Note and Warning: High School AU. ZoroXfem!Luffy. The rating might be raised up to M. Errors, OOC-ness, whim plot, slow updates, or anything you might find offend your feelings (I dunno, it could be anything, right? Humans are weird, yet interesting creatures.)
Disclaimer: One Piece or any resources mentioned throughout this fanfic belong to their respective owner. I only own the plot.
It was raining that day.
The wall felt so cold against his back. Zoro looked skywards, gazing morosely at the dull, grayish clouds that hovered over the neighborhood and sakura trees, couldn't care less the raindrops piercing his wounded body.
It happened so fast. One moment he was punching some stupid kids in their faces to save a bullied little girl, next he found himself sitting helplessly on the cold asphalt, with soft pink petals swam in the pool of his blood.
He marveled at the beauty of monochrome sky, ignoring the pain his body was screaming. Zoro doubted he could go home in this state. Perhaps he needed some rest.
His mind went to the little girl with bobbed black hair he'd saved earlier. He pondered if she was safe, at her home as he was stranded here. He hoped she was safe.
Lolling his head against the collar of his school uniform, Zoro glimpsed a pair of legs standing before his eyes.
Zoro shot his gaze up for the last time, and his eyes clashed with a pair of big black eyes. In his blurry vision, he saw they blink up innocently at him, and lips move, as if talking to him.
But, his ears had stopped listening, clogged by his own blood.
The person crouched down in front of him, the umbrella bobbed up and down as the person moved, and caressed his bruised face.
It felt so warm, he thought to himself.
Lulled by the warmth, Zoro drifted into unconsciousness.
...
His head felt so heavy and hot. And wet(?), he guessed. His nose caught faint delicious smell. Soup? Or... hot drink? Zoro had no idea. It took him some considerably effort just to wrench his eyes open that felt weight tones each, and he screwed them shut again when a bright light seeped into them.
Zoro rubbed his drowsy eyes, trying to get use with the light. That's when he felt a piece of cloth patched up on his cheek. He blinked at his hand, and he saw the bandage wrap around his wrist.
Alarmed, he forced himself to sit up, the bed creaking slowly and the thick blanket rustling as he shifted. His hand accidentally touched a plush toy—he would have suspected it was a raccoon instead reindeer if it wasn't because of the horns on the either side of the hat. His scalp was throbbing while he scanned the room.
Bed, a study table, a bookshelf, a closet, a nightstand table.
It was a bedroom.
Zoro held his throbbing head. "Where the hell..."
And the door was suddenly flung open, revealing a girl, a stitched scar under her left chocolate eye, her short messy black hair dripped wet, her busty breasts were poorly covered with a white fluffy towel that draped over her shoulders, her short hung low dangerously on her curvy hips.
Zoro felt his blood pressure skyrocket at the sight.
"Oh, you're finally awake," said the girl casually, moseying into the room.
Zoro remained dumbfounded on his spot while the girl climbed up the single-sized bed. His heart was beating furiously he thought it'd come out without the confines of his ribcage.
She settled down next to him and inched closer to him, too close to his liking.
"Howdy~! How are you feeling?"
'Gosh, she wasn't talking, she was practically chirping!' Zoro thought to himself as his eyes slipped down to her curvy figure, trailed up, then paused briefly at her well-shaped breasts, before bringing his gaze to her massive grin again.
She blinked at him. "Oh, still hurt, huh? Then, you should get some sleep," out of blue, she grabbed Zoro by his shoulders, and pushed him down the bed. Zoro was too surprised by her ridiculous strength to even move.
Her grip grew stronger it snapped Zoro back to his senses.
"Hey, stop! Don't—"
"—You've gotta rest—"
Her breasts were pressed against his chest, and dear Kami-sama, he'd never felt something so soft in his life. Not even meat buns.
"—No! Just stop! Your...!"
"—Stay put!—"
"—You move!"
"—Your wounds—"
"—BOTH OF YOU, STOP!"
Followed by a loud thud rippling through the room, and the black haired girl fell helplessly on the top of his chest. Zoro reflexively looped his arm around the girl and shot his gaze up.
Another well-endowed girl, the wavy ginger hair veiled down her shoulders, casual t-shirt hugged her hourglass curves, and the black pants that seemed to be painted on her long legs, stared at him with her arms crossed under her bosom.
"Luffy, don't walk around half-naked like that. God's sake, there's a guy here!" she shouted. "And you!" Zoro assumed it was directed for him. "Stop trashing around if you don't want to die early!"
"What?" Zoro was baffled.
"Your wounds!" she said. "Care to show her some gratitude, will you? She saved and brought you here," she pointed at the girl in his arm.
Curious, Zoro pulled her away from his hold, grappling her by her shoulders. His eyes were magnetized to the bouncing chest again, and he had to gather his wits to tear his gaze away. "...you saved me?"
She stared at him with her big chocolate eyes, then melted into a massive grin again. "...yeah. Found you bleeding, so I brought you back. Figured you might die if I left you there."
"What... I mean, thank you," he murmured under his breath. After giving himself a few minutes to think, Zoro forced himself to crawl out of the bed. His body was aching, but he couldn't care less. "Gotta...leave now. Thank you for everything."
The ginger haired girl went to stop him. "—Hey, you mustn't move."
"No, I don't want to trouble anyone else any further."
"But, your wounds are quite severe!"
"No, I can walk."
"Seriously, you're stubborn!"
"I can move—"
Then, he felt a hard blow land on the back of his head, and Zoro stumbled down to the floor. He groaned loudly. When the pain on his head finally eased up, he whipped his head back to the black haired girl in the bed.
"...you..." he seethed.
"You just fell down, it means you can't move."
"I fell down because you just punched my head!"
"I wouldn't have to punch you if you just stayed in the bed," she said nonchalantly. "If you're worried about that little girl, she's alright. I've sent her home. Stay here at least until the rain stops," she jerked her head to the windows.
She was right. The sky was gray and dark, the rain was pelting noisily against the windows, a growl of thunder could be heard in the distance, leaving him no options but take the offer.
Zoro hesitated. "Fine, I'll stay."
"Great~!" the black haired girl grinned again.
The ginger haired girl heaved a sigh. "Well, great now you've made up your mind. You can move, can't you? I don't want to be your babysitter carrying your soup here," then, she grabbed the nearest book and threw it to the black haired girl. "AND YOU, YOUNG LADY, PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!"
The book hit her in her forehead, she screamed in pain, and fell again.
He sighed at the sight, then allowed the ginger haired girl ushered him through the house wordlessly. Zoro took his time to drink the details around the house in. It was rather a simple apartment unit, completed with a set of black stereo, a tv plasma, a double cushion sofa, a coffee table, a kitchen that attached with the living room, a dinner table with four chairs separated the living room and the kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.
It was simple.
Zoro ran his gaze along the stereo and the wall. Pictures of the girl with some unknown males littered around the apartment.
"Take a seat," the ginger girl's voice nudged him out of his observation.
Zoro pulled a chair, its legs dragging on the wooden floor, and perched himself on it. He watched as the girl poured him a bowl of soup.
"The name is Nami. Yours?"
"Again?"
She repeated. "My name is Nami. What is your name?"
"Zoro. Roronoa Zoro."
"Ah~ So, you're the infamous delinquent kid, Roronoa Zoro," she placed the bowl in front of him.
Zoro raised a brow. "You know me?"
"Well, Luffy sometimes got into fights as well. I have to know any potential delinquent kids, so I can keep her out of their reach," she took a seat across the table.
"Luffy?"
"The girl who saved you. Her name is Luffy, and I'm her childhood friend, and her housemate. Taking care of her and sorts."
Zoro eyed her from top to bottom comprehensively, took in every details of her figure, from her hair to her shirt, then he made a face. "You? Her childhood friend? Make sense."
She thumped the table angrily. "HEY! WHAT'S UP WITH THAT TONE?!"
"No wonder that girl doesn't mind walking half-naked right in front of me," Zoro looked away, disappointed. "She's got a great friend living with her," his tone dripped sarcasm.
"—Show some respect! I'm still the owner of this house! And don't judge book by its cover!"
"First impression is important. And congrats, you've failed it."
"YOU!—"
"So lively over here~" the black haired girl appeared again, thankfully with clothes on. "Nami~ I want soup too~!"
The Nami girl breathed out a sigh, rubbing her throbbing scalp. She got up, nonetheless. "Wait a sec. I'll get one for you."
Zoro whistled. "You are a nanny."
"SHUT UP!"
"Nami is scary when she's angry," the black haired girl chortled with delight. Zoro noticed she had a distinct laugh, which he'd never heard of it before. And to his surprise, it sounded so pleasant in his ears.
"By the way, Luffy, this is Ronoroa Zoro. He's apparently going to the same school with us, same peer as us," Nami gestured her hand to him.
"Oh~ did he tell you that?" she slurped her soup greedily.
"Gosh, Luffy, you should've known just by looking at his school uniform!"
"Ah~ I forgot," she laughed shamelessly. "Another~" she handed her friend her bowl.
Zoro studied her over the mouth of the bowl wordlessly. This girl, this weird girl was rather hyperactive. She couldn't stay still even in her own seat, chest bouncing as she thrashed around, singing a key-off rhyme. A warning rang inside his head, telling him to stay away from her if he wished to have a peaceful life—which was funny, because he always got into troubles, and his life was never peaceful as more and more stupid kids kept coming in his way.
However, a soft voice whispered into his ear, convincing him to stay with her, and he had no idea why.
"Ne, Zoro," she called out. "Which class are you in?"
"Why bothered?"
The Nami girl made a 'tsk' sound. "You're cold."
He took another spoonful of soup. "A familiar reminder, thank you."
"You're interesting, I think," she said with a broad grin that seemed to be plastered forever on her face. "Wanna be my friend?"
Zoro almost choked on his soup hearing the casual question explode out of her mouth. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, eyes piercing straight into hers, looking for any sign of lies.
Nope. Nothing. Absolutely not a lie.
"You've gotta be shitting me!" he shouted. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no! Hell no!"
A loud thump on the table echoed through the kitchen, and the Nami girl whipped her head to the black haired girl, face twisting in disapproval. "Luffy! How many times do I have to tell you? Making friends with this kind of guy is not good! They're useless, imbecile, and poor!"
"—hey!" Zoro interrupted.
"But, Nami," the black haired girl gave her puppy eyes. "You told him your name, and you know his name. Did you make friend with him as well?"
"NO! That's a stupid process to get know any potential casanova and troublemaker, so we—me, particularly—can blacklist their name!"
"HEY!"
The black haired girl rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I thought you were making friends with him."
"Him? This poor, not good-looking, monster-like guy? No way. Absolutely no way."
"I don't want to be your friend either," murmured Zoro under his breath.
The black haired girl made a sour face, heaving up her shoulders and hanging her head low in defeat, and somewhat the sight tugged at his heartstrings.
"Don't look so dejected," the Nami girl gave out a sigh. "Think carefully. If you mingle with this guy, you'll get into troubles. This guy is dangerous, I heard he could defeat a group..."
She continued gossiping about him casually, as though he was some kind of a ghost at the moment, and it irked him so much. Zoro shifted his gaze from the ginger haired girl to the black haired girl. That girl, who her name was Luffy—right? Zoro wasn't sure himself—looked so down like a kid whom had been told no candy for her. It was very ridiculous to see a supposedly matured fifteen years old girl with that voluptuous body making a very childish sour face.
A sudden rise in the Nami girl's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"I know! I know!" the Nami girl exchanged her gaze him to the black haired girl back and forth. "Luffy, you know what, you can befriend him!"
The black haired girl's face lit up, while his face... fell.
"What?!" he shouted in protest. "But, you just said—"
"I know," she calmed him down. "I allow Luffy to be your friend, so you can protect her when she's out of my sight. From some other bad kids."
"Why should I protect her?!"
He could hear the black haired girl cheering happily across the table, but he chose to ignore her for a moment.
"Well, you owe me money."
"Since when?! I don't remember asking you for money! As far as I concern, this is the first time I've ever met you."
"Your treatment, your soup," her fingers uncurled one by one, counting. "The ingredients of the soup, your bandages, my service for taking care of your wounds, and some other things that too long to be listed down. They all cost me money, you know," she flashed a foxy smile.
"No! I'll pay them right away! Tell me the price!"
"With an interest of 300 percent?" her eyes sparkled.
"Fuck no! What is kind of person adding up to 300 percent?! That's low!"
The black haired girl stopped cheering, and batted her lashes innocently at him. "You're calling Nami low? But, she helped you too. She can't be low. She's a great person!"
"No, she isn't!" he encountered. "She was asking me to pay for something I've never asked her to do, adding interest, even! That's freaking low!"
"Don't call Nami that!"
The Nami girl leaped to the black haired girl's side and feigned a dramatic sniffle. "It's fine, Luffy. I know I'm a bad girl. I just wanted to be appreciated for helping people... But, I guess, this world is too cruel for me to live in."
"Nami, don't cry. You're a great person," the Luffy girl wrapped her hands around her. Then, she turned to him sharply. "And you! You're the one who is bad here! I was wrong about you! She was just trying to help you, and you told her she's low! You're the one who is low, not Nami! Say sorry to her!"
Zoro was speechless. He'd never felt so hurt getting scolded by a girl—no less. It stabbed thousands daggers into his heart.
The Nami girl sniffled again. "Please, don't, Luffy. I..."
"—No, Nami. It was his fault! I don't like him already!"
Ouch. That...hurt.
Zoro bit his bottom lip. Swallowing his pride, he opened his mouth. "...fine. I'm sorry. I'm taking your offer. I'll be her friend, and watch over her for you. Are you satisfied now?" he looked at the ginger haired girl.
The Nami girl looked at him for a moment, then sprung to her feet excitedly. "Yes! Totally satisfied! Apology accepted! Now, Luffy, you can play with him anytime you want~" she pivoted on her heels towards the bedroom. "Take of her for me, Zoro-kun~"
"I'm not a toy to be played with!" he shouted at her. Then, he brought his gaze back to the black haired girl with a subtle hopeful grimace. She was still pouting. Zoro sighed. "Seriously? What else should I say to satisfy you?"
"Did you really mean it?"
"What?"
"That apology."
Zoro winced. "Yes, I did. Like really, really, really meant it. Do you want me to kneel down and beg for her forgiveness instead?"
Her pouting look vanished, replaced by a wide grin.
"I think I like you back."
Zoro breathed out a sigh of epic proportion.
"I didn't ask you to."
Dear who-ever-up-there, why~~~~? Just what he'd done in the past to deserve such a fate?
Author's note: Hey there. Welcome to my second multichapters One Piece fic. And this time, it's a AU story! It wasn't an easy task to plan out its draft, and dear heavens, I hope I don't butcher their original personalities due to the plot throughout this fic. I'll try my best to retain their characters as original as I could!
I shall stop my ranting now. Do whatever you wish to; complaints, suggestions, critics, or even nagging me to update faster, anything!
We shall meet again in the next chapter~