Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.
Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.
Warning: OOC possible. One shot.
Rating: T
Note: A ZoNa Holiday Events is up at Tumbler for the month of December. We got selected themes for each day and we'd love other ZoNa shippers to join and celebrate our favorite couple with holiday-themed fanarts and fanfics! Feel free to check it at zonami tumblr.
This is one day late. Today's theme is different but I'll still push it.
Theme: #17 - Morning After Christmas
Summary: All that eventually led them here. The morning after Christmas—all tangled up in each other and wrapped in the coziest blankets…
Morning After Christmas
Soft.
So soft.
He can hardly remember a time when he woke up nuzzled against something so soft, so comforting…
…and so warm.
Zoro doesn't really care much about the comforts of life. He rarely lets unnecessary whims or luxuries bother him and he rarely indulges in them.
Well except of course when it's sleep and sake. Those are the only two things he lets himself enjoy without any restrictions.
He lived simply. He survived with whatever is on hand without any complaint or fuss. As long as there is food to eat, water to drink, a shade to rest and sleep (doesn't matter if it is inside an abandoned shelter or a tree in the midst of the forest); he is all good.
But this feeling that greeted him the moment he woke up was too pleasant to pass. It was new and not something he is used to. Zoro had woken up with a lot of the not-so-nice things greeting him—an end of a sword or knife pointed at his throat, the hard, cold ground, a growling, wild animal looking for food, a punch in head, the cold sea water, Luffy's mouth about to take a chomp of him and his pillow while dreaming of meat (and he wasn't the only one in the boy's room to experience this, it's a constant problem)…
…but never this. Never surrounded by this kind of warmth and comfort and softness he had never known before. The kind that makes you never want to pull away. Ever.
Just this once he wanted to let himself bask in it. Revel in it. The way he indulges himself with sleep and alcohol—no restrictions
He took a deep breath and buried his face closer to it. To the warmth, the softness that smelled slightly of…
Tangerines.
Like Nami's tangerines.
With that he cracked his eye open, all his senses now wide awake.
His gaze was instantly fixed on the sight of smooth skin, tanned slightly from sailing under sun. There are wisps of curling orange hair resting against the slender curve of the neck and framing a beautiful, sleeping face.
Nami took a deep breath in her sleep, her bare shoulder slowly rising and falling at the action. Zoro watched in fascination as her lips pursed slightly, her brows furrowing before she nestled closer to him. Her chin settled against the top of his head and he realized what that softness he was feeling was.
He was actually pressed against her, his face settled comfortably against her generous breasts.
His initial reaction was to jerk back the moment it dawned unto him that he was eye level with those beautiful, naked mounds and that enticing cleavage. But stopped short when he realized that he can't move… he and Nami were tangled up with each other. Their arms and legs entwined in a way that they slept locked in each other's embrace.
Well… their Christmas night had been crazy fun. Why else would they end up wrapped in each other this morning?
Not that he's complaining. They've been doing this exasperating back and forth with each other for so long it was bound to blow up anytime soon. Besides he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment their petty and perpetual squabbling turned into a sort of their own secret language and a way to show their affection for each other that was actually there—quietly sitting and patiently waiting to rear its head out in the least expected moment.
But he had known (and so did Nami) that there was a certain shift in their bickering which initially were tinge with insults that were meant to pull the other down a peg or two or put them in their own places. It had something in it that wasn't there before. How every time it ended, they'd part ways just like before, huffing at each other only this time they would both desperately try to hide a smirk and a smile as they walk away.
How Zoro was now always looking forward to it and would sometimes deliberately try to rile the navigator up and how Nami did the same, purposely coming up the crow's nest while he trains or naps to start a row with him.
It never ended with either one of them annoyed with each other. And that was new and surprising and to be honest kind of exhilirating.
He also started being more tolerant of her, not getting easily irritated with her complaints or even if she was waking him up with her fist. The same goes for her, she doesn't make too much fuss when he gets lost or when he says or do something that she deemed stupid.
And he realized while all this is happening, they also started to move closer to each other. Literally. Like they were drawn to each other like magnets. They started sitting beside each other more often. Or standing almost near each other. But always at arm's length… far enough yet still close enough.
Three weeks into Christmas, the distance they carefully kept between them while they try to make sense on what they should do totally disappeared.
And the touching started.
Light and fleeting at first. A tap on the shoulder, a nudge on the arm, the back of their hands brushing against each other…
Zoro stood much closer to her now, near enough to breathe in the scent of tangerines from her hair. And Nami started crowding on his personal space, leaning on to him with a cheeky smile on her face especially when she needs to pass someone something or get something from someone, almost as if she was teasing him.
On one random island where they docked for the day, she had 'accidentally' pulled at his fingers in an attempt to stop him from turning around a random corner and disappearing on them because he definitely will get lost the moment she lose sight of him.
And Nami never let go.
Her dainty hand was wrapped around three of his fingers as she tugged him all over the marketplace to buy some necessities for their stock. He followed her with a lot of grumbling and expletives all at the same time marvelling at the size difference of their hands.
How soft hers was. How coarse his is.
How it just feels right.
Before the sun set that day, his hand was intertwined with hers. And for reasons so much more than because he'll wander off and will get lost.
And soon after they would find their hands interlaced together at random times of the day. Always surreptitiously, never in front of the others. Only when they are sure that they are only ones in the room.
She'd casually lean her head on his shoulder while they were up in the crow's nest on their night shifts. His hand would rest the small of her back as they explore the island where they just docked just by themselves, far from the crew.
And when they are alone in the crow's nest again before the change of watch, that same hand would wound itself around her waist so he can pull her closer to him for a kiss.
All that eventually led them here. The morning after Christmas—all tangled up in each other and wrapped in the coziest blankets Nami had brought last night after their Christmas celebration along with a bottle of sake to share.
"Mmmm…" Nami suddenly hummed as she started to stir awake, her body moving languidly to stretch. She opened her eyes and chocolate brown orbs peered down at him in wonder, blinking twice before a warm smile spread on her face.
"You awake already?" She murmured softly, her voice still laced with sleep. "It's not even the break of the day."
Zoro smirked. He rubbed a hand against her exposed arm noticing how the skin on it prickled with the cold air of dawn. Luckily they were nowhere near a winter island right now or they'd both be freezing by now from falling asleep with just the blankets on them.
"These blankets are crazy soft," Nami was mumbling, rubbing her feet against the material. "It feels so good."
"Yeah," Zoro agreed, as he continued to warm her arm.
She just let out a soft purring sound of contentment at his ministration before her eyes drifted close again. "Sleep with me some more Zoro." she requested.
The swordsman chuckled. He'd never deny her that.
He adjusted their position so Nami was now the one whose eye level with his chest, her head resting on the crook of his arm. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead as he covered them with one of the blankets so they both could drift off back to sleep.
The soft giggle she let out sent a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Zoro rarely lets himself indulge in this kind of comfort.
But maybe this morning after Christmas he might finally start to.
– The End –
R and R please.