A/N: Hello, everyone! I will start by apologising once again. I am awful for not updating this story more often. I'm gonna try and make it up to you I promise. And as soon as my exams are finished I will really get into work on this one and my other unfinished fics. Also, if you guys are keen on reading any Fairy Tail fanfic for Miraxus, please check out my story Rumor has it. I've been fangirling hard on the whole Mirajane and Laxus pairing.
Also, I feel like I'm going slightly OOC, please let me know if this is the case so I can fix whatever is wrong with me.
So, without further a due, please enjoy! Any suggestions, comments or hate messages for my lazy ass are welcome!
Nami and Zoro made their way back to his apartment in quick time. As soon as they got out of Zoro's sport car, pouring rain started dousing the two. They both tried to put their jackets on top of their heads to avoid getting drenched in rain water as much as possible, but to no avail. In the short walk from Zoro's parking space to the entrance door, both Nami and Zoro were dripping wet. They climbed the old stairs to the top floor of the building where their destination was located.
When they entered the apartment, darkness enveloped them. It was not that late into the day, but the storm outside had managed to devour even the tiniest ray of sun outside. They took their drenched shoes out and their coats off, near the entrance so they wouldn't make a mess of the relatively clean apartment. Even though this was a boys' house, Nami couldn't help but think it was surprisingly tidy. Zoro made his way into his room and grabbed two towels from one of the drawers. One was large enough for a person to wrap around themselves while the other was smaller. He turned to Nami and handed them to her "Go ahead, witch. You should go wash before you get sick" Zoro said plainly.
"Oh, my what a gentleman" she mocked him, but at the end she couldn't help her smile. It was nice having someone care for her that much.
"Tch. I know if you get sick, I'll never hear the end of it" he responded. That earned him a smack on the back of his head followed by an annoyed 'stupid moss-head' and the sound of the door to the bathroom opening and then closing again. As soon as he heard the water running, he made his way over to the kitchen and sat at one of the stools there. It was the only place he wouldn't get wet at that moment. He tried to look out the window, but couldn't really make out anything apart from the occasional thunder that would fleetingly light up the sky.
He wondered how Luffy and Vivi were going to get home, taken that the arcade plan was ruined already by the sudden change in the whether. He knew they would be alright though, Luffy would make sure to get himself and his girl back safely.
Zoro then thought about his day. A lot of crazy shit had happened in only mere hours. He had seen Robin again out of all people and then Arlong decided to threaten Nami. At the thought of Arlong, Zoro clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. That fucking bastard would pay for all the shit he had caused to Nami. He promised her and he would keep true to his promise. He just had to wait for the perfect opportunity, so he wouldn't blow his cover.
Nami would be safe with him until then. It was dumbfounding how in such a short period of time he was back in her life and she accepted him. He smiled at that. He would make sure to be there for here and protect her from anything or anyone that dared to upset her even in the slightest. As he was lost in thought, out of the corner of his eye he noticed the stack of envelopes on his kitchen counter.
He was pretty sure Luffy was in charge of keeping the mail in order. Then, again he shouldn't expect much from Luffy. When he first set foot in this apartment that was supposed to be Luffy's fortress of solitude, the place was wrecked. As soon as Luffy agreed to take Zoro in and let him stay in his guest room, Zoro had made sure to lend the man a hand and help him with cleaning up the messy apartment and turning it into a liveable house. Luffy was doing his best to help him with the house chores and he was doing a good job on it, but he guessed he shouldn't expect so much from his idiot friend as to also order out their mail.
Most of the envelopes on the table were for Luffy. He was still the only registered tenant of the house so all the bills and other mail for the apartment came under his name. There were a few takeaway menus and advertisements of new shops in town among other things. What caught Zoro's attention though was a plain white envelope with no sender or recipient address. It looked as if someone had slipped it under the door rather than mailed it to the apartment.
He took the suspicious envelop in his hands and opened it carefully. Inside only a plain, typed note.
If you are looking for the cause of her death, maybe you should start searching in the right direction. Come at East Gate Park this Friday, 8pm. Come alone.
The note wasn't signed, that would beat the whole purpose. Zoro was not convinced this would lead him to any information. The note alone seemed shady and it could easily be a trap organised by the person that killed his mother. On the other hand, he had no lead ons for the time being. Maybe it would be his only chance to learn something useful. The meeting was supposed to take place tomorrow, so he still had some time to think about what he should do.
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door of the bathroom opening again. He turned his eyes towards the petite girl exiting his bathroom. Nami was clad in the towel he had given her earlier. Despite its size, it came short on Nami, ending around her thighs. He could see how the towel clung to her body tightly, especially around her large chest. Although she had wrapped her hair in the smaller tower, some stray strands of orange hair escaped it and danced on her shoulders. He couldn't help but think how etherial she looked at that moment.
Despite the dark, Nami noticed Zoro's eyes on her. She was inwardly relieved it was so dark, so her blush could be easily hidden. His gaze was not creepy or sleazy like the kind of look she saw in other men's eyes. No. Behind his eyes, there was this unquestionable affection, one that had Nami's stomach fluttering. She never knew one's eyes could be so powerful. But it wasn't the same one she had encountered on multiple occasions in the past. Something was different. Something was hidden behind his dark orbs. Something Nami wasn't able to pinpoint.
She broke out of it as soon as she sensed him moving from his seat. He seemed a bit awkward in his movements and Nami realised it probably had something to do with her state of undress. "Um, I am just gonna grab my towels from the room and go take a shower myself. Give me a moment, and you can go change there afterwards" he said in a small voice. Nami chuckled then. It was so unusual of Zoro to speak like that. Probably the situation really affected him more than he let on.
"I never knew you were such a prude, moss-head" she laughed at him again.
"I'm not a prude, you wench" he growled annoyed, completely breaking out of his previous uneasiness around the mikan haired woman.
He made his way into the room, visibly fuming. He grabbed his things and ventured into the bathroom. He quickly undressed and entered the shower. He turned on the water and let himself get splashed for some moments, just relishing the hot water's feeling on his freezing cold skin. He needed to compose his thoughts. He had to sort out his action plan. Would it be sound to go to this meeting? What if it was a trap and someone was up to him for searching for such kind of information?
On the other hand, he was nowhere at the moment, he did not have any leads to learn the truth. He might as well take his chances and see how to move forward afterwards. It did not help that he had so many people close to him in the apartment. He wouldn't want to risk Nami's, Luffy's or Vivi's (she had become a frequent visitor) lives without any real chance to investigate his mom's murder.
He wanted to discuss this with someone and his first choice was Nami, but she had a lot on her plate as it was. With all the shit with Arlong unfolding, he didn't want to put any additional burden on her shoulders. Then, again it would be best for her to have an idea of how serious the situation was and take her precautions.
Nami...That was his other problem. He couldn't help but feel guilty for being attracted to her. But he couldn't help it. She had grown into a beautiful woman, a woman he didn't want anyone else to have. This possessiveness was a new thing to him. Even with Robin who was beautiful, he never had this urge to protect her from prying eyes. But Nami was his weakness. He wanted to do everything in his power to keep her close to him, safe and sound. He couldn't deny his excitement when he felt her small body against his skin. It was as if she belonged in his arms. It felt so...right.
Of course, he would never jeopardise their friendship for something so stupid as his fucking hormones. He tried to fight away any indecent thoughts were creeping into his mind regarding the woman in question. But he failed miserably. He imagined what it would be like to feel her soft lips against his. How he would love to explore every inch of her body. How he wanted to hear his name fall from her lips in the fits of passion. And he realised he was screwed. He was hard only by the idea of the woman. He decided to get rid of his 'problem' before she was anywhere in the close vicinity.
He gently stroked his member to try and find some sort of release. He was disgusted with himself and with the situation he was putting himself into. She was his friend for fuck's sake. But what if she was more and he only now came to realise it? He couldn't help but think how good her slender fingers would feel around his hardness instead. He stroked faster and eventually, he released his desire. He made sure to clean himself and concentrated on the water falling on the top of his head, which was turning cold now. How long had he been in the freaking shower?
He washed his hair and his body in quick movements and turned off the shower. He wrapped a towel around his tanned body, securing it around his hips. He exited the bathroom allowing a cloud of steam to escape into the living room. He made his way to his room without noticing that the living room area was deserted. He made his way to his wardrobe looking for fresh clothes. As soon as he found them, he dropped his towel to start dressing.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU PERVERT?" Nami screamed and threw a pillow onto his head. A crimson hue appeared on the green haired man's face. He desperately searched for his towel to try and save whatever dignity he had left.
"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE?" Zoro threw back, a vein popping on his forehead.
"I WAS SITTING ON THE BED WHEN YOU ENTERED THE ROOM, ARE YOU ALSO BLIND APART FROM DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED?" Nami said, her cheeks burning. She was really uncomfortable, mainly because as soon as Zoro dropped his towel her eyes had started exploring his body. She was feeling as if she was entertaining a fever at that moment.
Zoro deadpanned then, all anger leaving his body "Um, I didn't see you. Sorry, witch" he apologised to the woman sitting on his bed. "Can you go out for a bit so I can put my clothes on?" he asked her, scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly.
Nami stood up from her place on Zoro's bed and started walking towards the door. She suddenly turned around and looked at him with a bored expression on her face features. "Pervert" she called and she showed him her tongue.
"I'm not a pervert, you witch!" he shouted coming closer to her.
"Are too" she said, meeting his glare without flinching. "Are you trying to seduce me, moss-head?" she said playfully and grinned at the man.
"As if" he snorted, annoyed. However, he met her eyes with the same intense, not one to back away from a challenge.
Nami's sexual frustration towards the young male made her bolder than she should be. She should be more careful as she was approaching forbidden territories. She couldn't lose Zoro now, she needed him more than ever. But she couldn't shake the thought of wanting something more from the man than friendship. Something that made her insides boil in anger when she first learnt about Robin. Something that made her heart quicken at the sight of his naked glory. Something that made her crave his touch.
She slowly but steadily moved closer to the man to the point their chests were almost touching. Zoro inhaled sharply as the only barrier between them was the towel he had around his waist and Nami's (in reality Zoro's pair of boxers and T-shirt which functioned as) pyjamas at that moment. This didn't go unnoticed by Nami and she felt like she had a lump in her throat. She shifted her gaze upwards and realised how much taller he was compared to herself. She grazed her finger on his bare chest and earned a groan from the man in front of her.
"Aww, come on, Zoro. Even if you are a pervert, you are still my friend" she said sarcastically.
The word 'friend' was what broke Zoro out of this surreal scenario. Of course, Nami was joking. There was no chance she was actually flirting with him at that moment. She was just being a teaser like she had been for the longest part of their friendship. She was a bully. There was no way she decided to suddenly shift that dynamic. Carefully and gently he grabbed her wrist and moved her finger away from his body. Nami took this as rejection and tried to move out of her grasp, but her face was emotionless.
"Ha-ha-ha, very funny. You will be the one to need help, if you say something like that again, witch" he threatened, but there was no real fire behind his words. Nami decided to 'pfff" at him and retreat out of the room to give him privacy. "Whatever, just put on some clothes, hentai" she murmured with her back to him and closing the door behind her.
Why was she so stupid? Of course, he never saw her that way. It was stupid of her to initiate anything, but the lucky part of the whole thing was that Zoro was so dense he hadn't realised anything. But then again, was she the one that ruined what could have been with her friend remark? If there was any indication, that was when he decided to get rid of her hand that was touching him. She kept debating with herself on what to do. Pretend she didn't ever touch him or go all out and confront him?
Then the topic of her thoughts came and sat next to her on the couch. He was dressed now in a yellow T-shirt and some black sweatpants. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight in front of her. "You look like you are colour-blocking yourself with that outfit" she snorted. This earned her a glare from the man.
"Yeah, whatever. I need to talk to you about something" he said and he turned to face her. He turned serious all of a sudden and Nami shut up seeing it was actually something important. His body immediately tensed.
"What's up?" she asked curiously.
"There was an envelope in the mail with no address or anything. Someone probably slipped it under the door. It basically said if I want more information for my mother's case I should meet with whoever sent the note at East Gate Park this Friday at 8 and that I should go alone. I feel like it can be a setup, but it could be my only lead" he said conflicted. Nami could see the gears turning inside his brain trying to figure out what he should do.
"Well, maybe you don't have any other clues but is it safe?" Nami enquired.
"I suppose not. But I didn't come here to hide, either" Zoro spoke. He wouldn't have to think about this a second time if his friends were not prone to getting involved in this. "Then again, I can't risk you or Luffy getting hurt because I wasn't careful" he admitted honestly.
And then he got smacked. Again. By the devil-woman. "Luffy and I are perfectly capable of looking after our asses. If you are so confident you can do the same for your own, then I think you should go. Just be cautious" Nami then blurted out, like it was the most casual thing in the whole wide world.
"Under normal circumstances, sure. But if any big dogs are involved, there is a possibility it could get dangerous all of a sudden" he answered.
"I'm okay with that. Your mother's sake is worth more than the risk of the situation getting dangerous" she said and looked him in the eye. "Besides, it's not like I have a choice after that maniac Arlong threatened me" she shivered at the mention of his name and that didn't go unnoticed by Zoro. Slowly. he extended his arm so she could make way into his embrace. The girl took the opportunity immediately and leaned on the man's chest, his hand wrapping around her. She felt a slight movement on the top of her head and she realised Zoro had kissed her hair.
"If he even approaches you within 5 metres, he is a dead man. I promise" he almost growled, sending shivers down her spine. He thought the cold was to blame for Nami's shivering, so he brought her closer to his body. Nami was almost dizzy from the exchange.
"Thank you" she whispered. "But right now, you have other things to worry about. I think you should go" she said and turned her head to him. Nami couldn't help the urge to show him that she was beside him whatever he chose to do, so she rose a little bit to kiss his cheek. What she didn't expect was for her green haired friend to accidentally turn his head at that exact moment, making their lips touch.
Both of them were momentarily stunned at what had happened. They were looking at each other with big eyes, but neither moved away. Nami was the first to react to the accidental kiss. She figured that since they were already in that position, she would make the most of it. It was already positive that Zoro had not retreated from the subtle touch of lips. On instinct, her eyelids fell shut and she unconsciously moved a bit forward, putting a bit of extra pressure to the accidental kiss. She didn't care she was making a fool out of herself, she wanted this to last as much as possible. At the end of the day, she would blame it on Zoro that turned abruptly ruining her gesture of support.
What she didn't expect was Zoro actually kissing her. He slowly moved his hand in her hair and used it to bring her face closer. Instead of Nami's innocent flat kiss, Zoro was more eager to explore. He first started with butterfly kisses on her upper and lower lips. Soon, that wasn't enough so he started nibbling at her bottom lip. Nami couldn't believe herself when she hummed in approval of his ministrations. He answered by tilting his head to the side to deepen the kiss.
In the meantime, Nami had somehow climbed into his lap and her arms had encircled his broad neck. Feeling bolder by the minute, she gently placed her tongue on his bottom lip, pushing it slightly, asking for permission. When it was granted to her, their tongues fought for dominance.
While this started as an innocent mistake with both of them testing the water for the other reaction's, it soon escalated into a heavy make out session. Tongues wrestling, teeth bumping, hands roaming. At some point, the need for oxygen was greater than the one to continue with their fun activity, so they broke apart. Both were panting and looking dazed.
"Wow" he panted. "I knew you wanted to kiss me, but damn" he joked, grinning at her broadly.
That earned him the nth punch for the day. "I did no such thing, you started kissing me" she responded, slightly blushing.
"You shoved your tongue in my mouth" he retorted, challenging the woman still sitting comfortably on his lap.
"I didn't hear you complaining" she said then, a devilish smirk on her features.
And then he just chuckled. There would be no winner in this discussion, they both wanted it and as much was evident. Instead of answering, he kissed her again and she immediately kissed him back. He moved back and looked at Nami. She looked beautiful. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He was worrying so much, guilting himself all for nothing. In the end, he wasn't the only one that felt this undeniable attraction between them.
"See? You did it again. Can't even control yourself" she mumbled, while drawing patterns on his clothed chest with her finger. He shivered in delight at her touch and let her stay where she was.
"Sure, whatever. So, since you are so sure you can be safe without me, I think I'm gonna go to this secret rendezvous and see what kind of things I can find out" he said, drawing Nami up to his chest. She was surprised, but settled in immediately. She sighed in content when she felt Zoro playing with her orange locks.
"Well, it's not that you are that needed. You probably will get lost on your way to fight the enemy" she teased him with a small smile on her face.
He growled in response. "Stupid witch" he mumbled.
They stayed like that for a while in a comfortable silence. Until Nami broke it. "When did you know?" she asked him, turning slightly so she could look at him in the eye.
"Knew what?" he asked confused.
"That something is different. Between us" she explained and that's when he realised the weight of her question.
"Honestly? I don't know. But from the moment I saw you again I had these funny thoughts" he confessed truthfully. "The way you dress doesn't help either" he almost whispered that part.
"Excuse me? I dress fine" she said offended at his remark.
"So when did you know?" he directed her previous question to her to answer.
"I noticed how you had changed. How you had grown. But the moment, I understood I was getting worked up when I stayed here for the first time. I kind of liked being close to you more than before. And then when you saw Robin, I was positive I didn't want her near you" she said and started blushing.
Zoro grinned at her reaction. She looked cute. "I never got you for the jealous type, Nami" he joked.
"Do you remember me ever being one to share my possessions?" she smirked.
"I'm not your fucking possession" he shot back.
"Whatever, you get my point. I'm not sharing you" she exclaimed annoyed and she buried herself deeper into his embrace.
Zoro couldn't help but smile. He moved his hand and grabbed her chin, moving it upwards so she could look into her eyes. Nami was shocked at the adoration she could make in his dark orbs. He moved downwards and met her lips in a small, chaste kiss.
They had so many things to worry about, but at that moment it was as if time froze. And they would make the most out of it.
So, that's it. A really fluffy chapter for a change. At some point I was full on to the drama taking place, I wanted to give the characters a small break. Next chapter we will go back to exploring the plot again, so don't you worry. All comments are kindly appreciated either as reviews or PMs. I'm sorry again for taking so long. This fic seems like my baby so I don't want to rush it after losing my initial chapters and plot. Please be patient, I promise I will make it up to you! Until next time!
-T