forget-me-not!

act one: booze

All right. Here it goes. The idea for this fan fiction has slowly begun growing and it is ready to come out and show its face to the world!

Warnings: (intended) OOCness, shounen-ai, lots of booze and some angst later on.

"Another."

It was more of a demand than a request as the man sitting slightly hunched over at the bar slapped his hand off of the granite countertop. He was a handsome fellow, despite his obvious oddities. His soft green hair was smoothed back neatly, with a few rebellious strands falling over his forehead. He had striking eyes; one was a vivid shade of green and almost feral in demeanor, the other was blemished by a vertical scar. Clothing-wise, it was safe to say he was of a higher class. He wore a black vest over a white dress shirt and black pants. Freshly polished loafers finished off the look.

"I think you've had enough," the blonde bartender scoffed, giving the green-haired man a sideways glance while he mixed a martini for a ginger at the opposite end of the bar. "What's gotten into you anyways? You only drink this much when you're frustrated with something."

"Sanji's right, Zoro. What's gotten you all worked up?" the ginger known as Nami cooed, sidling up to take a seat next to him. She twirled a strand of silky hair as she waited for her drink and an answer.

Zoro snorted disdainfully and tampered with his shot glass impatiently. "None of your business. Now are you going to give me a drink or not?"

If there was anything Zoro hated more than being refused a drink, it was people who didn't know how to keep their noses out of others' affairs. It had been true that something was bothering him, but it was nothing that booze couldn't solve. Sanji was still giving him an unsure look as he handed the woman, Nami, her drink. The eye contact soon snowballed into a staring contest the likes of which the world had never seen. A few other patrons backed away, fearing that a fight would break out any minute. And… if it weren't for the sudden interruption, it most certainly would have.

"C'mon! Give him just one more, Sanji," an unfamiliar voice drawled from behind Zoro. He whirled around to see a scrawny, raven-haired man approaching the bar. The man was sporting a long-sleeved red shirt that was haphazardly tucked into his black pants. An old straw hat dangled on his back, tied loosely around his neck. There was a jagged scar etched out beneath his right eye, much like Zoro's. However, this stranger's eyes were wide, kind and… inviting. There was something about his chocolate brown orbs that drew him in like a siren's song.

Sanji, upon acknowledging the newcomer, stiffened and tore his attention away from Zoro at once. There was a hint of familiarity and also… sadness present in his blue eyes as he averted his attention to the new raven-haired man. Zoro couldn't help but find it odd. The stranger had said little more than a sentence and, unless he missed something, there was nothing saddening about it. The blonde's mouth parted as he spoke, "Oi, but Luffy. He's had more drinks than I've seen two men guys down in one sitting."

Luffy plopped down in the seat on the opposite side of Zoro and crossed his legs before confusedly scratching at the back of his head. A befuddled frown stretched across his face and he eyed Zoro curiously. The green-haired man shifted uncomfortably.

"He doesn't look drunk to me," he pointed out bluntly, resting his arms on the counter.

"Tch. Exactly," Zoro sneered in agreement, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. "I don't see what the problem is."

Sanji bit his lip and simply stared for a moment or two. After an intense stare down, he sighed, slammed two shot glasses on the counter and filled them with vodka. He pushed them forward and glared at them before two stunning blondes drew his attention away. With metaphorical hearts in his eyes, he left his two difficult customers in exchange for some good old-fashioned flirting.

Zoro snorted and downed the shot, taking a moment to recover from the strength of the alcohol. "Thanks for that. I don't know who you are, but you helped me out."

"No problem!" Luffy chuckled heartily. A dazzling grin danced across his lips, revealing every pearly white tooth in his mouth. "You looked cool! Plus, I needed a drinking buddy."

"I guess I could work with that," Zoro smirked and rose his newly filled shot glass to his lips, gulping down the liquid. "Cheers."

The raven-haired man downed his shot in one fluid motion before spinning on his chair to face Zoro more readily. "So who are you?"

"Seems like something you should have asked before all of this… It's Roronoa Zoro… I just moved here last month from Shimotsuki," he explained casually. There was no real need to hide anything from Luffy. The guy came off as harmless as a stuffed puppy. "Yourself?"

"Monkey D. Luffy!" the raven-haired man beamed, extending a hand. Zoro took it firmly and shook. If a handshake was any indicator of how their awkward, newly formed friendship was going to play out, it was looking good already. "I've lived here foeever! It's nice. Have you been down to the fairgrounds yet?"

A good dozen shots and a beer or two later, the seemingly alcohol-immune Zor

o was finally starting to feel the effects of the booze. He wasn't 'vomit-all-over-the-bathroom-floor' drunk, but he was most certainly tipsy. Disorientation aside, he had had the time of his life for the past hour or so. Luffy was certainly bizarre but he was the kind of person you simply wanted to be around. He was cheerful and perky and always had something interesting to say, regardless of whether it was intelligent or not.

Seconds turned to minutes, which then became hours and soon enough it was well into the night. They had talked about everything imaginable: cars, sports, hobbies, etc. Even after Luffy exchanged his beer for water (he had to drive home, after all) they still continued to chat on. The bar was filling up even more now, brimming with scantily clad college girls and middle-aged men in their nicest clothes. Luffy rose to his feet and pulled out his wallet to reach for his credit card.

"I have to go! It's getting late," he announced and gave Zoro a slight smile from beneath the brim of his straw hat. "…I can give you a ride home! You weren't drunk when I came here, but I can't say the same for you now. Shishishi."

Zoro scratched at the back of his head idly and shrugged. He shoved his hand into his coat pocket and reached for his own card, sliding it across the counter where Sanji snatched it away. "Alright. That sounds fine."

"Great!" Luffy grinned, turning on his heels. "I gotta take a leak. Then I'll show you to my car."

The green-haired man nodded in agreement and rose to his feet, slipping his arms into his coat as Luffy disappeared into the crowd. He drummed his fingers against the counter tiredly as he waited.

"Oi, mosshead."

Zoro craned his neck around to see Sanji looming over the counter with both credit cards in his hand. There was a serious note in his blue eyes as he continued, "If you're gonna chase after Luffy, then you ought to know. He may look normal on the outside and all, but he's-"

Sanji was cut off as the subject of his warning finally returned from the restroom, twirling car keys in his hand. His lips instantly sealed shut as the raven-haired man came into hearing range. Luffy grabbed Zoro by the arm and swept him away before the bartender could even get a chance to explain himself. The green-haired man shrugged as he momentarily looked back at the blonde. He was never really in to gossip anyway. Whatever dark secrets Luffy had lingering in his past, that was none of his business.

Luffy led him into the parking lot where a burst of cold air swept past them and made him thankful for bringing his jacket. His ride was nothing special really. It was a crimson red truck with muddy tires. Other than a few scratches hidden every here and there, it was in pretty good shape. Zoro slipped into the front seat as Luffy started the engine. The truck came to life with a small rumble. Static from the radio eventually cleared up and evolved into a catchy pop song. Luffy turned up the volume and drummed his fingers along the side of the steering wheel. It was almost amusing to see him in the driver's seat. Although he was in his early 20s (his young appearance had caused him to be carded multiple times throughout the night by less familiar bartenders,) he still looked like an awkward teen getting behind the wheel for the first time.

"Oi? So where do you live?"

The younger man's voice brought him out of his momentary daze and he realized that they were now pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street. In his alcohol-clouded mind, he stumbled for an answer. "Uhm. 11 East Blue Street. I have an apartment there."

Luffy's foot pressed on the brakes as he hit a stoplight and he momentarily looked over to Zoro. His face had brightened upon hearing the factlet. "Awesome! That's not too far away from here. I live in the apartment complex just around the corner on Foosha Street. I'm living with my dad, Shanks, right now until I can find another place."

Zoro had rolled down his window in attempt to ease the wave of nausea that had just rolled over him. He rested his face in his palm as he stared out onto the streets. A few select words from Luffy tore his attention away from the pedestrians and caused him to perk his head in interest. "What happened to your old place?"

"Burnt down!" he said with an unfading grin. The older man couldn't help but scrunch his face in confusion. A destroyed home was one of the last things he'd be caught smiling about. After a somewhat awkward pause, Luffy continued, "I'm just glad that no one was home. Y'know?"

"That's true," Zoro nodded between yawning. "Better a pile of wood than you, I guess."

"That's what Shanks said," the raven-haired man nodded. That everlasting grin was still vaguely present on his lips. There was a hint of visible tiredness appearing in his features now as the night caught up to him. His wide, cheerful eyes were slightly duller now, drooping slightly. Both of them were now feeling the inevitable effects of hours of chatting and drinking.

"Well… we're here!" Luffy announced as the truck slowly sputtered to a stop in front of a large apartment complex. "It was nice meeting you, so let's go out and drink again, okay?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind that," Zoro yawned as he slid out of the passenger side and onto the sidewalk. "I get off work early tomorrow. We can meet at 6 at the same place."

The stunning grin on Luffy's face only seemed to widen as he hastily nodded his head in agreement. The green-haired man slammed the door shut and tiredly waved goodbye as the truck pulled out onto the road and disappeared amongst the traffic. The corners of his lips were beginning to tug upwards slightly in a lazy grin. He had always seen this kind of thing in chick flicks or comedy movies. A guy goes to a bar to drink away his problems and instead meets some outgoing, fun girl. They hit it off and craziness ensues. He began to wonder just what he had gotten himself into. The effects of booze aren't always limited to drunkenness and hangovers. No. Sometimes they led to much more interesting results.

I hope that wasn't too bad. /blush/

As you can see, they're not totally in character. But that's because this is AU! These characters are now my playground! My adorable, attractive little playground~ Anyways, if some of the parts of this chapter left you confused then good! They were supposed to! Things will clear up next chapter. This is gonna be a really short fic. No more than ten chapter, for sure.

Until next time~