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Luffy stares up at the new school and shuffles his feet, looking to his two older brothers for help. Sabo and Ace don’t look back at him. In fact, after being dropped off at the bottom of the hill, the older two have already raced on ahead. Luffy pouts, seeing them leaving him behind yet again.
Other students walk up the hill in their pristine new school uniforms and Luffy blinks down at his own pair of pants. He’s so grateful Dadan tossed the official uniform sent to him - a plaid skirt with pleats - because the school administration sent it based on governmental names and genders. But Luffy wouldn’t wear it, so Dadan got him several pairs of the black pants to match with every other male in the school, as well as the button-down white shirt, black tie and black jacket.
Thankfully, the schools here would call by last name so as long as Luffy answers quickly, he won’t have to deal with explaining the name change. Plus he has ways to avoid being found out during gym classes and going to the restroom they would all expect. But none of that matters now.
Shaking his head from the usual thoughts and fears, Luffy jumps up and decides to rush forward to follow his siblings. Ace and Sabo are already really far ahead, but that’s no different from normal. They’re always running off without him, and he’s always chasing to insist on joining their antics. So today is no different.
Up the hill he goes, feeling the morning sun on his back - or he would, if the backpack wasn’t so big. His brothers told him he was carrying too much for the first day of high school, but Luffy didn’t listen. Luffy never listens. He does what he wants. With one foot in front of the other, he climbs the long, long hill as fast as he can, feeling the heaviness of his backpack pushing down on him with every stride forward.
By the time he can really see the school gates ahead, past cherry blossom trees, and crowds of other students shouting good morning, Luffy stumbles and falls. The backpack breaks before he even touches down on the pavement, spilling all of its contents on the ground even as he breathes easier from the relief on his back. Laughter fills the air and Luffy stares, stunned at his sudden position. The new uniform is probably ruined. His first impression to all these other students - his possible classmates - is destroyed.
And his older brothers are nowhere to be found.
Taking a deep breath, Luffy fights the tears on the edge of his vision. He’s too old to cry over falls now. He stopped doing that years ago. He’s not a baby anymore. Even if it’s upsetting and making him want to run back home, he has to push through and pretend like he’s not bothered. He has to handle this the way Ace or Sabo would.
How would - he should - uh - no he doesn’t feel angry. It’s his own fault. He can’t be mad at the passing students for chuckling or outright laughing. He can be upset that no one wants to stop and help as he turns around to try to gather all his things.
No one. Not a single student. What a mean school. Maybe Ace and Sabo lied to him about how cool high school is. He doesn’t feel very cool right now.
“Oi,” a stranger says, squatting down in front of him. “Need some help?”
Luffy shrugs and mumbles. “Y-yeah.”
He can’t say anything else. His emotions are too uncontrolled. He needs to be better than this. He’s in his first year in high school! He can’t be a baby anymore! He has to prove to his brothers that he can be just as cool as them!
Swallowing the immediate upset feelings, Luffy looks up at the one helper and finds himself staring. Green hair catches his attention first, followed by the briefcase-like bag, and another thing over the tall student’s shoulder - a thinner, longer bag of some kind. No backpack. Is it uncool to have a backpack? Why didn’t Ace or Sabo tell him?
Oh, but there’s other things about this stranger that strike his mind. Three golden earrings dangling from his left ear. A passing thought of “is that the gay ear?” goes through his head, but he shakes it off. There’s a black bandana or something tied at the guy’s arm and whoa those arms are barely concealed by the required uniform.
Now Luffy can’t stop staring for a whole different reason as he tries to peek through the jacket and - oh there’s no tie - so he can see the other student’s chest, if just barely. Luffy licks his suddenly dry lips and tries to clear a sudden dry throat.
“I-I’m Luffy,” he says. “I’m a first year. Nice to meet you.”
The stranger grunts, not looking at Luffy as he starts stacking all the books and array of fidgets and papers and several bags of chips and flavored candies and jerky strips that had been all stashed, as well as the miniature straw hat that matches the one on Luffy’s head.
“Zoro. Third year. You sure have a lot of random stuff in here.”
Luffy grins, “It’s everything I thought I’d need for high school.”
Zoro grunts again. “You really won’t need all this. Don’t blame you for the snacks, though. There’s not much of an option in the cafeteria.”
“I don’t even have all my treasures today,” Luffy continues, strangely calming down the longer he sits in Zoro’s presence. “Would you be my friend? I can show you a new treasure every day if you’re my friend. Please say yes. I want you to be my friend.”
“Ah hah -” Zoro glances up, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe. I’ll take you to the lockers and then find you at lunch time today at least. First year is rough on knowing where everything is - it took me forever to find the cafeteria my first year.”
“Sure,” Luffy grins. “Sounds great to me.”
Zoro tilts his head, the earrings making an interesting chime in the motion and then again when the wind brushes through, ruffling his short green hair and the edges of his uniform. “I’m not carrying all of your stuff. You’ve got to pick some of it up, too, you know.”
In a heartbeat, Luffy rushes to gather up the remaining things, and his broken backpack. “Oh! Right! Sorry, Zoro!”
Zoro grunts - a common sound for the tall, well built teenager, apparently. “Whatever. Don’t make me regret helping you.”
Luffy can do nothing more but laugh. “Shishishi! No one ever regrets helping me. Just ask Ace or Sabo.”
There’s a few beats of silence next. Zoro stands up, holding everything he can manage in his arms, as well as his own bags. Luffy stands up next to him, grinning wide, no longer feeling on the edge of tears. He really really really hopes Zoro is going to stay his friend.
Yeah, stay, because in his mind, Zoro is already his friend. He’s going to find and follow Zoro everywhere if he can. Drag Zoro to everything. Get Zoro to show him around the small town around this high school (since Ace and Sabo talk about it all the time but never bring him along for their adventures.)
It’s when they’re walking that Zoro stumbles and turns wide eyes to Luffy. “Wait. You know Ace?”
Luffy doesn’t know how to feel about the blush suddenly creeping up the green haired teenager’s face, but for now, he simply grins back and pushes the strange possibilities to the back of his mind.
Huh.
He’s already decided then. Zoro is going to be his .