"C'mon, open up!"
Nami has taken offense by me 'borrowing' her clothes. And, fair, but it's not like it was my fault, right? Though I probably could've gotten away with the stealing, if I had returned the dress with less holes and rips in it.
"It's my room too, hey!" I knock again, to no avail. Nami's voice answers back from the other side, "Thieves are not welcome here!"
Can't miss the irony.
Time to deploy the heavy ammunition.
"Okay. I get it. I wanted to do this face to face but whatever. I'll just slide a little something for you under the door."
Turning back, I chirp, "Hope you like it," before leaving.
I expected Nami to be upset when found the ragged dress on the floor this morning. I tried to fix it, but there was no way it would return to it's original glory. I couldn't really pay her the astronomical sum she immediately demanded back when she saw it, so I guess now I'm banned from my own room.
Angry Nami can be a force to be reckoned with, and I do feel a bit bad for what happened to her clothes, even if the events of last night still occupy most of my mind, so I spent half day crafting my redemption.
As I'm walking away, I hear the crack of the door opening and someone hugging me from behind.
"It's exactly how I wanted it! I told you you could sell these." Nami wavers the painting I have been working on for her, a portrait of her using her weapon. I've been polishing my skills a lot lately, and I must say I did manage to make it as captivating and dangerous as she had requested.
"Do you forgive me now?"
She nods, giving me peace of mind.
"Though you do owe me 200.000 berries for that dress."
I think I heard the tumble of my jaw crashing to the floor, "There is no way it costs that much."
"300.000"
"Are you out of your m-" Before she opens her mouth I'm already certain the price is about to go up, "Okay, okay. Can I come in now?"
"Sure," the redhead leaves the door for me and follows behind.
"I'll miss my small spoon now that you have your own room."
With an exorbitant amount of cola bottles on the table, I managed to convince Franky to add a studio to the Sunny. He finished the project today, and has just given me the keys, so to speak. There is no such thing as a locked door on this ship, except perhaps for the fridge.
"I'm still sleeping here."
Nami smiles widely, "When you are not staying with Zoro, you mean?" She giggles, knowing full well I'll get all shy on the topic, "I want details later".
"Nami! No way I'm talking about that." I still haven't recovered from the walk of shame earlier, that is, everyone seeing me go down the crow's nest ladder.
"You can't keep it away from me! Aren't we friends?"
"I'm already mortified enough, thank you," I chuckle, my cheeks red. I still can't get used to any of this.
"Ohh, maybe it's too dirty to tell. I will imagine the worst if you don't share..."
I cannot describe how much I want to end this conversation.
Leaving Nami's teasing at the door, I head back to my brand new workplace, my little heaven. There still lingers the perfume of sawdust and paint, and most of my canvases are already inside, as well as new furniture. There is a small bed couch against one of the walls, and Franky added a minibar too, giving me all the commodities I need. It's perfect.
On one table, near the couch, I placed the damn snail transponder and the heinous picture of the royal fool that wants my hand that my brother had given me.
I've been trying not to get bummed up by the threat that's been weighting over my shoulders since I last seen Deliops, but that doesn't mean I have entirely forgotten about it. I don't want to give in to his demands, but it may be the only way. The idea alone makes me sick.
A knock on the door and a familiar tone gets me back to the unclouded reality.
"Oy, dinner's ready," The swordman's head peeks through the door, "Whoa."
He comes in, taking a look at the surroundings, "How did you convince Franky to build this?"
"What, like it's hard?" I scoff, "With enough colas, he'd give me his children if I asked."
Zoro's surprised expression may be one of my favourites, even if he only allows me a glimpse before smirking. With a raised eyebrow, he says, "Last time I checked, you were giving me drinks."
It's amusing, even if it's a joke, to imagine Zoro jealous of someone.
Already locking my arms behind his neck, I chuckle, "Yeah, I see the parallelism there."
It's hard to resist kissing him, so I don't, and it's the way he melts so effortlessly to my body that makes me dizzy, "but I don't have to ask you for something like that, do I?" I whisper into his ear, mischief in the tone. It's not embarrassing to play like this with him, it's actually exciting, even if I still get all flustered.
I swear I don't want anyone's children right now, but how Zoro reacted to my silly teasing, his hands squeezing a little my hips, his almost imperceptible rumble, and the look in his eyes, sending flashes of last night right to my core, has the less evolved part of my brain reconsidering.
He leans forward, unleashing another new, passionate kiss, and it's only when his hands reach underneath my jean that I wake up from the fog.
When did we become so consumed by one another? Lately is hard to see Zoro and restrain the impulse to touch. I guess we unpacked more than just sexual tension last night. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to have him hold me close, but after last night there are new possibilities besides hugs, and we both seem eager to explore that world.
"Zoro. Dinner." I take a step back, hoping to cool down, "Someone'll come check otherwise."
"Right," he chuckles, "We don't need that idiot to burst open the door and faint again."
Reluctantly, he lets me go, and I give him a chaste kiss as a consolation prize.
"I'm right behind you," I assure him before he gets to the door and exits the room, his lingering warmth still present.
What a man.
With a sigh, I let the new studio know just how much I'm affected by the green-haired swordsman.
I stay there, just amazed by how things turned out between us. Who could have predicted this? I still can get my head around how much my life has changed since meeting him. Not so long ago, love was just a word among the many in the dictionary, another concept I wouldn't live to meet. Now I breathe its meaning every time I think of him.
As I'm sure I've given him enough advantage so that we avoid comments about our synchronized arrival etc, etc, I head for the door. I'm sure Zoro'll appreciate the strategy too. He is not a big fan of the crew's attention on us either.
As I'm grasping the knob, the sound of my dreams shattering stops me in my tracks.
The snail transponder, back to life, mimics the annoying expression of my brother at the other end, relentless on his mission to deprive me of any ounce of happiness I've gathered.
The question, utterly polite and calm. However, no embellishments could hide what this really is: a threat.
My voice is cold, but again, I cannot camouflage my desperation with pompous words. It doesn't matter how I phrase it, I'm doing nothing but begging for more time.
It's a useless plead, and he knows. He must know there is nowhere for me to run, if not, his answer would be different.
"Three days."
And then the snail goes back to sleep.
------
It's long past midnight. I can't tell, but it feels like ages since everyone went to sleep after dinner. I would too, if only I could get some rest. Instead, I'm glued to my seat at the table, lights out, laughs and friends gone. My only company is the walling of the ocean outside and the complementary orchestra of thoughts inside my head
Why is it that every time life seems to be too good to be true, it is? And I fall for the ruse again and again. I should've known there was no way I would escape the clutches of my name. I knew this was coming, and yet the call hit me like lightning.
I opted to let the matter cool, ignoring the clock's relentless journey. I gave myself hope that I would figure it out before it was too late, but now I've just worsened the situation for everyone. The longer I spend with my friends, the harder it will be to solve this problem. This is so fucking unfair, especially for Zoro. And the worst part is, I put everyone I love at risk by wavering on my decision.
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Hi! Sorry about the late update. I'm moving, finally! I have to find a job and a place to live, so I can't really predict when I will be able to publish the next chapter. Anyway, I will do it as soon as possible.
As always, I appreciate likes and comments. I love reading you!
And Happy Valentine's Day!