#1x09-1x17 ✍︎︎
Their entanglement continues.
It's almost nightly at this point, but with limited activities, Zoro's glad he has their evening escapades to get a pseudo workout in. Nami's got stamina, some muscle toning beneath her petite, lithe frame, and a refreshing wickedness that keeps him on his toes. He might even consider this special training.
Overall, the time he spends enmeshed with her late into the night is rewarding, all-consuming, and immensely productive. They don't talk much beyond utterings of praise and swears during completion. But she's not afraid to show him what she likes and in turn what she doesn't like—which he finds preferable. What point would there be in continuing this if neither one of them was getting any enjoyment out of it? Plus, as far as he's concerned, their nonverbal communication regarding preferences has only made the sex better. Dare he say outstanding.
Outside of his nightly visits to her boat, his routine during the day does not change. He eats apples, he naps, he observes and occasionally he prevents Luffy from getting carried away by another fucking bird.
At one point, he even goes as far as attempting to use the apple barrels for weight training, as Nami had teasingly suggested. But Luffy keeps taking out apples and the weight distribution becomes unbalanced. He'd given up trying to use them as barbells as soon as he started. Nami had offered again to be a weight for him a few nights back. And while she would have made a tantalizing barbell, she didn't weigh enough—something he smartly chose not to tell her. He declined, stating he preferred their other nightly training instead. She had no complaints.
"—There's absolutely no way we'll make it to the Grand Line in this condition."
Quirking open an eye at the sound of Nami's voice, Zoro glances up to see the orange-haired navigator looking at him with an expectant raise of her brows. Her brown eyes shift to Luffy in displeasure when he emphasizes their need for meat. Zoro definitely agrees, he was getting pretty sick of eating apples. His comment about booze earns him an apple to the chin. He doesn't know why, it was a valid suggestion. Apparently, she can read his thoughts from the expression on his face because she pins him with a withering stare. Scratching at his jaw, Zoro watches her descend into a full-blown lecture about their terrible lack of priorities and the dangers that await them.
She's not wrong, but her immediate concern seems unwarranted. Things will happen when they happen, no need to stress about it.
"—and maybe a musician to keep us entertained."
"A musician?" Zoro guffaws.
Nami doesn't share his amusement.
She redirects their attention to an island settlement, not too far south from them. He's looking forward to drinking booze and sleeping in a bed after so long. At that thought, his gaze drifts to the navigator once more. Should their entanglement continue off-water, which he had a strong hunch it might, it would be nice to have the time and privacy to fuck her in a proper bed. The micro cabin beneath the deck of her dinghy didn't afford them much space to move around in, let alone turn. A room at an inn, regardless of size, would be a big improvement. An anticipatory smirk lifts the corners of his mouth at the possibility of laying with her again so soon.
But first, a nap. Then booze.
𖣘𖣘𖣘
Their first few hours on dry land go about as well as Zoro had expected they would. The welcome greeting was…comical…to say the least. Luffy made a new friend, something his captain had an uncanny knack for. He got to fill his belly with pint-fulls of beer and something a lot heartier than apples. He also, much to his chagrin, got slingshotted through the sky during an attempt to prevent his captain's elasticity from wreaking havoc on somewhat innocent bystanders. Needless to say, it was an eventful early afternoon.
"—don't tell me you're going to nap here?!" The kid with the pepper-shaped head blurts out suddenly in surprise.
Truthfully, Zoro completely forgot long-nose's pint-sized cronies were still here.
From his cross-legged spot on the ground, Zoro opens his eyes to toss up a glance Nami's way before drifting his focus over to the kids. "I am," he responds in a bored tone of voice. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"I recall you napping all morning," the navigator interjects while checking her fingernails and Zoro can spot a smile twitching on her lips.
"Maybe I'm stocking up for later." A knowing grin curls up one side of his mouth when she bites her lip in what he suspects is growing anticipation for the potential continuation of last night.
The double meaning behind his words predictably goes over the two young boy's heads.
"Why would you stock up?" Pepper-head innocently asks. His bandana-wearing friend chips in: "I bet it's because he's going to be fighting pirates later."
"You're not too far off kid," Zoro agrees with a playful look in Nami's direction. "There's a pirate I'd like to challenge to a wrestling match tonight."
The two boys turn to him with admiration and excitement shining brightly in their eyes. Nami decides to smoothly change topics before he can mess around with them anymore. The swordsman can't help but chuckle—he has a feeling she's still a little miffed about being mistaken for a cannibal.
"—hey where'd Luffy go?"
"Who knows," he replies not at all concerned by his captain's absence. "—he probably ran after that captain."
Attempting to return to his nap, Zoro does his best to tune out the boys' chattering. They make it difficult with yet another question. He hopes that his and Nami's assurances about their captain will be enough to inspire the two boys not to interrupt his third try at sleep. The frantic cries of Onion-head and the well-timed arrival of the insanely dressed, quack hypnotist make napping utterly impossible.
Two minutes into the poorly executed hypnosis demonstration, Nami hops off the fence and stretches her spine.
"Where're you going?" He quirks a moderately curious brow at her when she takes a couple of steps down the road that leads into town.
"To get some more contraceptives," she replies breezily over her shoulder. "Unless you want to end our little arrangement, in which case, I'll just do a little browsing and stretch my legs."
He blinks at her, pleasantly surprised for a moment, and then returns to lounging casually against the fence post as if she hadn't just strategically propositioned him and he wasn't about to willingly agree.
"Pick up some booze on your way back, will ya?" It's his own form of agreement.
"Meshi didn't have enough to tide you over?" Her huff imitates exasperation.
There's a microscopic sense of relief in her gait when she leaves that he finds cute—though he has no intention of ever telling her this. It's embarrassing.
Satisfied that their nightly rendezvous' will continue without issue, Zoro settles in to rest while he waits for her to return.
Twenty minutes later, he can hear her footsteps approaching. Flicking open an eye, he watches her shake her head in disbelief at the four bodies still passed out on the ground.
"Luffy's not back yet?" She notes while claiming her previous spot.
He lifts a brow at her as if to say "What does it look like?" Ignoring him, Nami hops back up on the fence rail with a graceful leap.
"Well?" Zoro eyes her hands expectantly. She rolls her eyes while tossing a bottle of some alcoholic variety at him.
"Consider this an apology for whacking you in the head with an apple earlier." He knows she's not at all sorry and is just putting on an air of sanctimoniousness. Which she does rather well, he notices.
"Apology accepted," he uncorks the bottle with his teeth.
The navigator surveys the landscape around them before turning an analytical eye toward the hypnotist.
"What do you suppose that thing on his chin is?" She ponders out loud. "Doesn't look like facial hair; maybe it's a growth of some sort?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Zoro gulps back a mouthful of liquor and then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. He contemplates. "It is weird looking."
"Should I cut it off and find out?" His offer makes her giggle.
"I'll pass."
"Suit yourself," he shrugs. "Prolly should wake those weirdos up."
Zoro launches the empty bottle at the hypnotist. It nails the sleeping man right in the gut and Nami's lips form an 'o' at his throwing arm, mildly impressed.
The hypnotist flails back to wakefulness and in the process succeeds in rousing the three boys as well.
"Why didn't you aim for his chin?" Nami critiques.
"You just told me not to cut it off," Zoro shoots back.
"Yeah," she states as if the answer is obvious. "With your swords. Knocking it off is entirely different."
"Why don't you knock it off then?!" The swordsman grouses.
"I don't want to touch it," she seems genuinely disgusted by the notion.
Zoro barks out a laugh.
"How dare you," the hypnotist is suddenly swaying up on his feet.
Wrapping a calm grip around the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji, Zoro observes the lanky man with a bland stare. "I'm assuming you have someplace to be?"
The hypnotist freezes comically for a lengthened second. Then he offers a hastily muttered, "Pardon me," and starts awkwardly walking backward as fast as he can.
"Is he running?" The kid with the orange bandanna wonders.
"If he is," Nami tacks on. "He's not doing it very well."
"No kidding," Zoro yawns. "Wake me up when Luffy returns," he announces to no one in particular.
𖣘𖣘𖣘
By sunset, any loose-laid plans Zoro initially had of fucking Nami and passing out in a comfortable bed that night were laid to rest pathetically fast. Finding his captain asleep ass-up and head first on a rocky beach at the bottom of a cliff late that afternoon did the trick.
With the looming threat of pirates laying siege to the south shore at daybreak and a poorly patched strategy of defense in the works, he had little trust in getting a good night's sleep. The only upside, if he could call it one, was that he managed to pull off a three-hour nap while waiting for Luffy to show up that afternoon. It would hold him for now.
Besides, the fact that a decent fight was a few hours away, and it was for a good cause meant that Zoro had little to complain about. Already, there was this barely tolerable itch festering beneath his skin that only the smell of blood and the clash of his katanas would satisfy.
Although— his gaze drifts off to the side of the south shore incline where Nami is surveying the thicket of woodland up above—that's not to say there are no other temporary solutions for this itch either…
If circumstances were better, he would probably be using this opportunity now that they were completely alone to his full advantage.
Zoro makes an analytical sweep of their surroundings before allowing his focus to settle on the orange-haired navigator once more. His curiosity sparks to life as soon as she starts climbing back towards the top of the slope.
"Where're you off to now?" Zoro calls out after her from his spot a third of the way down.
Nami pauses mid-step to acknowledge him. "I'm just going to see if there's anything up there we can use as a barricade." She goes as far as pointing up at the tree line just in case he doesn't hear her, which is ridiculous. He hears just fine.
An open invitation is sent his way next, "You can join me if you want."
She waits for his attention to return to her before she finishes hiking up the last few feet of the incline. He tracks her movements with renewed interest as she moves back in his direction along the forest line.
"What about Luffy and Long-nose," he asks mostly out of formality. Trained eyes finish giving her an appreciating once-over and then arch towards the sky. From where the crescent moon is sitting, they still have some time.
"Even with Luffy's help, it's still going to take Usopp some time to carry over all those oil drums. Plus, you know how much our captain loves eating meat."
Zoro's lips tilt up, "True."
With the grace only a cat burglar can have, Nami weaves around protruding branches and gnarly roots without ever breaking her stride. She stops when she's parallel to him and he has to crane his neck a little to look up at her.
"We might not have the same luxury of time we usually afford ourselves," the temptress of a navigator convincingly tacks on. "But we could still very easily get a round in—maybe two—if we're efficient."
"Of course, that's only possible if you decide to get your toned butt up here." She closes out her argument with an effortless come hither look and a provocative curl to one of her fingers before disappearing inside the tree line.
This woman had an uncanny ability to sneak her way under his skin, he was coming to belatedly realize.
Fuck it, Zoro jumps up to the forest line with a decisive leap. Sex isn't a bad way to warm up before a fight. Furthermore, it sounded like a pretty good way to get his day started.
Nami is waiting for him inside this small clearing of trees with a smug, little grin he wants to suck and bite off her lips. As soon as he's within reach, she pecks his mouth and he follows her blindly into a kiss that deepens, multiplies, and grows increasingly urgent.
Up until now, he has enjoyed taking a slower pace when they kiss—striving for unyielding, drawn-out battles between her lips and his. Maybe it's because they're running against time and there's a battle on the horizon—but these kisses are all teeth, tongue, and this desperate push for power. His blood is burning beneath his skin.
There is little time for foreplay so most of their clothes stay on. However, it makes no difference as impatient, needy hands nudge garments aside to search out overheated skin. Frantic assuredness guides their movements and they've become so well acquainted with one another that they know exactly where to touch and what to press to reach the end quicker. The intensity behind this orgasm is unlike anything they've experienced together so far. It's wondrous.
Later, as they wait for their comrades to return, he runs his tongue along the inside of his teeth; regretting not having more time to savor the excitement and nervousness he could taste on her skin.
There's this calm, well-satiated, and boneless feeling spreading through his limbs that leaves Zoro relaxed and clear-headed.
Reposed eyes follow the way Nami raises her arms high above her head to stretch out her spine. A sliver of her skin just above her hipbones is suddenly exposed by the motion and he spots one of the fading marks he left there days ago in the moonlight. It's not a mark of ownership, nor does he feel any possessiveness towards her. But he would be lying if he said he didn't like the fact that he was the only one beside her, who knew of its existence. The notion has a tendril of low-intensity want unfurling in his belly once again, but he has no interest in acting upon it now—definitely later when the battle's over and he's finished a nap on top of a comfortable bed.
"We're back!" Luffy laughs out in a pseudo-holler from the top of the slope. Both the navigator and the swordsman pick up their gazes to greet him. The comically large bulge of his belly instantly reveals why he's so late.
"We'd be here a lot sooner IF SOMEONE HADN'T STOPPED FOR MEAT!" Usopp spears Luffy with a stink-eye as he heaves off the wooden barrel tied to his back.
"That's what took you so long?!" Nami kicks a rock at Luffy's head for show, but Zoro doesn't miss the covert "I told you so," she brushes his way. Luffy chortles out an apology in the midst of unloading an armful of barrels.
A lopsided grin shifts across the swordsman's face and he can't help but shake his head at the hilarity of the situation he's found himself in.
Fuck, I can't wait to sleep, he thinks while stopping a runaway oil drum with his foot. "Where do you want this shit?"
Having caught his breath, Usopp returns to full height and inflates his chest proudly. "Worry not my comrades! For I, the MIGHTY USOPP, have come up with a dastardly design."
𖣘𖣘𖣘
His dastardly design isn't all that dastardly in the navigator's opinion. Especially since the design the sharpshooter decided to create is simply a thick stripe of oil about halfway down the slope. She murmurs this observation under her breath to the swordsman before stepping away to get a better look. Her comment pushes a micro smirk up one side of his mouth. Zoro lazily watches the oil ooze out of the last barrel as Usopp starts to boast about his ingenuity.
"Wow, so that's your plan huh?" Nami remarks offhandly. She moves closer and, almost instinctively, Zoro follows one step behind.
"That's right," Usopp confirms. "I'm going to defend the village no matter what it takes!"
The swordsman gives him props for his blind confidence.
"Let's just hope none of us slip on that oil and end up down there with them."
Through his peripherals, Zoro can see the exact moment Usopp realizes the fatal flaw in his dastardly design. And if the sharpshooter hadn't, well, Nami's meat-grinder analogy would have done the trick.
Luffy's compliment about dirty fighting seems to give Usopp back his confidence. That's a good sign. They're going to need him to keep his wits intact and not succumb to the pressure.
The sky starts to lighten over the ocean and Zoro's gaze instinctively narrows as he rests an arm over the hilts of his katana.
"It's almost daybreak," he warns. "They're coming."
𖣘𖣘𖣘
In hindsight, thinking things would go according to plan was probably his first fatal mistake. His second was having sex with the very woman who would abandon him in an oil trap just to save herself a few hours later. And his third and final mistake would be not using his katanas to escape the oil sooner. Fuck, he was tired.
The treasure's in danger my foot, Zoro growls out of breath at the top of the slope. I'm going to kill her. She was going to pay for leaving him down there.
Being reminded of her selfishness only serves to irritate him further. Their tryst in the forest had been phenomenal and if she hadn't just fucking left him in that nightmare—he could be cutting down pirates right now while still basking in the afterglow.
Damnit he was pissed.
By the time he and Luffy finally joined the fight, he was exhausted. But, he won't deny that the look of pure relief on her face at the mere sight of him did help soothe his ire just a tad. In true Nami fashion, she has to go and mouth off about their late arrival. Secretly, Zoro is really glad she's given him a reason to argue. Throwing insults back at her is far easier than admitting he was a little worried about her facing all these damn cat-eared pirates alone.
For a couple of minutes, his and Luffy's arrival seemed to turn the battle in their favor. Nami helps Usopp safely get to higher ground and despite the mishaps getting to the north shore, both the swordsman and his captain are ready and geared up for a good fight.
Zoro should have learned by now that any expectations he has for Luffy to reliably stay on track, should be voided. Like some crazy, unethical science experiment, Jango's hypnosis transforms his own crew and Zoro's captain into monsters. The swordsman's initial plan was for the two of them to take on the advancing pirates together as a team. Hypnotized Luffy basically told that plan to fuck off.
So he waits out his captain's rampage from the top of the slope. When the battle is long over, Zoro might look back on this moment of watching Luffy tear off the Black Cat figurehead from the bow of the ship, and think of it as a futuristic sign of their victory.
But for now…they're fucked.
Being down a captain and two swords really tests Zoro's boundaries of skill. Three-sword-style is his métier. One-sword style is definitely not. His confidence keeps fluctuating and he wishes Usopp and Nami picked up on his intentions a little sooner. It would have saved him from getting shot in the back.
Nami's attempt to rescue his swords is admirable. While he's appreciative, it gives him one more variable to worry about. He can't protect her now and it drops a ball of lead in his stomach.
The butler's arrival only makes things worse.
The pair of brothers are given one final chance to take him out.
Zoro risks a glance over his shoulder to check on Nami. He can see that she's slouching a little because of her wounded shoulder and there's pain glistening in her eyes. Tightening his grip around the hilt of his remaining katana, Zoro wordlessly turns back around to face his returning opponents.
He won't make this final chance easy for them.
Zoro readies himself.
Then the unexpected happens.
That brazen, pretty girl with the sliced open shoulder defies all assumptions when she kicks up his swords and sends them flying back to him with a desperate shout of his name. For a split second, after the shock of her careless sword handling wears off, Zoro is reminded of the first time he met her. He wants to kiss her.
"How 'bout a thanks?" It's her way of telling him she's fine and to keep fighting.
He does.
𖣘𖣘𖣘
Following the conclusion of his last fight with Jango, Zoro returns to the north slope. A knowing, tired grin makes its way across his face at the sight of his crew. Luffy is sprawled out on the ground like a starfish and Nami sits beside him, a bag of treasure clutched lovingly in her lap. He would expect nothing less of them. Zoro takes a seat off to the side and props himself up against the rock wall to rest.
"Welcome back," Nami greets while nuzzling one of her cheeks against the top of her loot.
"You look happy," he remarks in dry amusement.
"Of course!" She chirps brightly. "I got such lovely treasure!"
"Zoro," Luffy whines. "I want meat." Of course, he does.
The swordsman chuckles at that, "You might be on to something, there, Luffy. I could go for some booze myself."
"Seriously, what am I going to do with you two," Nami sighs in immense disbelief. He doesn't think she has much ground to stand on.
Usopp joins them a little while later to thank them for all their help. Zoro wonders if the sharpshooter has any idea he's already become a member of their crew.
Yeah, Zoro yawns. Long-nose has no idea.
𖣘𖣘𖣘
The caravel Kaya gifts them to show her appreciation for all their help is beautiful. Zoro doesn't know much about the technical side of ships, but from the way Nami's eyes gleamed after hearing all of the boat's initial specs, he imagines their boat is pretty impressive. From up on the deck, he can confidently say it feels impressive. He's not a sappy guy, but Zoro has decided that the Going Merry feels like home.
A welcome party is held in honor of their new crewmate and their new ship. It's a historic moment that gives him all the excuses he needs to throw back a full barrel of beer and raid the kitchen's provisions until he's full. When he's done, Zoro lays out on the deck to nap.
His nap inadvertently turns into an eight-hour hibernation. When he wakes up late into the evening hours, it's to the discovery that the rest of his crew has disappeared below deck and that Nami had dressed his injuries at some point.
A part of him is mildly concerned that he didn't wake up during her treatment. The remaining parts of him decide that it's due to a mixture of exhaustion and the fact that his senses have gotten intimately familiar with her presence at his side. On the upside, since she has no interest in his swords and he's broke as shit, he never has to worry about her stealing from him while he's unconscious.
Getting to his feet, Zoro finds his way back to the lounge. He gets himself a mug of beer and settles in against the wall behind the table. There's movement outside the lounge door a while later. Zoro isn't all that surprised to find a familiar orange head poking through the gap as the door opens.
"You're finally up," Nami teases. "It's about damn time."
He watches the slender navigator slip in before closing the door behind her. She helps herself to the barrel of beer he's opened and takes a seat across the table from him.
"What're you doing up?" Truth be told, he had initially assumed she went to her new room to either sleep or do some charting.
"I took the first watch since the rest of you lazy bums passed out," she laments. There's no real malice behind her words, if anything, she just looks moderately annoyed. Internally, Zoro does feel a bit bad she wasn't given much of a choice.
"Good to see you pulling your weight," he quips.
She throws him a middle finger and Zoro finds it a little difficult to hide his wide grin behind the rim of his cup.
The navigator switches topics, "How are your wounds?"
"You would know how they're fairing better than I would," he gestures lazily at the bandages under his shirt.
Nami's lips twitch into the beginnings of a bawdy smile. "Would I?" She feigns ignorance frustratingly well.
Zoro snorts in disbelief. He gulps back the rest of what's left in his cup before going for another fill.
They drink in companionable silence. Somewhere between his sixth and seventh fill, Zoro finally gets around to thanking her for the patch job, although it was entirely unnecessary. He would've lived.
"Thanks for this," he caves with another inward gesture. He doesn't miss the way her eyes hover on his chest a bit longer than socially necessary. It has the stirrings of pride and want amassing together in his abdomen.
"You're welcome," she flicks her gaze up to find him watching her intently.
"Now that I think about it," the edge of his mouth lifts, "I owe you a kiss."
There's a drop of confusion in her pupils for a quarter of a second before her whiskey-colored eyes clear in sudden recognition. "For your swords?"
At his nod, Nami subconsciously bites her lip. He's got her full attention now.
Zoro sets down his mug and pushes the table towards her, making an offer. Silently, Nami gets up and moves around the little dining nook until she's standing between him and the table. The swordsman widens his knees and leans back against the wall expectantly. Heated eyes trail over her face as Nami rests her right knee on the edge of the bench just inside his legs.
Like that very first night back on the tiny boat, their eyes lock and the distance closes remarkably fast. Threading his fingers through the short, silky strands of her hair—he pulls her head down and anchors their mouths together in a searing kiss.
"I wanted to kill you earlier," he whispers against the seam of her lips.
"Did you?" One of her fingers plays with his earrings. He slides his hands up the back of her thighs with a set destination already in mind.
He hums noncommittally.
Something wicked scintillates to life in her eyes and it sends a dose of epinephrine shooting through his blood.
"Thanks for reminding me," she purrs while pulling back. "I owe you something too."
Interests piqued, Zoro elevates an eyebrow at her and the way her hands start torpidly gliding down his chest with a hint of gentleness warns him of what's to come a little too late.
When she drops to her knees in between his legs, his mouth goes dry.
They haven't done this yet.
Fondling? Fingering? Hand jobs? They've done that.
But not this.
Where do his fucking hands go?
"Na—" her name dies on his tongue as her fingers curl into the hem of his pants beneath his haramaki. Suddenly he can't remember what he was trying to say.
Intuitively, Zoro lifts up his hips a little too eagerly in an effort to help her pull his pants down. The glaringly obvious fact that he just did that, presses a grin to her face. The woman seems quite pleased with the sudden power she has over him. He hates it.
"You play dirty, woman," he hisses through clenched teeth. "I'm not even pissed about the oil anymore."
"Isn't that a good thing?" She hums guiltlessly and he loathes how the sound goes straight to his dick.
Nami wraps purposeful hands around his cock and the pressure behind her hold on him is upsettingly perfect. Glorious even. All this private time together has clearly paid off. But the pace she's set leaves very little to be desired—because there is no pace. She's stagnant.
"Well?" He grits out, using every ounce of the fine-tuned self-control he still has not to rut up into her hands.
"Well what?" She parrots back just as innocently as before.
"Aren't…aren't you going to move?" It's mortifying how helplessly awkward and defenseless he is in this moment. He hasn't decided yet if being at her mercy is something he enjoys.
"Why would I do that?"
She's fucking with him, it's evident on her face and he despises how smug she looks. Straight up pisses him off.
But like the spawn of satan she is; Nami doesn't give him any warning when she envelopes the head of his cock with her mouth and sets an excruciatingly slow pace with her hands that's only microscopically faster than stagnant.
The poor swordsman nearly bites off his own tongue in surprise and the grip he now has on the bench seat is strong enough to crack the wood. Maybe he could feign ignorance and say the bench came like that if anyone asks. Believable excuses aren't what he should be focusing on right now. Nami seems to agree. The graze of her teeth is all the warning he needs.
Nami brings him to a torturously slow completion just like that. It's a powerful, overwhelming orgasm. And yet, his hunger has barely been fed. He has a sinking suspicion this was her plan from the moment she walked in. He really wouldn't put it past her.
"Consider us square," she sings as she returns to her seat across from him.
They're the farthest thing from square.
Nami sips impishly from her own mug and Zoro lets out a growl of annoyance. The blood has barely returned to his head and she's already playing games with him again. Fixing his pants, Zoro throws back the rest of his ale and stands abruptly.
"Give me ten minutes," he demands gruffly. "I'll meet you in your room."
He leaves without another word and heads straight to the men's room to wake Usopp.
𖣘𖣘𖣘
In the wee hours of the morning, Zoro finds himself unable to go back to sleep. He needs to go back to his hammock before Usopp returns, but he doesn't want to move the sleeping navigator from his side just yet. He doesn't do cuddles or romance. But they've shared body heat like this before, when they're in between rounds and her skin feels nice and cool against his own. This situation doesn't make him uncomfortable. What's out of character is that he wants to prolong this moment. It's strange.
They don't fancy each other romantically. They're not on the path to fall in love. If he had to label what they are…he would say they're new friends at best and crew acquaintances at worst. Obviously, the sex does tweak the standard definitions a bit.
Glancing down at Nami through the dark, Zoro traces a calloused hand over the bandages she habitually kept wrapped around her upper left bicep. This wrapping was one of Nami's secrets that he didn't have a burning desire to know the history behind. He respected that she didn't want to talk about it, just like she respected that a few of his scars had origin stories he didn't want to share. This 'minding their own business' quality was something he really enjoyed about their relationship. It just made things easy. Comfortable.
His hand journeys over the raise of her shoulder and dips down to her collarbone. The wandering stops at her neck.
Zoro rubs the pad of his thumb across the skin of her neck in contemplation. She almost got decapitated right before his eyes today. That was something he didn't want to ever experience again. The genuine fear he had felt in that moment was palpable. Nami had clearly cemented her place in his life a lot quicker than he initially realized. She is now a valuable comrade he doesn't want to lose.
That meant he needed to get stronger.
Careful not to wake her, Zoro gets up from the couch-turned-bed and tugs the blanket up over the sleeping navigator. Finding his clothes in the dark is almost harder than fighting with only one sword, but he succeeds at both. His three katanas had stood sentry beside the couch while he slept. Sliding them back into place and feeling their familiar weight at his hip, steels his resolve.
Zoro climbs up the stairs leading to the storage deck and plans out his training regime for the day as he closes the hatch door behind him.