Nami reversed into the parking space, unhooked her seatbelt, and before she locked the car, she checked her hair and makeup in the rearview mirror. Today she was meeting with friends for a lunch picnic at Going Merry Park.
They were friends from school but one, in particular, she was closest to.
When they saw her she ran excitedly into their arms with the biggest of smiles. That was Monkey D. Luffy. She ignored the eye rolls and teasing smirks from the others and when Luffy released her with arms still wrapped around her waist, her smiles continued when he gave her a fat kiss to the cheek.
"Glad you could make it."
"It's good to see you, Luffy. I've got the greatest news."
From the outside, anyone would have thought that they hadn't seen each other for weeks, months even, but it had only been a day.
They and the guys had been hanging out together since school closed for the summer holidays. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Vivi had all graduated from high school. Nami, Robin, and Sanji had already gone through their first year of university so catching up was out of the question.
"Get a room!"
"You guys should just get married already."
"Not in front of my salad!"
Came the snide remarks. Yes. Luffy and Nami were close, closer than most but that didn't mean anything.
"What are you guys on about?" asked Nami, raising a brow and giving them a tired look.
"Nami and I are only friends. How many times do we have to tell you that?"
Yes. Luffy and Nami were only friends. They were as platonic as platonic could get but none of their friends were buying it.
"Bullshit. Friends don't hug each other like that or kiss each other on the cheek," said Zoro.
"Yeah they do," Luffy replied, breathing a sigh. He approached his green-haired friend. "If you wanted hugs and kisses, Zoro, all you had to do was ask."
But just before Luffy could grab at his waist, Zoro shoved him away.
"Cut the crap and get the hell away from me!"
Zoro hurried away before Luffy could grab a hold of him and everyone died laughing.
"I'm all yours, Nami-san!" declared Sanji, arms opened wide and lips pursed out in a manner to kiss her.
"Ew. No."
"So what's the difference between Sanji and Luffy, despite the obvious?"
Sanji was a pervert but also a friend of hers but...
"With Luffy..." Nami turned to look at her best friend as she spoke, "With Luffy it's different."
She sat on the blanket beside him and helped herself to a sandwich. As expected, it was good. Sanji always outdid himself.
"Why is it different?" Robin asked, bookmarking her novel. She took her cup and poured herself a helping of tea.
The others listened.
"It's not to say that you guys have known each other since childhood. You transferred to Grandline High in your final year of high school. We've known Luffy longer than you have and yet the two of you are inseparable," said Vivi, picking out the raisins from her salad.
They hung out all the time. It was rare to see one without the other. One could not begin to imagine how the first year was when Nami graduated and started college. They didn't make it get them down but it took a lot of adjusting and many, many phone calls and messages to keep each other sane.
Even now during the summer, they spent endless time together either with or without the rest of the gang.
"Because..." Nami leaned back on her hand but hers ended up touching Luffy's.
She would have apologized in the past but things like this didn't trouble them now so she chose not to mention it. None bothered pulling away.
"Maybe it's because Luffy helped me adjust to the new school and everything. He made me feel comfortable and was there for me when I needed it. Luffy's a good guy. We all can vouch for that."
'Shishishishi'
"Didn't you start dating in college?"
"I did. But had to break it off within 3 months."
"Because he wasn't Luffy?"
"No." Nami gave Zoro a glare. He was getting on her nerves. It had always been that way between them.
"We didn't get along and wanted different things. I decided that I wasn't ready for a relationship."
"Did you know about this, Luffy?"
"I did."
Luffy moved his hand to grab a soda from Vivi's outstretched hand, Nami immediately missed his warmth.
"So why not Luffy?" Usopp asked. Zoro decided to butt in. Every time he saw them acting all lovey-dovey, it always left a bad taste in his mouth. It was time to settle this once and for all.
"Let's ask Luffy."
Said boy gave him a questioning stare.
"Do you ever see yourself dating, Nami? Ever?"
Luffy stared at his green-haired friend and Nami rolled her eyes and accepted an orange soda from the cooler Vivi offered. It was her favourite.
"Me and Nami? Dating?"
"Yes. You like her right?"
"I do. I like all you guys."
"Not that kind of like, Luffy. Come on, you know what we mean. Don't you want to hug and kiss her?"
"But I do that already."
"For the final and last time. We're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Right Luffy?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not done yet... You said you like Nami. What do you like about her."
Everyone watched the exchange with great interest. All they were missing was some popcorn.
"I like Nami because she's nice. What's not to like about her?"
"Okay. What about her is nice?"
"The way she treats people and looks out for others, especially her family and friends. She listens to me and helps me find a solution to most of my problems. She's the type of person who you can count on cause she's always there."
They all knew damn well Luffy was the only one getting this sort of special treatment but chose not to mention it. Nami was terribly selective with whom she gave her time and attention. She was the type who put a price tag on everything. Things just weren't adding up.
Robin decided to try a little experiment.
"Nami is a cute girl, isn't she Luffy?"
"Yup!"
Nami's cheeks tinged. This information she knew already by heart. Heck, he even outwardly called her cute a handful of times. Luffy was the type to say what was on his mind without a second thought. He had no filter.
"But nowadays, you have to agree that Nami is really growing into a beautiful woman."
"Nami-san's always beautiful!"
Luffy looked at his best friend as in really looked at her, pinning Nami under his gaze. Said girl gulped a gulp too heavy. Everyone saw it.
"Where is all this coming from, Robin? Luffy doesn't care about those sorts of things."
"Now that you mention it, yeah. Your hair looks super pretty today, Nami," Luffy said with a smile that rivalled a thousand suns.
She had it straightened and curled. Ever since she started university, she had made it a point to really take care of herself, like paying more attention to her hair and finding her personal style.
She knew that Luffy didn't mean anything much by it but against her will, blood rushed to her cheeks.
"T-Thank you..."
At the same time, Usopp handed Chopper a can of shaken up soda and when the poor teen opened it, it spilt everywhere. Usopp laughed his head off, some joined him while others scowled at the mess but best of all, they were off Luffy and Nami's case.
Nami was grateful for the distraction. She touched hands to her burning cheeks and finished her soda in one go.
She was never good with compliments. This she knew but with Luffy it was different. It had honestly taken her by surprise.
"Nami had something she wanted to tell us," chimed Luffy.
Nami smiled bright. She had almost forgotten about her good news.
"You guys remember that trip we talked about in high school?"
"The world trip?" asked Usopp.
"You weren't serious about that, were you?" asked Zoro. It was mostly Nami's idea. Something to cross off her bucket list. It had sounded cool then but now....
"Of course I was. And I found the perfect route. A long trip around the continents. It's a big world out there and we have to see it."
Japan was the only place she knew. She had never been on a plane or stayed anywhere besides at home or the occasional friend's house in middle school.
"So when are you going? Sounds fun."
"... You mean when are we going, right? I won't be going on this trip without you guys."
Everyone exchanged uncertain looks.
"When exactly is this trip, Nami?"
"Next month."
"There's no way we can afford that."
Nami perked up.
"You guys can take a loan from me. I have everything planned."
Almost everyone groaned.
Nami was not from the richest family but she had a whopping and thriving savings account. She not only worked a part-time job but tended to add impossible interest to anyone who dared ask her to lend them some money.
Once Zoro asked to borrow five dollars to buy root beer and the interest he was unaware of at the time cost him to pay back $60. Although he swore not to borrow money from her again, he ended up doing so two more times and was still paying off his debt since high school and that was over a year ago. He unfortunately was not her only victim.
Luffy on the other hand, whenever he borrowed money, he was always made to pay Nami back the exact amount and 8 times out of 10, she 'forgot' about it or deemed it not a big deal.
If anyone searched the dictionary for the word 'bias', they were sure to find Nami's name.
Chopper said, "We're sure you meant well, Nami but I have plans with Dr Kureha next month. Sorry..."
One by one, they all turned her down. One by one, Nami's heart shattered into a million pieces.
It all boiled down to her last hope. Surely if it was just him, she wouldn't mind. It would still be worth it.
"Luffy?"
"Sorry, Nami but I'm pretty sure my Dad wouldn't make me go."
"Oh..."
Silence fell and the tension was so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife.
Suddenly, Nami slung her bag over her shoulder and left.
"I'll see you guys later. I just remembered I had something to do."
Her voice cracked but the only person who heard it was Luffy.
"Come back, Nami. Don't be like that. We're sorry. Maybe next year?" said Usopp.
The others all called after her but Nami didn't come back.
Vivi and Robin made way to stand but Luffy was way ahead of them.
"Nami! Wait up!"
The girl's steps only quickened and she made way to the parking lot where she parked her car.
"I would like to be left alone right now, Luffy."
He grasped her hand and she came to a stop.
"I will leave you alone if you want. I just want to know if you're okay."
His voice was calm and low and Nami struggled to straighten her shoulders.
"I'm okay."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
She faced him to prove her point. Her expression as stoic as ever but Luffy knew better.
"Okay. Be careful on your way home, okay?"
When he released her hand, Nami's whole world fell apart and she ran forward and hugged him close.
"No.... I'm not okay."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Luffy returned the hug, holding her close with one arm around her waist and a hand in her soft hair.
"I'm so, so mad right now. Not because of the guys. I'm mad at myself for being so stupid."
"You're not stupid."
"But I am. Why did I think that everyone would just agree with my selfish request? Why didn't I plan this more in advance? Of course everyone has plans. I'm so naive."
"Everything is going to be okay."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Summer vacation isn't over just yet. We'll figure something out. I would love to go on that trip with you someday so let's do that, even if it means just you and me. We'll have the time of our lives."
When he released her, she smiled up at him with unshed tears in her eyes, lips spreading wide to reveal all her teeth and she hiccupped a little.
"Thanks, Luffy."
Luffy's smile fell away. To say that he was dumbstruck would be saying the least. His eyes went wide and he pulled her back in and kissed the salty brims of her eyes, red dusting his cheeks. His best friend was the cutest in the whole wide world and no one could change his mind.
"That tickles," she laughed when he did it again and looped her arms around his neck and squealed in delight when Luffy lifted her off the ground and spun her around.
In contrast to the skinny, wiry teen she met in high school, Luffy had filled into his shoes. Now he was taller than her. Once upon a time, they used to be around the same height. Luffy had grown strong too. She didn't consider herself to be as light as a feather but the way Luffy lifted her made it seem as such and she loved every second of it.
When he put her down, Nami continued to bask in his warmth, opening her eyes to see their friends giving them deadpanned looks. In retaliation, she stuck her tongue out and gave them the bird, laughing quietly to herself when they rolled their eyes and turned away to mind their own.
This right now was perfection and complete bliss and the fact that Luffy wasn't ready to let go just yet made Nami the happiest girl alive. Nothing else mattered.
Yes. Luffy and Nami were only friends. They were platonic as platonic could get but none of their friends were buying it.
Author's Note
This fic can both stand as a one-shot and multi-chaptered story. What would you like to see? Satisfied with this being a one-shot or do you want to read more? Lemme know in the review section! Majority wins!
Thanks for reading.