Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Nami, Roronoa Zoro

Requested By: we-are-deathcleric (Tumblr)

The night air was cool on Nami's skin as she stepped out onto the main deck of the Thousand Sunny. She wriggled her toes in the grass blades that coated that level of the structure, enjoying the bracing chill clinging to the thin, soft slivers, before stepping a few paces out onto the deck. The door leading down to the bowels of the ship whined as it slowly closed, then shut with a light click. The sky was clear, not even the faintest wisp of a cloud, allowing the glittering stars and bright moon to shine down upon her in all their brilliance. Their collective light bathed the grassy deck in pearly white, making the blades shimmer with a white sheen that contained only the barest hint of pale green. Nami just stood there upon the deck, eyes closed and basking in the sound of gently sloshing waves.

Two years without the ocean's song had been a very long time. She hadn't even had the pleasure of traveling back to Saobody by sea, instead being delivered to her destination in one of Weatheria's signature hot air balloons. The floating island was much too far above sea level to hear the comforting splashes, no matter how far she leaned out of her window and strained to hear them. It felt to Nami that she had spent those two years in deafening silence, deprived of her lullaby, and now that she was once more among the rolling waves, the world was alive with a symphony of cacophonous serenade. Her head swayed side to side with the tune of the waters, then she soon began to hum along to its endless melody.

Oh, how she had missed the sea. Nami had been unable to sleep without properly savoring its continuous descant. She did not even have to peek over the balustrade to see it; midnight blue waters swelling with the wind's touch, white seafoam bubbling with its crest, before crashing into the wooden ship to crescendo up with magnificent spray not unlike a firework's crackles. Awash with the sea's music, Nami finally felt her restless bones begin to settle and calm seep into her nerves. She listened to the waves for a few moments more before forcing herself away; sleep was imperative, as now that the Straw Hats were reunited there was sure to be riotous adventure upon the coming day. She would feel much better embracing the tempest fresh-faced and well-rested.

A thumping noise halted her return to her quarters. It came from overhead, and she looked up to see lamplight burning from within the crow's nest. Oh, right. Zoro is on watch tonight. Her cheeks immediately began to burn with blush. The sea had not been the only thing she had missed…

All thoughts of sleeping left her mind. She found herself ascending the ladder to the bubble of a room tucked beneath their observation deck. The wind playfully nipped at her nightclothes, hugging them to her frame, as if scolding her for her midnight escapade. She looped her arm around the top rung to steady herself and pushed on the entrance hatch with the other; yellow light beamed down through the square hole to wash over her, and she pushed her head through to peer at Zoro, who was sitting a few feet away with one eyebrow raised.

"Mind if I join you?" Though he seemed momentarily surprised at her unannounced coming, it took him only a moment to shrug indifferently and resume sipping at the sake bottle in his hand and stare blankly at the rolling sea beyond the curving window. Nami wriggled herself up through the hatch and kicked it shut behind her, then crawled across the small space to perch beside the swordsman. She smiled as he offered her the bottle and took it graciously. After taking a healthy swig of the burning alcohol, she passed it back to him and leaned back on her hands.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" It was an accusatory question in nature, but his tone was largely apathetic. He didn't even glance at her upon asking but instead continued to gaze out to the sea with lidded eyes. Nami smiled amusedly and pushed herself further back on her hands before sighing, "I couldn't sleep without listening to the sea." His response was a dispirited grunt, followed by another large gulp of the sake. Nami lolled her head to ponder his profile. He certainly had beefed up in the last two years; even with the loose fabric of his clothes, the thick fabric was still pulled taut around the swells of his muscles in some places. His jawline had grown even sharper, rivaling the edges of his katanas, and squarer too- a man's jaw. What she marveled at the most was the linear scar scoring over his right eye. His training must have been unbelievably harsh to have cost him his eye. She found herself smiling in amused derision. It was just like Zoro to nearly kill himself training.

"What's so funny?" he mumbled. He was finally looking at her; he was no longer able to side-eye her, so he turned his head to behold her critically with his remaining eye. Her chest jumped with a chuckle-like huff.

"I was just thinking about how you've changed so much, and yet probably not at all."

"Same could be said for you," he remarked casually. He drained the last dregs of the sake bottle, shook it with an unhappy frown, then set it down beside him and looked back at her again. She wiggled her shoulders and gave him an inquisitive smile.

"Me? Changed? How so?" It seemed he was not expecting the question, as his eyebrows quirked. Nami could not help but smile promiscuously when his cheeks reddened. He grunted out a few embarrassed quips and rubbed the back of his neck compulsively as he struggled to explain himself.

"Er, well, you just… How do I put this…?" As he basically short-circuited, Nami decided it was high time to utilize her feminine wiles.

Indeed, the sea had not been the only thing she had missed. Prior to the complete shift in their lives, Nami admittedly harbored a wee infatuation with Zoro. How could she not? He was a bit airheaded, sure, but he was exceptionally strong and capable. He had always been considerate of her, in his grumpy Zoro way, and she had not missed the gentle touches or lingering looks that he seamlessly passed off as close friendship to the rest of the crew. Whenever she invited banter he sneeringly accepted, quibbling playfully with the fiery navigator at every available opportunity. It had been an unspoken attraction for a very long time, and she wished it had not been.

When they had been forcibly separated, Nami had regretted not acting on her little crush. She had always told herself that there would be time for such feelings later, that it would only complicate their journey, that there were other priorities. It was only once he was stolen away that she realized just how fond she was of Zoro. She had sorely missed his snarky repartee, the feeling of his hand on her waist when he brushed past her or supported her in a strong wind, that jeering sneer so contradictory to the clear affection burning in the pools of his dark eyes. Being deprived of his constant presence was almost as bad as being deprived of the sea.

So, Nami wasn't going to deprive herself anymore. It was time to act on her desires, lest he be wrenched from her hands once more.

His cheeks took on a rosier hue as she shifted onto her hip to lean forward, tip of her nose just barely hitting the end of his chin. She demurely fluttered her lashes as she gazed lustfully at him through lidded eyes.

"Have I become more of a woman, Zoro?" She punctuated the question by drawing her arms inward, shamefully accenting her voluptuous chest. Had she known she would be flirting with him, she would have elected to wear a skimpy tank top instead of a button-up, but it didn't much matter. With a nervous swipe of his tongue over his bottom lip, he glanced down at the bulging globes before returning his gaze her face, now completely tomato-faced.

"You shouldn't tease, Nami," he groaned with a twisting frown and suddenly looked away. Nami's eyes immediately widened at the realization she had upset him. Did he really think that she was playing coy? Well, given her flirtatious nature, she couldn't quite blame him… Still, Nami hand cast her net and damn it if she wasn't drawing in the catch.

"I'm not teasing!" she asserted. Her hand snapped out to enclose around his wrist and jerk his arm, slapping his hand to her cheek. He looked back in shock to find her pouting determinedly up at him. Her face softened once he looked back to her, smiling pathetically. "I mean… I am, but not for the reasons you think. I really do like you, Zoro. I spent these last two years wishing I had told you that sooner." She closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek into his hand, feeling the rough callouses scraping over her soft skin. "I just… Couldn't go on any longer…"

His hand had remained tense and frozen against her face, but then, slowly, it melted against her to embrace her round features. His fingertips weaved into her tresses of tangerine hair. At the gentle caress, she parted her lashes to peek up at him, and found him wearing the softest smile she had ever seen.

"You could've put it better then, dumbass." Rude words with an endearing tone. How did he do it so well? A contented hum purred in her chest as she leaned in again, her free hand smoothing over the thick fabric covering his muscular thigh. "… I missed you too, you know," he murmured with a widening smile. "Every time I thought I might give up… I thought of you, and getting back to you, and found the strength to push forward." Nami felt joy swelling up inside her body, like a stream of bubbles; it was an incredibly sweet sentiment and one she never expected. She was so moved that little tears beaded up in the corners of her eyes, then slipped down her cheeks in thin lines. All the emotions she had bottled up were reaching a boiling point, swirling together in a confusing tempest and making her emotional. "Heyyyy," he cooed soothingly and swiped away the tears with his thumbs. Nami laughed derisively and pressed herself more into his hand. It felt like the contact could never be enough.

"You know, you're pretty sweet when you try," she teased quietly. His smile morphed into a smirk. Demurely, she continued, "Did I really help you get through your training?" He snorted contemptuously.

"Hell yeah! What, do you think I decided to pluck my own eye out for fun? It was hell!" He said so, but he had that grin on his face that showed he enjoyed every minute of it. Nami hummed contentedly and reached up to cup his face with both her hands, her thumb sweeping over the bottom portion of his scar. Her eyes the drifted down to his lips, lingering on them for just a moment before returning her doe-eyed stare to his eyes. His mouth curled into another smug smirk before he responded to Nami's silent request.

Nami's eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in to press his mouth to hers in a tentative, chaste kiss. It didn't take him long at all to grow bolder, moving his mouth against hers with a sharp inhale through his nose. His hands tracked a burning trail down her body, sliding down her neck, over her shoulders, down her arms, before finally dropping to her hips to grip firmly at the soft flesh there and tug her closer. Nami's hands slipped around his neck to play with the fine ends of his close-cropped green hair. She hummed as his mouth moved rhythmically against his own, then sucked in a breath as the tip of his tongue slid entreatingly over her bottom lip. She parted her lips and he wasted no second in diving right in, drawing a small moan from within her as he swept her tongue up in a fervent tangle. Her brain began to swim with the adrenaline and lack of oxygen, muddying her thoughts until all she could focus on was him.

Suddenly her back was pressed into the wood floor and he was hovering over her, hands roaming her sides to touch every square inch of skin possible and his mouth continuing to dominate hers. To hell with the watch… she thought dully; at the moment, an entire Marine fleet could happen upon them and she'd still kiss him like it was the end of the world. It was so intoxicating, having him after so long; she was an addict and he was the drug she couldn't bear to deprive herself off.

Thankfully, Zoro very much agreed with "to hell with the watch."

After, she lay on top of him, tracing abstract patterns into his bare chest with his kimono draped over them like a blanket. He had his hands behind his head as he flippantly watched her ministrations. She paused her invisible painting to run her fingertip down the long scar across his abdomen. It was amazing, how long ago he had obtained that wound. Nami had already deserted them to sail back to Cocoyashi. She couldn't imagine what it was like, standing there facing death. Well… Actually, she could. Her death had just had shark jaws and a sawtooth nose. "What are you thinking about now?" he asked with a small smile. She dropped her arm and rested her cheek on it, returning his grin.

"I'm thinking about how much we've changed so much, and yet not at all." His smile widened and he lifted his arms to slip them under the fabric, enveloping her waist. He tugged her body up a little so he could lean up and press a kiss to the crown of her head. She snuggled up underneath his chin once he dropped his head back, and his hands rubbed comforting circles into the curve of her hips.

"You know what I'm thinking about?"

"Hmm?"

"Wait until that pervy cook finds out."

Nami snorted with laughter at the thought of Sanji's absolutely heartbroken look, followed by murderous fury and a frenzy of legs.

"Yeah, he won't like that one bit." He grunted in response and pressed a few more light kisses into her hair. She shut her eyes to savor his affections, each little caress sending happiness blooming across her body like flowers opening up to the first rays of the sun. As she drifted into the hazy twilight of half-sleep, she imagined she could the sloshing of the rolling waves outside. With the lullaby of the sea and the warmth of the man she treasured, sleep finally came to Nami.

A final thought drifted through the fog of near-slumber.

Zoro… I hope… I'll never, ever be deprived of you again.