The World Ends With You

Chapter 12: Crumbs and Clues

"Sorry but this thing's mine flyweight," he smirked and grabbed the artifact out of Luffy's reach.

But the raven haired boy simply frowned. Nami approached him with a smile plastered on her face, "It's fine, Luffy, let's just–"

"No!"

"...eh?"

"Hey you!" Luffy raised to point a finger at the man. "How much do you want for the watch?"

He turned to him with a cocked eyebrow. "Seriously? You're asking me that?"

And Nami asked Luffy the same thing, except she was baring her fangs because her friend there was about to spend money on such a 'useless' thing. Utterly unacceptable.

Apparently, the man already paid for said object and was currently having a staring contest with the wee lamb in front of him. Luffy opened his mouth once more, "I asked you. How much do you want for it?"

"Calm down kid, I don't want any money," he retorted with a chuckle, much to Nami's relief. "but I could use a drink, though."

Nami shook her head. "No..."

"Since you act so high and mighty, let's see if you can beat me in a drinking contest."

"Excuse me!" Nami stepped in front of her friend. "We're minors! We can't possibly drink–"

"It's fine, Nami." Luffy retorted even though he didn't know what he was in. He just wanted to get Nami her watch or whatever that thing was called. He turned to the man. "I accept your challenge."

Sooner or later the two found themselves in a pub. Lights flickered as if they were in a horror movie, and there was even a spot inside the pub without men. The three of them headed there and the bartender immediately, well, tended to their needs. The man ordered for ten shots of tequila for each of them, along with a chocolate parfait for the orange haired girl. Not that she tried it even once; she was just worried about Luffy since she knew he had never tasted a single drop of alcohol before. Ever.

Luffy narrowed his eyes to slits and bent over the table, looking at the shot glasses closely. "So we're just finishing up these...juices?"

The man gave a hearty laugh. "Yes, wee lamb. That's all it is. First one to pass out loses the Log Pose."

Oh, so the watch-and-compass hybrid was called a Log Pose. Nami took note of that. The man then took two shots while Luffy imitated, right after he commented why would juices make them pass out. As soon as the 'juice' had made contact with his tongue, he made a face. "It tastes bad!" was all that he exclaimed after the shots he took but he kept in mind that he was doing it for his friend.

"So dizzy..." the man said upon his half-mark.

Hearing this, Nami comically sweatdropped. "Why the hell would you challenge someone into something that you cannot even do yourself?"

Luffy, on the other hand, was acknowledging the bad taste the tequila was leaving on his mouth but he was on his eighth glass. On his ninth, the other man was out cold and the Log Pose was theirs for the taking.

"We won!!!" Nami cheered. "Come on, Luffy, let's get out of here. We still have schoolwork to do."

But he wasn't moving. She noticed how she was incapacitated almost like the man, but Luffy still got on his feet to scram. "I hate schoolwork!!! Nami, you should hate schoolworks too."

She chuckled as she helped him stand up, swooping one arm on his back while throwing his arm around her own shoulder. She had to agree, Luffy was heavier than she expected.

Thankfully, Nami managed to make Luffy spit out where he lived and it was not far away from the mall. They took a bus, with her paying for their fare using her own card – since she couldn't find Luffy's one – and they arrived at his residence.

"Geez, Luffy, why do you not lock the doors when you go out?" Nami asked the half asleep bloke she was dragging. They got inside but she was wrong; it was not a house but a loft. A tiny little house with just the right amount of everything for Luffy. Nami wondered if he resided with someone, since the place itself was still way too spacious for just one person.

Nami dropped Luffy on the couch and she stretched her back, feeling the ache from carrying him all the way from the pub to his place. She then glanced at his left wrist where her golden bangle, given to her by her sister, was now accompanied by the Log Pose Luffy won from the guy earlier. She thanked Luffy for making himself drunk just for this.

Luffy had his feet slightly apart and an arm, around the space beside him, on the back of the sofa. He was feeling hot. "It's burning hot..."

"That's what you get for drinking," Nami said. "I'll get you something cold. Don't go anywhere."

But he didn't hear her. "Get me some iceee...."

As Nami looked for ice and some cloth inside the kitchenette, Luffy started taking off his top and throwing it somewhere across the room. He even undid his shorts but didn't remove them; he was way too exhausted to move. He felt he was going to puke but luckily, he didn't.

"Luffy!" Nami blushed as she returned with a makeshift icepack.

The raven haired boy was sitting there, mouth slightly agape and eyes shut tight. He was sweating and his face was almost as red as a tomato. Like hers. Luffy looked enticing to her. Nami noticed the same lean muscles she saw from the basketball match the other day and she had to admit, Luffy didn't look like a childish grunt anymore. In addition to this was the painful-looking scar on his chest shaped like an 'X'.

Shaking her head to get her thoughts straight, Nami went and sat a few inches beside him but close enough to sense his arm behind her. "I-I'm going to out some ice on you, okay?"

Luffy slightly opened his eyes and faced towards her. "Nami?" he trapped her with the arm that was once on the back of the sofa then used his free hand to tuck loose orange locks from Nami's face. The girl blushed like crazy as he was asking, "Is that you?"

"Y-Yeah, it's me..."

"Thank goodness,"

He was almost hugging her, but not quite. However, his right arm that was around her, started to pull her towards him. Nami felt the sweat from his body and felt herself getting warm. "L-Luffy..."

Luffy sniffed. "You smell like...tangerines." his head then landed on top of hers and she smiled against her hair. "...drives me crazy."

Nami was blushing tenfold. They still have to do their schoolwork but from the way things were going, she was certain they would not get finished. They would not even get started on it.

"H-Hey...you're drunk, Luffy." she chuckled. "You have no idea what you're saying."

"Grumpy Nami always kills my joy,"

A vein popped on her forehead. "Say that again...?"

Luffy lifted his head and, to Nami's absolute surprise, placed a small kiss on her hairline. "Nami, I..."

Luffy's drunk...Luffy's drunk. Nami thought to herself over and over again. He doesn't know what he's saying and doing...he's drunk...

"What?" was all she could ask back since she swallowed.

He wasn't even opening his eyes when he spoke drowsily, "I li–"

And with that, Luffy fell asleep with his head resting in the back of the sofa. She didn't want to jump into conclusions and so Nami just chuckled at the act he just displayed; was that even Luffy who was talking?! And howcome he hadn't thrown up yet?! Anyone with low alcohol tolerance or, let alone, had never tasted alcohol before usually feel sick the first time tasting it. Right?

All told, Nami shuffled on her seat to close in his face. "Sorry, Luffy..." she said before placing a soft peck on the scar underneath his left eye. "I hope your empress doesn't kill me for this."

What a day.