Written for day 27 of the wonderful sharethelovemonth event hosted on Tumblr by the lovely Aerle and Myladyday. Thank you for hosting such a great event! A huge thanks to ImperialMint as always for betaing and kicking me to write this xD
Nami sighed and put down her pen, glaring at the map in front of her, which she'd just messed up again. It was probably time to go to bed- past really if her clock wasn't lying- but she was too frustrated to settle. She'd really wanted to get this done tonight, but maybe it had been a bit too much to do all in one day. They'd hit a whirlpool first thing that morning- nothing unusual for the New World- and they'd been kept on their toes ever since. It had only been after a rushed dinner that it had calmed down.
She rubbed at her temples, trying to smooth away her tension headache and got up, considering her options since she was still too amped up from the constant strain and vigilance from the day to settle to anything. Luffy was probably sleeping on watch again, so he'd be no help. Robin, though, had yet to return, and she allowed herself a small smile as she shuffled to the kitchen.
While Sanji was long asleep, Nami was perfectly capable of making a hot beverage on her own, and she was about to put the kettle on when she noticed a note on the counter.
My dearest Mellorine~~ 3
On the off chance you need a bit of a pick-me-up tonight, I took the liberty of preparing you and Robin-chwan a tray for a late night snack. I left you instructions, but please feel free to wake me up if you need me. The shitty captain is probably asleep anyway, so we could probably use someone on watch.
-Your Prince XXOO
Of course Sanji would know she'd come looking for something tonight, and warmth filled her at the thought, easing away some of the tension in her shoulders at once. The instructions looked simple enough, and she set to it, the rhythm of heating up milk and stirring relaxing. There was no way she'd get all of this up to the library on her own (not in one trip at least), but Nami set to following the instructions, pretty sure Robin would notice the light and activity and come investigate.
Indeed she'd just managed to dollop the whipped cream on top of the two mugs of hot chocolate, when the door slid open and Robin glided in, looking at her curiously.
"Sanji left us a snack," Nami said simply, and Robin just smiled and took a seat at the end of the kitchen table.
"Do you need any help?"
"Maybe carrying it all over," Nami said as she sprinkled on the chocolate shavings on Robin's and what looked to be candied orange peel on hers. It was a bit much, but if she didn't follow the instructions exactly, Sanji would know, and the next time he'd be in here waiting with it.
Hands sprouted under the three covered plates Sanji had left in the fridge and ferried them over to the table while Nami carefully took over their hot chocolate. She set it down on the table gently and collapsed into her chair with a groan. Robin frowned at her, and Nami gave her a weak smile, hoping to make the concern fade from her eyes.
"Everything alright?" Robin asked, fiddling with her mug, and Nami manage a proper smile.
"Just tired. And nothing wanted to cooperate with me tonight. I ruined the last map three times before I called it a night."
"I'm sure it will go better tomorrow." Robin reached out as if to grab Nami's hand laying on top of the table but stopped, letting her hand fall to the table. The smile she directed at Nami didn't quite meet her eyes, and Nami quashed the urge to reach out. "What has Sanji prepared for us?"
Nami let out a quiet breath and dragged up a smile. "I don't know yet. That was last on the list."
Robin chuckled, the sound warm as it brushed along Nami's skin and wrapped around her shoulders. "Let's find out, shall we?" She lifted the lid off the plates to reveal two dishes of a citrus salad, two perfect panacottas topped with strawberries, and a plate of assorted cookies, the nuts and cinnamon in them perfuming the air instantly.
"We're so spoiled. I'm glad he didn't stay up tonight though."
"Indeed, " Robin said, "I love Sanji, but it's nice to enjoy it in peace." Her hands made fluttery gesture that had Nami giggling almost uncontrollably. Robin joined in, and they had to look away from each other to calm down enough to enjoy their three course dessert.
"He even favored the hot chocolates differently, I think. Mine has orange liqueur in it." Nami took a bite of her custard and hummed in delight. "And I could smell the coffee in yours when I mixed it up."
"We'll have to thank him properly in the morning." They ate their little feast without speaking, enjoying the sounds of the sea, and did the dishes together in sleepy silence. When Nami turned to head back to their room, Robin caught her hand and smiled in a way that had shivers running down Nami's spine.
"A bath perhaps?" Concern lingered in Robin's eyes, and Nami felt herself shift towards the baths. "You never sleep soundly if you're this stressed. At least you seem not to," she said lightly, not meeting Nami's eyes.
"A bath sounds perfect, actually." They walked quickly, shoulders brushing, and Robin's hand still warm as it grasped Nami's. "And you're quite right. It will definitely help."
The trip up to the bathroom took much longer than it normally did somehow, Nami's mind scrambling with impossible, lovely, useless thoughts. They stripped, and Robin slipped bath salts into the water, the delicate scents of orange blossoms and roses perfuming the air- and they'd be hearing about in the morning since the scent would surely linger, but Nami couldn't bring herself to care, and besides they boys could use a bit of freshening.
She giggled a little at the thought as she scrubbed up before slipping into the tub, and when Robin raised a brow at her she just laughed again.
"Just thinking the boys could use a little bath salts themselves." Robin wrinkled her nose and nodded seriously.
"We should slip some in the next time Sanji drags them all to get clean. Though we'll need to make sure Chopper's not there."
"He can bathe with us before hand or something. Do we have anymore of the sandalwood? We can have some incense burning, so they think it is that. It's manly enough, so they really shouldn't complain."
Their eyes met, and they burst into laughter, and Nami felt almost dizzy with it as she slipped into the scented water.
"I don't know, Nami. They won't give us a second chance, and can we really with good conscious pass up the chance to make Zoro smell of roses?" Robin's eyes brimmed with mischief, and Nami was surprised to realize the last hint of her headache had faded.
"Maybe we're not thinking big enough then," Nami said slowly, the plan forming in her mind as she let herself sink deeper into the sinfully hot water.. "We can just scent all of the soap on board. If we time it right, they'll be smelling of roses for at least a week."
"I think the captain might even like it if we explain it properly." Robin looked downright devilish, clearly inventing stories of how the most fearsome of pirates never smelled of anything but the freshest of roses, the pirate king most especially. Nami laughed and playfully sent a wave over to Robin, dousing her and getting an eyebrow raised in reply. She apparently decided not to follow through with the threat though, maybe because the water sapped her strength. She never complained about it like Luffy did, but it surely affected her too.
"But think how grumpy Zoro would be if he forever had to smell like flowers. Usopp would never shut up. And I shudder to think of Franky's reaction." She made an exaggerated shudder to prove her point and was delighted when Robin chuckled at her antics, a foot carelessly brushing her calf where their legs where tangled but not quite touching in the middle of the tub.
"I don't know, I think he would rather enjoy it somehow."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Nami said, and Robin blinked at her before grimacing.
"I see your point." Robin hesitated slightly before tilting her head to the side charmingly. "We're still going to change out all the soap though, right?"
Nami grinned. "Of course. The next time they are particularly annoying." She pursed her lips. "Or stink."
Robin's laughter filled the room, and they settled into a comfortable silence, watching the play of the moonlight on the water as they soaked. Nami's eyelids were just starting to droop when Robin finally stood up, the moonlight glinting off the droplets of water as they slid off of her and catching Nami's eyes.
She stood slowly, the heat having made her feel positively boneless. Her lips curved up in what she was sure was a sleep-drenched smile, the fondness in Robin's eyes as she snickered at Nami and tossed her a fresh towel, which she barely caught. After Nami had halfheartedly dried herself off, the scent of the flowers intensified as Robin stepped closer making Nami's head spin.
Robin held out fresh pajamas, which she must have ferried up here with her hands or perhaps she'd known that this would happen, just like Sanji had. They dressed, and Nami let herself lean into Robin ever so slightly.
"Thank you. I feel so much better." Nami sighed. "I know I took you away from a book."
"You're more than welcome," Robin said. "It was my pleasure. And the book was absolutely horrid. I think we'd enjoy it better together." Her grin was positively wicked, and Nami melted ever so slightly. "In our entire collection of horrible romances, I have not read one with a heroin quite as ridiculous as this. She's hung off a cliff no fewer than three times, and I only made it through the first chapter."
"Sounds absolutely amazing," Nami said and then yawned, humming sleepily and making Robin chuckle.
"Something for tomorrow, I think. Come on, let's get you into bed."
"Bed sounds divine." They padded down the hall to their bedroom.
"Hopefully, the sea will decide to be a bit kinder to us tomorrow," Robin said softly, probably trying to avoid waking up the boys. Considering that Nami could barely hear her over the snores echoing from the boys' cabin, it seemed a bit excessive, but Nami whispered back absently as she picked her way through the dark hallway.
"It's going to be sunny and clear and calm all day, with fair winds. Should be lovely, not too hot."
"Perfect for reading on the deck," Robin commented as she opened their door soundlessly. Nami was always a bit taken by how lethal she managed to make everyday tasks like opening a door. The utter silence of the action whispered of danger, and if it gave her a bit of a thrill every time Robin showed her competence, there was nothing unusual about that. Probably.
Nami walked through the door after Robin, falling onto the edge of her bed gracelessly. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to detangle it enough to braid it for the night. Her fingers snagged on a tangle immediately, and she huffed in frustration.
"Here, let me," Robin said softly, crossing the room slowly and picking up her brush from their vanity. Nami felt her eyes widen at the suggestion, but she just nodded and turned her back to Robin. Her steps were as soundless as ever, but Nami could feel the heat coming from her before the brush began running through her hair smoothly. She shoved down a groan (who didn't love their hair being played with, after all).
"I'm so jealous of your hair," Nami said instead. "It never tangles the way mine does."
"Yours is lovely though." Robin started working her way up from the ends, the brush running through her hair in steady strokes. "Tangles and all."
Nami worried her bottom lip between her teeth as Robin brushed her hair, her fingers clenching at the bedding beneath her. She let out a breath slowly and closed her eyes.
"Robin?"
"Yes?"
"I love you." The brush froze mid stroke. "Just so you know." A moment stretched into eternity as Nami's breath froze in her lungs. The brush started moving again, and Nami let herself hope, heart hammering in her chest as Robin set down the brush carefully and began braiding, fingers gentle as they pulling Nami's hair back.
When Robin finished, lips pressed gently on the nape of Nami's neck, sending heat spiraling in her stomach.
"Thank you," Robin breathed against her neck, the words shivering across Nami's skin, sinking into her. "I'm not sure I deserve that, but despite that I could never not love you. Never."
Nami turned to meet her eyes, and the swirling mix of happiness and love and desperate, long denied hope, like it could all be a dream, in Robin's eyes punched her in the gut, stealing her breath.
"Sleep over here with me tonight?" Nami asked softly and decided she'd never get tired of Robin's face lighting up for real.
"Of course. But right to sleep," Robin admonished, and Nami smirked but nodded. As they settled in Nami's bed, limbs tangled, Nami decided as she drifted off that even if time was short before they'd be woken up by an impatient Luffy or the next inevitable crisis, there was no doubt tomorrow would be anything short of perfect.