"Hurry up and follow me!"
Not waiting around for his inevitable denial, Nami grabbed a hold of his wrist, yanking him along with her.
His delayed response kicking in, he spluttered and tried to unhand himself.
Unfortunately, Nami was having none of that. Continuing to drag him until they reached her mikan grove, she positioned him in front of it, face towards her.
With a large grin, that most would have considered charming, but he knew was anything but, she shoved him until he lost him footing, falling into the shrubbery around him.
Amidst a multitude of curses, Nami deftly moved between the branches herself, settling down at the base of the trees where the foliage was less dense, allowing for her to sit upright without any trouble. Soon after, Zoro found a nook in which he was able to sit comfortably. Arms crossed, his grumpy demeanor contrasted her cheery smile.
Unfazed, mirth alight in her large eyes, she opened her arms, as if presenting the trees around them.
"Surprise! Happy birthday, Zoro."
He cocked his eyebrow, clearly unamused.
"Tch. Some birthday present this is."
Surprisingly, and unlike her usual response to his deadpans, her smile never once left her face, not even flickering for the briefest of moments.
"Zoro, I'm allowing you the use of my grove. You can come here whenever you want, to relax in the shade, to meditate, or to simply get away from the others. Everyone knows what happens when they come near my trees, so you won't ever be disturbed."
He wasn't a fool. They both knew that these trees weren't something Nami cared for loosely. The gesture was not lost on him.
"What about when you come here?"
She began to brush off her skirt, preparing to exist the brush in the way she had entered. "We'll figure it out if it happens. Maybe you'll realize that you don't mind my presence so much." Smiling she pushed off the ground, and made it half way through the branches before his calloused hand reached out.
"Thanks."
She nodded, and he released her hand. As she left, he laid down.
The grass tickled his arms, but it felt soft, stirring up a sense of reminiscence. The leaves overhead combined with the scent of the mikans enveloped him in comfort and warmth.
He could see himself spending some time here.
A/N set in the Going Merry, because there's not much space there, and because I haven't met the Thousand Sunny.