Polar Planes [Luffy x Nami]

21. Dusk

[AN: Music (from my queen Lana) recommended for this chapter]

His jet-black hair was disheveled as usual, unkempt spikes sticking out in the most arbitrary directions. His jersey was stained with grass marks and dirt. He was sitting on the edge of the curb, his feet lazily sprawled out on the street. His cleats were still on. His socks were rolled down. There was a small bag slung over his shoulders, and a ball was resting on his thighs.

He looked up, a tired smile on his lips. "Nami."

"What are you doing out here? It's getting dark."

Abruptly, he stood up, and that's when she realized she was a lot closer than she had anticipated.

"I just came here to say I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry?" She never even thought she'd have a conversation with him again after that day. "Sorry for what?"

"I said something to hurt you, didn't I?"

No, but you did something to hurt me. And maybe I deserved it.

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it. It's okay."

Nami turned around to get inside her house. He followed her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to shove him away or ask him to come inside with her.

"Wait!" he called.

He took her hand, and she whirled around.

"Luffy, I already told you it's okay!"

The weak sunlight hit the side of his face. At this distance, she could map out all the details. His cheeks were blemished with light spots here and tan spots there. It was likely a result of the patches of sunblock that inconsistently melted off his skin. When the summers were hot and Nami was outside long enough, she hated how her face was spotted with them.

But on him, she didn't hate them.

And his eyes - they were alive like boiling brown sugar as they caught the sunset's waning light.

Damp strands of his hair stuck to his forehead, but she could still see the crease of his eyebrows as his gaze flickered between each of her eyes.

"Are you still angry?" he asked.

She hesitated a bit - took the seconds to feel the blisters on his fingers - then pulled away. "I don't know, but it seems like you are."

"What are you talking about?"

"I never got the chance to say 'happy birthday'. But you probably didn't want me to anyway?"

"That's not fair," he complained. "I waited for you at the party. But you never came."

"Do you think Hancock wants me in her house after I said all of that to you?" Nami asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "After you said all of what?"

"All of the stuff about Grand Line being a bad school, and how you would do the same thing if you were in my shoes." At this point, she was speaking so fast that her brain had a hard time keeping up. "It pissed you off, didn't it? That's why all of your friends are treating me like I'm a private-school elitist?"

"No, Nami, you didn't piss me off," he clarified. "You could never piss me off. You just confuse me a lot."

Her chest tightened. "Then what happened to your jacket?"

"Huh?"

"Your varsity jacket," she repeated. "Did you throw it away?"

"Do you not remember? I gave it to you to replace your old jacket."

"No, Luffy," she said. "I spent all of last week fixing it up. I had Vivi and Usopp drop it off at the party as my gift to you."

His eyes widened; he blinked. "You did that?"

"Yeah. And you never wore it."

"Because I never got it," he said. "I looked through all of my presents. None of them were from you."

"What? How is that possible?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe it got lost..." Nami sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have just found a way to give it to you in person."

He took a deep breath of relief. "Phew; I really thought you were mad."

"But now your jacket is lost. How can you be relieved right now?"

He grinned. "That doesn't matter. Thank you for fixing it up for me."

She opened her mouth but paused as the front door swung open violently.

"Nami!" her father yelled. "Where were you? You've been gone for more than eight hours!"

He marched through the front yard and stopped in his tracks, inspecting Luffy from the feet up. "This guy again?"

"You must be Nami's dad," he said, reaching out a hand. "I'm Luffy."

Her father shot him one glance of contempt before seizing Nami by her wrist. "I don't care who you are. Stay away from my daughter."

For some reason, Nami planted her feet and tried to pull away.

He turned around, a seething glare piercing straight through her. "Get your ass in the house."

She just stood there, paralyzed. "...I-"

"Hey, you can't just tell her what to do," Luffy said firmly. "Let go!"

"No, Luffy, you're making things worse," she muttered.

"That's right," her father said. "Get out of here. I never want to see you again."

Luffy took Nami's hand again. She didn't know if she'd have the strength to pull away again.

"Is this what you really want?" he asked.

"You keep asking me that," she said. "It's not going to change my mind."

He paused. She thought he was going to let go. And for some reason, she was praying that he wouldn't.

It was getting harder to keep her breathing stable.

"Let go," she demanded.

Please don't let go.

Somehow, he still had a smile on his face. It was soft. He leaned in and whispered just so the two of them could hear.

"Come with me," he said.

"Okay," she managed, her voice barely audible.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled hard. Her father was frozen in place, his face contorted into vexed confusion. His grip faltered and Nami stumbled back.

Luffy turned around, his hand still entwined in hers, and began running. With a mind of their own, her legs followed suit. All she could process was the clacking of his cleats against the pavement. If anyone was shouting at her, she couldn't tell.

Suddenly, the weight on her chest dissipated, and her heart fluttered from the freedom. There was nothing to think about. She just looked straight ahead, eyes fixed on the boy who had yanked her away and was now taking them somewhere unknown.

There was a bike parked nearby. It was a two-seater.

He hopped on, not bothering to look back. He knew she would too.

And so he began pedaling with those ridiculous cleats, his lips pursing in intense focus. They were speeding down the street and caught the summer draft that began to cool down as the night settled in.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this. Nami's nose started stinging. A tear pricked her eye. Her heart was still pounding intensely. Pressure was building up her throat. It was all uncontrollable.

And then she laughed.