#luffy repeating their names over and over this boy is so scared of losing them omg

[hauntingblue]

So you are telling me they really do fly for three days and three nights until they get somewhere

[crapitskizaru]

Step On It. (Driving School!AU)

Chapters: (0), (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7)

Summary: you’re desperately trying to learn how to drive, but the instructors at your local driving school happen to be quite…eccentric, doing more harm than good. Will you be able to pass the exams before New Year’s Eve and win the bet with your friend?

Word Count: 2k

You exhaled deeply in the heated inside of the car. Most of the buttons and colorful gauges on the control board were still a bit of a mystery to you - that being the reason you had the textbook open on your lap as you leafed desperately through the pages. It also had something to do with the fact that you had been waiting a rather long time for your instructor who was nowhere to be found.

There was a squirming knot in your belly that reappeared with double force whenever your thoughts got sidetracked, imagining all the tragic accidents that you could be the cause of. With Law and his wits, his calming voice and dependable manner, those exact thoughts seemed to just vanish into the thin air; but with Kid? That man already gave you a scare yesterday, and that was even before he got to be your instructor. 

So much time had passed, you managed to spot most of the student drivers that happened to be struggling with the same issues as you were, wandering in and out of the driving school office. 

You jumped in surprise when someone knocked on the window. 

“Didn’t mean to scare you.” Law’s usual smirk seemed forced. You noticed, not without a bitter taste of reluctance, your heart skipping a beat at the sight of his messy, dark hair and alluring gaze.  “Eustass-ya will be driving with you to-”

“I remember,” you gritted out. “I thought you said you’ll be absent today?” 

“I just came to grab some papers and I’m out, but I think I’ll be able to check on you later. Also, (Name)-ya, don’t take things he says personally. Oh, and if he ever suggests-” 

“Yeah, yeah, get your skinny ass away from my car, Trafalgar. I hope you two already cleaned up after yourselves,” Kid said, making you grimace at the hidden meaning behind his words. He didn’t seem too bothered about that, pushing Law away and getting into the car - his posture was huge, but he moved with surprising smoothness. “Well? Are we drivin’ or waitin’ to die here? Start that car, kid. What’s that?” 

The last question was asked when Kid noticed the textbook on your lap - which was briskly snatched by him and thrown over the shoulder onto the back seat as he growled. “This ain’t a bookclub.”

Am I really going to drive with that maniac? you thought and took a deep breath, turning the key in the ignition. Already, you noticed your hands starting to shake when you reached up to clench them around the wheel. 

“I think you could practice some turns today. It’s easy,” Law added and you couldn’t help but reciprocate when he sent you a smirk. The last thing you wanted was to be left alone with the redheaded individual while Law was so available, or at least seemed to be. 

Apparently, Kid thought otherwise. He furiously rolled the window all the way upwards, cutting Law off. “Enough of that creep. Hit the road.” 

If all of your survival instincts suddenly decided to gather together, they’d be telling you to get out of the car and run. You disregarded the negative thoughts. What could possibly happen? That guy was an instructor, it’s his job to take care of your safety. 

Clinging to that desperate conviction, you slowly rolled the car out in the direction of a curve. Before you entered the main street, in your side-view mirror there was Law, talking with the ridiculously tall man you already knew was trying to teach Luffy how to handle a car. Drake seemed like a good instructor, but he didn’t always land himself very fortunately when it came to students. 

“Oi,” Kid disturbed your train of thoughts. “Eyes on the road, sweetheart. You’ll check that skinny ass out later.”

The heat in the car suddenly started to feel more intense. The vibes, however, were different than the ones Doffy gave out - his were annoyed and aggressive, whereas with Kid your worries were directed more towards how unpredictable and bold he was able to get. 

“He’s my instructor,” you mumbled, trying to keep the redness out of your cheeks, but it only seemed to gain in strength. 

“Pft, so what? He won’t be teachin’ you forever, will he?” 

Kid’s words rung in your ears, making them tint as well. Wriggling in the seat, you tried to focus on driving. Without Law’s clear instructions, it was challenging to keep up with all of the sequences before each turn, crossing and in traffic jam.

“So,” Kid sighed, stretching and sprawling his long limbs all over the place when you got stuck on a red light. “Why are you here?” 

“What do you mean? I want to get a driver’s license.” Your lips pressed into a thin line as you slowly got the car going, but it kept swinging back and forth. 

“Yeah, but why? Most peeps change schools after the first lesson. Why didn’t you? And release the clutch slower next time, add more gas.” 

You nodded with a deep inhale, keeping your eyes on the road. “I made a bet with a friend. I have to get that license before New Year’s Eve. He’s also a student here and wants me to get through the same school.”

“Who is he? And what if you lose?” He smirked mischievously, as if the perspective of you losing the bet was giving him some sort of satisfaction. A grimace bent his face when a rusty car drove past you. “Are you gonna let that jerk pass you? C’mon, step on that gas.” 

“50 is the speed limit here. And I’ll have to get whatever tattoo design Ace comes up with.” 

“Ace?” If your instructor had been drinking water, he’d have spit it out dramatically all over the place. Thankfully, he wasn’t, so he limited his reaction to a pitiful snort. “That dumbass? He can barely hold the wheel for more than half an hour before he hits the hay while the car is on full speed.” Kid snarled and looked out of the window. “That’s dumb. You don’t always manage to get the license fast and on the first try. Even if you’re a good driver.”

That’s the challenge, you thought but decided to keep quiet. On a roundabout, you took the wrong lane; all the blood suddenly rushed into your brain when Kid jerked the wheel to the right and directed the car the right way. Driving seemed like child’s play when you observed how he handled the car - with such confident manner, it was simply admirable. 

“When you wanna turn back on a roundabout, take the outer lane. Common mistake.” You took his words as a way to say ‘don’t worry about it’ - despite that, your hands started to sweat and tremble even harder than before. 

“Oi, get yourself together,” he mumbled, letting you take the wheel back. “More chill. You ain’t gonna crash while I’m in the car with you, sweetheart.” 

Thankfully, you two managed to make it alive to the maneuvering area; Kid hit the radio at some point and the tunes of Psycho Circus accompanied you when you entered the training place, the whole car vibrating due to how loud he set the radio on. 

“This whole fuckin’ school is a psycho circus,” Kid muttered under his breath, making you giggle. It felt as if a barrier had been lifted from in between you two - this man certainly wasn’t as bad as he posed to be at first. Or so you’d thought, back then.

He sent out careless waves to other instructors when you passed them. Since Law suggested to practice turns, you directed the car towards where the designated lanes were drawn - but, of course, Kid had other ideas. 

“Trafalgar wanted some curves, didn’t he? He’d need some for himself. But a’ight, he’ll get what he wanted. See those white lines on the road? Park there.”

As soon as the engine was turned off, you were able to look around the area. Immediately you spotted the absurd duo entering the place as well, with Drake being the one driving. He surely didn’t trust Luffy to maneuver the car in the public roads properly just yet, smart man. 

They pulled over beside you; Luffy rolled the window down with the usual grin on his face. “Shi shi shi, you guys are getting a lift too?” 

“I’m not giving you a lift, Luffy!” Drake barked from behind the boy’s back. “You were supposed to pay attention to the sequences-” 

“This kind of looks like we’re racing, shi shi!” 

With how much you wanted to disregard that horrifying idea, you couldn’t help but admit Luffy was right. Your cars were lined up perfectly, with a long, empty track in front. One glance at Kid was enough to guess just what he was thinking.

“Oi,” he started, and you already wanted to reply a strong ‘No’. “Wanna learn what true drivin’ is about? How about a quick race, Drake? My student against yours.” 

The repeated shaking of your head was left ignored when the instructor got out of the car, standing near enough for you to hear him. Drake looked like the exact reflection of your panicked thoughts when he pressed his lips into a thin line, trying to politely decline. 

“No, thank you. Luffy isn’t skilled enough yet. And it’s just an unnecessary risk too, since-” 

His sentence was abruptly cut off when another car lined up, tires screeching. This time it was a man you hadn’t seen before. His student was also a new sight - the girl looking fierce and just itching to step on that gas pedal with all of her might, her pink hair spreading around her shoulders in a similar fashion to Hina.

“Ah,” Kid smirked with content, greeting the new instructor. “Finally someone normal. What do you say, Shanks? A little race?” 

“Only if I get to race with you, after hours,” Shanks casually replied, much to your dread and panic, leaving his student in the car. “Get on it, Bonney!” 

The conversation and agreements in between the instructors were happening just too fast, as for your taste. You were barely able to comprehend the situation, when, all of a sudden, you found Kid spurring you on as if everything was already settled. 

“C’mon, kid! Show them what that skinny bastard taught you!” 

“W-wait,” you stuttered, turning over your shoulder and searching for your only ally in this predicament. Drake was already getting out of his car and jogging over to you, his eyebrows furrowed and expression concerned. 

“(Name), you don’t have to do this. Trafalgar asked me to keep an eye on you, and this is the exact opposite of what you’d consider safe-” 

“Oi, quit rambling! Let them feel those engines!” Kid laughed, quickly joined by Shanks. Those two looked like they were already having fun, whereas you felt like the heavens were calling out to you, pure terror creeping up your spine. What contributed further to this catastrophe of a lesson was another KISS song suddenly tuning in from the radio - Shout It Out Loud this time, which might have fitted the situation quite well, if only you weren’t busy enough trying to keep your heart inside your chest and not yet gushing out of your throat from nerves. 

Anything could go wrong. What if you lose control of the car? What if something suddenly jumps in front of the hood? What if the brakes stop working? You sent Drake a plead for help and, seeing his worried gaze, you were ready to get out of the car and just go home. 

“You scared or what? I did this a million times already,” Bonney yelled over to you from her seat, her furiously pink lipstick visible from the distance. “I wanna race! C’mon!” 

You took a deep breath. Maybe it would turn out to be good practice, after all. It was almost certain Law wouldn’t approve of this, but he wasn’t here. 

“It’s okay, I can try,” you told Drake, earning yourself a loud cheer from Shanks and a grin from Bonney. 

Luffy’s instructor still wasn’t convinced, however, as he took on a strict tone of a teacher scolding a disobedient child. “Kid, no.” 

“Kid, yes,” your instructor mocked and gestured for you to get the car started back on.