This chapter is dedicated to all the lovely commenters and reviewers, but especially to PippinSqueaks and Fabika013 on AO3, whose lovely encouragement gave me a much needed push to return to this story 3

With all dangling threads at the department neatly tied in a bow and handed over to await the return of Mona, Nami spent the next few days just relaxing before her Adventure Abroad, as Usopp had proclaimed, hanging a beautifully painted banner with said text and a small portrait of Nami, tagging along a suitcase and German flag in hand, from the rafters of the Sunny.

She appreciated the gesture, really and truly, but now Chopper burst into tears and tackled her midriff whenever he saw it and was reminded of her imminent departure. Being hit by a few stone of reindeer antler every now and then was starting to take a toll on her stomach muscles, no matter how 'good it was for her training, Zoro'.

She had to admit that the training regime he had designed for her before Christmas had been effective. She didn't fall over nearly as often as she had before when Chopper hugged her.

And yet the days crept by, even after half-awkward teleportation of papers and weird things left unsaid. The crosses on Nami's calendar became broader and more haphazard with each passing day, obscuring more and more of Zoro's training schedule. His objections fell on deaf ears and no amount of whining, wheedling or warring about could help keep her excitement contained. Or make her give her ski goggles back to Usopp who had borrowed them for his experiments out in the shed and almost cried when she demanded them back.

But the tick marks on her calendar dwindled down at their relentless pace until she had a mere handful days left before the wide world beckoned.

One day was spent tormenting Usopp by secretly feeding the tomatoes outside their schedule. He came in covered in curiously shaped miniature bite-marks and the day ended in bandages and soothing cocoa.

Another day was spent placing a hundred tiny flags all over Zoro's room for her enjoyment and his continuous surprise. The day ended in muffled laughter as he found the first three, each one with an increase in the vulgarity of the chosen swearword.

And the third day ended with a sad Luffy, which was almost as bad as finding a hurt puppy or Chopper when the candy had run out.

It was the way his shoulders hunched over and his straw hat cast everything in shadow, a frown distorting that eternally happy face. How he didn't want to meet anyone's eyes and the sad little 'click' from his closing door.

And thus Nami swore, on the tight leather trousers and steins of beer to come, that she would never forgive the bloody twat that had made Luffy sad.

"You look nice today."

"Really?"

The weather was unseasonably warm for an afternoon in February and the rest of their little troupe were bundled up with mittens and scarfs. Nami furrowed her brows at an unrepentant Zoro who merely stared back at her, arms folded.

"No. Go put a shirt on. I didn't raise you like this."

"First of all, you didn't raise me." Zoro scoffed at Nami's raised eyebrow. "Whatever you say. Or you insinuate," he said to Usopp who tried to hide a snigger behind his overgrown scarf. "Second of all: Why? It's hot outside."

"You are also a walking furnace, but that's beside the point. The point is that we are on campus, not at home. Put on a shirt."

"And why are we here again?" Zoro grumbled, shrugging on a jacket Usopp held out.

"To support Luffy as he is attending the most influential meeting of his academic career so far, as you very well know, you tadpole. And to celebrate with him when he gets into the summer course on creepy-crawlies, of course."

"Witch," said Zoro, re-folding his arms and ignoring both its ominous creaking as it stretched over much broader shoulders and biceps than it was used to as well as Usopp's weary sigh.

"How original, mossball."

"Oi!" Zoro looked almost offended. "Don't go stealing the cook's insults, figure out your own."

"Fine, you half-empty cup of lime juice."

"Need to keep searching for those insults, captain Nemo. That was weak."

"Oh, make like Polyphemus and fondle a sheep, you half-blind pear."

"Dusty cheese ball."

"Well, aren't you sugar, spice, and everything nice."

"Well, aren't you rudeness and sarcasm and everything–"

Zoro stopped, his mouth opening and closing on thin air. A smirk formed on Nami's face, almost of its own accord.

"No, go on. You find something that rhymes with sarcasm and makes sense, and I'll take on your chores tonight, although I'm technically already exempt from them," she said with a wave of her hand, staring expectantly at Zoro.

"You glum, plum piece of pond scum," he conceded with a sigh, folding his arms, frown marring his brow.

Nami levelled Zoro a Look. "No. Not even pity points for effort."

"Children," Vivi cut in with an amused look. "Let's calm down and hear what Luffy has to say?"

The group turned as one towards the stately entrance to the department and watched as the heavy, dark doors closed behind a small figure with a bright yellow hat on his head.

A shiver crept down Nami's spine.

Something wasn't right.

Silence reigned, where there should have been jubilation. Slow movements where there should have been frolicking and excitement. Downcast eyes instead of a bright smile.

An uncharacteristically sombre Luffy came down the stairs, taking them one by one instead of his usual pace of two by four. His usually so expressive arms, always gesticulating and pointing at interesting geese and foodstuff to try were showed deep in the pockets of his bright shorts, his only concession to the seasonal cold a long-sleeved hoodie instead of his usual t-shirt.

The group waited in a silence stretched tauter with every lingering step, until Luffy stopped in front of them, eyes downcast.

"I didn't get it."

After a breath of silence, pandemonium broke out.

There was something pleasing in the way they had all bundled around Luffy, trundled up the street and grumbled their way back home to the comfortingly creaking eaves of the Sunny.

But it hurt to see Luffy sad. He had just gently pushed Usopp's arm away from his shoulders and softly said he needed a moment, his normal broad smile and smile-crinkled eyes nowhere to be seen, before disappearing into his and Zoro's shared room and the door closing behind him with an uncharacteristically quiet 'click'.

Without anything specific to do, the crew went into caretaking mode. Usopp was sent to pick up more drinks while Chopper and Zoro were placed on kitchen duty. Nami fretted about the living room, nervously tidying up forgotten glasses and righting crooked photographs on the wall. And Vivi had discreetly disappeared together with Shirahoshi and Koza, leaving the Sunny to take care of her own.

Sometimes Nami was very, very grateful for Vivi's sense of tact and subtlety. There was something to be said for the support and presence of friends, but Vivi seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to when people needed people and when they needed space.

Slowly, the sky outside turned from bright blue to steel grey. The wind picked up a notch, shepherding in whisps of cloud and smoke from somewhere nearby, painted a bright red by the setting sun.

And Sunny was silent.

Nami had claimed one of the thick woollen blankets for her eternally frozen toes while Usopp was curled at the other end of the sofa, mindlessly sketching something in his notebook. Zoro half sat, half lay on the other sofa, hands laced behind his head and staring at the ceiling while Chopper crouched in front of the fire, poking at the logs merrily crackling in the hearth.

The sky outside had turned a deep, dusky purple before Luffy reappeared.

The rest were by now gathered around the fireplace, watching the flames pop and sparkle and heat up the remnants of Usopp's home-made glühwein Zoro had sniffed out from the back shelves of the cupboard, where it had sat gathering a nice sting in the months since Christmas.

Without a word, he curled up in his usual spot on the sofa next to Zoro, wrapping his gangly arms around his legs and staring at the fire.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the synchronised breathing of five people, punctuated by sporadic snaps and crackles from the logs, now flaming with a white-hot fervour. Occasionally, Nami shivered from the draft sneaking in through the cracks in the window sills, burrowing her toes deeper into the folds of her blanket.

"I'm fine."

And just like that, without effort or thought, Luffy broke the silence and oppressing tension crowding the house. There was still a sombre look in his dark eyes, but the lines in his face were softer than they had been and his brow was smooth once again. His hair, usually untameable, was perhaps a little more in disarray than it usually was, like he had dragged his fingers through it repeatedly, but no-one remarked on that.

"Of course it's a disappointment–"

"You spent age on that application!" Usopp exclaimed, eyebrows raised in shock, pen still on the paper. "How can you not be–"

"–a disappointment," Luffy continued a tad louder, ignoring Usopp. "But I see why they didn't choose me. And there will be other courses before I graduate."

"But not ones like this!" Now it was Nami's turn to be upset. "Not fully paid, three-month expeditions to some isolated island in the middle of the Atlantic with Professor Rayleigh – the man who literally founded your field! Not courses that could change your life!"

Luffy shrugged. "Everything I do changes my life. And sometimes yours as well. Sure, it would have been fun, and I'm sure I'd have learned a lot." He closed his eyes as he let his head drop down on the pillows behind him, ignoring Zoro's grumble of displeasure at the sudden change in sofa dynamics. For a moment everything was still once more.

When Luffy opened his eyes again, they were brighter than before, sharper and more focused. "But I don't need it to graduate and there were better candidates."

"But–" Usopp started, clutching at a glittering pillow decorated with a sequin-created seal.

Luffy held up a placating hand. "Really, I'm fine. My grades weren't the best and I thought I could win them over in the interview or with my project proposal. But when I didn't get the recommendations I needed, that was it for me."

"But I thought Professor Nico gave you a stellar recommendation?"

Luffy sighed. "She did. But I needed two, preferably three, and when I asked Law, he refused."

"It was Law?" Nami felt a cold shiver slither down her back and wind around her heart. "He didn't give his recommendation?"

"It's fine," said Luffy with a brittle smile, earlier bravado diminishing. "I gave it a lot of thought, and my work really–"

"You've had like five minutes!" Nami said indignantly. "How can you have given it any thought at all? I'll believe you in a week, but now–"

Zoro narrowed his eyes from his perch on the sofa. "Nami, drop it."

"I thought he liked you!" Nami continued, ignoring both Zoro's words and Luffy's protests. "Sure, everyone always think they can do better, but how could he just– just not give it to you?"

"Sounds like you're suddenly one for nepotism and good old boys' clubs?" Usopp asked as he handed Luffy a cocoa with a mountain of whipped cream on top. "I thought you were against–" his eyes glassed over as he recalled words from far away and a long time ago "–'unfair advantages in the recruitment process since pre-existing relationships really aren't a solid foundation to build a healthy organisation upon'?"

If Nami would not have honed her skills at deception and conmanship from an early age, she would have either flinched or blushed at the impersonation. As it was, she merely narrowed her eyes. "I do not sound like that. And how do you even remember what I said over a year ago?"

Usopp merely stared at her. "Do you have any idea how much of that we had to listen to when all those upper-crust twats from your class got internships at their parent's companies and friend's friend's places and you had to scrounge for anything so you could fulfil your graduation requirements for your bachelor's degree?"

"Fine," Nami huffed in haughty defeat. "I might have had some strong opinions." She took an angry drag from her bottle, relishing in the bubbles popping in her nose. "That was when I was still with Vivi. Some of her views might have rubbed off…" she muttered, setting her bottle down with more than necessary force, making a rather ugly vase rattle. It was only at Chopper's admonishing face she remembered it had been a present from his mother.

But it was a very ugly vase indeed. It also seemed indestructible. Not even Usopp's beans had managed a dent in it when she conveniently misplaced it in the shed one night.

"And it had nothing to do with Marjorie-Louise Parkinson-Bouquet being offered a cushy part-time job at her godmother's marketing firm?" Usopp asked his own cup of cocoa innocently, totally uncaring of the daggers Nami was shooting him.

"Anyway," she said, pointedly ignoring the half-hidden snigger making Usopp's whipped cream wobble in his cup, "I have later come to realise that the world is an unfair place and that people should take the advantages they are given and help people they care about." She glared at Usopp who merely shook his head in exasperation, a dollop of cream decorating his pointy nose. "The point is that Law could have given Luffy a recommendation and he didn't."

"Nami," said Luffy. "I wasn't good enough and any recommendation wouldn't have been enough. It's as simple as that."

"You don't know that!"

"No, but Law said–"

"Of course he did! It's his hide on the line here! What do you think he'd say? 'Yes, it was me all along, mwahahahaha', or blame someone or something else?"

"Your evil villain laugh needs some work," Usopp cut in, "but you do have a point. We don't know anything about the selection process outside of the interview, recommendation letters, grades and project proposal you had to turn in," he continued, turning to Luffy. "Everything else we know comes from Law. And it's not a great look for him."

"Torao wouldn't lie to me," Luffy said with a frown. "He's not like that."

"Maybe not, but maybe he didn't want to hurt you more?" Nami said gently, tamping down her ire in favour of being a supportive friend.

Law could burn latter.

"He wouldn't want to hurt me."

"And yet, he denied your chance at taking part in the course."

"He's my friend."

"You can never be friends with your thesis supervisor," Usopp said, sadly shaking his head. "It's a conflict of interest."

"I don't care. He's still my friend."

"Do friends hurt each other?"

"When it's warranted, yes," Luffy said stubbornly. "Like when Usopp was being a drama queen in Venice and disappeared for a week. Remember? When you–" he said, turning to Nami, "–found that cute mechanic and we were all accused of murder and Professor Nico–"

"I APOLOGISED FOR THAT!" Usopp said rather loudly, gulping down a rather large mouthful of beer. "But he does have a point," he continued after Chopper had rescued him from self-imposed drowning. "Friends do tell each other when they've fucked up. Sometimes it hurts but that's why they are friends. They are there for you when it does."

"See," Luffy beamed. "Torao is my friend!"

"He's your thesis supervisor," Usopp said in an exasperated tone. "He can't be your friend, per definition."

"I don't care. He's still my friend."

"Where is this friend of yours?" Zoro asked neutrally. "Haven't seen him around in a while."

"He's in France," Nami said in a tone cold enough to chill the vodka Zoro had moved on to. "How convenient."

However hard she tried to keep a firm grasp on her anger, Nami was somewhat powerless in the face of the combined power of her friends and the Sunny. After a while, her foul mood had abated somewhat, receding into a simmering pot of resentment and leaving behind a coppery taste of anger in her mouth.

But the beer was plentiful, the Sunny as cosy as ever and her friends lovely. Sanji kept sending surprisingly supportive messages in the group chat, as well as some lovely pictures of Montmartre painted by the evening lights, while Vivi had sent a discreet message to Nami to organise a common brunch the next day at her place. The only thing the Sunny's crew had to do was turn up when it suited them; Nami accepted with a thumbs up and a flurry of hearts.

However, Nami's foul mood made a spectacular comeback when the beer ran out. It forced her to move to rum, which both made her too emotional and Zoro dismayed since he therefore could not drink the rum.

Usopp and Luffy were gearing up for a round of sea-shanties, to judge from their matching pirate outfits that had appeared at some point. Luffy, sporting a huge captain's hat with rather lovely gold trimmings, was stretching with a microphone in each hand, while Usopp, inspired by a steampunk convention he had attended with Kaya, went for a lot of dark wool and brass highlights, complete with a red-and-white striped helmet and a pair of Victorian glasses with leather detailing.

They were currently setting up Usopp's Karaoke Corner of Many Decibels Indeed, although their current efforts looked more similar to Luffy strangling himself on cords winding tighter and tighter as he trashed for freedom, Usopp frantically trying to unplug the microphones to save his friend from an untimely death.

Luffy had gotten over his disappointment very quickly.

His relaxed attitude was perhaps one of his best points, in Nami's opinion: when Luffy had set his sights on something, he didn't give up until he succeeded. But if he failed in matters he considered minor, he shrugged and got on with his life.

And although he had been happy to be shortlisted for the summer course (Nami had seen Vivi's video of his spectacular fall down the stairs at the announcement; it was objectively hilarious and had gone viral in their campus networks and led to a passing fad of straw hats on campus), it was obviously something placed in the Less Important-bin, together with grades and a normal sleeping pattern (Luffy fell asleep when he was tired, simple as that).

One of the many reasons they were friends, she mused as Usopp managed to untangle him from what now resembled a ball of yarn after the attentions of a pack of kittens on catnip, and Luffy fell to the floor, coughing.

Zoro was supplying her with alcohol and Chopper was snoring, curled up into a small ball on one of the sofas.

It was so sweet she'd give herself diabetes, something not even the huge, sparkling Hello Kitty-doll that sang 'It's a small world after all' when tickled she gifted Bepo had managed to do.

She threw a weary side-eye at the lengthening shadows gathering in their living room. It usually was the kitchen making her feel mushy and warm and safe, not the living room. The living room usually encouraged stupid feats of bravery and excessive amounts of socialisation.

And a dark-haired man, spread out on that very sofa in a cashmere jumper soft enough to commit petty theft for, surprisingly good at Pictionary–

This was unacceptable. She was determined to be angry at him, not appreciative of him.

And if Law wasn't there to be shouted at, she'd have to do with the next best thing.

"How can he be so happy?" she said, gesturing towards the sparkling Luffy, bellowing an unrecognizable tune to an unfamiliar beat. "His future lay in ruins mere hours ago and now he's just… singing about always being there?"

Zoro cocked his head and listened for a moment to the noise. "I think he's saying something about making belief? Or living in harmony?"

"Harmony does not go well with Luffy," Nami scoffed. A change in tune draped a contemplative silence over them, until Nami couldn't ignore the current tune ('song' would be too generous for the sounds Luffy was making) no longer. "Why is he now singing about how he's still in bed at ten and that he then burnt his breakfast?"

"Well, he did that yesterday. Maybe he's reminiscing?"

"We need Sanji. Then we'd have unburnt breakfast."

"We do not need that twirly bastard."

"We do. And I need rum."

"No we don't. And no, you don't."

"Zoro. Breakfast. Rum."

"Witch. Maybe. No."

A staring contest ensued.

Zoro, without breaking eye contact, nudged one of the bottles gathered on the table towards her. "Have some vodka instead."

Nami considered the offer and conceded. "Thanks."

The night wore on and Zoro relinquished the rum bottle to Nami in exchange for a very nice bottle of sake she'd gotten from Shirahoshi but couldn't stand herself. Chopper nodded off on the sofa and Nami valiantly withstood Luffy and Usopp's entreaties to join them for a sea shanty.

She saw what they did to 'Drunken Sailor' and 'Spaniesh Ladies' and swore to never join them in such horrendous slaughter of defenceless music.

And then the rum was gone. Why was the rum gone?

Prolonged ruminating on rum-less existence only led her back to the original reason for their tragic little evening, built on sadness and animosity.

"And how dare he run off like some sort of coward!" Nami seethed for the fifth time. Or sixth. Zoro merely rolled his eyes and took a swig of his sake.

"Y'want us to do something about it?" Zoro asked, lowering the bottle.

The matter required pondering.

And a pounding–

No. Nami pushed that train of thought of its rails and threw it down the memory chasm.

"We don't need alcohol-fueled bad decisions tonight. I'd rather be able to leave the country without a police escort."

Zoro scoffed. "I don't need alcohol to make bad decisions. And neither do you."

"No, you do them all by yourself. But thanks."

Nami could slowly feel her temper abating once more.

The presence of her friends was soothing, making her feel safe and warm. Like someone cared about her. Like Luffy, her Luffy, wasn't on the brink of utter personal catastrophe and she had failed in her duty as his friend–

She knew her current good mood might recede in a moment, bringing on the sixth (or maybe seventh) tirade of how unfair Law was being, but for the moment, she relished in the warmth of her friends.

And of her woolly blanket, still snugly wrapped around her toes.

"Ahoy, fair lady Nami!" Usopp's loud voice cut through her thoughts like a hot, sharp thing through something malleable. "Would you please reconsider your stance and accompany our song?"

Nami raised an eyebrow. "It's one in the morning and the neighbours across the way already complained twice this month."

Luffy doffed his pirate hat, "Who cares about those old wheezers! Come on Nami, join us for merriment and musical tunes!"

"It's geezers, not wheezers, although I agree they wheeze when they move," she said, cutting off the objection she saw forming on Luffy's tongue. "And no, I'm not going to join you. You are about as musical as the toenail of my left big toe."

"It's just one song."

"It's a sea shanty. I shall refuse."

"Come oooooooon…"

No-one could wheedle like Luffy. But Nami was wise to his tricks and hardened her heart.

"Yeah, and hell is just a sauna."

"No, Nami, Hell is a very nice village in Norway," said Zoro.

"We should really visit again," said Luffy with a wistful mien, "they had some lovely salmon sandwiches there."

"They have lovely sandwiches over here as well. What about the place down the coast?"

"Oh yeah! That's a great place! That's where the course–" he broke off, his pirate hat drooping in sympathy.

A sombre silence draped itself over the group like a fluffy blanket.

A sad Luffy was something no-one should experience.

And since Law had made Luffy sad, she'd never forgive him.

Nami was the first to speak.

"Anyone up for some sea shanties?"

Thank you for your patience with me, once again!

Life is still interesting and tense and hectic and scary, but light will prevail. However, when people aren't being rat bastards to each other, it's Mother Nature who causes chaos. If you can, please help the people most affected:

The Red Cross is on the ground, helping with the fallout from the Turkey-Syria earthquake and UNHCR is still in Ukraine after almost a year, doing great work (as of course other, more local organisations).

A short update on the future of this story: I have almost all of the story at least plotted out, so don't fear – this iwill/i be finished. I just can't promise any regular updates. But the next few chapters are done (and one of them have been done since almost before I started writing this thing) so the next update(s) should be a bit quicker than… nine months.