This has been a long time coming as the moment I commissioned Babu and saw her mind-blowing art I had to write this. So after having a small writers block and then seeing that @sannamiweek had a ‘free theme’ for the first day, here we are.
Sorry it’s late, the theme I went for was ‘Wano’ and ‘Reunion’ for day 1.
Just a heads up, I read weekly and only read the official release, so please don’t mention anything for 1043.
Summary: No one had seen Sanji since his victory was announced through Onigashima and that terrified Nami.
Rating: T
This can also be found on AO3 and FFN.
Enjoy!
Her heart was in her throat.
The battle was over. Luffy’s victory broadcasted throughout the floating skull to relieved sighs and cheers. They’d won and once again, the Strawhats had achieved what had been deemed the impossible. But as people celebrated or took care of injured or mourned the fallen, she was in a state of panic.
“Out of the way!” She barked to the person who stood in front of her, shoving them aside.
It was harsh, people were trying to celebrate with her, recognising who she was, but unless they were going to help, she wasn’t interested in the slightest. She, quite frankly, didn’t give a damn right now.
The most she knew was that he’d won. The last time she’d seen him was when she’d taken off with Usopp and the last time she’d heard him was calling out for Robin to help him. Since then it had been radio silence.
The news of his victory had been announced through Onigashima along with Zoro’s victory. Except that meant nothing because whilst Zoro had won, she’d seen Franky running towards them, face solemn as he clutched Zoro’s still, bloodied body. Red smeared his hands and for a second, she’d though the worst had happened until Chopper was rushing over, hands moving quickly to save him.
It was an example of how victory didn’t guarantee life.
And she was seeing that everywhere. From the bodies strewn across the floor, to the way Kid and Law’s crew were huddled around their wounded Captains, to Kiku’s arm laying on the floor.
Everyone looked like they were on death’s doorstep.
… And no one had seen Sanji since his victory had been announced.
She couldn’t shake the image of him in a similar state to Zoro; pale, covered in blood and dirt as his eyes turned lifeless as he bled out. But there was no Franky to save him and by the time someone found him, it’d be too late. It terrified her. In a building full of people, no one had seen him or knew where he was or where they’d seen him last.
As the minutes ticked by and more people trickled in that weren’t Sanji, her stress increased and the thoughts grew louder. Her eyes were starting to swim and the nails of desperation were clawing at her lungs. She wanted to call out for him again but she couldn’t trust her voice right now, not when it felt like a boulder was lodged in there.
She didn’t know what she’d do without him, he was such a big part of her life, whether that was as her friend, best friend or other half (“The better half,” Sanji would say). What would her life be without his smile first thing in the morning and last thing at night? Without his laugh or warm hands covering hers when she got cold? He’d cemented himself so firmly in her life and the thing she truly feared in that moment, was finding him and it was too late. That she’d have to stare down at his lifeless body and although the death wouldn’t be her fault this time around, she’d be burying the body of another loved one taken too soon.
She couldn’t get the thoughts to stop but she couldn’t imagine facing that reality coming true, it made the claws currently on her lungs seem like a walk in the park.
Shaking her head, she told herself to get it together. He was one of the toughest people she knew and if Zoro could get through it, then so could he. He wouldn’t leave her, not again, not after everything they’d been through. Not after how long it’d taken them to get to this point. She needed more time with him.
“Sanji-kun!” She called, voice as loud as it could be with her frazzled emotions and over the volume of people in celebration.
Nothing.
Just people laughing, crying, weeping, nothing in response to her call for him.
She shoved someone else out of the way because the more people that filled the room, the more her nerves were fraying and she felt like she was on the edge. What would she do when she tipped over?
She’d have to start retracing his steps in hopes of finding him, she needed to get out of her head and start thinking strategically.
She thought her mind was playing tricks on her when she heard the faint sound of “Nami-san”, that maybe she had fallen off the edge, except she’d know that voice anywhere. Especially when it was followed by, “Listen, either help or move it. I need to find Nami-san!”
It was Sanji.
He sounded as irritated as she felt and her knees almost gave out. He sounded full of life.
“Sanji!” It was easier to call for him, especially now she wasn’t batting away dark thoughts or disturbing images and she could focus on just following the sound of his voice.
“Nami!” He’d heard her, his voice was sure, the questioning tone gone.
She swivelled in the direction of his voice and then it happened.
The crowd parted, people shuffling aside, just at the right moment to give her the perfect view of him. Of Sanji, on his feet, very much alive and she watched as his face morphed from frustrated worry to relieved happiness. She wondered if hers did the same. The heart in her throat dropped to her stomach and the crippling relief fought down the claws on her lungs valiantly.
Her feet moved of their own accord, running full speed towards him and elbows ready to punish anyone that dared to stand in her path. He mirrored her action, both of them working quickly the close the distance between them. At one point, she heard herself laugh, it bubbled up and out into the open without her permission, she felt so light.
He must have sensed that she wasn’t slowing down as he came to a stop, bracing himself but arms held out open for her, ready to catch her.
She slammed into him, her ribs rattling painfully and she was sure that probably hurt him too but he didn’t say anything and her ribs were nothing but a passing thought in that moment. Because he was here. Alive and in her arms. She crushed him to her as hard as she could, arms wrapped around his neck and legs hugging his hips. He gripped her back just as ferociously, hands steady and firm on the dangerous ground between her bum and the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades.
She nuzzled into the crook of his neck, taking in the smell of nicotine, smoke and sweat. The smell of life. Of him. She felt him doing the same in her hair as he uttered out a content, “Nami-san.”
They leaned back to look at each other for a second, gaze locked as it trying to reassure the other, and maybe even themselves, this was happening, this was real, before swooping into a kiss they’d never shared before. It was a mixture of emotions; joy, worry, love, frustration, relief. His lips were dry and she knew hers were too but it didn’t stop either of them from pouring their everything into the kiss, not wasting another second. Trying to convey to the other without words that they were there, that they’d done it, come out the other side and still had each other.
In the back of her mind, she was aware they were in the middle of a crowded room, surrounded by people both familiar and not so much, that they weren’t alone and she should be embarrassed, public displays of affects were never quite her style. But she didn’t give a damn. Not when she’d been considering the possibility he might’ve been dead only a few minutes ago, that this could’ve ended very differently for the both of them. Not when her ears were pounding and his lips were firm, working insistently against hers.
All she could see was him. All she could feel was him.
The room was as good as empty.
It was one last long kiss, lingering to extend their little moment of bliss and maybe a series of smaller kisses exchanged as a second thought, before parting but not going too far.
Their foreheads pressed together and she had a moment where she was swimming in blue until she pulled away with a hiss. Pain radiated from her forehead to the very centre of her head to settle there like lead whilst electric shot behind her eyes. She had not thought that through. He’d gone stock still the moment she’d made that sound and when she looked at him again, content was gone in exchange for concern. He really looked at her then, from the dirt on her face to the dried blood crusted on her face (despite her best efforts to get rid of it) and settled on the make shift bandage on her forehead.
The hands on her back slackened to the point where she slowly slid down onto her feet in front of him, her hands falling from his shoulders to rest on his chest. He didn’t speak as his hands smoothed her kimono down, ensuring her modesty and, knowing him, a chance to touch her more. Then they were on her face. His hands held power, maybe not to throw punches but he could cut through any ingredient, making it look like butter and yet for her, they fluttered around her face delicately. The fabric of his gloves traced along the bruise blooming on her cheek and she couldn’t read his face. It was carefully still as his thumb followed the dried blood along her face until it found the edge of the bandage. Although his touch was soft, she still winced, the wound still fresh, especially after she’d just jarred it.
His brows furrowed; mouth drawn down in displeasure. A look she’d never seen directed towards her, even though, logically, she knew it wasn’t for her.
“I’m going to evaporate that good for nothing cloud,” he said, voice rough.
Although he looked deadly serious, anger rolling beneath the surface, his touch stayed soft for her, cupping her face.
Her hands clasped his wrists. “It’s okay.”
He did not agree, it was all over his face. “Where is he anyway? Hiding like a coward I’d expect.”
“Maybe let’s save that story for another time?” She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain he now lived in her clima tact, that he was her clima tact, not just an accessory to it anymore. “Zeus did help me in the end though, I couldn’t have done it without him.”
“I knew something was wrong when I saw him alone earlier. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He said regretfully, looking at her like he did it.
“Don’t be ridiculous! We all had our part to play in this and we both knew going into this we’d all be leaving with some scrapes.” Which was a bit of an understatement but they’d spoken about this.
“Is Usopp okay?”
She thought about his bloodied face too but chose not to mention that when Sanji was just starting to calm down. “Yeah, he’s with Chopper helping.”
“And everyone else?”
“From what I could tell, yeah. Although Luffy’s still up on the roof, Robin and Brook have gone to get him and make sure he’s okay.”
He nodded, taking in the information and breathing a sight of relief. “From what you could tell?”
“I was too busy looking for you. Almost the last one here, Zoro’s going to have a field day when he’s awake.” It was the wrong thing to say, he frowned at the news, so she followed up with, “Did you get lost?”
He breathed out a laugh, amused by her joke but it didn’t reach his eyes like it normally would. He’d always been good at hiding his own feelings or pain but she’d known him long enough to now, had seen how he did it to know how to look through it.
So she looked at him then. Really looked at him, like he had with her. He had cuts and scrapes like her, a couple still oozing blood but he didn’t look anywhere near as roughed up as she would have expected. She was fully braced for a Zoro level of damage. Whilst that may be missing, when she looked him in the eye, he looked exhausted. Like he was fully drained and just running on fumes.
He knew she was on to him, it was all over his face and he smiled at her, like that would throw her. “Despite Zeus not doing his job, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Except the words were mismatched with the look in his eyes. He wasn’t okay. There was a look in his eye that she’d seen before. He looked broken. He looked haunted.
It wasn’t a look that suited him.
His eyes flitted away from her inquisitive stare.
“Sanji-kun, look at me, are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He looked close to tears but he blinked them back and cleared his throat.
“What happened?” She asked, ignoring his half-hearted attempt to convince her.
“Chopper didn’t tell you?” He looked weary as he asked her, almost afraid of the answer.
“We were all a bit too busy to stand around gossiping.” She wasn’t about to tell him about her frantic search for him, it’d only make him feel worse. “What didn’t he tell me?”
There was a long pause, where their gaze was locked, trying to figure the other out. He was either stalling or gearing himself up, perhaps going over what to say or how to phrase it.
“Would you still love me if I was a monster?” He uttered quietly, pained like he didn’t want to ask but had to.
That was the last thing she’d expected.
Her eyebrows raised, disbelief taking over her face but he wouldn’t have seen it. He’d broken eye contact and was too busy looking down at his hands. They’d dropped away from her face like he didn’t think they deserved to be touching her anymore. He stared at them in front of him like they didn’t belong to him and it was unnerving. He’d always had issues with loving himself but she’d never seen that directed towards his hands.
The question reminded her of all their talks after they’d left Whole Cake Island and the crew had been introduced to his family. How he’d hated them growing up but also loved them and desperately wanted their approval. How they weren’t good people. How they were monsters.
What had happened since they’d separated?
“Never mind, that was selfish.” He sounded annoyed with himself and she desperately wanted to take a glimpse into his mind.
As much as she had her own questions she wanted to ask, that was for another time because for every second she stayed quiet, the more he drew into himself.
“You’re not capable of being a monster,” she said softly, hands mimicking his early by cupping his face so he’d finally look at her.
He didn’t believe her. It was evident in the way his mouth turned down, in the furrow of his brows, the disbelief in his eyes. Yet he didn’t want to disagree with her.
“I’ve known you for so long. Despite what you may say or how you act, you have a heart of gold for everyone, even when you shouldn’t. You’d throw your life on the line in a heartbeat to save someone else’s, even if they don’t deserve it. You’re the definition of kindness and I know that word isn’t used alongside monster,” she finished, voice strong and unwilling to back down. He needed the support and she’d give it to him anytime he needed.
He looked like he was going to cry. His eyes were red, his eyes swimming with unshed tears that he tried his utmost to hold back.
“Does my skin feel soft?” His voice cracked halfway through asking.
It was hard trying to keep up, jarring at every sharp turn their conversation took. Just as she was beginning to put the pieces together, he’d ask another question that threw her off. Gave her a piece to the puzzle that didn’t fit with the one she was trying to put together.
Her thumb brushed along his cheek and she felt him hold his breath as she did.
“Why wouldn’t it?”
Someone cheered nearby and whatever bubble they’d created was shattered into pieces. It was so easy to forgot where they were and whatever vulnerability he had been showing was quickly masked. It made her heart clench to watch as he tried to put on a brave face.
“I can’t do this here,” he whispered, his voice sounding fragile as he built his walls back up.
She understood that, there were people to treat and a rampant fire to still put out. Hardly the time for a heart to heart.
“That’s okay. We always have later.” And they did, because they were both still here.
She pulled him in for a hug then, letting him have his last few moments of vulnerability before he composed himself and they got down to business. The few tears he couldn’t quite get rid of were cold against her neck and her arms tightened around him, as if trying to protect him.
When they parted, he looked a little lighter and whilst some of the strain was still on his face, the rest was warmth and adoration for her. “I love you.”
She smiled back at him, her stomach fluttering no matter how many times she heard those words. “I love you too and nothing’s going to change.”
He leaned in to kiss her and this was similar to their usual kisses, nowhere near as frantic or desperate as their one earlier. It was brief, chaste but still lingering and it made her lips tingle all the same.
“I hope so.” His eyes flitted around her face, like she was going to disappear any second.
“I know so,” and she’d spend the rest of her life proving it to him. She held out her hand to him, “Let’s find Luffy and the others.”
And later on, when the new broke of what happened to Sanji during his fight with Queen, she saw the way his frame tensed. Those pieces that she thought didn’t fit just slotted in elsewhere to complete a much larger puzzle than she’d expected.
He refused look at her as the topic was discussed but that was fine, she still had his hand in hers and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. Nothing would change.
His shoulders relaxed.
--------------------------------
I read weekly and as much as I try to remember everything, I definitely don’t. Artistic liberty was 100% taken here. Please don’t come for me if some things aren’t correct (not like it’ll matter, the manga will soon prove me wrong!)
I was putting off writing anything for this arc for the time being because I hate writing mid-arcs but I couldn’t not after Babu’s art. That being said, once the arc is finished, I don’t doubt I’ll be back for another stab at it. I have a lot of feels.
Summary: The Straw Hats stop at a bustling isle to restock and find a festival in full swing. As Sanji escorts Nami around, she finds herself wondering how she really feels about the cook they risked so much to save.
Ah! The end of SanNami Week is here! Behold, my final story for the Day 8 prompt, “Festival.” I had a lot of fun writing this adorable couple and rest assured that there will still be plenty of SanNami love to come even after the end of the event. Enjoy, my lovelies!
“Wow… They don’t call it the Citrine Isle for nothing!” Nami breathed in pure amazement as she and the rest of her crewmates stood beneath the ornate arch that marked the entrance—or exit, in their case—to the dock of one of the many wonders of the Grand Line. It was a beautiful structure, carved of honey-hued golden oak with the island’s name painted upon its smooth surface in bright white lettering accented with streaks of caramel shade to give it a three-dimensional pop. Behind it, the town’s harbor-front businesses stretched over the sandy cobblestone in either direction; the cityscape was obviously confronted with an aesthetic in mind, as the buildings all featured the same golden oak accents with cream-colored siding and dark tawny shingles to tie it all together. The color scheme called perfect attention to the town’s namesake, the beautiful golden-brown gem that served as the November birthstone. Nami was a July baby, but she nevertheless appreciated the commitment to style.
As if the town wasn’t already bursting to the brim with demanding panache, there was currently a festival taking place, as evidenced by the tinny music floating on the sea breeze and the decorations plastered everywhere possible. To give the town a bit of a natural flair, it was decked out with arrangements of fall flowers in tune with its golden-white artistic vision, bronze dahlias and white lilies accented by tufts of tiny white wildflowers. They bloomed brightly in pots at every corner and sat in baskets atop barrels alongside white and golden streamers strung over the archways and fences. At the junctions of the streamers, Nami was floored to see little clusters of real citrines glittering as they caught the rays of sunlight.
“Do they really have these just out on display? Their mines must be slap-full of them! Someone could walk off with these…”
“Don’t get any ideas, Nami,” Zoro scolded her from a few feet away, making her snort in derision. Of course she wasn’t going to just waltz off with her pockets full of the precious gems… She would at least enjoy the festival first, duh. Her mood was a little lightened as Sanji pirouetted over to drop one of the lilies into the fold of her ear.
“Aw, thank you, Sanji,” she cooed as she ran the pad of her index finger over the soft, delicate petals. Though sometimes the timing was a bit annoying, Nami found that more recently she didn’t mind indulging in his little affectionate gestures, even when it wasn’t exactly beneficial to her in any way.
“Anything for you, Nami-swan, my dear~”
While admiring the town around them, the crew of pirates had meandered into the market district of the town where the festival proper was taking place; the music was being provided by a string quartet nestled in the corner of two shops right beside them, creating a very pleasing melodic tune. It was so pleasing that Nami was even gracious enough to drop a few Belli coins into the little pail that was serving as their donation box. As soon as they hit the celebration, they all scattered like marbles; Luffy flung himself to the closest meat stand while Zoro wandered off in search of booze, Usopp and Franky bee-lined for the games, Robin escorted Chopper and Carrot to a little stand that was selling real flower crowns, Brook whipped out a violin (though she wasn’t sure where from) to muscle his way into the performance, while Jinbei sat himself on the edge of the bubbling fountain at the center of the plaza to keep an eye on the lot of them. This left Nami and Sanji to their own devices, and since the young woman was otherwise unoccupied, he sidled over to offer her one of his arms.
“My dear Nami-swan, would you care if I escort you around the festival today?” he purred like the perfect gentleman, but his eyes were sparkling like a little boy who had just been given loads of Belli to spend in a candy shop. Nami was in a good mood, so she obliged him, hooking her slender arm into the crook of his.
“Why sure, Sanji.”
His face alit like the rising sun as he beamed brilliantly, his body giving a happy wiggle.
“Why don’t we look at the jewelry stand?” she suggested sweetly with a flutter of her eyelashes. Steam blew from his nose as his face took on a rosy hue, and with a grand flourish, he spirited Nami away to the aforementioned display.
Of course it would not be a citrine festival if the gemstone was not featured in some way. Naturally the fixation of the festival was the crafts produced from the precious crystals. There were several vendors touting their homemade wares, and Nami’s eyes eagerly swept over them all, hoping to purchase a new accessory or two to spice up her wardrobe. It wasn’t every day they stumbled across markets that featured real gems, after all, and since they were in surplus, they were far cheaper than anywhere else.
“What do you think, Sanji?” she cooed as she held up two different necklaces. Both were gold, but one featured one large circular citrine in a pendant while the other had several smaller, dangling bits of gemstones decorating its chain. Sanji grasped his chin with a hand as his dark eyes flickered between the two options before he pointed to the latter.
“That one. It’ll match better with the earrings you were eyeing.”
Nami quirked an eyebrow at him, impressed at his level of attention. She purchased the matching set and installed him on her person before sighing contentedly. Nothing like a bit of pizzazz to spice up her life.
The rest of the crew was still very much reveling in the festival, but Nami had more or less gotten what she wanted, so she and Sanji walked over to one of the flower-adorned benches to take a breather. She expected Sanji to get up and go about his own business, but he merely lounged beside her, legs crossed and one arm slung lazily behind the bench.
“Sanji? Isn’t there anything you would like to do?”
“Not particularly. I’m just fine spending time with you, Nami-swan!” he grinned at her, burning cigarette clenched between his pearly white teeth.
Nami gave him a warmed smile. It was easy to forget sometimes that though his perverted nature sometimes tended to dominate, he was actually a very sweet and caring person at heart. Wait, she thought, surprised at herself for the notion. Was she actually getting soft for Sanji? After all, the Big Mom incident had been very tough on her, and she had done a lot of soul-searching and contemplation about how she felt for the man, but… It couldn’t possibly be that she was actually in love with him, right?
The thought alone sent a haze of pink blooming over her cheeks. She had to distract herself before her mind ventured into dangerous territory.
“Oh, Sanji, look, an exotic spice stand! I’m sure that you’ll find something you want there!” she shouted much too loudly and jerked up from the bench. He cried out in alarm and clamped down on the cigarette to keep it from flying from his mouth as she wrenched him off the bench by his arm. He stumbled clumsily after her as she hauled him to the stand, and she ignored his confused stammering, mostly because she could barely hear him over the roar of blood in her ears. She deposited him roughly in front of the puzzled shop owner and straightened up, smoothing down the disarrayed fibers of her hair and settling her choppy breathing to give him an innocent smile.
“Look, Sanji! They’re all autumn spices…”
“Well, I guess I could stock up on some things, and I could always use more ideas for cooking,” he muttered as he leaned over the arrangement of spices.
Nami stood tensely beside him, hands clasped in front of her wispy skirt and trying to focus on the aromatic blend flavoring the air rather than the way his muscles were painfully flexing beneath his suit. It didn’t help when he rolled up the sleeves to expose his taut forearm under the premise of testing the spices without accidentally dusting the black fabric. It wasn’t hot at all, but she began to sweat a little; this little venture had had the opposite effect she had wanted! She was attracted to him, dammit, with his stupid body and how cute he looked poring so intently on some damn insignificant spices. Flushing, she put her hands to her cheeks and looked away. They burned uncomfortably against her fingers.
“Nami-swan? Are you feverish?”
Nami jumped a little and looked back to see him peering worriedly at her.
“Ahahaha! No! I’m fine,” she lied, ducking her head to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw him blink and rub the back of his neck, obviously wondering how to proceed with the conversation. “Oh, is that ice cream?!” she yelled at the prime escape opportunity and darted off into the crowd, leaving him a puzzled mess.
“Nami…?”
A few minutes later she was once more sitting on a bench, a cone of pear-apple ice cream melting all over her hands. She lifted it to her mouth to give it a forlorn lick. She really was hopeless; she was so obviously crushing on the suave, handsome cook that it was painful. It had obviously sprung up on her in the aftermath of his kidnapping, or maybe it had always been there and she was trying to convince herself that it wasn’t. Nami didn’t know, and she also didn’t know what the hell she was going to do about it.
“There you are.” Sanji’s voice was proceeded by his shadow falling over her, and she looked up at him with a light gasp. “You’re wasting that, you know,” he sighed as he knelt down to begin wiping at her fruit-and-cream-covered hands with a napkin. “Seriously, you run off like that and you don’t even eat it? You’re acting weird, Nami-swan.” The action of his hands gently sweeping over her skin send shockwaves of energy shooting up her arms, making them shake a little. This was not lost on him, and his eyes flickered up to meet hers, concerned and interrogatory. “What’s up? You can tell me, you know.”
Could she, though? Sanji flirted with her a lot, sure, but that’s all it was—flirting. Flirting did not necessarily mean attraction and it certainly didn’t necessarily mean romantic feelings. What if she told him how she felt and he panicked and ran, and now their friendship was effectively ruined? The dilemma must’ve shown on her expression because he reached up to gently cup both of her cheeks and sweep his thumbs over them to catch the frustrated tears that spilled from her lashes.
“Please tell me what’s wrong!” he begged her, voice thick with emotion.
She could tell he was impossibly confused that her mood had basically one-eightied in the last five minutes. He was looking at her so eagerly. Maybe… Maybe he wouldn’t react that poorly…?
“I… I think… I have feelings for you, Sanji,” she admitted slowly, in a meek little whisper. Somehow she retained the willpower to continue looking at him, and her stomach twisted as his expression morphed into a blank one. Oh, God, she was already regretting it; she could just see it in her mind’s eye, him jumping up and running off so fast that a dust outline was left in his wake. Unable to bear it any longer, she cringed and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry! Please don’t make it weird between us—"
“Do you mean it, Nami?”
She inhaled sharply; he had dropped his unique honorific for her, meaning he was deadly serious right now. Eyes still screwed shut, she nodded her head emphatically. Oh, she knew she should look at him, but she couldn’t bear to! What if he looked scared, or pitiful of her? It was too much. She squirmed and twitched on the bench as her mind spiraled into fearful fantasies.
Then, suddenly, she felt something light and soft brush over her lips. What…?
“You’re cute.”
Her cheeks blazed a rose red as she recognized Sanji’s lips whispering the words against her own, then closing again to give her another sweet, chaste kiss. The combined scent of cigarette smoke and strong spices tickled her nose and made it crinkle. Finally, she was able to force her eyes open to cautiously peek at him. He immediately flashed her that goofy grin.
“What, did you think I was going to say ‘too bad’?” he laughed, tossing his head back slightly as his shoulders shook with heavy chortles. “You sure get some funny ideas in that pretty head of yours…” The rumbling purr made Nami’s body shiver in all the right ways. He was still crouched in front of her, on the tips of his toes with his hands pressed against the wooden seat on either side of her hips and his head tilted up as he gazed up at her in pure amusement.
“Don’t make fun of me… I was stressed,” she whined meekly, puffing out her cheeks. His lips curled into a slight smirk. Smug asshole… she thought, but endearingly. She gasped as he suddenly snatched the half-melted ice cream cone out of her hand to take a big bite out of the creamy concoction. “Hey!”
“You weren’t gonna eat it. I ain’t gonna let it melt to a puddle all over my shoes,” he shrugged, and the way he swept his tongue over his lips to lick up the leftover cream made her toes curl a little in her sandals as heat pulsed in every cell she had. He finished off the cone fairly quickly, licking the excess of the tips of his fingers, before gesturing to the ice cream that was decorating her hands in dripping streams. “Shall I?”
“I can do it myself!” she cried, both mortified and excited by his insinuations, before taking the discarded napkins and cleaning her hands angrily. “Don’t get cocky now that we’re a thing! God, I preferred you as a lovesick idiot—"
“So we are a thing?”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Shut up!” She flopped back against the bench, face burning and heart hammering. Sanji chuckled and continued to perch in front of her, looking all kinds of sexy with that amused smirk on his face.
“Wanna get back to the festival now?” he chuckled at her, finally standing and offering her a hand.
Nami side-eyed it, before groaning in defeat and taking it. He pulled her to her feet and immediately interlocked their fingers, looking much too pleased with how things had turned out.
“I’m high-maintenance, you know,” she warned him with raised eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to sign up for this?”
“I think I can manage,” he snorted with a cocky leer.
She rolled her eyes but smiled slightly, tightening her grip on his fingers.
“Fine, but I want a citrine bracelet now~”
“Ugh, go for my wallet, why don’t you…”
“Did you expect anything less?” she laughed as she pushed herself against his side and propped her chin on his shoulder with a demure grin. He huffed haughtily at her, then pressed a light kiss to her forehead. She wouldn’t say it aloud, but she was glad that the festival turned out this way too…
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Since I’m not a writer and, definitely, not an artist, hehe, I’ve decided to share some little things about Sanji and Nami that I found interesting. They are not necessarily romantic, but something more like a trivia. So I decided to leave the important stuff like Sanji and Nami willing to sacrifice their lives for each other or they worrying about the other’ss safety. Most of you already know about these things, but maybe it would be nice to remember some “slice of life” during such a glorious week. ^^
1. Sanji is the protector of Nami’s precious mikan trees:
We all know how Nami treasures those trees. They are a special remembrance from her time with Bellemere, so it’s really nice that Nami trusts Sanji with such a task. And it’s cute when you remember how Nami hugged the trees when she discovered they were safe after Merry sunked. It’s also nice that Sanji was the only other Strawhat in the scene and he was smiling:
It’s interesting to note that even recently, when the crew was starving near Totland, no one ate the mikans!
2. Sanji and Nami both wear eyeglasses (prescription glasses):
Nami uses them when drawing maps.
Sanji uses them here when using the abacus, an old instrument to make calculations. He also uses the eyeglasses in Dressrosa as part of his disguise and as his persona “Mr. Prince” in Alabasta (although they seemed to be just a stylized eyewear during that time). Other Strawhats used glasses in movies or color spreads, apparently for fashion reasons, but Sanji and Nami are the only ones that used them in the manga to help them see better, whether to draw precisely or to make correct calculations. Since both love to maintain a good appearance, it wouldn’t surprise me if they avoid using it for vanity reasons. ^^ Speaking of eyeglasses....
3. Both were nerds as kids:
Sanji read all kinds of books when he was a kid (in the picture he is with a science one). He even brought several of them while he was imprisoned. And Nami actually stole books from the local library so she could study navigation and cartography. Aunt Robin would be so proud. xD
4. Nami loves Sanji’s food:
Nami has been complimenting Sanji’s skills from the very beginning. And she doesn’t take the credit when everyone complimented her fish, she happily said that she just followed Sanji’s recipe:
It’s really cool that Nami is the “substitute” chef of the crew. ^^
5. Sanji gives his jacket to Nami:
The first time was in Little Garden, when Nami’s outfit burned. The second time was in Punk Hazard when Nami was freezing. Differently from the anime, though, Oda makes it subtle. In Little Garden, the moment Sanji gave his jacket was off paneled. In Punk Hazard, it was almost off panel as you can see in the right picture (Nami almost doesn’t appear). However, Oda makes us pay attention when Nami asks Chopper to lend his fur some panels before this meeting Sanji. When he arrives, she doesn’t need to ask and Sanji doesn’t say a word, he just gives the jacket while staring at the marines. That’s pretty cool and that’s what a gentleman should do. In the anime, Sanji is all mellorine mode but that wasn’t Oda’s intention. Sanji’s caring for Nami is genuine, not something he would happily do just for the sake of flirting.
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So this is it. There are plenty more things I could add to this list but it would become too big (I was planning to make 10 little things, but don’t worry, I can sneak them into other prompts for the week ^^). I hope you guys like it!
