Chapter 10: Smoker/Tashigi/Nami: Matching Scars
Secrets are hard to keep.
Notes: For you Chi! Aaaaaaaa I love them so much
"Miss Nami Miss Nami! Look, it almost fits!" one of the children tugged gently on her shoulder, showing her the blanket that the Navy had scrounged up from the crappy freighter and sew together. It was a mess, but it would at least cover the knees of some of the giant children, and keep a number of the more normal sized kids comfortable.
Nami smiled at the excited group of children, watching some run up and down the gangplank to get more soup, and play tag among the soldiers partying with her crew. She avoided looking towards the white head of hair glinting like the smoke. "Let me take that blanket and help Ms. Tashigi okay?" The blanket was dropped on her in favor of play time anyway. The excitement in the air was happy and bright, a victory well won.
Nami smiled gently, already heading into the belly of the freighter. It smelled like rust and gas lamps, a build-up of salt and neglect. She pushed the door open to the room that Tashigi had claimed for the children with her hip, backing into the room, thinking of what they had on the Sunny that could make the kids a little more comfortable.
A soft gasp made her turn and freeze. The lady marine was sitting on the old bed, jacket off and shirt pulled down over her injured shoulder, redoing the bandages over the already sealing wound from a battle with Caesar's minions. Nami stared, sound rushing in her ears, the blanket dropping to the floor. There, by Tashigi's collarbone. A scar. In a familiar shape.
Another one.
"S-sorry, I'll be b-back later!" Nami turned quickly, heart fluttering too fast in her veins. But she wasn't fast enough. A gloved hand caught her wrist. The wrist. Nami stared at the open door, not turning around.
"Do we match?" Tashigi whispered. Her fingers were on Nami's soulscar. Could she feel it, the line of connection? Her mouth tightened, a thin line. Capable Marine, kind Marine, it didn't matter. There were some lines that Nami was afraid to cross. She wasn't like Luffy, not brave enough, or crazy enough.
"We do… don't we?" Tashigi's fingers loosened on Nami's wrist. She let her hand drop back to her side, but couldn't convince her feet to move. To run. Nami looked down at her feet.
"It's… it's not just you and I, you should know that," Tashigi said, backing away, returning to the bed to finish rebandaging her wound. Almost unconsciously, Nami brought her hands together, fingers running over the mark on her wrist.
"I know," Nami murmured. Silence sat heavily in the room. She could feel Tashigi's pretty big brown eyes staring at her.
"You know?"
"I have since he got captured with us by Crocodile in Alabasta," Nami took a deep breath, looking over her shoulder. Light from the dirty porthole window gave the black haired woman a vague halo. She looked surprised then looked down and away.
"He doesn't know, does he?" Nami asked softly. Tashigi shook her head. "For either of us?" she added, whispering though it was only the two of them here in this dank and sad excuse for a room. Again, Tashigi shook her head. Nami opened her mouth to ask why, but stopped. Two marines being soulmates with a pirate, quite an infamous one at that. That was dangerous information. Risky, stressful. Better unacknowledged. Better never to be mentioned, touched, prodded.
Loneliness and desire be damned in the face of survival.
"It never seemed like the right time. He's my superior officer. He would… he would want to do things the right way. And… a-and I would rather be with him every day than on another crew. I…" Tashigi's hands were curled into fists on her lap. Nami nodded slowly, understanding though she couldn't say she agreed.
If they were on her crew, or she on theirs, that excuse wouldn't stop her. Would not stop her from getting to know them, from drinking warm coffee in the morning and gazing into those pretty chocolate eyes. Or from sneaking into the Vice Admiral's quarters, to hide secret letters and steal even more secret kisses tasting like smoke.
The sound of extra feet on deck above them drew both of their attention, the moment breaking. She needed to get back to her crew, ready to set out on their next adventure, and these marines needed to chase them once more.
Nami gave Tashigi a sheepish smile and a shrug, turning back around to leave. "But one day! One day, when the time is right!" Tashigi proclaimed to Nami's back.
Nami smiled. Alright, one day then. "It's a date."