One Piece 1. Slippery Grounds And A Fateful Encounter

This fic will revolve all around winter and christmas. The idea for this actually came to me when I was walking home from university. It snowed and was really slippery… I had to walk pretty slow to not fall straight on my butt :P This is also what the first chapter is about.

This Fanfiction consists of different self-contained short stories. They are also independent from each other and will revolve around different pairings.

This first one is Modern AU.

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda.

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**Slippery Grounds And A Fateful Encounter**

She was late… again. It was the third time this week and she couldn't effort to miss her lecture this time around. Her teacher would be furious with her, she was sure of it.

Usually, nobody would notice her absence, but this course was pretty small with only 20 or so people in it.

_Yep, definitely pissed._

Snow had started to fall the night before, bathing the world before her in a beautiful glittering white mess. She would have taken the time to admire the lovely view around her, if she had some. But she had to hurry; she would make time for it later today.

Unfortunately, the snow made the ground quite slithery which caused her to stumble more often than not, making it even more difficult for her to walk as fast as she wanted. She would never make it in time like this. So, as careful as possible she rushed along the streets.

There… she could see the campus. Just a few more steps and she would be there. She quickened her pace, inwardly thanking god that she hadn't fallen on her butt in her hurry.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice one particularly hard frozen spot. Her feet slipped at an unnatural angle, causing her to crash rather ungracefully to the floor. A hot soaring pain shot through her ankle then, making her yelp, tears were forming at the corner of her eyes from the ache. She dimly noted that it may be sprained. She had fallen quite unpleasant.

Fighting the urge to cry out again and after taking a few calming breaths, she made an attempt to stand. Bracing both of her hands on the ground she pushed herself up, only to drop back down a second later. _Damn it_, she cursed to herself. She couldn't even stand. How was she supposed to walk then? Let alone to the lecture hall? She needed help, that much was clear.

Looking around, she searched the area for someone that might be able to help, but all she found was an empty ground. All the students seemed to be either in their own lecture or somewhere warm, seeing as the temperature was pretty low. She could see her own breath mixing with the chilling air, as panic began to slowly creep up in her.

Nobody would find her here, she was screwed.

Wallowing in self-pity, she didn't spot the young man that leisurely made his way over to her until suddenly a concerned face popped up in her vision, eyeing her with a soft frown on his handsome features.

She gasped loudly, being a little stunned at the close proximity and his sudden appearance but he only kept on looking at her with the same expression.

"Are you okay?" the stranger asked her. He crouched down right in front of her and she could feel his breath against her skin.

The first real thing she noticed about him, though, was that he was quite good looking. His dark hair was slightly wet from all the falling snowflakes but he didn't seem to mind. His cheeks were freckled, giving him a slightly naughty look. And his eyes burned with an intensity she had never seen before.

It took her a few seconds until she realized that she had been staring at him a little too long, completely missing that he was talking to her. Embarrassed and with a faint blush she finally answered him.

"Uh… sure." She had no idea what he'd been saying to her but she assumed it was somewhere along the line of "can I help you?". So the answer seemed fitting.

Only that it wasn't.

"Well, it doesn't look like it."

"Excuse me, what?" Did she miss something? Well, yeah, she did, but what?

"You really don't look that fine to me." _Ah…_

"Why are you asking me, then?" she snapped at him, only to feel guilty a second later. He was only trying to help her after all.

He just shrugged without a care in the world, seemingly not a bit disturbed by her outburst. "Just trying to make a little small talk. Come on now…" he made a move to grab her arm and pull her up, but the pain in her foot made her slump down again.

He looked at her twisted expression, not bothered that she was leaning all her weight against his body. Contemplating the situation he then supported her back with the one hand and swung her feet up with the other, pulling her flush against his chest.

"Wha…what are you doing?" she screeched at him nervously. _The hell?_ _What was wrong with this guy?_

"I'll bring you to the see a doctor, silly. Or what does it look like to you?

"I can see that! I mean, why are carrying me. Put me down!"

"Sorry, but I don't think that you can walk with that ankle. I'm just doing you a favor."

"I don't even know you!"

"Well, my name is Ace." He answered her cheekily all the while grinning at her with the most charming smile she had ever seen. That thought only made her more flustered. "See? Now you know me. Let's get going already, or do you want to freeze out here?"

She didn't have to answer for him to know that he was right. Her lips were already turning blue… and her clothes didn't seem all to warm now, either, all soaked by the snow.

They walked in silence for a little while; distantly she could make out the building the sick ward was in.

She couldn't help but notice the way he held her. They were pretty close to one another, his strong arms supporting her body. He was well-built and several inches taller than her and she felt surprisingly safe in his arms. She wondered a little about his attitude, though. Even though he seemed worried he had an amazingly calm air around him. He had even been flirting with her. Well, at least she guessed he was.

Right then, a cough snapped her out of her thoughts.

"So… how about you tell me your name now? It's only fair." Ace cut through the quiet around them.

She exhaled loudly. She wouldn't get around this now, would she?

"I'm Nami."

"Well, nice to meet you Nami" he replied, the same grin still plastered on his face.

A few more steps and the couple stopped.

"Can you knock? My hands are a little preoccupied right now." he winked at her.

She cleared her throat and knocked at the closed door. Noise was heard inside, then an elderly woman came out.

"Oh my" she just mumbled before she hushed the two inside the room.

Ace strode straight for the bed and eased Nami gently down the mattress, afterwards he turned back to face the nurse and started to explain what happened.

"I think she sprained her ankle. She fell pretty nasty."

The nurse sighed in understanding before she went to grab some tools and other things she needed for the examination. "The weather outside is very tricky, today. You aren't the first one to come to me, but let's take a look at your foot first." Putting on some gloves she took a seat beside the bed Nami occupied right now.

After the nurse had finished examining the throbbing limb she turned back to the two. "You can be glad your boyfriend was there with you, otherwise you would have just put unnecessary pressure on your ankle and worsened the pain."

_Boyfriend?!_ But before Nami could deny the relationship, Ace had already made a move and gently put her hand in his. "See, honey? I told you that it'd be better if I carried you" he smirked at her.

_That bastard was enjoying this!_

"I'll put on some bandages and give you some ointment. It should lessen the ache. Just make sure you don't put too much strain on it the next few days."

The young girl just nodded, still too perplexed about the hand still holding hers. She turned her eyes to him, gasping inaudibly when she saw those dark orbs gazing straight into her brown ones.

The nurse seemed to notice their staring and decided to give the young couple some time for themselves. With her out of earshot, Nami's eyes quickly changed in intensity.

"Honey?" she hissed at the man beside her. "What the hell was that all about?"

"Calm down. I was just teasing you. Besides, does it really matter what the nurse thinks?"

She didn't reply right away. It made sense somehow, but still. It was irritating her.

"Fine. You're right." she finally admitted, though it was still bugging her deep inside.

"Well, I have to go to class now, but I'm sure you'll be fine here." He said, patted her head and let go of her hand.

"Don't worry. You'll see me again" Ace winked at her before he turned and walked through the door of the infirmary and out of her sight.

"I wasn't" she shouted after him. A deep chuckle, then the footsteps proceeded along the hallway until silence fell once again.

A small smile graced her lips.

Somehow she hoped that he wasn't just joking.

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**Yeah… Ace & Nami. Not much to say about that. **

**Although I'm a diehard LuNa shipper, this pairing seemed to fit the best for what I had planned, with Ace being all flirty … Also, recently I stumbled onto a sweet little Ace & Nami Story on a German board, which just kept plaguing my mind… so yeah. ********I'm not that satisfied with how it turned out, maybe I'll come back and rewrite it later.**

**Reviews are always appreciated **** Just tell me what you think. I'm not a native speaker, so feel free to point out errors if you notice something ;)**

**Til next time… **


	2. Sexy Chocolate Cookies

**This plot-bunny just wouldn't leave me so I decided to put it down to get it out of my system already :P It may seem a bit strange and such… but after watching Jamie Oliver and his love confessions for his food I just couldn't ignore it.**

**Disclaimer: **One Piece doesn't belong to me.

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**2. Sexy Chocolate Cookies**

"Mhmmm…."

There it was again. That strange noise.

Zoro, who had wanted to take a quick afternoon nap after his latest training session, grew more and more irritated with those damn sounds coming from the ship's kitchen. For several minutes now, he'd tried to block them out to finally find some peace. But to no avail. Every time he closed his eyes another one of _those_ sounds filled his ears and the thought of sleeping was all but gone.

"Mhmmm….. My god. You're so beautiful."

Okay, that one was new. Was that a moan?

What the hell was going on in there?

"Mhm..ah." Okay, definitely a moan. And it sounded suspiciously like that shitty cook.

"Oi, Usopp. What the hell is curly-brow doing in there?" the swordsman addressed the sniper, who had been working on yet another one of his weapons.

After tightening the screw on his latest invention, Usopp turned to his crewmate. "What do you mean?" he questioned, having completely blocked out anything going on around him while he'd been working.

"Can't you hear…" another moan "that?" Zoro said pointedly as the sounds grew higher in volume.

"Now that you mention it… it's kinda strange for him to make those noises unless-" he stopped, putting a finger to his chin.

"Unless what?"

Usopp fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. Putting his weapon aside, he beckoned Zoro to move closer to him, only adding to the dramatic effect.

Zoro, though slightly annoyed, complied and moved his head down to hear exactly what his crew-mate had to say.

"Unless… he has a woman in there" the Sniper finished in a hushed voice.

Seriously? That shitty cook and a woman? The thought alone made Zoro burst out laughing until he remembered that there were only two possible women Usopp could've meant. And that were the witch and Robin.

And neither of them would be doing anything with that cook, or would they? No, definitely not. Everyone knew that Nami was secretly in love with their captain and he'd noticed Franky and Robin were sneaking around quite often lately, too. But who else could it be?

Usopp seemed to have the same thoughts because he turned around to Zoro with a confused frown on his face. Curiosity sparked, both of them suddenly jumped up and ran towards the kitchen door, nearly crashing into it in their haste, only to be stopped by Luffy, who'd suddenly popped up in front of them.

"Oi, Zoro, Usopp! Whatcha doing?" the teen asked happily, blinking at them owlishly.

But the two of them paid him no mind. Instead they pushed the teen away rather roughly and scrambled for the door. Luffy landed with a thud on the ground, rubbing the spot he had fallen on. His head.

"Oi, what the hell was that for?" he pouted before another loud moan was heard through the door.

"Mhm… so beautiful."

"Guys?" the captain asked again but received no answer seeing as the two men still seemed too engrossed in figuring out what exactly was happening behind the door. Not wanting to be left out in the fun, Luffy walked over and squeezed his body between his first mate and sharpshooter, before also pressing his ear against the wooden surface.

For a long few minutes everything was silent, only the occasional moan could be heard, until Luffy's patience ran out. "Ehm… guys what are we doing that for?"

"Shhh…" Usopp tried shushing his captain, putting a finger to his lips for emphasis. "Quiet Luffy or Sanji will hear."

"Hear what?" asked the ever clueless rubberman.

Nearly giving into the urge to face-palm, Usopp just groaned and contemplated how to explain his captain what those sounds were supposed to mean.

"You see, Sanji is in the kitchen but he is making these noises-" Usopp started to explain in a low voice.

"Like that?"

"Yeah, like that. Zoro and I were curious and wanted to find out what was going on but Sanji can't know that we're eavesdropping so you have to be quiet alright?"

Though Luffy didn't quite get why it was important for them to listen to those sounds, he complied and kept his mouth shut. However, seeing as Luffy wasn't really known for his patience he soon started fidgeting, finding it pretty boring to just sit there and wait.

"Ano sa, what is so special about these sounds?"

'I should have known' was all Usopp thought as Luffy wondered out loud.

"Well, Luffy. Usually those sounds mean that someone has sex." Zoro interjected bluntly while Usopp looked at him dumbfounded with his mouth agape. Although, the sharpshooter would have been more subtle about it, he guessed that with a captain like Luffy it didn't matter anyway if one was being blunt or not. So he continued.

"We believe that he is in there with Na-" Only to be interrupted yet again by his foolish captain who had seemingly been distracted anew and suddenly started yelling.

"Oi Nami!" Luffy called when he spotted a familiar orange head.

Eh?! Faster than a lightning strike two heads snapped around to see Nami coming from the library.

The young woman stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice of her captain. Confused she turned in the direction his call had come from only to spot him pressed against the door. He waved at her.

"Come here."

"Eh… Luffy?" the navigator said with furrowed brows "You guys too?" she asked when also noticing the other two men perched in front of the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Nami, Sanji is making funny noises in there."

"Funny noises?"

"Yeah, like this." Luffy said just as the cook made another sound.

"Ehhh? What…" she started but then Usopp turned to her with a slightly confused expression.

"Nami, when it's not you in there who else could it be?"

Turning back around, he shared a look with the swordsman. Neither of them needed to say a word as it was clear what they were thinking about 'Robin wouldn't, or would she?'.

"Robin is in the library with Franky" the navigator answered the unspoken question. "And why the hell do you think I would be doing anything with Sanji?" she exclaimed exasperated and fixed the long-nosed boy with a hard glare.

Ignoring her completely, Usopp only continued his musings. "Okay, so if it's not you and also not Robin…"

Forgetting her anger for a moment, Nami tried to calm down a bit to contemplate the situation as well, though she really didn't get, why they wouldn't just go in and see for themselves. It couldn't be that bad, right?

Silence fell once again among the friends, all turning back to face the door, each with a similar expression on their faces, except Luffy, who didn't seem to get the whole idea behind this. Minutes passed, the rubber-boy was already starting to get jittery again, while the others still kept gazing at the door like they were in some kind of trance. Then their navigator broke the quiet once again.

Shaking her head, she made a move to open the door. "This is ridiculous… why don't we just ask him-" she started but was stopped short when Usopp and Zoro suddenly grabbed her, hindering her from doing so.

"NO!" they both shouted, loud enough that even the cook must have heard by now.

"Seriously guys, what's the big deal?" Nami huffed in irritation, struggling to get the two men to release her. This whole thing was beginning to get on her nerves. She just didn't get what all this fuss was about. She was sure there was a logical explanation for the… äh… moans.

Usopp didn't know what to say to this. Nami was right. They could just barge in and demand an explanation, they might even see what was going on, but he was scared of Sanji's wrath. However, looking at the agitated navigator now and the throbbing vein on her forehead, he wasn't so sure which one he'd rather face. He shuddered just by thinking of it.

Zoro on the other hand, didn't care about the anger of the love-cook. Or the witch's for that matter. But he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed should the smoking cook find out about this whole thing. It would be humiliating for him if the cook wasn't going at it like they thought, but even more if he was.

However, all caution flew out the window when Luffy simply opened the door with a loud bang – neither of them had paid any attention to him, busy preventing Nami from doing the exact same thing – and hollered at Sanji to give him some food before abruptly stopping halfway through the door. This, of course, immediately caught the attention of the other three still more or less wrestling with each other, and they also turned trying to get a glimpse at the kitchen.

The picture before them was something neither would have expected.

There before them stood Sanji , hearts in his eyes, in front of the oven, ogling what seemed to be some freshly baked cookies. He was swooning over them, muttering about how beautiful and delicious they looked much like the way he always did with the only female crew members on board. There was, however, no woman to be seen.

"Oi, Sanji!" the young rubber man tried to get the cooks attention but he showed no reaction whatsoever, still to engrossed in the still steaming cookies to sense the four other people in the room.

"Eh… Sanji-kun? What are you doing?"

Nami's voice seemed to get him out of his trance-like state. His eyes grew wide, his love-love state completely forgotten. He whirled around the next second and as soon as he spotted them his face took on a deep red.

"Na…Nami-Swan.." he stuttered. He looked like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Literally.

"Well, curly brows… don't you want to introduce us to your new 'girlfriend'?" the swordsmen snickered, inwardly feeling relief flooding him, that the love-cook indeed hadn't been doing _that_.

Sanji only gaped at him in horror. Of all people, why did it have to be the moss-head to catch him? He didn't even bicker back before he hung his head in embarrassment and strode past him as fast as he could, slamming the door and leaving behind three frowning crewmates, all the while hearing the boisterous laugher of the green haired male.

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**Not my best, but well. Hope you liked it anyway. Feel free to comment... I'd really like to know what I can do different next time.**


	3. Mittens

**3. Mittens**

It was the night before Christmas. The streets were clear; only the occasional headlights of a car could be seen, the occupants probably hurrying to get home to their family on time. It had also started snowing a few hours ago making the temperature drop below zero.

The young orange-haired girl shivered as a particularly strong breeze swept past her, disheveling her long locks and making her already freezing body only growing colder by the minute. Not for the first time tonight she wished she had chosen to wear more practical and warmer clothes instead of her skirt and cardigan. Even the woolen hat and her scarf weren't much of a comfort. However she'd wanted to look pretty. Just for him. Though she doubted he even cared for such petty things. The canopy of the airport didn't spend too much warmth, either. Well, she guessed she should be grateful that it helped to keep her dry at least.

She had no idea how many time had passed, but it must've been a few hours at any rate. Taking a look at her watch she saw that it was already well past seven and realized with a sigh that she probably wouldn't make it back for dinner. She drooped even further. Not only that she wouldn't see him this year, but now she would also lose some of the little time she got to spent with her family. For a moment she considered going back into the lobby were the heaters would warm her up a bit, but as soon as the thought came she discarded it again. She didn't want to miss the cab she'd ordered.

The nice lady on the phone had told her to be patient and that it may take a while for the cab to arrive given the sudden cold spell. Most of the drivers were most likely stuck in the traffic jam. So she'd waited.

She cursed under her breath when she thought of why she even was in this mess to begin with but soon the frustration gave away to sadness. She'd really wanted to see him again. Thinking back, she still remembered the first time they'd met, here on this same spot. Ironically it had been her thin clothing too, then, that had brought them together.

"_Here" a voice beside her said when two red mittens were more or less shoved into her face. She looked at them, frowning, before she turned to their owner, wondering what exactly she was supposed to do with them. She was met with two coal-black eyes, twinkling in mirth, and the matching grin of a young man. Looking back and forth between him and the gloves, she finally asked._

"_What are those?"_

"_Eh.. gloves?" Well, obviously. _

_The young woman wanted to face-palm and fought the urge to reply with a cocky remark. Was he serious? But seeing the slightly confused look on his face, which was kind of cute she might add, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead she opted for a simple "What for?"_

_Lips curling back into his silly grin again, he replied while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, aren't you cold?" His eyes swept over her form, clad in a thin blouse and her jeans, the only thing basically spending a little warmth being the blue coat she'd thrown on before leaving for the airport. He was clearly trying to make a point. However, his gaze was lingering a little too long on her, making her slightly uncomfortable. A blush was creeping on his face when she caught him staring._

_Though, she had to admit he was right. Her clothes were a little inconvenient, but she hadn't really bothered to check the weather forecast before flying here. Therefore, it was really considerate of him to give her his gloves so willingly and she really appreciated the thought. However she couldn't accept his offer._

"_Well, yes. But don't you need them, too? I mean it is freezing."_

_He just shrugged. "Nah… My brother will be here soon to pick me up. Don't worry about it."_

_It seemed like she wouldn't be able to talk him out of it, so she accepted his gesture. Taking them from him, she put them on and immediately felt a lot better, her fingers already relaxing. She turned to him with a warm smile._

"_Thank you" she breathed._

"_Shishishi… You're welcome." _

_Shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans, he asked "So… are you waiting for someone?" rocking back and forth on his heels._

_She chuckled at this, finding his behavior kind of adorable. _

"_Nope, just waiting for my cab."_

_His smile grew even brighter as he seemed relieved with this answer for some reason. _

"_Oh. Maybe we can take you, too. I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind."_

_Eh?! She didn't even know him and now he wanted her to ride with him and his brother?_

"_What? N…no. You don't need to do that. I'm sure my cab will be here any minute now. Besides, these are enough as it is." She wiggled with her fingers for emphasizes._

"_Why? It's just a pair of gloves." He blinked owlishly at her genuinely confused now. Before she got a chance to reply, however, she was suddenly interrupted by a loud shout from the boy beside her as he seemed to spot someone across the parking lot._

"_Oi Ace!" he shouted while waving at what she guessed was his brother. All hope flew out the window, when Ace abruptly turned at his brother's voice, his face splitting into a mischievous grin when he spotted the both of them. _

_How she ended up with them taking her home, she didn't know. Somehow they had managed to talk her into it. Though, she had to admit that it wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. It was even fun to be around them, especially him. Luffy. He had this way, she really had no idea how to describe it, but she felt completely content with him by her side._

_It turned out that they didn't even live that far away from another. Ace even knew her sister Nojiko. After they had dropped her at her house, Luffy had invited her to join him and his family for lunch the next day. She was unsure at first, not wanting to intrude, but he had quickly reassured her that it was okay and that he was looking forward to it. _

_For the following two weeks she spent almost every free time she had with him. They became almost inseparable. Sometimes they would go to grab some latté or simply hang out. Once they even went to the nearby lake to go skating. It had been a funny sight, seeing as Luffy seemed to be unable to stand on them even if his live depended on it. But it had been fun nonetheless._

_The holidays flew by in a rush and soon both of them found themselves at the airport once again, saying goodbye this time. And with the promise to see each other again._

It had become somewhat a tradition these past two years that they'd meet at the airport on Christmas Eve. Not this year, so it seemed, as she thought back to a few hours earlier.

As always she'd tried to spot him in the crowd as soon as she entered the lobby. But he'd been nowhere to be found. At first she'd thought that he may be already waiting somewhere or got hold up. But then the crowd had been thinning out and there was still no sign of him. Her next guess had been that his flight got cancelled because of the snow but then again he would've texted her if that had been the case. So she'd decided to keep waiting a little longer and instead of standing in the middle of the hall had taken a seat near the entrance to watch the passing people…

_For some reason she felt insecure and completely misplaced as she observed as people came and went, gave kisses and hugs for a greeting when they were seeing each other again for the first time in a while. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous, for they were allowed to be with their important people over the holidays. Though she knew that her mother and sister were waiting for her at home as well, it just wasn't the same without him around. _

"_I am sure he will come."_

_The soft feminine voice startled her, making her turn around to face the pretty dark-haired woman that was sitting a seat away from her._

"_Eh… excuse me?"_

"_The person you're waiting for. I'm sure he will be here soon."_

_The young girl was surprised, she certainly hadn't expected that. She hadn't even noticed someone sitting there, much less that that someone had also been observing her. _

"_How do you know?" she asked a little uncertain as she averted her eyes from the older woman. _

"_Well, seeing as you're sitting in the waiting area…"_

"_No, not that. I mean, that I'm waiting for a boy" the young woman interrupted in a soft voice. _

"_Oh, that. Well it was pretty obvious. You seem a little nervous and keep looking around and fidgeting with your hands. Also, the look in your eyes is a dead give-away." _

_The look in her eyes? Was it really that evident? She turned around again, her wide eyes resting on the black-haired female once more, feeling like she'd been caught with her fingers in the cookie jar. But the woman simply chuckled and smiled warmly at her and for some reason it reassured her. Of what exactly, she wasn't sure. _

_It was then that somebody called out for the woman, apparently her name was Robin, and she took her bag and made for a leave, ready to go to whomever had been searching for her. With one last friendly smile she looked back to the orange-haired girl and mouthed a "Merry Christmas" before she turned and vanished with a big blue-haired male out of the hall._

_With Robin gone, she was left to ponder what exactly she had been hinting at. Well, actually she knew exactly what she'd meant. If she was being honest with herself, she'd admit that she felt far more for him than simple friendship. She'd missed him to a degree that it wasn't even funny to watch any more. Even her friends had stopped teasing her about it when they'd noticed how upset she got by mentioning it._

_A beeping noise in her bag alerted her to an incoming message. Taking her cell phone out of it she opened the text, only to see that it was from him._

"_Won't make it. Don't wait for me."_

_That was it, huh? He really wouldn't show this time. Her stomach dropped and her throat was closing. Tears threatened to spill, but she tried to fight them down again. She wouldn't allow herself to cry over this._

_It was silly, really. To act this way just because he wouldn't pick her up from the airport. It wasn't like they were a couple or anything. Hell, they hardly saw each other. Sometimes she didn't even know why they were doing this exactly. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd met some other girl at college, someone he preferred over her. This thought, however, was making it even harder to not break down right then and there. But wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to change anything. It would only make matters worse. _

She'd guessed there was no point in waiting any longer, so she'd dialed the number of the cap service. Here she stood now, seemingly endless hours later, with still no cap in sight.

A bright light not that far away from her, alerted her to an arriving yellow vehicle. Finally! Her cab! She released a relieved sigh as the driver spotted her and stopped right in front of her. A few moments later she got into the passenger seat while the driver loaded her bag into the trunk. Soon she was on her way back to her home town.

The white scenery slipped by wordlessly, only the soft humming of the radio could be heard as she turned her head to look out the window. She could feel the melancholy creeping up inside her as she watched the snowflakes making their way towards the ground. She could feel his absence deep inside her bones and it was eating up at her. It was the first time since she'd met him, that she truly felt lonely.

Maybe she would be able to see him, still, after the holidays were over. This thought was making the loneliness somewhat bearable, even if it was short lived. She was always exited to meet him at the airport. The moment when their eyes met for the first time after so long was most precious to her, and she treasured it more than … well all her treasures. It was only the two of them, him and her, and for that short moment she could pretend that he'd missed her just as much as she'd missed him. Could pretend that they were more than simple friends and that she was waiting for her beloved instead. She sighed for the umpteenth time that day, wishing that she could just pull him close and relish in the feeling only he was able to arouse in her.

The sign of her hometown flew past the window. Not long and she would be home and at least be in the company of her family if nothing else. The cab stopped, however, and she could see blinking lights some distance away. It turned out to be some kind of accident, nothing fatal, but the main road would be closed for a little while longer. The driver offered her to drive a different route but seeing as it wasn't that far from her house anymore, she decided that it would be best to walk instead of taking a detour. The driver snatched her bag and after she'd paid him she began strolling home.

To her surprise she soon found herself wandering through the small park that held the lake. It wasn't frozen yet, the flakes still made an impact on the glossy surface. But it looked beautiful nonetheless with the moon high in its place reflecting in the water below. At a bench she halted and let her bag drop to the ground besides her to admire the view in front of her. She just stood there, letting the memories pass, for a long while until she noticed that it was still freezing and her clothes were still … inconvenient.

Suddenly a pair of familiar red gloves popped up in front of her vision, giving her a strong sense of a Déjà-vu. Eyeing them strangely it took a moment for her brain to connect the dots. With a soft gasp she turned around when she finally realized just who these gloves belonged to, only to be met with two black eyes gazing tenderly down at her, a small smile was playing on his lips.

"I thought you might need those."

She gaped at him incredulously; his presence took her totally off guard.

His lips were moving as he said something to her, but she had difficulty understanding what it was with her heart beating so loudly in her chest. It felt like it would burst out of there any minute now. She looked at him, really looked at him, standing there with his red winter jacket then down to the pair of mittens and her eyes filled with tears.

He frowned slightly at her when he saw her still staring at them without making a move to put them on her frozen fingers. When she still didn't take them after a few more moments, he added "Well, aren't you gonna take 'em?"

"Huh?... Eh, sure." Out of her daze she reached out to get them but was stopped by two warm hands cradling hers, before he helped her to put them on.

"There, all set." He smiled proudly at his handiwork.

His hands lingered for a moment longer, before he let go of her completely. Awkward silence stretched between them, then, neither of them knowing exactly what to say to the other.

"What are you doing here, Luffy?"

"I was looking for you, silly" he answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, still grinning, though it was losing more of its shine as he noticed that she seemed upset and was not meeting his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Oh how she wanted to tell him how she felt. To show him just how much it pained her to be separated from him for so long. She hadn't really wanted to admit it at first but slowly and surely she'd fallen for him. And she'd fallen hard. For a moment she seriously considered telling him but soon she discarded that thought. Too afraid that it would destroy their special bond and that it would become awkward should he not feel the same about her. So she evaded his question… somewhat.

"It's just… nothing. Never mind." She cast him a brief glance before averting her eyes once more.

"No it's not. Nami, please tell me what's wrong." He was a little worried now. This wasn't like the girl he knew. When she still didn't answer he took a step closer, laying his hands on her shoulders he caused her to look at him. He was a bit puzzled when he saw the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

"Oi…." he stuttered. "Please don't cry, Nami. I hate it when you do."

He had no idea how to proceed in a situation like this, having never been confronted with it before. Feeling utterly helpless at seeing her tearful expression he did the first thing that came to mind. He pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his chin atop of her head while he let her fall apart in his arms. For whatever reason it may be, she needed him now. So he just held her.

After awhile she seemed to pull herself together as her sobs subsided. Still, she let her head rest buried against his chest, relishing in the calming sensation his steady heart beat provided. It was comforting, to feel him so close. So much so, that the freezing weather around her wasn't bothering her that much anymore. She could've stayed like this forever.

As for Luffy, he just enjoyed having her in his arms again. It had been so long since they last held each other like that. It had been hard to be apart from her. And even though they often spoke or wrote to each other it just wasn't the same. He'd missed to see her smile or hear her laugh at something he'd said. Had missed her soft fingers as they brushed against his arm. He'd even missed her smell, the intoxicating scent of tangerines that was so uniquely Nami. He wanted her with him and not miles away, out of his reach. That was why he'd searched for her as soon as his plane had landed. And now that he'd found her he just wanted to savor this moment. It was silent for awhile with only the sound of breathing as they stayed entangled in each other's arms.

"I really missed you, Nami" he whispered softly in her ear.

"Idiot" she murmured into his chest, still sniveling, though the insult was lost as she tightened her grip around him.

"Shishishi. Does that mean you missed me too, then?" He didn't really need an answer; the way she was clinging onto him was enough for him to know she did. He was just trying to lighten the mood a little.

Seeing as the moment was lost she slowly let go of him, running her hands across his chest and smoothening the crinkles in his blue jacket. She shivered as the wind tugged at her thin clothing and she rubbed her arms. It didn't go unnoticed by her companion.

"Let's go home, Nami" he told her softly, grabbing her hand and the bag resting on the snowy ground before gently tugging her along with him. In the distance she could see the truck of his brother. So this was how he'd found her then. Maybe she'd ask him about it later, but for now she would just enjoy his company.

She smiled, a warm and happy smile, when she looked down at their intertwined hands and the red fabric wrapped around them. And suddenly she was grateful that she had chosen to dress so inappropriate that day two years ago. She may have never met him if it weren't for the red gloves now warming her fingers.

A grin crept onto her face as she realized that Robin had been right. He really had come for her. And it felt great. Of one thing she was sure: She wouldn't let go of this feeling ever again.

* * *

**A little bit of LuNa-fluff. I just love that pairing. Though it feels like I lost myself with this in the end. I'm still not sure about some part of it but it's almost midnight here and I wanted to get this out on Valentine's Day which I hope you all enjoyed, btw. :) Maybe I'll edit it tomorrow.**

**I'd really like to thank those that reviewed, follows or read these One Shots so far. I appreciate it. As always feel free to mention what you liked or disliked because I really want to improve myself and it's only possible if you guys give the feedback for it.**

**Til next time. **


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