Clarobell: I know this one seems a little rushed, guys, but believe me, it’s necessary, unless you want to linger with endless fluff for months on end. Myself and Plushie are working hard to get chapters out again, and so hopefully things will get a little more regular, depending on how our lives go, of course!

Plushie: Don't worry guys, it shouldn't be much longer before you get back to the angst. This is a build-up, definitely. Don't give up on us now, eh? We never fail to dissapoint... at least... I hope we don't. Oo

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­--DramaticDifferences--

--Part 1:Discoveries--

--Written by Plushie and Clarobell--

Chapter 33: How Time Flies

December had rolled around quickly for Nami and Sanji. Luffy was thriving in his studies and seemed to love reading and was even making shaky attempts at writing. The dark haired boy left all the mathematics to Zoro though, who would often sit with Nami whilst she did stock takes for the restaurant or jotted down the takings. Luffy for his part, preferred to curl up with a good story. He could still only read toddlers books, but that was enough for the boy’s imagination to run away with.

Christmas rolled around just as quickly as December had, and it had been a time of both wonder and confusion. Last year's Christmas hadn’t really been a big deal for Zoro. Nami and Sanji had given him a gift, but he had been too afraid to even care at the time, focusing more on just trying to keep out of their way. This year though, Sanji had gone all out. There was a giant Christmas tree decked up in the living room coated with gold and silver tinsel along with all other colours of beads and decorations. Nami had had Luffy and Zoro help out, wanting to include them more. A selection of both small and large gifts lined the floor under the tree, sparking curiosity in both the boys. Whereas Zoro was wary though, Luffy didn’t hesitate to prod and pry. It was only when he attempted to unwrap the gift that Nami had gently scolded him and the boy quickly went back to his innocent inspection.

Zoro had accompanied Sanji whilst the chef had done his shopping for Nami and Luffy with Nami whilst she did hers for her boyfriend. They had both decided that this year, they would simply let the two boys enjoy receiving gifts rather than giving them, and next year they could introduce that aspect.

By the time Christmas morning arrived, Luffy was bubbling over with excitement, tossing and turning in bed until he'd been unable to sleep any longer. He’d bustled quietly from room to room when it had become too much, gently attempting to wake its occupants but failing every time until Zoro finally yawned and agreed to get up as well. Finally the house arose, its occupants shuffling down the stairs after Luffy, who had run up and down the steps 4 times in the time it had taken the small group to wander down. Zoro’s attention soon quirked as he spotted the gifts again though and he moved to sit on the floor by the sofa, watching them intently as Luffy grabbed all his arms could carry, handing out the colourful boxes and watching in awe as Nami and Sanji tore the paper away before copying them. Zoro seemed a little more cautious, carefully tugging at the bright paper until his gift was revealed.

Luffy squealed over the plush toys he'd received, having torn open three gifts to Zoro's one. Toys were Luffy's main gifts. Plush ones mainly, and at least five or six new little books that were a little more advanced than a toddlers, but the boy was willing and ready to read these ones. Zoro's gifts were things like puzzles, a few new video games, things for him to test his mind against, which he seemed to like doing most at the moment. The rubix cube was by far the best thing according to the green haired teen, who seemed to, like Luffy, enjoy things that weren't quite as extravagant and sparkly. Sanji had gotten Nami an expensive new fake-fur coat that she'd absolutely adored the moment she'd laid eyes on it, while the ginger haired woman had gotten her boyfriend aand a short wink, along with a whispered promise.

Upon returning to his room, Luffy also discovered a closet full of new, brightly coloured clothes and bed full of squishy pillows. Obviously either Nami or Sanji had crept away to dump the gifts while he wasn’t there. Zoro had hesitantly moved to his own room, marvelling at the new games console sitting beside his brand new, albeit small, TV. He didn’t care though. He could play games – in his room! How cool was that??

All in all, Sanji and Nami had gone all out to make the Christmas as special as it could possible be for their boys. By the time Christmas day was coming to an end, with their stomach full of turkey and their minds and peace, the small family sat down to chat together until the boy’s dropped off to sleep.

With Christmas over, the time seemed to fly away. Their New Year’s party was small, but lively. Sanji pulled a cringing Zoro up to teach him how to dance while Luffy just made his own way, flailing his arms and legs in an attempt that made it appear as if he was trying to swim vertically out of water. Nami had nearly died of laughter when Zoro had attempted to escape from Sanji, and Luffy had nearly knocked the poor guy out with a flailing fist. At least Sanji had managed to catch him again. They had sung together, with Luffy coaxing Zoro to join him. The green haired teen had been reluctant, but after realising no matter how loud he sang, Luffy’s off-key voice would still drown him out, happily complied. The funniest thing of the night was probably the fact that Luffy didn’t actually know the songs they were singing, and so simply replaced the words with things he thought appropriate. Nami had to admit, she could really see ‘Deck the halls with legs of lamb’ being a number one this year. Amazingly, the two people left standing when the sunrise came around the next day, were Zoro and Luffy. Nami and Sanji had informed them that if they made a wish at the same time the sun came up, and if they wished hard enough, then it would come true. They'd told them not to tell anyone their wish (more Luffy than Zoro, who existed on keeping things to himself) and amazingly, they'd understood without a problem.

By the time February rolled around, Zoro noticed a change in Sanji. The blonde was… suspicious; seemed nervous. As the days passed by, he also noticed Nami’s behaviour change. She accepted the chef’s affection more, even returned it just as eagerly. It was seriously freaking him out! Luffy for his part, seemed totally oblivious. Zoro often wondered how relaxed that kid's mind must be sometimes, not knowing so many things happening around him. On one particular day, the affection hit its peak as Zoro ended up wandering in on the two making out in the kitchen. He’d hidden with Luffy in his room for the rest of the morning, struggling to drain the colour rising constantly in his cheeks.

Usopp had arrived shortly after to watch the boys as Nami and Sanji fairly scrambled out the door. The sharpshooter had disclosed the much needed information to them that today was ‘Valentines day’. With a brief explanation and a few childish ‘eww’s, the playing commenced, and all that lovey-dovey stuff was forgotten about. Sanji and Nami ended up staying out all night, but when they returned the next morning, it was as if somebody had waved a magic want and switched their personalities back to normal. Sanji had attempted a kiss with a little more enthusiasm than normal at breakfast and Nami had promptly bopped him one. Zoro couldn’t help but smirk, but he hid it easily behind his food.

Easter was the next big event for the boys, and upon hearing what ‘traditions’ this holiday held, Luffy was practically vibrating with excitement, bustling around the house at break-neck speed trying to get all of his chores out of the way before he could receive his Easter egg. There had been a slight confusion at first, where a discussion between Zoro and Luffy in their bedrooms had led to the two believing that chocolate chicks would hatch from their Easter eggs, but after a brief explanation and some blushing faces, the two were eagerly awaiting their chocolate gift.

By the time Sanji awoke, the house was spotless and breakfast was ready for Nami and him. He did note, however, that there seemed to be a lacking breakfast here and there with Luffy and Zoro’s names on them. Sanji had been shocked to say the least when both had outright refused breakfast until they got their Easter eggs. After a quick word with Nami (the boss of the house), they decided to let the boy’s away with not having breakfast, just this once. What a mistake that was.

Along with some messy faces and hands that had quickly been cleaned up, Nami and Sanji discussed their amusement at their boys' still childish behaviour. It had started with a thump and a squeal that sounded like Luffy... but turned out to be Zoro. Upon investigating, Nami and Sanji had been completely confused when there had been only a sleepy Luffy sitting beside the bathtub in the bathroom. Nami had gone in to see what was wrong, only to be told to 'go away' when she tried to move him. Sanji was off 'Marimo hunting'. He'd soon returned to Nami with a nervous laugh and a slightly panicked attitude though, telling her that currently, Zoro was on the roof and refused to come down, giggling like a loon and turning circles like a hyper puppy. He'd crashed about an hour later, much to the relief of both Nami and Sanji and a very grumpy Luffy who had chosen a few rather grouchy things to say when Zoro had attempted to get him to play.

As odd as it seemed, too much chocolate sent Zoro hyper to the point of craziness and made Luffy lax and placid, grumpy when disturbed. It was amazing the number of new things they found out each passing day with Zoro and Luffy.

Before Nami knew it, she had reached her six month mark of pregnancy and was, in the ‘oh so graceful’ words of a certain Marimo, a walking blimp. She idly wondered if he even knew what a blimp was or if he was just copying something he’d heard on TV. She’d also started to wonder other things.

Over the past months, Luffy and Zoro had become as inseparable as Nami and money. Luffy would pet Zoro’s hair while watching TV, only to have Zoro pull him into his lap for a cuddle when the two started to get sleepy. They were falling asleep together a lot lately too, talking quietly in their shared bed about who knew what, soft whispers murmuring through the house until one, or both fell asleep. It was sweet, and Nami had a feeling that the two were very, very slowly, and unwittingly growing closer than friends should. They were both damaged people, hurt and confused about so many things, but in finding each other, they’d found a way to recover.

She’d subtly asked questions to both of them; silly, little questions. Though she wasn’t 100 sure, she had a feeling Luffy was starting to understand and accept his feelings for Zoro. With his current mindset, it was obvious he couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of ‘love’ or what a real relationship would be like, but as things stood, she believed he knew that his feelings for Zoro were stronger than what normal friends would feel. He was cuddlier than usual, had even tried to give Zoro a peck on the cheek now and again, which was always funny to watch. It was cute, Nami thought, to watch the two grow and start to discover the world and understand it. And as she told Sanji one night, it really was exactly like having a child. They would go through the same experiences with their child, though the chef promptly announced he hoped that it would be easier in terms of no panic attacks, or avoiding circumstances that should be completely natural. E.g. shopping.

Zoro’s contact issues seemed to evaporate with the passing days, and pretty soon, it wasn’t an unusual sight for Nami or Sanji to wander past either of the boy’s rooms and find them snuggled up together, fast asleep. Both were still having trouble keeping good hours of wake and sleep, but were much better than they used to be. Things really were looking up for the better and life was adopting a nice routine for the little family. For a while at least.

Come the first of May, Luffy’s behaviour changed noticeably. He started to revert back to his old ways, and becoming timid all over again. Nobody could understand it. It didn’t take Nami long to figure out what was wrong though. During breakfast on the second of May, she and Luffy were eating alone. Sanji had gone to do a routine inspection of the restaurant and Zoro was, for once, sleeping in. The red head noticed the quiet boys lingering gaze on the large calendar hanging on the wall. It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn’t actually taught Luffy anything about days of the week or the passage of time yet. Shuffling closer to him, she smiled softly.

“Ne, Luffy?”

The thoughtful boy jumped a little, startled by Nami’s soft voice. Slowly he blinked at her, though couldn’t help as his gaze wandered back to the calendar.

“Him?” he noised.

“Do you know what the date is?”

Luffy frowned thoughtfully before shaking his head. He could read the numbers now, but he didn’t know what the other things meant.

“It’s called a calendar,” Nami explained. “It reminds us what the day is and where we are in the month and year. You remember we talked a little about time?”

The dark haired boy nodded gently, still staring fixedly on the tabled paper hanging on the wall.

“I’ve seen one before.” He admitted softly, “Gramps used to have one.”

“Is that so?” the red head replied, blinking in wonder. Maybe this would be a little easier than she thought.

“Yeah,” Luffy whispered, bowing his head submissively as his hand wrung nervously on the table top. “The bad day’s coming…”

“The… bad day?” Nami repeated, obviously confused. “What bad day?”

Slowly Luffy stood, creeping cautiously closer to the calendar, watching it warily as though it would bite him. Stretching out an arm, he pointed to a date.

“May 5th,” Nami muttered before glancing to Luffy. “What’s bad about that day?”

“It’s the day I was born.” Luffy admitted miserably.

Nami’s eyes widened and she quickly raised a hand to her mouth. Did she just hear him right? His birthday?? So close too! She hadn’t even thought to ask him! But why would that be bad? Inwardly, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this.

“Luffy, sweetheart,” she cooed, making sure to use her sweetest voice to keep him at ease. “Why is that a bad day?”

“Grandpa doesn’t like that day. He said… he said I shouldn’t have been born because I ruined everything. He said I’m a murderer and a bastard child that doesn’t deserve the air I breathe.” Luffy took a shaky breath before continuing, eyes still fixed on the numbers on the calendar. “Grandpa used to hit me a lot on the bad day. One for every year I’m alive, and one for bad luck.”

“Luffy…” Nami whispered, voice laced with horror. “Oh, Luffy…”

The dark haired boy fidgeted nervously. Would Nami and Sanji hurt him on the bad day? Would Zoro?

“Luffy,” Sanji’s voice sounded from the doorway, calm and collected. “That’s not called a bad day. It’s called a birthday.”

“A birthday?” the boy questioned, eyes darting around unsurely. “Like Zoro’s?”

“That’s right,” the chef continued. “It’s a celebration of the day you were born. Your Grandpa did another bad thing, Luffy. He shouldn’t have hurt you like that.”

“But… I did bad things when I was born!” Luffy whined. “Really, really bad things!! Grandpa said so!”

“Like what?” Sanji asked curiously.

“I… I don’t know…” Luffy admitted.

“You see?” Sanji whispered, moving to sit beside the fretting boy. Gently, he wrapped an arm around Luffy’s thin frame. “Your Gramps was a mean, mean man, Luffy. You know that now, huh?”

“I know… but…”

“He lied.” The blonde continued bluntly. “Nami-san and I are very happy you were born. Zoro is too, I bet. Maybe you should go ask him, ne?”

Slowly, Luffy nodded. He hoped Zoro would say yes. Zoro could make most things feel better. Even the really, really bad things – like nightmares, and shots! Creeping out of the room, Luffy threw Sanji and Nami one last wary glance, shifting between his two guardians and the calendar before returning their reassuring smiles with a weak one of his own and slipping out the door.

Nami sighed softly, smiling sadly at Sanji before standing and grabbing a pen from the fruit bowl. Strutting past the blond, she ran her slim fingers through his hair, causing him to hum in pleasure before the red head withdrew again, moving over to the calendar. Raising the pen to the paper, she scrawled a thick love heart around the date of Luffy’s birthday. They’d make sure this birthday would be one to remember for good reasons.

When Luffy found Zoro, the teen was playing the playstation in the lounge. The elder teen was propped against some cushions and wrapped up in a thick duvet (courtesy of Nami), cocooned in a fluffy prison of warmth. Luffy blinked apprehensively at Zoro.

“Zoro… marshmallow?” he whispered to himself, softly.

The older boy blinked sleepy eyes, dragging them away from the screen as he heard the soft voice, before pausing his game and shuffling around for a few seconds, obviously having a little difficulty with the massive mounds of duvet currently wrapped around him. Finally, a tanned arm emerged, lifting an edge of the material with it, before his free hand patted against his lap.

Zoro was, by far, not the best person to come to concerning matters of emotion. He shied away and often had trouble processing his own feelings. When it came to Luffy though, everything changed. He could read the boy like an equation, scanning the surface to find the answer to the problem. Right now, though he didn’t know what it was, he knew something had upset his younger friend to the point where he wouldn’t openly approach him. He also knew that nothing better would cure the problem than a hug, and over the past months, the green haired teen had learned to love hugs from a certain little cat-boy.

Luffy hesitantly crept closer, crouching to the floor as he reached Zoro and crawling the rest of the way, laying his upper body against Zoro’s lap. Zoro shifted a little, moving Luffy slightly until the boys head was resting in the crook of his left arm, his upper body across his lap and his lower body curled against his side. Making sure the younger boy was comfortable, he quickly wrapped them back up in his squishy duvet before speaking.

“What’s up?” he asked, softly.

“I… Nami and Sanji said I should ask Zoro…”

“Ask Zoro what?”

Luffy hesitated, shifting uncomfortably for a few seconds before falling still again, wide, almost frightened chocolate eyes fixing on Zoro’s.

“Is… is Zoro glad I was born?”

“…eh?” the older teen noised, blinking in shock, he hadn’t expected anything like that at all. Clearing his throat slightly, his brow knit in thought. “Well, yeah… of course I am… I think. I mean, if you weren’t born, you wouldn’t be here, now, eh?”

“Gramps said it was bad I was born.”

Zoro couldn’t help the frown sliding onto his face as he pulled Luffy closer, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

“Your gramps was wrong, Luffy.” He whispered, running a hand through his friend’s hair. “You’re very, very special to me, and I don’t know what I’d be without you...”

Luffy swallowed back the lump in his throat from Zoro’s words, eyes shining with tears as a small smile crept onto his face.

“T-Thanks, Zoro.”

“No problem,” the green haired teen muttered, blushing at his own words. “Just, try not to listen to what Gramps said any more, okay?”

“’Kay.”

Zoro let out a soft sigh, rubbing absently at the back of Luffy’s neck, and before long, the younger boy’s body started to relax again, shifting into a different position before slowly slipping to sleep. The two stayed like that for the remainder of the day until dinner time, when Sanji called them down for a special ‘fun’ dinner, where all the vegetables, and even the meat, had been sliced into flowers and animal shapes. Luffy had been so impressed that all hesitance had completely vanished, and he quickly dug in, making sure to thank Sanji, just as they taught him to.

The next days raced past, and for all appearances, it seemed as if Luffy had totally forgotten about his upcoming birthday. Nami and Sanji had made quick preparations with a small chocolate cake and a couple of gifts. They didn’t want to make too big a fuss, as that would only confuse Luffy. Though the boy didn’t seem too smart at the moment, he was always watching and analyzing situations around him, learning from them and adapting his behaviour. It really was interesting to watch, and Nami often made notes in Luffy’s red book concerning his behaviour development. It was a kind of monkey see, monkey do action. Her goal was to get Luffy to behave more independently and not to try and copy what everybody else was doing, but for now, the kid was doing just fine.

By the time the sun set on the fourth of May, Luffy seemed a little jittery again. He struggled to stay awake, head nodding and eyelids sagging, snuggled up beside Zoro, watching TV. The battle however, was already lost before it started, and just after eleven, Luffy’s soft snoring picked up. Zoro smirked a little, having expected Luffy to fall asleep much sooner. It showed a new stubborn streak, that he had to admit, he liked to see in his friend.

Gently scooping Luffy up, Zoro lifted him bridal style, nodding his goodnight to Sanji and Nami before heading to the stairs. Come two days time, he’d be back to his usual, broody self, but when Luffy needed him to be strong, he seemed to have a power to tap into strength and bravery he never knew existed. The catch was, he could only do it for Luffy.

Stepping into the room, Zoro moved over to Luffy’s bed and set him down, tucking him in and unbuttoning his vest so that he could move comfortable in the night. Double checking that everything was in order, the green haired teen nodded in satisfaction and moved out of the room, heading to his own bed.

Hours passed and the house fell silent as its owners, too, went to bed. Around two in the morning, a gentle stirring was heard, followed by the very soft padding of bare feet against the ground. Luffy uncertainly crept down the hallway and into Zoro’s bedroom. His older friend was sound asleep, from the looks of it, and he really didn’t want to disturb him… but… he had a bad dream. Creeping closer, Luffy hesitantly crawled onto the bed, and settled beside Zoro soundlessly. Slowly, feeling safe and content, he slipped back to sleep.

Morning found Luffy asleep against Zoro’s chest, his arms wound tightly around the older teen’s waist, while Zoro’s arms were casually draped over him. Sanji, who had been on his way to wake Zoro up, paused at the door and smiled. He had a tray in his hands and Nami was peeking out from behind him.

“Psst, Zoro… hey, Zoro!” Sanji hissed, and he clearly saw Zoro’s eyes snap open immediately. Luffy moaned a little, but didn’t move and Zoro’s eyes trailed from Sanji to Luffy and he grinned. At least he didn’t have to go anywhere. Sanji crept into the room, the tray still in his hands. It was Luffy’s seventeenth birthday.

Moving into the room, Sanji crouched beside the bed, setting the tray on the bedside cabinet, before reaching out a hand to gently shake the slumbering birthday boy.

“Hey, Luffy,” he called. Luffy sighed and tightened his grip on Zoro, nuzzling into the older teen’s chest. Nami smiled at this and Zoro smirked and nudged Luffy gently.

“Wake up,” he said, trying to push Luffy awake and a little off of him. He was quickly getting used to all these hugs, but if Luffy squeezed much more, he’d probably have his air supply cut off.

“Nnn…” Luffy moaned before snoring softly. Sanji smirked as he leant in.

“Break-fast.” he called in a lilting voice. Luffy blinked awake at that, looking around sleepily.

“Naa?” he asked and then yawned widely, “Breakfast?” Zoro smirked at that. Luffy would always wake up for food.

“Yep!” he replied, and glanced at Nami and Sanji. Luffy blinked for a moment before Zoro, Nami and Sanji all grinned widely.

“Happy Birthday, Luffy!” they called in unison, and for the first time, Zoro's voice was louder than Nami and Sanji's. Both of them grinned at him, but then blinked when Luffy squeaked at the unexpected noise, and latched onto Zoro all the tighter, burying his face in the older teen’s chest. That was a rare and strange reaction to say the least, but Luffy was feeling a little timid today. After all, his Gramps had beaten the hell out of him on this day. He clenched his eyes closed as he remembered the sixteen hits and the broken nose from last year.

“Hey…” Zoro said in a soft tone, reaching up a hand and laying it on Luffy’s head, “Birthdays aren’t bad. Don’t worry.” and he grinned as Luffy opened his eyes and peeked up at him, “They’re a good thing. Trust me.” Luffy tilted his head a little, relaxing his hold slightly. Zoro was grateful nothing bad had ever happened on his birthday. Alvida hadn’t put any extra effort into torturing them. It was a daily thing. The only time his birthday had been ‘celebrated’ was when he had turned 18 and been kicked out of the orphanage. Zoro shuddered at the memory. He couldn't hate that day though. He'd been kicked out, and he'd met Nami and Sanji. For that, he was entirely grateful.

“I-I know… Nami told me, but Gramps always…” and he paused for a moment and smiled, “But you’re not Gramps!” and he hugged Zoro all the tighter. Nami almost squealed in delight, and Sanji beamed. It was the first time that Luffy had ever said anything like that. Not to mention Zoro was beginning to feel like an oversized plushie. He was getting hugged so much of late. Blinking, he smiled.

“Nope!” he replied proudly, “So, you wanna let go so you can have something to eat?”

Luffy shook his head, sniggering the whole time. He had a plan.

“Nope.” he answered, and giggled. Zoro blinked and then sighed heavily. Yeah, he was past beginning to feel like an oversized plushie… he was pretty sure now that he’d become one. Nami had to hide her smirk behind a hand.

“Zoro can feed me, while I hug him!” Luffy cried, as though it was a massive treat for both of them, and his eyes sparkled with happiness. Nami burst into a fit of giggles, and Sanji snorted. Zoro didn’t find it funny though.

“No way, get your own food.” and he struggled in Luffy’s grip, but the boy held tight and soon Zoro had to stop moving otherwise they both would have fallen out of the bed and landed on the floor. Luffy whined once Zoro had stilled and looked up at him with the biggest and wateriest eyes yet to be seen. Even Zoro couldn’t pull off a look like that, and he'd had a lot of practice.

But, little did Zoro know, Sanji had been secretly coaching Luffy on how to get Zoro to do what he wanted, and that had been one of the few little tricks that the blonde teen had taught him. After all, Sanji had learned all of Zoro's 'cute' tricks, and he was damn sure that Luffy with his already cute face, and puppy dog pout, would be able to pull it off easily. And Zoro was already unable to say 'no' to Luffy as it was.

“Please Zoro? It IS my birthday…” and he trailed off, making his bottom lip quiver ever so slightly. Sanji grinned widely as he saw Zoro crack. Simple.

“That’s my boy!” he congratulated and Zoro sent a glare at the blonde before letting out a loud sigh. He was outnumbered, out-big eyed, and out-pouted. Basically, he was out of luck. He made sure to give the biggest eye roll he could muster before conceding to Luffy's wishes.

“Fine, whatever.” he muttered.

Luffy almost squealed in happiness and opened his mouth, waiting for Zoro to feed him. Nami was still giggling crazily before she whipped out a camera, and before anyone knew what had happened, she’d taken a photo and replaced the camera in her pocket. Zoro let out a long, suffering sigh before smirking and taking the plate from Sanji, cutting up the food and then feeding a forkful to Luffy, wondering the whole time how he’d gotten himself into this.

Luffy chewed, giggling before he swallowed and thanked Sanji, before turning back to Zoro for more. It was very apparent, that over the last months, where Luffy’s confidence had skyrocketed, Zoro’s had followed. Both of them were more willing to do or say what they wanted without being ashamed. Though when it came to being over the moon about simple things, that was Luffy’s forte, whereas Zoro would still linger in the background, not wanting to be any part of it.

Where Luffy was recovering fairly quickly, Zoro was still lagging. Nami and Sanji had no doubt that the two of them were certainly well on their way to recovery though. Once all the food was gone, Zoro handed the plate back to Sanji, who smirked at him and stood up.

“There, you happy now?” Zoro asked, looking down at Luffy and smirking as well. Luffy nodded, burying his face into Zoro’s chest again. The older teen really was warm, and so snugly. Luffy was glad he had found him.

“This is the best birthday ever!” he announced, smiling. Zoro smiled in response, proud of making his friend happy and rested a hand on Luffy’s back.

“Sure, kid…”

“Now, up!” Nami cried, grinning widely. Luffy blinked up at her.

“Naa? Where’re we going?” he asked, confused. Nami winked cheekily.

“You’ll see.” she replied and Luffy tilted his head before grinning. Zoro was confused. He thought they were going to be having a party at home. They were taking them somewhere? Great… another chance for him to embarrass himself. His gaze fell slightly before coming to Luffy's face and he smiled again. He wouldn't panic this time. He was determined not to! He would make this the best birthday Luffy had ever had. For him.

“I like surprises!” Luffy grinned, as he jumped from the bed and headed for the door before running back and giving Zoro one last hug and then running to get ready.

“I got dibs on the shooooweeeer!” he called as he bolted out the door. Zoro sighed, a little annoyed but not saying anything.

“Whatever…” and Zoro crawled out of the bed to see Nami smirking widely at him. He blinked back at her, searched himself and noticed nothing was out of place before looking back, “What?” he asked, confused. Nami shrugged.

“Nothing...” and she walked out, Sanji laughing as he followed. Zoro scratched his head, totally lost before he began gathering together the clothes he was going to wear that day. Nami and Sanji moved down the stairs and into the kitchen to chat whilst Sanji washed the plate Luffy had used.

“I was worried for a while, when I saw how much he depended on Zoro,” Sanji admitted. “I thought he’s reached his peak and wouldn’t develop any more, but the longer they’re together, the more he seems to understand.” Sanji muttered, flicking soap suds from his hands. Nami nodded in understanding.

“So long as they’re happy.” Nami stated bluntly. “That’s all that matters.”

Sanji nodded, drying the plate and then laughing as he put it away and heard Zoro banging on the shower door upstairs. Nami started laughing when she heard Luffy respond with ‘Nya Nya!’.

“If you’re not ready soon, we’re going without you!” Sanji called, smirking.

“And Zoro’ll have to go in his pyjamas!” Nami added.

“Like hell!” Zoro replied and Luffy laughed loudly. Yeah, the last months had been good, the best that Nami and Sanji could remember.

Clarobell: Thanks very much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one. We’re still in the fluff stage here, but remember, the calm before the storm, my friends. A nice long chapter for you again, so reviews are muchly appreciated.

Plushie: I like the imagery of Zoro at the circus in his pj's. -evil snicker- reviews please! And thank you for reviewing so far! We didn't think when we started it, that many people would actually like it. It's amazing to see the response we've gotten. Thank you again.