Chapter Text
They are lying in the grass beneath the tangerine trees. The back of his head mixing in with the tickling but smooth, nice and cool feeling of the greens, his head a mint coloured molehill on the lawn. She, sweet and tart grin on her glossed lips, leaning on her elbows behind her back, from his perspective: the orange-copper hair shining like the fruit up above in the groves, although all is tinted slightly by the last light of the day. A breeze whirls over the deck of the Sunny, gentle, whispering of the countless islands ahead of them. This is what traveling on this crew feels like: an endless journey towards the unknown, but both the endlessness and the unknowingness are unimportant as long as they all are together. And alas, they were all together again. It seemed to be a rarity these days. And so, in the privacy of their own little two-person-drinking-party, both of them enjoyed the sound of their mates tripling, humming, minding their business over deck and under. Dinner was just over, one of those long-lighted evenings close to a summer island. Tonight's sake, that Zoro tried to sneak, failed and got jacked in the head for and which was presented to Nami shortly afterwards, ajoined by two adorable antique cups and a little tray of rice crackers, tasted raspy and smoky, with the subtlest notes of peach fuzz and black tea. At least that was what Sanji had described for Nami, who could taste it if she really wanted to, whilst Zoro merely thought that it was fairly enjoyable, not too sweet and most importantly: very alcoholic.
- So. Any news?
He couldn't remember when these get-togethers with the navigator became an actual thing. Basically, even though she would mock him and charge him while letting her life be rescued by him every other week, they had been a very good eye-rolling-match right back in the days, when it was only them and their delusional, exhausting, naive, emotionally hyper intelligent and leadership genius of a captain. Back then, when they only had a very quiet feeling in their stomachs that drew both of them towards him – and hence, together into one very tiny boat.
- What do you want me to say?
Anyway, since forever, every now and then, they would end up somewhere together, drinking. Joking. Mocking other people on the ships and in the bars and even around the fireplaces where they would sit and celebrate victories. Zoro's dry humor paired very well with Nami's loose tongue, they got each other surprisingly well and soon enough – the presence of the other became a huge comfort.
- Knowing you for years, this is how all of these evenings start. The exact same conversation everytime, Roronoa.
- Thought you liked my stoicism.
What Zoro had not calculated by letting the copperheaded girl into his life and his thoughts, apart from all mockery, was, that she, just as much as him, was very gay.
- Seriously, Zoro, please tell me the next episode of my favorite will-they-won't-they-novelette. There usually is a new issue every week.
Zoro snorted, stretching his legs and arms away from his core, a little sore from the last few days workouts'. Closing his eyes, smelling Nami's cottony-cloudy perfume, biting down a comment about her smelling not very lesbian tonight, he thought about him. Himself, and the other. The other one that, in his life, could only be one person.
- I washed the dishes every other day this week.
- Zoro.
- What?
- I did not ask for how dutiful you stuck to your chores... I was asking-
- He noticed.
- Oh. What did he say?
- Nothing much. Asked what I wanted, wether I was just trying to sneak alcohol.
- Which you were.
- Yes, and shamefully unsuccessful!
- But you also just wanted to be alone with him.
- Mhm. I even tried to talk – but it was going nowhere.
Since their two year break, it had somehow become more difficult on various levels. For once, Sanji had matured like a fine wine, as Mihawk would have put it. He was of age now, still lean, but well rounded bouquet (Zoro was disgusted by his own way of putting words around the image of the cook in his head), his hair as shiny as ever, his smile even brighter, and his personality and accordingly, his attacks, more fiery then they ever had been. All in all, he became harder to resist.
On the other hand, he became, apparently, very much Zoro-resistant during his solo journey. For some reason, the love-cook's attitude towards women, which had been a fun, silly tic before, had turned into some weird kind of armor. Whenever they got close, whenever Zoro did as much as look him in the eyes more than two seconds, Sanji would spin on his heels (quite elegantly, as a matter of fact) and jodel towards any female in his surroundings. Singing for them, preparing sugary desserts, a lot of times even lurking after them in a very unappetizing way that made Zoro nothing short of angry.
- Do you really not know what happened on the island he got located to, Nami?
Nami sighed, finishing her cup of sake and letting herself sink, until she was lying down just like Zoro, only her feet pointing in the opposite direction, her head next to his, their ears almost touching. The blue hour was coming to an end, a crescent moon above them, in between the leaves and tangerines.
- I really don't know, Zoro. He would rather not talk about it, I guess. I mean, everybody tried to at least squish something out of him. Even Robin, and she's the master interrogator-
- And a woman.
- Don't be so down, she raised her right hand, patting the left side of Zoro's face amicably, you and I both know this man can not be straight, there is just no way. Hell, he can't even walk a straight line if he tries to.
Zoro sighed.
- Would be a waste is all I know.
- You really like him, don't you. It's touching.
- Careful, you witch.
- Want me to hex him for you? It's going to cost you, though.
...
- Don't do your books in your head, master calculator, I can tell you: you got nothing. Apart from a huge debt towards me.
Grumbling, he turned his face on her, meeting with her hazel eyes, the pretty squirrel she was, still 18 to him, still with the bob and the innocent t-shirt and the not so innocent stretched out tongue, fooling everyone but him.
She smirked, happy and sad at the same time, when she said:
- Let me see what I can do. No sorcery though, just talking. Being a little sweet.
- In a nice outfit.
- Please, don't you tell me about outfits. For a gay man, you have terrible taste.
- For a lesbian, you don't carry enough tools around with you, he contered, which left her snickering,
- Doesn't take a hammer to nail down a princess.
- Is your princess a pillow princess by the way? I wondered at some point...
- ZORO! I'm-... not at liberty to say. I'm a lady and I know when to shut up.
- And if you don't, you rumble like an old sailor.
Grinning as if she had a couple of nice new gold teeth to show him, Nami smacked at him - Zoro rolled over to the side, avoiding her fist, which landed against one of the mikan trees, which led to the owner of both fist and tree screeching. A second later, with a sound that Nami would swear was very hollow, three tangerines fell from it and landed on Zoro's forehead. He laid there, still snickering, in slight disbelief.
- Nature is against me.
- Nonsense, you go well with the lawn.
He watched her, rolled on her stomach, peeling the tangerines effortlessly and because he was maybe just a tiny little bit tipsy, he opened his mouth on her command, fetching pieces of tangerine thrown at him, and chewing. Sweet, yes, but tart. Even a little bitter.
- Damn.
- It's Bellmere's favorite kind.
Zoro said nothing, like he did a lot of the time, but he shared Nami's nostalgic silence, watching her features displaying the tender feelings for her passed mother.
- So. Will you talk to the cook for me? Maybe bring him these, let him make you a parfay or whatnot as a little treat.
- That would be his treat?
- Obviously.
- So how high you want me to talk you up?
Gritting his teeth, he watched her standing up, turning his face away, even pouting the slightest bit.
- Believe me, I'm up high enough... just find out what happened on that god-damn island.
- Do you think he met someone?
As the darkness fell over the last glimpses of blue, Zoro's stomach dropped, his lids snapped open. Nami held her hands up high,
- Keep your cool, samurai. I'm sure THAT he would not have been able not to tell us.
Having said that, juggling the two leftover tangerines in her right hand, she turned towards the galley, that, as usual, still had lights shining from the little round windows.
- He's still up.
- He always is. Goes over the recipes for tomorrow, writes stuff down. Sits and thinks a lot.
Zoro didn't see the confident smile on Nami's face, but still, even though very silently, mumbled after her, halfway directed into the neck of the sake bottle:
- I O U, Nami.
She waved over her shoulder and said:
- Tell me something new, Roronoa.