My first My Hero Academia crossover one shot! Well, a long one. It's been a long time since I wrote a mostly fluff story with baby Luffy, and this one is exclusively fluff! Adorable Luffy galore. Enjoy!
Luffy was a product of his environment. That much should be clear to everybody. He reacted badly to the mistreatment, the loneliness, the pain from being hit. Unlike his other siblings who dealt with it without causing problems, Luffy was not so lucky. He was ostracized from the beginning for his quirk. He wasn't fire or ice and definitely not both.
Luffy was an accident baby. They hadn't wanted another child, but Luffy was born regardless. Rei thought, with Shoto, the one who had the quirk Endeavor wanted, Luffy would be the baby that was happy and not judged for his quirk. That was her hope, but it didn't last. The baby was born with a stubby, furry tail and big, floppy ears that hung low on either side of his head.
He could be described as very cute. But he wasn't that way, his behavior was the opposite. He was cute and cuddly until he freaked out and started destroying things. He'd broken everything glass in their home. Windows, picture frames, ceramic decorations, lamps. You name it, if Luffy was angry and having an episode, something would be broken.
On more than one occasion, he'd attacked his parents. Both of them. If anyone realized that not all kids reacted to abuse with cowering or retreating, they'd realize Luffy was reactive to any form of abuse. When Rei refused to feed him at dinner for being a bad boy, he'd throw things at her.
Mostly pillows of other things that would do little damage. His siblings and mother were afraid of him, especially when he was able to grow claws on demand, and his two canine teeth grew longer. He could bite and scratch now. More than once he'd attacked his brothers. They hated him, were scared of him.
But it was the worst with his father. He already didn't want Luffy from the start, but after the boy was hit for being bad, or yelled at, called useless or a nuisance, or flat out ignored, that was when he started to be aggressive and volatile. He'd been thrown through a door once because he attempted to maul his father.
The worst time was when Luffy was hit in the nose and had it bleed. Feeling the liquid drip down his face, feeling his nose burning and stinging in pain, he'd leapt on Endeavor and clawed his clothes apart, leaving scratches and a bite wound on his shoulders. That was when he was thrown at the door and broke through.
His family were afraid of letting him leave the house, but when he broke out at four, climbing the wall, he ran away for a bit, on his own. His family didn't know he made friends with passing little boys and girls. They didn't know he gently pet a dog and picked up a cat that approached him. They didn't know he could smile a normal smile.
When they'd found him, he had blood on his hand, but it was from the cat accidentally scratching him. He was four, but could tell it had definitely been an accident, and the cat didn't mean to hurt him. But even if it had done it on purpose, it wouldn't have had bad intentions behind it. Luffy would understand. And he wouldn't get violent.
But when he was brought home, they saw the blood on his hand and mouth from trying to lick the blood off like an animal, which his quirk was. It hadn't been an attack on anybody or anything. It was just an accident and his own blood. But when he got home, he was shouted at for breaking out of the backyard.
Coming home from a tranquil walk didn't help things. Luffy wanted to be free, he didn't like it there. So when he was locked in his room for running away, he ripped up the floor, the walls, even ripped apart the ceiling and climbed inside to cause damage to the house that would be harder to fix.
Of course that earned him a beating, and the cycle continued. It was ended when he accidentally got boiling hot water on his older brother's face. He'd drunk a hot tea too fast, and the water burnt, so he spit it out, only it was on his brother's face, leaving splatters of burns across his cheek and nose.
That had been a rare time Luffy apologized. But it wasn't good enough, as Shoto was taken to the hospital from the burns. Nobody said a thing about the youngest's burned mouth. Because of this, he got another beating. You'd think Endeavor would learn that it was his own actions that made Luffy this aggressive.
It was his way of parenting that was the reason his family saw him as a monster. A violent beast. So, the nail in the coffin was both the burn and then the horrible slash wound across the man's face. Three days later, he was in the carseat of the back of their car, napping. He had a bag of his clothes and stuffed animals that he hadn't ripped apart, but not much else. He didn't know where he was going or why, but woke up when Rei unclipped his seatbelt and carried him to the destination. She had tears in her eyes when she set the confused boy on the carpet of the large house they were giving him to.
"What's this?" he asked in confusion. But he saw all the toys! There were so many, all around the home. Endeavor bluntly told him he was going up for adoption. "Adoption?" he asked. His ears were twitching from the sound of laughter from the other room. It sounded like they were having fun, and Luffy wanted to go see.
Rei tearfully said that another family would take him in. Luffy was confused, but wasn't upset at this. He asked if it would be a nice family, which made Endeavor scowl and Rei put her hand to her mouth. The mother said a nice family would take him in. "Oh, okay," he said, and ran to the other room to play with other little boys and girls.
He could hear his parents warn the foster mother, a tall lady who looked nice with white hair and a straight nose, and tell her about Luffy's aggressive behavior and violence. Warned her about the claws and teeth, the destructive nature of him and how he broke and attacked his family. To say the foster mother was concerned was an understatement.
The mother said to take care of him, and the lady, Olivia, said she'd do her best. She had a smile in her voice. After his mom and dad left, Luffy felt nothing. He felt no sadness. He didn't love them, any of them, so he wouldn't miss them. The foster mother called Luffy over, voice sounding a bit hesitant.
Luffy hurried over, and asked what she wanted. "We're going to set up your things in your room," she said patiently, though with an air of caution. Luffy nodded and took his suitcase, dragging it the wrong way. "Not like that, like this," she said, adjusting the suitcase so it was upright and he could roll it.
"Wow!" he said, and hurried after Olivia to his new room. They passed many. It was a big house, but was warm feeling, and not everything was made of wood. In fact, most of it wasn't wood. Mostly carpet and white walls. The stairs weren't wood, but a soft carpet. He had taken his shoes off in the front room when he saw a lot of small shoes there.
He was lead to a room with a single bed and some dressers. Luffy asked if the room was just for him. "For now," she said, sounding more relaxed than before. Luffy bustled around the room and looked under the bed before going through the little dressers. They were empty but for a lot of socks and underwear.
Luffy got his suitcase and inspected what was inside before throwing the clothes all around, and taking his stuffed animals out and putting them on the new bed. He liked this room, and that there was a bed and not a floor mat. And the people here seemed nice! Miss Olivia, as she introduced herself, said that Luffy had to be careful around other children. "Why?" Luffy asked in confusion.
"Well, your mommy and daddy said you can be aggressive sometimes, and that can't happen here." Luffy beamed and said he'd be a good boy. Then he added he only was angry when they hurt him. "Hurt you?" she asked in shock. Luffy nodded, and said his daddy hit him a lot, so he got angry and hurt things.
He said he didn't think about it, but it made him angry and scared and upset. He couldn't really help it. "Well, nobody here will hit you. A little boy or girl might do it on accident, so you cant lash out, okay?" Luffy nodded, saying he liked other kids and animals when he left home by himself.
"I like outside more than at home. Cause people outside are nice, and call me cute!" he said proudly and grabbed his ears. "Cause of my ears, that's why," the boy explained simply. Miss Olivia looked at him sadly, no doubt seeing that Luffy was only aggressive when he felt threatened.
Even any kind animal could lash out if it felt it was in danger. Miss Olivia told him that his ears were indeed cute. Especially the fluff coming out of them. They looked heavy, but weren't uncomfortable for him. The boy asked if he could go back and play with everybody. Miss Olivia said as long as he didn't disturb the babies, he could go play. "Remember to be nice and gentle." Luffy cheered that he would, and ran back to the play room he was in before.
-x-
Luffy reacted to violence different here. It didn't make him angry and violent, he didn't break things and shout and growl and bite. He just cried. So when a water shooter was pointed at him, he cried and put his hands over his ears before he was assured it wouldn't hurt. Or when one of the kids grabbed his hand and accidentally pulled his finger backwards, and it hurt.
He yanked his hand away and cried. Miss Olivia was confused by him. His actions and behavior didn't match what his parents said about him one bit. Luffy hadn't shown an ounce of aggression like she was warned about. The foster mother knew what she was doing, and knew that Luffy was acting differently due to a safer and more comfortable environment.
So, they had to make sure Luffy was adopted into a loving family, and not one that would set him off again. The only show of anger he'd made was when he lost a game and threw the toy on the ground. It had been a bouncy ball, so it didn't draw much attention. But that was it. He had it bounce away, and then sat and pouted.
But when his friends told him they could always play again, his pout left. He got along very well with other boys and girls. Especially those in his age range. When large men came in to look for adopting, he glared at them but then ran into the other room. He wasn't good with big men. Not when he knew such a bad one for his whole life.
He didn't miss a single thing about his old home. He rarely thought about it at all. Didn't think about anybody in his family. And he hadn't felt angry or threatened since he was put there. If they had known how children reacted, that they didn't always cower, maybe they could have understood him. But even if they did, it wasn't a loving home for anybody there.
He was sad when some of his friends went away for good, and cried, but Miss Olivia told him they were going to happy homes. Not everybody would stay there forever. "Even me?" Luffy asked, eyes wide in shock.
"That's right. You'll find a loving home, too, some day," Miss Olivia said kindly. Luffy smiled, wondering what a good family would be like. His family wasn't good, and he had seen other little kids with their parents when he escaped the house. It made him sad, but he knew that nice people were out there.
But, even knowing that, he'd never realized he hated his home or family until he was truly gone. After knowing that Luffy had been abused, the Todoroki family were not allowed to adopt any other children. Miss Olivia was obligated to report child abuse, and so she did. It didn't go public, but the parents would be investigated for the other children.
However, if they were taken from the home, as well, they would not be put in the same foster home as little Luffy.
-x-
One day, when Luffy was coloring with crayons in his coloring book, a nice lady with reddish blonde hair came in. She spoke to other little boys and girls Luffy's age, but then got to Luffy, who was humming and kicking his feet as he colored in the princess picture. She sat down and asked him what he was coloring.
Luffy wasn't upset with being interrupted, since the women who came in were always nice to everybody. He knew that they were there, shopping for kids. His friend said that term, even though Miss Olivia tried to make them stop using it, as it sounded cold and unfriendly. "It's the long haired one, but I forgot her name."
"Rapunzel?" she offered. Luffy exclaimed that one was right.
"Wow, you're smart!" Luffy said in awe, and it made the woman chuckle. He asked what his name was. "I'm Luffy, I'm four and I have ears and a tail," he explained, even though they were quite clear.
The woman said they were very cute, and Luffy beamed at the compliment. "My name is Rouge," Rouge said. Luffy thought that they were supposed to call the shoppers mommy and daddy. Luffy wouldn't be upset assigning those names to new people. His daddy and mommy never felt like parents. Well, compared to nice people who came and adopted the kids.
He got along very well with Rouge, and she vowed to visit him again the next day, making Luffy look very happy. "I'll bring my sons and they can meet you. My husband has a surgery for tomorrow, so he won't be able to make it." Luffy asked if he was hurt. "Our oldest ran into the street the other day, and he was able to get him out before a car hurt him, but he ended up falling and hurting his arm," she explained. Luffy asked if he hit the boy after that. "Never. We'd never hurt our children," she said firmly, but still in the nice voice.
"Oh. Okay," Luffy said happily. After visiting hours were over, Rouge left and Luffy waved goodbye happily. He wanted to see her again, and her kids. Maybe they were a lot nicer than Luffy's old siblings. Hopefully, or he'd be very sad. And the daddy of their family got hurt helping their son. He didn't hurt him for doing something wrong, even when he got hurt.
Would Luffy get a nice family like that some day? He hoped so, he really hoped so.
The next morning, Luffy took a bath in the very big bathroom that had a big bathtub for many of the littlest kids to bathe in, and then got dressed in his nicest clothes. It was a dinosaur shirt and some shorts. To him, they were very nice because he liked them. He went into the bathroom and onto the step stool to make sure his hair was okay and ears extra fluffed up.
Miss Oliva was in the doorway and said, "You look very nice, Luffy. Why don't we have breakfast, now?" She was smiling and Luffy ran out of the room. It was so hard to believe Luffy had ever maimed somebody. Had ever destroyed anything in rage. Had been purposely mean. Well, reactive was a better term to use.
Luffy scarfed his cereal down and ran to the front window and watched for Rouge to return. But then he wanted to give her a gift and left to build a lego castle. It wasn't well put together, but he thought it was nice. He drew her a dinosaur, too, though it also wasn't the best quality. But both looked like good creations in his eyes.
When visiting hours came, Rouge came back, with two boys with her. Both a couple years older than him. When she came in, Luffy ran to the couch to try and look normal, but was kicking his legs excitedly.
"Hello, Luffy," Rouge said. Luffy smiled and said hi before handing her his creations. "You like dinosaurs? I think they're too scary," she said. Luffy was glad she could tell what his picture was. Miss Olivia often couldn't tell what his pictures were, even though he thought it was completely obvious.
He also handed her the lego castle, and told her what it was. She sadly said she was bummed she couldn't live in a nice castle like that. Luffy clasped his hands together and smiled shyly. "This is Ace, and this is Sabo. Ace is nine, and Sabo is seven," she introduced. Ace had black hair and freckles. He had no mutant attributes like Luffy. Sabo also looked like a plain human and was blond with slightly curly hair.
Luffy cheerfully greeted both of them and they smiled back and gave their own greetings. Luffy quickly found himself getting along with Sabo and Ace, though the latter seemed a bit aloof. But Luffy liked all of them! He could trust that they had a nice daddy, though he hadn't met him yet. The four played together, and nobody asked him about his old family. It didn't matter at all.
He had a wonderful day, and really wanted to go home with them. To a nice home, where he was happy and wasn't hurt. He never wanted to hurt anyone again. When it was time to say goodbye, Luffy was sad, but got a hug from all of them, saying they'd come back the next day with Roger, the daddy of the family. Luffy nodded, and vowed to draw them some more things.
Another day passed with Luffy happier than he'd ever been since being there. He felt that he might be adopted! He might have a new family and parents and brothers that loved him and treated him well. He had trouble falling to sleep, even though he wanted to get to the next day quickly. He wanted to see them again, and meet the daddy, too! He must be a nice man to be loved by people so good.
When he couldn't sleep, he snuck into the kitchen and had a chocolate milk. He didn't really think about the fact that sugar would keep him up, but knew milk helped him fall asleep. But he was caught when Miss Olivia asked him what he was doing. "I'm drinking milk cause I can't sleep."
"Next time, how about regular milk and not chocolate?" she asked kindly. Luffy's mouth made an 'o' and he said he realized he didn't even notice. Then he ran back upstairs and dove under the covers, gladly falling asleep quickly. And the next day, he dressed nicely again. It was a white shirt with a bee on the chest.
He stayed at the window like the day before, waiting for them to come. It was after breakfast, of course, when they came back. Now it was the whole family. The daddy was tall and strong looking, but he had a big smile on under his curvy mustache. Luffy wonders if the mustache itched.
Like the day before, he went to the couch before realizing he hadn't drawn them anything! He was sad, his plan ruined, until Sabo hurried over and sat next to him with a smile. Luffy lost his pout and smiled back, forgetting about not having the drawings this time. Rouge sat on the couch across from them with Ace on the recliner, looking a bit uninterested. Luffy could tell he was happy, though. He didn't know how he knew, but just did.
Roger sat across from him with his wife and gave Luffy a huge smile. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Luffy," he said loudly, with a huge smile. But his loudness wasn't scary or angry. He was happy. Luffy smiled and nodded. He said they looked like a family. "We are a family. We're looking for a new member."
Luffy asked who. Rouge said, "If you'd like, you could come with us and be our new family. Ace and Sabo were adopted, too." Luffy smiled, feeling happy he wasn't the only one adopted. He wondered why, but didn't ask. Instead he started crying. Sabo smiled and put his hand on Luffy's head.
It felt nice. Not grabbing at his hair or anything, just patting him fondly. Luffy tearfully said he wanted to be with them if they didn't hurt him. "We'll never hurt you," Roger insisted. Ace and Sabo nodded, saying they'd never been hurt. Luffy commented that his old daddy had been mean.
"And he was supposed to be a hero, too!" Luffy exclaimed. Rouge said he didn't need to talk about it if he didn't want to. But then Luffy frowned. "I was a bad boy there. But I won't be like that anymore, I promise!" he swore, now terrified he'd messed up big, and put his hands on his ears in fear and worry.
Ace said, "You can be a bad boy when you're in a bad place. I was, too. I lit furniture on fire sometimes. On purpose. But I haven't done that in five years because mom and dad are good parents." Luffy was shocked that he lit things on fire. But he was glad he wasn't alone, that he wasn't the only one who'd been a bad boy. But he said he was a good boy now, and hadn't done anything bad. Rouge stated that meant they shouldn't be worried at all, then. Luffy nodded his head in agreement.
He really liked Ace and Sabo and Roger. He was glad they were good people. And Roger wasn't a hero, he was an architect. Luffy cocked his head and asked what that meant. "I make plans for buildings. I made our house. Your house, too. I even had us add another bedroom and bathroom for you." Luffy thought that was amazing! Especially when he heard that it was drawings for buildings.
The youngest asked if the house was old. With paper walls and doors. "No, it's a modern one. Like this one we're in right now, but nicer and one story," Roger said patiently. Luffy said he was excited to have a better mommy and daddy. And better brothers. He vowed to not be mean to them.
"We promise we won't be mean, too," Sabo swore. He had a missing tooth as he smiled. Luffy nodded back vehemently. He wanted to go home with these people as soon as possible. And so, with one last confirmation from Luffy, they were planned to adopt him.
Luffy asked, "You won't change your mind, right?" uncertainly. Rouge said they definitely weren't going to change their minds. Luffy beamed and nodded happily. He didn't want them to leave, but visiting hours were over. He waved goodbye to them from the open doorway. They got in the car, calling goodbyes to him before driving away.
Roger honked twice and it made Luffy giggle. He was going to be in a nice family! Nothing like his old one. Never again. He would be a good boy and they would be a good family, he could tell.
-x-
Luffy's arms were feeling itchy a bit, but he ignored them as best as he could while waiting at the doorway to be picked up. Miss Olivia told him he was a very good boy. "Don't ever let anyone make you act how you don't want to. I know that your new family will be loving and never give you a reason to be upset."
The boy nodded and insisted he wouldn't hurt people again, even if he was upset by something. Miss Olivia said she knew Luffy would uphold that promise. He had his things packed, and had already said goodbye to his friends, wishing them finding good families soon. He waited at the door until the car pulled up.
Luffy ran out quickly, but tripped on the stair and fell down. But he rubbed his nose and got back up to continue his run to the car. Sabo asked if he was okay, looking concerned. "Yeah! It didn't hurt." Then he ran to hug Rouge, then going to Roger and then Ace and lastly Sabo. They accepted his small and warm hugs with smiles.
His suitcase was put in the back and he was clipped into his car seat. Sabo had a bigger booster seat. Ace sat in the middle, and was smiling, too. They were all smiling. "Are we going home?" Luffy wondered, excited to see what his new home would look like. He was glad it wasn't like his first house at all.
"Yup," Roger said happily. "We even have ice cream ready, huge scoops! Sprinkles and everything." Luffy's eyes sparkled, looking forward to it. The drive wasn't too long, and there was music playing in the car. He wasn't speaking, just smiling lightly and looking at his new family. He was getting sleepy, but didn't want to sleep. He just hadn't really gotten too much the night before, finally getting adopted after weeks of waiting and visits.
They turned down a street with a lot of trees in front of the nice houses. They looked big and cozy. Some even had more than one fireplace! It was so amazing. Houses really did all look different, didn't they? He hadn't really thought about it before now. When they got in the driveway, they didn't go into the garage.
He was unclipped from his carseat, and the small boy asked why they didn't go in the car house. "The garage is remodeled. It's an exercise room if you ever want to be fit. You're all still too little for a lot of the equipment, but you can run all you want on the treadmill." It didn't sound like the old training room at all, and he didn't say anything about him fighting them.
But Roger wasn't a hero. He didn't need his kids to follow in his footsteps, didn't constantly worry about his image and status. Luffy would enjoy being in a relaxed home environment like that. Luffy really liked the front yard. It was December, and they had Christmas lights around the house. He was sure they'd look very cool at night time. When they entered, Luffy took his shoes off, and held Rouge's soft hand while they started the tour.
The entrance hall had a skylight and an office to the side with a long desk and a comfortable chair. There were a lot of books in the bookshelf and hanging lamps. The main hallways went in two directions, so they chose the left first. On this side was the living room and kitchen. The kitchen was very nice, a lot better than the ones at both his original home and the foster home.
He liked the shiny appliances, and said they were very pretty. "They make even better food," Rouge said. The floor in the kitchen was wooden, but everywhere else was carpet. Luffy like the feeling on his feet. And he wouldn't step on little things on the floor that would stick to his feet. The living room had a high ceiling and a lot of lights in it. There was a very large, L-shaped couch with a big TV.
Luffy saw a whole basket of toys near the fireplace. There were so many toys! He was so excited, and he didn't need to share them with a dozen other kids. Just two big brothers. They both kept smiling at him, Sabo more openly. The dining room table was long and had benches instead of chairs. Luffy was excited to eat there.
"Now, onwards, to the bathroom," Roger said. Luffy ran after him, and saw lots of photos on the walls, seeing some of him from the foster home. He looked so happy in all of them. They made him so happy.
The bathroom had a bathtub that was easily big for Luffy. Even Sabo and Ace would have a lot of room in there. There was a step stool in front of the sink, just the right height. He was shown where the towels were, in a little closet by the bathtub. Then they went to the garage, the exercise room. He was curious, knowing that garages were cold and made of cement from Miss Olivia's house.
But when the door opened, it opened into a room with light colored hardwood floors and regular walls. They didn't open for cars. There was even a training mat, a squishy mat, on one half of the garage. There was a wall of mirrors, too. So many things to do in there. He'd get stronger when he was older. He would learn how to use all of that stuff.
Then they went to the other half of the house, where the bedrooms were! Each door he passed had names on them. Ace, Sabo and Luffy. He couldn't read, but he knew what his own name looked like. They opened the door and Luffy hurried in, looking around.
There was a big bed, so big for him, and a dresser, a corner with all sorts of toys, and one of the walls had pictures pained on it! Luffy had shared multiple times that his favorite animals were the long necked dinosaur and a giraffe. So on the walls were both of those animals together with a bunch of clouds behind them showing how tall they were.
He ran to the bed and jumped on it. "Do you like your room?" Ace asked. Luffy nodded and jumped down to hug them. There were so many people to hug! And who liked hugs, too. Ace and Sabo's rooms were very different. Sabo had a whole wall of books, some really thick! Ace had a computer in his room on big desk.
"Do you do computer stuff?" Luffy wondered. Ace looked away and mumbled he didn't like writing on paper. He liked typing. Luffy asked what he was typing, and Ace shyly said he wanted to write a book someday. "Will you read it to me?"
Roger said Luffy would no doubt know how to read by the time Ace finished a book. The boy grinned and thought that was true. They went to the bathrooms across from their rooms. They were nearly identical to one another. The towels in one of the bathrooms had pictures on them, and he was told those were his towels. "Cool!"
Finally, it was the parents' room. He had seen his old parents' room and Miss Olivia's bedroom, but this one was cozy and had a warm tone to it when the rest of the house had a cooler tone. The bed was huge and puffy looking. There was a large, walk in closet and a very big bathroom. There was a sliding door to the backyard like in the living room.
When they finally headed into the backyard, he saw there were play houses and structures on the lawn, which was really big. On the biggest tree, there was a really nice treehouse attached to it! He loved everything there. He loved everyone there! Rouge asked if he liked it. "Yeah! It's so cozy," he said and gave some more hugs.
So, so happy to be in a loving home. They had huge bowls of ice cream, and then Luffy took a long nap. When he woke up, he was confused a bit before he remembered this was his new bedroom. The carpet was so fluffy and nice. He loved it all. The boy was excited for his life here. With these family members. A mommy and daddy and brothers that all liked him. It was more than he ever thought he'd have.
-x-
"Mommy, my arms still itch," Luffy said, going to where his mother was sitting at her desk. She moved the chair back a bit for him to sit in her lap. She gently inspected his arms, feeling it. It felt sort of peach fuzzy. More than it usually was. She asked if it hurt to touch. "No, just itch. I can't not scratch it."
"Well, they do feel a different texture than before. Why don't we go to the doctor about it? A nice doctor, the one who did your check up before." He'd had a physical and they learned he had ADHD, so he took medicine for that. But there was plenty of room for him to run around if he needed to.
He wasn't going to school for at least another year. Luffy said he didn't really want to go to the doctor, but he did want his arms to not itch anymore. Rouge picked up her phone and said she'd call right then. "Make sure to be quiet, okay? It would be hard for him to hear if you're speaking at the same time," she said lightly. Luffy made to zip his lips.
Rouge called the pediatrician, and scheduled a check up for him regarding itchy skin. That might be caused my multiple things, so they would need a more thorough investigation to see if it was a problem or maybe something cognitive. Or maybe OCD, constantly scratching. The visit was for the next week. "There, the start of the end of the problem. Try not to itch too hard, okay? We don't want you to hurt yourself." Luffy nodded and climbed off to run away down the hall.
Roger was at work and Ace and Sabo were at school. There was still a week before Christmas break for them. His first real Chirtsmas! He didn't celebrate it back at his old house. But here, they already had a tree up, though they were waiting to decorate it for now. They'd do that once it got closer to the holiday.
He was just happy the lights were up, and liked turning them on and dimming all the other lights so it felt warm and cozy. He really liked all of the decorations around the house. And the super nice smelling pinecones dotted around the house made it smell so good. He was only allowed two cookies a day, whether they were desert or a snack.
He went to the food cupboard and got a packet of gummies before jumping on the beanbag chair, sinking into it with a sigh. But then the itching came back, and he did notice what his mommy meant. His arms felt fuzzier. His big ears drooped down further in worry. What if something was wrong? Was he sick?
The worry only made the itch worse, it seemed. He turned on the TV and moved to sit on the soft and plush couch, his feet not reaching over the side yet. Since daddy was very tall, much of the shared furniture was too big for the kids since they were sized to accommodate the father. Luffy liked he was tall so he could be on his shoulders.
When he was looking for the cartoon channel with one hand, the other itching that arm, he saw a video of Endeavor. He paused there. The man was scowling, like usual, at what looked like a villain scene. Luffy smiled, comparing that man's expression to his daddy's big smile. He did have a terrible face scar from Luffy, still. It was very obvious.
Luffy didn't feel happy for leaving a scar. He really didn't like him, but he wasn't proud of doing that. Though it had aided in getting him given up and then adopted by a loving family. He clicked away from Endeavor and watched some cartoons, sunken into the couch. He loved his new life so much.
-x-
It was midnight, and Luffy was sitting up, eyes droopy with exhaustion. He woke up from an uncomfortable pain in his arms, and looked down to see they were black, but didn't hurt anymore. The black reached up to his wrists and back of his hand. His fingers and the palm of his hands were his normal color.
He truly didn't know if he was dreaming, so he turned on the lamp by his bed and looked at his arms some more, before noticing the texture, and feeling them. They were soft, furry. Up to his elbows, fluffier at the top the rest. The fur on his hands and wrists was short, but soft. He jumped out of bed and found daddy in the office, seeing the light on down the hall. He zoomed down the hall and to Roger, saying his name loudly. The man was surprised to see Luffy there, but didn't have the time to ask what he was doing awake when he showed his arms. His eyes were wide and said his arms were furry, now.
Roger picked him up, and called the hospital, asking if he should take him in. "That's not our jurisdiction. If you call this number, that connects you to a quirk hotline. They're working 24/7 and are available to speak at this hour."
"Thank you." Roger carried Luffy to the master bedroom, where Rouge was sleeping. The father walked in and set Luffy down on the bed and awoke his wife. "Honey, there may be a problem," he said, making sure it didn't sound like this was something Luffy should be terrified about. She sat up quickly, and Luffy put his arms out.
She was shocked by this, and gently took his now furry arms. They were warm feeling. It was better than the itching. He thought it was cool! Now it was like had long gloves on, like a fancy person. She asked if they hurt. "No. And they don't itch anymore."
"Well, why don't we call the doctor? We can find out what we should do, if anything needs to be done. It seems pretty harmless, but best to check up regardless." Roger sat on the other side of the bed while Luffy climbed into his mother's lap. He was still very tired, and wanted to sleep, but he felt he should be involved in the call. It was about him, after all.
His daddy called the number, and he said the situation. That his son woke up with sudden fur covering all of both of his forearms, though they didn't hurt anymore.
"What is his quirk history?"
"His parents both had emitter quirks, but he was born with a mutant quirk unlike anybody in his family," Roger explained. They could hear typing on the other side through the phone. Luffy was able to hear it clearly, just fine. He had better than average senses. Especially his hearing. Sight was okay, and he could smell strong smells from a distance, but the big ears were there for a reason. If they weren't good at hearing, then they were just there for decoration. Though Luffy liked them.
"Did any of his siblings have a mutant quirk?" the woman asked.
"No. They all had one of the parents quirks. Luffy is the only one in his family to have his quirk. It is animal attributes. Large fox like ears that hang down on both side of his head, sharper canines and a simple tail," Roger explained in depth. Sabo could turn invisible while Ace was made of fire and could control it. Different than Endeavor's, but Luffy didn't know how.
"I see. Well, his situation is very rare, but not unheard of. It's already unique he was born with a different quirk than his parents', but even more so since its a mutant quirk. Most times, it's a transformation or emitter type. So he falls into a category that is very specific.
"It isn't abnormal or unheard of for them to slowly gain attributes to their quirks. So, he may develop fur in other places, his bones may change shape. It shouldn't be alarming. An example is Mirko. She was in your son's situation. She wasn't born with her tail and was also born with average human feet before they reformed into a more rabbit form."
Luffy was worried it would hurt. Would he change a lot? "Does he have an obvious animal quirk? You said he has big ears, right?"
"Yes, but we've never seen an animal with the appearance of his ears. They're very large, more than any known cats or canines." They were keeping their words calm so Luffy didn't freak out. The woman said that it was harder to tell what his quirk was if it didn't look similar to anything. And his entire body wasn't fur. At least, not right now. "So what should we do?"
"Not panic. It may be uncomfortable for him, but it shouldn't be painful as his body is changing naturally. Just to be safe, log the changes and then take him to routine check ups once something big happens. If anything more happens. This could be all it is, but it also might not be."
Luffy was so sleepy, and he'd heard that he wasn't in danger, it was normal. So he fell asleep, and his mommy took him to bed, tucking him in before returning to her husband, looking relieved. Both of them had expected the worst, but this was good news. Luffy wasn't abnormal for this happening. And having a pro-hero having been in his situation was also more comforting.
"Well, we'll help him as best as we can," Roger said, and left to turn the office light off before going to bed, too.
-x-
Luffy didn't hate the fur. Not on his arms. But he noticed when other things were changing. He and his family did as much research as they could into what animal Luffy's quirk could be mimicking was. Proportion-wise, Luffy's ears are similar to fennec foxes. Only they're much heavier and much fluffier. It you pulled his ear up and looked into it, you couldn't see the skin because the fur was so thick.
So they were trying to find any clue as to what his quirk might be mimicking. Because that was easier than just thinking he'd end up however he ended up. Luffy was the most relaxed of them. His mommy and daddy were the most worried, while Sabo and Ace were more worried than Luffy, but were calmed by Luffy's own attitude about it. He wasn't scared.
He knew they'd love him no matter what he looked like. He didn't know what the end result would be, but they also didn't know if the fur was the last of it. His rare circumstances had their growth and mutations finally stay the same and no longer change when they were seven. He was five, would be six in a few months. So they could finally be reassured that his quirk was done changing in two years.
During Christmas, Luffy wondered if his old family was celebrating. His view had started to change the longer he was with his mommy and daddy. He was loved deeply by his parents and brothers, and his grandparents, too. He also had an uncle name Shanks who was coming for Christmas and Roger's friend had a huge family they would be going to see.
So, Luffy would be anything but lonely for the holidays. And they also got to celebrate Ace's birthday on New Years!
But, when he basked in all the love, he couldn't help but feel bad for his biological siblings. Luffy was let go, which was good for him. But, were they still living with Endeavor? Luffy hadn't heard anything about his old family splitting up. He pitied his old siblings. He'd never felt that before had started to think of them in ways other than anger and hurt.
Luffy got off the couch to go hug Roger and tell him he was a good daddy. The man started crying about how sweet and cute that was. "And you're a very good son," he added, scooping the boy up. "Why don't we play hide and go seek?" he offered. Luffy shouted that he wanted to play, and was set down.
Immediately, he went zooming away and hid under the sink in the bathroom. He stayed silent until he started to feel an uncomfortable feeling in his abdomen. He couldn't tell where it was coming from. Maybe his back, it was from his back. He reached around and felt his shoulderblades. Nothing was amiss.
Maybe he was just imagining it. No… he shouldn't brush it off. He should tell his family, they told him he had to tell them if he felt strange. So he crawled back out of under the sink and heard the man coming down the hall. He couldn't help it, and hid behind the door. When it opened, Luffy shouted loudly and made Roger jump.
The boy started laughing, saying daddy was silly. "You scared me good," he said, but then added, "I found you, though. So you lost pretty early."
"Oh! That was cause I feel weird, and you told me to say that if I feel weird." Roger grew serious and the two headed to the living room, Luffy running ahead. Roger sat down next to him, and asked what he felt. What was wrong. "My back feels weird," he replied simply.
"Where?"
"Em, it's hard to tell. On my back, maybe under by shoulder bones," he explained. Roger pulled up Luffy's tanktop and pressed his fingers against the area Luffy explained feeling strange. It didn't hurt Luffy, but he did feel something strange. "Is there something there?" he asked.
Roger continued to press around before saying, "There are two small lumps right below your shoulder blades, but they're small. I can barely feel them. But this might have to do with something very important besides a quirk. We should get it checked on right away." Luffy asked if it was bad, if he was sick. "We don't know that and shouldn't jump to conclusions. Mommy is with Ace and Sabo today, so you and I will go to the doctor," Roger said calmly. Luffy was worried, but felt better that his father was calm and collected as they got in the car to go.
Having him not be panicked or seeming worried lessened Luffy's tension. But his back continued to tingle and he soon felt great pressure. It was uncomfortable, and he started crying when he felt things coming out of his back, where his daddy said the lumps were. Roger pulled to the side of the road and turned to ask Luffy what was wrong.
"Things in my back!" he shouted. Roger got out of the front seat immediately and unclipped Luffy from his rainbow car seat. He was crying and Roger turned him around and pulled up the shirt once again. His lips pressed tightly together and he didn't want to panic Luffy, but there were arms forming out of his back.
The man had no idea what to do, but ended up getting into the passenger's seat and sitting with the boy in his lap. It was going to continue even if he took them to the hospital, so being there for him right now when it was scary was the best option. Roger watched as two arms formed from Luffy's middle back. It looked painful.
But Luffy was crying out of fear, not pain. Roger watched the arms form and bend, the skin stretching with the protruding bones. It was like a horror movie, seeing bones move under tight skin. But it was also fascinating. When the hands started to form, there was something off about them. He was rubbing Luffy's ears while he watched it in silence.
When the arm seemed to be done growing, the fur covering these arms completely, Roger frowned. They weren't fingers. These were claws. There were five of them, vaguely resembling fingers, but they were sharp and pointed claws. Luffy stopped crying, but the arms moved awkwardly.
"Am I - ok-okay?" he cried. Roger said he was okay. "But more arms!" he shouted, feeling better with his father saying he was okay.
"There are people with more than two arms, you're not alone," he said calmly. Luffy had trouble figuring out which to move, how to move. His normal arms worked okay, but the two new additions, not so much. They sort of twitched around before settling down against his sides. "Why don't we go to the doctor and see what they say? Now we know which place to take you to!"
Luffy was clipped back into his seat, Roger able to position the arms on either side and extending towards Luffy's lap so the straps could work and still keep him safe in it. Luffy was sniffling in the backseat while Roger called Rouge. "Honey, what is it?"
The mother was at the book fair with their kids, wanting to go out with them and have Roger spend time with Luffy alone. The youngest had wanted to stay home and not go to the book fair, which was how they were in this situation. It was better to have that happen with just a family member and somewhere he felt safe and comfortable.
"Luffy's quirk changed, eh, quite a bit. It's on speakerphone, by the way. He sort of sprouted two more arms." They heard her gasp, but she expertly controlled her tone so as not to scare the youngest. She asked for details, and Roger told her the whole adventure they had been on and were continuing.
Luffy wasn't in pain, and was using his normal hands to inspect his new ones. Why were the fingers so pointed? Well, he remembered he used claws as weapons once, but then they disappeared. He never brought them out again. The hands and arms were all covered in fur, the claws sticking out, a shiny black, like slick stones.
They didn't feel like normal claws that a cat had, they were like sharpened rocks, they were so solid. He vaguely heard that the other three would be meeting them at the quirk hospital the two were nearing. The youngest was so distracted by the arms. What would he use them for? They were too sharp to hold things. Maybe he could climb trees better, now!
He tried to think positively, not even voicing his concern for all of his clothes. He'd need them specially made. That probably wouldn't be a problem, as mommy was good at sewing, she could fix it up if anybody could. They could hear Sabo and Ace complain about leaving until mommy told them Luffy had grown two arms and they were meeting them at the hospital. They quicky paid for their things before running to the car and getting inside, both boys clipping themselves in. Sabo in his booster seat and Ace seatbelted regularly.
Mommy stayed on the call until Luffy fell asleep. The drive was long and it had been an eventful hour. When he woke up, he was in daddy's arms, chest pressed up against his fathers. Luffy looked around sleepily and saw his whole family was there, all looking tense. Sabo looked a bit confused, but still was concerned.
They entered and Luffy was set down. He walked next to his daddy, not noticing both of his left arms held onto his leg. The second arm was wrapped around the leg while his normal one had his fingers clenched in his hand. Ace held his other hand, the second right arm staying relaxed. Luffy felt much better after his nap, and was the least concerned out of them all.
He didn't hurt. It was scary, but he didn't hurt.
The boy was admitted immediately, and hurried with his family after a nurse, who let them into a waiting room. And though doctors usually took a long time to see their patients, this doctor came almost immediately. Luffy was sitting on the bed with paper on it, inspecting his new arms, trying to move them around.
He had better control, but it was still awkward. It only felt comfortable when he menueved them to wrap around his chest loosely.
"Hello, Luffy. My name is Dr. Ito," Dr. Ito said and sat on her rolly chair. "I've been told your quirk evolved? That sure is exciting, but scary, too, right?" Luffy nodded, saying he was really scared, but it didn't hurt. "You're a very brave boy." Luffy smiled bashfully at the comment. "How do you feel? Is there any strange feeling from anywhere else?" she asked.
The boy didn't feel any different until he really focused on it. His feet tingled. He hoped he didn't get more toes! He brought his feet up and said they tingled a little bit. "My ears kind of ache also." His family all looked very uncomfortable.
"Well, then why don't we get an x-ray and see what your skeleton now looks like. I'm sure it will be fascinating, having new arms and all," she said kindly. Luffy followed her into the room and had his body x-rayed in multiple positions. He took his shoes off, and exclaimed. Dr. Ito hurried over and the two watched as Luffy's feet changed into that of an animal of some sort.
His toes turned furry and the nails turned into small claws. He could still move each toe individually, but now they were furry. His shoes no longer fit and were discarded on the floor. Luffy pulled his legs up onto the table to look at his new feet. What was going to happen next? He was scared, but excited at the same time.
But now it was the other end of his body that was changing. His ears were growing even larger and fluffier now, and sound was immediately amplified. He put his hands over them, pressing them flatter to his head. Dr. Ito handed him cotton balls that he shoved into them. The shape hadn't changed, but they were even heavier now. The tips dipped below his chin, but still like a fox ear.
"Well, today is just full of surprises, isn't it?" the doctor asked in a light and airy voice, truly calming Luffy. If the doctor was calm, then he should be, too. He said he didn't feel anything else. He thought it was over. His new feet were black fur up to his ankles, now. They weren't fluffy at all, though. Not like his arms were.
They entered the room again, and Luffy said he changed even more. "Now my feet are different and my ears are even bigger!" He sat and wiggled his paw-toes for them to see. Ace asked how he was so calm about it. Wasn't it scary? "No matter what, you all will still love me!" They smiled, but the three oldest of them still looked uneasy.
Sabo was excited and walked to Luffy to inspect his new feet and second arms. "You look so cool, Lu," the seven year old praised energetically. Luffy grinned and nodded. There were new things he could do with his arms. "Even though the fingers are sharp?" Sabo asked.
Luffy nodded, saying maybe he could climb things better. "Or dig! Or they are there for decoration, I dunno," he added with a laugh. He touched his ears, and wondered aloud if they would get even bigger. "I still like them, but I don't want them any bigger." He took the tips and lifted them both up so they were straight on his head and then let them go, not falling with a flop, but the excessive fluff making it turn back into the original position soundlessly. Sabo frowned and said his own quirk wasn't very interesting or flashy, like Luffy's was.
"Yours is super cool, too, though. What if you have to hide! Or, or play pranks on people and they won't ever know it's you," Luffy said. He said that the new fur would have to be brushed, and might take awhile to dry. Sabo agreed with that, and smiled at his younger brother. Luffy swung his pawed feet back and forth.
He was under observation for awhile before they went home. But Luffy was unused to his feet like this, so he had trouble walking. Ace helped him by holding his arm a bit for balance. He didn't have any shoes on, and it was later, so his feet were cold. When he got back into his car seat, he had his new arms extended forward.
"Do you not like this, sweetie?" Rouge asked from the passenger seat as they drove home. Luffy said he thought it was cool!
"Now I'm cute and cool!" he said happily. Those in the car were relieved Luffy wasn't very upset about the drastic changes. But then he added that clothes would be hard for him to wear now. And he also couldn't wear shoes, either.
"We'll fix those problems," Roger said. He was the most upset over the ordeal, seeing the arms force themselves out of Luffy's back while he cried in fear. It was scary for both of them, but he was happy the fear faded for the youngest. He sure was resilient. Or clueless, they couldn't tell yet. They loved him regardless.
Luffy announced he wouldn't hurt anybody with his new arms. They had sharp claws, and he didn't want to hurt anyone ever again. "Cause I gave that scar to Endeavor when he hit me." They were shocked at hearing the severe scar on his face was from Luffy.
Sabo said, "We're not scared, so you don't gotta worry!" Luffy beamed, and then Ace said he'd burnt his abusive father, too. But it had been in a fit of anger and pain. Luffy was glad he wasn't the only one that had used his quirk to harm somebody. So, Luffy was relieved, and his parents both weren't worried one bit for their safety.
-x-
"There we go," Rouge said after sewing new sleeves onto Luffy's favorite pajama shirt. Luffy cheered, and moved all his arms in circles, and it felt perfectly fine. He hugged Rouge with all arms, since they often moved together. So if he lifted his front right arm, the back would lift, too. He was gradually getting more used to them, but they were still a bit clumsy and uncoordinated.
He had rubber stoppers covering his claws, so they didn't hurt anyone or damage anything. They didn't bother him, since he couldn't feel them. He did notice his ears felt heavier. They pulled down more. He was getting used to them, but he didn't lift them up by the tips anymore since they were so heavy.
The boy had some cotton balls still in his ears, as it had only been a couple days since the changes happened. His hearing was too good for now. Rouge smiled and said she'd work on all of his clothes after she was done with work. She worked from home lately to watch over Luffy since he wasn't at kindergarten yet.
She was a lawyer so it was possible to work this way. Luffy said he would wait like a good boy, and then went to his huge selection of coloring books, and got to work. Rouge put on some Christmas music, as the holiday was only a week away, and Luffy was excited to meet more family people.
He'd never had a big extended family, so he was happy to meet everybody and make a good first impression. Maybe he'd make them all pictures, too. Their presents were wrapped beneath the tree, and Luffy liked to sit by them and guess what they were, even if he had no idea. They were all in boxes so he couldn't stick his hands through the bags to see what were in them.
He kept coloring in the light of the tree, happily humming along with the music. He got bored, though, and wanted to play with somebody, but mommy was busy and everyone else was at school or work. He shouted to Rouge he wanted to go outside, and she called back he could do it for a little bit, but then she had to get back to work.
"Okay!" Luffy said, putting his socks on. Since no shoes fit, his socks were better for that, stretching fine over his furry feet. He put a jacket on, too, that had been modified first. Rouge opened the sliding glass window and Luffy went out to play in the jungle gym. He noticed something when he was going along the bars. He reached his other arms up and then pulled his feet up so he was hanging upside down. His ears were drooping downwards. But mommy told him he couldn't do things like that.
"Why not?" Luffy pouted, having come down from his cool position.
"It's dangerous. What if you fell?" Rouge reasoned. Luffy's pout was heavy, but he nodded and said he wouldn't do that again. "Why don't we play catch? Daddy's not here, but I can throw a ball easily."
"Yeah!" the five year old exclaimed, moving on from his bout of sadness to play with his mom.
-x-
Luffy was out walking with daddy in the city so he got used to both walking in public and the sounds that accompanied the busy areas. He had a harness on in case he ran off, and it didn't bother him. He watched his feet most of the time, and was able to do alright. At home was easier since it was mostly carpet. And he had special shoes on made for him.
It was still a bit awkward to walk, but he did alright. He was praised and it made him happy. Daddy just finished a big project and had some time off before returning to touch up the structure's interior once the building was constructed. So he had days off to spend with his sons. Ace was at his friend's house and Sabo at home, binging some shows.
It was finally Christmas break for his brothers, which was nice because the whole family was together most of the day! Luffy was very happy about it, and his brothers were, too. Ace didn't like school much, hated math and history, but Sabo loved learning new things each school year. He showed Luffy the things he learned, and though the youngest didn't understand most of it, he enjoyed looking at the fancy pictures in textbooks.
On their walk, they saw somebody Luffy hadn't seen in just under a year, and hadn't talked to either. It was Shoto. Luffy didn't feel happiness seeing him. He felt nothing, and it may have been rude, but he ignored him and just talked about going to the park with his real father. Even when they ran into Endeavor following Shoto in annoyance, Luffy felt nothing. Not anger or hate. Kind of detached.
After all, these people weren't part of his new, better life. But Luffy tugged on his daddy's pant leg to stop him. He turned to the hero and Luffy said he was sorry about the scar, but also thanked him for putting him up for adoption. Roger glared at the man, but went back to walking with Luffy and saying they could go to the park, which had the boy cheering.
Luffy was used to people thinking he was cute, looking at him like that and even though he had new arms and fur in places he didn't used to have, nobody thought he looked any different than cute. When they got to the park, it was mostly grassy and open, so Luffy played tag with his father, but always lost.
He was getting frustrated that he couldn't run the best in these feet. He wanted to be better, and he ran as fast as he could before tripping and not realizing he was running on his legs and front arms, going faster. But then he paused and stood up, upset his hands were dirty now. "Wow, you were so fast!"
"My hands are dirty now," Luffy complained sadly, not reacting to the compliment. Roger took his hands and wiped them off with his own scarf so Luffy wasn't upset anymore. After his hands were clean again, his happiness came out and gushed about running. "I don't like that too much, though. I don't have to run fast like that and my hands are dirty and I don't like that at all."
Roger picked him up and said he could see why he didn't like it. Being dirty wasn't the best feeling. Luffy nodded, "That's true." They walked to the food stand to get some snacks, but Luffy was distracted by a couple of butterflies circling them. Then all three landed on his ears. Roger immediately had his phone out.
Luffy was smiling, and then one of the butterflies landed on his nose, and his eyes widened in surprise. Many photos were taken before the butterflies flew away. "That was so cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "Butterflies were on me, daddy!"
"I saw. Those made some really good photos. I'm sure you're mommy will love them." He showed Luffy the photos, all of them showing he was adorable. He smiled and then bustled to the food stand, moving on from that fairly quickly, though he planned to tell his family about it. He liked the butterflies, that were orange and black.
They looked familiar, so he probably had seen them somewhere before. He got a packet of gummies, which Roger said he could eat if he didn't have his two cookies. Luffy contemplated his choice, and then asked if he could use the gummies as toppings on his cookies. "No, that still is more sugar than just the cookies, but that's a great idea regardless. You sure are smart."
"Sabo is smarter, though," Luffy said, sounding proud of his smart brother. So, he decided to eat the gummies instead of the cookies. He got a bottle of water as well. They headed back to the car that was parked in front of a bookstore, Luffy having improved on his walking and hearing. The loud sounds didn't hurt. They were distracting, but voices were easy to make out. Especially daddy's.
When they got home, Luffy took a nap. It was a fun day, and he didn't even think of his former living mates, as they never felt like a family, because he had so much fun.
-x-
Luffy was excited as he sat in his carseat, going to Newgate's house, which was big enough for his whole family and Shanks and his wife. The presents for everybody else and some of the boys' were in the trunk. They left many of the presents out to make it seem as if Santa had come. Luffy wanted to catch him, but there was no way he could stay awake until early in the morning.
Ace and Sabo were bored, having made this drive before. Luffy liked seeing the scenery in the more empty areas. There weren't many trees in this part of the country, mostly wide open spaces and crops. So fun! There was music playing, too.
The youngest kept adjusting his Santa hat that was huge so it fit over his ears and didn't fall off. It was for people with very big heads, not a small child head and massive ears. He did eventually fall asleep on the drive, but was woken up when they were at the very large house. It was so fancy! He took his bag of presents for everyone and carried it. It was a smaller bag than the other ones his bigger family carried, but he felt helpful and that was nice.
Roger knocked on the door, and Luffy adjusted his Santa hat again before the door was opened by a pretty tall man. Taller than Endeavor was. But he looked kind, with smile crinkles near his eyes and an interesting white mustache. He welcomed them in with a big smile, and Luffy was told to bring the presents to the tree.
It was easy to find, since it was so tall and right there in the beautiful living room. There was a mountain of presents, and Luffy wondered how many were for him. He brought his bag over, running on his pawed feet, and took them out gentle and put them in spots he thought they looked nice in.
"Luffy, come meet Newgate. He's a good friend of mine," his daddy said. Luffy bustled over and introduced himself.
"I'm sorry I didn't draw everyone a picture. I forgot," Luffy admitted, and Roger said he didn't need to draw them pictures. But Newgate replied he always had more chances to give them. Send them in the mail. "Okay! I will, I promise."
Newgate said he looked forward to it. "Would you like to meet everyone? They're in the other room, playing cards like children," he laughed. Luffy nodded, but his Santa hat slipped a little more. He frowned, irritated with it. "I'm sure we have a piece of string we can have go under your chin to hold it more.
Luffy said he was okay to take it off now, and removed it, showing his big ears fully. Rouge offered to take it and put it in her purse. "Thanks!" She took it and stuffed it into her bag. When they entered the room, he saw just how many people were there. He couldn't count high enough, but there were a lot.
He didn't know if he could have drawn enough for everybody, but he'd do his best. Maybe a different dinosaur for each person. They all looked up and grinned at the smaller family. He was gestured to a huge beanbag chair, and he ran over and jumped on it. Sabo sat next to him, as it was more than big enough. Everybody was happy to meet him, and all said they names. He couldn't remember them all, but they had a possible solution. They all had stickers on, with a different color and shape. He was given a little key, so he could remember who was for each person.
He kept the key with him, trying to link names to colors. But they did that for him! The shapes and colors had the same beginning letter as the shape. He was so happy they were being so considerate, and thanked them all. He heard everyone say he was adorable, and wasn't upset with it at all.
Izo, who's nametag was ice, a snowflake, gave him a plate of candies. It was easy to remember because it was a very simple name. "Hey, don't take my candies out and give them! I wanted to do that," the triangle man said, his name being Thatch. "Hey, Luffy! I made those sweets, don't let Izo take the credit."
Rouge said he was allowed a lot of sweets that day, and he ate the small treats happily. They were delicious! Candies he'd never seen or had before. "They're so yummy!" Luffy said. Thatch said he had many more waiting for later, and Luffy was excited. Thatch also made a lot of the food, too. He really liked to cook.
Luffy bragged proudly about putting a tray of cookies into the oven once (the oven had not been heated, and after Luffy left, Rouge took the cookies out to preheat the oven properly). Thatch said he was well on his way to be a chef. "I don't want to be a chef, I want to be a zoo person for dinosaurs."
The others thought it was adorable and nobody burst his bubble. They all played games, and Luffy raced Marco on who could solve a simple puzzle faster. Everyone just seemed to happy to meet Luffy. He talked about his arms a lot, and how he thought he could climb, but mommy and daddy said not to. This part was said with a strong pout, and kicking a furry toe into the carpet.
Ace said he probably could when he was older. "I don't want to wait, that'll take forever!" Marco offered to take him flying, as he had wings that he could fly with. Marco was the only pro-hero in the family. He was a partner with Hawks, since they could both fly and were smart. Luffy could tell Marco was smart.
Sabo once told him that pineapples are good for you. That meant they were smart, so Marco's pineapple head meant he was smart, too. He didn't say that, though. Maybe Marco didn't want to be called a pineapple. Maybe he wouldn't be upset about "banana peel hair". He wasn't sure, so he kept the nicknames to himself.
When dinner came, Luffy was praised for how neatly he ate. He smiled and said he had to learn before. "I would get in trouble for not eating neatly," he said simply. "But mommy and daddy are nicer about it, makes me happy." Ace was scarfing his food down, unlike Luffy and the middle child.
The table was noisy, full of conversation. Luffy had trouble distinguishing voices. The table was huge for over 20 people, so it was a lot of noise and voices. He asked his mommy for the cotton balls. She handed him his baggy and he stuffed his ears, making hearing only those around him much easier.
Nobody really noticed it, and he continued his meal just fine. When dessert was coming, that's when the two others who were coming arrived. A man with shoulder length red hair and a woman with long dark-green hair came over, apologizing for being so late. They knew everybody but Luffy, so they introduced themselves over passing the powdered brownies.
Their names were Shanks and Makino. They already sounded so nice! "I'm Luffy and I'm five and have big ears," he greeted. It was his usual greeting, though the age changed. Sometimes he added that he was cute, but he didn't this time. Shanks complimented him on his big ears.
"Maybe somebody even got you a present for them."
"What!? I want one," he said, bouncing in his booster seat at the table. Roger sighed and told Shanks he'd regret it if there was no such present. Shanks laughed loudly and said he wasn't mean, he'd never do that to Luffy. The child really liked him!
After they were all stuffed with the desserts, Luffy's face and hands wiped with the napkins, he, Sabo and Ace ran to the tree, and Ace and Sabo started sorting presents. The others gathered more slowly after cleaning up the table and putting the left overs away. The fireplace was going and Luffy liked the warmth.
He was looking for his name on the presents, and put them in their own pile. His pile was big! So were Ace and Sabo's. Luffy wondered what he'd get. And Santa hadn't even come yet. When the presents were all sorted, the boys got to go first. Luffy's Santa hat was back on, but with an elastic band quickly sewed in to stay on.
A lot of photos were taken, and videos of him opening his presents. He got so many picture books, new toys, with a big baggy of miniature dinosaurs of all sizes, some new clothes, new shoes. He was smiling the whole time, but is favorite gift was hair clips. But they had hats on them.
A mini top hat, cowboy hat, a bow, a baseball hat and a wizard hat. But his favorite was a straw hat. He clipped it onto the thick part of his left ear, and loved it. Especially the straw hat one. It wasn't uncomfortable. So, after his presents were open, he was wearing two sweaters, a fluffy jacket, gloves, new socks, and the hair clip.
Ace and Sabo got everything they asked for, too. When it was time for the adults to open their presents, Luffy was in Roger's lap, tired. He eventually fell asleep out of boredom. He stayed asleep most of the rest of the time before the whole group of over 20 people got in one photo. It was a crammed photo, but Luffy stood out, looked chubby with all his layers on, smiling.
Over all, it was a wonderful Christmas! He loved every minute, and said goodbye to everybody before going to the car and sleeping on the drive back.
When he woke up, it was in bed, and he was changed into pajamas, under the covers. Somebody tucked him in, and he was nice and warm, and fell asleep after the eventful day. He was so happy about his gifts.
In the morning, he woke up slowly, snuggling back under the covers before he remembered that Santa came last night! He jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to the living room, seeing the small pile of gifts. Rouge was cooking breakfast, but Luffy still felt stuffed from last night. "Mommy, can I open the presents?" Luffy begged loudly. He was told to wait until she was done cooking.
He pouted, but sat on the beanbag chair and staring at the pile of presents, feeling impatient and grumpy. Why did he have to wait? But he did, following directions. Once the muffins were in the oven, specially made with her own recipe, she walked over to him and sat next to him, telling him he could open his.
She had her phone and took photos when he opened the last of the presents. He had a lot of glow in the dark stickers he could put all over his walls, and a light projector that made the ceiling look like the night sky. It was so distracting, and he stared up at it for a good five minutes before his mom reminded him for the last two of his presents.
"Be gentle with that one," she added when he picked up a medium sized box. He didn't shake it, but opened it carefully. What if he broke what was inside? Would Santa be upset? He looked up and saw there was a half cookie and empty glass by the fireplace. He'd definitely come last night, and Luffy'd been asleep! Well, next year he'd catch him for sure.
When he opened it, there was a pretty, glass giraffe. He handled it carefully. "What is it for?"
"To look nice. We'll put it on the shelf in your room," Rouge said. He liked it. It was clear, but textured. He could feel the spots. He put it back in the foam again, and then went to his last present. It was big. He unwrapped it and found a thick book. He opened it and asked what it was. "A scrap book. A book where you record memories with pictures. This is year one," she said, and flipped the page to some with pictures in them.
There were so many group photos of him and his family, pictures of him being so happy. Recording his wonderful new life. "Why are you crying, sweetie?"
"Eh?" Luffy asked. Then he felt the tears. "I'm happy. I don't know why I cry." Rouge teared up and said she was happy too, bringing him into her lap. "I love everyone!"
"We love you very much, too. Always will, no matter what." Luffy beamed and relaxed into her arms.
-x-
"But I don't wanna go to school," Luffy sniffled while he and his daddy and big brothers were going school shopping for Luffy's first year. Kindergarten sounded scary! It was four whole hours of being away from everyone! He didn't want to.
"But you'll become more of a big boy," Ace said to him with a smile. Luffy was holding Sabo's hand and Ace's shorts, walking between them. Luffy said he'd rather stay little to stay with mommy all day. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it once you make friends." The littlest one did look forward to making friends… so that could be true! Good friends, he'd make sure they were good friends.
They were at a outdoor mall and were almost finished buying school supplies, Luffy's new dinosaur backpack strapped to him securely. He loved it! And he was holding a baggy of cool erasers that he didn't want anyone to take from him. He couldn't help but get more excited for kindergarten as they shopped, even if he'd miss his family. Four hours… such a long time.
Luffy was using the bathroom when he heard a sound of crying, sobbing, coming from outside. From the other side of the building. The boy crying sounded so heartbroken and sad, that it made Luffy very sad, too. He washed his hands carefully to not get too much fur wet, and then hurried outside, planning to go right back to his family. They weren't far.
He followed the source of the crying and found a very scared and devastated boy with white hair and dark circles under his eyes. He was shaking in fear. "Are you okay?" Luffy asked, standing in front of him, a few inches smaller than he was. He had to only be a kid, too, though not as young as Luffy.
"Stay back!" he cried, putting his hands up.
"It's okay," Luffy soothed. He looked down and pulled the erasers out of his pocket. "Here, you can have this. I like it, but you are sad, so you should have it," he said, and reached out his hand. The boy shied away, so Luffy dropped it in front of him. The boy wouldn't touch it. He was holding his hands tightly to his chest.
"My - my hands. They hurt my family!" he cried, crouching into a ball. Luffy frowned, and took off his backpack. He'd gotten gloves for winter, even though it was a long, long time away, and liked them so much he wanted to carry them around with him.
He handed him the gloves, but then put them down on the ground in front of him. Luffy could hear his family shouting for him, but didn't want to scare the boy by shouting. "Let's go find a hero to help you," Luffy said, and took the boy's hand, which was in the glove. He didn't pull away, but looked scared until nothing seemed to happen.
Luffy smiled and dragged him along, the boy following him reluctantly until he gripped Luffy's upper left hand tightly with both gloved hands. "We can be friends and when you feel better, we can play together in the park and stuff. I'm Luffy."
"Te- Tenko…" Tenko said. Luffy walked with him out to the street, and was happy to find a hero very quickly. Luffy handed him off to him, who looked concerned at the state Tenko was in. He was reluctant to go with him, but Luffy gave him a cozy and four armed hug.
"It'll be okay. Even if bad stuff happened, good stuff will, too!" the furry boy said confidently. His brothers and father came running over, and Tenko looked scared, but didn't cower. "Daddy, can we give Tenko the phone number?" Ace looked bothered by the state of Luffy's new friend, how crazed and scared he seemed.
His family weren't angry at him yet, but Roger took out a piece of paper and wrote his number down, looking confused. "When you feel better, call me and we can play!" Luffy insisted, and handed the traumatized boy the number. He seemed confused, but nodded before he burst into sobs. Luffy pat his head reassuringly, and gave him his backpack as a second present, the erasers forgotten in the alleyway.
Tenko left with the hero, and Luffy smiled, hoping he'd feel better soon. "Luffy, where did you go?" Sabo asked, sounding slightly angry. Luffy said he'd heard someone crying, a little boy, so he went to go help. He seemed to sad and scared, so Luffy helped him, though he hoped he could get another backpack.
"Look at you, a little hero. But don't wander off again, understand?" Roger said somewhat sternly. Luffy looked at his feet and nodded, feeling bad for worrying them.
"But, I don't want to be a hero, I'm going to be a zoo keeper for dinosaurs," Luffy replied with a smile. Sabo and Ace smiled and took his two upper hands to go back to pick out the second backpack, Luffy hoping Tenko would feel better soon and go back to his family. They must be worried about him.
Luffy was so happy with his life, and looked forward to making more friends at kindergarten, even if it sounded really scary, too! He was happy. Life was nice!