo was drowning in doubt.
“I can’t recall” Zeff answered.
“Don’t lie, I know he was here”.
“Why don’t we eat and talk about it in private?” The chef suggested and made signs to one of the waiters. “The meat as usual?”
“Yes, as usual,” Zeff answered smiling. “The rest of you can walk around the ship, don’t interrupt us” ordered the cadets.
Koby gave a salute with his head and was the first to obey and exit the room. Like they were magnets keeping them together, Helmeppo followed him right away.
The boy with glasses wanted to see the whole ship, he was extremely curious about her size and architecture.
“Was Alvida's ship similar to this?” Helmeppo asked, both of them watched a board with photographs, some of them were of the employees, and one of them was taken the first opening day, a smiling Zeff was holding a young blond boy in his arms wearing chef’s clothes.
“No.” He didn’t look at him when he answered. “It was smaller, or at least that's how it felt.”
“How long did they keep you captive?”
“Two years I think, I lost count.” his tone was indifferent like he was evading the question, he kept walking through the hallways.
They found the entrance of another room. A bar.
“Let’s sit” Helmeppo suggested. “Two mistral shooters, please.”
“Coming right up” the bartender answered and poured them.
“What are you doing?” asked Koby in a whisper.
“Buying you a drink”
“We can’t drink! We are on duty.”
“We are doing nothing, c’mon drink with me” He handed him one of the shot glasses. “Something happened right? You looked worried.”
“Nothing happened” Koby took in his hand the shot glass and before getting another question he drank everything in one gulp. “Two more, please.”
“You’re full of surprises” Helmeppo laughed, he drank his shot in tiny sips, and Koby smiled before drinking right away another shot.
“Something happened” Koby confessed.
“Is it about Luffy?”
“Yes. Two more please” asked the bartender again.
Helmeppo stared at him, his doubts were true. There was something between Luffy and him.
“Garp is Luffy's grandfather” confessed and drank another shot.
“I was not expecting that.” He raised his eyebrows. “That wasn’t even on my list of possible answers.” he smiled relieved.
“You can’t tell anybody. It’s a secret”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Can I trust you?”
“Well, you told me a secret.” Took another sip of his shot. “I guess I can tell you one too, to get even” Took a last sip and left the glass on the table. Thoughtful he looked at the ceiling. “I’ve never been here before.”
“But you said you used to come here with your father all the time.”
“I lied.” Shrugged. “He did come here, but he never took me with him. We didn’t spend time together, he used to say it was an embarrassment to have me as his son.” Took one of Koby’s shots and drank it, exhaling really loud, almost like the alcohol burned him.
“I’m sorry, you must have felt relieved when he was destitute by Garp.”
“A little,” raised two fingers asking for two more shots “My only company was my father, if you can call him that. Now that I’m alone again, I realize that in some way I have always been this lonely.”
“You’re not alone” Koby handed him one of the shot glasses and grabbed one for him. “Now you have me, I’m your mate.”
They clinked their glasses, Helmeppo crossed his arm with Koby’s and drank the shots intertwined.
Their faces were pretty close in that position.
“But us…” he whispered, “We are more than mates right?”
“I think so,” Koby smiled. “We are friends.”
They kept quiet, smiling at each other. They were still holding the shot glasses with their arms connected.
Helmeppo could perfectly hear Koby's breath, he was pretty sure that both of them were breathing at the same beat. From the moment they started their guards together he learned to follow his steps, even predict them.
He couldn’t predict them this time. It could be because of the liquor or maybe because this time Koby was waiting to follow his steps.
Using the little courage given by the shots, he closed the space between them.
He kissed him, it was small and gentle. It was a step more of a touch of their lips.
Koby’s lips were soft against his own, both of them had the taste of the liquor.
It was Helmeppo's first kiss, he wondered if it was Koby's first too.
Part of him wanted to believe that.
“Friends,” Helmeppo said, he raised two fingers asking for more shots, and looking out of the corner of his eyes, he smiled at him. “Or whatever.”