For Sanji it had started the minute he lay eyes on her. That beautiful girl had stolen his attention and kept it ever since. First he had thought that it was just a crush, admiration of beauty if anything else, just like all the other times. But at that altar in Thriller Park when he saved her from marrying that zombie and saw how beautiful she looked with the wedding gown - like a goddess - he knew that he was feeling something little more than just caring for his nakama. He was in love.
For Nami it wasn´t so easy and fast. When she met Sanji she thought her as another man to fool to get what she wanted - first it was freedom from Arlong and later it was the benefits of extra pampering. Yes, she had wrapped the poor guy around her little pinky for sure. She shrugged of Sanji´s declarations of love as just Sanji being his own woman loving self, though of course she loved the extra attention she got from the man even after Robin joined the crew.
But it was some time during those 2 years that they all had been far away from each other, that she had noticed something different, strange even. She couldn´t help, but feel sad and although she was wondering about all her nakama´s whereabouts and how were they doing, she more than once found herself thinking about the blond cook. She missed his company more than ever before and soon she had to admit that she was falling in love with the idiot. She decided that when they would meet next time they would have to have a serious talk.
However when they did meet Sanji was suffering from very serious nosebleeds whenever he saw attractive women anywhere his eyesight. Yes, the talk would have to wait she had decided as she was pulling the coat to cover himself in Chopper´s orders to prevent Sanji dying in loss of blood.
At the party in the king´s castle after defeating Hody Jones and his allies she had pulled him aside asking him to talk with her. They had talked all night about the past, the present and the future and had decided that they really wanted to be together.
That was couple years ago and things were going good, not counting the normal lovers quarrels that belong to every relationship. Everything seemed more peaceful than the raging sea around them until Robin told Nami one afternoon, when they were on the deck sunbathing, that the cook had gotten one idea on his head that he was pretty determined to make happen.
Marriage
She honestly hadn´t even thought about it before. Not even as a little girl. Being the map writer for the Arlong´s group had affectively cut any free time for girlish dreams. And she was happy how the things were with Sanji, no need to complicate things. She had laughed it off and told Robin to stop saying just a ridiculous things, but Robin had just smiled to her that knowing smile of hers.
After that day Nami had found herself getting more and more paranoid. Every gift of jewelery that her boyfriend thoughtfully had bought for her, she was scared beyond herself that it was THE ring. Every dessert and snack she got she went through more thoroughly than a bodyguard searching for a poison. One time Sanji had kneeled down to tie his shoelaces and Nami could have sworn that her heart stopped beating for a second. Sanji had clearly been confused and little worried of her girlfriends behavior, but hadn´t said anything.
First she had been afraid of the prospect of marriage, but when the proposing never came she had to admit to herself that she had started to feel little disappointed. She had dragged the cook in the privacy of his kitchen to get some answers from whether what Robin said was true, just for her sanity's sake if nothing else, but had been cut before getting into the point by the attack from some other pirate group. After their captain and first mate had gotten rid of them she had been too distracted by navigating the ship the hell out of there and forgotten the whole thing. When Sanji had asked her about it later, she had told him to forget it, that it wasn´t anything important. Yet, here she was again lying on the bed in the middle of the night unable to sleep and thinking about it over and over again. She had started to come to conclusion after many nights wondering and listening Sanji´s steady breathing next to her, that maybe marriage wasn´t such a bad thing after all. Yeah, maybe they could make things work. But if he wasn´t gonna do anything about it, maybe she had to do it herself. Quietly she got off from the bed and tiptoed her way to the kitchen.
xxxxxx
Sanji was frustrated. He had tried to propose for days now, but always something had gotten in the way. Whether it was other pirates, marines, weird monsters in weird islands, their over energetic captain or that damn marimo, something always managed to happen just when he was gonna propose. It wasn´t helping that he wanted the moment to be perfect, nothing less for his dear Nami-swan after all.
He leaned against the rail and sighed, when he heard loud noises coming from the kitchen. Dammit it better not be that shitty gomu of a captain stealing food from the fridge. He opened the door forcefully "OK, Luffy get the hell out of here, before I throw y...What the hell Nami?" Dumbfounded he looked at the sight in front of him.
There in front of him was the love of her life all covered on what seemed like batter of some kind in the middle of pots and pans and a huge mess.
"I wanted to surprise you" she said smiling from the floor.
"Well, mission accomplished" he chuckled walking over to her and lifting her up from the floor. "What happened?"
"I was trying to get to the upper shelf, but couldn´t reach it so I decided to jump and it all came tumbling down."
"See, this is the reason why I do all the cooking" he teased gently grabbing her hand and lifting her from the floor. "Are you alright? Nothing is hurt, is it?" the teasing tone in his voice had changed in to concern as he was expecting her more thoroughly than even Chopper would, for any signs of cuts or bruises.
"Sanji..." she gently grapped his arms to her own "...I´m fine"
"Good" he said relief evident on his voice and kissed him on the forehead.
He cupped her face on to his hands and looked deep in to her eyes. Suddenly everything seemed to have gone quiet. It was as if the sea itself had quieten down in anticipation was coming next. THIS was the moment and they both knew it.
"Will you marry me?" they said at the same time. Surprise flashed in their eyes before changing into joy.
"Yes!" again at the same time. They both burst into laughing, relief and joy filling them. Sanji grabbed her bride to be in a huge embrace.
"I love you" he whispered in her ear.
"I know" she giggled "I love you too".
