Here's the next part! They might still be a bit OOC, sorry about that but I hope you enjoy. And let me know what you think!
Ch.2. Count on Sanji to ruin a moment.
"Nami...!" Luffy called for her while knocking on her door.
"Coming!" Nami responded, climbing down the stairs. Her flat sandals patted against the floor as she made her way towards the door.
She opened the it and found Luffy with his usual grin. He was wearing a dark blue jeans and a grey t-shirt. She guessed he had tried combing his hair but they had reverted back to being messy.
"You're late." she stated, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Yeah..." he grinned sheepishly "sorry about that" he continued, scratching the back of his head and messing his hair up even more in the process.
"It's all Ace's fault!" he said, trying to blame his brother for his late arrival.
Nami sighed. "Tell me about that later. We're already late. Let's get going.'' She stepped out of the house, grabbing her keys and purse. She had a grey, almost light blue jeans and a dark blue crop top on, that covered her stomach with orange tangerine designs with loose sleeves that ended at her elbows. It was one of her favorites.
''You look nice'' Luffy complimented her as they made their way towards the venue of their date.
''Thanks. You don't look bad yourself'' She replied, a faint blush on both of their cheeks.
The silence was a bit uncomfortable as this was a first for both of them. Nami did get asked out a lot but she'd never agreed since she didn't find them worthy enough. But Luffy was different. And even though some of her friends objected, (namely Sanji) she knew they were wrong. He might've seemed asexual but he'd asked her out himself, proving them to be incorrect.
''So-'' Luffy began but was interrupted by the vibration of his cell phone. He stopped and fished it out of his jean pocket. He stared at the screen for a few seconds and started typing a reply while sighing.
''Who is it?'' Nami asked him, curious. Normally,she wouldn't pry into others business but she had a suspicion it had something to do with her.
''Just Ace and Ussop checking up on me.'' He replied, pocketing his device as the two started walking again.
''Oh.'' Nami nodded, understanding. Their group of friends made sure to look after each other and she wasn't surprised that they had helped Luffy. Possibly with everything.
''As I was saying-'' Luffy continued, only to get interrupted again, this time, by Nami's cell and they stopped again.
''Sorry'' she apologized, taking the device out from her purse. ''It's Sanji'' she muttered. Luffy wasn't sure if she was telling that to him or just talking to herself so he kept quiet and Nami continued ''He's asking me if you're treating me properly'' she glanced up at Luffy with questioning eyes, thinking about the answer. Luffy pleaded to her with his eyes to not say anything bad. He didn't have a death wish.
''I'll answer him later'' she decided. They resumed their walk as she put her cell back into her purse.
''So we're going to the same shop?'' Nami asked. ''Yep. It's the best around here.'' he replied. She snorted ''sure.''
Luffy wasn't surprised. She had tried their tangerine flavor before and wasn't at all pleased. ''Oh c'mon...it wasn't that bad...'' Luffy protested.
Nami had a lot of points to state but she decided not to argue with him that evening. So she just sighed and decided not to say anything.
''So what're your plans after we graduate this year?''' Luffy asked her. ''I've already started applying for colleges, actually'' Nami replied and Luffy detected a hint of happiness in her tone.
''There's this really good one for cartography and I think I can get into it. Although I still haven't been able to decide between my majors. You know how much I love meteorology''.
''Yeah you're pretty good at both. So why don't you double major?'' Luffy suggested as he held the door of the shop open for her to enter. Nami couldn't help but stare at Luffy for a few seconds, as him acting like a gentleman was not what she had expected.
''Uh...Yeah...'' she said as she entered the place and attempted to go back to their conversation ''That did occur to me but I hear that college isn't exactly famous for meteorology. So if I decide to do double majors, I'll have to apply for colleges that are good for both''.
Luffy nodded as he went over to a table and pulled out a chair. She watched as he gestured for her to sit in it. She complied, an amusing smile on her face the whole time.
''By the way...Nami...'' Luffy began as he settled in his own chair ''What is meteorology? Does it have anything to do with meteors?''
Nami chuckled. ''It's the study of weather'' she explained and Luffy nodded in realization, as all the times she'd ever spent on talking about weather flooded his mind. He never really paid any attention, knowing he wouldn't understand a word and he didn't have an attention span that long anyways. So he'd always focused more on her, her hair, her face and the way her eyes lit up with happiness whenever she talked about it, a soft smile of adoration gracing his own face in the process, making it obvious that he loved seeing her like that.
''And if you didn't know what it meant, why did you act like you did?'' She asked.
"I was going to ask you but then I remembered something that Ace, Ussop and Sanji told me.'' he replied, while going over the menu. After all, food was always on his mind.
"Which was...?'' Nami prompted.
''I think I'm getting all of these-'' Luffy told her as he turned the menu towards her while running a finger over the list in a section. "What about you?" he asked, not aware that Nami had asked him a question.
Nami felt her anger rise as her fingers turned and formed a fist.
"Nami?"Luffy prodded her. "What are you ordering?''
Nami decided to let his mistake pass this once since he did act properly before. And this was Luffy about to have ice cream.
"I think you should get the double chocolate chip. It's awesome.'' Luffy continued.
She shouldn't really be surprised that he wasn't really listening to her. Luffy stopped and realized that she was being awfully quite and finally taking his eyes off the menu, he looked up at her, wondering about her silence.
A familiar, pretty face greeted him but the only downside was that it was angry. As usual, Luffy had no idea why. So, for the first time, he did the smart thing (no, he didn't run away).
"M sorry!" Luffy apologized, with praying hands and eyes shut tight. His legs were shaking, aching to run. It's what his instincts were screaming at him to do. But somehow, he held his ground.
She took a deep breath, calming herself and had a look at the menu.
''Just get me a chocolate chip'' she said, turning the menu back to him. He sighed in relief and hastily got up to order.
"Make it a double chocolate chip!'' she yelled out to him, as he was giving the guy at the counter their orders. Luffy turned and smiled, nodding. He decided to take her change in choice as a sign that she wasn't mad at him anymore.
While Luffy ordered at the counter, Nami felt her phone vibrate and she took it out.
It was Sanji again. Having nothing else to do, she decided to reply to him.
'It's going fine.'
She hit 'send' as Luffy made his way towards their table, his hands holding their ice cream. He placed Nami's in front of her and took his seat.
Nami was about to have her first bite when her phone vibrated again. It was Sanji again. She debated whether or not to check it since it would be kind of rude. She looked up, towards Luffy and found him wolfing down his ice cream, without caring about anything. An asteroid could've hit the planet and wiped out all life and Luffy wouldn't have cared. He probably won't be listening to her until he finished eating, so she decided to go ahead and reply.
'I hope he's doing everything I told him to' Sanji had texted.
'Yeah don't worry. And quit texting us. We're fine.' She replied, hoping that was the last of him. They were going to bother her with questions later anyways so she wanted for them to be quite for now and let her enjoy.
"Nami, don't you want that? Its melting'' Luffy asked, having finished his own. He was eyeing it hungrily, hoping that she wouldn't want it.
"You can have a spoonful'' She said, taking his spoon and getting a spoonful of her ice cream. She was about to pass it to him when he just leaned forward and put the spoon in his mouth, it still being in her hand. Technically, she had just fed him.
Luffy just sat back down in his seat. "See? I told you that flavor is awesome!''
With a faint blush on her cheeks, she went back to eating her ice cream.
"You still haven't answered my question'' she said, having a spoonful. He was right. The flavor was really good.
"What question?'' he asked, leaning back on his chair.
"What did the guys tell you?'' she asked, having another spoonful.
"Oh right...that...'' Luffy continued ''they were just telling me how to behave, what to do, what not to do and stuff.''
"And you remembered?'' Nami asked, surprised. Learning new complicated things by paying attention wasn't exactly Luffy's forte.
He shrugged. "They made me.''
"How?'' it could be useful later. "By promising me meat afterwards''. Of course.
"M done. Let's go'' She said, finishing the last of her ice cream.
"So what do you want to do next?'' he asked, holding the door open for her again.
"Hmm...how about the park?'' She suggested.
"Okay'' he nodded. As they walked to the park, hand in hand, she wondered for how long they would be able to spend time like this before she had to go away. She made a mental note to ask about what his plans were.
He was being awfully quite, just stealing glances at her, as if sensing her course of thoughts. He opened his mouth once or twice to say something but had decided against it. He could ask her later about that funny expression she was making right now and the cause of it. She was swaying their hands together slowly and giving his hand an occasional squeeze. Her face scrunched up at times, brows furrowed together and at times a small pout. All in all, it was really cute to look at, so Luffy didn't bother her until they got to the park.
Seeing the gate at the distance, Nami smiled. Their group would often go there, to just sit and talk when they had nothing to do or actually play (mainly chopper, Ussop and Luffy) but the rest did enjoy the occasional swing.
They entered the garden which seemed deserted, save for the 4 people who seemed to be hanging out. Other than that, they couldn't see anyone else, it being 9 at night. Upon entering, Luffy instantly perked up and dragging Nami a bit, made way to the swings.
Luffy was about to sit on one but for some reason, stopped. He looked up at Nami who was also making her way to the one hanging beside his, a small smile on her lips.
"Are you sure you want to do this? We can go over to the benches to sit if you want.'' He suggested.
She sat down on the one next to his and smiled up at him "No m perfectly fine with this''. Luffy grinned ''okay then.'' and sat down on his own one.
Pushing her legs against the ground, she started swinging slowly. "But why did you ask?'' she inquired. 'More like how did you ask' she thought but decided that would be rude.
He shrugged, mimicking her movements "Just something they told me to do.''
She raised her eyebrow ''And they were fine with you actually coming anywhere near the play area?"
He gave a sheepish smile ''I wasn't even supposed to look at the things, much less come to this side of the park. But I just couldn't resist once I got here.''
She nodded, understanding. "But how much did you prepare for this one little date, exactly?'' she asked, amused.
"A bit, not much. They made me notes on what to do and what not to do. Plus how to behave and what to wear and stuff.''
''How long for?'' she asked again.
''Two days. We would've finished in one but I spent a lot of time eating my promised meat on the first day.'' He replied, thinking back on the past few days.
Nami gave a small sigh ''Luffy,I appreciate you making an effort but I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this. You don't have to change. I like you just the way you are. Although a few table manners would be appreciated. At least on dates.''
Luffy snickered and nodded. Staring at Nami, a small smile played on his lips and perhaps a tint of red on his face but she couldn't be sure in the poor lighting.
"Does that mean I can act as myself now?'' he asked after a few minutes.
She nodded "Yes''.
"So you won't hit me anymore, then?'' he inquired, hopeful.
"Only when it's needed'' she responded.
Luffy sat there for a while, swinging slowly with a thoughtful look on his face. "How about I make you deal, then?'' he mused, a small gleam in his eyes.
Amused, she said ''continue''.
"How about I'll be myself but you don't hit me?'' her punches hurt, damn it!
"And how would I benefit from it?'' she asked, head tilted and an eyebrow raised. It seemed she was rubbing off on him. His eyes held the same kind of look hers did whenever she tried striking a deal regarding money.
They sat there for a few minutes, him unable to come up with a proper offer (apparently, saying 'you'll have me just the way I am' didn't cut it). Nami gave a small laugh "Fine, Luffy. I won't hit you as much. But m not promising anything.'' Still a thoughtful look on his face, he nodded, satisfied.
Digging her bare feet into the soft white sand, she let the coolness soothe her. After a few minutes on the swing, she got up and offered her hand to Luffy. "Now how about that bench you mentioned earlier? I'm tired of the swing.'' She asked, smiling.
"Sure!'' Luffy agreed and jumped off of his still swinging seat and took her hand into his, swinging it all the way towards the bench.
Here, sitting on the bench, Nami thought back to all the times they'd ever hung out here and how most of them would be off to college soon. That also meant that she would be away from Luffy although she still didn't know what his plans were.
"Hey! You should try this, Nami. It feels nice." Luffy said, patting the space next to where he was laying on the grass with one hand under his head, acting like a pillow.
'I don't see why not' she thought, getting up from the bench and made herself comfortable next to him.
The night sky was beautiful and she found herself going back to her previous thoughts. Luffy glanced at her and was about to say something but he decided against it. The silence felt nice and he didn't want to disturb the peace. Nami seemed to be in deep thought with a wistful smile on her face.
"What're you thinking about?" he asked, curious, breaking the silence in the process.
Out of instinct, she took her hand in his, running her thumb over the back of his hand. Luffy looked into her eyes and gave her a small smile. It was so different than his normal grins.
"Just the usual...stuff...the future...'' she answered, not breaking the eye contact.
'' You mean the near future? Like what you are going to have for breakfast tomorrow?'' He asked, but he doubted that was the correct answer. She wasn't drooling like Luffy did whenever he thought about food. But then again, Nami never drooled.
"No….the future a bit after that…I was thinking about the next few months" Nami corrected, gazing back at the stars again. Luffy nodded and she continued "You know, you never told me what you were going to do next."
"I haven't decided what I would like to do yet. But m trying to figure it out." He replied.
She hummed in reply and thought for a few moments. "How about a trainer or coach? You're good at physical activities. And I saw a few courses in the college brochures that I have." She suggested.
He considered it for a few moments before turning to her "Yeah…that doesn't sound bad. Mind if I take a look at them?" He asked.
"Tomorrow, 11:30, my place?" she suggested, turning to him.
"Done" He smiled and nodded, giving her hand a squeeze.
Nami brought his hand closer to her, studying it as Luffy turned towards her. She looked up, his face an inch away from hers.
"I hope there's a good course in one of your colleges" Luffy said, hopeful. His eyes went over her lips as she too turned towards him. She caught the movement of his eyes and saw him lick his lips subconsciously.
"Yeah. Me too. You know why?" she asked, her voice a whisper.
"Why?" he asked distractedly, leaning over to close the distance. She moved forward, eyes closed, their lips almost touching as her breath ghosted over his lips "Because-"
"VMMMMM! VMMMMM!-" Luffy jumped, startled and sat up to take out the annoying device from his pocket which was vibrating like no tomorrow.
Cursing under his breath he saw that it was an alarm put in by Sanji for Luffy to know when it was getting late and to go home. It seemed like a good idea at the time but now, not so much.
"What happened?!" Nami cried sitting up, equally startled. "One moment we were going to kiss and- what happened?!"
"It's just my stupid alarm that Sanji had put in" Luffy explained, having calmed down a bit.
"I almost kissed the damn ground!" she exclaimed, one hand over her chest to calm her racing heart.
Luffy laughed. "You did? Wait until Zoro hears about this-"
"You tell about that part to anyone- I promise that'll be the last thing you'll ever say. Understood?" she threatened with his collar in her hands as she pulled him down towards her eye level, her face scary as ever as he stared at her.
Luffy nodded hastily "Yes, 'mam!"
"Good" she said, releasing him. "What was that set for anyways?" she asked, coming back to normal.
"To let us know it's getting late and we should be heading home." He replied, getting up and dusting himself.
She huffed and accepted Luffy's hand as she got up "Count on Sanji to ruin a moment."
He snickered "Yeah."
"I suppose he's right, though. What time is it anyways?" She asked, putting her shoes back on.
"Um…9:45" He stated. "It really is getting late." He nodded to her "M getting hungry too" he said, running a hand over his stomach.
"When are you not?" she asked in a mocking tone, looping her arm in his. He shrugged "I'll let you know when that happens." She laughed and kissed his cheek.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You still up for tomorrow, yeah?" She asked as they neared her house. "Yep. 11:30, right?"
She nodded as they reached her gate. "We can grab lunch later if you want." She suggested. "Totally." He agreed, giving her a thumbs up.
"I had fun tonight." She said looking up at him, eyes glancing at his lips.
"Me too." He said, cupping her cheek and leaned down, hoping that there were no alarms this time. Fortunately there weren't but their hearts raced even without the alarm to startle them as their lips touched and molded against each other. One hand at her waist, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss as her hands snaked around his neck and into his hair, pulling him closer. They remained that way for a few more glorious moments before they had to part due to the lack of air. Panting a bit, they looked into each others eyes and went for another slow and loving kiss.
"Are you sure we are going to get any work done tomorrow?" he asked when they parted again. She smiled and pecked his cheek. "We have to if we want to be able to do this more often." He nodded in agreement.
They stared at each other for a few moments before a cold breeze went through the now cold night and she crossed her arms across her chest against the cold.
"Anyways…I should get going now." He said, jabbing his thumb towards the road behind his back.
She nodded and gave a small smile. She seemed to be doing that a lot these days. "See you tomorrow. Good night."
He leaned in, pecking her lips again "Good night."
She watched his retreating figure, a small smile on her lips as the whole evening went through her head. And she was sure it would work out.