I do not own anything besides these words and the cover art.

Zoro woke up with a groan. His entire body felt sore as if he spent the night being hit by bricks. He blinked to settle eyes, confused about his location. The silence of the room seemed to echo, and a booming in the back of his head grew louder. He finally arose and took it all in, the familiar living room with its kitchenette and the lack of personal touch or detail.

His face hurt. His head hurt. As he propped himself on his elbows, he heard the shower run. He flung the blanket off himself to reveal he still had his pants, even his shoes. He wondered how much Nami would yell at him for ruining her home.

He tried to remember the night before. He knew he drank but he never passed out like this before. Drunkenness was never his goal, and he maintained a high tolerance for any sort of alcohol. Nevertheless, with Nami, he understood that many things would not be the same. He thought back and grunted at the lack of memory.

Zoro had a big plan. He was to tease the information out of her and finally know what her true intentions were with him. He could not just ask her because he knew she would lie so he figured her competitive nature would let her guard down. He rubbed his temples as the realization that his plan backfired came to the forefront of his mind.

The shower stopped, and Zoro was prepared to interrogate. He rose off the couch and shuffled to the bathroom door.

"Oi, witch. What happened last night?"

He heard a clatter then a soft reply, "What does it look like, asshole? You got drunk, and I still don't know where you live so I brought you here."

"You carried me all the way from the bar to here?"

"There's that signature asshole nature of yours. Yes, I did. I know- how can such a fragile woman, like me, do all that, huh?"

Zoro leaned against the door in frustration, "No, witch. I am not calling you weak. I am saying you wouldn't have the decency to do that."

Nami shouted from inside, "Wow! You're literally in my house the morning after and you still manage to say I'm selfish?"

"Isn't this all your doing in the first place?"

"Why? Because I can out drink you?"

Zoro slammed his fist, "No! Because I don't get drunk. Never have. And never to this extent, so I know you did something."

Nami laughed, "I didn't take advantage of you if that's what you're getting at."

Zoro was tired of her indifferent nature, the way she used jokes to spin his questions. He wiggled the doorknob and finally swung it open. He had expected her to be covered or barely covered, and considering what they have seen of each other, he did not feel embarrassed at the thought. However, what he did feel in the moment was shame.

He stopped in the doorway as he watched Nami look at him with such fear. She had a bathrobe to cover herself, but it opened by her neck. Her wet hair was in a tiny towel so the white of her skin peeked out. Against the white, Zoro's eyes froze on her bruised neck. The little makeup sponge in her hand hovered over the mark, a faint but disgusting reminder of something Zoro felt in the pit of his stomach but could not recall a memory for.

"Who did that to you?"

Zoro asked the question with vengeance, but somehow he knew what she would say.

"Don't worry about it." Nami relaxed her shoulders and tried to focus back on the mirror.

Zoro walked closer and Nami glared at herself in the mirror.

"Nami. Tell me who-"

She pushed herself against him and grabbed his arm. She placed his hand on her throat and the fire in her eyes displayed hurt and malice.

"Who do you think?"

She gulped after her accusation and he felt the swallow along his palm. He backed away swiftly, wide-eyed and confused. He did not have a rebuttal, nor did he defend himself.

He just shoved his hands down his pockets and rushed out. Nami barely had a chance to call after him as she caught a sight of the front door slam shut.

Music Inspiration/Theme: "Too Close" (Alex Clare)

Alright, my dears, it all started as fun and games, but you'll learn that things get heavy pretty quickly. As I stated before, this is MATURE, so please note that there will be incidents of bad things to come.

I hope I haven't lost any of you with the drama. I do intend for this to be a romantic piece after all, but I specifically chose "Drama" over "Humor" because there will be the underlying subplot that is...Arlong. Who sucks all the toes. So, yeah, he is "a bad thing" to come.

Anyway, don't drug your dates. FYI...I am not supporting that in any way, but I felt like Zoro would only be vulnerable when he really doesn't have the ability to control himself...not that he did before, ya know, with Perona's science. Hehe.

Also, DUN DUN DUN- Luffy...is...DEAD! *GASP* (and protects herself from all the tomatoes being thrown)

I thought about where Zoro and Nami would be without Luffy. He really brought them together, and Luffy gave Zoro, a man who was going to die, a direction in life. Or, at least, that's how I see it. Without him, I feel Zoro would wander aimlessly, until of course, Nami comes in with her secret plot to gain riches and beat Arlong. She knew who he was before they met, Zoro...the Pirate Hunter. Arlong = Pirate... So, one could say she would try to buy Zoro's services and BAM - friendship to romance to lemons. Ya know? The thing that Rayleigh and Shakky have? Life after piracy...marriage...the good stuffs:)

So, as you see, that's what I feel. Again, please be ready for love and good times, but know...without the valleys, we can't appreciate the mountains.

Also, also, don't hate me, but stay tuned. There's still much to be done:)

XoXo shipfiend