Chapter Text
step 1: assume that you’ll be friends for life
Luffy doesn’t find it odd when Nami kisses his cheek in the hallway that morning. “Hi Nami!” he says, a wide grin stretching across his face.
Nami smells nice, always smells nice, like sea salt and citrus fruits. Her lips leave a sticky residue on his face, from the gloss that she’s not supposed to wear at school but does anyway. She hugs him, too, and Luffy follows her lead, wrapping his arms around hers. There’s a chocolate bar in his hands when she lets go.
The chocolate bar is wrapped in shiny gold foil, and Luffy laughs as he angles it to catch sunlight on one side, then on the other, delighted. “Thank you, Nami!”
Nami winks at him. “You’re holding the best orange chocolate that money can buy, Luffy. Get me something even better for White Day, alright?” She turns to face Usopp when he approaches them, and hands him a small foil–wrapped chocolate heart. “Here you go, Usopp.”
“Hi Usopp!”
Usopp looks at Nami, then at Luffy, then at the chocolate that Nami gave him. “Morning, Luffy. Nami, I’m glad that my friendship means so much to you.”
Nami holds a hand up to one of her ears. “What’s that, Usopp? You want to be in my debt, too?”
“…Right. In that case,” Usopp clears his throat, “what I meant to say was thank you, benevolent storm goddess, for bestowing the chocolate that you bought with your hard–earned cash upon someone as insignificant as me this Valentine’s Day.”
Luffy snickers. Nami’s mouth curls into one of her scary smiles. “That’s what I thought. Now, if you boys will excuse me, I’ve got a few more deliveries to make before the first bell rings.”
“Okay!” Luffy waves her off. “See you later, Nami!”
“Don’t let Pudding catch you alone with Sanji!” Usopp calls after her, and Nami laughs.
“If she ever finds the courage to confess her feelings, she can have him! I’m just after his baking skills.”
Usopp shakes his head. “Unbelievable. The courage, huh?” he says, mostly to himself. Luffy says nothing, too absorbed in ripping open his chocolate bar.
The two of them make their way towards homeroom. Luffy eats as he walks. Chocolate is tasty. It’s not meat, but he gets why Nami loves the orange chocolate from this brand so much.
“So…” Usopp says, waggling his eyebrows, “what’s up with you and Nami?”
“Hm?” Luffy asks, mid–chew, and Usopp sighs.
“Oh, come on. Don’t act like everyone didn’t see her kiss you.”
“Mm n N’mi?” Luffy asks again. He swallows. “We’re best friends. Like you and Kaya are best friends, right?”
Usopp coughs. His cheeks redden. “Whoa, what? We’re talking about you here, Luffy, not me.”
Luffy tilts his head, confused. Was that not right? “Or Sanji?”
Usopp yelps and covers Luffy’s mouth with his hands. His head whips around, checking their surroundings. No one passing by gives them a second look. “Okay, okay, I get it, Luffy! Forget I said anything.”
Luffy doesn’t get it, but at that moment the bell rings. They run the rest of the way to avoid being late for class.
step 2: never get jealous
Luffy tackles Zoro the first chance he gets, and Zoro smiles at him. It’s a wide grin at first, bright and carefree, but then Zoro forces himself to tone it down. He snaps at Luffy when he pulls on Zoro’s cheeks, trying to get him to smile again.
Zoro receives chocolate from Nami, Kaya, Vivi, Perona, and Hiyori, and convenience store onigiri from what seems like the entire girls’ kendo team. His cousin Kuina’s doing, probably. They sit outside for lunch, and Zoro sets hers aside, but allows Luffy and Nami to take the ones that he got from Tashigi and Kiku.
Luffy bites into the onigiri. Chashu! Yummy.
“I wish Vivi would give me chocolate,” Nami says, sighing. She watches as Vivi’s homemade gift to Zoro disappears into Luffy’s mouth. “I would know how to appreciate it properly.”
“You helped her make the chocolate,” Zoro points out. “You’ve already had some.”
Nami sighs again. “Yeah. I’m over her, I swear. It’s just…” she trails off, and Zoro nods.
“Yeah. But she has Koza now.”
Vivi started dating this guy named Koza late last year. They’re childhood friends, or something. Luffy wasn’t really paying attention. “You can have mine, Nami! I didn’t eat it yet.” He stops to reconsider. “I don’t think I ate it yet.”
Nami flashes him a small smile. “Thanks, Luffy.”
Zoro lets Luffy eat pretty much everything he doesn’t, except for Nami’s valentine. Zoro puts his hand over Luffy’s when he reaches for it.
That confuses Luffy. “I thought Zoro didn’t like chocolate?”
“Matcha isn’t chocolate.” When Luffy continues to stare at him, Zoro jerks a thumb over at Nami. “I owe everyone something, but if I’m going to owe her something worth five times as much as what she got me, I might as well eat it.”
“Aw, Zoro! You really do love me,” Nami says, laughing, and Zoro grins.
“In your dreams, witch.”
Luffy smiles, happy that his friends are happy.
Nami has gardening club with Usopp after school. Zoro would’ve had kendo, but they moved to morning practice at the beginning of the month. He puts his earrings back in the second the last bell rings.
“Tashigi’s so strict about the dress code,” Zoro says when he’s finished. “She’s not on the student council, but she’s friends with all of them.”
Luffy laughs. “Wear them anyway, Zoro!” Luffy isn’t part of any club or team, and he always has his straw hat with him. Many teachers have tried and failed to correct his behavior.
Zoro shakes his head. “I’ll never hear the end of it from her if I did.”
Throughout the day, Luffy has eaten the chocolate that he received from Nami, Kaya, Robin, Camie, Shirahoshi, Rebecca, and yes, Vivi, but in his locker are his bigger valentines. Zoro reaches over his shoulder to take them out.
“Two boxes? Hancock really outdid herself this year,” he mutters.
“Only this one is from her,” Luffy says, pointing at the purple heart–shaped box. He points at the round red box. “This one’s from Koby!”
Luffy kneels down to tie his shoes. When he stands up again, he realizes that Zoro hasn’t moved.
Zoro is staring at Koby’s valentine with intense concentration. He hasn’t looked this upset since he lost to Mihawk in last year’s tournament. “Koby?” he asks, voice taut. “Student council vice president Koby?”
Luffy would’ve described Koby a different way, like crybaby. “Yes?”
Zoro shifts his attention from the valentine to Luffy, staring at him with the same intensity. “What do you think of him?”
Wow, Zoro must really not remember the time they all had detention together. “Koby’s my friend!” Luffy says, and Zoro deflates. He looks relieved, but unhappy about it.
“Right. Of course.”
Luffy wraps his arms around Zoro, a pout on his face. “Zoro! If you wanted to eat more chocolate, you should’ve told me! You can have Koby’s. Hancock’s, too.”
“That’s not…” Zoro starts to say, then he sighs. “Never mind, Luffy. It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
step 3: have brothers who won’t say anything
Ace and Sabo greet him when he returns home.
“Luffy!” Ace says. He’s sprawled across the couch and still dressed in his school uniform. “I heard that Nami kissed you today.”
“Is that true?” Sabo asks. He’s wearing a white dress shirt and navy slacks, and putting on a tie in front of the mirror by the stairs.
“She did!” Luffy says, and Ace grins.
“Ha! I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
Ace’s grin falters. He sits up straight. “Luffy?”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think of Nami?”
Ugh. How many times are people going to ask him that question today? “Nami’s my best friend.”
“Is that all she is?”
What’s that supposed to mean? “Nami is my best friend,” Luffy repeats.
Ace studies him for a long moment. Then he smirks. “You want to know something, Luffy? I’ve always thought that Nami was really cute. Maybe I should ask her out.”
Luffy frowns. He thinks about the last time an upperclassman confessed to Nami. What was his name again? Ab–something? Nami had laughed in his face, right there in the courtyard with everyone watching. He didn’t come to school for three days straight afterwards, or so Luffy heard. “Um… good luck with that, I guess?”
Ace and Sabo exchange looks. “Hey, Luffy,” Sabo says, turning to him. “What about Zoro? Is he your best friend?”
“Zoro’s my best friend, too,” Luffy says, and Sabo nods.
“That’s great! Law mentioned to me that all the kendo team girls got him something for Valentine’s Day, and it bothered some of the guys. Not him though, he made sure to clarify. Does it also bother you?”
“Nope! He shared most of what he got with me.”
“That poor guy,” Ace mutters.
Sabo gives Luffy a wry smile, then checks his watch. “This has been fun,” he says, adjusting his tie once more, “but I have to go now.”
“Where are you going?” Luffy asks.
“I’m taking my wonderful girlfriend out for dinner tonight. We have a reservation at the Baratie.”
“You mean Koala’s taking you out,” Ace says. He slouches back down on the couch. “I’ll bet you anything that she’s the one who planned your date.”
“Yes, well, she can do that because she’s real.”
Ace sighs. “Isuka’s real, okay?”
“Yeah, and she goes to the private military school across town, we know.”
Ace gives Sabo the finger. “Whatever, man. Go on your stupid date.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Sabo says. Right before he closes the front door, he turns around and smiles. “Bye Luffy! And good luck!”
Luffy waves Sabo goodbye, unsure of what he’s referring to.
Luffy grabs a few snacks from the kitchen, intending to eat them in his room. Ace stops him when he makes it halfway up the stairs. “Luffy?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry too much about what me and Sabo said today, alright?” Ace says, looking around for the TV remote. He finds it under one of the throw pillows. He turns the TV on, then turns to look at Luffy. “We’re glad that you have such great friends. Just be sure to treasure them.”
Luffy grins. “Don't be silly, Ace! Of course I will!”