Thatch took Luffy to his first day of school, holding his hand while Luffy was bouncing in excitement. There were other little kids there, but nobody looked at him strangely. They looked more amazed by his wings and tail. Their parents looked a little more bothered, but Luffy didn't notice.
When he walked inside, Thatch led him to his cubby that Luffy couldn't read. A lot of the other little kids were upset leaving their parents, but the teacher, Miss Connis, was kind about it, and let those upset come to her and get comfort. Others were excited and hurrying around the room until everybody was there and they were called to the carpet.
He felt someone touch his tail, someone with short green hair. "You look awesome!" he said with a huge grin. Lufy smiled, and Thatch smiled as he left with the other guardians or parents. "My name is Zoro."
"I'm Luffy," Luffy said. Maybe he was a friend. "Do you wanna be my friend?" Zoro said sure. Luffy was beaming and they walked to the carpet, where Luffy sat down, cross legged with his tail curled in his lap. He played with the furry end. Kids stared at him in interest. Miss Connis asked them to pay attention for now, and then they could mingle later.
They introduced themselves, and Luffy recognized one of the girls. Nami was in this class. The crying on with orange hair. She still looked sad, but wasn't crying like Luffy had seen her before. He waved to her, and she both waved back. Everyone introduced themselves, and Luffy could see two mean boys.
One with bright red hair and another with spiky blonde. They looked cocky and mean. Both of them were grinning in a bad way to two of the students. A blonde one with bangs covering one eye, and the other was dark green haired and with freckles. They both looked so sad. After they all introduced themselves, they could mingle and play together before starting to learn.
Play and learn on the first day?! This would be awesome! He got up and went to the blocks, he and Zoro hurrying over to get the best spot. Luffy invited Sanji, the blonde sad one, to come play with them. Zoro watched Sanji hurry over with a skeptical eye, but lost the look quickly. Sanji smiled when Luffy handed him the box of blocks with his tail, easily holding it.
"Wow, that's like a monkey's tail," Sanji said, speaking for the first time. Luffy smiled and said he couldn't hold himself up yet. But he could hold heavy things and break things with it. "Break with it?"
Luffy nodded, saying it was really strong. Like a superhero strong. He beamed the whole time. Zoro asked to show him. "I can't break anything here," he said. Zoro grumbled that that was true. "Maybe there's rocks outside I can break!" Sanji said that would be cool.
"So, can you fly?" Zoro asked. Luffy shook his head, saying his wings were too little to fly yet. But that he'd be amazing once he could, with Marco teaching him how to since he could fly, too. "Marco? Who's that?"
The non-human explained that he lived with the Whitebeards. Everyone around dropped their jaws. Whitebeard was well known for being a kind and powerful hero with many powerful workers under him. "Marco found me when I was a baby and kept me, and my two older brothers, too!"
A crowd of little boys and girls swarmed him, asking questions. Luffy was more than happy to talk about his family. He said that maybe Thatch could bake them cookies or muffins sometimes. They gladly agreed to that, wondering what his food tasted like since Luffy praised it so much.
The two mean boys glared at him. He didn't know why, and didn't pay attention to them. Soon, there were many of them playing together, with toy dinosaurs or blocks. Nobody was upset with Luffy's appearance, and he didn't expect them to be.
Sanji asked if he could touch Luffy's horns. They were a shiny black, poking out of his hair and down his head, curved upwards just barely. They would probably get longer, but for now they were short. Not as small and stubby as when he was a baby though. Not sharp at the tips yet, more rounded. He nodded and Sanji touched them.
"What are they for?" he asked curiously. Luffy said they were just there. He didn't know why.
Zoro said he looked like an awesome demon. "Demon?"
"Yeah! They're really strong monsters that are super cool. And you look like one, it's so awesome. I don't mean anything mean by it, I promise," he backtracked immediately when Luffy looked hurt. "I mean, there's a dragon hero, right? Dragons are scary and don't exist, too, right? But maybe you're not a demon and more like a dark angel with your wings. Either way, it's so cool."
Luffy thought Zoro was funny, but not mean. Hopefully they could be friends for more than just his appearance. Sanji looked embarrassed when the redhead spoke, saying it made sense Sanji was friends with some freak monster.
Zoro threw a block at him, and then was in time out, pouting angrily in the corner. Luffy asked why he was mean to the blonde boy. "He's my step brother. The other two are in another class. They're really mean…"
The horned boy said he'd make sure they weren't mean to him. "Besides, we're friends now! I won't let others hurt my friends." Sanji asked how he would take them on without getting in trouble. Luffy giggled. "My brother said looking at someone with an unimpressed face will make them irritated, but know they won't be able to make fun of you. If you don't care what they say, then they can't hurt you!"
Sanji laughed, and said it would be funny to make him angry. Luffy asked what their quirks were. "My legs are super strong. I can kick things, but I should train them to be stronger. Ichiji can make sparks." Luffy said he didn't know if sparks could hurt him, but he wouldn't try to see. Once Zoro's time out was over, he rushed back over, asking what they'd been talking about.
Luffy repeated their conversation, and asked if Sanji lived with his mean brothers. Luckily, he lived with his mom, and they lived with their dad. But they still were mean to him whenever he saw them. It was unlucky that they were in the same class and same school. "Yeah, that's really unlucky," Zoro commented.
After play time was over, they started to learn more. They were learning to count! Luffy could count to ten on his fingers, but not any more very well. They worked with numbers for a bit before it was snack time and then recess. They all went running outside, told to not use their quirks. Zoro pouted, and Luffy wondered what his quirk was. "I can turn my arms into weapons. But I'm not allowed to make real swords. I mostly use sticks and bats. So I can fight up close!" he bragged.
Luffy had never seen a quirk like that, and it sounded really cool and could be really strong. "My quirk is cool, too!" Zoro said he knew that, looking at his whole appearance. "No, that's not my quirk." Both of his new friends looked confused. "I don't know why I look like this, but it's not my quirk."
Sanji said, "Wow, that's so weird." Luffy said it wasn't that weird a little defensively. Sanji made sure to let him know he didn't mean it in a mean way. "So what is your quirk?"
Luffy explained, "I can move stuff if I want. With thinking. I'm not very good at it yet, though. I can only do little things. But I bet I'll get strong someday. I hope so! Then I can be as cool as my family and brothers."
Zoro commented that it would be hard to live up to the Whitebeards' standards. Luffy nodded, saying that was why he was going to work really hard. Sanji asked if he wanted to be a hero like they were. "I'm not sure yet. My big brothers are going to UA to be heroes. Maybe I'll do that, I don't know."
He knew the Whitebeards would help make him into a good hero if he wanted them to. He knew Ace and Sabo would be amazing heroes. Not just because of their quirks, Ace's advanced fire quirk and Sabo's chameleon quirk. They dreamt of being partner heroes. Luffy was happy for them.
"Do you want to be a hero?" Luffy asked, taking his turn on the swing, tail dragging on the gravel as he swung. Zoro said he wanted a job where he could use his quirk, and being a hero would let him do that. Sanji said that being a hero would be fun, a spit in the face to his family that didn't like heroes. Luffy wondered why they didn't like them.
"My step grandpa got in trouble with them and lost his money cause of it, taking it away from my step dad. It's a grudge that he has, and my step brothers do, too. So being a hero would be awesome!" he said excitedly, throwing his hands up, seeming much happier now than he did before. "Now, will you show us how strong your tail is? It's not using you quirk right?" Sanji asked with a sly smile.
Luffy giggled and jumped off the swing and went onto the grass, finding a big boulder. "Watch this," he said. He noticed Ichiji and Bakugo were watching. As was Midoirya and Nami since they were close when he talked about his tail power. He put his tail up and then slammed it down onto the rock, crumbling it into little bits before he took the largest remaining bit and wrapped his tail around it, crushing it.
"Wow!" Zoro said excitedly. "Man, you're so cool, Luffy." Luffy turned red and shyly thanked him. Sanji said he would be that strong with his legs some day. Zoro said he would learn to slice through metal no matter what. He would be the strongest weapon wielder out there. He was determined to be.
"You guys have laffy dreams," Luffy stated with a smile. Sanji cocked his head. "That's what Marco says."
Ichiji said, "It's lofty, you idiot. " Luffy gave him the Sabo-face he told him about. Raised his eyebrows in and relaxed the rest of his face, looking at him in a truly unimpressed way. Zoro snickered at it when Ichiji bristled about it, growing angry. His face turned red and he narrowed his eyes before crossing his arms and looking away.
Sanji seemed in awe at that. Bakugo started laughing, surprising them. He turned to Luffy and glared, though he looked amused. "That's a nice look you got there," he said in a mean way. Luffy wondered what he meant. "I'll be using that, too."
"Uh, okay," Luffy said in slight confusion. Zoro commented that that was kind of weird. "Yeah. Oh well. I can't take that look as my own. Sabo showed me first. He's one of my big brothers. The other one is Ace. They're so cool!"
His two new friends said it would be cool to meet them some time. To meet all of the Whitebeards. "Yeah! You can come play sometime. We live with Marco at the loft above the agency. It's so cool."
He was so happy he made friends! And so easily! School was going to be so fun.
-x-
When Thatch came to get him, Luffy gushed all about his first day, and the hero was so happy for him, grinning about his friends. He told him about the mean boys, too. And the look he gave Ichiji. Luffy showed it to him at a red light and Thatch laughed about it.
"It is definitely best to not take the bait from bullies. Showing you don't care about them is the best way to get them to leave you alone. It would be pointless to bully someone that doesn't care, right?"
"Yeah! That's what Sabo told me. I have to tell him about it, he'll think it's so funny. Hey, can you make some yummy stuff and I can bring it to my friends and show how good you are at cooking? I want to brag, because you're the best cooker ever and I want everybody to know," Luffy said happily.
Thatch said, "Awww! You'll melt my heart. I'd be glad to make your class some treats." Luffy cheered in the car seat in the backseat, so happy. When he got back, he went to draw his friends on the pad of drawing paper. He bought the finished product to Thatch. Of course it was impossible to tell what it was, but he said he couldn't wait to compare his wonderful drawing to the real things.
Luffy beamed proudly at his drawing, which looked perfect to him. He hurried to the kitchen and put it on the big fridge. Thatch was heading there to bake cupcakes for the kids. Chocolate with orange cream frosting on top, little decorative and edible balls sprinkled on top.
The next morning, Thatch brought the bin of cupcakes inside, and Luffy told everybody that Thatch made them cupcakes. Miss Connis said that was fine, and thanked Thatch. "Anything for Luffy's friends!" he said. He stood at the doorway as the little kids ate the small cupcakes, crying out how yummy they were, with the orange filling in the middle. Even Bakugo and Ichiji couldn't complain, enjoying the desert, too.
"I told you he was the best cook ever," Luffy said. Sanji looked at him with amazed eyes. "Thatch, Sanji likes to cook, too!"
The hero said that perhaps someday they could come over and he could cook something with Sanji, whose eyes sparkled. Thatch ruffled his hair. "I gotta go now, kiddos. I'm glad you liked my cupcakes," he said, taking the empty bin and telling Luffy he'd see him later. The child nodded, waving enthusiastically.
That day, he got to know more of his classmates since they were all playing together on the little jungle gym. He noticed one boy who always watched him. The one with wild dark green hair and freckles. The one Bakugo, the mean blonde one, always made fun of. Sanji and Zoro were attempting to help Luffy hold himself up by the tail, hanging upside down on it.
He was able to stay for a couple seconds before falling, his new friends catching him. "Like the olympus, olympics? Where the people swing around and others catch them," Luffy said. Zoro laughed, saying that was funny. He turned to the boy and asked why he kept staring at Luffy. Not in a mean way. But it was a little strange he kept staring at him.
"Oh, I, um… I've never seen a quirk as cool as yours!" he said. There was the sound of explosions from behind, and Bakugo looked really angry. Luffy wondered why, fixing his shirt around his wings after being set back down. Luffy thanked him, bashful again. Compliments made him shy, but happy.
"My name is Midoriya Izuku," he introduced himself. They already knew each other's name after introducing them and reminding them the next day, but it was an official greeting. Luffy asked what his quirk was, and Midoriya suddenly looked down.
Bakugo sneered, "Deku is quirkless."
The three friends were surprised. Quirkless people weren't super common. Luffy had never met one before. Zoro said, "Man, that sucks." Sanji nodded in agreement. Luffy said it wasn't that big a deal. He could still do hero work in his own way. If he wanted to be a hero, but he had an All Might backpack, so Luffy had a feeling he wanted to be a hero.
Midoriya looked up at him in shock and Luffy grinned with a thumbs up. The more shy boy smiled and nodded. Zoro asked Luffy if he wanted to play tag. "Yeah!" Luffy said Zoro was it, and soon he and Sanji were running from him, the rest of the class ending up joining in. Besides Bakugo and Ichiji. They didn't seem like they had any friends here. And they weren't friends themselves, both of them glaring at one another.
Luffy couldn't imagine being that angry all the time. He was happy as often as he could be, but he didn't need to try to be happy. He was. He had a loving family and two friends, now. Maybe more!
-x-
Luffy sent the balls flying at Sabo and Ace as they dodged, Luffy hurling the balls out of the pit at them, his face sweating from the concentration of working with all of the balls at once before he got tired and had to stop. He was practicing his quirk, moving things with his mind. It was hard to master.
But quirks took a long time to master. That's what his family told him. Grandpops told him about how his quirk had destroyed homes before he was able to control it. Luffy giggled at that, saying he was glad his wasn't like that.
It had been a few months since school started, and Luffy wanted his friends to come over for a sleepover, but his brothers and Marco said they couldn't, since Luffy shifted at night. He pouted, and felt sad at that, so he had started practicing not shifting. It was hard not to do, since he was asleep. But he did his best, and was trying to make himself shift during the day.
But after two months, it was working all right. And maybe if he slept with the lights on, that would be better. Zoro and Sanji were his best friends. He knew that. Midoriya was a friend, but didn't get along with Luffy the same way Zoro and Sanji did. He was shy and didn't make funny jokes. Or was very brave and confident. Zoro and Sanji argued sometimes, but it was never too heated, and they made up easily.
He walked up to Marco, and asked if his friends could come over. Marco was fine with that, as long as it wasn't a sleepover. "No, play time! And we can show our quirks, too!" Luffy gushed, excited for his best friends to meet his family other than Thatch. He had the cook call Zoro's number, and asked Zoro's mom if he could come over to play with Luffy.
His mom was more than willing to send her son to a hero agency. Absolutely a safe environment with trustworthy adults. She seemed nice, but Zoro didn't talk about her like Luffy did his family. Luffy beamed when he was told his first friend could come over to play the next day. Then they called Sanji's mom, and she was fine with that as well. Luffy's friends would come over! They'd meet his brothers and family. He was so excited.
So the next day, when they were both dropped off, the two were amazed with the agency, how many heroes there were, all hurrying around in their costumes. Thatch had baked cookies that were waiting in the playroom. The one that didn't have kids they saved off the street. Marco was there, and introduced himself.
Sanji and Zoro were in awe of his big wings. "I'm so happy you two are Luffy's best friends. He talks about you a lot," Marco said with a smile. Their faces turned red a bit and Zoro looked away awkwardly. The man chuckled under his breath.
Ace and Sabo came next, introducing themselves. Luffy talked about them a lot, so his friends were happy to meet them. Luffy said, "Show them your quirks, show them!" Ace and Sabo smiled and Ace turned into flames while Sabo blended in with everything. His best friends were in awe, and Luffy was happy they were impressed with his beloved brothers.
Luffy said they could play with their powers now, since they weren't at school. "Let's play dodgeball!" Luffy exclaimed. Zoro said there weren't enough people to play. Luffy beamed and said he was enough. His friends were interested, and accepted the offer to play. Ace and Sabo left to go to the training room and work out.
The agency had everything in it, a huge building. Luffy loved it. He pulled out the balls from the ball pit and sat down at the wall, and put his hands up, the balls flying at his friends while they managed to dodge alright. They were both focused and missed many of the balls until Luffy started going harder, and nailed them both all over.
Luffy started laughing, and his friends looked at him in shock and amazement. "It's not fair that you are so cool!" Sanji complained. Luffy giggled, face red. He said he didn't try to be cool. "Got any other hidden powers we don't know about?" Luffy's face went serious and he looked to the side, unable to lie.
"You do, don't you?" Zoro said. "C'mon, show us, show us! We won't tell anybody, right, Sanji?" Sanji agreed. Luffy looked down and said they wouldn't like him anymore if they saw it. They both looked extremely offended. "No matter what else you can do, we're your best friends! We would never ditch you cause of some other power." Sanji nodded vehemently.
Luffy couldn't tell them no, now. He put the curtains of the window to the rest of the agency down. Luffy bit his lip. "Promise you won't freak out or tell anybody? I'm not s'posed to show you."
They both swore on their favorite toys they wouldn't think of him any worse or tell anybody. It was a big thing so Luffy believed them. The smallest of the three nodded and shifted into his beast form. Bigger but not by much, wings wider and hands and feet clawed, now on all fours. Both of their eyes widened, and Zoro walked forward, touching Luffy's furry body.
Sanji followed and asked why he looked like this. Zoro grinned, and just said he was so badass, and not scary at all. Zoro said that swear word a lot and always got scolded at school. Luffy changed back and sniffled, crying and saying he thought they'd hate him. Zoro pat his shoulder and Sanji grinned. "We're best friends, why would you expect any different? Silly."
Luffy smiled and nodded, and then explained that they didn't know why he could change like that. Why he was weird. He wasn't upset with his body or powers. He liked his appearance! The tail and wings and horns. They made him look interesting.
"So it's a mystery, huh?" Zoro asked in intrigue. "Maybe we'll find out some day." Sanji nodded, saying it would be cool to find out.
When they went home, Sanji not cooking with Thatch like he looked forward to, Luffy was so happy, and told Sabo and Ace about their reactions. They were angry at first, that he showed them, but when he said they were his best friends and wouldn't tell anybody else, they softened.
"No telling anybody else, okay?" Ace asked, crouched with his hand on Luffy's shoulders, looking at him very seriously. Luffy nodded, saying he wouldn't tell anybody else. Sanji and Zoro were his best friends and the only people he'd ever show. But now they could have sleepovers together and not have to worry!
