Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sanji and Nami

Requested By: Snow3bunny (Ao3)

"What are you idiots doing?" Nami sighed and shook her head as she leaned against the wooden railing overlooking the main deck of the Thousand Sunny, where the entirety of the crew was currently sitting down in a circle around an empty rum bottle most likely consumed by Zoro earlier in the day. She had been in her navigator's study examining their current course to determine the safest and fastest course to Fishman Island, their current destination. It was the Thousand Sunny's maiden voyage, and a lot could go wrong with a ship you did not know well; the other members of the crew, however, did not seem to share this sentiment, as it was their raucous laughter that had pulled her from her calculations and caused her to migrate out of the interior of the ship to investigate the source of their merriment. "Whatever it is, can you keep it down? I'm trying to make sure we reach Fishman Island, thank you very much," she huffed as she crossed her arms and regarded the strange display with distaste.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted excitedly as his navigator lightly reprimanded them. "We're playing spin-the-bottle! Come join us!" he insisted as he bounced up and down excitedly while pointing at the empty rim bottle lying on its side. Nami's eyebrow crept up at the mention of the game, which was all but foreign to her.

"Spin-the-bottle?" she echoed and walked down the steps to the main deck of the ship, admittedly curious about the strange game.

"Yeah!" Chopper squealed with his tiny reindeer hooves in the air. "Sanji showed it to us. He says they used to play it on his cooking ship all the time!" he explained while giving the cook a big smile.

"This doesn't involve taking off my clothes, does it?" Nami snorted as she stopped short of the group situated in a circle, crossing her arms as she glared doubtfully at the blonde, lascivious cook.

"Of course not! I am a man of class," Sanji pouted as his shoulders slumped. Yeah, you've got class, all right. You're a 'class'ic pervert! She thought with a huff, but a playful smile was forming on her lips.

"All right, then. What does this game involve?" she inquired as she gestured for them to make room for her in the circle. She squeezed her way in between Luffy and Zoro, tucking her legs beneath her as she regarded the seemingly unassuming bottle. There doesn't seem to be anything special about it.

"It's quite simple," Robin mused and gestured lazily to the rum bottle. "A person spins the bottle, and whomever it lands on is given the option of 'truth' or 'dare.' Truth involves responding honestly to a question, while dare means completing a task. Both are decided by the person who spun the bottle. We each take turns," she explained matter-of-factly. Nami nodded in understanding, leaning back slightly as she held her feet with her hands.

"Okay, I get it. Let's get on with it, then!" she beamed, suddenly excited. Who doesn't love the idea of making someone reveal their innermost secrets or making them do ridiculous things? Sticking out her tongue slightly, she reached forward and gave the bottle a whirl. It made a humming sound as the air moved over the opening, and it slowly came to a stop with the open end pointing at Usopp. Perfect! I can date Usopp to do something fun! Or make him tell me something embarrassing! She thought devilishly as she rubbed her hands together. "All right, Usopp! Truth or dare?" she demanded.

"I'm gonna go with truth. Your ideas of a dare frighten me," the spineless sniper whimpered immediately, and admittedly, Nami was slightly disappointed.

"All right, then," she sighed and cocked her head to the side slightly as she tried to formulate a good question to make Usopp squirm. A mischievous smile wormed its way onto her lips, and she heard Usopp swallow anxiously. "Okay, Usopp. At what age did you stop wetting the bed?" she asked, and the sniper immediately turned red all the way up to his ears. At his mortified reaction, the circle of pirates immediately burst into raucous laughter.

"Come on, Usopp, answer the question!" Luffy guffawed, grinning eagerly.

"I never wet the bed! I am a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp insisted haughtily, but covered bashfully when another round of laughter broke out among the group.

"Be honest!" Franky grinned and nudged him with a large metal elbow, and Usopp squeaked as it dug slightly into his ribs.

"O-okay… I was twelve," Usopp mumbled as he hung his head in shame, and they all exploded into giggles.

"Twelve? No way!" Luffy cackled as he rolled onto his back holding his stomach and kicking his legs as laughter wracked his rubbery body.

"I knew you were a coward, Usopp, but I didn't know you were a baby, too!" Zoro scoffed playfully. Usopp snorted defiantly and crossed his arms with a huff.

"Laugh all you want! I'm going to show all of you!" he said primly as he turned his long nose up into the air. After the giggles settled down, it was Zoro's turn to spin, and he did so readily. The glass rattled against the wooden surface of the boat before coming to rest on Luffy, who naturally chose a dare.

"Okay. I dare you to climb the mast… But upside-down," Zoro grinned stupidly and gestured to the mast with a thumb.

"Piece of cake!" Luffy grinned assertively and promptly hopped to his feet to run over to the tall wooden structure. With a grunt, he ducked down to position himself in a hand-stand.

"And no using your Devil Fruit powers!" Sanji laughed as an afterthought.

"Please! I'm no cheat!" Luffy growled at them before hopping up onto the mast and wrapping his arms and legs around the massive wooden post. Grunting with effort, he began to slowly ascend the mast in a strange shimmy-like motion. He made it about halfway up before he lost his grip and came tumbling down, landing roughly at the bottom of the post. "Owwww… My head…" he whined as he rubbed it tenderly, while the rest of the group cackled with laughter.

"You okay, Luffy?" Chopper cried as he hopped to his feet. "Someone get the doctor! Wait! I am the doctor!" he wailed as he ran around in circles in a panic. Meanwhile, Luffy was sitting up, seemingly unharmed.

"Ugh… That's a lot harder than it looks," he whined as he glanced up the post with a squint. "All right! Who's turn is it?" he asked as he scooted on his behind back into the circle eagerly.

"Looks like it's Robin," Zoro answered. With a small smile, the quiet archaeologist reached forward and gave the bottle a spin. Nami's eyes widened as the mouth of the bottle came to rest pointing directly at her, and she suddenly grew nervous as to what Robin would do in either situation. Truth is a safer option, probably, she decided.

"Well? Truth or dare, Nami?" Robin asked calmly.

"Truth! Ask me anything! I'm an open book," Nami boasted, but the bravado was mostly to hide her anxiety. Robin chuckled and leaned back slightly on her hands as she regarded the navigator with calculating eyes.

"All right, then. Tell us about your first kiss," Robin demanded. A chorus of "ooohs" traveled through the circle, and all eyes came to land on the navigator. Suddenly, her heart was pounding violently. Wait! Do they think I've actually done stuff like that? She thought in a panic.

"Out with it, Namiiiii!" Luffy urged and poked at her arm with a snicker. "When was it? Who was it?" His incessant urging did little to ease her nervousness, and she swallowed nervously as she glanced down at her lap.

Come on… It's not that big of a deal to say that I've never kissed anybody, right? She thought as she bit down on her lower lip.

"Is it that scandalous?" Zoro mused as he rested a hand on the hilt of one of his swords. "Or maybe she's done it so many times she's having trouble remembering?" That last comment set Nami's rage aflame. They think I'm some kind of… kind of… whore! She realized in anger, and she balled up her fists as she began to shake violently. Tears forming in the corners of her eyes as they continued to prod at her, she abruptly jumped to her feet, head down and shoulders slumped.

"I hate this stupid game!" she shouted before whipping around and stalking up the stairs to return to her study. They all shouted at her to wait, but she ignoring them, slamming the door shut behind her before collapsing onto her bed with a miserable sob. She buried her face into her pillow. It's so dumb she thought bitterly. I don't know what hurts more… The fact that not ever kissing someone is so unbearable, or the fact that they all think that I do those kinds of things frivolously, she moped as she hugged her pillow tightly. Is it strange that I don't? That I want to wait for someone special…? She thought as she rolled onto her back and held an arm over her eyes as the tears flowed freely. At that thought, a certain blonde-haired cook popped into her mind, and that just made her heart constrict with pain. Does he think… I'm like that, too? Is that why he's always making advances on me? Does he think I'm easy? She thought as her bottom lip quivered. Considering the prevailing opinions of the crew, she thought that it must be true, and despite her best efforts her tough exterior dissolved, and she was left sobbing miserably.

She awoke to the sound of loud knocking on her door. She had fallen asleep curled up under the blankets cuddling her pillow for comfort, and the surface was still damp with tears. She sat up and rubbed her puffy eyes, and her fingers came away wet with salty water. She glanced at the door as the knocking came once more. "One minute!" she called as she threw the covers off herself and walked over to the mirror to straighten out her hair and try and erase the tear stains on her cheeks before answering the door. She cracked it slightly to try and hide her disheveled appearance. "What is it? I'm busy," he stated as she pulled the door open, but she fell silent when she realized it was Sanji standing in the doorway, his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth. She felt her chest tighten, and she dropped her gaze slightly. "Oh. It's you," she said quietly.

To his credit, he didn't comment on how upset she obviously looked, but instead smiled sweetly and extended a hand to her.

"I was wondering if you could give me some help in the kitchen?" he inquired hopefully. "You're the only one around here who can peel a potato worth a damn," he joked light-heartedly, but even though he was doing his best to act normal, she could feel the underlying tension in his tone and see the stiffness in his body. She stood in the threshold of the doorway, considering refusing his offer and crawling back into bed to mope some more. There's no sense in brooding over something so pointless, she thought with a small sigh and nodded before opening the door all the way.

"Okay. I can take a break," she said despite the fact that she was almost certain that Sanji knew that all she had been doing was crying. He continued to hold his hand out for her, and she blushed slightly as she reluctantly took it and allowing him to lead her further into the ship to the kitchen. As she plodded along after him, she was keenly aware of the feeling of his hand wrapped around hers. Sanji's hand… It's so big and reassuring, she thought dreamily, then a jolt of pain shot through her heart. But… I'll never really get to hold his hand for real, she thought miserably, and the gloom settled over her once more. Sanji, seemingly oblivious to her despondent mood, brought her into the kitchen, which was already filled with the smells of delicious food and the steam of many things cooking on the stove and in the oven. He released her hand as he walked over to stir something in a simmering pot, and Nami was half-disappointed and half-grateful. She sat down at the small wooden table where a bag of potatoes was already sitting ready to be peeled. She pulled over an empty pot to collect the peelings and sat down to begin working.

The silence settled between them as she peeled the potatoes and Sanji flitted from spot to spot stirring this and tasting that. However, though Nami normally enjoyed the quiet, she found Sanji's lack of talkativeness unsettling and bordering on unbearable. She knew he wanted to ask her something, but he was too polite to do so, and the suspense was killing her. Besides, there was her lingering fear of what he truly thought of her, and she was dying to know the truth. Soon she felt like she was going to burst, and to channel the nervous energy she began ripping furiously at the potatoes with the peeler. Suddenly, it slipped and carved into the side of her finger, making her screech in pain and drop the starchy vegetable, already splattered with her blood.

"Nami?!" Sanji cried in alarm in response to her yelp, and he came rushing to her aid as she held her finger. Thankfully it was only a shallow cut, but it was still bleeding profusely.

"Ow… I just cut my finger, that's all," she whimpered as he crouched down in front of her. He reached up to take her hand and pull it closer to his face to investigate, and she obediently allowed him to do so despite her blushing. He sighed lightly in relief.

"It looks a lot worse than it is. Wait here. I'll get a bandage," he instructed before riding to his feet and walking over to one of the counters to rummage around for a roll of bandages. He returned a short minute later with the bandages and a strip of cloth, which he pressed to her hand to absorb the blood. As he worked intently on her wound, Nami's heart felt like it was tightening up so much it was twisting into knots, and finally she could no longer stand the pressure.

"Sanji… Do you think I'm a…" she trailed off as she searched for a proper way to refer to whatever the rest of the crew thought her as. He glanced up at her with a small frown, then smiled coyly.

"A virgin?" he finished with a slightly smug smile, and she turned bright pink as he put it so bluntly. Her reaction affirmed his question, and he chuckled lightly under his breath as he glanced down at her hand and began to slowly wind bandages around her injured finger. "I thought that was what had you so upset," he mused quietly as he continued to work on treating her wound. Nami bit down on her lip, but that didn't stop it from quivering.

"Well? Do you?" she asked insistently. He sighed deeply and tied off the bandage, looking up at her. Her breath caught in her throat as he looked her dead in the eyes.

"Of course I do, Nami. I've always thought so," he smiled softly up at her. Nami stared at him for a minute, and then all the tension that she had been holding in her body suddenly relaxed, and she exhaled deeply before slumping back in the chair. So he doesn't think that of me… She thought with a relieved smile. "For the record, most of the others were only teasing. We certainly don't think you get around," he mused with a raised eyebrow, and she went slightly red in embarrassment upon realizing she had overreacted. "What made you so upset?" he asked her curiously.

"I… I've never actually kissed a man," she admitted hesitantly, looking down at her hand, which was slowly turning the bandage a slight shade of pink as the wound attempted to clot. "They all seemed to think I thought nothing of it, and it just seemed so embarrassing that I had never kissed anyone," she sighed. "And then I thought that maybe they think that they thought me as someone… easy… that was even worse." She glanced down at him doubtfully. "They really don't think that?"

"No," he reassured before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Though it is surprising. I would have thought you would have kissed someone by now," he remarked.

"I-I just take things like that seriously!" she cried and balled up her fists angrily, then winced as pain shot up her arm from the burning wound on her hand. She released the fist quickly to find that the bandage was rapidly turning red, as her action had reopened the wound. "Ow…" she whined. Sanji smirked slightly before taking her hand in his gently.

"It's never going to heal like that. Here, let me give it a kiss to make it go faster," he grinned teasingly, and before she could even protest, he leaned down to gently press his lips to the bandages. She went dark red, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to formulate words, while he just grinned triumphantly up at her. Her lips pressed together in a thin line as she glared down at him.

"Oh, you think you're smooth, do you?" she snapped.

"As a matter of fact, I pride myself in my ability to woo the ladies," he smirked playfully as she ripped her hand away from him lest its trembling give away her exhilaration. Her finger tingled slightly as the feeling of his little kiss lingered.

"Well, this is one lady you will not be wooing!" she huffed and looked away from him. He chuckled before suddenly standing at his full height and looking down at her thoughtfully. "What is it?" she asked nervously under his intense stare.

"Why, Nami, I think you're hurt somewhere else, too," he drowned, and she gasped as she began looking over her hand for another cut. She could not locate one, and she glanced up at him in confusion.

"Where? I don't see anything," she blinked, and her eyebrows knitted together as he gave her a slightly alluring smirk. Now, what is he up to…?

"That's because you aren't looking in the right place," he purred as he leaned down over her, and her heart began to race as his face began dangerously close. "It's right… here," he murmured as her gently brushed his fingertips over her bottom lip, and she realized that she had bit down so hard on her lip earlier that she had actually drawn blood. Her mind went blank as his eyes gazed intently into her own with a passionate fire blazing in their dark depths that she had never seen. "I should kiss that to make it better, too," he smiled coyly, and she sat still as stone as he closed the distance between them to gently press his lips against her own. At first her mind raced with incoherent thoughts before slowly settling on him, the contours of his face and the highlights of his hair, and her body slowly relaxed as she melted into the kiss. His lips lingered for a while before slowly drawing away, and as he pulled back, Nami almost felt like a part of her was leaving. She soon came to her senses, however, and let out an affronted gasp.

"Sanji! You scoundrel!" she shrieked as she grabbed a handful of the potato skins and threw them into his face. The flirtatious cook just laughed heartily as he pulled the skins out of his hair.

"Didn't take long for you to get back to normal," he mused as he dropped the potato skins back into the bucket, and she looked up at him through narrowed eyes. He did all that to make me feel better? She realized, and despite her embarrassment, she smiled. This guy… He continued to chuckle as he brushed potato skins off his broad shoulders. "I invite you into my kitchen, and you make it a mess. What am I going to do with you, Nami?" he mused. She threateningly picked up the bucket.

"Well, then, don't be such a tease!" she shouted at him, and he laughed again before waving a hand and retreating to the safety of the stove.

"I never tease," he called over to her. "Now finish those potatoes before Luffy starts whining about how hungry he is," he instructed with a wink. Nami stuck out her tongue at him, but as she set down the bucket and returned to work, she couldn't ignore the bubbly, happy feeling floating around in her chest, and the lingering feeling of Sanji's kiss.

Her first kiss.

But that was going to be a secret, for now…