Category: Friendship Fluff
Characters: Nami, Bepo
Requested By: anubislover (Tumblr)
Nami was painfully aware of two things upon waking up that morning: first, the normally comfortable warmth of her and Robin's bedroom had been replaced by a bitter, breath-fogging chill, and second, the soothing rocking motion of the waves beating upon the Thousand Sunny was eerily absent. Oh, no! It can't be! She thought in a panic and threw the covers off herself; she immediately hissed in displeasure and flung the warm, soft blanket back over herself as the winter air leaped forward to dig into the susceptible bare flesh of her legs with eager teeth. She rubbed her palm over her affronted legs to find that goosebumps had already sprouted despite only the briefest of exposure to the harsh atmosphere. Treading more carefully this time, she gathered the comforter around her body to serve as a fluffy shield from the cold and eased out of bed. She hopped around on her feet, not wishing to touch the icy wooden floors with her bare feet for too long, until she found the slippers she always kept at her bedside. After a few minutes of digging around, she was able to procure a set of winter gear- slim-fitting, dark jeans, black combat boots, a maroon knitted sweater, a black overcoat inlaid with ginger faux fur, and a pair of maroon gloves with a matching beanie complete with a black pom-pom. Dark colors absorbed the sunlight better and made Nami's tresses of tangerine hair pop all the more (because a girl always had to take her image into consideration!).
Nami immediately regretted leaving the warm cocoon of her bed when she opened the door to the upper decks and was blasted in the face with howling winter wind. Snow flurries buried themselves into her hair, decorating her like glitter, while others spiraled down the wind into the hall to flutter lazily down to coat the iced-over wooden floors. Under the assault of the insistent wind that dove into the hall and tried to swirl back out, Nami had a time of keeping the heavy door from slamming shut onto her delicate fingers; however, she managed to jump out at an opportune lull in the stream and carefully walk up the icy steps out onto the main deck of the Thousand Sunny.
The Grand Line's unpredictable weather patterns had struck again, and full-force this time, too; the Sunny looked like it had ventured into the Arctic. Snow was steadily falling from the cloudy heavens, occasionally tossed around in fluttering flurries as a shrieking wind swept across the deck like a wintery dragon with a vendetta. It had piled up on the deck about half a foot deep and decorated the balustrade and mast in a fluffy layer. Everything else was completely encased in a sheath of fine, crystalline ice. In the glass panes it wove fern-like patterns, the only reference to the green world in this universe of white and gray and blue.
"Zoro?" she called as she tromped through the snow. Sinking up to her calves, Nami had to take extra-large steps to keep from tripping in the thick icy fluff. The swordsman was often awake in the wee hours of the morning but was taking an early morning nap around the time the others were awakening, and Nami knew that the dense man could easily sleep through a snowstorm and awaken with hypothermia or frostbite, if he didn't just wake up a solid blue corpse. Thankfully, it seemed the chill had awoken him plenty, as he came stomping through the snow dressed in a coat of thicker fabric than usual, though the lout insisted on keeping his chest bared to the unforgiving winter's bite. Sanji, with a small snow shovel propped on his shoulder and wearing a blue winter coat lined with cotton, came tromping along after him.
"Nami-swan! Please tell me you know when this damn blizzard is gonna end!" the cook groaned loudly.
"Why does that matter? We can just sail out of it."
"Not exactly," Zoro grunted and gestured to the railing of the ship. Nami sloughed through the snow until she got close enough to the edge of the ship to see the expansive ocean beyond, and immediately groaned in annoyance. For as far as the winter clouds stretched in the observable circumference, the ocean was frozen over in a solid block of ice. Even if they attacked it with pickaxes and tried to coax the Sunny to the faint line of warm blue water hovering at the ice's edge, it would take days to do so, and it was definitely more reasonable to just wait for the weather pattern to pass. Nami grimaced at the thought. Who knows how long that'll take, and it's cold as balls out here! She thought grumpily while rubbing her arms, which were cooling even with the fluffy down of her jacket.
"Guess we'll just have to suffer," she moaned. Raucous laughter at the end of the deck caught her attention; she turned to see Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy gathering up little handfuls of snow and flinging them in each other's faces in a makeshift snowball fight. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth; they were idiots sometimes, but it always did do her heart good to see them having some good old plain fun like the couple of boys they really were. As long as there isn't the immediate threat of death, they can enjoy themselves to the fullest, she reasoned before calling over to Sanji, "Hey, why don't you make us all some hot chocolate? I'll see if Law is okay in the submarine, too." While the cook tossed heart eyes her way and dashed off to cater to her whim, Nami walked the edge of the boat until she reached the place that the Polar Tang was moored against the Sunny.
After the business in Wano, the alliance of Straw Hats and Heart Pirates had decided to appreciate their company a little longer (which was definitely more Luffy's doing than Law's). Franky had rigged up a handy contraption to allow the submarine to the Sunny without unbalancing it or damaging it when they were fully underway, and by combining the natural sailing capability with the submarine's engine, they had improved their speed by fifty percent as well. "Law? Hey, are you guys popsicles in there?" she called as she climbed down the set of ladder rungs that Usopp and Franky had attached to the ship to allow easy access to the submarine. The sole of her boots striking the surface of the uppermost deck made dull clunking noises. She walked across the deck to the door, preparing to knock, but was startled when it was suddenly thrust open. She instinctively jumped backwards, which was the wrong move, because she lost traction on the slick icy layer over the wood. She pinwheeled as she lost her balance and tipped backwards, but before she could land on her behind, the submarine's captain grabbed her firmly by the elbow and hooked his foot under one of hers to brace her. He largely held her up by the strength of one arm, which brought a hint of rose to Nami's cheeks and reminded her once more of how strong Law was even though he hid all his muscles under that long coat of his.
"Careful, Nami-ya. I wouldn't want you hitting that pretty head of yours." Nami's relationship with Law was an interesting one; one never knew what was going to come out of their mouths to one another, whether it be purred compliments or insulting jibes. They yipped at each other like a couple of cunning foxes in a perpetual game of "who-can-one-up-who" that dangerously bordered on courtship; it was not uncommon that their words and looks mirrored those of two individuals in a steamy, saucy game of "hard-to-get." Sure enough, his mouth was curled in that undeniable smirked that just begged Nami to retort with some minxy jibe, but with the persistent cold seeping beneath her coat to nibble at her skin, she decided that such trifles would be saved for more suitable climates. Using Law's grip as a bracer, she straightened herself up and ensured that she had a solid stance on the slick ice before indicating that she was quite all right. It was only then that she could get a good look at him and see that he too was not immune to the brisk weather, as he had zipped his coat all the way up to hide his sprawling tattoos and had white gloves on his hands. "So, I imagine that we won't be escaping this climate anytime soon," he guessed with one glance at the surrounding ice.
"Nope," she sighed and glanced upwards at the sky to analyze the speed of the clouds. "The system is moving pretty slowly, so my guess is that we'll be trapped in this ice storm for at least a few days or so."
"Damn… It's taking our heating system all it can to keep all the metalworks from freezing over…" Law mumbled under his breath. Before the two of them could exchange any more words, Nami heard the shrill whistle of an arcing projectile screaming overhead. She had no time to react as a snowball exploded in Law's face and sent him shooting back into the depths of the Polar Tang, but thankfully not too far because the furry bulk of the arriving Bepo provided a pretty soft landing. Nami made no care to stifle her laughter as the Surgeon of Death came stalking back out into the winter air, shaking snow out of his face and hair. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had flung it at him, either. "Straw Hat-ya, you imbecile, now is not the time for games!"
"Trafalguy! Come have a snowball fight with us!"
"Did you not hear me?!"
"A snowball fight?! We wanna play!" came the simultaneous chiming of Penguin and Shachi from the entryway, and Law let out a strangled urk! as the two boys muscles past him to scamper out onto the deck of the Polar Tang in an attempt to join Luffy and the others in their winter revelry. They of course slid around on the ice like a couple of buffoons for a few minutes trying to reach the ladder, eventually resorting to easing over on their hands and knees.
"Aw, come on, Law, they're just having fun. We might as well play in the snow; there's nothing better to do," she smiled placatingly as he listened to his crewmates' raucous hoots and hollers of laughter drift down from the Thousand Sunny with the occasional stray snowball.
"I don't play in the snow, Nami-ya."
"Law! Will you come build a snowman with me?" As Chopper's innocent sing-song voice preceded his little furry form and hopeful eyes peeking over the railing of the Sunny, Nami watched Law's body stiffen like a solid board. He flushed pink and pulled down his hat, mumbling under his breath for a moment, before he thickly called up, "I'm coming, Chopper-ya…" Nami chuckled heartily as she watched Law Room himself up beside Chopper, who jumped up and down and hugged his arm elatedly. Not even the Surgeon of Death can say no to our sweet little Chopper.
"N-Nami?" The navigator turned her head as the polar bear mink abruptly addressed her.
"What's up, Bepo?" His watery black eyes could not bear to meet hers but flickered downward to train on the intricate icy patterns adorning the wood. His nails clacked lightly as he tapped them together in a nervous fidget. "Would you mind teaching me more about maps?" Nami blinked slightly in confusion; in the time that the two crews had spent together, the talented cartographer had of course been sharing her knowledge of maps with him, but she wasn't sure why he wanted to do such a normal, everyday activity when the opportunity to do something new and fun had presented itself.
"Wouldn't you like to come play in the snow with us, Bepo?" she suggested with a bright smile. The poor thing couldn't blush, but she could tell that he was embarrassed from the way he flattened his ears to his head and twitched his massive white-furred body.
"I can't… My paws get cold." Nami hastily swallowed the disbelieving comment that arose in her throat, because she didn't want to insult the sensitive fellow. Nami had no idea how a polar bear's paws could freeze but considering the circus troupe of colorful people she sailed with, anything was possible. "Everyone else can play just fine because they have mittens, but we've never been able to find any my size," he lamented while holding up his clawed paws. Naturally no market would sell mittens for a bear. Poor thing! He doesn't deserve to have to sit out while everyone else has fun! Nami thought as a pang of pity pierced her heart. She grinned brightly and reached up to grab one of his furry paws with both of her hands.
"Don't worry, Bepo! Come with me. I'll whip up some mittens for you!" she assured him before whirling on her heel and pulling him across the deck of the Polar Tang before ascending the ladder. The bear just silently shambled along behind her as she trekked back through the snow covering the spacious deck of the Sunny; the snow was falling so heavily that the small trench she had produced just a few minutes ago had already largely filled, forcing Nami to track a new path through the thick fluff. In fact, the layer had already thickened up to her knees. Nami actually pulled out her Climatact to help shovel the snow to wither side to help clear her way, but only with marginal improvement; very soon her arms were aching. "Jeez! You wouldn't think snow would be so heavy. I'll have to get Franky to shovel some of this stuff off before our deck collapses!" she panted. Bepo, despite his bulk, seemed to have no problem pushing through the snow; after a moment of watching her struggle, he let out a nervous mumble before lightly tapping her on the shoulder. Nami paused to turn around, leaning on her Climatact for support. His small ears fluttered and his little nails clicked together as he considered something silently for a moment, and then to Nami's surprise, he leaned down to pull her gently into his big furry arms.
"U-um, I thought it would be easier this way…" he admitted shyly while scratching the side of his head with one claw. Nami beamed and wrapped her slim arms around his thick neck and nuzzled her nose into his fluffy cheek.
"How considerate! Thank you, Bepo." She felt the bear's skin warm as he did the Mink equivalent of blushing, and his words were an incoherent gush of mumbles as he adjusted Nami in his arms to make her more comfortable. Feeling a stare on her, Nami glanced over her shoulder to see Law staring intently at the pair from across the deck. "Jealous?" she called over while sticking out her tongue. Law snorted in derision and pulled his hat down over his face, but Nami could see the haze of pink over his cheeks even from the considerable distance. Most likely he just didn't want to admit that his navigator carrying Nami made an adorable scene, but he was just so easy to tease when it came to Bepo that she just couldn't help but throw jibes when the opportunity presented itself. "Don't worry, Law, I'm sure Bepo would carry you too if you asked him!" she laughed while rubbing the top of Bepo's head through his hat.
"Ugh, Nami-ya, that's not what I-" he snapped at her, then flushed further when he realized that he would just open the door for the wily ginger-haired woman to tease him further. Grumbling under his breath, he whirled around to instead re-focus his energy on the half-finished snowman that Chopper was molding with his hooves. Nami laughed mischievously again before looking back at the polar bear, who was just trying to pretend that Nami hadn't been so boldly flirting with his captain.
"Mittens, right? Let's go!"
Bepo carried her the last leg across the deck in record time; indeed, if Nami had insisted on sloughing her way through the snow herself, they would've been there for fifteen minutes at least. He gently set her down on the steps once they arrived, and Nami carefully picked her way down them, holding one hand against the frosty wall to aid her balance. She would hate to ungracefully slip and tumble down the stairs to earn herself a bruised bottom or sprained ankle on a day that promised a lot of fun. She led Bepo to her and Robin's room. His massive frame barely was able to squeeze through the threshold, and he took up a large amount of space, requiring Nami to navigate around him as she searched her belongings for old clothes that she could retrofit into a pair of mittens for him.
"I'm sorry if I'm in the way…" he sighed apologetically and resorted to his nervous tick again. Nami smiled brightly up at him as she rifled through one of her trunks of sweaters.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Bepo. You're never a bother!" It was no secret that he was a little insecure, and so Nami always tried to do her best to encourage him. He smiled shyly and shuffled his feet, indicating that Nami's compliments were warming him a little. "Ah-ha!" she cried jovially as she procured a lovely yellow wool sweater patterned with black stripes. "It'll match your jumpsuit, too!" she grinned as she poked at the jolly roger emblazoned on the fabric as she passed him. She walked over to a small sewing machine situated on a little table in the corner. With how much Nami loved clothes and saving money, she of course knew how to sew, and with the boys tearing their clothes to shreds all the time, she had invested in the small machine to make quick work of the many repair jobs she was often subjected to. Bepo lumbered over to stand over her shoulder to watch her work, ears fluttering in curiosity; smiling, Nami graciously leaned back so that he could observe her handiwork.
"You're going to make mittens from that sweater?"
"Mhmm. There's no sense in letting this fabric just collect dust," she nodded as she cut out the patterns of the mittens using a large pair of shearing scissors. Tossing the rest of the fabric aside into a little basket of fabric she would find a use for later, she turned on the sewing machine and pushed the mitten pieces underneath the needle. She felt Bepo release an awed breath over her shoulder as the needle began punching thread into them at high speeds; Nami's nimble fingers guided the fabric around to form the seams. In no time at all, she had produced one bear-sized pair of mittens, complete with little holes in the fingertips so his claws wouldn't shred the fabric and unravel Nami's hard work. His ears flattened to his head as she whirled around in her little stool to hold them up. "Here you go! Try those on." He very gently took the mittens in his paws before slipping them on, pushing his claws through the added holes and flexing his hands experimentally. He then gave Nami a huge smile that crinkled his already small eyes.
"Thank you, Nami! They're wonderful! Now I can play in the snow too!" he rejoiced and jumped from foot to foot in joy. Nami giggled and stood up from her chair.
"I'm so glad you like them." He nodded eagerly as he held his mitten-covered paws up to his face to gaze at them endearingly, then rubbed his cheek against one, sighing at how soft they were. His eyes then snapped open and he looked down at her excitedly.
"Nami! Will you make snow angels with me?!"
"Of course!" She grinned, then gasped in alarm as Bepo suddenly took off across the room to squeeze out of the doorway and hurry up the steps. "Hey! Not so fast; you'll fa-" She didn't even get to finish warning him before she heard a startled yelp followed by a series of rapid thunks that could only be the polar bear Mink tumbling down the stairs. She exhaled deeply with a wan smile, shaking her head before walking out to see if he was all right. She found him on his back at the base of the steps in the process of rolling over; it seemed the fall didn't do much, as he immediately scrambled back to his paws and went shambling up the stairs with an excited, impatient "Come on, come on!"
"I'm coming!" she assured with another laugh and carefully followed him back up to the winter wonderland that the Sunny had become. For the next several days, the two crews busied themselves with all sorts of winter revelry, and Bepo made sure he showed everybody the wonderful mittens that the gracious Nami had made for him…