Fall came to pay the island a visit but the weather barely cooled down, staying a comfortable 15° degrees. The morning air was filled with noises once again. This time though the noise announced the arrival of the new students and returnees. Some have came early and spend some time on the island already. They were the smart ones who were now already accustomed to islands geography. At least they were able to find their lecture halls.
Luffy hadn't met anyone new over the break though. Because Garp had taken him onboard his cruise ship. Those were wonderful weeks, but they were late to come back and so Luffy drove into drive way on his motorcycle together with all of the new arriving students.
'Thank god, gramps takes care of the luggage. There is no way getting through. I have to take care not to get squeezed to death.'
As if he heard a male student fell over him.
"You alright?"
"I am. Sorry, someone pushed me."
The blond quickly straightened up again.
"'s alright."
They went their separate ways again. Luffy moved very slowly, mindful of his bike. Since the students and their parents moved by crushing or impacts, there was a realistic possibility of someone damaging his vehicle.
"OY!"
A yell from beside Luffy made him turn his head.
"You! Yes, you!"
Luffy looked into the black eyes of a student.
"What is it?"
"My clothes got delivered just now, but I can't carry all the bags through this mess. If I leave some behind, they will be gone before I'm back. Can I place some of them on your motorcycle?"
"Sure." Luffy responded without a second thought.
The other grinned relieved and fixed his bags on the bikes seat. He looked at his savior.
"Law!"
"Luffy!"
They shook hands and exchanged smiles.
Law pointed towards the trees. Luffy looked in that direction and nodded. Both started moving in that direction.
"Thanks. It wasn't even possible to properly talk in all that noise."
"That's alright, really. You a new student?"
"Yeah. I arrived much earlier but I decided to do a practicum after all, so I left again. Should have come back tomorrow."
"Haha. True. Don't beat yourself up over it."
Law took a closer look at Luffy.
"You said your name is Luffy right? You a returnee? You seem comfortable here."
"Nope. I'm a newbie too, my situation is similar to yours actually. Was here on the first day already, left again and came back now. I wanted to be back yesterday, but our ship got delayed and here I am."
"Here you are. I guess your bad fortune was my good one. I didn't know what to do out there."
They smiled at each other again. It was slowly getting quieter around them. Not quiet, but you could at least hear the other without shouting now.
"Which dorm are you at?"
"Thousand Sunny. And you?"
"For real? Me too! Which room are you? I'm in room 3."
"I'm room 2. Which means we're neighbors."
Luffy giggled.
"This seems to be fate. Let's be friends."
Law glanced at him baffled.
"Umm,... yeah sure. I don't see why not." He seemed surprised at the fact that he found none too.
A loud laugh was his answer.
"Yeah. I don't see why not either! Oh.. wrong direction. This is a shortcut here." And changed directions.
Law had no choice but follow seeing how the other man still had his stuff, but...
"Is it such a good idea to leave the path? I got myself hopelessly lost several times already."
"Pfft. Yeah, normally it isn't. But I know my way around, so with me around you don't have to worry about getting lost on campus."
And surely a short time after they stood in front of a blinding yellow and red building three stories high. Luffy got the bags of his bike and parked it beside the door. He would move it later.
Next both of them tackled the stairs to the third floor carrying two bags each. They somehow made it to door 2 and crashed in. The next few minutes were spend in a two-sided comfortable silence, recovering their strength from the labour. Law spoke up first.
"Thanks again. I will return the favor someday. I would offer you a drink, but I haven't stocked up yet, so.."
"'s fine. I live right next door. My stuff will be delivered later but I HAVE stocked up on food and drinks. Wanna come over to hang out?"
Law paused again and again to his surprise he couldn't think of a reason to refuse. So both of them walked out the door and walked into the room next door. Well, room doesn't do it justice. It was more of a flat and even more spacious than Law's.
"Wow. You must have connections to be able to get a room like that." Law commented, sitting down on the couch.
Luffy only smiled a mysterious smile, handed him a bottle of coke and changed subjects.
"Yours is not bad either. Besides all students here have connections and only those with better ones are able to secure themselves a room in the Thousand Sunny. It' s bad taste to ask about it. Better tell me what you are studying."
Law snorted at the mini lecture, but complied.
"I'm in medicine. Special department." He tried to hide it, but the small smile, his glittering eyes and most of all his tone revealed that he was rather proud of that fact. 'And why not', Luffy thought to himself. 'Even I had trouble getting in. 'There are only, what? Thirty to fifty students each year able to get in.'
"Good job. I'm in economics. Special department." He copied Law and also stressed the last part.
He literally saw Laws jaw drop to the ground.
"Special department!? You're bluffing!"
For the first time today, Law witnessed the smile leaving Luffys face.
"I don't lie." He said that as if it was obvious. -"I don't like people lying to me either."
That shut Law up. He looked the man over again.
"I apologize. You gave me no reason to believe you were lying and don't like liars too. That just slipped out by accident. You don't look the type."
A mile beamed in his direction again.
"I get that a lot."
Later that day Law lay in his bed and pondered over that kind of neighbor he had gotten himself. Luffy had connections, money and brains-since he got into the special department. All student of the special department were elites and Luffy revealed himself to be the elite of the elites. This new relationship could unexpectedly come in handy. But he agreed to be his friend before he knew all that. How troublesome... Luffy could even have a higher social standing than Law, if he considered it.
But at the same time, the other man acted nothing like the part. He looked like the next door boy. Though that bike seemed expensive on a closer inspection... so Luffy also knows how to ride it and he studies economics here. And he was also sleeping right next door from him. Somehow Law liked that thought.
