[ What is she carrying around that's so heavy? Nami had brushed Zoro's remark aside, but it lingers in the back of her mind long after two or three shots of rum have burned their way down her throat. Her chest feels warm, and though she can feel her shoulders loosen from the alcohol, Nami is far from relaxed. All of this, the three of them—it’s a problem. She’s done what she has to do to so many crews so many times before, and she’ll do it again, but tonight all she’s doing is more shots than is wise.
It’s him, of course. It’s all Zoro’s fault, how he calls her on the shittiest thieving parts of herself, yet still lines these shot glasses up between them and pries, how he’s invented this life for her that couldn’t be further from reality—that he took the time to think that bullshit up in the first place. Many times in her life, Nami has been confronted with real, sincere good times with people she’s ended up double-crossing for the sake of her village, but there’s something about Luffy, and Zoro too, that digs in and makes her think about impossible things. He makes her think about the way it could have been, and experience tells her that’s the worst thing to think about. ]
One friend who wasn’t a sword, and— [ There’s a weight to the breath she draws before continuing; hesitation masquerading behind a carefully curated facade of quiet confidence. They’ve started this game, and for the sake of the bigger ruse she needs to maintain, she can’t stop playing. She won’t give him a reason to think she’s got something more to hide.Â
Besides, figuring out how to press Zoro’s buttons is kind of fun—for all the most complicated, wrong reasons. ]
You’ve been out of the friend-making game so long, our captain had no trouble getting his hooks into you.
[ The illuminated tabletop catches the angles of his face in the most annoying way possible, but if the way her stomach dips when the corners of Zoro’s lips curve tells Nami anything, it’s that he would be annoying in almost any light at all.
Her eyes narrow as the smirk on her face blossoms into a self-satisfied smile, obviously pleased with her assessment for a multitude of reasons, most of which have to do with maintaining a con she knows she doesn’t need to keep up past tomorrow morning if she doesn’t want to. Tilting her chin towards the shot in front of him, she raises her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for him to admit she’s right and drink. ]
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– the long game
It’s him, of course. It’s all Zoro’s fault, how he calls her on the shittiest thieving parts of herself, yet still lines these shot glasses up between them and pries, how he’s invented this life for her that couldn’t be further from reality—that he took the time to think that bullshit up in the first place. Many times in her life, Nami has been confronted with real, sincere good times with people she’s ended up double-crossing for the sake of her village, but there’s something about Luffy, and Zoro too, that digs in and makes her think about impossible things. He makes her think about the way it could have been, and experience tells her that’s the worst thing to think about. ]
One friend who wasn’t a sword, and— [ There’s a weight to the breath she draws before continuing; hesitation masquerading behind a carefully curated facade of quiet confidence. They’ve started this game, and for the sake of the bigger ruse she needs to maintain, she can’t stop playing. She won’t give him a reason to think she’s got something more to hide.Â
Besides, figuring out how to press Zoro’s buttons is kind of fun—for all the most complicated, wrong reasons. ]
You’ve been out of the friend-making game so long, our captain had no trouble getting his hooks into you.
[ The illuminated tabletop catches the angles of his face in the most annoying way possible, but if the way her stomach dips when the corners of Zoro’s lips curve tells Nami anything, it’s that he would be annoying in almost any light at all.
Her eyes narrow as the smirk on her face blossoms into a self-satisfied smile, obviously pleased with her assessment for a multitude of reasons, most of which have to do with maintaining a con she knows she doesn’t need to keep up past tomorrow morning if she doesn’t want to. Tilting her chin towards the shot in front of him, she raises her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for him to admit she’s right and drink. ]