#namilu

Nami grimaced.

She’d never had to sleep in the same room as him. Even when they had shared a dinghy with Zoro, she made sure the two boys slept on the other side of the boat. His snoring was even louder in close proximity.

She burrowed deeper into the furs, bringing them up to under her nose. Even under the soft, cushy layers, she was cold.

She peeked over at Luffy, who was dead asleep by the dwindling fireplace. They were also lucky that there had been spare kindling and dried out logs. She figured they’d probably used up all their luck for the next year, at least.

Luffy was sprawled out starfish-style, barely covered by the thin, gray speckled fur she’d flung his way. Her gut twisted in guilt.

It was her fault they were stuck here in the first place.

She wasn’t used to this feeling.

Of being the one who dragged her captain into danger.

It was always him, rubber and insane, who constantly crashed headfirst into adventure.

But she had just had to check out the damn lake in the middle of the damn forest, hadn’t she? She had been giddily charting out the tiny winter island, Luffy tagging along beside her. The rest of the crew had either stayed behind on the Sunny, or found entertainment in the small town at the southern tip of the island. There was at least one inn, so she trusted that the crew mates who’d stayed in town had found shelter from the sudden snowstorm. But she had heard from a group of locals that there was a beautiful lake that you could walk on and see straight through the ice, all the way to the hibernating fish. She had wanted to add it to her map, to measure out how big the perimeter was, if there were any peninsulas…

She sighed.

She really had gotten them into a mess, huh?

Luffy was still only wearing his orange vest, red shorts, and those stupid sandals. She could see his toes were still red from trudging through the snow. She and Sanji had tried to reason him (okay, bully him) into wearing at least a coat. But the stubborn power user had insisted on his usual wardrobe, the dumbass.

She at least had the sense to put on pants and boots.

She sighed again, turning away from the sight of her sleeping captain.

Hopefully the snowstorm would die down by morning. The Sunny was still so brand new, she had hardly gotten used to sleeping in the new room. But on the thin mattress and log frame she found herself in now, even with the furs, she missed the comfort of home.

“Nn…”

She turned over her shoulder to see Luffy curled up on his side, shivering in the cold. She grit her teeth.

Ugh, fine.

“Luffy,” she whispered across the room. He snorted, but didn’t wake. She frowned, and tried again. “Luffy!” She used her normal speaking voice this time.

“Hm…meat?”

“No, idiot,” she groaned, and pushed herself off the bed. She crouched down beside him, still in her pants and pink sweater. She nudged his shoulder. “Luffy.”

This time, he cracked open his eyes.

“Nami?”

She paused.

He looked…cute.

Cheeks and nose red from the cold, eyes half-shut with sleep. Fluffy black hair ruffled out over the pillow she’d spared him. His hat was on the lacquered table in the center of the room. The edges of the wood still had bark on: gnarled, deep, and earth brown. The whole place was admittedly cozy.

But…

“Are you cold?”

He shifted, sniffing a bit then wiping his nose with the gray fur. He looked up at her with those bright, puppy dog eyes and she folded.

“You can come sleep with me.”

She flushed as soon as the words left her mouth. “I-I mean! In the same bed. Facing separate ways. Obviously,” she hoped her voice didn’t actually sound as short and scratchy as it felt.

Luffy thought about it for a moment, before nodding. “Okay.” And then, “Thanks.”

She stood, and stepped back to the bed. She slid under the furs, immediately turning her back to him and scooting all the way to the opposite side. Luffy slid in after her, the mattress dipping. She felt the weight of his fur as he draped it over the two of them.

They laid in silence.

Luffy tossed and turned.

“M’still cold,” he mumbled. She could feel him shivering from across the bed. She debated. It was her fault he was this cold, technically. And he was probably missing the Sunny as much as she was.

“Mm…cmere,” she allowed, craning her neck to see his sad, pitiful face. He had those dumb (adorable) puppy eyes again. He stuck out his bottom lip.

“Don’t wan’ any more debt.”

She snorted.

“I’ll let it slide.”

He pouted some more, but decided the cold wasn’t worth it, and shuffled closer. He delicately pressed himself against her back, his hand slipping under the pillow to support his head. He shivered against her.

“Sweater’s soft,” he mumbled, fingering the fabric with his free hand. “Where should I put my arm?”

It was such an innocent question; it shouldn’t have thrown her so off guard.

“Um, uh…on me?”

Gods.

She’ll never know the reason why she had opened her mouth and said that.

Luffy hesitated, before carefully slipping his arm around her waist. He was stiff, unusually so, his arm rigid around her. She huffed, uncomfortable.

“Relax,” she commanded, “I’m not gonna bite.“

She could almost hear his pout.

“Promise?”

“Yes, promise. Now go to sleep.”

Luffy held still for one, two more beats, before finally softening behind her. His arm was surprisingly heavy around her. It sunk into the dip of her waist, a slender arm wrapped with muscle. He had gotten stronger, hadn’t he? He always did. After every new adventure, every new fight, he came back stronger. Corded with new muscle, new scars, new drive. A never-ending ambition to reach his goal.

It was something she greatly admired about him.

Absolutely certain he was asleep, she softly stroked his forearm. The fine hairs along his skin stood up under her touch. She whispered, “I’m really proud of you.”

“You are?”

“Ah!”

She jumped, truly and genuinely jumped, under the furs in fear. Luffy held her tighter, probably subconsciously. His arm was a steel bar around her middle. She turned to flash him an equally steely glare.

“I thought you were asleep!”

He just hummed, lips curving into a slow smile. “Glad I wasn’t.” His eyes were half-lidded and dark, the embers of the fire glowing behind him. The flickering light made the tips of his hair look red.

His thumb stroked her belly.

She hiccuped, and turned back around.

“No funny business.”

He just hummed again and scooted closer. “You’re warm.”

“Just go to sleep, Luffy.”

“Mm, okay…”

Minutes passed, and soon he was snoring again. Nami curled under the furs, trying to retain her body heat. Thankfully Luffy was a practical radiator, and she was able to drift off to sleep too.

***

The snowstorm did not stop the next morning.

Nami frowned out the frost covered window, staring into a blanket of ice and snow. She could barely see the surrounding pine trees, their thick branches being whipped by the blizzard wind. What she could see, however, was that the snow came more than halfway up the window. She figured they wouldn’t be able to even step out the front door without Luffy punching through the mountain of snow.

They were stuck.

Damn it.

Why hadn’t she brought a den den mushi?!

At least then she could have made sure the rest of the crew were fine and had shelter. And to let them know that she and Luffy were safe, too. Ugh.

“We’ll just have to trust them!” She heard herself say out loud.

“Duh!”

She turned to see Luffy practicing punches behind her in an effort to stay warm. He paused long enough to shoot a sweaty grin her way. “They’re fine!”

He went back to punching.

“Don’t break anything. We don’t know when the owner will be back,” her eyes swept over the small cabin. It was one room save for the cramped bathroom. It had the bed, the table, the fireplace (with a cast iron skillet on the hearth), a few cupboards, and a sink. The place was decked out in patterned rugs and furs, and a peek into the closet revealed a few coats and a pair of galoshes. Whoever normally lived here definitely lived alone; Nami wondered if he had gone into town and gotten snowed in himself.

So, them, the crew, and this mystery owner all had to just wait out the blizzard.

Nami stepped away from the window, rubbing her arms from the cold. It was thick glass, but the wind still came through all the same.

“S’nice place,” Luffy noted, switching from jabs to uppercuts. “Kinda reminds me of Dadan’s place.” His skin glowed amber in the light of the fire they’d managed to revive this morning. She flicked her gaze up and down her captain. His vest was left open over toned muscle, abs and sharp hipbones disappearing into his red shorts. He looked strong.

“Who’s Dadan?”

Luffy shrugged, wiping his nose with the back of his wrist. “She helped raise me ‘n my brothers.”

Nami paused.

“Brothers?”

With an “S”?

Luffy stopped midpunch. His face was strangely blank. “Yeah, uhh…Ace and, um. S-Sabo,” his expression stayed blank, but his stuttering betrayed him. Nami tilted her head.

“Sabo?”

Luffy nodded, then went back to punching. With a renewed vigor, it seemed. Nami knew she probably shouldn’t, but she pried.

“I didn’t know you had a second brother! When are we gonna meet him, too?” She found herself curious about Luffy’s mystery past. He almost never talked about himself or where he came from. It was always about whether he was hungry or what adventures they were going to go on next. Always looking to the future toward their quest for the One Piece, and the throne of the Pirate King. She had the sudden thought that she’d like to see him in a crown.

It took her a minute to realize he hadn’t answered.

Just punched.

“Luffy?”

He stopped, shook his head as if to clear it. “Sorry, I…um. He died. Back when we were kids. So.” He gestured with his arm, the silent ”so you can’t ever meet him” hovering in the air.

Nami bit her stupid tongue.

“I’m sorry…,” she murmured. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost Nojiko.

Luffy shrugged again.

Punched.

“Why don’t you stop that? You look tired,” she desperately tried to change the subject. She had lost Bellemere as a kid, too. She knew that there’s nothing you can actually say to make it better. It all just feels like too much or not enough, or at the worst like pity.

Luffy grunted.

“M’fine.”

She let it be.

***

Thank the gods the cabin had an icebox. There was fish, venison, eggs, and an assortment of fruits and veggies. Nami squirreled away a portion of meat for herself, cooking what they’d found in the pan over the fire place. Luckily there was still a stack of firewood next to the hearth. Hopefully this snowstorm would die down before they ran out.

“Can I have yours?”

“Absolutely not!” She shoved the strip of meat into her mouth and chewed in defiance. Luffy whined, but she swallowed it down with pride. It was no Sanji dinner, but it would have to suffice. “I’m hungry, too!”

“Ughhh!!!” Luffy thunked his head onto the table. “This sucks! I’m bored!” He squished his nose down into the wood.

Nami rolled her eyes.

“So am I!”

Luffy squished his face to the side to pout at her. “What should we do?”

“Beats me.”

She still had her maps rolled up in her satchel, but without having even seen the lake, there was nothing to add. Maybe she could spare some paper…

“Here!” She shot up with an idea, marching over to her satchel left by the door. She rummaged through it until she plucked out a piece of charting paper she hadn’t written on yet. Smiling, she brought it back to slam onto the table in triumph. “Paper’s a bit expensive, but I think for the sake of our sanity it’s okay to sacrifice it.” She sat down and started folding the large sheet of paper into squares.

Luffy scooted closer to her on the bench. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Just watch.”

Satisfied with the folds she had made, she began tearing the paper along the creases. Eventually she had six equal squares on the table. And she hadn’t even ripped any of the edges! Pleased with her handiwork, she began to fold.

A corner here, a triangle there…

“Ta da!”

She held up her trophy in victory. It was an origami boat. It had two pointed sails, and the base was folded back so it could stand on its own. She slid it across the table like it was sailing. She even made the whoosh noise of the waves.

Luffy watched the little paper boat as she slid it towards him. He didn’t move until the sharp corner poked his nose. He glanced up at her.

“You’re weird.”

Nami’s mood plummeted.

“I thought you’d be impressed!” She shouted, face heating in embarrassment. And here she thought she was helping. “You like boats!”

Luffy broke out into a laugh. “Haha, sorry Nami! I guess I’ve never seen you do something cute like that.” He reached forward to toy with the little boat. “This is pretty cool, you’re right.”

Cute.

She turned away, nose in the air.

“I’m always cute,” she demanded. Luffy snorted.

“Yeah, right.”

That earned him a thump on the head.

“That’s what I mean!” Luffy complained, holding his head where she’d hit him. He scowled up at her. “You’re always yelling at me and hitting me. Not cute at all.”

“You’re rubber, it doesn’t even hurt,” she said even as her chest tightened. Was that really what he thought of her?

“Does too.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he did, too.

So they sat in silence.

“I can make a frog, too.”

She didn’t know why she said that. There was all this paper she’d torn up, and she didn’t want it to go to waste. At least that’s what she told herself. She had truly, genuinely expected Luffy to jump up with a shout of excitement at the sight of the origami boat.

She peered over at him as she folded. He had his chin resting on his forearms on the table, watching her hands. His eyes were downcast, his hat pushed back behind his head. His black hair stuck up at all angles. For some reason the sight of him made her heart clench. He looked so…small.

Nami swallowed.

She really shouldn’t have pried about his brother. She had seen how weird he got, heard how his voice cracked. She wanted to thunk her head on the table herself.

Silently, she finished the frog and placed it in front of her, facing Luffy. She pressed down on the back legs, shooting it forward in a hop towards his face.

“Ack!”

He sat up in surprise, rubbing where the paper had hit his cheek. “How’d you make it do that?!”

Ah, there was the excitement.

She grinned. “I’ll show you.”

So she went step by step teaching Luffy how to fold the paper. He was clumsy at first, tearing the first sheet with too rough of a fold. But on his second attempt he actually turned out to be quite dexterous.

“All that tying knots is paying off, huh?” She teased. His fingers were thicker and stronger than hers, built with callouses and rubber skin. But he handled the paper surprisingly delicately. Something about watching his hands work made her stomach do a weird flip. She looked away.

“So, uh, yeah. That’s how you do it,” she showed him her finished frog. He frowned, comparing it to his.

“Mine’s all sideways.”

She giggled, “It’s not bad, especially for your first time.” And then she flushed at the word choice. Luffy’s eyebrow gave a small twitch but otherwise he didn’t comment. His dark eyes met hers and she saw, for the first time ever, a flicker of a tease in his expression.

He got it.

Even if she hadn’t meant it, he’d gotten the dirty joke.

Surprise flooded her.

Nami had basically assumed he knew nothing about sex, except maybe the basics. She knew for a fact that he had no interest in it. After all, he didn’t even think she was cute. And she was the cutest woman he’d ever seen!

Right?

For once in her life, she wondered if she might not be someone’s type.

“Can you make a beetle?”

His question cut through her line of thought. He was trying and failing to make his sideways frog hop.

“Um, I’ve never tried it before. Maybe we can figure it out?” She grabbed another square of paper and made two folds: horizontal and vertical. That was usually how you started.

“Hmm…what does a beetle look like?” She mused, tilting her head.

“Six legs, mandibles, sometimes a horn. Elitra and wings,” Luffy answered immediately.

“Elitra?”

“Wing casing.”

“Oh.”

She stared at the paper. Tried to visualize it. “Should this beetle have a horn?”

“Duh!”

She smiled again, and started to experimentally fold. She had to undo it and redo it a few times, and by the time she was done the charting paper was creased and crooked. But she’d made a pretty good amalgamation of a horned beetle. It had a definite head and body, with six and a half crooked legs.

Luffy let out a sound of appreciation. “Not bad, Nami!” He clapped her on the back. She coughed from the bludgeoning damage.

“Watch your strength, musclehead!” She complained, straightening her sweater. She wished she at least had a change of clothes. She felt stuffy and stale. There was a little shower in the bathroom, but she was afraid of being too cold and she was not going to use some stranger’s dirty towel.

“Sorry,” Luffy smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Nami turned her nose up.

“You’re always throwing people around. No consideration for others! I happen to be very delicate, myself.”

“Nah, Nami’s strong.”

She glared over at him to see a proud smile on his face. The compliment flattered her, and she preened. “I’m gonna be the navigator to the Pirate King, damn right I’m strong.”

“That’s the spirit!”

He lifted his arm to slap her back again, but paused midway as he thought better of it. Awkwardly, he patted her shoulder in a weird, jilted way instead. She shrugged him off.

“Ew, don’t touch me like that.”

Luffy frowned.

“How the hell am I supposed to touch you?”

Nami threw her hands up. “Touch me nice, captain! Like I’m a—,” she bit her lip. Like I’m a girl, she’d almost said. When had that mattered to her?

But the buzzing in her chest was unmistakeable. Whether it was from watching him throw practice punches, muscles flexing in the firelight, or how cute he looked bored and pouting, or how warm he’d been behind her in bed, or even that damn tease in his eyes at her unintended innuendo.

She had a crush.

And maybe (just maybe) she’d had a crush for a while. He was her captain, after all. Her Luffy. Wild and carefree, giddy and oftentimes stupid, but serious and strong when it mattered. Her head sometimes still tingled, remembering the feeling of rough straw being pushed firmly in place.

His shout that he would help her.

“Nami?”

She snapped back to reality to see Luffy staring at her strangely, head tilted at an angle. He must have asked her something. She swallowed through a dry throat. “Uh, what?”

She expected him to snicker, to make fun of how she was now the one not listening for once, but he didn’t.

“How do you want me to touch you?”

His voice was steady, scratchier than normal. He was really asking.

“Um…,” she trailed off.

Luffy pursed his lips. “I’m gonna have to touch you eventually, y’know. When we’re in danger and we need to get away. How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”

Gods, now if that didn’t sound like an innuendo, she didn’t know what would. She grit her teeth.

“Just…gently.”

“Like this?” He carefully slid an arm around her waist, coiling it in several loops. It felt like when he normally grabbed her, about to fling her halfway across the damn planet, but softer. Not quite as tight.

She tried to speak, but her voice cracked. Luffy waited for her answer.

“It’s, um. Better.”

“Good.”

Luffy’s voice was closer, and she realized he’d leaned into her side. He squeezed her slowly, almost like a boa constrictor. “How’s this?” He spoke gently, just as she’d asked, and when she dared to look at him, his eyelids were lowered.

She was sure her face was red.

“S’fine.”

“Not too tight?”

“Mm.”

His body heat was melting her. She’d been wrapped in his arms before, plenty of times, hell, they even cuddled last night! But it hadn’t felt like this. This charged, electric current running from his body to hers. Each point of contact, even through her clothes, was a conductor. She could practically smell the ozone in the air.

Like a storm was about to break.

She cleared her throat, ready to say something, but his arm uncoiled from around her waist before she could.

“M’hungry.”

He stood up to go raid the icebox.

Nami sat still.

Eventually, she let out a long breath through her nose. “Me too,” she mumbled, getting up to check the cupboards for food. She came up with a loaf of bread, some jerky, and dried apples. They both munched in silence.

“When do you think the snow will stop?”

Luffy was across the cabin, stretching his fingers out to make a net over and over again. He only did that when he was really bored. Nami squinted out the window.

“It’s hard to tell without being able to see the sky,” she admitted, nothing in her vision but the swirls of white whipping through the trees. “But judging on how bad it’s coming down…it’ll probably last through the night, at least. We should start saving food,” she eyed him. Luffy groaned, snapping his fingers back from the net. His head fell back as he stretched out his cheeks.

“This is the worst!”

He let out another groan as his rubber skin snapped back in place. He huffed, hands on his hips.

“Fuck it, I’m going out.”

He started toward the door, but Nami shrieked as she lunged toward him. “No, Luffy! You’ll literally die of hypothermia!” She grabbed his shoulders, and shook him for good measure. “A frozen pirate can’t be king, now can he?”

“I’ll use Gear 2!”

“No, Luffy! The sweat will just make you colder—“

“At least let me hunt something!” He whined, gesturing to the door. “We’re almost out of food and I’m starving!”

Nami shook her head.

“It’s freezing winds out there, you can’t see five inches in front of your face, and everything you could hunt is gonna be buried under snow!”

Luffy, however, was not having it. He easily pushed past her, marching to the door. Nami held onto his arm, but it just stretched as he kept walking.

“Luffy, please, you’re gonna get lost and get frostbite at least if not freeze to death!!” She was pleading with him, tugging on the coils of his arm. He opened the door.

A gust of freezing wind blew into the cabin, blowing back both their hair. Nami had been right: there was a wall of snow as tall as Luffy blocking the doorway. He stood in front of it for a second before rearing his free fist back.

“Gomu gomu no…!”

“Wait!!”

Nami shrieked, grabbing his wound up fist. “At least—ugh, at least wear this!” She ripped her own sweater off and tugged it over his head before he could complain. She was wearing a thin tank top underneath, thank the gods, but the chill air gave her goosebumps immediately. She wrapped her arms around herself as Luffy finished pulling his head through the shirt. He slipped his arms through the sleeves, looking down at himself. He adjusted it, a strange look on his face as his hands lingered in the soft, pink fabric.

Hesitantly, he fingered the loose collar and brought it up to his nose to sniff. Nami almost hit him again.

“Ew, don’t do that!”

Luffy frowned but dropped the collar. Nami’s stomach did another flip at the thought of him out in the snowstorm. “Put this on, too!” She grabbed a fur off the bed—the gray one—and wrapped it around his head. She thunked his straw hat down on top of it to hold it in place. It looked ridiculous, and it folded over his shoulders in a weird way, but at least now he’d be warmer.

Luffy was staring at her.

“What are you doing?”

Nami straightened the fur a bit, draping it over him to cover as much exposed skin as possible. “Making sure you won’t die.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Nami glared at him, furious. “You get twenty minutes, and then I’m coming out after you.”

“But won’t you die of cold?”

“Exactly.” She tugged the fur more firmly into place. “And if the crew finds out you let me die, Sanji will boil you for soup. So you better come back soon.” She was giving her best tough girl act, but her voice wavered with anxiety. She knew she couldn’t stop him. He might as well have been a snowstorm himself, for how dense and unstoppable he seemed to be. She counted herself lucky she’d even delayed him this long.

“I won’t die.”

He watched her work over the brass buttons on his vest, closing it up to shield him even a little bit more from the cold. She stepped back, shivering in her tank top. Luffy’s eyes dipped down for one second, widened, then pointedly looked straight up at the ceiling.

“What?”

She looked down at herself, wondering if there was a stain or something. But, no. She wasn’t wearing a bra: her nipples were rock hard through the thin fabric. She covered her chest immediately.

“Shut up! It’s cold!” She yelled, turning away from her now-blushing captain. “Just go find a bear or something!”

“Sorry, Nami!”

With that, he rushed out.

***

Twenty-one minutes and thirty-eight seconds.

Nami paced in front of the fire, the chestnut fur draped over her shoulders.

Twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds…

“OI!!!”

Luffy’s shout rang through the cabin just before the front door slammed with impact. Nami rushed to open it, letting her captain tumble in, along with a pile of snow and—

“Oh, gods, Luffy! Is that—?!”

“Yup!”

Luffy straightened, a large mound of black fur hanging around his shoulders. It had limbs, claws, a snout, and round ears…

She was speechless.

“You hunted a bear?!”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. There was a stripe of blood on his cheek. “Isn’t that what you said to do?”

Nami shook her head in disbelief. “I guess so…,” she breathed. She watched as Luffy walked to the sink, took a butcher knife, and walked back out.

Well, at least now they had meat.

***

Bear meat tasted surprisingly sweet.

It was denser than steak, with a deeper flavor. The bear must have been primarily living off nuts and berries from the forest, as well as the fish from the lake. It was gamey but not overly so, and if she was being honest, Nami would have asked Sanji to make some if she could.

Luffy had stripped the bear relatively quickly and cleanly, such so that it was obvious he’d done it plenty of times before. When Nami had asked, poking her head out the doorway to check on him, he’d just grunted with a shrug.

“Dadan cooked but we had to get the meat ourselves.”

And left it at that.

They ate in silence, Luffy being too tired from the hunt and the cold to even give more than an occasional “mmm” in satisfaction.

The fire popped.

Luffy perked up, “Oh!” He swallowed his last bite, “I was so hungry, I forgot! Here,” he reached into his pocket and held out his closed fist to her.

Nami opened her hand beneath it.

A stream of clean, sharp bear claws poured into her palm. Some spilled onto the floor, clacking against the wood. She jerked back, spilling more.

“What the hell, Luffy?!”

He frowned, wiping the grease off his face. “You can make jewelry. Y’know, necklaces ‘n stuff?”

“I know what jewelry is!” She snapped. But she bent down to pick up the scattered claws. They were smooth and nut brown, with a dangerous curve. She gulped as she imagined Luffy fighting the thing.

“Th-thanks.”

Luffy shrugged, reaching over to steal the last piece of meat from her plate. “I thought you liked jewelry.”

She usually liked gold and diamonds, but the gesture was sweet. Raw and powerful and scary, but nevetheless sweet. She worried her lip as she stared down at the claws in her hands.

“What do you think of me?”

She blurted out before her brain caught up. She snapped her jaw shut, and if she wasn’t holding twenty sharp objects in her hands, she would’ve covered her mouth, too.

Luffy glanced at her like she’d flown in from outer space.

“Uhh…you’re Nami?”

Disappointment laced through her. She almost didn’t say anything else, but she’d dug herself this far. She shook her head, “No, besides that. What do you think of me?”

Luffy lit up. “Oh! You’re my navigator! The best one in the world!” He grinned proudly at her.

Nami warmed at the compliment (especially the “my” part), but it wasn’t what she wanted. “Thanks, captain, but…I mean me. Like me me. Like more than just what I do on the ship.” She couldn’t believe what she was saying. Why did she care? Nami knew he was proud of her, that much was obvious. He trusted her. He followed where she pointed. Wasn’t that enough?

“You’re my friend.”

Her heart clenched.

Probably the biggest compliment Luffy knew how to give.

He must have seen her face fall, tried as she might to hide it, because his eyebrows shot straight down.

“What are you actually asking me, Nami?” His mouth was drawn in a firm line, his voice suddenly deeper. Captain mode.

She looked down in shame. “Nothing, don’t worry about it. I’m happy to be your friend,” she tried to give him a smile. But Luffy knew better than anyone how to spot a fake.

His arm shot out and wrapped around her waist, dragging her into his side. She gasped at the surprise, but more so at the…the gentleness in his grasp. Just like she’d asked.

“I promised pinwheel guy I’d protect your smile,” he said, a low gravel in his tone he only used when he was very, very angry. “So don’t you dare fake it for me.”

This time she knew he meant it like that.

His arm tightened around her, so snakelike, as he leaned in closer. Luffy was warm again from eating by the fire, his skin burning into hers. He’d taken her pink sweater off, but it had been soaked with sweat and snow, along with his vest. So both articles of clothing were now drying by the fire, leaving him shirtless. And she was still only in her (braless) tank top. The top coil of his arm pushed up against the undersides of her breasts. His dark opal eyes held hers with a crackling determination. She squirmed in his hold.

“Luffy…”

Nami felt weak, suddenly very aware of how they were snowed in together. Alone. For who knows how long.

She cracked.

“Is it so bad to be locked in here with me?” She blurted out. Her own eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t known she was going to say that until she opened her mouth.

Luffy stared at her in shock.

“You keep saying how much this sucks and how you’re so bored,” she felt her cheeks grow hot, “Well, I’m here, too! Can you really not stand being together for more than five minutes?” Nami sounded harsh to her own ears.

Luffy just blinked.

“You know that’s not how I feel about you.” His voice was surprised, but still low. His arm was still wrapped around her waist. He touched his nose to her cheek. “I thought you knew how I feel about you.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” She bit her lip after stumbling over the words.

Luffy leaned back. “I can show you if you want,” his voice was careful, “But I know you don’t like this kind of stuff. So you have to promise not to kill me, okay?”

Nami had no idea what he meant.

“Promise,” she hesitantly agreed.

Luffy softly, gently pressed his lips to her cheek. He turned it into a wet, sucking kind of kiss. He pulled back, and Nami slowly met his eyes. He was searching hers, looking slightly scared. She opened her mouth, throat tight, but Luffy barreled on before she could gather a single coherent thought.

“I-I know you usually hate this stuff, but I thought it might be okay if it was, um…with me,” for the second time today she saw Luffy blush.

Nami’s brain couldn’t catch up. Had he just kissed her? That had to have been a kiss, right?

Wait, does he think I hate kissing?

She stared blankly at him. Before Luffy could totally lose his mind waiting for her reaction, she finally found her voice, “What makes you think I hate—this stuff?” She nearly choked on her own spit.

Luffy tilted his head. He had that owl-eye stare he got when he truly did not understand something.

“You’re always rejecting Sanji,” he stated matter-of-factly, “And you only ever flirt with guys to steal their money. So I figured you weren’t into kissing.” He sounded so sure of himself, as if he were explaining that the sky was blue.

“I-I like kissing!” It was the only thing she could think to say.

“That’s crazy!” Luffy broke out into a laugh. He held his face with his free hand as he did. “No way! I thought you hated it!”

Nami’s jaw fell open.

“I thought you hated it!”

Luffy laughed harder and shook his head. He wheezed out a few more breaths before speaking, “I mean, I’ve never done it before. So I dunno if I’ll like it. But, uh…,” and here his cheeks went pink, “I wanna do it.” His eyes met hers, “With you.”

Nami couldn’t take it.

She grabbed his stupid, squishy face and crashed her lips to his.

Luffy let out a surprised mmph! against her mouth. Nami wasted no time in deepening the kiss, moving her lips against his with all of that pent-up frustration she’d been concealing for months. He carried her up a mountain, for gods’ sake. How could she not be in love with him?

The cabin was quiet besides the crackling fire and the little smacks as they explored each other’s lips. It was soft and slick, and surprisingly gentle. This was her first kiss, and how lucky she was that it was with her truest captain.

Luffy pulled on her bottom lip, sucking on it gently. He moved to kiss the corner of her mouth, before smooching down her neck. His free hand came up to tangle in her hair, tilting her head to the side so he had more room. He darted his tongue out to taste her in between kisses.

The sensation was electrifying; tingles ran down her neck as his lips gently kissed and sucked at her skin. She felt her breath shudder, trying to keep up with all the little stars that burst each place his mouth touched her.

“Luffy…,” she moaned. He answered with a small hum, traveling back up to kiss her jaw again. He mouthed at the corner, his kisses getting steadily sloppier. He dragged his tongue from her jaw to her shoulder, where he bit down hard. “Ah!” She gasped at the sudden shock of pain.

Luffy growled in response, his coiled-up arm tightening for a second before he dragged her into his lap. She sat sidesaddle across his thighs, her legs draped over him. He unwound his arm from her waist so he could cradle her face.

“I like you, Nami.”

She smirked despite herself. “Yeah, I think I get it now.”

“Good!” Then he kissed her again. This time he slipped his tongue inside, gently stroking it along hers. Where had he learned to kiss so well?

“Have you done this before?” she whispered against his lips once he was done exploring her mouth. Luffy pecked her again.

“Nope!”

Figures.

He was a fast learner.

“You’re ridiculous,” she growled, before leaning in again. She sort of forcefully pushed her tongue inside his mouth, desperate to taste him. He tasted of savory meat and dried apples. She groaned into his mouth, their breaths mixing. Their lips slid together, wet with spit. It was gross and messy and sexy, and she couldn’t get enough.

“You’re fucking eating me, sweetheart,” Luffy grinned against her mouth. Heat seared through her insides at the nickname, until she was choking on a gasp.

Luffy noticed.

“Hm? Sweetheart?” He kissed her jawbone, his hand sliding down to cup the side of her neck. His voice was teasing, “Baby? Peach? Treasure?” He smooched her in between each pet name. She hated to admit it—she never thought she’d like it—but his words sent shivers of heat through her.

Luffy’s lips moved over her pulse point, soft and warm and still wet from her tongue. Nami’s eyes fluttered closed. “Stop it…,” she muttered.

“Sorry, don’t like it?” He pulled back a bit, thumbs stroking her waist. She shook her head, then hid her face in his shoulder.

Nami mumbled out a pathetic, “No, I like it…,” her voice muffled by his skin. Luffy snorted.

“Then why’d ya say stop?”

She shook her head again.

Luffy quieted down, opting to gently rub circles on her back. They stayed like that for a minute, while Nami tried to catch her breath. It was all too much. Luffy’s warmth, his sweetness, those pet names… her nervous system was flooded with sensation and she didn’t know what to do. And she always knew what to do.

“Where did you learn those nicknames anyway?” Nami couldn’t believe Luffy would even have “sweetheart” in his mental vocabulary, let alone use it.

“Shanks used to call Makino them,” he mused, drumming his fingers on her back. He snickered, “That was the first time I learned about sex. I walked in on ‘em doing it on the bar,” Nami looked up in shock. There was just a hint of rose to his face.

“On the bar?” Nami couldn’t help but ask. Luffy snickered some more.

“Yup, they got so mad,” he adjusted her weight in his arms as he talked, “But I think it’s their fault for doing it out in the open! Not my fault I was six years old and got hungry.”

Nami still had her head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of him seep into her. She traced a line down his sternum. “Nojiko told me about sex, and how you get pregnant. I thought it was so gross,” she admitted, “Like, why would you want that there?” She wrinkled her nose.

Luffy paused his circles on her back.

He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it. When he tried again, his voice was careful, “Do you…still think it’s gross?”

Nami shrugged.

“Dunno. Never done it before.”

“Even by yourself?”

Nami felt her face flush. “I…no. Not—inside.” She couldn’t believe she was revealing this, to Luffy of all people. Who knew?

But he was a curious creature, and he kept asking. “Do you touch yourself at all?” He moved his hand to her hair to scritch the base of her scalp. Nami wanted to bury her face in his neck and never come out, but there was also a thrill in her stomach. She’d never gotten to talk about this before.

“Mhmm. Just my clit, though.” She continued tracing a line down his chest, fingers tricking over his abdomen. He visibly shivered. Nami bit her lip against a smile, seeing how she was clearly affecting him (and honestly, she was no better). “You?”

Luffy nodded. “Yeah, sometimes. Feels good. I bet it’d feel really good with you.” He spoke it like a fact, and if it weren’t for the faint gravel in his voice it barely registered as a flirt.

“Yeah? Thought about me before?” She teased, tracing the defined valleys of his abs. Luffy stroked his fingers through her cropped hair.

“Oh, yeah,” he admitted, seemingly content to keep holding her. “Sanji twirls around you and stuff, but I’m worse.”

“You’re worse? I can’t believe that,” she huffed out a laugh.

Luffy tugged her hair a bit, gently coaxing her to look up at him. His cheeks were like strawberries, and his eyes were half-lidded. He gave her a bright grin. “I wanna do waaaay worse stuff than he does.”

Now that was definitely a flirt.

“Like what?”

Nami’s voice came out breathier than she intended, but she couldn’t help it. She was half-melted in his lap.

Luffy cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers again. She only barely suppressed a pathetic moan.

“Like…,” he let the word drag out with a hint of vocal fry. His thumb caressed her cheek. She felt so safe, held in her captain’s arms. Nami was his navigator, she pointed where to go, but she wondered if Luffy knew it was her that would follow him anywhere.

“Like?” She echoed.

He kissed her again.

“Like, how I wanna make you cum with my mouth.” He stated it matter-of-factly again, voice dipping just a bit lower. His lips brushed her cheek. “Or, how I wanna watch your tits bounce as you ride me.”

This was too much.

His voice, his touch.

Nami crumbled.

“I could do that.”

Heat flooded through her at her own words. She wanted to push, to pull, to just flirt with him. To shove him onto that bed and ruin him.

“Yeah?” He kissed down her jaw again. “You want me to be your first?”

“More than anything.”

Luffy grinned against her throat. “Let’s do it.”

With that, he scooped her up and stood up from the bench. He carried her to the log frame bed and dropped her down, ass first.

“Hey!” Nami complained. The mattress was thin, and her ass had hit the hard wood underneath. She scowled up at him. Luffy giggled, crawling into bed over her.

“Sorry, sorry. Touch you nice, I got it.” He leaned over her, pushing her onto her back. Nami’s head hit the pillow and her breath left her lungs. Luffy descended on her neck, lavishing it with kisses and long, striping licks. Each touch, each wet glide made her shudder in pleasure. Her hands scrabbled at his bare shoulders, trying to hold on. Her legs fell open naturally, and he eagerly fit his hips inside. His shorts scratched her inner thighs, but she didn’t mind.

“So pretty,” he kissed all over her cheeks. He captured her bottom lip and sucked hard. “Wanna make you feel so good.”

Nami whined. “Please, Luffy,” she tugged at the soft hairs at the base of his skull. Luffy snuck his hand up her waist, squeezing at the curve. He touched his nose to her cheek.

“Please, what?” He teased, nipping at the apple of her cheek. He seemed way too smug about all this. Nami had expected him to be clumsy and unsure, but he just barreled forward with shameless confidence, like he did with all things.

“Please,” she repeated, arching her back into him. Her chest pressed against his, her tits squishing up. Luffy gave an appreciative groan. She scratched his scalp. “Make me feel good?”

“Gladly,” he murmured, then hooked a finger into the neckline of her tank top and pulled it down. Her tits popped free, and Luffy licked his damn lips before diving in.

His tongue circled her nipple, before he sucked it into his mouth with a whine. He ground his hips against her as he played with it inside his mouth. Then he rolled it with his lips, pulled on it, smacked it with a kiss, then moved to do the same thing to the other side.

“Fuuuuck, Lu~” Nami crooned, head tipped back into the pillow. She was shivery and achey, wanting more and still feeling overwhelmed. Luffy paid attention to her tits until she got sore, and she had to tug him off by his hair.

“Why’d ya make me stop?” He panted with reddened lips and glossy eyes. Nami almost burst out laughing at his cute little confused expression. She shook her head, taking his face in both hands to bring him in for a kiss.

“You’re too good at it, that’s why,” she chided him as she bit his lip.

Luffy grumbled, still confused, but let her keep kissing him into oblivion. They made out some more, still getting used to the slide of their lips together. Eventually, Luffy groaned.

“Wan’ more.”

He knelt up to start tugging her pants down her legs. Nami flushed, but lifted her hips to help him. She could see the hard outline of him in his red shorts. Something in her snapped.

“Fuck,” she growled, suddenly sitting up so she could tip him onto his back. He let her push him down, watching with dark eyes as she wrestled with his button and zipper.

“Nami—,” he suddenly spoke up, worried urgency in his voice, “I don’t have a condom.” The regret was palpable on his tongue.

“Don’t need it,” she gripped the waistlines of both his shorts and boxers, and yanked them down. “Been on birth control since I was thirteen,” she explained, getting his shorts caught around his ankles. Nami’s face was hot as the Sandora Desert, and only got worse once she finally managed to toss Luffy’s clothes aside.

There he was.

Aching and beautiful, honeyed amber with a rose-blush head, standing at attention with a slight curve toward his stomach. Luffy was panting slightly, flushed from his cheeks to his chest.

“Nami…,” he whispered.

They were both naked, about to do something for the first time.

“You’re beautiful,” Nami answered. She climbed up his legs, and laid down between them. Luffy hitched a gasp as she met his eyes, lips hovering above his cock. He was breathing fast, chest rising and falling rapidly. She made him feel like that.

Experimentally, she licked his head. Luffy groaned immediately and his head hit the mattress. His hands flew to her hair, tangling in the locks with shaking fingers. Her name left him in a shattered breath.

Nami took him into her mouth.

He tasted musky, his BO thick in her nose. Usually she was the first one to push him into the bath, but for some reason she didn’t mind right now. It sent a shiver through her, to be surrounded by him in all her senses. She slurped around him, moving her head up and down. Luffy twitched and bucked, forcing his cock toward the back of her throat. Nami moaned around him, before popping off to stroke her tongue along his shaft.

“Fuck, Nami…,” his voice was wrecked. She stared up at him, something inside her clenching at the sight. He was panting and flushed, his abs flexing each time he thrusted. His eyes were screwed shut, dark lashes shadowing over his cheeks. Luffy’s mouth opened in an “O,” his breath hitching before something started to spurt out of him. Nami rushed to catch his tip in her mouth, closing her lips tight and sucking. Luffy jerked violently, shouting out a broken cry of her name. His cum shot down her throat, filling her mouth with thick bitterness. She gagged, not pleased with the taste, but the way Luffy looked down at her like she was a god herself made it worth it.

“Holy shit,” he panted, ruined.

Nami smirked. She watched her best friend go limp, still twitching with the aftershocks. She wanted to say something clever, to tease him, but she couldn’t. He was too gorgeous. Glowing with sweat and pleasure, still breathing heavy. He ran a hand through his messy hair, a faded smile on his lips.

“I feel drunk,” he slurred.

Nami let out a laugh, sitting up on her knees. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Your jizz tastes like shit.”

Luffy burst into a laugh too, covering his face with an arm. “Shishi, sorry!” His dick twitched as he spoke. It was half hard and still leaking. Nami leaned forward to suck it into her mouth again.

“Ahh~!” Luffy let out the most beautiful noise that sent lightning straight to her core. He panted out a heavy breath, stuttering through his words, “I didn’t—hah!—expect you to, mmm, put your mouth on it!”

Nami swirled her tongue around his sensitive head, before gently opening her mouth and leaving off him. He twitched a bit, still hiding his face under his arm. She licked her lips. “Did you like it?”

Luffy strangled out a breathy laugh, peeking at her from under his elbow. “Are you fucking crazy?” He reached down with rubber arms to slingshot her up to his chest. He smashed his lips against hers, a high-pitched whine leaving his throat. “I’ve never cum that fast in my life!” He shook his head, falling back onto the mattress. Luffy shifted, reaching down to grab both her ass cheeks, tugging her forward. “Cmon, lemme do you.”

Nami hesitated.

“Are you sure?”

“Gods, Nami, you sure are dumb sometimes! Eating’s like, my favorite thing to do!” He tugged her again, squeezing her ass with rough hands, until she relented and climbed forward. She straddled his face, the sight of him below her doing something wicked to her ego.

“Fuck…,” she muttered, “You look good down there,” the words left her mouth before she could stop them.

Luffy gave her one of his rarest smiles: sheepish, and a little nervous. HIs cheeks bloomed roses.

And then he grabbed her hips and slammed her down onto his face. “Ah!” She gasped, and then moaned as his tongue hit her folds. It was fast and messy, with way too much spit. She shivered at the kinda-gross feeling, but after a minute Luffy slowed down.

“Tastes so fuckin’ good,” he mumbled, before sucking at her clit. He languidly licked her, shamelessly moaning into her cunt. He flicked his tongue against her clit before sucking harshly again.

“Softer!” She yelped, jolting in semi-pain. It was so much, she was so sensitive…

“Sorry,” he licked her gently. His eyes were dark as he stared up at her, gauging her reactions. He snuck a hand up to her chest, cupping her breast in a loose grip. He ran the pads of his fingers over her nipple, feeling it harden beneath his touch.

Luffy moaned again, lapping at her clit. “Fuck, baby, can I put it inside you?” He rubbed her hip with his free hand.

Nami shivered, caught. “I-I dunno…what if it hurts?” She bit her lip, shaky on her knees.

Luffy smooched her clit, before teething her left lip. “It’s my tongue, sweetheart, I don’t think it’ll hurt. But if it does, just say so. I’ll stop.”

Nami hesitated, meeting the bright stare of her captain and newly-found lover. She wanted him forever. She wanted him selfishly and greedily, and she knew in that moment she would do anything to keep him. All to herself.

She was a pirate, after all.

“Okay, captain.”

Luffy grinned, before carefully slipping his tongue inside her. Nami’s back arched immediately. The sensation was terrifying: all wet and warm and inside!

“Luffy!” Nami cried, hands flying down to grip his hair. She rolled her hips instinctually, seeking more, seeking deeper…

Luffy pushed his tongue further inside, stroking it along her walls. “Y’re so wet ‘n squishy,” he groaned, taking a moment to swallow her wetness. Then his tongue was inside her again, flexible and elastic.

Maybe thirty minutes ago she would have been embarrassed.

But now, with that warmth and that stupid fucking rubber, she didn’t care. She ground her hips against his face, chanting out breathless pleas for more. “Deeper, Lu!” She shouted, pulling at his hair.

And then, he stretched.

It was long and so deep, reaching parts of her even her delicate fingers could never. He pressed his tongue against her walls, filling her completely and touching that spot that she’d only ever read about in books.

“Oh! Oh!” Nami screamed (truly, actually screamed), her voice shattered and higher-pitched than it’d ever been. Fuck, did she really sound like that?

Luffy was gone, thrusting his tongue in and out of her, saliva and juices slipping down his face. He was letting out muffled grunts and groans, hands gently squeezing her hips.

Suddenly, it crashed over her.

Something she’d never experienced before: a g-spot orgasm.

It was strange, intense, electrifying. Magnetic and gravitational and she would orbit Luffy’s sun until she got dizzy with it if she could. She could never go back. She could never not have him like this.

“Yours, Lu,” she broke, “All yours!”

Luffy moaned, his hands gripping her hips even tighter. He snapped his tongue back into place, grinning between her legs.

“Promise?”

Nami nodded, and then crawled off him so she could collapse onto her side. Her thighs were shaky, her pussy was fluttering, and her heart was doing somersaults.

“Yours, too,” Luffy murmured, gathering her up into his arms. He was strong and warm, and Nami melted against him instantly.

It was only a minute before she dozed off.

***

Zoro trudged through the snow. The blizzard had finally stopped, leaving the forest covered in a blanket of sparkling white. Everyone had made it back to the ship, except Luffy and Nami.

The damn forest kept changing shape, but eventually he heard a noise: the distinct sound of Nami shouting. This place might be a maze, but even he could follow a noise. He hurried it up a bit, worried for the witch.

A little log cabin came into view, and he was about to call out to see if they were okay, but he stopped.

Nami wasn’t shouting in pain.

Zoro blushed from toe to tip as he heard the navigator cry out their captain’s name. Luffy’s voice was whiny and high-pitched as it echoed through the forest in answer.

Zoro pivoted on his heel, and quickly marched back through the snow in the opposite direction.

What's a flashfic, you ask?

Most flash fiction communities provide a prompt while writers have a set period of time to post a story in response. Flash fiction communities often (but not always) limit story length. (source.)

In this case, we want the works to be between 100 and 1.5k words.

Wait, what's a bingo then?

Bingo can refer to a type of challenge where themed prompts are handed out as bingo card and can be filled to gather points. (source.)

Here's an example of a bingo card:

Of course, ours would be decorated, with different prompts and probably 3x3/5x5. This is just an example!

So, what do I have to do?