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Makino looks like her heart is about five seconds away from breaking as she watches Luffy cling to Robin’s skirt. The fabric isn’t doing much to muffle the sounds of his sobbing, and Robin kneels to draw him into her arms so he can hide in the crook of her neck instead.
“I know you can’t tell me who called the report in.” Franky says to Makino. “But if you ever feel like letting it slip-”
“Trust me, I would if I could.” Makino sighs. “But you and I both know that’s not how it works. It should only be a couple of days until I can get him back here, but we have to investigate. In the meantime, I can personally vouch for the family he’ll be staying with, they’re used to situations like this.”
“Did you hear that, Luffy?” Robin asks the boy quietly. “Makino said it should be less than a week before you’re home again.”
“I don’t wanna leave at all!” The boy wails. “Cause what if they change their mind, or Makino’s lying, or the other family won’t give me up like they’re s’posed to, or-”
“You’re gonna make yourself sick, little man.” Franky gently interrupts him, coming to join Luffy and Robin’s huddle. “I know it’s hard not to worry, but we’ll make sure you come right back home as soon as we can, so we just need you to be good, okay?”
“Okay.” Luffy sniffles. “I can be good, Franky.”
“I know you can, kiddo.” Franky tells him. “You’re the best darn kid, and you’re ours, no matter what, got it?”
“Got it.” It seems to physically pain everyone involved, but Robin and Franky let Luffy go, and let Makino take his hand and lead him towards the car, his little backpack swinging from her other hand. They stand out on the porch, watching as Luffy gets buckled in and the car rolls away. As soon as it turns the corner out of the neighborhood, Robin’s legs give out from under her. Franky catches her easily and brings her back inside, as both of them finally let their own tears begin to fall.
-
“Alright, Luffy, I just have to stop and get some gas, alright?” Makino looks at the boy in the rearview mirror, and he only continues to stare out the window, like she’d never spoken at all. Makino sighs but seems unsurprised as she parks the car and climbs out.
The moment she’s gone, though, Luffy leaps into action, unbuckling himself and scooping his backpack out of the seat next to him. The car door won’t open for him at first, but he kicks it hard in a very specific spot, and it gives way.
The boy slides out and hurries across the parking lot, all while Makino’s back is to him.
He walks the streets with a purpose, hands curled into the straps of his bag, and eyes darting from street sign to landmark, making it very clear that he knows where he’s going. There are concerned adults, of course, that try to get him to stop and talk to them, but Luffy only bares his teeth at them like an animal, and hurries even quicker towards his destination.
The Whitebeard Shipping Company headquarters is a large, squat warehouse, with trucks lined up in the different bays and workers hurriedly loading them and sending them on their way. With the hustle and bustle of the loading bay, Luffy’s able to slip through and into the offices themselves without anyone noticing.
“Twenty years I’ve given to this damn company!” A man’s voice roars out as Luffy finally gets the door open. He’s in some kind of hallway, offices with closed doors all around him, and he starts to wander, one ear listening to the yelling. “And you’re getting rid of me just like that? For Portgas, some snot-nosed little shit?”
“That young man has done more for this company in his four years here than you have in your whole career, Teach, so watch your tone.” An older man’s voice says.
“Tch, whatever.” The first voice sneers. “You’ll regret this, old man, just wait and see.”
“Get out of here already, man.” Another voice, younger than either of the other two and one Luffy could swear he’s heard before, butts in. “I’ll call security if you keep making threats.”
“That’s not a threat, that’s just a promise.” One of the doors Luffy is about to walk past is thrown open suddenly, and the owner of the first voice appears in front of him. He’s a towering man, maybe only a little shorter than Franky, with a scraggly black beard that reaches down to his stomach, and a greasy white wife beater on under it, along with a stained pair of cheetah print pants.
“Outta my way, kid.” The man shoulders past Luffy, almost knocking the boy clean off his feet, though Luffy recovers and sticks his tongue out at the man’s retreating back.
“Luffy?” Another man pokes his head out of the office the first had just come storming out of, and Luffy realizes how he knows the voice he’d thought had been familiar. It’s Ace’s boyfriend, Marco. They hadn’t been around each other a lot before Luffy moved in with Robin and Franky, but Ace has mentioned him several times, and seems to like him a lot. “What the f- What are you doing here?”
Luffy opens his mouth to say something, but none of the words come out, and he only shuts his mouth again, ducking his head as his eyes well up.
“Alright, okay, please don’t cry.” Marco says desperately. “Uh, can I pick you up?” Luffy nods and Marco scoops him off the ground and onto his hip, turning to look back into the office he’d just come out of. “Pops, this is Luffy, Ace’s little brother.”
The office inside is enormous, as is the man who sits at the desk at the other end of the room, easily 8 feet tall.
“I recognize him from the pictures.” The old man nods in agreement. “Did he say why he’s here?”
“No, he seems a little upset about something.” Marco sighs. “Listen, I’ll take him to my office and give Ace a call so he can come pick him up.”
“Go right ahead. Goodness knows we all need a break after that mess with Teach.” Marco nods and heads out, Luffy still clinging to him.
Marco’s office is almost as big as the old man’s had been, and there’s a couch along one wall that he sets Luffy down on.
“I’ve got a coat rack if you want me to hang your bag up.” The older man offers, and Luffy only shakes his head and tightens his grip on the straps. “Alright, suit yourself. I’ll call Ace and I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he can, okay? He’s not on the road right now, or anything.”
“Thank you.” Luffy says quietly and readjusts his backpack until he’s wearing it across his chest instead. Like he’s seen Zoro do on the bus a million times, Luffy rests his head on his bag and easily drifts off to sleep.
It doesn’t feel like he’s been sleeping for very long when he’s gently woken up by a hand on his forehead, but Luffy notices quickly enough that he’s sprawled out on his back, his bag still on him, and a blanket tossed over that, making him look lumpy.
Ace sits on the edge of the couch, his hand brushing Luffy’s bangs back out of his face.
“You need a haircut, Lu.” His older brother says quietly with a grin, and Luffy bolts up and into his brother’s lap, those tears from before coming back all over again. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m here. Do you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”
“Makino took me from Robin and Franky.” Luffy chokes out, even as he starts to sob. “Cause some- some asshole lied about them not being nice to me or whatever, and they gotta investigate.” Ace tries to scold him for his language, but Luffy ignores him and keeps right on talking. “I promised Franky I’d be good, but I didn’t wanna go to some stupid pretend family, I want my family. So can I stay with you, Ace, please?”
“You know I’d usually say ‘yes’ in a heartbeat, dude…” Ace begins, and Luffy knows a no when he hears it, so he hides his wobbling lip in Ace’s shirt. “Luffy, Makino’s gotta do things her way for a reason, you know this. Otherwise, people like Franky and Robin might get in trouble, she might get in trouble or lose her job.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Luffy mumbles.
“I know you are, Lu. Tell you what, you and I can meet up with Makino and we’ll all go to meet that family you’re staying with together, that way they know you got me looking out for you. How’s that sound?”
“Sounds good.” Luffy mumbles, and Ace nods above him.
“Alright then, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” Ace stands, picking Luffy up and shifting him to his hip, and heads to Marco’s desk. “We’re gonna head out. Thank you again for keeping an eye on him.”
“No need to thank me, he’s family.” Marco murmurs, even as he stands and leans across his desk to kiss Ace’s cheek. “Just get him where he’s going safely, there’s plenty of paperwork waiting for you when you get back.”
“All the more reason to stay away as long as I can.” Ace laughs, and as he turns and heads for the door, Luffy waves goodbye to Marco over Ace’s shoulder. Marco smiles at him and returns the wave just before the door falls closed.
Ace still has Luffy’s car seat set up in his car, and gets Luffy buckled in with the kind of familiarity that comes from years of practice.
“I like Pineapple.” Luffy says, once he’s securely in his own seat, and Ace laughs as he slides into the driver’s seat and pulls out of the parking lot. “He’s nice. And Big Gramps.”
“I’m sure they’ll both be happy to hear that. And I’m totally gonna tell Marco you called him that.” Ace grins. “Did you meet anyone else before I got there?”
“There was this angry man that came out of Gramps’ office.” Luffy nods. “He was big, but not as big as Gramps, and really gross-looking.”
“Ugh, probably Teach.” Ace mutters. “Yeah, he is gross. But Pops said he won’t be around for much longer, so you’ll never have to see him again.”
“He was talking about you.” Luffy tells his brother. “He used your last name, so I didn’t figure it out at first, but he called you names.”
“Not surprised.” Ace admits, and takes a moment to think about something, before he sighs. “Well, I guess there’s no point in keeping it from you. The whole reason they’re letting him go is ‘cause he got in trouble with the cops, and they were gonna fire him anyway. I got offered his position. That means I won’t be traveling anymore, so I’ll be able to see you and Marco and Sabo a lot more.”
“Cool!” Luffy shouts, and Ace laughs again.
“Thought you’d like that. And I can come to more of those-”
The sound of screeching metal and a blaring horn cuts Ace off, and the whole world explodes around Luffy.
-
There are sirens, loud and close enough that Luffy’s ears hurt, and he blinks his eyes open, whining as he does.
“Kid, can you hear me?” Someone asks, and the car door opens. A man in a paramedic’s outfit leans in over him. “Hey there, how are you feeling?”
“Who are you?” Luffy asks. “Where’s Ace?” He looks around, but the front car door is open, and Ace is gone from his seat. “Ace?!”
“My friends are with him right now.” The paramedic tells Luffy as he looks him over. “He your dad?”
“My big brother.” Luffy tells him. “We were gonna meet Makino. Is he okay?”
“My friends will take real good care of him. My name’s Clayton, and my job right now is to worry about you. Do you hurt anywhere? Headache? Hard to breathe?” Luffy shakes his head to all of Clayton’s questions. “I’m gonna put a neck brace on you, just to be safe. You ever wanted to take a ride in an ambulance?”
“No, I can’t.” Luffy protests, even as the paramedic puts the neck brace on him and starts to unbuckle him. “We were s’posed to meet Makino. I ran away, I’m in trouble.”
“Makino will understand.” Clayton tries to assure him. “Right now, I’m worried you might be hurt, and need to take you to the hospital, okay?”
“Okay.” Luffy mutters unsurely, and lets Clayton remove him from his car seat.
Luffy gets his own room at the hospital, but once a nurse looks him over and says he’s okay other than being bumped around a bit, Luffy finds himself all alone. He’s scared, and he keeps thinking about how Clayton wouldn’t tell him if Ace is okay. That must mean he’s not okay.
It’s all Luffy’s fault. If he had stayed with Makino, hadn’t run away like a dummy, and hadn't gone to Ace, Ace wouldn’t be hurt.
And what if it’s worse than that? What if Ace is dead? And Luffy can never say sorry to him? How’s he supposed to make it better if he can’t say sorry?
Then he’s a bad person, and no one will want him anymore. Robin and Franky will get another kid, someone who’s actually good when he says he’ll be, and all of Luffy’s friends will be his friends instead. Sabo won’t ever want to see Luffy again, ‘cause it’s his fault about Ace, and he’ll be alone, but he’s got Dad and all their work friends and Ace’s friends will probably become his friends too. They’ll all forget about Luffy.
Maybe they should. All Luffy does is hurt people. He’s no better than the stupid bugs in Dadan’s stupid basement, stupid stupid stuPID -
“Luffy!” Someone gasps out. He doesn’t even look up, only distantly registering he’s curled up into a ball with his hands pulling at his hair. It hurts.
Good. He deserves it.
“No, no, Luffy, let go, please.” Someone is saying quietly and Luffy shakes his head. He thinks he can feel his hair tearing. “Luffy, please, you’re hurting yourself. What is Ace going to think?” That finally gets through to him, and while he doesn’t let go, his grip at least gets a little looser. “There we go, that’s better. Do you remember me?”
“Grampa… Jimbei.” Luffy almost-whispers. The large, friendly man that he plays with when Robin and Franky have their date nights, who teaches swimming at the community pool, and who Ace likes.
“Hello, Luffy. Do you want to look at me?” Luffy shakes his head, still curled up in his ball, and Jimbei hums. “That’s alright, I’ll just sit here with you. It must’ve been scary, being in here all by yourself.”
“Hate being alone.” Luffy mumbles. “Gonna be… On my own. Should leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Jimbei tells him. “Sabo’s here as well, he’s waiting to hear about Ace’s surgery but he sent me to sit with you. Makino’s on her way as well, and plenty of others, I’m sure.”
“It’s my fault.” Luffy says. “If I hadn’t run away, just been good like I was supposed to-”
“Don’t you say that.” Jimbei cuts him off firmly. “Luffy, I have something I must tell you. The car accident you were in… It wasn’t an accident. The police told me that the other car hit you on purpose. They didn’t even know you were there, they wanted to hurt Ace.”
“Someone hurt Ace on purpose?” Luffy asks, finally uncurling from his ball to look at Jimbei, who nods in agreement. “Who was it? Why? Ace never-”
“A man by the name of Teach.” Luffy’s full body flinch at that gets Jimbei’s attention. “You know him?”
“Saw him. Today. At Ace’s office. Ace said he was gonna get his job.”
“As he deserves.” Jimbei nods again. “But Teach is a very angry man and wanted to hurt Ace. Luffy, he would’ve done it no matter what, do you understand?”
“Yeah.” Luffy hiccups. “But Ace-”
“-Will be just fine. He’ll need to heal and get better, but the doctors told Sabo that they expect Ace to make a full recovery.”
“Promise?” Luffy starts to cry and Jimbei nods firmly.
“I will even pinky promise, if it will make you feel better.” He says, and Luffy cries even harder, that ugly feeling in his chest going away bit by bit. He holds his hands out to Grampa Jimbei, and the older man rises from his chair, sitting carefully on the edge of the hospital bed so he can wrap an arm securely around Luffy and hold him as he cries.
-
He isn’t sure how long he cries for, only that his eyes hurt and there’s a big wet patch on Jimbei’s shirt when it finally stops.
“Do you feel better?” Grandpa Jimbei asks, and Luffy nods slowly. “Good. I’m glad. I think there’s someone here to see you.” Luffy peers around Jimbei and blinks in surprise. It’s Sabo, his usual neat clothes a mess, and his hands twitchy. “Come in, Sabo, please.”
“Sabo!” Luffy calls out, and that finally gets his brother moving, sitting on Luffy’s other side so Luffy is almost but not quite squished between the two of them. “Grandpa Jimbei said you were with Ace!”
“You needed me more.” Sabo tells him. “Ace will be okay, Dadan will wait for him and Gramps is there, too.”
“I was scared.” Luffy admits, letting go of Jimbei so he can crawl into Sabo’s lap. “‘Cause I thought Ace getting hurt was my fault, and no one would want me anymore, ‘cause Ace is your favorite brother, and Robin and Franky wouldn’t want a bad boy, and I’d be all alone forever and ever.”
“That’s bullshit.” Sabo says fiercely and Luffy blinks up at him.
“Sabo, that’s a bad word.”
“I don’t care.” Sabo tells him. “It’s true. Luffy, no matter what you do, how bad or good you are, or any of that garbage, you’re my precious baby brother. Ace would agree with me. Everyone would. We all want you, and the fact you thought that we wouldn’t, even for a second, breaks my heart.” He gathers Luffy close and hugs him, gently but firmly. “You could kill a man and I would help you hide the body, Luffy.”
“But just to be safe, let’s not do anything like that.” Jimbei interjects, and Luffy giggles.
“Okay, Grandpa Jimbei.”
“Luffy?” Another voice asks, and he looks up to see Makino coming into the room. “Oh my goodness, I’m so happy to see you!”
“Makino, I’m sorry.” Luffy tells her as she approaches his bed. “I shouldn’t have run away. But, I just wanted to go home.”
“I know you did. And I should’ve kept a closer eye on you. But we work together, to make sure everything works out alright, and so that things like this don’t happen. I want you to be with Robin and Franky as much as you do, but I can’t do that without following all the rules. Can you do the same?”
“Uh huh.” Luffy nods. “But I still don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.” Makino sighs. “However, I do have some good news. The report against Franky and Robin was found to have been falsified. Once you get cleared here, you can go home to them.”
“Really?” At her nod, Luffy throws himself from Sabo’s lap and into Makino’s arms for a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” As soon as the good mood from the announcement came, it starts to fade away again, and he pulls back to look up at her. “Can I stay until Ace is awake?”
“Franky and Robin are on their way, so you should ask them.” She tells him, and Luffy nods again. “But I don’t think they’ll have a problem with it.”
Here, in this moment, Luffy finally lets that bad feeling he’s been holding onto ever since Makino took him away go, and he crawls back into Sabo’s lap, making sure that from now on, he’ll remember that no matter where he goes, there will be someone who loves him.