Sweet Dreams

Chapter 7: Real Zoro vs. Dream Zoro

Sometimes Nami felt like the mom of their crew, and she wasn't even the oldest female on board. It was probably because she was the Straw Hat with the money. All eyes turned in her direction in a silent question after everyone finished giving their orders to the waitress. Smiling in amusement, Nami rattled off her own order and waved her hand in dismissal to her friends. They still had plenty of precious gems and treasure left over from Rockwell so she wasn't going to fret about spending some of it. They deserved a little down time and spoiling after everything they'd done and been through lately. Easy conversation surrounded the table until the food arrived. Then it was chaos as usual.

Zoro dug into the rice and sea-king meat like a man who hadn't eaten in days. She had a feeling his appetite had diminished in the last week much like hers had. Luffy was practically inhaling slabs of ham and Nami wondered how he even tasted it. Franky was chugging a chilled bottle of cola while Robin politely chewed her coffee cake beside him. Sanji had long ago ditched them to chase after a few of the pretty waitresses and Brook occupied the piano in the corner of the room and started to play a few songs after he finished eating. Usopp was attempting to claim a few pieces of meat before Luffy got to them. Nami just watched them all with a smile while she sipped at her orange flavored beverage. They got on her nerves sometimes but two long years of separation had only increased the affection she felt for her friends.

Fingers brushed beneath the table and Nami froze. Her heart stuttered and began to hammer against her ribs as she chanced a look at Zoro. The swordsman was still eating but his pace had slowed and his shoulders were tense. His right hand was resting on the seat between them and her left hand had ended up resting there too only an inch away from touching. Somewhere in the time that it took to order food and eat it, one of them had closed the gap between their hands, allowing them to just barely brush together. It was an innocent touch that could easily be written off as an accident but Nami's skin burned from the contact anyway. She held her breath in anticipation, a large part of her wishing he would take the leap and lace their fingers together. The swordsman's fingers twitched like he was debating whether or not to do just that and her heart skipped a beat in response.

"Nami, look!" Luffy's voice brought her back to reality and Nami jerked her hand away from Zoro's at the interruption. She could've sworn she saw the swordsman frown out of the corner of her eye, but she highly doubted it was for the same reason that her own heart sunk in disappointment. Their captain had jammed a pair of chopsticks up his nose and tucked the other ends into his bottom lip, wiggling them with pride. Nami grimaced in disgust, resisting the urge to smile.

"You're an idiot, Luffy," she murmured with slight amusement.

Once Zoro finished his food, he slid out of the booth and began to meander toward the bar. It was the silent signal to start their drinking competition, and Nami swiftly joined him. Following his tall figure through the crowded room, the navigator finally managed to secure two bar stools for them from two highly intoxicated and leering men. It was like taking candy from a baby sometimes with Nami's negotiation skills and sex appeal. If she had more of a conscience, she might feel bad about it. Gracefully sliding onto one of the empty seats, she flashed her green-haired companion a challenging grin that Zoro answered in kind. He always enjoyed their little competitions. She was the only one on the ship who could keep up with his drinking.

"So what do I get if I win?" Zoro had leaned in close.

The tavern was busy tonight and it would've been difficult to hear him otherwise, but even though his reasons were justified, Nami's heart went into overdrive. She hated that the brute could get her all riled up without even trying. She pondered his question for a full minute while Zoro requested drinks with two raised fingers to the bar keep. The swordsman was grinning and Nami knew that this was just another challenge. If she offered him something worthless as his reward she was admitting that he might actually stand a chance at beating her, but if she offered something interesting it was a show of confidence on her part.

Nami wasn't stupid, though. They had never actually figured out which one of them could out drink the other, and the possibility that Zoro might win was still likely. She didn't have much to offer in reward aside from lowering his debt and that wasn't really a reward. An idea struck her then. Chances were they would be calling this competition a draw like they did any other, so if she offered him something silly than there would be no harm done, right? Maybe she would even press her boundaries with the swordsman and reward them both if this ended in a tie. The navigator flashed him a flirtatious smile and propped an elbow on the bar counter.

"If you win, you can have a kiss," she teased, well aware of the fact that nearly every male at the counter was looking at Zoro as if he'd just won the lottery. For a moment Zoro considered saying no. After all if he said yes he'd be indirectly admitting that he wanted to kiss Nami. He did, but that was beside the point. If he was honest with himself he'd admit that he had wanted to kiss the navigator since their battle with Kuro at Syrup Village when she had taken a heavy injury to kick over his swords.

"And if you win?" Zoro skirted the subject for now, raising a brow in curiosity. She was probably bluffing anyway. He couldn't imagine Nami ever actually wanting him to kiss her. Okay… He could-had imagined her wanting just that before, but that didn't mean it would ever really happen. He hated second guessing himself where the navigator was concerned. He felt like some girl for beating around the bush and having these feelings in the first place.

"If I win you have to be my servant for one whole day. No arguing. You have to do whatever I ask," the navigator quipped immediately as if she'd already thought up her reward a long time ago.

"All I get is a kiss and you get a slave? That's not fair," Zoro frowned, weighing the two rewards in his mind. Nami tried not to be offended by his comment and instead she grinned.

"It's only unfair if you lose," she said hotly and with a raised brow. There was a challenge in her tone and he found himself rising to her bait. She was daring him to say no and admit that she might win. He fought the urge to smile because he kind of liked it when she baited him. Their friendly drinking contest was quickly becoming interesting and Zoro's curiosity got the best of him.

"Fine. Let's do this."

Most of the crew made their way back toward the Sunny as midnight rolled around. The bar would be open for two more hours and Nami and Zoro were still staring each other down while tossing back another drink. They had probably gone through one hundred mugs of ale each at this point, and both Straw Hats could feel the warmth begin to spread in their veins but neither was willing to stop until they won.

"We're closing up shop," the bar keep warned after two more hours floated past.

Both Nami and Zoro were still relatively sober. They could've kept going but a contest without a venue to support it wasn't really a contest anymore. It was with an irritated frown that Nami followed the swordsman out into the chilly night air and huffed as the bartender shut and locked the door behind them.

"So nobody wins," Zoro said with a shrug, masking his disappointment with a look of indifference. He wasn't really looking forward to being Nami's slave for a day anyway and he was pretty sure that Nami wasn't looking forward to kissing him; so Zoro was pretty surprised when the navigator spoke up.

"Or we both win," Nami shrugged and wrapped her arms around her middle to ward off the chill of the wind. Was she actually suggesting that they both get their rewards? If he didn't know better, Zoro would swear that she was flirting with him for real.

"Meaning?" Zoro asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Meaning you get one kiss," the navigator said firmly while thrusting a pointed finger into his personal space, "and you have to be my servant for a day. One little kiss. No tongues and no funny business."

It dawned on Zoro that Nami had probably planned this. He knew she would relish him waiting on her hand and foot for an entire day but his own reward baffled him. She wouldn't have suggested it if she didn't want him to kiss her, would she? Both of them knew that the most likely outcome of their contest would be a draw, so either Nami was willing to pay the price of his service with one meaningless kiss, or she actually wanted to kiss him. Women were confusing. The navigator didn't seem the least bit affected by the thought of kissing him. Her expression was downright casual. Two could play that game, though.

"Or we could just forget about it," Zoro suggested casually as they continued walking down the street, probably in the wrong direction since she was allowing him to lead.

"A bet is a bet," Nami protested with a frown that made the corners of Zoro's lips twitch upward just a bit. She wasn't going to let him back out of this.

"Fine, but don't you dare ask me to be nice to the cook or go shopping with you. There are some things I just won't do."

Nami's laughter was reward enough but the thought of kissing her knotted his stomach in anticipation again. The navigator stopped him in his tracks with a hand on his arm and Zoro had to fight to keep his expression uninterested.

"So it's a deal. Tomorrow you will have to do anything that I ask, as long as it doesn't involve Sanji or shopping," Nami smiled playfully and looked up at him expectantly.

Obviously she expected him to claim his reward right then and there. Zoro darted a look around the empty street as if to see if any of their friends were still hanging around before his gaze settled on her lips. Playful smile gone, Nami fought the heat rising in her cheeks when the swordsman's expression changed from indifferent to interested and then slightly nervous. Did Zoro actually want to kiss her? She figured all of his flirting tonight was just for fun but maybe she was wrong. When dark eyes fell to her mouth, she couldn't help chancing a glance at his lips as well. She could still remember the way they felt pressed against her.

Part of her wanted to find out if the real Zoro was just as good at kissing as dream Zoro. Of course if her dreams were actually visions, then she knew he would be. Another part of her tugged at the back of her mind and told her that this was wrong. They shouldn't be doing this. There was too much at stake. Then the swordsman bent down slightly to close the space between them and that little nagging voice vanished without a trace.

Zoro paused a hair away from her mouth and swallowed. If they did this would things be awkward after? Nami was one of his best friends and even though they bickered, losing her friendship would be like losing a part of himself. Molten chocolate eyes lifted to meet his gaze and softened, effectively squashing his growing concern. Stifling the blush that threatened to color his cheeks, Zoro took a breath and finally captured petal soft lips in a hesitant kiss. An explosion of sensation shocked them both to their toes. An electric feeling started where they met and shot through every nerve ending. Zoro had heard the cliché stories before about feeling sparks during a kiss, but he'd never actually experienced it.

His hands were fisted at his sides to keep himself from tugging the navigator close but he let himself relax when Nami pushed herself up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. One little kiss. Zoro smirked before finally allowing his arms to encircle her waist and tug her up against him. Nami breathed in deep, both to still the wild thumping of her heart and to savor the masculine scent that dominated her senses.

Zoro had showered today. She could smell shampoo intermingled with steel. The useless piece of information was all she was able to absorb before her mind went fuzzy. It took most of her strength not to moan because real Zoro did indeed kiss just as well as dream Zoro. The familiarity of having kissed before wasn't there, but the passion certainly was. Zoro tilted his head just a little and swiped a tongue across her lips boldly to ask for entrance. Nami's knees nearly buckled in response. She'd said no tongue but it was oh so tempting to toss the rule book out the window and let go. The rest of her resistance melted when the swordsman's perfectly straight teeth gently nipped at her lower lip and Nami sighed into his mouth in approval. She answered him with a little nip of her own and then parted her lips to let him in.

"Ah…. How romantic, yohohohoho!"

Nami and Zoro both tensed, their lips still joined, before they disentangled themselves in a rush and whirled around to face their accuser. Brook had been playing his guitar a few blocks down and just out of Zoro's sight. He was walking back to the Sunny when he stumbled upon the pair completely oblivious to the world around them and practically making out on the street corner.

"Brook! It's not what it looks like," Nami stammered nervously and shot a pleading look at Zoro to help her out. The swordsman seemed unusually calm for someone caught in the act of kissing the navigator.

"It looks like you were kissing," Brook said with another laugh. He'd be grinning if a skeleton could grin.

"Okay so it's kind of what it looks like," Nami frowned.

"It was a bet," Zoro finally interjected nonchalantly and raked a hand through his hair.

"Ah. You must have won, Zoro-San," Brook observed, causing the bridge of Zoro's nose to darken in a blush. Nami would've laughed if she wasn't so embarrassed herself.

The musician shrugged before continuing on his way toward their ship with Nami and Zoro in tow behind him. Despite the humiliation of being caught, neither Straw Hat felt awkward about the encounter. In fact Nami glanced over at Zoro half way back to the Sunny and grinned in amusement as if they now shared a funny inside joke. She was reassured when the swordsman smirked right back. A bet was a bet after all. They had nothing to feel bad about. Disappointment flooded through Nami at the realization.

Maybe the kiss hadn't meant the same thing to Zoro that it did to her. She shook the thought aside and lifted her chin as the ship came into sight. Surprisingly, Brook kept his mouth shut about the encounter but then again most of the crew was asleep. The skeleton could always blab about it tomorrow. They all went their separate ways once their feet touched the Sunny, but Nami glanced over her shoulder and paused on her way to the room she shared with Robin. Zoro was headed toward the men's quarters but he stopped when the navigator called out to him.

"Don't forget. You're mine tomorrow," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Zoro mumbled in dismissal and shoved a hand into the pocket of his pants as he started walking again.

Nami turned on her heel and ascended the steps that led to the Girl's room before she disappeared through the door. Robin had watch over her tonight and he knew that the archaeologist was probably waiting for Nami inside. The dim light underneath the door when he looked back was proof of that. You're mine tomorrow. Zoro's smile was mirthless as he ran a hand through his hair again and eyed the door to the girl's room one last time. He was in a lot of trouble, because he knew that what he was feeling for the navigator wasn't going to disappear overnight.

Part of him was beginning to wonder if tomorrow was the only time he would be hers. Maybe he had been hers from the very beginning. Of course he wouldn't be telling that to Nami anytime soon. The infuriating woman already had enough to hold over his head for the rest of his life with that damn kiss. That little lapse in judgment had only left him with more unanswered questions; like why Nami had deepened the kiss. Maybe he wasn't the only one second guessing where he stood in their relationship… Maybe Nami had always been his too.

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A/N: Holy WOW, guys; 22 reviews for chapter 6! You are all amazing and I just love you to pieces. ;.; I've warned most of you in review responses but I'll let all of you know once more here. I'm three chapters ahead of all of you and I'm beginning to near the ending of this fic, so my updates will probably start to be every two weeks instead of weekly from here on out. I just don't want it to end so soon! D: Plus I'm kind of lazy and I've been so distracted with other things. I can promise all of you that I ALWAYS finish the stories that I start, though. Nothing irks me more than getting into a story only for the author to decide they don't want to finish it. That won't be happening here.

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to those of you who reviewed. You're just amazing. I couldn't ask for better readers. Some of you have asked how many chapters SD will end up being. I don't really know, but I'm guessing anywhere from 12-15 chapters. –squeezes you all- You just make my day. Happy reading!

- B.