It is not often I just get struck with continuous motivation and inspiration for one fic that keeps me churning out chapters, but apparently the universe is aligned just right for this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.
A Curious Encounter
Nami was thankful classes were starting up again. It meant she was busy running around gathering textbooks, getting introduced to her new professors, and seeing just how difficult her course load would be. A few days into the term, she already knew she would have a lot of work ahead of her. She had two research papers to complete by the end of the term that were a large portion of her grade in their respective classes, she had a group project to study a connection between thermohaline circulation and climate change, and then there was continuing research that carried over from her two years abroad. She was a part of a research team studying the means of harnessing and altering the weather; it was a major undertaking and the grants she received from it covered a large portion of her tuition. She had to succeed in it or else she might lose part of her college funding.
It was stressful, but everything revolved around what she was passionate about, where her strengths lie, and she couldn't be more pleased to be moving forward.
Another bonus to her hectic schedule was that it left her with very little time for her mind to wander to a certain crimson haired man who had left her utterly confused after one night.
She hadn't seen Kid in nearly two weeks after her first night back. She hadn't had time to stop in at Shakky's, at least not long enough for her to run into him again. She was grateful because she still felt unsure about the idea of being friends with him. She could tell he wasn't entirely interested in just being friends, but she did enjoy that night with him and his group, so she wasn't opposed to seeing where things went. She wanted to feel confident that she could control the situation so she didn't get too involved with him beyond the occasional night out at a bar.
If it got to be too much, she could always retreat to the safety of her group of friends that doubled as family. They would protect her.
In the meantime, focusing on her studies was her top priority.
There was a coffee shop not far from her apartment that she had come to love. It was peaceful most of the time, and had plenty of cozy couches and chairs for her to relax on as she sipped a chai latte or rich espresso while reading up on ocean salinity or atmospheric density or any number of subjects. It was warm and inviting and the last place any of her noisier friends would appear to disrupt her.
She needed it considering her apartment was far from secure against her friends. She had woken up that very morning to find Luffy passed out in her kitchen, in front of an empty fridge, and Zoro asleep on her couch, or mostly on the couch- his mossy colored head had found its way to the floor at some point in the night. She sighed, kicked them awake, and screamed for them to get out before she charged them rent. An hour later, and she was collapsing on her favorite love seat in the café, content in knowing she had some time to herself to study.
At least that was the plan, until he showed up.
He was the last person she expected to see stroll in, but there was Eustass Kid standing in line, looking surprisingly calm, to order a cup of coffee. He hadn't seemed to notice her, so she sunk down into the cushion more, hid her face behind a book, and hoped he'd leave before spotting her.
"Ya know, if you're tryin' t'hide from me, you should do something about that bright orange hair of yours," she heard him chuckle from above her, Kid tugging on an errant strand that hung over the armrest her head was resting against.
"I'm not trying to hide," she pouted, pulling the book from her face to peer up at him.
"Bullshit," he grinned. He leaned over the back of the sofa, arms crossed in front of him as he idly sipped at his coffee.
"I'm studying. I don't want to anyone interrupting me." She huffed, holding up her textbook to show him that she was being honest.
"Hmm, what'chya studyin'?" He asked, tilting his head to get a glimpse at the page she was on. "Thermodynamics? Thought you were studyin' to be a weather girl? What are you doing learning physics?"
She sat up to smack his arm with her textbook, only to have him snatch it away with another chuckle.
"I'm just teasing, Kitten." He said, walking around to the other side of the couch as he held the book in his cybernetic hand, his attention seemingly rapt by it. He set down his cup on the coffee table, then reached back where she had her legs stretched over the opposite side of the couch, lifted them up, and plopped into the spot before letting her feet settle in his lap. He never once looked at her as he invited himself to sit with her. "I'm guessin' this plays some role in that oceanography crap?"
"It's not crap, but that's part of it, yes. Meteorology uses it, too." She huffed and tried to pull her legs back, only to have his free hand grip them tight as he sank back into the couch, a boot-clad foot propping on the table, and his thumb trailing thoughtlessly over her ankle where it was exposed by her sandals and capris. He grunted, flipped a page with a thumb, and went on reading as he waited for her to elaborate. "I told you about my study abroad program, right?"
"Yeah, somethin' to do with the weather and changing it," he muttered, then flipped another page. He was really confusing her now.
"To put it succinctly, yes," she rolled her eyes and forced herself to relax, despite the crawling sensation spreading over her skin from where his thumb was still tracing over her ankle bone. "I'm working with the research group that ran the program out of my college to develop technology to harness and change the weather, and physics plays a huge role in that. I also have to take a few engineering courses later on, so this is to prepare me for those."
She didn't miss the way his eyes slid to her when she mentioned engineering, and once again that curiosity about him was back, nagging at her mind, because there was something there, something deeper about him that wasn't to be expected. It was wiped away by the wide smirk that spread over his face next.
"Sexy and smart, I like that." He gave her ankle a squeeze and she struggled to get her legs back again.
"Will you stop that," she hissed, "and give me back my book."
"Study somethin' else. I'm reading this now." He grumbled, eyes back on the book.
"What!? Do you even understand any of that?"
"Mhm," he hummed, another page turned. She stared incredulously at him. His temper didn't rise to match her own like it normally did. He really was strangely calm that day, and it was actually freaking her out a little.
"Geez, what the hell is up with you?" She huffed, almost defeated as she turned to the bag resting against the couch on the floor to fish out another textbook, this time for her advanced meteorology course.
"What d'ya mean?" He grumbled distractedly, his hand finally daring to leave her leg long enough to lean forward and grab his coffee, attention still mostly on the book in his other hand.
She slipped her feet off his lap, stifling her sigh of relief, and curled them closer as she sat up on her end of the couch. She caught him shoot a glare at her, but it passed easily enough as he took a long drink from his cup.
"You're actually being… civil today," she explained, setting her book in her lap and opening it to the chapter on cloud microphysics.
"I know how to control my temper, you know," he glared again, lips curled in a barely restrained sneer, essentially on the cusp of disproving what he just said.
"Well this is the first I'm seeing it," she shrugged.
"What about when I drove you back to Shakky's the last time I saw ya? I didn't lose my temper with you, then."
"You were too caught up in drooling over my bike to," she reasoned, trying to force herself to read even as they spoke.
"Not the only thing I was drooling over," he muttered under his breath, but she still heard.
Her eyes snapped up to him, leveling a glare on him as she kicked his thigh as hard as she could.
"Ow! What the fuck was that for, woman!?" He hollered, his temper finally snapping as his hand reached to grab her leg and tug her closer.
"You know exactly what that was for, you creep!" She shrieked back, kicking away from him to no avail as he set aside the book to grab her by both legs, sliding her over to him until she was practically in his lap. She had no idea what he was going to try with her then, so she just slapped a hand in his snarling face to push away from him.
"Take a fucking compliment, woman," he growled, one arm wrapping around her waist in an attempt to hold her still as she continued to squirm, while he tried to pry her hand from his face.
"Your compliments make my skin crawl, Kid," she growled back. "Will you let go of me!"
"No! You fucking kicked me!" He shouted as he finally got her hand and twisted it behind her back.
"What are you even trying to do!?" Her other hand was still free, though, and she quickly smacked it against his face to shove him away.
"To get you to stop struggling!"
"Then let me go and I won't struggle!"
"No!"
"Ass!"
"Bitch!"
They didn't even notice they had the attention of everyone in the shop at that point, too busy growling at each other, Nami either clawing at Kid's face, or tugging at his hair to get him to give up, and Kid, for whatever reason, trying to hold her in place on his lap. They didn't notice until a feminine chuckle echoed behind them, and forced them to calm long enough to look up.
"Well, now this is a surprise, Nami-chan." The red-headed woman blanched at the sight of Robin standing behind her, a cup of tea in one hand, a book in the other, and a knowing smile on her lips as she looked between to the two. There was a hint of worry in her eyes, but she seemed to not think Kid was a threat at that point to let it linger. "I knew you two had buried the proverbial hatchet, but I didn't think you were getting along this well."
Nami shrieked, startling Kid who loosened his hold enough for her to kick away, the heel of her sandal unceremoniously striking him in the groin as she scrambled for the other side of the couch. She didn't feel any pity for him as he coughed out a strangled curse and bent over at his waist, heaving and trying to catch his breath as he cradled his injured manhood.
At least she finally got to give him that kick in the balls she felt he deserved two years ago.
"It's not what you think, Robin!" Nami frantically argued, snatching her book and bag as she jumped up, looking to put as much distance between herself and Kid while he was still winded. "Total misunderstanding. But will you look at the time! I better get back home to make sure Luffy hasn't come back to destroy it. I'll talk to you later, Robin!"
Without waiting for her friend to respond, only hearing her continuous chuckles behind her, Nami bolted out the door, face flushed with embarrassment.
At least she knew Robin wouldn't share what she saw with any of their friends. She hoped Robin didn't share it. She was already getting a hard time after crashing at his place that one night, she did not need more because Kid was… doing whatever the hell he was back there.
That man was going to drive her insane, she just knew it.
Back in the coffee shop, Robin stared after Nami for a few moments before turning her attention to the man left behind. Her amusement faltered as she caught him sending her an empty glare, Kid still recovering from the unexpected hit to do anything more.
"You would be wise to tread with caution where she's concerned, Eustass-san," she said lowly, earning a quirked brow from him.
"That s'posed to be a threat, lady?" He growled through heavy pants of air.
"No, just a word of advice. You don't know what Nami's been through, and if you did, you might actually understand why you're the last person she should be around. If you have any care for her at all, then you'll keep your distance." Robin warned and turned on her heel to walk out, no longer interested in reading in the café that day.
"I'll be the one to decide that," he said, his voice firm again, making her pause at the door to glance back curiously. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want, and I want to hang out with her. No one's gonna stop me. Got that?"
Robin frowned darkly, but turned her face away and pushed open the door. "Then you had better be prepared to make some changes, because as you are now, you'll only bring her pain. Good day, Eustass-san."
With that she walked out, letting the door shut with finality behind her, leaving the confused and now very thoughtful man behind to contemplate what she said.
Kid glared at the door, then with a sneer, turned to grab his coffee again and take off. He needed to clear his head.
As he got up, though, his eyes landed on the physics book he had tossed aside when she kicked him. A thoughtful frown tugged at his lips as he stared at it for a long moment.
"Tsh, troublesome woman," he grunted.
He walked out of the shop a minute later. Coffee in one hand. A physics book in the other.
He had a bartender he needed to see.
Kid is basically an awkward man-child who does not know how to flirt yet still tries. And yes, have I made his attempted course of study any more obvious with this chapter?
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