A/N: Thank you for the support guys but I will tell you one thing: I actually forgot what the original story is. I know it's dumb of myself to forget the plot so I hope you understand. Anyway, I will try to update at least once a week (maybe thrice if I'm lucky enough to have free time with school and stuff) and I actually have another multi-part chapter in mind. So, with that being said, I hope you still enjoy reading the story!!!!!
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THE DAY WENT quicker as usual but, at the same time, it felt like forever. It rained all day, which meant those students who were supposed to be catching buses would stay back and wait for the rain to stop, or proceed and wait on the unsheltered bus stops. Considering this, the cafeteria, library, and senior lounge were open to all students (and teachers) for the time being.
Lightning and thunder clashed in the skies above. But there wasn't any wind. It kept raining cats and dogs since the morning up until after school hours, and a certain orange haired girl wanted to go home already.
Of course. Nami wanted to go home.
She had planned on telling — no, confessing to — him her feelings but it didn't go as planned. First off, she thought of talking to him during recess or lunch and not first thing in the morning. And if that made her feel better by looking at the bright side, which was the problem was now finished...
"W-What do you mean your 'brothers were right'?"
The two of them now sat inside a booth in the library. Opposite seats were cushioned, the wooden table were vandalised with calligraphy, and a TV was stuck up on the wall beside the table. The library itself was nearly empty because, well, nobody wanted to stay in the library aside from the ones whose books were long overdue.
Anyway, how about Luffy? Wasn't he 'dating' the 'Pirate Empress'?
Turns out it was simply over — "That'll do," as he said — and now they were back to the status of friends with one-sided affection. But that was the least of his concern; he wasn't even worried about that in the first place.
Luffy glanced at Nami's left wrist where a gold bangle, given by her sister, and a three-domed Log Pose were. Apparently, the Log Pose she wore was a newer model because Ace also had one, but his only had one compass and its strap was made from stainless steel.
The strawhat-wearing lacky smiled. "They're saying stuff about girls and all that...I don't really get any of those that they said. But what they said was true."
"What is it?"
"They told me that the right girl will, I don't know, give up on her own happiness...no, I don't know but it's something like that."
"Oh,"
"What's wrong? I swear that's all I understood," he chuckled nervously. "you know, you can ask me anything. I'll try and answer them. Properly."
Questions. Nami hummed. What would make a good question? She looked around as she came up with one and returned her gaze at him. Though she averted her gaze as she spoke.
"R-Remember in homecoming...? During the dance...?"
Luffy blinked for a moment. "Oh yeah, Sabo taught me that dance specifically. We spent a lot of time with me learning just one step."
"No, no." Nami scoffed. "I mean...remember when you...a-at the end of the d-dance...you...y-you..."
He was the one who looked away this time and his lips were pouting. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Luffy was a terrible liar, she knew that and so she continued asking him the question. She just wanted to know if he meant it or not...if he didn't, at least she would finally know her feelings weren't reciprocated; with that, she would give up.
But...
"I- I don't really k-know what you're talking about,"
Nami turned to him. "I know it's embarrassing but I won't tell anyone else. I just want to, you know, have a clue on how ever you feel about me. Now that you know that I like you..."
"W-Well..."
======
"Oi Luffy, you've got some explaining to do."
THE BROTHERS' SHARED dorm was quiet as autumn rain, a freckled raven haired boy looking inside the fridge. He had freckles and he wore a white tank top that exposed his muscular upper half, and on the left arm was a tattoo that spelled 'ASCE' but the letter S was crossed out.
His name was Portgas D Ace. Or rather, Gol D Ace because he was the biological son of the one and only Gol D Roger, who had founded the school they were currently attending.
Monkey D Luffy, the strawhat-wearing one with no freeckles but had a scar underneath his left eye, and was not related to Ace in way, shape, or form, was laying on the sofa.
The 'Forefront Exhibition Festival' had long concluded. Ace recalled encountering Nami and an outsider who was, apparently, sightseeing. Not in the booths but the female students who wore mufti that day. One of those female students was Nami, who wore an orange jumper that reached above her thigh and a green bandana which acted as a headband.
It was also that moment Ace assumed...
"You're still not making a move," Ace blurted out.
Luffy looked up since he was lying on his back on the sofa. "What 'move'?"
Sabo was the one who replied this time. He recently was in the shower so his curly blonde hair was wet and he smelled like soap and menthol shampoo. "I don't think you're actually the dating the 'Pirate Empress'. Am I right?"
"We've a deal," said Luffy. "she said she wanted to make up to me and so I agreed."
But it's not simply like that. He inadvertently teased her into making her make up for leaving him at the dance. All told, he agreed to be 'official' with her for a couple days, which meant they were together all the time during that time period.
But even so...
"She's just a friend,"
The two older brothers exchanged glances and asked the common question: "Who?"
"Both of them. Nami and Hancock,"
"But Luffy..." Sabo groaned and scratched his head as he sat on the floor adjacent to his younger brother on the sofa. "you said...no, you kissed her during the dance. Don't tell me you did that just for—"
"I saw you do that to Koala. And I remembered you saying that it's reserved? For the woman that will make your heart leap? I know it is weird but that's what I felt during the dance. During the dance with Nami."
Now the brothers blinked.
Ace scoffed. "Luffy...it just means you like her. It's that simple."
"Yeah, true. If I were you I have asked her out already."
"Ask her out...?"
Sabo sighed. "You know, like a date. A real date. Just the two of you enjoying the day at the mall or somewhere else. I mean, it well help you guys to know each other better."
"But we're friends! We've been friends since I transferred here, so that means that we know each other well, right?"
Ace was the one who spoke this time. "How about during those two years? I know you guys got separated. So how do you know how she was during that time? Luffy, did you even ask her about it?"
"No,"
"That's it." exhaled Sabo. "You're gonna ask her out and tell her how you really feel about her. Whichever comes first."
======
NAMI BLINKED AS Luffy finished his narrating. He didn't say the words his brothers said but he pretty much just summarised what happened that day after the Forefront Exhibition Festival. Now, they were speechless which, for Luffy, was super miraculous.
Luffy took a deep breath and glanced around them; there were no other people aside from them and the librarian, who probably didn't care about the students' conversations, hidden from their view. He was going to tell her. He could feel his heart speeding up as he blinked another couple times and looked at Nami. There he noticed her well chiselled face tinted bright red.
"I like you, Nami."
It was Nami who blinked this time, her eyes also widening in surprise. "Wait, what? Like...like-like? Do you even know what you're saying...?"
He chuckled nervously. Goda, how did Sabo do this to Koala before? Luffy's heart was speeding almost as if his blood accelerated and his skin turning pink with steam escaping throughout his body.
"I actually don't," Luffy laughed, creating a series of 'shi' sounds. "but my brothers seemed to know exactly how I feel about...about you."
"This isn't like you,"
"..."
"Are you telling the truth?"
Then she remembered: Luffy always sucked at lying, even if it was a matter of life or death.