I'm so sorry for the long wait! On the plus side, I now know what writer's block is. We live and learn, every day.
Thanks for your kind words on my last update, Fraya123L! Your comment helped fuel this chapter :)
Nami was seething.
"Can you believe that sneaky, evil, conniving, snivelling–"
"What happened?" Luffy asked, bouncing to the door in greeting. He had been so utterly bored, stuck at home with the third draft of his thesis outline for the whole day. The only upside had been his venture into interior design, realised by rearranging Zoro's collection of bandanas. And his current grape break. At Sanji's furrowed brow, he offered a grape to Nami who answered in a growl. As Luffy did not speak growl, he assumed this to be a negative.
He popped a fruit into his mouth before taking in Nami's thunderous expression, sudden comprehension hitting him like an animated anvil with the lettering ACME on it. "You lot lost?"
Sanji sighed in defeat as he dropped their bags in the hall, Nami storming past them while cursing up a storm in her wake. "You could say that. We lost on penalties, but it's the way we lost that really got to her. She thinks they cheated."
"Cheating? Who got away with that?" Luffy asked, eyes wide in wonder. He was jealous of most people who got to participate in team sports; the eternal ray of sunshine just didn't have the patience or attention span not to use his gomu gomu no mi-powers in a fair game, so he was out of most sports. He had, however, found unexpected success within the boundaries of no-limits martial arts.
Most opponents underestimated the short and wiry force of nature the first time they met him in the ring. It was hard to take him seriously, a carefree grin stretching his youthful features and a straw hat on his head, but most of them learned their lessons rather quickly. There was apparently something in the way he cheerfully thrashed his opponents with a jaunty 'shishishi' that made people sit up and take note, but not before Nami, with a head for sums and statistics, had taken them to the cleaners and back on incredible odds.
Nami, who now stomped up the stairs with enough force to rattle the windows, her bag lying abandoned on the floor. Sanji sighed and picked it up, depositing it on a nearby stool. The things he did for his Nami-swan.
"Apparently the new postdoc isn't quite as clean as his reputation would have you think. He seems to have some kind of Devil Fruit power himself and he managed to switch out the ball from Nami with them. Or then he's just insanely good at football and should be playing in the league, not waste his time here." Sanji sighed again. "I have to go get ready for work; I just hope she calms down soon. I hate to see Nami-swan upset."
Angry noises could be heard from the upstairs bathroom.
Luffy looked at Sanji, who merely shrugged dejectedly and closed the door behind him, an attempt doomed from the start. It was a door in the Sunny, after all.
Casa de Sunny, its proper name decreed one bright spring morning by a very hung-over Luffy, was a lovely Victorian townhouse, a three-story marvel clad in red brick. High-vaulted rooms with almost original mouldings, beautiful stained-glass features and decorative wooden panelling lent the space a certain atmosphere that the inhabitants enjoyed to the fullest. There was even a fireplace in the living room and a greenhouse in the small backyard, where Chopper and Usopp had set up shop: Chopper was looking at different applications of natural medicine in modern pharmacology while Usopp did something strange related to his bio-engineering degree. No-one dared to ask for more details after his last batch of green beans escaped, leaving a carnage of ripped-up tomato plants in their wake.
The only downsides of the Sunny were quite insignificant, actually, when you really thought about it. High ceilings obviously meant either high heating bills or a lot of blankets and woollen socks (or having an internal furnace, like Zoro). Original mouldings meant original plaster as well, which could consist of quite interesting materials Chopper was not to hear about under any circumstances. The roof could really have been replaced around the turn of the last century, but, as Luffy pointed out, all the cracks did provide excellent nesting-places for songbirds, providing either beautiful morning serenades or cursed squawks, depending on if you asked Usopp or Nami and what time of the day the question was posed. The backyard had been a veritable jungle before aforementioned Usopp and Luffy had attacked it with gardening shears (and returned with more scrapes and cuts than Nami would have thought possible to get from such a tiny garden). The stained-glass windows had sagging sills, exacerbating a slight problem with draught and the doors on the ground floor could not be closed all the way due to a trivial misalignment between floor and walls: the doors could usually be closed, but they tended to spring open at the most inopportune times, such as when you tried to change clothes.
The general theory was that they did it as payback. No-one knew for what.
Nami wouldn't have changed it for the world.
But right now, nothing of the homely little quirks that made Sunny a home registered. She just needed to take a shower and try to forget about the most disagreeable, infuriating, capricious, knavish–
Luffy hummed as he languidly followed the angry noises of an annoyed Nami throughout the house, eating his grapes as he went. She was always so much fun when she was riled up like this. After a nice, long shower, she'd stay fuming a little longer and vent for a bit on the blue sofa on the first floor before calming down. If she was really upset, she'd forgo the shower and go straight to her room to sulk before occupying the red sofa on the second floor instead. As she'd gone straight to the shower today, she wasn't too terribly upset and he could be a good friend and offer her an ear for her ranting for a bit when she got out from there.
It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, anyways. It was hours until they were going to the after-match party and he didn't really feel like working on his thesis plan right at this moment. There was a limit to how many times one could re-formulate ones methods section, after all.
Thus, he plopped down in the worn-down armchair slumped next to the aforementioned sagging and sad specimen of a sofa that had once been a deep azure blue. The young man was quite content with gazing lazily out of the pretty little window conveniently placed at head-height and waiting for Nami to get ready for her venting, every now and then eating a grape.
He didn't have to wait long. A couple of slammed doors later, Nami appeared in comfy clothes and her head wrapped in a towel. As she had chosen the black hoodie instead of the green sweater, she was still upset, so the best course of action would probably be to nod along and listen to her.
"How can he be friends with Bepo, who's such a lovely little furball?"
The red-head threw down the towel she used for her hair on the floor and herself on the sofa.
"I'm so waiting for them to choose a new professor for that bloody vacant position and fix the offices. Then Law could get back to his fancy corner office, I could get a nice new assistant to work with and I would get left alone! Especially by annoying, lanky six-foot-something, smarmy bastards!"
"New professor?"
"You know about this! Am I the only one who even goes to the lectures and listen to the information dished out at the university we're all presumably attending?" Nami stole a grape, ignoring the resulting half-hearted protest. "I swear I'm the only one who listens. The professorship that's been open for who knows how long! They've narrowed down the list to three candidates so we should have someone there in January, according to Bepo. And speaking of Bepo–"
The armchair creaked as Luffy folded himself into the worn-down seat more comfortably, tossing Nami another grape she caught without thinking where she was laying head down on the sofa, her damp tresses spilling down on the floor.
"–and he's so nice and considerate and he helped me immensely with my problem formulation for that project course I have with Robin. I couldn't have done It without him. I'd probably still be stuck and I would fail if Bepo wouldn't have taken the time. Law was no help at all, just sitting silently at his desk, scowling and making those nasty little remarks about the course."
Luffy popped another grape in his mouth.
"And!" Nami was on a roll now and nothing would stop her. "You know how he's always at the office, from bloody sunrise 'till the bats come out? Except that he's not! Last week, Bepo told me that he had to take care of some administrative stuff again that Law didn't have time for, as he was gone! As he was in October! And he's apparently going to be gone over the holidays as well, in just a couple of weeks! Where does he go all the time? Riddle me that!"
"Isn't Law his first name?" Luffy asked around a mouthful of fruit.
A pair of coffee-coloured eyes narrowed at him. The fact that they were upside down did not lessen the effect, but the young man pressed on regardless. "If you dislike him, you shouldn't be talking about him at all, right? Or at the very least, you should be calling him by his last name. That's just common sense. First names are for friends."
Incoherent screaming into a sofa cushion was all the answer he got.
When Nami at long last calmed down enough to discuss Luffy's plan to sneak into the after-party (he'd been banned from that at the same time as he was banned from the football team, as well as each and every event that had anything to do with the sport, ever) and give him a couple of pointers, the sun was already on its way down, painting dark shadows on the walls. As she finally waved an exhausted good-bye to her bouncy friend, promising to think about coming to the party later on and keep her messaging apps on for the evening in the case there were any questions about the Soccer Sneak Scheme, as Luffy had named his attempt to get into the party, the house fell silent. A last 'godbyeeeee–' was cut off by the heavy front door falling shut behind the rubber boy as he bounded into the twilight.
Usopp and Chopper had gone to the party straight from the match and Zoro should, if his friends at the dojo kept their word, find his way there as well after his training session ended. Sanji would make an appearance after work if he had the time and energy, which he probably would. He never skipped an opportunity to talk, flirt, dance, laugh, sing and fall madly in love with pretty women, and a party was such a perfect opportunity for all of those to occur.
Nami sighed, curling up on the sofa, the familiar scratch of uneven patchwork, courtesy of Zoro a rainy afternoon when his training had become a bit too vigorous, pressing into her thigh. The chill of the evening had started to wrap its clammy tendril around her, kept partly at bay by the quilted blanket Usopp's long-distance girlfriend had sent him after a late cold snap last spring. The house creaked a bit as it settled down in wait of the night, a small reading lamp beside her keeping the darkness at bay.
An illuminated window on the other side of the street beckoned with its warmth and promise of a cosy evening at home. She saw the silhouette of the old couple living there moving about, one of them carrying something that looked like a a tea set past the window before the flickering of a television made her avert her eyes.
Maybe she should follow their example and just stay here, wrapped in Kaya's handiwork, enjoying an evening at home with a good book and a cup of tea. There was nothing at the party for her and she was still too upset with everything in this rotten world to make any sort of effort.
A sharp ding broke the silence as her phone lit up with a photo of a broadly grinning Luffy. An unwitting smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. The first phase, "get to the venue" seemed to have gone according to plan.
L: I'M IN
L: i didn't even have to do the forgot-my-wallet-thing we talekd about
L: talked
L: they just waved me in
L: very unsafe, if you ask me
L: anyone could just walk in
L: good thing that i'm a good guy
L: but what if a bad guy would have done that?
L: they really need to think about that
U: Where r u?
L: just left my coat
U: Me + C are in the bouncy castle
U: Come here
L: WHERE?
L: found a map, coming!
S: Fuck off, I still have to toil for three hours
S: I hate my life
S: Is Vivi there?
C: No, Sanji, she's not coming. She had a date with Koza.
S: :'(
S: Nami, my love, are you in attendance yet?
L: she's coming
N: I'll pass tonight, sorry Luffy :(
L: you promised!
L: :((((((((((((((((((
U: He got over it fast, he's laughing his arse off in the bouncy castle
U: He even got Kid to join him
A blurry photo flashed in the group chat, showing a laughing Luffy in the middle of a jump, Kid lying in a graceless heap at the bottom of the plastic contraption. Chopper could be seen off to one side, trying to keep his balance if the apparent flailing of his hooves were anything to go by.
Another small smile flitted over Nami's face as she laid her phone to the side, picking up her book again. It was nice that her friends seemed to be enjoying themselves, at least. Nothing more to do than cosy up and fall into the adventures of–
Suddenly, a low groan echoed through the house, climbing up from the ground floor, creeping along her spine and twisting her heartbeat.
She had thought she was alone.
Her breath caught in her throat, Nami moved as slowly as she dared. The book and quilt were laid down, feather-light as she shifted her weight. One foot stepped lightly down on the wooden floor, the other seeking purchase a bit further out, avoiding the creaking board to the left of the sofa. Deft fingers wrapped around the bottom of the reading light, a wince marring her features as she jerked the cord loose and the plug bounced off the floor with a small thud.
Her previous life stepped into action almost unconsciously as she placed her feet carefully, listening with half an ear for the tell-tale noises of the person downstairs. Fluid movements kept her out of the light streaming into the stairwell as she gingerly picked her way down the uneven stairs before pausing, waiting with bated breath in the shadows just above the landing.
The person was moving from the back of the house towards the front. She could pick out the soft steps of someone with sure footing, although it didn't sound like they were wearing shoes. Had they taken them off in preparation, in order to minimise the noise they were making? If she'd have to hazard a guess, and she did because the person would be in front of the stairs in approximately seven seconds, it sounded like a heavier gait. Combined with the softness of their movement, she'd hazard a guess at a well-trained male. Those weren't great news for her, with her being on the slighter side of the feminine physique, but she could work with it.
An unnatural calm spread throughout her body as the world tilted. This was too familiar, she'd never thought she'd be back here, back in the dark, waiting for an opening–
With a shout, aimed at startling her opponent, she jumped down the stairs, lamp whistling through the air as she aimed at head height–
"What the fuck? Nami?!"
A large hand had wrapped around the lamp with remarkable speed, stopping it an inch from Zoro's surprised face.
"What are you doing here, shouldn't you be at the party?"
Nami clutched her chest, warmth flooding her as the world tilted back on its proper axis and her heart tried its best to beat its way out of her chest.
"Zoro? What are you doing here, you were supposed to go to the party straight from the dojo!"
There were still some last faint shivers racing through her veins. Would she ever be free from her past, from the ever-present suspicion and vigilance? She'd been so close to clocking Zoro… of course, he was way too quick for that to ever happen, but she hadn't noticed it was him, had thought he was an intruder, an enemy…
"Ah." Zoro had the sense to look slightly sheepish as he realised her confusion. "Apparently the dojo flooded, so we can't train there for a while. Sorry if I forgot to mention it. I was going to go with Luffy but seems like I fell asleep. Where is he?"
"You didn't check your phone? Luffy's there with Chopper and Usopp already and Sanji'll go straight from work."
Zoro nodded, moving past her towards the door. Now she could take in his appearance, it was evident he'd been preparing to go out, only missing his jacket and shoes.
"Coming?"
The sudden question roused Nami from her thoughts, scaring off the last whisps of fear.
"What?"
"Coming to the party?"
"I'll pass tonight."
"All right," he said as he shrugged on his jacket and opened the door.
"Zoro, where are you going?"
"To the party, what does it look like?"
An incredulous laugh burst from Nami's lips, the excitement of the last five minutes finally breaking her composure.
"No, you're not, mate."
Zoro scoffed. "Why not?"
"Alone? Oh no, my good sir. You wait here until Luffy's back, which shouldn't be more than an hour or so if you call him now, or the unlikely occasion that I'm feeling inclined to go to the party. You're not going alone. Not after what happened last time."
"I just took a wrong turn," the green-haired man shrugged. "I've never been to Belgium, Brussels is an easy city to get lost in."
"Zoro, it took a week for you to find your way back. And we were in the Czech Republic, not Belgium. I'm still wondering about how you ended up there."
"I wouldn't have gotten lost if someone," narrowed eyes focused on Nami, "hadn't stolen my phone."
"I only took it to prevent it from happening! And you still managed to get lost!"
"So you admit that it was your fault I got lost in Brussels?"
"The rest of us were in Prague and I have no idea how you ended up half a continent away! And wait a minute, are you talking back to me?"
She was incredulous. Shocked. Even perplexed.
"Well, yes. That is generally how a conversation goes, you know."
Nami groaned, clutching her head in trembling hands, trying to find her centre and not kill Zoro right this moment, thank you very much. As it didn't seem to help to clutch at her head, she dropped into a nearby armchair, and buried her face in a cushion. Then she screamed until she felt better.
"On a normal day, I'd tend to agree with you," her voice came muffled, the woman having opted to keep her grip on the cushion as not to throw it at her so-called friend. "But this, my pal, is definitely not a conversation." She raised her head to be better able to glare at Zoro. "This is a lecturing, or even a haranguing. I'd even go so far as nagging. This is me telling you that you are so utterly in the wrong, and from now on forbidden from ever going out on your own again."
Zoro matched her glare.
"You can't tell me what to do."
Nami upped her glare with a raised eyebrow.
"Zoro, if the Czech-cum-Belgian mystery wasn't enough, you have also managed to get lost in IKEA."
"It's large and confusing!"
"There are actual arrows on the floor telling you which way to go."
"I follow them! I always follow them, but they never lead me where I want to go."
Nami sighed, easing on her death grip on the cushion. It wouldn't do to deplete all of them in one evening.
She had no energy to go to a party where everyone and -thing would remind her of their loss. And cheating, manipulative, shrewd– she cut of the thought before her earlier anger returned, focusing on her green-haired companion instead.
A weary sigh was the only sound in the dark hallway.
"Fine, I'll take you."
As she was no slouch, it took Nami approximately two shakes of a dead lamb's tale to get ready and usher Zoro out the door while trying simultaneously to figure out where to deposit him once at the party.
N: Bringing the Lost Boy. Where are you?
U: Wondered where he was. Thought he'd be on his way to Paris or something
Z: dude
Z: i'm not that lost
U: One word, mate
U: Brussels
Z: THAT WAS ONE TIME
C: Nami, when will you be arriving?
N: In 20
N: Where are you guys?
U: Left Luffy in the bouncy castle, Chopper got queasy
C: I DID NOT!
C: It was just the right time for me to leave
U: Neither too early nor too late?
C: Precisely the time I intended
N: You're such dorks
U: And still you know exactly what we're talking about, miss über-dork
N: Where are you at?
U: Dorkmaster
C: We're at the dance game thing
N: I'll find you
U: It's no use resisting, Darth Dork
N: Fuck off Usopp
U: Aye aye Captain Dorkface!
Sometimes Nami wondered if she could survive without her phone. Or her friends.
Maybe she should try.
Aim: to explore the feelings of loss and anger over said loss in a competitive setting
Method: a descriptive narration