Nami had never thought about what her freedom would taste like, all this time. She'd been too busy to imagine life beyond her one overarching goal that she had barely entertained the idea. That was something she could deal with when the day finally came.
But she never thought it would taste like this: Zoro's tongue heavy in her mouth, the taste of alcohol, with her hand fisted in his hair as they pressed themselves against each other in a doorway nook on Going Merry.
Like his hand sliding up her shirt, gentler than she thought possible from him, tickling her ribs before sliding up to cup one breast.
She gasped against his mouth and tugged the strands of green between her fingers. In response, he made a sound low in his throat, pressing his pelvis tighter against hers to rub against that aching spot between her legs. Nami gave a little breathy moan, shifted her thighs apart wider, and slid one hand down his haramaki-
"NAMI! ZORO! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS? WE'RE GONNA LIGHT FIREWORKS NOW!"
-came the cry of their boisterous captain, ever the mood killer.
They broke apart panting, their arms still around each other. Nami peeked up at Zoro underneath her lashes.
This wasn't where she'd planned to end up tonight, but this morning they'd set sail from her newly liberated home, put their legs up on a barrel, and declared their resolution to be a crew under Luffy and realize their dreams along the Grand Line. So of course, the drinks started flowing, Sanji had made a truly outstanding celebration dinner, and though there were only five of them it had seemed as grand as the huge celebration in Coco Village they'd just left behind.
That was the state of mind Nami found herself in as she made her way back from the bathroom, emerging from lower decks and closing the door behind her when she spotted Zoro leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Hey." She greeted him casually as she approached. "Taking a breather?"
Zoro grunted. "Nah. Waiting for you, actually."
She raised an eyebrow. That was certainly unusual. She leaned against the wall beside him and crossed her arms, mimicking his posture. "For me? Shoot. What's this all about?"
He took a moment, opening and closing his mouth a few times before he could get a word out, his gaze on the ocean as he spoke.
"About before...before you left. I said something I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." He finally turned to look her in the eye.
Nami was surprised, to say the least. His words had definitely hurt at the time, but it wouldn't have changed her mind. She'd grown close to them, liked them, but in the end she hadn't trusted they could help her, because she was so used to fighting alone.
She relaxed her arms, tucking them behind her back. "Well, it wouldn't have changed what happened. It's none of your guys' faults, after all. I was always going to leave."
Zoro shook his head. "It's not about that. What I said just…wasn't true. I was mad and I took your concern as...not believing in me. As laughing at my dreams. I just wanted to hurt you back." He hesitated again. "And I... was a bad friend for that. For not believing in you, either. I can't believe the fucking waiter had a better read on you than I did. If I hadn't seen your situation for myself I would have just left you to your fate, y'know?" He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, and dropped it to clench into a fist.
He looked so genuinely disappointed in himself that Nami grabbed his hand without thinking and squeezed it comfortingly.
This was certainly the most Zoro had ever spoken to her in one go, so she took the time to formulate her answer.
"Thanks." She bit her lip. "You know, I think we've been kind of caught up in our own situations so much that we looked past each other, even when we were on the same boat. But that's behind us now, okay? Since we've officially become the crew of the Straw Hat Pirates." She tilted her head up at him, smiling. "Luckily, we had Luffy to keep us from going down different paths. So from today onwards, it'll be a blank slate, okay? Square one. All of us are going to have each other's backs from now on." She smiled crookedly.
Zoro smiled slowly back at her, squeezing her hand back imperceptibly. "Yeah." He responded. "Sounds good."
He had a nice smile, Nami realized belatedly. Usually it was a cocky smirk or a sarcastic twist of his lips when they were quipping at each other, but he looked so much better like this.
Without thinking, she poked his cheek with her free hand. Zoro swatted her hand playfully but didn't stop smiling.
"What? What's up with you, are you still drunk?" He started to poke her face back and she laughed as she dodged, feeling light. It wasn't the alcohol, but the unrestrained freedom and happiness she suddenly felt in that moment. She hadn't thought it would make that much difference, but somewhere deep down she might have been a little hesitant about her place among the crew. But Zoro's apology relieved that last little fear that everyone on board actually accepted and wanted her there.
Here she was, out on the open seas with the wind at her back, true companions by her side, and a ship beneath her feet that could go anywhere. It finally hit her then; she was really, truly, one hundred percent free.
It made her feel giddy. Something was bubbling up in her veins that felt more potent than the drink she had consumed earlier. The air between them seemed to shift into something electric as she glanced up at Zoro, still beaming in laughter.
He seemed to feel it too, because the look in his eyes turned into something heavier as his body curved down towards her as if drawn by a magnet. There was less space between them now, slightly too crowded together for mere crewmates as they leaned on the wall facing each other, shoulders a hair's breadth apart.
"I'm not drunk." She murmured, transfixed. He wasn't looking anywhere but her face and she felt a little thrill jump down her spine. "I just had one glass. What about you?"
"It'll take a lot more than that to even get me tipsy." He snorted derisively, gently ruffling her bangs. The moonlight behind him set his face into shadow, throwing the sharp curve of his jaw into relief and gleaming off the three earrings in his lobe. Nami was struck with the sudden urge to put her mouth on it and taste the salt there.
"Y'know." He started, voice lower than before. "I heard you reading to me." His thumb absently swiped the back of her hand and she shivered.
She scoffed, smiling. "Who said that was me? There's no way you actually heard anything like that. Usopp was probably telling tall tales at your bedside."
Zoro smirked. "I did hear. Maybe not the exact words but I got the gist. I even knew when you left; I just thought it was a dream at the time."
He paused then smiled his nice, sweet smile again. "I think that's what saved me, you know. I think I followed your voice back."
There was a lump in her throat. She couldn't speak around whatever emotion was sizzling in her gut - this was too new and raw for her. She felt an itch beneath her skin, like something clawing to get out.
Her tongue darted out to lick dry lips and Zoro's eyes followed. He was rubbing slow circles on her hand now, almost an unconscious motion. Like he couldn't help but touch her.
"You know, Zoro." Her voice had gone slightly softer. "I'm free now, for the first time in eight years. I almost don't know what to do with myself. I can do anything I want to." Her laugh was a little giddy, feeling uncharacteristically lightheaded from their openness to each other, from his gentle touches.
"Yeah." He couldn't help but laugh with her. "Freedom suits you." The hand not holding hers went to poke gently at her cheek again, this time letting it linger there and trail her skin as it curled away.
"But," She breathed, catching his hand before it left. "Maybe you can help me with this one thing? I can't do it by myself." Slowly, Nami guided Zoro's hand to rest on her waist, glancing up at him under her lashes, and waited.
His answer was to yank her forward and crush his mouth against hers, her lips instantly parting for him as he turned and pressed her into the wall. The hand on her waist gripped her tight, fingers stroking her lower back while the other one came up to cradle her jaw as she wound her arms around his neck.
That giddy feeling was bubbling over, electrifying her cells as she let her tongue twine with his, their lips sliding together smoothly. Her left hand went up to bury itself in his hair and the right slid to his chest, feeling the pulse there. He was so warm and solid beneath her, his heartbeat thrumming, matching the roar in her ears. The hand on her waist was playing with the skin peeking out from beneath the hem of her shirt, drawing circles on her hip bone like it had been earlier on her hand. Zoro broke away from her lips to mouth at her jaw, trailing down to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, where he bit lightly. Her hips jerked forward to connect with his and he growled, pressing back.
"Zoro." She panted. She felt too hot for her own skin; like a flame was trying to burst out from beneath. She was hyper-aware of every place their skin connected, every sound made between them, and she wanted more.
Nami was used to taking what she wanted, but there was always a careful calculation; what could she get for this, what could this be used for? She'd always been careful to hide her true desires so it couldn't be used against her. That was how she'd lived her life; she was always a shadow that slipped in and out of people's lives quietly.
But now Nami felt a wild greed. She wanted to steal every breath from his lips and sound from his throat; take everything he would give her and devour it whole. And in return, she wanted to pour herself back into him, to settle in his skin and smother his bones and prove she was there. To leave traces a good thief wouldn't.
Her blood was singing in her veins as she surged up against him like a force of nature, pushing and rolling and biting. She'd never felt so alive.
They were lost in each other, twining tighter together when Luffy's interruption jolted them back to the present.
Now as they untangled from each other, Nami looked up at Zoro. He seemed as dazed as she felt: his gaze was intense, eyes lidded and mouth still slightly parted as he looked down at her. Her right hand was still over his chest, where she could feel his heartbeat race below her palm. Her own pulse was still jackrabbiting as their breaths evened out.
She decided she liked how he looked at her like this.
"Let's go." Zoro ducked his head and stepped away to leave until Nami went up on her toes to press a last kiss to the underside of his jaw like she'd wanted to earlier. He shuddered beneath her as she mouthed along to nip at his ear and he clutched one hip tightly.
"Nami." His voice was still gravelly with lust. "We've gotta get back before they-."
"NAMI! ZORO! DID YOU FALL OVERBOARD? SHOULD WE COME GET YOU-"
"WE'RE ON THE WAY, ALRIGHT?" Zoro finally yelled back, frustrated.
"Damn." Nami giggled, smiling like a cat with the cream as she broke away. "Captain calls, after all."
As they made their way back to the galley, Nami could already hear boisterous yelling and laughter as the scent of delicious food wafted out from behind the brightly lit door. It warmed that new fire burning in her chest.
"Zoro." Nami turned on her heel to face him, stopping just out of view from the door's window. "You have the last shift of night watch, right? Care to come by my room when you're done?" She gave a Cheshire smile, all mischievous promise.
"Yeah." Zoro's matching grin had the same heat behind it. "I'll do that."
"And when you do," Nami said. "I'll return this to you." She held up a hand to reveal a gold earring dangling between her fingers. Surprised, one of Zoro's hands flew up to check his ear, snorting when he found one was indeed missing.
"Couldn't help yourself, huh?"
"Doesn't hurt to have a little insurance." She shrugged, tucking it into her pocket.
"How'd you even do that, anyways?" Zoro muttered, scratching the back of his head. She stuck out her tongue in response, raising a suggestive eyebrow.
"But you know," Zoro bent down, putting his mouth to her ear. "You don't need it. I'd have come to you no matter what." Nami suppressed a shiver, body tilting towards him like a siren song.
He pulled back, holding her gaze as he brushed a coppery lock of stray hair behind her ear. "You don't have to worry about that from now on." He said quietly.
No, Nami thought. Maybe she didn't. Zoro was looking at her like he understood what she'd wanted, and maybe he'd wanted the same thing too; to swallow her up just the same and leave a bit of his own life in her soul. To be seen and felt and remembered. Maybe deep down, he was just as greedy as her.
Nami grinned, tugging Zoro forward and towards the light.