It was a warm night aboard the Going Merry. The nights on their way to Alabasta had been calm, and the lack of strong winds was causing a bit of a delay in their trip. But of course, it wasn't causing as much stress for Luffy as it was for the rest of the Straw Hats.

"Wooooo, that food was gooooood!" Luffy exclaimed in his always loud manner, rubbing his belly.

"I gotta say, even though he can be annoying sometimes, Sanji's cooking is always the best," said Usopp, who was sucking the flavor off his fingers.

"Hey, who are you calling annoying, big nose?" Sanji retorted, smacking him with a metal platter.

"Who are you calling big nose, curly brow?!" Usopp flicked Sanji in the forehead, which caused an onslaught of flicking and smacking to ensue.

"Oh wow! You can see all of the stars tonight!" Vivi marveled as she gazed out the window. "Do you guys wanna go out and see if we can find any constellations?"

"I'll go with you, Vivi, my princess!" Sanji squealed, instantly forgetting about his battle with Usopp.

"Hey, that sounds like fun!" Luffy yelled, jumping up and running outside. "Let's go find Leo Major and Rectulum!"

Usopp dropped his plate in the sink. "I'm 97% sure those aren't the names, Luffy. But yeah, that does sound like fun! I'll go out too."

Sanji grumbled as he trudged to the door. "I thought it was gonna be just me and Vivi… Well, at least Nami will be out there, too."

Nami shook her head, not looking up from the map she was studying as she walked over to the sink with a plate in her hand. "Naw, not tonight, I'm working on stuff."

Sanji looked like he was about to cry, but he reluctantly shut the door behind him to join the others. Nami stood in front of the sink, plate still in her hand, eyes lost in the map she was holding. She gasped and dropped the plate and map into the sink when she suddenly felt two arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey, pretty lady," a low, smoky voice said in her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek. "Thought they'd never leave."

"Z-Z-Z-Zoro!" she stuttered, clumsily picking the map from the soap. "W-What are you doing?"

"Nothin', just saying hi," he said smugly. Nami untangled herself from his grip, walking to the other side of the room and grabbing a towel to wipe off her map.

"That's a funny way to say hi."

Zoro followed close behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and locking his lips to the nape of her neck. The action caused a shiver to run up her spine. Zoro chuckled at her tremble, running his hands down her arms.

"Give you a reminder of last night in the crow's nest?" he whispered, smiling arrogantly against her skin.

A flood of memories appeared beyond Nami's eyes. She had found Zoro napping in the crow's nest of the Going Merry when she was trying to get away from all of her crazy crew members arguing below. It wasn't long until they started arguing, but as soon as they started fighting, Zoro slammed his lips to hers. Nami blushed at the memory. But what she couldn't believe was how much she liked it. She didn't like to admit it, but she did. His rough hands rubbed all over her body, his tongue running over her causing gasps and moans to escape from her. His strong, toned arms held her tight. It was unlike anything she had ever felt. And ever since then, she couldn't look at Zoro without thinking of his hot, slick body flush against hers.

Nami's face burned hot at the thought, swallowing hard as Zoro's breath hit the back of her neck in a steady rhythm. Her heart nearly leaped out of her throat when she felt his fingers touch her hand.

"So," he began, clearing his throat, "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." He turned her around, gazing down at her, a sultry, smoldering look appearing on his face.

"J-Jeez, Zoro, what, didn't get enough last night?" Nami stuttered, backing away as she tried to keep herself calm. But Zoro just slowly followed after her.

"What? No, no. I needed to talk to you about something important." Nami felt her back hit the wall, and with nowhere to run, Zoro quickly caught up with her. "I-It kind of does have to do with what happened last night, though."

Oh jesus. "I can't do this, Zoro," she uttered, pushing past him. But she didn't get far once she felt his large hand wrap around her arm.

"What, can you read my mind or something?" His laugh was dry, trying to play it off humorously. But the humor didn't hide the hurt in his eyes. And Nami could see that. A pit formed in her stomach. She teased him about his debt to her, but the last thing she wanted to do was really hurt him.

"N-No, but—"

"But what?" Zoro interrupted, swinging her back into the wall again. He set his forearm on the wall next to her head and leaned close to her. "Nami…" he whispered, his other hand caressing her cheek. "You can't tell me that you didn't feel something last night."

Nami's face grew red, casting her eyes downward, refusing to look him in the eye. "I-I didn't…"

"See, there you go again! You are such a liar."

"Like you actually feel something for me, you hypocrite!" Nami cried, scrunching her eyebrows. "You hate me, you've told me how much you hate me on several occasions!"

Zoro pulled her arm, drawing her tight into his chest. He encircled his arms around her, burying his face into her orange hair. "And you believed that?" he questioned softly. "It's the exact opposite…" Nami's eyes grew wide at his confession. She tried looking for a retort, but nothing would come out of her mouth. "Do you feel that?" he said into her ear. He pulled back slightly and placed her hand on his chest. "My heart hasn't stopped racing since I met you. I'm not an idiot, Nami, I know you feel the same way." He threaded his fingers in-between hers, placing his hand at the small of her back.

"I-I c-can't—" Nami began to say, trying to push him away, but Zoro interrupted her by pressing his lips to hers. She whined as he pulled her tighter to him, a squeak escaping her throat as he slanted his mouth against hers. He was intoxicating. His musky scent flooded her nostrils, his hard toned muscles pressed hard against her body. And she didn't want to, but she had to admit that it was enjoyable to have him around. He was fun to drink with, he always made funny jokes, and he always seemed to be there when she was in trouble.

Zoro's arms grew tighter around her body, pressing his lips harder against hers. His tongue swiped her lower lip, desperately asking for access. Nami was hesitant, the feeling he was causing her was making her woozy, but she allowed him access and it put her on a whole other level. He was such a good kisser, she couldn't believe how amazing he felt against her.

Finally he separated from her only to pull her tight against his chest. The hug was warm and sincere, and it felt right to her.

"Nami… I… I'm in—"

"Please don't say it," she gasped. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she looked up. "Everyone who says that… something bad always happens to them."

"I know," he said quietly, setting his cheek on her head. "I know all too well."

Nami's eyes grew wide. Her fingers curled into his white shirt, closing her eyes as she sank into his embrace. He was right. There was pain inside of him, just the same as her. She placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to her lips. A content sigh escaped his throat as he lifted Nami off her feet.

"I'm scared, Zoro," she admitted softly.

Zoro smiled smugly at her. "We're on the Grand Line, Nami, we're all scared." She wanted to hit him, but he was right. She set her forehead on his chest, gripping her hand to his hard bicep.

"You… You can say it n-now. I'll be okay."

Zoro took her face in his hands, rubbing his thumb softly under her eye, his words coming out in a rough whisper.

"I'm in love with you, Nami."