Author: The Dark Crimson Blood
Story Title: Friends
Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Main Characters: Luffy, Ace, Sabo
Summary: Luffy doesn't know why he can't make friends.
Words: 2,059

Luffy wonders why no one likes him.

Well, that's a lie, but he's not really sure how to put it otherwise.

Luffy wonders why he can't make friends.

That works.

As a five year old boy with no family, Luffy was downright lucky to be adopted into a caring family and given love as if he was one of their own. He even got two older brothers, he's always wanted older brothers! Their names were Ace and Sabo, they were about three years older than him too. Through Luffy's eyes, they're the coolest people in the world. They're always playing fun games and are usually surrounded by the praise of others. Luffy looks up to them.

Through Luffy's big, childish eyes, they are untouchable. Despite this terribly obvious fact, he tries his best to become friends with them anyway. It's obvious that they don't really like him; Luffy noticed this and he was usually oblivious to everything. It was probably made obvious because of their constant glares directed his way, how they would constantly abandon him, and how they'd downright avoid him whenever they had the chance. As hurtful as it is to such a young child like Luffy who has never really had the chance to make friends, he only finds himself trying harder. He was a stubborn child, so there was absolutely no way that he would ever stop trying. If anything, this made him work harder in attempt to befriend two boys who only seem to hate him.

Sooner or later, a whole year passes. For some reason unknown to the six year old child, he finds that he still hasn't made any friends. He's always running after Ace and Sabo but they only seem to get further and further away no matter how hard he tries. Despite always being full of boundless energy, Luffy can't help but admit that it is tiring to try so hard only for his results to appear fruitless. It's strangely relieving when his adoptive mother takes him to the park, hand in hand. Luffy wonders if her name is 'Mom', because really, he doesn't remember anyone calling her anything else. 'Mom' doesn't feel right though, so he decides that calling her 'Misses' is better. 'Mom' just doesn't fit; she's Ace and Sabo's mother, not his. He's constantly reminded of this fact.

Besides that, Luffy decides that he likes the park. It's bright, the sky is clear, and there's a ton of stuff to do. There's a sand box for him to play in, swings, slides, and there are even other children to talk to! So, as he swings back and forth recklessly, he can't help but be excited to finally make his first friend. Due to his excitement, he throws his hands up in the air and soon finds himself flying into a green haired child who seems just as surprised as he is. Apparently, his name is Zoro. Zoro is kind of like Ace and Sabo to Luffy. He's the same age as them, and he's cool, almost as cool as his brothers. Somehow, the two become friends instantly.

At the end of the day, it's time to say goodbye but Luffy doesn't want to leave. It's because of this that he's literally dragged home by his mother, who seems to pay no attention to him as he continues to tell her about his new friend. This doesn't stop the smile on his face from spreading further because he's so happy, he's finally made a friend so nothing else in the world could bother him right now. Even his parents seemed to congratulate him for making his first friend, in fact, they admitted it was strange how he hadn't made a single friend when he was already six years old. They were so excited that they even agreed to invite Zoro over for a sleepover already.

Luffy was ecstatic.

Luffy spent the whole day finding his best toys as he waited for Zoro to arrive. It would be the first time he ever had a friend over before, let alone sleep over with him. Ace and Sabo had friends visit all the time, but Luffy wasn't allowed to talk to them. If he did, then they'd get mad at him. However, that didn't matter anymore because he had a friend of his own now! There was so much he wanted to do, so many games to play and so many things to eat. It's because of his endless, pointless chatter, that the boredom on Zoro's face was beginning to show. Luffy doesn't quite notice the older boy wonder off. Ten minutes pass and Luffy finally shuts his mouth as he turns to face the spot where Zoro had been standing before.

Thinking of it as surprise hide and go seek, Luffy smiles even wider as he wanders outside of his room. Finding Zoro was surprisingly easy, as it turned out, the boy hadn't even been hiding in the first place. Right now, the green haired boy was joking alongside his older brothers. It seemed as if for the first time for the whole day, Zoro was having fun. Luffy finds himself frozen in the entrance of the door as he watches the pleasant atmosphere in front of him. He wonders if he should interrupt, and he almost steps forward until he hears his name. He hesitates. The group of three boys describe Luffy to be annoying and weird and babyish and just plain boring. To Luffy, the worst part of their conversation was how Zoro seems to agree with them.

Somehow, it's painful.

"Hey," His quivering lips are moved to form shaky words that don't want to come up. He interrupts their conversation and they all turn to look at him; Zoro's eyebrows arch but Luffy doesn't notice. No one does. "I'm... I'm tired. So I'm gonna go to bed early." He forces a yawn as he rubs his watering eyes, trying his best to hide the tears that were doubtfully getting ready to fall. Luffy isn't surprised when no one replies to him; he's not surprised when he's glared at either. Luffy's not even surprised when they go back to their conversation as if Luffy was never there in the first place. Luffy silently turns and wanders off with his shoulders slumped.

That night, despite having a sleepover, Luffy sleeps alone. Zoro spends the night with Ace and Sabo, when he wakes up he eats breakfast with Ace and Sabo, and when he leaves he says 'Goodbye' to Ace and Sabo. Luffy can't help but feel as if he's been left in the dust and abandoned; it wasn't a nice feeling, but at the same time he knows that he just has to understand. Ace and Sabo are cool, they're fun to be around and amazing; Luffy just wasn't. So he couldn't really blame anyone when Zoro decides to hang around his brothers instead of him.

At least, that's what he tells himself.

Luffy gives up on Zoro's birthday when he turns seven. By this time, he can't help but decide that having friends his own age would be better. So, within the safety of school walls, Luffy makes another friend. This one has a really, really long nose and fluffy hair and tanned skin. He's a couple of months older than Luffy, and he's really good at shooting sling shots and rubber bands. He's fun to be around, and Luffy can only hope that Usopp thinks the same way. Luffy doesn't want to be seen as a boring person to Usopp, or anyone else for that matter.

At first, Luffy doesn't want to tell a single soul about his new friend. Clearly, that won't solve his problems, but he tires anyway. His friendship lasts a whole month, but when meeting Ace and Sabo, things change for the first. Somehow, just like before, Usopp finds Sabo and Ace far more interesting than Luffy. This is something the poor, seven year old child doesn't discover until Saturday comes along. It's during the afternoon that he sees Usopp at the park on the swings with his brothers and Zoro, they seem to all be having the times of their lives as they joke around and play with one another. Luffy soon finds himself approaching them awkwardly, and stepping in front of Usopp- who had just gotten off of his swing.

"Hey, do you want to play with me?" Luffy speaks with an awkward smile spreading across his lips as hope lingers in his eyes. Sabo and Ace however, just roll their eyes. Luffy always asks them the same thing, everyday, every time he sees them. It's annoying, it's as if the question had become Luffy's favorite group of words. They say nothing as they watch Usopp blatantly refuse.

"No thanks. I'd rather play with Ace and Sabo."

As he watches them leave him behind again, Luffy can't help but decide that the only reason he doesn't have any friends is because he really is annoying. Maybe, just as everyone says; he really is a crybaby. He wonders if it was the fact that he, himself, doesn't deserve to have friends. From that point on, Luffy's self esteem drops rapidly. He looks down on himself.

Moreover, he gives up.

Friends are unimportant.

Family is unimportant.

He doesn't need them.

He doesn't need anyone.

This is the mentality that he lives with for the next couple of years. By the time the few people in his life realize just how much Luffy has been changing, their actions begin to change. At eleven years old; Sabo and Ace realize just how much Luffy had needed and depended on them. Yet, from day one, they ridiculed and hated him. They didn't give him the family he had so desperately needed; because of them, Luffy doesn't smile anymore. He doesn't laugh or joke around or do anything that would lead people to believe he was happy. He was miserable, lonely, and everything in between. It's heartbreaking. The very sight of Luffy going through each day as if he were on autopilot was anything but fun to watch.

Not only had the two older brothers realized their mistakes, but sooner or later, they realized just how much they missed Luffy. The cheerful little boy with a smile spread across his face that would ask, "Do you want to play with me?" every chance he got was gone. The child that would look up to them and treat them as if they were the coolest people in the world, was gone. The happy Luffy they had once known was gone. By the time the two brothers decide to do something about it; the guilt has already left track marks on their faces that the whole world could see. Rather than downright avoiding Luffy as they did before, they approach him this time. With half smiles on their faces, Luffy stares back at them with seemingly dead eyes and doesn't say a word.

A familiar question leaves their mouths.

"Hey, do want to play with us?"

"No thanks."

『おわり・End』

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Let me know what you think in a review. :)

This story draws more into the subjects of not being completely accepted into a family into adoption, and not being able to make friends properly. This idea came to me because I've never felt as if I've fully fit into my adoptive family. Growing up, and even now, my friends have always found my siblings more interesting. I can't blame them though, I'm just not an interesting person.

-Crimsy