Chapter 1: No Such Thing
"We should have gone with them," Law muses for the fourth time in as many hours, the incessant worry gnawing in his stomach leaving him blissfully - dangerously - oblivious to the withering stare his fiery companion affixes to the back of his head.
From her perch on the anxious surgeon's desk, Nami lets out an exasperated sigh. They've been going around in circles for the better part of the afternoon to no one's avail: the them in question are not due back until sunset, Law's constant angsting has accomplished nothing but driving him to distraction, and the final remnants of what Nami has been looking forward to as their first notable amount of alone time together in nearly six months are rapidly dwindling.
Shifting her gaze to stare out a starboard porthole, Nami resists the urge to reassure her brooding husband again. Short of forfeiting the last couple of hours they have to themselves, she's not sure what else she can say. Even if he is causing himself undue amounts of stress over what should be a simple outing, she knows better than to tell him he worries too much – they both know there's no such thing in the tumultuous lives they've chosen. Even if it is "just East Blue", as she'd pointed the first time he voiced his concerns. By the third go-around, she'd ventured so far as to remind him it was his crew they'd entrusted their daughter's well-being to, and if it was Nami questioning their ability to take care of literally anyone else, he'd get onto her for doubting them.
I know that, he'd reluctantly conceded, and had calmed down long enough for her to successfully lead him back to the Polar Tang. She'd hoped that would be the end of it.
It had taken a lot of convincing - in the form of relentless pleas and puppy dog eyes from everyone involved (and perhaps a favor or two from the feisty navigator) - to get the Heart Captain to agree to a day off for the crew before their next voyage (one Cocoyashi Village, since they were already in the area), with one caveat: they were in charge of the entertainment and care of the Captain's four-year-old daughter for the day. And because said child had inherited every bit of Nami's charm - and was objectively adorable -, the crew accepted this condition with a collective cheer: there wasn't a soul among them who wasn't wrapped around the girl's finger.
Other than some quick business on land this morning to restock some medical supplies, it was supposed to be a relaxing day for everyone. Nami had accompanied him into town under the guise of using her allure and reputation as the East Blue's notorious Cat Thief to haggle some better prices; truthfully, she'd drawn out his absence and encouraged Bepo and the others to sneak out while they were gone, before he could come back and change his mind. And while Law had enjoyed her efforts to negotiate with the townsfolk of the small village they'd docked at (they had an unspoken agreement that her blatant flirting was acceptable as long as her efforts resulted in gratuitous glimpses at her cleavage for him as well), she knew he was preoccupied.
She'd intended to remedy that as soon as they'd made it back from their outing, but Law was… not responding to her efforts.
Now, staring out into the vast expanse of the waters she'd grown up with, Nami smiles. "Do you want to go find them?" she finally relents.
Catching the lilt of amusement in her voice, Law stops his pacing long enough to look up at her, wincing when he realizes he hasn't really been paying attention all day. She's sitting on the edge of his meticulously organized desk, one leg drawn to her chest, her gaze focused on the sea outside. Though she's retained every ounce of her lively demeanor and flirtatious mannerisms in the years since the Straw Hats' supposed "disbandment", she's taken to exposing less skin in recent times (he suspects this is for his sake, as their daughter has recently developed an interest in matching Mama).
But only slightly less – she may be sporting a three-quartered sleeve yellow button-down, but she certainly hasn't bothered to actually do anything with those buttons. Instead, she'd opted to tie the ends of the shirt together above her navel, so the only things it's really covering are her breasts and upper arms.
Feeling his contemplative gaze, Nami tilts her head toward him, her eyebrows raised.
Right. She'd asked him a question.
"No," Law finally answers. "You're right. I'm sure they're fine." He takes a moment to compose himself as he strolls across the room, wrapping his arms around his wife's slender waist. He can't help but deflate a little at the way she instinctually melts into the embrace. His blood warms as she shifts to settle her thighs on either side of him.
Nami smiles against his chest. "There you are. I was about to give up on you."
Law dips his head to press an apologetic kiss to her lips, relaxing further as she arches into him, her own arms lifting to slide around his neck. As her lips begin to move against his, he greedily devours the soft whimper that escapes her at the friction their flush alignment grants her taut form.
"Law," she breathes urgently against his ravenous mouth. "They'll be back soon."
He nods. Pulling away from her lips, the Heart captain reaches up to unwind her arms, pressing another kiss to the inside of her right wrist before he releases them. When he tugs his shirt over his head, her hands quickly busy themselves with exploring the toned expanse of his tattooed chest. Her touch is soft but frantic and he groans.
As his own hands start to explore her supple body, he feels a pang of guilt for making her wait so long. It had been a long few months since their last bout of alone time, and while that did little to take away from their nighttime extracurricular indulgences, it was rare to have the day to spend with just each other's company. When he'd grudgingly agreed to the crew's day off the evening before, Nami's eyes had glittered at the prospect.
Now the sun is just an hour or two from setting – at most – and he regrets that he's been neglecting her.
"We've got time," he murmurs against her jawline, the sultry affirmation earning him a delicious tremble of anticipation. To prove his point, he drags his palm across her exposed abdomen slowly, reveling in her sharp intake of breath as his fingers graze the hem of her shirt.
Time or not, Nami whines his name again, digging her heels into his ass to bring him closer to her aching core. Law hisses in satisfaction at the contact, his breath hitching. He may have finally snapped out of his distracted daze, but she's been waiting for his attention all day. She's opening her mouth to warn him not to tease her when his fingers slip beneath her bra, deftly tweaking a perky nipple: what comes out instead is an needy moan that sends all of Law's blood to his throbbing length. Immediately, his other hand travels south to fidget with the button of her white capris.
He's just popped the button and is fiddling with the knot in her shirt when someone pounds frantically on the door.
Law goes rigid. They're still submerged just off the island's coast, so nobody has made it back yet. Hakugan and Jean Bart are the only two who opted to stay behind and guard the ship and they – like all the Hearts – know better than to interrupt alone time.
Nami's eyes widen as she comes to the same conclusion he has: something must be wrong.
"We've got trouble, Captain," Hakugan's strained voice calls from the other side of the door.
It's no longer arousal that has Law's heart pounding as he untangles himself from his lover's shaking limbs. It can't even be called worry anymore – it's something remarkably close to fear that grips him like a vice as he hastily pulls his shirt back on, reaching for Kikoku as he wrenches the door open to pin the helmsman with a piercing stare. Nami remains closely at his side every step of the way. "What's wrong?"
The mask does little to hide Hakugan's apprehension. "There are two marine ships approaching off the west coast. Jean Bart's taking us up now," he adds, before Law can give the order.
Slowly, the captain nods, his mind already working in overdrive as he sends the helmsman back to his station.
At his side, Nami remains frozen to the spot, pulse pounding in her hears. They're fine, her traitorous heartbeat seems to mock. They're fine, she'd insisted.
Law's voice is clipped but soft as he reaches over to squeeze her shaking hand. "Remember what you told me earlier?" he asks.
She tries to focus on her breathing. They're fine. "Which part?"
"The part about my crew knowing what they're doing," he says, relieved the words come out more calmly than he feels. "It's not like they've never dodged a Navy ship before. They won't let anything happen to her."
Nami thinks back to their earlier conversation and nods. "I know that," he'd conceded. She knows, too, though neither that nor the fact that it's just East Blue are enough to settle her nerves. It's amazing, she thinks, that no amount of time traversing unpredictable oceans, crossing paths with dangerous foes, or overcoming unspeakable odds have prepared them for the everyday fear of raising a child.
She wonders how they're going to handle a second one, but this day has gone so completely not how she planned, she's decided to hold off on that conversation for the time being. For now, they've got a daughter and eighteen crewmates to round up before they head off to their next destination. Perhaps she'll tell him once they've made it to her hometown, where she can count on the Heart pirates and an entire village to be on the lookout.
For now, she returns the gentle squeeze as they wait for the ship to surface.
Three hours later, the Polar Tang once again submerged in the azure depths of East Blue, one four-year-old successfully put to bed for the night, seventeen incensed Heart Pirates loudly boo their "untrusting Captain". The only one not present to join in on the jeers is Bepo, who Law correctly assumes is being used as a pillow by both the aforementioned child and her mother, who – he notes wryly– should be on the receiving end of this verbal abuse just as much as he.
Law's brow tics as he makes a mental note to put Hakugan on bathroom duty for a month for running his mouth about how worried the Captain had been just a few hours prior- moments before the ship had surfaced on the island's eastern shore to find the Heart Pirates ready and waiting to go, no worries needed.
"How are you gonna go and doubt us like that, Captain?" Ikkaku cries from across the dining hall.
"Yeah!" Penguin joins in from the sidelines. "Don't you trust us at all?!"
"We'd never let anything happen to the Captain's daughter!" Shachi protests. "Even if she did make us carry a million shopping bags around all day!"
"I didn't doubt you," he grits out, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyelids as he feels a headache start to build behind them. "I just assumed you'd be so caught up in your usual antics it would take all night to round you all up. Besides," he adds, catching a flash of orange hair out of the corner of his eye as Nami sneaks her way back into the room. "Nami was the one that said we should go get her."
Halfway to her spot next to him, Nami gasps indignantly, fixing him with a glare very much like the one he'd missed earlier in the afternoon. "Excuse me?"
The Heart pirates are silent for a moment as they process this. They know well enough their Captain's anxieties, especially those regarding the well-being of the people he cares about. In the past few years, Nami has served as the voice of reason more often than not when it comes to calming him down, but she does appear a little flustered at the accusation. Perhaps even a little guilty.
"You too, Nami-san?" someone cries.
"Even Lady Captain doubts us?" another wails dramatically.
"What do they take us for?" they howl collectively.
Nami shoots her husband a playful glare as she settles down next to him, letting the rest of the Heart pirates continue on with their exaggerated outrage. They end up letting her off a little easier when she turns with a bat of her eyelashes and thanks them all for bringing her daughter back safely and did you all have a good time on your day off? Knowing Law's good mood when he'd agreed had been due in no small part to her, they shift their focus back to him.
"Was that fun for you?" she asks, turning back to him with a self-satisfied smile.
"While it lasted," he sighs. "Traitors. She asleep?"
Stifling a yawn of her own, the navigator nods. It's been a long day and she'd been sorely tempted to fall asleep instead of coming back up to the dining hall, but first she'd wanted to make sure he seemed okay. He was prone to overthinking anytime the reality of their life as pirates and the impact it may have on their daughter was brought to his attention, but it seemed he'd calmed down sufficiently after dinner and getting everyone settled in again for the next leg of their trip.
After a few more minutes of relentless booing, the crew finally settles down as well, breaking off into smaller, quieter groups to discuss the day's events – what stores they'd visited, what wares they'd purchased, what they'd been hoping to get done before the approaching marine ship had ruined their plans… Slowly, they begin to drift off, excusing themselves with final half-hearted glares and murmured "G'night"s as they wander to their respective quarters.
Nami is getting ready to excuse herself as well, her eyes having grown quite heavy, when she catches Law staring at her with a thoughtful expression. "What?" she asks uncertainly.
Confident that none of the few remaining Hearts are paying them any attention, he asks, "Do you think we'll ever not be worried again?"
The laugh that tears out of her body surprises them both; she can't even fight it. A couple of their crewmates glance their way, mildly intrigued by the outburst, but Nami just scoots her chair back from the metal table and reaches out to grab the Captain's hand. "Absolutely not," she tells him. Inwardly, she sighs, because oh boy, does she have news for him.
But that can wait another day or two: for tonight, there's missing time to make up for.
"But that's enough anxiety for one night. Come to bed with me and I'll be happy to distract you, Captain." Straightening, she bids good night to the last of their company and leaves.
She's barely made it out of the dining hall before he Rooms them back to their quarters.
A/N: Hi, yes, I literally have no idea what I'm doing. I haven't written anything in approx. 12 years, so this was more of a challenge to myself to see if I can still put words together in some semblance of a story than anything else, and LawNa happens to give me life.
With any luck this will be a collection of LawNa snippets, drabbles, etc. following no particular order/theme/timeline (may be fluff, may be smut, may be pieces from the manga up to this point, may be speculation on life "after" the One Piece...).
I'm not super confident that anyone will have made it this far, but if you did, thanks for reading my rambling, messy attempt at fanfic. I hope it wasn't too OOC. If you did make it through, I'd love it if you felt like dropping a comment, even if it's just to say hi! I don't really know anyone in the fandom yet.
(Also, I don't know why but I could not name their daughter. I'm probably overthinking it, but giving a name to an OC that is a product of two already amazing/existing characters just seems like something I will not be able to live up to? I don't know, but I promise I'm more sorry than Bepo.)