Original characters © Eiichiro Oda. Creative story © shipfiend. Cover art © gg-xx.

Nami's finger grazed his chest, her fingertips following the engraved mark that cut across it. She tilted her head down to take in the raised skin of new flesh over the old, the largest scar Zoro had and the one that was often most hidden. However, in the recent months, it was the one she found the most interesting so she liked to look at it whenever she could.

Zoro laid on the bed and drifted between sleep and dream. She had a way of putting him at ease with her trailing fingers, how she seemed to massage away the wounds all over his body. His own hand rested on her left shoulder and rubbed the scarred flesh that was hidden under black-blue ink.

"Where did you get this scar?" she asked, absentminded. She usually asked him in his sleep, when she awoke on his chest or beside him and he was still snoring away. It was her quiet conversation with his subconscious and she wondered if he heard her questions and would allow himself to open up when he arose. Zoro always heard them but kept on sleeping. He could hardly fall completely asleep when her touch was so enticing. It was almost comical the way he felt unsure to close his eyes and let himself fall vulnerable to her. But he managed to open his mouth this time.

"Taking a picture." His voice shocked her as it rumbled against her body that he held close to him. He never answered, and Nami thought perhaps her nightly pleading worked and somehow, he was answering her in his sleep, but as she raised her head slightly she met his open eye. It made her blush, to think he had been awake the entire time and just let her go on and play this stupid game of "show and tell" with him. She pouted and Zoro smiled back down, "What? Is that not a good enough answer?"

She lifted her head higher and looked down at him, "You're telling me that when you took pictures of trees and mountains, you just happen to get slashed by what? A big twig?"

Zoro tilted his head, "No. It was a very big knife, actually."

Nami stopped pinching him and looked at him with a great deal of concern, "What?"

Zoro lifted himself up and settled against the headboard as Nami shuffled to sit between his legs with her knees tucked underneath her. "Yeah," he began, "You didn't know? Some reporter you are."

She pinched his nose and shouted, "The hell is that supposed to mean? You started your career with the magazine. All you've done is travel around with Luffy and got some lucky shots in…then you shot to fame."

Zoro frowned, "Well when you say it like that it sounds kinda like some cartoon."

"Fine, then tell me the full story!" She crossed her legs with her hands folded, "I'm listening."

He smiled and pulled her closer, "Alright, fine. So, you know Dracule Mihawk, right?"

"Oh, you mean, Dracule 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk? Member of the Shichibukai, a group of high class, powerful people that work intimately with world governments? Mihawk who currently runs countless companies that create art-focused programs for areas in need. Also, currently holds the title of 'Greatest Photographer in the World' and has an unknown net worth because the amount of money he gives to charity…as well as being a very private person that no one has seen his home, knows about his personal relationships, or even seen a recent picture of his face? But, I can put him at age 43, with a March birthday. My best research says 9th is the actual day. And he stands at 6' 6". Yeah, I may have heard of him…"

Zoro looked at her with his mouth open. "Uh…um, yeah…wow, okay. You are definitely your father's daughter then."

"Shut up, what about him?"

He scratched his head and cracked his neck, "Yeah, well, he's also my…well, my father."

Nami could barely keep her scream in, "What! What! You're telling me that extremely hot basically European royalty billionaire badass artist is your father?"

"Wait, how do you know he's hot if you've never seen his fa-" Zoro shook his head, "Forget it, nevermind. No. He's not my biological father. He adopted me when I was very young. That's actually how I know Luffy…actually we kind of grew up together. Luffy's godfather is Mihawk's husband, so-"

Nami flipped off the bed and began pacing, "Oh my good gracious- this is unbelievable. I can't even wrap my head around this."

"Okay, but-"

"And so this has something to do with your scars?" Nami stopped and looked at Zoro with shock. "Did…did he do those things to–"

Zoro shot up, "What? No! No." He took her hands and sat her back onto the bed and sat at the edge himself as he looked into his own hands. "I mean not really…"

Nami looked at him and then realized that what she asked may not have been so simple to explain. It was not every day someone had a giant scar on their chest or one eye, and she quickly went to her own tattoo and frowned. "Um, look. I'm sorry I asked. You don't need to tell me. I'm sorry, I was being nosey and it's not like…we need to know that stuff about each other."

Zoro looked at her as she stared at the carpeted floor. He was used to being asked about, but he was not used to actually answering. Something in him wanted her to know everything about him, so he was not so hesitant to speak. She looked at him smirking at her and raised a brow, "What?"

"I'll make you a deal. Tell me about that tattoo and I'll tell you about this scar." He pointed to his chest and Nami followed his finger but frowned.

"No deal," she said without hesitation.

He let go of her hand and leaned back, "Why not?"

"It's not a fair deal," she mumbled as she grabbed her shoulder, her fingers outlined the lines of the scars underneath.

Zoro watched her off in her own world, her hair falling across her face that put her sadden expression in the shadows. He took the hair and tucked it behind her ear and leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek. He whispered into her ear, "I'll tell you all about every scar."

Nami tried not to smile as he tickled the spot behind her ear, but Zoro would not relent. "And I'll tell you about these earrings."

He pulled her down and kissed her jawline, "I'll tell you about the time I got stuck in jail when I was 17 and Luffy had to get me out."

Nami laughed now, and not just because of Zoro's breathing against her neck. He whispered again, "And the time I caught Sanji crossdressing."

She stopped him now and looked into his eye, "What? I don't believe you."

"I'm serious," he said as he leaned down for another kiss but Nami stopped him.

"Why…why do you care to know about me?" She bit her lip at the heavy question. They had been intimate without being intimate, but Nami knew she forced him to expose himself when they first met. She inquired about his love life for no reason than being entertained. She wondered if he was doing the same with her. She did not mind if he just wanted to be entertained, too. The worry is that she did not want to just entertain him. She worried that she wanted more.

He did not laugh, even though it would have broken the tension. He did not smile because he knew the scars she hid were not hidden out of joy. It was fear and shame, and if he could understand that she had such a side to her, he thought she could not be such a far-off concept to him. It was foolish to him to admit it, but he wanted another kind of intimacy with her, and it starts when they both become bare. "I…want to know your story. The good and the bad."

"Then what?" She asked, unsure if she meant to ask it so angrily. Zoro did not have a chance to explain himself because Nami asked him angrily, "I thought this was just sex. You don't need to know anything about me for just sex."

She pushed him off her and headed to the bathroom, and Zoro was dumbfounded about where this was going. "Nami-"

However, she slammed the door and Zoro sat on the bed just staring at it. Inside, Nami slid down the door, still naked and now just angrily shaking. It was not a big ask of him, but it felt strange for her to say the story. She should have lied, said it was a dare or something meaningless. But she knew he felt the soft skin underneath that marked something more. She heard him walk over and then the press of his body against the door as he slid down, too.

"Nami, I know we are having sex, so I get it that you don't want to talk about feelings and…shit. I actually prefer that, too…but I feel like you need to talk about it."

"Oh, yeah? Is that what you feel? That's great-"

"Don't bullshit me, okay?" He cut her off and it made her quiet. "Other people may not have the guts to ask you the tough questions, but I will. And I do because you wouldn't bring up things like my scars if you didn't have something to say about yours."

"Or I'm just naturally curious," she snapped back.

"Or you're naturally argumentative, challenging, confrontational, you have difficulty listening to others, critical of opinions and attitudes which don't match your own, extremely high standards and expectations, not naturally in tune with people's feelings and reactions-"

Nami opened the door and Zoro fell back as she shouted at him, "You are not naturally good at expressing feelings and emotions, not tuned in to what others are feeling, are insensitive, overly private and hold back, need lots of personal space, which you constantly make me feel like I've invaded, and you thrive on shit like this just so you can get your rocks off on the action and excitement even if it means you are being a giant stupid jerk face, you stupid moss headed idiot!"

Zoro looked up at her upside-down face, her strong frown looking like a smile so he could not help but snicker. They were both still naked, with his head on the bathroom floor and Nami screaming at him from above. She finally grew quiet, huffing loudly from her long tirade.

"I got you to open the door, didn't I?" He smirked at her and Nami could not help but smile at him, though she was still quite angry. He had a way to do that to her, and she hated that because she really wanted to be irrational and control everything happening. However, it was hard to control a man who could barely let life control him. "Look…it is hard to be totally objective when you…know someone like we know each other. I mean, I can't really do it…so I think before we are just friends with benefits, why not be friends, huh?"

"Friends?" She asked with a twist of her head.

He tugged at a strand of hair that pulled her down to him. "Yeah, really hot friends…"

She smirked but let him kiss her gently and agreed that as much as he annoyed her, she liked him...as more than a tree she could climb. She whispered against his lips, "Alright, hotshot. Tell me about the scar…" She pulled away, "Actually…tell me about Sanji crossdressing. Was it just a dress or like a whole outfit?"

He grinned, "How about a full outfit, matching shoes, and a wig and makeup?"

They laughed on the bathroom floor at the idea as Zoro told Nami everything she ever wanted to hear. Just to hear her laugh, he was willing to embellish a few details, too. They pulled the covers to the floor and Nami order room service. Zoro chewed his steak and laughed, "And then Luffy said, 'You owe me one!' and just like that…I became the Vice President of a company we did not have the funds to make."

Nami scooped some ice cream into her mouth and giggled, "So all it took was you owing him for getting you out of jail to become this good of a friend?"

"We were friends before…but it was different when we decided to do something about."

"I feel like all your stories start with a bet or owing someone…"

"Good thing we have someone running the money now."

She sucked on her spoon, "So, that's all I am… A glorified accountant?"

Zoro put his food down and looked at her, "Is that all you want to be?"

"No!" she shouted, "I want to do more…be more…"

"Then do it! Nami, half the time, you hold yourself back. You tell yourself you're not strong enough or good enough, and I think you need to change that mindset."

"What? And call myself the 'Greatest Photographer in the World' when I'm not there yet?"

"It's my dream. I say it out loud and I tell myself I won't stop until it is real."

"You're gonna have to beat your father."

"Yeah, well, he's getting old anyway. His eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be…"

"And you have one eye!"

"Well, he took the other one."

Nami stopped and looked at Zoro, "Wait…Mihawk took your eye…" she reached out and touched the scarred eye, "He gave you this scar?"

Zoro looked up at the ceiling as he tilted his head back and exhaled loudly. "It was punishment."

"What kind of punishment is that?" She cried, thinking of the cruel world Zoro might have grown up in.

But Zoro seemed lost in thought. "Look, growing up with Mihawk as a father was hard. I've constantly been trying to one-up him. And I thought the one area he never got awards in was war photography, so I left and jumped into something I had literally no training or qualifications for. Which earned me this scar…" he pointed to the large scar on his chest, "And I almost died. And Mihawk does not emote well…or care for weakness, so he broke my camera and said I needed to earn the right to use it again."

"And he cut your eye?" Nami asked wearily.

"What?" Zoro looked at her and pointed to his face, "No. When he broke the camera, a piece flew up and cut my eye…so…hence this."

She smacked his arm, "Damn it, Zoro! You made it seem like you lived with a freaking monster!"

"No, you assumed."

"Well, you make it seem like some dark, mysterious past is hovering over you or something."

Zoro looked her over and kept quiet, but his stare was penetrating. Nami put down her food and held her tattoo.

"So…" she sighed, "so…when I was younger, I was a brat. I always complained that we did not have enough stuff…that my clothes were rags. She tried her best, that I know, but what I didn't know what that she put us before her herself. Even her own health.

And well, my mom got really sick. It put us in debt with some bad people. It wasn't easy for my mom, but she ended up getting put in the ICU and…when they came to collect, the loan shark sent some thugs to take us as collateral. So, we were kidnapped, and they were…well, they were planning to sell us for money. I tried to stay calm for Nojiko, but I was terrified so I tried to act like I fit in. And well, it was weeks…weeks we were held. They-um…they branded me, cause that's how they keep track of their…possessions.

If it wasn't for Law's dad, Rosi…they never would have found us. He had powerful ties to powerful people, and we were rescued. The criminals went to jail. Nojiko adjusted well, but I didn't trust anyone. I blamed myself for forcing my mom to put my desire for clothes and things over her health. It…it was a lot for me, and it took forever to really feel comfortable with my own family again."

He did not say anything but instead just listened and let Nami continue as a smile slowly came to her face.

"I actually really hated Rosi when he and Law first came into our lives. I knew he was supposed to be a good man, and my mom really seemed to like him, but…I just hated everyone. But um…he helped me really overcome what I experienced. When I first got out, that mark they gave me made me so sick that I actually took a knife to it. I terrified my mom, my sister…my friends…but it made sense to me. Rosi said he understood…having something that defined you that everyone could see. He…um," she giggled, "he actually helped me get this tattoo. Helped me design it. Tangerine and windmills…for my mom and my sister. Helped pay for it. Snuck out with me to get it. Oh man, when my mom found out, we both got such a yelling…but it was our little secret for so long. I mean, honestly, after I got mine, Nojiko got one herself and then Law did and my mom blames my dad for it cause he got these stupid tattoos on his face so she thinks he encouraged us."

"Wait, he has face tattoos?" Zoro asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah," she laughed, "I'll show you a picture…but in a way to get me to like him, he'd basically dress up like a clown and would be so clumsy. I mean…the man is forever clumsy, but with his silly outfits, it made me laugh a little. Which was a win in his book. If he got me to laugh, he already won…even before I knew it."

Zoro took a sip of his drink, "You have a cute laugh, so it's understandable."

Nami perked up and turned to face him, "Zoro, if I didn't know any better…I'd think you were trying to be cute."

He shook his head, "Oh no, I'm hot. Not cute."

"No, you're kinda cute," she said as she pinched his nose.

"Woman, I'm not cute…I'm-"

Before Zoro could get another word, Nami locked her lips with his, and he considered that he really did not need to convince her of anything. As his arms went around her waist and her arms went around his neck, they both felt a little bit lighter though neither wanted to admit why.

Welp, cuties. There we go. Dark past gone over. I couldn't help it, cause I think these things really define the characters, but like I said this won't be all angsty and sad and dramatic like my other story. Sorry, if you didn't get more explicit juiciness- but- the holidays are right around the corner. WINK. WINK.

Again, I went off their personality types (a bit of research) and then tried to figure out how all those scars and stuff fit in with these kinds of characters and plot. Hope it made sense. Mihawk is a dad, married to Shanks - cute. Rosi and Bell together. My fic is legit my dreams so...haha. Lol

Let me know what ya think!

XoXo shipfiend

P.S. I may not be be able to update in a while. Work is super hectic so I feel like I won't be free until January...but crossing my fingers to get a holiday theme story out by the holidays!