inbox for esurio

hey

you up?

[ it's pretty late ]

What's wrong?

does something always have to be wrong when i reach out

It's late, and Luffy is on the loose. Odds are it's something wrong.

What is it? [ as tempting as asking him if he misses her is for the sake of giving him shit, Nami's ego is still a teeny bit too singed from that stupid rejection to needle him. ]

not on the loose

[ that's the first thing he made sure. what, like he's that stupid? ]

guess ill just enjoy this fancy bottle i won all by myself then

Come over. I'm not getting out of bed.

don't be lazy

you can see the stars from the roof here

I'm bringing my blanket.

suit yourself

[ he's got an extra one here, but isn’t going to say so. ]

Meet you on the roof?

already way ahead of you.

[ he's working through the beer he's also brought up. ]

Don't finish everything without me.

less complaining more hauling your ass up here, how about that?

Making a woman travel through the city streets at night is a good enough reason to complain, you know.

[ Nami's words announce her presence as she hauls herself up onto the roof, of Zoro's building, frowning when she sets her eyes on him. Contrary to her claims, she isn't still wrapped in a blanket, although the massive confines of the black hoodie that continues to be stolen and reclaimed between them certainly serve as good enough. ]

Get me a drink already, will you? [ Already? Like she's been standing here for longer than a handful of seconds before heading over to take a seat beside him. ]

You can take care of yourself.

[ and have been too, for longer than they've known each other. doesn't mean he wasn't keeping an ear out for any suspicious sounds being carried in the air -- and her footsteps are pretty obvious, even on the concrete slabs of the steps.

zoro is sitting, back against the sun-warmed brick of the wall behind him, legs stretched out in front. still in a tshirt, despite the bit of chill being carried over the ocean in the near distance. his eyes flicker over the edge of the beer bottle towards nami as she comes into view, and if zoro has any thoughts about the oversized black hoodie she's chosen to huddle into, he doesn't mention it.

instead, he sets down the empty bottle on the other side of him with a quiet clink of empty glass, and pushes a bundle of blanket in her direction. she can sit on it, or use it, either way. ]

Bit slow today, aren't you?

[ a glass is already waiting, half full with some liquor, amber and spicy. ]

[ All the qualms that linger just on the tip of her tongue fizzle into nothingness once she spots both the offered glass and the blanket, the latter particularly troubling due to the odd, tight warmth that spreads in her chest.

Half of the waiting glass's contents are drained as she sits beside him. Using her free hand, Nami shakes out the blanket, spreading it over both their laps before she shifts in her seat until she's comfortably settled against his side, getting close without drawing much attention to it. ]

I was in bed, dummy. If you wanted me quicker you should have messaged earlier.

[ she settles down without speaking (complaining?) any further, leaving zoro free to sip at his own glass and only shift minutely when nami throws the one-half of the blanket over his lap before sidling closer, a line of burning contact from their elbows all down to their thighs. ]

Only just thought of it.

[ whether that's true or not, it's hard to tell with his usual, flat tone -- but next minute he's tilting his head up, gesturing with his hand (the free one, which belongs to the limb that isn't pressed up against her arm right now) to the scattering of stars over the rooftops, the faint purple-blue-silver glow fading to deep navy above their heads. ]

That looks like the Swan, but it's in the wrong place.

Edited 2026-09-11 12:46 (UTC)

[ Exhaling a muted laugh through her nose, Nami looks skyward at the mention of the Swan. The sight of unfamiliar stars has yet to leave her without a fleeting pang of homesickness, a there and gone again emotion that darkens her face like a shadow streaking across a wall.

For a moment she says nothing, merely humming in agreement while frowning at the sky. ]

It's like the sky from home got turned inside out and upside down.

[ Sighing, she shifts beneath the blankets, stretching the arm pressed against his slightly, until the side of her hand comes to rest against his. ]

That one right above us almost looks like the Water Ox, but the head has too many stars.

[ the backs of their hands brush against each other under the secrecy of the blanket hiding them from view; a subtle touch that would probably go unnoticed, if they were any two people who hadn't had to watch every inch of space they occupy around others.

zoro doesn't necessarily react to it -- only a slight flicker of his eyelids as he glances down, and then back away to consider the rooftops of the buildings stretched in front of them, but he doesn't move it away. ]

How many is it supposed to have? [ hey, it's not like he's the navigator; zoro knows the basics, but the finer details of each points of the stars always seem to escape him. ]

[ Being close is one thing, but seeking out closeness is another matter entirely, something she learns when he doesn't pull away, and she's left with her eyes on the sky and her heart twisted into a warm, weighty knot. ]

Just six, but that one has double. [ She sets her drink down and points towards the bottom of the constellation in question before her fingertip draws an invisible line in the sky leading down to another cluster of stars. ] Its supposed to point towards that one too, the big wheel. Back home, if you follow it you know you're going east.

[ The hand against his turns, slowly, delicately, until it's her palm covering the back of his hand instead. However subtle her movements, they do nothing to diminish the fluttering feeling in her ribs. ]

I guess now we can follow it to go southwest, lot of good it does us.

[ even though zoro keeps his ears on the commentary and his eyes on the sky, tracking the slow sweep of nami's hand across the air as she traces out the shape of the constellation, then to the next set of stars a little way away, he finds himself still being hyperaware of everything else; the inflection of her words softened, just a fraction, by the heat of the alcohol. the press of warm, familiar fabric of the hoodie against his side, her bony shoulders and the point of her elbow. the way his shoulders droop a fraction, pressing more securely against her side. the way he matches his breathing to hers seamlessly and without effort. inhale, exhale. repeat.

the front of her hand is softer than what he recalls, rougher than he expects, pressing against the back of his hand with the sort of casualness that only comes from someone in her line of (previous?) work. subtle, designed to be easy to ignore or disregard -- except zoro has never been the sort of person who's stupid enough to let things go. ]

You never know.

[ the careful nonchalance is mirrored on him in turn, as zoro brings his glass up to his mouth again to take another sip. exhale, inhale, repeat. it's only on the third beat of that turn that zoro turns the soft of his wrist a fraction outward -- not to pull away, but to let their fingertips graze against each other, his palm facing upward. ]

Could steal a boat. Go and have a look.

[ It's all the things she doesn't let herself think about. All the subtle, quiet ways he fits so easily against her, all the memories of that one surreal week she's worked her hardest to explain away as a fluke, as more stupid resort magic making it seem like feelings that don't exist were real. She's always been smart, but the unfortunate drawback of that meant convincing herself that the effect had been different for them versus everyone else suffering the same, was impossible. Better not to think about it. Stick the earring in the drawer, and the feelings somewhere even more out of place, and carry on maintaining whatever degree of normalcy they've cobbled out for themselves.

But oh, does that become a challenge when his wrist turns that fractional amount and Nami can feel her fingertips gently collide with his. At least he gives her the idea of stealing a boat to latch onto, though the laugh she utters has more breath to it than usual, evidence of the sway the hold she's keeping on herself isn't as tight as it could be. ]

You mean I could steal a boat and you could keep watch, right? [ It's supposed to be more snide than fond but she fails to stick the landing in her delivery, flubbing things further when she turns to look at him, with a smile that lingers too long, like they're back at the climbing wall acting like fools all over again. ]

Sounds like a plan to me. [ Busy with turning back to the sky and taking another drink, Nami tries not to care too much about the tips of her fingers as they fleetingly trace the top of his palm. ]

You keep watch, bet I could steal one just as good as you.

[ after all, it's not art to be able to make off with a boat ... not like pickpocketing or lockpicking, which zoro can admit takes a bit more skill and finesse. everything about her requires that, it feels. just like that time at the bar in baratie, and more recently with a bottle of nail polish balanced between them -- both circling around each other and asking questions that only uncover so much. that feels like a lifetime ago, the press of her shoulder to his (zoro notes with a start) somehow a familiar, unconcerning weight.

but maybe perhaps not so unconcerned.

maybe it's the drink (a much better quality than he'd expected of a freebie) settling warm in his stomach. maybe it's the cover of darkness settling around them with an illusion of privacy, but there's nothing hidden or covert about the sidelong grin zoro lets slip, curling his fingers around hers and squeezing tight, once, before letting go again. ]

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