Nami woke, feeling stiff and still a bit tired but overall she wasn't uncomfortable. She was engulfed in a warmth that made her feel safe and protected. That was, until she noticed her pillow moving.
She opened her eyes quickly and tried to sit up but found herself bound by an arm around her waist.
Zoro's arm. Nami sighed in relief. She remembered waiting for the first snowfall when Zoro brought her a blanket and somehow they ended up cuddling and waiting together.
They must have fallen asleep like that. She couldn't believe that she wasn't half frozen to death right now but obviously the heat radiating from Zoro's body as well as the blanket had kept her warm and cozy.
She looked around. Her inner clock told her that it had to be really early in the morning. The sky was still cloudy but the snow had stopped.
Instead, the whole ship was covered in a snow blanket. Her eyes sparkled at the sight.
"Mornin' " Zoro mumbled, still sleepy and raised the hand that wasn't wrapped around Nami, to rub his eye.
"Hey!" Nami greeted him but broke out into laughter when she looked at Zoro. " What's so funny, woman?" He blinked at her confused.
Nami covered her mouth with her hands to suppress the laughter but she couldn't help it. "Your hair!" she giggled. Raising one hand, she ruffled his short hair, snow falling to all sides.
"What the… As if you're any better!" He raised the arm that was wrapped around Nami and mimicked her action by brushing the snow gently from her orange locks.
The gesture was oddly intimate and they ended up starring at each other. Zoro suddenly broke the tension by standing up and holding out his hand for her. "Come on, get up" he ordered.
Nami immediately felt the cold when he left her side, remembering that she was only wearing a shirt and jeans. She hesitated.
"C'mon!" Zoro repeated and bend down to grab one of her wrists, pulling her into a stand. "Zoro, what…" She didn't manage to finish her sentence because Zoro pulled her down to the lawn deck.
Right in the middle of the snow-covered surface he came to a halt and turned around to her, a devilish grin on his face.
Nami opened her mouth to say something but Zoro brought a finger to her lips to silence her. She was thankful that the cold probably already reddened her cheeks, Zoro really didn't need to know that this gesture would have made her blush otherwise.
"You said yesterday, you and your sister would always dance together in the first snow, so that's what we're going to do." He smirked.
Nami was sure she misheard what he just said. Dancing? Zoro? She was convinced she would wake up from this silly dream any second now.
"Yeeeeaah, that's what I said. But I was six or seven years old and when I said we danced in the snow I meant we danced while it was still snowing, like… dancing in the rain… not dancing on a snowy underground" she explained slowly. Surely, she would wake up soon!
"Does it matter? Come on, it'll be fun!" Did he really just use the word ~fun~? Nami could only blink but Zoro ignored her reluctance and took her hands into his.
Immediately, the warmth that she had felt when she woke up, was back. Zoro started to spin her around to some imaginary rhythm.
"Zoro, stop, not so fast!" Nami screamed but couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Soon, they were both twirling around the deck, the air filled with both their laughter and amused squeaks from Nami.
Out of breath, they came to a halt next to the mast that led to the crow's nest. Panting, Nami laid her forehead against his shoulder to regain her breath, all the while acknowledging the fact that Zoro was still holding her hands.
"See? I told you it would be fun!" he chuckled into her ear. "Yeah. you're right. I guess I have to thank you for this unforgettable moment. I will carry it in my heart forever!" She raised her head and grinned.
Before Zoro could complain about her sarcasm the door to the galley opened forcefully and Sanji stormed out.
"MARIMO!" he screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Zoro. "What do you think you're doing? Take your hands off my beautiful Nami-swan. Ohhhh, how dare you touch my sweet angel with your filthy hands!"
"Eh, Sanji…." Nami began but she already knew she wouldn't get through to him. "Say no more my precious lady! I will free you from this brute's grip!" he addressed Nami, with a lovesick gaze in his eyes.
Zoro growled but Nami laid a calming hand on his chest. Somehow the magic of the moment had faded and she felt the cold creep into her bones.
Then everything seemed to happen at once. Brook's head peaked out of the crow's nest to ask about the happenings on deck, while Robin, who must have heard Sanji's outburst, exited the girl's room and Luffy's voice rang out through the air: "SANJIIIII, WHAT'S ALL THAT NOISE? IS THE FOOD READY? YEAH? IS IT?"
Luffy stumbled onto the deck followed closely by Chopper and Usopp. Franky, still not fully awake, came in last.
"NO, BREAKFAST IS NOT READY, YOU IDIOT!" Sanji shouted. Then, sweeter: "Ohhhhhh Robin-chan, my dear, you are beautiful as ever! Are you hungry yet? I can finish something for you immediately, if you want me to."
Sanji's full attention was on Robin now. Nami rolled her eyes. How he could go from extremely angry to extremely charming in one second flat was beyond her.
"HEY! I am the captain and I demand you to cook for me now. Meat would be appropriate" Luffy said firmly and shoot Sanji a stern glare.
"Cook your own meat! Nami-swan and Robin-chan are my uppermost priority. Whatever you want, my loves, I'm more than happy to be at your service."
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Usopp and Luffy complained but Sanji just ignored them.
Then, into the tangle of loud and angry voices, Chopper asked: "What is this there?" His hoof pointed up at something over Zoro's and Nami's heads.
"AHHHHHHH!" Sanji screamed. "This…. this is nothing really, just ignore it."
But it was too late. All eyes were glued to the object Chopper was pointing at. A strange green plant was dangling from the mast just a few inches above their heads.
"Huh?" Nami squeaked, trying her best to avoid looking Zoro into the eye.
Franky broke out into a deep and loud laughter while Brook sighed from above: "How romantic!"
"That Chopper" Robin explained "is a mistletoe."
"A mistletoe?" Chopper asked. "Ohhhhhh!" he squeaked when he remembered having read about the whole mistletoe tradition. He blushed.
"What's that? Can I eat it?" Luffy wanted to know, excited about the idea to have found a snack before breakfast.
"No, Idiot!" Usopp called out, knocking Luffy on the head. "It's some kind of decoration for Christmas!"
"Decoration? But it's ugly, why would somebody want that as decoration? If I can't eat it, there's no use in hanging it up!" Luffy pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Franky laughed again. "This is not about how the plant looks. It is hung up around Christmas and if two people stand under it they have to kiss." He grinned at the couple that happened to stand right under the mistletoe right now.
"No, no…. really. It's a stupid tradition. I just thought it would be pretty…. and since Nami-san mentioned yesterday that we were approaching a winter island…. well I thought it would make a nice decoration…." Sanji stammered in a desperate attempt to avoid his worst nightmare from happening.
Luffy was confused. "But Nami and Zoro are standing right under it…"
"What, no we were just…."
"That just happened coincidently…"
"So this means they have to kiss now, right?" Luffy asked, ignoring Zoro and Nami and turning to Robin to wait for her affirmation. "Well, indeed. That's the tradition!"
"Nononononono! Nami-swan, you don't have to do this!" Sanji tried again to prevent the kiss from happening.
Nami didn't know what to say or how to react. She felt somehow embarrassed by this situation but she didn't feel disgusted by the thought of kissing Zoro.
She felt him squeezing her hand that he had been holding the whole time. She looked up at him. With a lopsided smirk he whispered so that only Nami could hear it: "Well what do you think? Shall we give them a show? It'll be fun."
For the second time today, Nami was sure she was still dreaming. Then again, why not surprise their nakama by really seeing it through?
She nodded and raised her arms to put them around Zoro's neck while he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Before either of them could second guess what they were about to do, Nami smashed her lips a little bit too hard against Zoro's. He chuckled into the kiss before returning Nami's enthusiasm with his own.
Nami's heart sped up. It was even better than she had imagined it. Not that she had, of course. Zoro's lips felt surprisingly soft against her own and when she felt his tongue against her lips, she immediately granted him access.
"Way to go, Zoro-bro!" Franky called out, while Usopp was busy covering Chopper's eyes with his hands.
Somewhere in the background Sanji fell to his knees with a loud sob, speechless and stunned. Robin just watched the whole scene with an amused smile on her face and Brook sighed joyfully and rambled about the beauty of young love.
Luffy just laughed and walked over to Sanji to resume their food conversation. Shortly after that the rest of the crew disappeared to continue with their everyday routines.
When oxygen became an issue, Nami and Zoro parted but only slightly, to rest their foreheads against each other's.
"See? I knew it would be fun!" he whispered, holding her still in his arms. "Well, I have to admit your full of surprises today" she replied.
Reluctantly, Nami took a few steps away from him, forcing him to let go of her. Rubbing her arms, she turned her back to him before stretching her arms over her head. "I think I'm in serious need of a hot bath."
She started to walk away from him and Zoro couldn't help but feel disappointed. After a few steps, she turned around again, smirking devilishly. "You know, after that bath, I think we should have some more fun!"