The New Boy (LuNa)

hellos and goodbyes

Luffy greeted everybody in the group by name, introducing Nami in the process.

They all acted like he was family, despite the fact that they couldn't have known him much longer than she had. Eventually, they relented and gave him some space. Nami could see that luffy was struggling with all the attention and questions he didn't particularly want to anwlswer but did anyway.

Finally, he excused himself to his room. Nami followed behind him silently, being sure to give him space. He stopped just outside the room with his hand on the door handle. Nami came up behind him and carefully placed her hand on the small of his back.

He froze, though didn't seem to panic, and eventually softened to the touch and leaned Into her.

His hand fell away from the doorframe as he turned and buried his head in her shoulder body now shaking with silent sobs. She held him, whispering claiming words in his ear as she rubbed gentle circles on the small of his back.

After taking a shuddering breath, luffy calmed down and lifted his head.

'Can you?' He asked quietly. She knew exactly what he meant. She slipped her hand into his and gave him a moment to compose himself as he entwined their fingers. And then she opened the door.

The room looked recently used. It smelt... like men. Clothes were strewn around the place and he bed covers were messing strewn over the bed. It really bought to light the unexpectedness of this all. The suddenness with which this home went from... well a home to something more like a prison cell.

The moment one of its occupants dropped onto the floor and the other watched, helpless, as he life faded from him.

That's really when it all turned to shit.

Nami gently led luffy in before closing the door, not once letting go of his hand. The poor boy was shaking so violently it reverberated through her arm and made her shake as well. Or maybe she was doing that on her own.

The boy she cared so deeply about was currently frozen. His gaze was fixed on the floor, almost as if he couldn't bring himself to look up. But he did. Maybe that was a mistake.

Luffy took one look at the room, his eyes filling with tears, before he scooped Nami up, catching her off guard, slid down the wall and cradles her in his lap, burying his face in her head and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

Nami was temporarily stunned, but stayed completely still, content to let him hold her. She sighed, nuzzling into his chest and curling up as his hands found her. One looped around her waste and the other drifted up to her hair where it lost itself in her curls.

He cried and cried for a long while before his breaths lengthened and he grip on her relaxed. Asleep. He was asleep. Nami gently broke free from his hold and disappeared back to the living room. She found the strange dude wearing a bikini there and called out to him.

'Excuse me, do you think you could give me a hand?' Sha asked him.

He agreed and she led him Into lufys room to help her pack his things. When he was done and luffy dodnt appear to be getting up anytime soon, he offered to nami to drop him off at hers. She accepted and they began the process of hauling luffys stuff Into a car they had parked in the alley outside.

About half way through this process they were joined by bon clay whobhelped speed the process up. When all of the bags were in the car, franky picked up his matress while bon clay lovingly scooped the sleeping boy up into his arms.

Nami followed close behind them, occasionally catching herself nerviously following bon clays every move. She had never really been protective of anyone. It had always been others that obsessibly watched over he. She liked the feeling. The feeling of having somebody to protect.

Franky and bon took the front seats of the crusty old car they aparently all shared. It was pretty small, and with the matress and all luffys stuff, here was not a lot of room.

Nami sat slumped in the back, carefully holding the still sleeping luffy in her lap and unconcipusly atroking his hair. As franky started the engine, bon turned to look over the seat at her.

'So, whats the deal with you guys?' He asked, raising one matuculously drawn on eyebrow. Nami blinked a few times in confusion and he sighed.

'Give me a break!' He whinned, huffing. 'I mean are you dating or what?'

Nami immediatly flushed a depe shade of pink and shook her head, hurridly removing the hand she just then realised she had burried in luffys fluffy hair and shaking her own head furiously.

'No, no, its nothing like that, i just owed him a favour is all...' she said, her voice trailing off as said boy rolled in his sleep, burrying his dace in her led and curling around the arm she had resting on him.

Bon clay smirked a bit. 'Give me a break! Your obviously pretty fond of each oher...'

Nami was beging to find the catch phrase of his rather annoying, although she did nothing about it. Before eiher of them could say anymore however, franky turned to her.

'Ummm, lady, you mind telling me where I'm going?' He asked. Nami turned to him, greatfull for the change in subject, and began instructing Franky on how to get to her house.