OP Fic- That's What You Get
The next one in my little song-fic series. First time writing these three together, and one of the rare times I write more than a passing mention of het. Enjoy.
Title: That's What You Get
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Yaoi and (omigosh) het, very mild threesome
Pairings: ZoNaSa, and any and all combinations of that
Spoilers: Nope
Word Count: 2956
That’s What You Get
No, sir, well I don’t wanna be the blame,
Not anymore
It’s your turn, so take a seat
We’re settling the final score
The first time it was Zoro. Her excuse was that they must have both been drunk, because that was the only logical explanation for…whatever happened that night. After all, it took an awful lot of strong rum to get Zoro drunk, and she could hold more than him and remembered being pretty tipsy.
She supposed it was their own fault for falling asleep in the galley, because the cut-off, strangled snarl that woke her up the next morning was something that she could have easily gone through life never having heard. She honestly thought that Sanji was going to kill the swordsman, because she had never seen him that angry.
And, to be fair, she supposed that the fact both of them were dressed down to their underwear probably didn’t give out the best impression, but she was pretty sure she would have remembered anything happening. It didn’t make sense, anyway. After all, it was Zoro. Zoro didn’t like women…or, at least, not in her experiences with him.
“What’s your problem, pervert-cook?!”
“Sanji-kun, don’t!” she yelled, actually a little afraid for the green-haired man’s life. Sanji had him backed against the wall, one deadly foot raised to his throat, and Nami knew perfectly well that even from that position he could gain enough speed to crush the other man’s windpipe. “It’s not…”
“Not what I think? Then what is it?” he glanced at her briefly, not even going into convulsions at the sight of her in her undergarments. “I thought…I…” he visibly deflated, the fight going out of him as he slumped against the wall, leg splayed out at an awkward angle as he slammed his palm against the wood and let his forehead rest on the cool planks.
“Sanji-kun?” Nami stood up, a tad worried about the blonde man. “I promise, we didn’t do anything. We were drunk, and…”
“So how can you know, then?” his voice was dead. “Stupid idiot Marimo,” he directed this at Zoro, who met his gaze without flinching. “I have to get breakfast started before Luffy comes barging in. Get dressed,” he pushed himself away from the wall and went over to the stove, lighting a cigarette with shaking hands as Nami wondered why the whole situation made her so sick.
And why do we like to hurt so much?
I can’t decide, you have made it harder just to go on
And why, all the possibilities…
Well, I was wrong.
The second time it was Sanji. Predictably, she guessed, although it really couldn’t have happened any other way with the cook moping the way he was. The entire crew had noticed it, and while Nami tried to get them to look at other things, the fact remained that Sanji no longer lit up and spewed hearts around her. Robin, yes, but not her, and it didn’t take long for anyone to notice.
“You have to talk to him,” Zoro had grunted to her one time, ‘asleep’ on the deck as he pillowed his hands behind his head and stretched out.
“It’s your fault, too,” she had replied, crossing her arms and staring down at him. Of course, it was easy to see why they had done…whatever they had done that night. Zoro was attractive; there was no getting around that. Tanned and well-muscled and completely, utterly masculine. Even the earrings, which on some men would have made them effeminate, made him look tougher. He was someone who knew how to take care of himself and at the same time would give everything up just to protect somebody else, and she admired that. “Why don’t you talk to him?”
“Che. Like he’d listen to me,” Zoro scoffed. “Just apologize. He’ll go back to normal soon enough.”
And with that, the oaf really had fallen asleep, so Nami toed him lightly in the side before walking off to the galley. “Sanji-kun?” She opened the door and found it empty, so she headed off to the men’s bunk and stopped inside the room. He was laid out on the couch, one leg thrown over the back and looking completely and utterly…wait, she did not just think he was…not…
“Nami-san?”
She started, glancing to see one blue eye looking at her from beneath a fall of golden hair. “I…can I talk to you for a moment, Sanji-kun?”
“Of course,” he sat up, his shirt shifting fluidly so that she could see it was unbuttoned and untucked, hanging loose around his body. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his pale skin, because while the other male members of the crew saw no problem in wandering about on deck with shirts hanging open or gone altogether, Sanji was always well-dressed. He noticed her eyes and reached to button the shirt up but she waved him off, admiring his well-toned abs, because while Sanji may have looked almost feminine, he was in wonderful shape. “What is it, Nami-san?”
“I wanted to apologize again for the other day,” she moved farther into the room and shut the door gently behind her. “But there’s really nothing between Zoro and I…I’m sure you know that.”
“I do, I just…I thought…” he paused and ran a hand through his hair, messing it slightly as he chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. “Forgive me, Nami-san, I’ve been most unkind to you this past week. If there’s anything at all I can do to make it up to you, you only need to let me know.”
That’s what you get when you let your heart win
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating
And still, his voice stayed low and even and no dramatics were in sight. She looked at him intently as if seeing him for the first time, and something in her chest tightened. Was this what it took, then? Did his heart have to be broken for him to act normal around women? And why did it make him so…sexy? Wait, no, she hadn’t just admitted that! Just because he was blonde and fair and slender and had gorgeous legs and…
“I’ll leave you be,” he stood and moved to the door, but she stepped in front of him.
“Wait.”
Her hand involuntarily came up, resting on the bare skin of his chest. She glanced up, meeting his blue eyes, and moved her other hand to play with his hair, sliding it around to cup the back of his neck. He stayed frozen the entire time, waiting for her to make the first move, and she stood on her tiptoes to press her lips lightly against his; pulling back after a second when he didn’t respond. “Nami-san, I don’t want your pity,” he said, his voice a whisper.
“It…it’s not, Sanji-kun,” she assured him, taking a deep breath and letting her head lay against his shoulder. “You know I care about you…”
“As Nakama. I know,” he slowly moved an arm to circle her back and held her steady. “I don’t expect anything from you, Nami-san.”
“But you love me?” she glanced up, brown eyes meeting blue as he nodded. “Then give me a chance.”
“A chance?” he still looked defeated.
“Yes,” she slowly slid her fingers up his bared torso, noting the shiver her actions produced, and manoeuvred the shirt off of his shoulder, continuing to explore his body. Reaching for his mouth again, he met her this time, and she pushed him back until his knees hit the couch and he fell onto it, climbing onto his lap as she continued to kiss him. It wasn’t at all like kissing an ashtray, as she had feared it might be. The tang of smoke was there, but there was an aura of salt and spice about him that was undeniably alluring.
“N-Nami-san!” he pulled back with a gasp, his eyes wide. “You can’t have meant that!”
“And why not, Sanji-kun?” she asked pleasantly, idly drawing patterns on his shoulder. “If you feel so strongly about me, the least you can do it give me a chance to find out if I feel the same.”
But Sanji still looked unconvinced, even as he lay down and stretched out his long legs, inviting her to lay on top of him as she tucked her head under his chin. She didn’t normally nap in the middle of the day; that was Zoro’s thing, after all, but Sanji was warm and smelt nice and she had to wonder again why she hadn’t noticed it before.
That; and why, when she was finally willing to give him a chance, he didn’t want to take it.
I wonder, how am I supposed to live when you’re not here?
‘Cause I’ve burned every bridge I ever built when you were here
I still try holding on to silly things, I never learn
Oh why, all the possibilities…I’m sure you’ve heard
The third time was when she found out the answer. It was about a week later, and she swore that her brain stopped working for a few seconds before she could process the sight that greeted her when she entered the galley one night for a glass of water. Of course, it all made sense in the end: the reason Sanji was completely devastated to find Zoro and her together was that both of his options…
Hang on.
BOTH???
Of course, there was no denying the fact that what she was seeing was real, even if it had never occurred to her (except maybe in her wildest fantasies) to see Zoro pinning the cook against the wall with his tongue down the blonde’s throat.
And Sanji was enjoying it, one leg hooked around Zoro’s waist as he kissed back with a passion that Nami knew all along he had in him, even when he could have been a statue that night in the bunkroom. A moan slid out of Sanji’s throat, the sound making Nami’s hair stand on end as Zoro ground their hips together and Sanji clutched at his shoulder.
She should leave. She should really, really, leave before…
The sight of Sanji’s lust-filled, hazy eyes drew a gasp from her throat as he froze, the tensing of his muscles clueing Zoro in to the fact that something was wrong, and he looked over to Nami as well. Sanji tried to get away from the wall, but Zoro pinned him there with an arm across his chest.
“S-Sanji-kun? Zoro?” she asked quietly. “I…I didn’t know that…”
“Yeah,” Zoro grunted. “Guess you thought the stupid cook was all bent out of shape because you were with me that night, but it was really the other way around.”
“Nami-san…” Sanji looked truly apologetic, but Nami wasn’t having any of it.
“Then what was that the other night! You said that you loved me!” she protested, seemingly forgetting that she had never returned the sentiment.
“I do,” he assured her. “But I lo…don’t mind Zoro either, and he doesn’t mind me, so it’s better.”
Better…
She couldn’t process any more of this, so she turned on her heel and fled, slamming the door behind her as she walked bleakly to the rail and held her head in her hands. Was it really true, then? Was Sanji more upset with her than Zoro? Was he really in love with Zoro? It shouldn’t have bothered her, but with recent observations and drunken and painful kisses, it had started to, until the answer hit her with a veritable shock.
She was the one in love.
With both of them.
Hey, make your way to me; to me
And I’ll always be just so inviting
If I ever start to think straight,
This heart will start a riot in me.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood at the rail before the smell of tobacco smoke reached her, but she didn’t turn, even when a gentle hand was laid on her shoulder. “Nami-san?”
“I’m fine, Sanji-kun.”
“No, you’re not. I’ve made my angel cry, and for that I’ll never…”
“Sanji-kun, it’s fine,” she gripped the railing almost angrily, and although she wasn’t crying, she was certainly close. Her head came up suddenly when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from and a forehead drop onto her shoulder from behind.
“S-Sanji-kun?”
“I’m a horrible person.”
“No. No, you aren’t,” she put her hands on top of his and let her cheek rest against soft blonde hair. “I’ve been selfish.”
“No! Nami-san is kind and generous and…”
“Shut up and let her talk, cook.”
Nami turned as much as she could to see Zoro standing with his arms crossed and a bottle of sake in his hand.
“Then don’t interrupt her, idiot!”
“Both of you shut it,” Nami growled, and Sanji nuzzled her shoulder in apology. “I have been selfish. I guess I’m so used to you fawning over me that I automatically assumed that if I ever had some notion to return your feelings, that would be the end of it. I never could have guessed that you would have found someone else in the meantime.”
“Nami-san, if it’s between you and the Marimo, there’s no doubt that…”
“You love him, Sanji-kun.”
“Nami-san, don’t be ridiculous.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel, idiot eyebrow, I guess I can go find somebody else.”
Nami felt Sanji flinch against her, could imagine his dumbfounded expression at the seemingly indifferent words. And she knew, from that reaction. She knew.
Why do we like to hurt so much?
Oh, why do we like to hurt so much?
“Let go of me, Sanji-kun,” she said softly, although she was mildly surprised when he complied and she turned around, reaching a hand up to softly cup his face. “This is how it’s meant to be,” she drew him closer and pressed a small kiss against his lips before attempting to walk away, but he caught her wrist and stared at her with haunted blue eyes.
“Don’t make me choose, Nami-san. Please don’t make me choose.”
“You have to,” she felt those traitorous tears welling up again, and tried to wrench her hand away. “You have to choose, Sanji-kun!”
“No, he doesn’t.”
Nami glanced up in shock, but Zoro’s face was serious, his dark eyes filled with a grim intensity that she normally only saw in the swordsman before a fight. “Look, what happened between us may have been a one-off, but out of everything that’s happened to us since we started sailing with Luffy, I’d say being in love with two people isn’t all that strange. Nami, you’re a conniving, money-hungry witch, but I know you care about all of us in your own way, and you’d have to be blind to not see that idiot over there thinks the world of you. I don’t know what you see in me, and I don’t know what he sees in me or what I see in him, but it’s enough.”
“Enough for what, Zoro?” Nami asked softly as Sanji finally released her wrist, and she gasped when the swordsman came and gave her a brief hug.
“It’s enough for me. Maybe none of us are meant to love or be loved exclusively. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of my goal, it doesn’t matter to me,” he let go of her and stepped back, tilting his head to the side so that the setting sun caught his earrings and made them send glittering golden spots across the deck. “Now the two of you just have to decide if it works.”
“Sanji-kun?” Nami turned to the blonde, who was looking rather lost as he fiddled with an unlit cigarette.
“I don’t want to choose,” he finally admitted. “But if you feel cheated in the slightest, Nami-san, tell me, because…”
He was shut up rather nicely by Zoro’s lips, Nami thought, and she watched the two of them grip onto each other and make out rather unashamedly in front of her, Sanji’s hair darkened to a burnished amber in the last rays of sunlight. Her heart clenched when she realized how long this had to have been going on right under her nose, and how she could never bring herself to come between them.
But then, she didn’t have to, did she? They were willing to compromise, and as long as in the end Zoro still paid his interest and Sanji still catered to her every whim, what harm could it do?
“Okay.” Her voice sounded loud in the stillness.
“Yes?” Sanji looked elated, hearts starting to appear in the air around him as he wiggled in Zoro’s arms. “My Nami-swan said yes?!” And Nami never would have guessed that she could be happy to see the cook acting like a fool, but she truly was.
“Do you need to get your hearing checked, baka-cook?” Zoro looked exasperated. “Oi, Nami, get over here then.”
So as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, she took both of their hands and gave them a radiant smile, and if there were tears in her eyes now they were tears of happiness. They ended up in a pile on the deck, watching the stars in (for once) blissful silence.
At least, until Sanji accused Zoro of hogging Nami’s attention and tried to kick him, which resulted in both of them nursing aching heads thanks to her ever-loving ‘Fists of Death.’
Things were never dull when you sailed with the Straw-Hat Pirates, after all.
And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Now I can’t trust myself with anything but this,
And that’s what you get when you let your heart win.
Title: That's What You Get
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Yaoi and (omigosh) het, very mild threesome
Pairings: ZoNaSa, and any and all combinations of that
Spoilers: Nope
Word Count: 2956
That’s What You Get
No, sir, well I don’t wanna be the blame,
Not anymore
It’s your turn, so take a seat
We’re settling the final score
The first time it was Zoro. Her excuse was that they must have both been drunk, because that was the only logical explanation for…whatever happened that night. After all, it took an awful lot of strong rum to get Zoro drunk, and she could hold more than him and remembered being pretty tipsy.
She supposed it was their own fault for falling asleep in the galley, because the cut-off, strangled snarl that woke her up the next morning was something that she could have easily gone through life never having heard. She honestly thought that Sanji was going to kill the swordsman, because she had never seen him that angry.
And, to be fair, she supposed that the fact both of them were dressed down to their underwear probably didn’t give out the best impression, but she was pretty sure she would have remembered anything happening. It didn’t make sense, anyway. After all, it was Zoro. Zoro didn’t like women…or, at least, not in her experiences with him.
“What’s your problem, pervert-cook?!”
“Sanji-kun, don’t!” she yelled, actually a little afraid for the green-haired man’s life. Sanji had him backed against the wall, one deadly foot raised to his throat, and Nami knew perfectly well that even from that position he could gain enough speed to crush the other man’s windpipe. “It’s not…”
“Not what I think? Then what is it?” he glanced at her briefly, not even going into convulsions at the sight of her in her undergarments. “I thought…I…” he visibly deflated, the fight going out of him as he slumped against the wall, leg splayed out at an awkward angle as he slammed his palm against the wood and let his forehead rest on the cool planks.
“Sanji-kun?” Nami stood up, a tad worried about the blonde man. “I promise, we didn’t do anything. We were drunk, and…”
“So how can you know, then?” his voice was dead. “Stupid idiot Marimo,” he directed this at Zoro, who met his gaze without flinching. “I have to get breakfast started before Luffy comes barging in. Get dressed,” he pushed himself away from the wall and went over to the stove, lighting a cigarette with shaking hands as Nami wondered why the whole situation made her so sick.
And why do we like to hurt so much?
I can’t decide, you have made it harder just to go on
And why, all the possibilities…
Well, I was wrong.
The second time it was Sanji. Predictably, she guessed, although it really couldn’t have happened any other way with the cook moping the way he was. The entire crew had noticed it, and while Nami tried to get them to look at other things, the fact remained that Sanji no longer lit up and spewed hearts around her. Robin, yes, but not her, and it didn’t take long for anyone to notice.
“You have to talk to him,” Zoro had grunted to her one time, ‘asleep’ on the deck as he pillowed his hands behind his head and stretched out.
“It’s your fault, too,” she had replied, crossing her arms and staring down at him. Of course, it was easy to see why they had done…whatever they had done that night. Zoro was attractive; there was no getting around that. Tanned and well-muscled and completely, utterly masculine. Even the earrings, which on some men would have made them effeminate, made him look tougher. He was someone who knew how to take care of himself and at the same time would give everything up just to protect somebody else, and she admired that. “Why don’t you talk to him?”
“Che. Like he’d listen to me,” Zoro scoffed. “Just apologize. He’ll go back to normal soon enough.”
And with that, the oaf really had fallen asleep, so Nami toed him lightly in the side before walking off to the galley. “Sanji-kun?” She opened the door and found it empty, so she headed off to the men’s bunk and stopped inside the room. He was laid out on the couch, one leg thrown over the back and looking completely and utterly…wait, she did not just think he was…not…
“Nami-san?”
She started, glancing to see one blue eye looking at her from beneath a fall of golden hair. “I…can I talk to you for a moment, Sanji-kun?”
“Of course,” he sat up, his shirt shifting fluidly so that she could see it was unbuttoned and untucked, hanging loose around his body. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his pale skin, because while the other male members of the crew saw no problem in wandering about on deck with shirts hanging open or gone altogether, Sanji was always well-dressed. He noticed her eyes and reached to button the shirt up but she waved him off, admiring his well-toned abs, because while Sanji may have looked almost feminine, he was in wonderful shape. “What is it, Nami-san?”
“I wanted to apologize again for the other day,” she moved farther into the room and shut the door gently behind her. “But there’s really nothing between Zoro and I…I’m sure you know that.”
“I do, I just…I thought…” he paused and ran a hand through his hair, messing it slightly as he chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. “Forgive me, Nami-san, I’ve been most unkind to you this past week. If there’s anything at all I can do to make it up to you, you only need to let me know.”
That’s what you get when you let your heart win
I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating
And still, his voice stayed low and even and no dramatics were in sight. She looked at him intently as if seeing him for the first time, and something in her chest tightened. Was this what it took, then? Did his heart have to be broken for him to act normal around women? And why did it make him so…sexy? Wait, no, she hadn’t just admitted that! Just because he was blonde and fair and slender and had gorgeous legs and…
“I’ll leave you be,” he stood and moved to the door, but she stepped in front of him.
“Wait.”
Her hand involuntarily came up, resting on the bare skin of his chest. She glanced up, meeting his blue eyes, and moved her other hand to play with his hair, sliding it around to cup the back of his neck. He stayed frozen the entire time, waiting for her to make the first move, and she stood on her tiptoes to press her lips lightly against his; pulling back after a second when he didn’t respond. “Nami-san, I don’t want your pity,” he said, his voice a whisper.
“It…it’s not, Sanji-kun,” she assured him, taking a deep breath and letting her head lay against his shoulder. “You know I care about you…”
“As Nakama. I know,” he slowly moved an arm to circle her back and held her steady. “I don’t expect anything from you, Nami-san.”
“But you love me?” she glanced up, brown eyes meeting blue as he nodded. “Then give me a chance.”
“A chance?” he still looked defeated.
“Yes,” she slowly slid her fingers up his bared torso, noting the shiver her actions produced, and manoeuvred the shirt off of his shoulder, continuing to explore his body. Reaching for his mouth again, he met her this time, and she pushed him back until his knees hit the couch and he fell onto it, climbing onto his lap as she continued to kiss him. It wasn’t at all like kissing an ashtray, as she had feared it might be. The tang of smoke was there, but there was an aura of salt and spice about him that was undeniably alluring.
“N-Nami-san!” he pulled back with a gasp, his eyes wide. “You can’t have meant that!”
“And why not, Sanji-kun?” she asked pleasantly, idly drawing patterns on his shoulder. “If you feel so strongly about me, the least you can do it give me a chance to find out if I feel the same.”
But Sanji still looked unconvinced, even as he lay down and stretched out his long legs, inviting her to lay on top of him as she tucked her head under his chin. She didn’t normally nap in the middle of the day; that was Zoro’s thing, after all, but Sanji was warm and smelt nice and she had to wonder again why she hadn’t noticed it before.
That; and why, when she was finally willing to give him a chance, he didn’t want to take it.
I wonder, how am I supposed to live when you’re not here?
‘Cause I’ve burned every bridge I ever built when you were here
I still try holding on to silly things, I never learn
Oh why, all the possibilities…I’m sure you’ve heard
The third time was when she found out the answer. It was about a week later, and she swore that her brain stopped working for a few seconds before she could process the sight that greeted her when she entered the galley one night for a glass of water. Of course, it all made sense in the end: the reason Sanji was completely devastated to find Zoro and her together was that both of his options…
Hang on.
BOTH???
Of course, there was no denying the fact that what she was seeing was real, even if it had never occurred to her (except maybe in her wildest fantasies) to see Zoro pinning the cook against the wall with his tongue down the blonde’s throat.
And Sanji was enjoying it, one leg hooked around Zoro’s waist as he kissed back with a passion that Nami knew all along he had in him, even when he could have been a statue that night in the bunkroom. A moan slid out of Sanji’s throat, the sound making Nami’s hair stand on end as Zoro ground their hips together and Sanji clutched at his shoulder.
She should leave. She should really, really, leave before…
The sight of Sanji’s lust-filled, hazy eyes drew a gasp from her throat as he froze, the tensing of his muscles clueing Zoro in to the fact that something was wrong, and he looked over to Nami as well. Sanji tried to get away from the wall, but Zoro pinned him there with an arm across his chest.
“S-Sanji-kun? Zoro?” she asked quietly. “I…I didn’t know that…”
“Yeah,” Zoro grunted. “Guess you thought the stupid cook was all bent out of shape because you were with me that night, but it was really the other way around.”
“Nami-san…” Sanji looked truly apologetic, but Nami wasn’t having any of it.
“Then what was that the other night! You said that you loved me!” she protested, seemingly forgetting that she had never returned the sentiment.
“I do,” he assured her. “But I lo…don’t mind Zoro either, and he doesn’t mind me, so it’s better.”
Better…
She couldn’t process any more of this, so she turned on her heel and fled, slamming the door behind her as she walked bleakly to the rail and held her head in her hands. Was it really true, then? Was Sanji more upset with her than Zoro? Was he really in love with Zoro? It shouldn’t have bothered her, but with recent observations and drunken and painful kisses, it had started to, until the answer hit her with a veritable shock.
She was the one in love.
With both of them.
Hey, make your way to me; to me
And I’ll always be just so inviting
If I ever start to think straight,
This heart will start a riot in me.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood at the rail before the smell of tobacco smoke reached her, but she didn’t turn, even when a gentle hand was laid on her shoulder. “Nami-san?”
“I’m fine, Sanji-kun.”
“No, you’re not. I’ve made my angel cry, and for that I’ll never…”
“Sanji-kun, it’s fine,” she gripped the railing almost angrily, and although she wasn’t crying, she was certainly close. Her head came up suddenly when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from and a forehead drop onto her shoulder from behind.
“S-Sanji-kun?”
“I’m a horrible person.”
“No. No, you aren’t,” she put her hands on top of his and let her cheek rest against soft blonde hair. “I’ve been selfish.”
“No! Nami-san is kind and generous and…”
“Shut up and let her talk, cook.”
Nami turned as much as she could to see Zoro standing with his arms crossed and a bottle of sake in his hand.
“Then don’t interrupt her, idiot!”
“Both of you shut it,” Nami growled, and Sanji nuzzled her shoulder in apology. “I have been selfish. I guess I’m so used to you fawning over me that I automatically assumed that if I ever had some notion to return your feelings, that would be the end of it. I never could have guessed that you would have found someone else in the meantime.”
“Nami-san, if it’s between you and the Marimo, there’s no doubt that…”
“You love him, Sanji-kun.”
“Nami-san, don’t be ridiculous.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel, idiot eyebrow, I guess I can go find somebody else.”
Nami felt Sanji flinch against her, could imagine his dumbfounded expression at the seemingly indifferent words. And she knew, from that reaction. She knew.
Why do we like to hurt so much?
Oh, why do we like to hurt so much?
“Let go of me, Sanji-kun,” she said softly, although she was mildly surprised when he complied and she turned around, reaching a hand up to softly cup his face. “This is how it’s meant to be,” she drew him closer and pressed a small kiss against his lips before attempting to walk away, but he caught her wrist and stared at her with haunted blue eyes.
“Don’t make me choose, Nami-san. Please don’t make me choose.”
“You have to,” she felt those traitorous tears welling up again, and tried to wrench her hand away. “You have to choose, Sanji-kun!”
“No, he doesn’t.”
Nami glanced up in shock, but Zoro’s face was serious, his dark eyes filled with a grim intensity that she normally only saw in the swordsman before a fight. “Look, what happened between us may have been a one-off, but out of everything that’s happened to us since we started sailing with Luffy, I’d say being in love with two people isn’t all that strange. Nami, you’re a conniving, money-hungry witch, but I know you care about all of us in your own way, and you’d have to be blind to not see that idiot over there thinks the world of you. I don’t know what you see in me, and I don’t know what he sees in me or what I see in him, but it’s enough.”
“Enough for what, Zoro?” Nami asked softly as Sanji finally released her wrist, and she gasped when the swordsman came and gave her a brief hug.
“It’s enough for me. Maybe none of us are meant to love or be loved exclusively. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of my goal, it doesn’t matter to me,” he let go of her and stepped back, tilting his head to the side so that the setting sun caught his earrings and made them send glittering golden spots across the deck. “Now the two of you just have to decide if it works.”
“Sanji-kun?” Nami turned to the blonde, who was looking rather lost as he fiddled with an unlit cigarette.
“I don’t want to choose,” he finally admitted. “But if you feel cheated in the slightest, Nami-san, tell me, because…”
He was shut up rather nicely by Zoro’s lips, Nami thought, and she watched the two of them grip onto each other and make out rather unashamedly in front of her, Sanji’s hair darkened to a burnished amber in the last rays of sunlight. Her heart clenched when she realized how long this had to have been going on right under her nose, and how she could never bring herself to come between them.
But then, she didn’t have to, did she? They were willing to compromise, and as long as in the end Zoro still paid his interest and Sanji still catered to her every whim, what harm could it do?
“Okay.” Her voice sounded loud in the stillness.
“Yes?” Sanji looked elated, hearts starting to appear in the air around him as he wiggled in Zoro’s arms. “My Nami-swan said yes?!” And Nami never would have guessed that she could be happy to see the cook acting like a fool, but she truly was.
“Do you need to get your hearing checked, baka-cook?” Zoro looked exasperated. “Oi, Nami, get over here then.”
So as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, she took both of their hands and gave them a radiant smile, and if there were tears in her eyes now they were tears of happiness. They ended up in a pile on the deck, watching the stars in (for once) blissful silence.
At least, until Sanji accused Zoro of hogging Nami’s attention and tried to kick him, which resulted in both of them nursing aching heads thanks to her ever-loving ‘Fists of Death.’
Things were never dull when you sailed with the Straw-Hat Pirates, after all.
And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Now I can’t trust myself with anything but this,
And that’s what you get when you let your heart win.