Update 01/2018: This fanfiction will not be updated anymore. No more posts, and some time in the near future I /might/ delete it. BUT I used the plot idea for a new fanfiction roughly based on the same scenario. I've realised that this fanfiction is getting nowhere and doesn't fit into my way of writing anymore. I am really, really sorry for this inconvenience and I hope some of you might try the "new" Cyclone which is called "Zyklon". (Still includes ZoSan in later chapters but the plot development is very different. You can find it on my profile.)
Thanks for all the reviews, the likes, the follows on this fanfiction!
A huge smirk crawled onto his lips, he leaned back in the driver's seat and rested his feet on the car's dashboard, the cigar stuck between his thumb and index finger. No hesitating, he pushed it right between his lips and sucked on it, releasing the thick smoke with a deep sigh. With a smile he rested his hand on his thigh, ignoring the possibility of ash ruining his dress pants, and turned to look at his friend on the passenger's seat. They both had thrown their ties and jackets onto the back seats, first few buttons of their chemises opened and their feet resting on the dashboard. "Cannot believe you're not allowed to smoke at home," he pointed out as every day and inhaled the tobacco again, "Man, this is good."
"What do I know why he's against it," the other man chuckled, brushing through his green hair with long fingers, "He'll rip my head off if I'm smelling of smoke anyway. It's not like it's my business that he stopped smoking, is it. I don't tell him to stop eating because he smells of food all the time."
The man on the driver's seat laughed, "Just be glad he quit the job at the fish market. Hell, did he stink... did you burn his clothes when he quit?" He held the cigar between his teeth to lean over and grab an ashtray; no matter how much he loved smoking, he loved his car more than anything.
"Oh you should've seen him, Luffy, he freaked out on me big time," the green-haired man chuckled, tipping on his own cigar over the ashtray, "Once I knew for sure he would work in that restaurant, I grabbed all his work clothes, threw them into a bin in the backyard and set it on fire. He kept kicking me over and over again until he was tired. The next day, he didn't look at me or talk to me but I got my breakfast nonetheless."
"I guess he was grateful but wouldn't admit it," Luffy smiled, knowing his best friends too well, "And it's not like he would've worn them anymore anyway. He's so picky with his clothes and shoes and that hair of his. He's as much of a girl as Nami."
A nod was the response of the other man who sucked in more of his cigar's smoke before talking. "I still don't get how you can live with her. I mean, she's like a leech, except that she wants your money and not your blood," he grinned, shaking his head, "Does she even try to find a job? I bet she doesn't, that's so like her to boss you around and waste your money instead of earning her own."
"That's better than have her run off, Zoro. I really don't want to lose any more of you again and if earning money for her luxurious lifestyle and marrying her makes her stay then that's what I gotta do," Luffy countered back, finishing his cigar and dropping it into the ashtray. A shiny silver band was decorating his ring finger, it was worth half a month's salary but his fiancée had requested it. "So, is Sanji home? I'm not really in for burgers."
"Yeah, I guess he is, he has off the whole week," Zoro replied, figuring it was wise to drop the subject. They had gotten into fights over it several times too much and he didn't want to risk it again. Not after a stressful day at work. "I think he's expecting you anyway, so you're welcome."
"Awesome," Luffy smiled widely and settled back into his seat to start the engine, "Can't wait to have real food again. I swear, I call the pizza guy so often that when I don't call once, he calls me to check if I'm alive."
"You really need to learn how to cook, it's not that hard, you know," Zoro chuckled, "You can't live off pizza and instant shit all your life, you know. At least try to eat something else and not the same every day." He didn't have to turn to know that his friend was sticking his tongue out at him and rolling his eyes. Since they worked in the same department of the same office, they spent every day together, deepening the bond of friendship they were sharing even more. Hence Zoro could predict most of Luffy's reactions and plans, as well as the opposite around, a fact neither of them wanted to miss again.
Two years earlier
"Ouch, you idiot, get off me!" she hissed, trying to shove off the body lying on top of her. It had gotten heavy on her ribcage and she was in dear need to fill her lungs with oxygen, not to mention the ache in her bones she wanted to examine further. But her attempts of heaving the body off herself were useless and so she tried to prop herself up on her palms to look who exactly it was.
"Oh god, Luffy!" she gasped and tried to wake him up by shaking his limp body. His hair was wet and messy, he had probably been underwater for too long and was now... unconscious. At least she hoped so, she didn't know what to do if her captain died on her. Hastily she looked around but there were only trees surrounding them, no hint of any other living soul who could help her. "Come on, wake up, please...," she begged, tears were brimming in her eyes as she tried again and again to get some life into him.
When he finally groaned and shifted, relief got the better of her and she leaned down to hug him as best as she could. "You're alive!" she beamed and kissed his cheek, tears slipping from her eyes.
"Wh-what happened?" Luffy whispered while getting himself into a sitting position and looked at his friend. Her ginger hair was a complete wet mess, some strands were sticking to her face, neck and even down to her torn blouse. Her skin was covered in bruises and scratches which were just a reminder of what had happened to them. Silently he got onto his shaking legs, ignoring the stinging in his head and limbs, and got out of his sweater that was not as screwed up as Nami's blouse. "Here, cover up..." He threw it down to her before turning around and examining their surroundings.
Trees, everywhere. Slowly he remembered why they were here, how they had gotten into a terrible cyclone and the next thing he remembered was waking up on a shore with Nami lying unconscious next to him. With the remaining strength he had left he had carried her into the close woods to get away from the waves crashing against the shore to recover before looking for the rest of his crew. Wherever they might be.
"I think we should look for some hill or such to get a better impression of where we are," Nami spoke up and reached for her captain's straw hat. It had holes all over, straws were sharply poking out at the edges but nothing she couldn't fix once they would be back on the Sunny.
"Yeah, I guess you're right...," Luffy agreed, his voice low and emotionless. Back on the shore he hadn't had much time to look for his nakama, the waves were dangerous and he had had to save Nami but from what he had seen looking over his shoulder, they had been all alone.
"Ouch! Fuck," Nami cursed, biting down on her bottom lip and holding onto her ankle. She had tried to get up as well but only shifting her foot had sent a hot pain through her leg.
Luffy turned around and knelt down in front of her, a worried expression on his face, "What's wrong?" His gaze fell onto her ankle that seemed to bother her and reached out to hold it gently. Carefully he moved her foot into several directions to see what exactly hurt and concluded, "It's sprained." He started massaging it gently like he had seen Chopper do so many times whenever any of them had sprained their ankles. "I think we need a doctor... soon. Let's go."
With a loud thud, the drawer fell shut and Zoro jumped a little at the sound. He had expected Sanji to freak out but the way he would freak out was never the same. The cook was slamming all doors and drawers, shooting evil glares at him and otherwise ignoring him while the treatment Luffy received was the sweetest and kindest Sanji had to offer.
"Oh come on, Sanji, don't be so hard on Zoro. He's allowed to have some fun from time to time and just be glad he doesn't ignore your rules and smokes in the house," their younger friend pointed out with an amused smile. He and Zoro were sitting at the kitchen table playing cards, a habit they hadn't been able to drop so far.
"So? He could be more supportive! The smoke sticking to his clothes makes me want to start again but I better don't," Sanji rambled, his hands working fast on chopping vegetables, "I can't lose my job but with him smelling of cigarettes, it's harder not to smoke again and my boss would freak out if he found out I started smoking again!"
"And that's fine with me. If you need me to stop, I will." The words came out of Zoro's mouth with such a certainty that for a moment Sanji thought his friend was pulling a prank on him. They silently shared a look, Sanji was searching for a hint of joke in his roommate's eyes but there was nothing but honesty.
"Wow, guys, what's wrong with you. First Sanji makes you smoke and now he makes you stop. What happened to my ever fighting friends," Luffy chuckled lightly and took a sip of his soda. Ever since the two of them had moved together, they had been fighting less, mostly because Zoro gave in whenever Sanji threw a fit about something.
Quietly Sanji turned back around towards his tomatoes and tried to wrap his mind around Zoro's words. Why would he give up on something that proved his freedom only because it bothered him, Sanji? Even though they were getting along pretty well lately, he couldn't say they were best friends. Maybe it was a kind of show for Luffy or just one of Zoro's attempts to end this dispute by giving in? Whatever, Sanji couldn't believe that Zoro's intention was to make things easier for him, they weren't close enough to give up freedom of choice for each other. Not in this life.
"Hey, guys, I've decided that it was nice of me to let you decide who should be my best man," Luffy spoke up bluntly and out of the blue, he knew too well what catastrophe he had just started. The two of them would fight over it for days and he would just watch until Nami would take that burden upon her and asked one of her friends' husbands to be his best man.
"Leave that up to me, that shitty cook can't serve food and fill in such an honorable position at the same time," Zoro smirked and sipped on his beer. He didn't need to turn to know that Sanji was shooting him a death glare over his shoulder.
"That sounds fair. I want you both to play a greater role in this so I need to settle some things before Nami does," Luffy continued with a frown on his face as he tried to figure out which card to play next. It was their fourth match today, the fourth one he was about to lose.
"I met her the other day at the flower shop," Sanji finally spoke again, his back still turned towards his friends, "She had a bottomless list of arrangements to do so she was in a bit of a rush but I could get a hunch of that list. Either someone knocks some sense into that girl or we need to find some strategy to trick her or otherwise you won't be happy that day."
"Coming from you," Zoro snickered and played out the winning card. It didn't matter now anymore, Luffy's attention was now in Sanji's hands anyway.
The blonde cook scolded his roommate with another glare before adding, "She's aiming for more than 500 guests. The ceremony will happen in that huge castle outside of town and she said she wanted to rent it for a whole week so the guests from farther away could stay over there. And the catering will be hosted by the castle's restaurant so apparently I'm out of the game."
They were silent for a moment, Zoro and Luffy stared at each other in shock and mouths gaping open. How could Nami plan all that behind Luffy's back and even exclude his closest friends from contributing? "W-wow, I... gotta talk to her. I can't believe she makes plans without me and... what the hell, I don't know how to pay all that... no, I gotta talk to her," Luffy rambled, got to his feet and left the kitchen for the backyard to call his fiancée.
With a sigh Zoro watched Luffy for a while, he was in full rage now judging from his facial expression and the wild gesturing. It wasn't by far the first time that Nami spent his money without asking him, it wouldn't be the first time Luffy would crash at their place for a while and not the only time he would run into debt. They really needed to find a way to 'knock some sense into her' how Sanji had put it so wisely, or things would end up in a great disaster.
After a while he parted his gaze from the younger man who by now was standing on the little bridge of their pond, still fighting with his fiancée. "You're upset about it, aren't you? That she didn't think of you," he spoke softly to the cook's back. The way Sanji tensed up, his breaths becoming sharper and with what strength he chopped the carrots couldn't hide the feeling that was taking ahold of him. A strangled sob sounded from his lips, Zoro knew he was biting on his bottom lip to force himself quiet but he wouldn't be successful, as usual.
About a year and a half ago they had given up on the search of their friends and decided to settle down, maybe it was wiser to be a part of the society if they wanted to survive and that way they could gather more information that could help to find their crewmates. Ever since then, Sanji's mood had darkened and from week to week his outbursts or breakdowns had multiplied. It was partly why Zoro had decided to move together with him, for one to stay together and also to comfort the other man who, how they had figured out pretty quickly, was damn frightened to lose any more of them. The tragic accident from two years ago had torn him apart so much that when Zoro and he had met again three days after it, Sanji had been clinging onto him for a whole night. He was broken and the only thing that had calmed him down was the search and hope to get their friends back - alive. But when they decided to stop to search actively, it was like giving up to Sanji, as if admitting that their friends were dead. And so it happened that behind closed doors Sanji would let his tears fall, he had long given up on fighting his depressions and fears of losing but never gave up on hiding it from the few friends he had left.
That was until one night, they had just moved together the week before and Zoro had come home from work later than expected. His cell phone's battery had died during the last hours and so he hadn't called home to let Sanji know; back then he had figured that he didn't need to report to anyone, especially not to the shitty cook like he was his legal guardian. But that night had changed everything between them, softened them up and brought them closer as friends. When Zoro had come home past midnight, Sanji had still been in the kitchen at the table, and the sight of misery sitting there had felt like a kick in the guts. There had been several bottles of alcohol in front of him, starting from simple wine to rum, and an ashtray full of cigarettes but what had slapped Zoro awake where the tears streaming down the cook's face, the sobs leaving his throat and the look of pure agony. From that day on, he made sure to inform the other man over any change of plans and his whereabouts, to prevent that night from repeating itself.
"Hey," Zoro spoke in the same gentle tone as he got up from his chair and walked around the kitchen island towards Sanji. Each step made the blond tense up even more but he knew that Sanji only tried to stand his man and act strong, when deep inside he was breaking all over again. Carefully Zoro rested his hand on the blond's shoulder and turned him around, his face was covered in silent tears that were still dripping down his chin and turned into loud sobs when Zoro pulled him into a hug. "Don't let her make you cry. It's enough that she's ruining Luffy's life, there's no reason for you to let her do the same to you, Sanji. And I'm sure Luffy can make her change her mind at least for the catering."
"That wouldn't change a thing," Sanji pressed out between swallowed sobs and tears, "She doesn't care about me anymore, or you. She wouldn't have even said hello to me, Zoro, she only talked to me because I didn't let her walk away on me so easily. What if they break up... Luffy should give into her demands or we'll fall apart again and I... I can't have that happen, Zoro, I can't lose anyone anymore... don't let that happen..." His hands fisted the older man's dress shirt as he nuzzled his wet face into his shoulder and fully gave into the sobbing.
"Don't even think about it, we will not fall apart again and you will not lose anyone again, I can give you that promise, and so does Luffy," Zoro pointed out in a firm voice that chased away some of Sanji's fears. Latter looked up to his old nakama with a small smile to show how grateful he was for his comfort. "Maybe you should confront Nami with your feelings, maybe that could knock some sense into her."
Sanji smirked at the choice of words, "You won't stop repeating me, will you?" It was a rhetorical question since he knew that Zoro loved the truth of those words way too much to just forget about them.
"Nope, I couldn't have said it better," the green-haired man grinned at his friend in delight.
"No! For God's sake, Nami, you can't just plan our wedding behind my back!" It didn't take long for them to be fully engulfed in a serious fight, the ginger-haired girl had always been well tempered but since Luffy had accepted the job at the department for animal and human rights of the government, Nami had her head in the clouds.
"As if you had any idea of how to plan a wedding. Someone has to do it after all and since you rather spend your free time smoking shit with Zoro, it's my duty to make sure we'll have the perfect wedding that everyone expects from a man of your position."
"Can you for once forget about 'my position'? I don't earn enough money that I could pay for our house, your clothes, your stylist, your car, your journeys, your whatever else unnecessary shit you buy AND ALSO pay for a whole castle, for AN ENTIRE WEEK! And what about the food, I thought it was clear that Sanji would take care of that, why pay for the castle's cooks?" He was slowly really losing patience with his fiancée, and somehow it had gotten harder to point out all the reasons why marrying her was the best solution.
"Why? Because you don't rent a castle for a wedding without the matching servants, that's why! What would people think of us, of you? That would look like you couldn't afford the whole cake."
"THAT'S BECAUSE I CAN'T!" he yelled into the phone so loudly that some birds in the nearby apple tree flew off in panic. The line became silent for a minute until Luffy could hear her swallow hard, apparently trying to stand her ground. It didn't matter, knowing that he had made her cry broke his will anyway and so he added in a calm voice, "Listen, we'll talk about it when I'm home. I'm not at all happy about your plans, Nami, and if there's one thing I will contribute to this wedding then it's my best friend as our cook." He turned to look over to the back door and immediately felt his mood drop even lower. "Who by the way is very upset about your decision."
"Man, I'm hungry," Luffy whined as he was dragging himself and Nami on his back over the street. They had finally found an exit to the forest and landed on some road that led to an unknown destination but Nami had concluded that any road along the coast would lead to some sort of civilization.
"I think you'll need to stay hungry till we found the others. We don't even have any money to buy food... we can only hope to find a nice village and ask for help there," Nami sighed and brushed through her captain's black hair. The strawhat was resting on her head so she wouldn't crush it even more while Luffy was carrying her on his back. "I wish there'll be some people at all... in case we won't find anyone till dawn, we should camp somewhere in the woods and try to get back to the Sunny tomorrow. I'm sure they're all waiting for us already..."
"Mh, yeah, I'm sure...," Luffy hummed without any determination. The chances of them waiting on the ship for them was slim to none and he was aware that Nami thought the same way but obviously she tried to stay calm by imagining the impossible. He wouldn't stop her.
They wandered along the streets for another two days, nurturing themselves of any vegetables and fruits they found in the woods, or fish they caught with bare hands in the river. By the time they reached the first indicator for human life on this island, Nami had caught a flu and her ankle was screwed up to say the least, she threatened to lose consciousness all the time and it made Luffy feel even more helpless and alone.
The first house they reached was a small farm with cows outside, a few corn fields were set to each side of the estate. People lived there and Luffy was so relieved about this fact that he almost broke down himself but rather forced himself to walk the last few meters up to the front door and knock. An old lady opened in confusion but let them in as soon as she noticed the dangerous state Nami was in.
They were a kind couple, in their mid-60's, both had dedicated their lives to field work and livestock and bought this little place far off the busting and angry city. Because the next proper town was an hour drive away, they needed to sell half of their harvest to the companies in the big cities to pay for a car and even survive. The government knew how to make them dependent on society, the old man told Luffy one day over a cup of strong coffee, "They take whatever they need to break you, even if it's your own flesh and blood."
While Nami was recovering from her flu, Luffy helped the old couple on the fields and delivering. They had no money to pay any medical help for Nami, let alone food and so he thought the only way was to work for that. The old couple was so grateful for his help and for Nami's weather predictions that they let them stay for a whole month and even provided them with some money and a bike when they set off towards the city.
Some sellers from town had talked about some strangers starting a ruckus in the middle of the street, one of them had green hair and swords and the other was blonde and dressed in a suit, so they both thought they would be able to find at least Sanji and Zoro which was better than nothing. Maybe they were already with the rest or knew where they were so they could all get back together. Hopefully.
As usual the house was quiet and empty, with Luffy the cheerful mood left as well. During dinner they hadn't spoken a word, safe from the casual 'pass me this', or some work specific topics Zoro and Luffy needed to settle. It was different from always, it was a strange mood to Sanji and it made him feel sicker with each bite he forced down his throat. After dinner he had emptied everything into the toilet and scolded himself afterwards for wasting the good food, a downward spiral he had been caught in for months now.
Dressed in his pajamas he joined Zoro watching TV in the living-room, they had come to this habit ever since that night when Sanji had broken down in the swordsman's arms. He walked over to the wall cabinet, pulled out two glasses and a bottle of wine and settled into the armchair at the head of the coffee table, the perfect angle to watch TV.
"Uhm, Luffy and I have a job to do tomorrow, some guy in the forest wants to open up an inn with some animal shelter stuff so we'll be out the next few days. I could be home any time of the day, so don't plan anything big, okay? I'll call you each time I know when I'll be home," Zoro spoke up and looked from the newspapers over to Sanji filling their glasses.
"Alright, I'll use the time to work in the yard," Sanji smiled quickly at Zoro and turned back to the TV. "An inn with an animal shelter? How's that supposed to work?"
"No idea, that's why we have to go an check. Obviously that guy made a request at the building inspection office and labor inspectorate and they contacted us to go and check. I hope we'll receive the papers tomorrow, I hate showing up somewhere without any background information," Zoro grumbled and dropped the newspaper onto the coffee table.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be successful. The two of you are the best in your business after all," Sanji pointed out with a huge grin, hovering over the edge of the wine glass. Their job was to make sure that anyone who wanted to found an organization, build up an animal shelter or do anything involving animals, humans and nature, respected the rights of each living being. Most of the time they received hints from either anonymous people or other governmental departments to check out a place which mostly happen to be animal shelters run by people who cared more about money than animals.
It was rare that their jobs were different from that. But sometimes they would get involved into a big deal that even ended up in the local newspapers and TV news. Their biggest success was an illegal institution that experimented with drugs and medicine on human beings who they'd violently kidnap. Both had gotten a promotion and a better paycheck and even some medal, not to mention the fame and gratefulness of the victims they had rescued. Sanji was proud of them and never missed a chance to tell them so.
"Thanks," Zoro smiled at him and reached for his own glass to take a sip. They fell into a comfortable silence, they focused on the TV screen that was showing some comedy action movie of low quality but it was enough to relax and get distracted from the events of the day.
The house was dark when Luffy returned home, he was greeted by cold and uncomfortable silence. After getting out of his coat and shoes, he put on his slippers and stepped into the living-room. It was empty, not that he had expected Nami to be there when they needed to talk. That woman had made up her mind already and wouldn't have anyone talk her into changing it, not even him.
To his surprise, the huge Japanese lanterns on the porch were shining into their library, proof enough that Nami was indeed home. With a warm smile he approached the huge French arch doors leading outside; the sight he found there on the porch was just too beautiful. His fiancée was sitting in one of the wicker chairs, one leg crossed over the other, a white dress loosely hugging her body and her hair was messily tied at the back. The colorful, dim light from the lanterns made her skin glow in their shine, as if she was an angel, an ironical image Luffy thought.
"Hey there," he greeted her softly and settled into the chair next to her. They never kissed, barely even hugged each other, the only times they had physical contact where at public parties since the only people who knew about their true relationship were Sanji and Zoro.
She looked up from her book, glared at him for a moment before closing it and placing it on the table in front of her. "I feel honored that you came home after all," she coolly said without looking at him but instead looking deeply into her glass of champagne.
Sighing heavily, he brushed through his hair and looked up into the dark night sky. "I know you're mad at me and I'm pretty sure you have the right to be... in some way but I... I needed to cool down before coming back home," he explained; he shouldn't feel the need to justify himself.
"I didn't expect you to care. You know, sometimes it would be nice to have you here and not there... they're getting along on their own," Nami shot back, her voice felt like ice cubes running down his spine. "That idiot of a cook can't be trusted anyway, he was supposed to keep it secret."
The comment made Luffy blink at her in mock shock. Now she blamed it all on Sanji? And what did she think, it made things better if he had kept it secret? "Do you even understand how upset he was? You know that he's going through a rough time, he needs us, he needs us to need him and what do you do? Push him away! He was so happy about the wedding and happy that he could make the food for us because that's what he's been doing for years! And actually, I would be proud to have the best cook in the world for our wedding!"
"So you asked him without talking about it with me? How mature," Nami scoffed and folded her arms in front of her breasts, a strand of hair fell into her decollete. Since they had moved together Luffy couldn't help but observe her, take in her beauty each and every day and at some point, he had fallen a little for her. If only for those moments when she was the same Nami he had rescued from Arlong, the nakama he had trusted his life with, the girl who'd slap him and Usopp whenever they played hide and seek on deck, the young woman with the dream of drawing a world map. Those moments were rare, he hadn't seen her drawing any maps in a while neither talking about their friends and their dreams. But sometimes he would find her in the library, reading books about the islands of the Grand Line they had visited, in those moments he caught himself falling in love with her.
Her reaction was enough for him to get up from his chair and turn to leave. They wouldn't get anywhere with her temper today so he'd better retreat to bed, he had a long day at work ahead. "I see we can't talk about this calmly. I go to bed, good night," he sighed and turned to offer her a small smile before heading back inside.
After a long shower Luffy was finally able to calm down and forget about their fight, so he decided on some funny movie and a bowl of popcorn in his bedroom to end the day. They weren't (even) sharing a bedroom, something he treasured in situations like these. For one he was glad to have some place in this house that only belonged to him, and also he was picky about his sleep, he was convinced that if they'd sleep in the same bed, she would keep the fight on and on until she would fall asleep from exhaustion. There was nothing more relieving than to shut the door and drown out her loud screaming.
One of the things he didn't want to ever miss in his life was his TV. He had come to realize that watching TV was quite distracting and helpful to relax after a stressful day of dealing with Nami's temper and work, which was why snuggling up into his bed in front of the TV had become a daily routine. There were only a few things he rather did and that involved everything with Sanji and Zoro, preferably at their place. Usually they would meet at their place, even though Luffy had a bigger TV and a greater collection of movies and video games, they never stayed over at his place because of the bad relationship between Nami and Zoro. Put them into a room and after an hour there'd be at least one dead body.
A soft knock interrupted his train of thoughts, followed by the door handle being pushed down and the door shoved open a few inches. Nami stuck her head into his room, searching for him in the huge, messy bedroom before settling onto his surprised expression with a look of insecurity. She didn't wait for his permission to come in, in an instant she had slipped into the room, closed the door behind her and tiptoed over to the empty side of his bed, to settle down next to him like she hadn't done anything else the past years. Something was up, he could tell that from the look in her eyes, the way she moved and her body shivered and when she leaned against him, he couldn't hold himself back. "You're strange," he chuckled and turned back to the TV.
Frowning she looked at her partner and countered back, "Strange for wanting to cuddle with my fiancé? I thought that's why we have each other."
"Since when?" he asked in a firm voice, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.
"Luffy, I'm sorry... please don't be mad at me," the red-haired woman pleaded, her hand reached for his, tangling their fingers together.
His gaze fell down on their hands, it was a gesture he had been missing the past years particularly from her. With a smile he squeezed her hand gently and kissed her head softly before leaning his own against it. "Just let me have a say in this as well, okay? I want you to have a perfect day and I'm willing to try to earn more money but I can tell you already that you can forget about that castle," he tried to soothe her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to keep her close. "And how come we need to invite 500 people? I thought we'd invite our closest friends and family and that would be about it."
"I just thought that... you have so many co-workers and other important people and the more the merrier," Nami justified her plans, she snuggled up to him completely, now leaning her head against his neck. "And it's not that I don't want Sanji to be part of our wedding... of course I do, and I actually planned on Zoro being your best man but I... I think I got carried away with the situation. The girls at the book club told me so much about the castle and how all of them wished their wedding would've taken place there so I... I wanted to impress them..."
"Oh Nami, I don't even like most of my co-workers. And a wedding is a family event for me, I only want the people who're important to me to be there... well, in case they can come. I thought we could find a way so Nojiko could come, and Vivi and Carue... and I could try to reach Ace but I don't have any hope," Luffy laughed and scratched the back of his neck.
"I bet he would be here right away. He can't miss to see his little brother getting married, can he," Nami chuckled and picked a piece of popcorn out of the bowl just to hold it before Luffy's lips who didn't hesitate to let her feed him. It was a great relief that he didn't throw her out and even let her cuddle him, like they were supposed to. "You know... I would be happier if you'd at least come home for dinner. Or we go out for dinner together... I only want to spend some time with you. I know I'm bitchy and whatever Zoro says about me is right I guess but... we're getting married soon and I don't want our marriage to be hell."
"Nice thinking but don't we have to be in love for that," Luffy pointed out in his famous blunt manner and popped one of the corn snacks into his mouth while facing the TV.
At first Nami just blinked at him but her surprise soon turned into disappointment and anger. She pushed his hand away, freed herself of his hold and slid of the bed to stomp out of the room, throwing the door shut with a loud bang. With a sigh Luffy watched her go, he couldn't stop her anyway and to be honest, he had no intention to run after her. If she was serious about them, she'd get back to him, no matter what she felt about him, he was right. They were no couple at all, it was just some sort of contract to somehow make it in this world and stay together, no strings attached. No love attached.