"A relationship means you come together to make each other better. It's not all about you, and it's not all about them. It's all about the relationship. Support them in their dreams/vision just as much as you would expect them to support you. Challenge each other to go beyond average. Pull out the greatness from within each other. Make sure they can find their biggest fan in you, and you find yours in them." -Trent Shelton
Luffy approached Nami and was about to end the call he was having with Ivankov.
"Okay. Thanks for calling and letting me know. Bye."
They were out for lunch at an outdoor diner in town busying themselves colouring the picture at the back of the kids' menu. It became a habit of theirs that Luffy implemented; something that they both looked forward to. It was embarrassing at first but Nami learned to not care for the the judgemental stares and threw caution to the wind.
She took pleasure in the fact that her colouring turned out great compared to Luffy's. It was a competition between them. His own looked decent today since he concentrated on not colouring outside the lines for once. He liked the competition and one thing she learned about him that stood out the most was the fact that he hated to lose.
"What's up?" she asked.
"It's my dad. He collapsed at work today because of overwork and he also has a fever. Iva-chan called to let me know that Dadan would be out of town tomorrow and no one will be around to help look after him." He picked up his crayon. " He will be hiring a nurse. I hope that he gets better soon."
"I can help look after him," said Nami.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It also gives us the chance to know each other better. It'll be fine."
Luffy cultivated an excellent bond with her parents and she unfortunately never got around to have a wholesome conversation with her father-in-law and wanted to pounce on the opportunity.
He smiled that charming smile he does from time to time and his lips were on hers for a split second.
"That will be awesome," he said standing back up," I'll go call Iva-chan back right now."
He left Nami in a flushing mess because he rarely initiated kissing so when he did, it always was a pleasant surprise.
She reached blindly for her strawberry milkshake but it was gone. She had only literally taken a few sips from it and she clenched her hand into a fist and leered into the direction Luffy vanished.
The waiter brought the final dish he ordered despite already eating a whale's worth of food and was unsurprisingly still hungry. She thanked the young man and smirked deviously at the sweet smelling dish before her. It was payback time.
Nami knocked on Dragon's door and upon entering asked him how the fever was treating him.
"I feel like shit."
"You look like shit," she said and Dragon chuckled. That was probably true.
He had already bathed, had taken his medicine and was glued to his bed. He would rather be at work right now but thanks to his collapse yesterday, he got a full day of rest that he needed and decided to take his queer friend's advice and take the extra day off due to the fever. Not to mention his massive headache.
"Luffy said that he would come visit you after work today," Nami said.
Knowing his son, Dragon knew that he would throw a party of some sort to celebrate his absence. It would be a change for his subordinates since the 'scary boss' as they would dub him managed the company with an iron fist.
"You need to start taking it easy. Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone should take a break every once in awhile. That includes you too."
Dragon agreed and ate the tasty soup that Nami made him. She had also prepared a basin with a rag and cool water. He was just relieved that she knew what she was doing unlike his scatterbrained son who thought that the solution for everything was meat.
She sat on the chair at his bedside.
"Do you like the soup?"
"It's delicious," he said slurping on his spoon. "Everything's okay at home with Luffy?"
"Things are fine with us. When it gets challenging, we pull through together and reap the awards."
"Luffy could be a handful but he's a hard worker with a big heart."
"You miss him a lot, huh?"
"Not really... well he is my son," Dragon muttered under his breath.
Nami smiled at him,"Sorry that I took him away from you, but you don't have to worry one bit," She pounded her fist into her palm," I'll take care of him."
Dragon laughed. He hadn't laughed this good in a while; ever since his son left home.
"Is that son of mine treating you well?"
His daughter-in-law gave him a closed-eyed grin. "Yes. He is. In fact, just the other day he made me some coffee in bed. It was questionable at first but he said that he asked Sanji-kun to help him learn how to make it after noticing that I never finish my morning coffee since I'm not the best at it. I just make it for the caffeine. So you could imagine how surprised I was when he brought me a fresh brew."
"Luffy did that?" Dragon was impressed. He did not know that Luffy was that observant. "How was it? Did you die?"
Nami snorted. "You really don't have an ounce of faith in your son's culinary skills, do you?
"One time he cooked me a meal when he was much younger. It was horrible and I had to take a trip to the hospital."
"No way. Really?"
"It's true." They both shared a laugh.
"Well I was skeptical at first but when I tried it, it was actually really good. Luffy's very thoughtful. He was so happy that I liked it and said that he was willing to make it again as often as I needed. He worked really hard on getting it just right and I appreciated it so much that I couldn't say no."
She smiled to herself as she thought back to that time then her mind flashed on the intense makeout session they had afterwards. She felt her body heating up and fanned herself with her hand. 'Oh great.' It was such an "appropriate" thing to think about now.
"Luffy's really growing up," Dragon said.
"Maybe he should try making you some food one day. I can assure you that he has gotten a lot better."
"... I'll think about it."
"We usually cook our meals together but I asked Sanji-kun to email me the recipes for Luffy's favourite dishes. I want to surprise him. It will take a while cause it would be a lot to cook but I'm sure that I can handle it. It would be a piece of cake. I can't wait to see the look on his face."
Dragon beamed at his daughter-in-law. The power of youth can never be conquered.
"He'll like that," said he and Nami grinned because she was sure of that too.
"I got something I want to show you," Dragon said reaching for his notebook on the side table and handed Nami a picture.
"What is it?" She flipped it around and her eyes widened and blush spread on her cheeks. "Is this..."
"That's Luffy as a baby. That brat had the biggest appetite even when in nappies."
Nami brought the picture closer to soak in the cuteness. There he was with his little feet and little hands seated in a high chair with food everywhere, mostly on his face, covering his round, chubby cheeks and his big, milky eyes stared right back at her with a toothless broad smile. This was a blessed day and it was as if she struck gold.
Dragon was amused with the speechless girl. Her hands were literally trembling as she examined every inch of the photograph.
"Adorable, isn't he? You can have it."
"Thanks."
"Oh no. Don't worry. I have a lot m-"
He sweatdropped as he watched her secure the picture in her bag and carefully zipped it up.
"Huh? Were you saying something?"
Dragon scratched his head and looked the other way.
"No. Nothing at all."
"Okay."
She stood to retrieve the now-empty soup bowl and the portable breakfast tray and rested them on the floor beside her chair.
"Thanks for that. I think that I'm already starting to feel better."
She smiled and set out to change the rag on his forehead and sat down to chat a little longer before he went to sleep. She was enjoying her time spent just catching up with him. He was easy to talk to.
"Nami-chan?"
"Hmm?"
"Luffy's been through a lot over the past few years. A whole lot. However, he seems happier lately at work and I'm grateful to you for that. Thank you."
"Is that so? I'm glad." It was a nice feeling to hear that you had a positive impact on someone's life; especially of that of your spouse. It made her heart glad.
"There's another matter I would like to discuss with you. Knowing Luffy he might not think of it as a big deal but his field of work isn't what you would call a bed of roses. It's on an entirely opposite level. I don't know if he told you already but I'll-"
He paused after realising that she had gone still and her orange bangs sheltered her face.
"He did." She looked at him dead in the eyes and he saw a questionable glint in her eye and the corners of her mouth turned down.
"It was a few days ago..."
A few days ago...
Nami and Luffy stood side by side at the kitchen sink taking care of the soiled dishes they used for dinner. She washed and he rinsed.
Nami sensed that Luffy had something weighing on his mind and it was a matter of time he spilled the beans because during the whole washing up he hardly uttered a word and the only time he would have been this quiet was only when he slept. However, she decided to wait.
She handed him the last plate which he took care of and settled it in the dish drainer before wiping his hands dry in the towel.
"That's everything, right?"
"Uhuh. Thanks for your help, Luffy."
She unclogged the drains, letting the water out and dried the surrounding areas that got wet during the process.
Luffy walked 4 feet away from her before deciding against leaving the kitchen. His mind strained as he thought about how she was going to react to what he had to say to her. He had no clue.
"Nami?"
"Hm? What is it, Luffy?" She turned and leaned on the sink as she dried her hands. Just one look at him was enough to see that he was troubled.
He stared at his feet and said remembering the meeting he had with Zoro and his dad; the very reason he was late that night. "I don't think that... I haven't been completely honest with you about my job."
Nami cocked and eyebrow and folded her arms. "What do you mean?"
"There had been times where I'd have to do some risky things and get into risky situations. I will tell you everything but-"
"No wait. What do you mean by risky?" She became worried. "Luffy, look at me. Look at me."
His eyes cast on hers.
"Have you ever killed someone before?"
"No. I have never killed anyone."
"H-have anyone tried killing you?"
He went quiet and Nami's breathing quickened.
"Tell me."
"Yes." He looked away for a split second feeling out of place and addressed her again. "But-" His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat.
Her eyes grew wet with tears and they cascaded down her cheeks. She raised her finger and touched the wet and looked at it closely as if realising for the first time that she was crying. Soon the tirade of emotions flooded her and the tears came rushing forth. She sank to her knees, covering her face sobbing quietly, and muttered: "Oh God. Oh God."
She was angry. No. She was furious. She wanted to yell at him; telling him that he did not care about her and how much of a selfish person he was. She wanted to tell him that she hated him. The citrus dishwashing liquid that she liked was stink on her hands and she felt like she was going to be sick. It was not fair. It was as if all this time from ever since she first met him till now had been a dream and soon, any second now, she would wake up.
But she was confusing herself. Why does she feel clouded with hatred when she knew to herself that all those bad things she wanted to say to him- not one of those things were true. It was just a defense; a wall she built around herself to mask her true feelings.
His hands removed hers from her eyes and in that moment, her wall crumbled. It was not resentment she was feeling. It was fear.
Her breathing heaved and she hiccuped but the tears did not stop.
It pained Luffy to see her like that. "Nami please don't cry... Please."
"... Luffy!" She flung herself into his arms and the way she clung to him was as if he would disappear. She outright wailed. Her fingers creating creases in his shirt and he felt her warm tears on his neck."
"Please."
His arms came around her to elicit comfort. He shut his eyes tight and furrowed his brows. He was a sponge to her sorrow.
After what felt like ages, she quieted down, sniffled and just laid slump against him. What Luffy had to say to her next would hurt but it hurt more to see her in agony like this and he could not stand it.
"Hey. Are you listening?"
She nodded and the light quake of her shoulders did not go unnoticed.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking and I have decided that I should step down from my team and pursue something else. Something else less dangerous. Dad would have to find some other team to rely on and as for the guys; they have their own dreams they want to accomplish so I know that they would not mind the decision too much..."
Nami's ears picked up every word and frowned. She was upset and Luffy was not being himself. She leaned up to stare right at him.
"What about your dream, Luffy?"
His hand caressed her damp face. "I'll just have to find another one."
"No Luffy. There's no off switch to dreams. They make us who we are. You've been doing this for years and I know how much you adore what you do. Helping people; saving their lives is an amazing dream. It takes guts to do what you do and I think that that is amazing and I believe in you... As your wife, one of my jobs is to support you in your endeavours and I don't think that I would be pleased to know that I encouraged you to do otherwise."
Luffy batted his eyes credulously then closed them when she kissed his scar.
"Geez. You're always so reckless but I'm glad that you spoke to me about your concerns before making a rash decision." She gave him a half smile but it fell when he took his hat off and placed it on her head. Astonished was an understatement. This was his precious hat. Why would he let her wear it? She tilted it to see if she could read his expression but strange enough, it was more sad than happy.
"Thank you so much, Nami... but," He wiped the liquid away from both her eyes, "I'm sorry that I made you cry. Will you forgive me?"
Nami nodded profusely. The straw hat made crunching sounds as she moved.
"Yes. Of course I forgive you Luffy." She cupped his solemn face. "Listen. I'm glad I married you... I just want you to please take care of yourself. Okay?"
"Of course I will. We have a future together and you mean the world to me. Don't forget that."
Nami regarded him with unblinking eyes and her mouth gaped. Soon her eyes began to drip once more but this time she wore a radiant smile upon her face and reached up to hug his neck.
Luffy was left baffled.
"Oi, Nami. What's wrong, I said that I was sorry. Please don't cr-"
She shook her head and said: "Don't worry about these tears, Luffy. I'm perfectly fine."
"You sure?"
"Definitely."
It was one of the happiest days of her life.
Dragon rose both his non-existent eyebrows at her after hearing the story. Of course, the juicy bits were kept to herself. She dazed in mid air and thought randomly that she wanted to hear her husband's voice so decided to give him a call after her chat with the father-in-law.
"I had no idea. Luffy has really matured."
"He looks up to you a lot, you know. As someone who had accomplished so much and have helped so many people, Luffy thrives to be on the same summit as you; even higher."
"Even higher, huh? He can try." He smirked at the thought.
"Oh yeah. Luffy said that you were withholding missions from his group and giving them to other persons in the company. Why is that?" She titled her head and that fake smile on her face was depositing a dark aura and Dragon probably for the first time began to fear for his life.
"Well- uh..."
"I will have to thank you for putting me into consideration but time is ticking away which Luffy could be using to gain a step closer to his goal. Do you understand that?"
A sweatdrop or two settled on his tattooed forehead as he gulped. "Yes ma'am."
"Nice to hear that we are on the same page."
Dragon breathed a sigh of relief. He never would have dreamed about the day he would be lectured by someone old enough to be his child. Never dreamed that it would be by his son's wife. She was one of a kind.
He cleared his throat and asked: "Do you know what Luffy's most afraid of?"
"He's afraid of being alone." They both said at the same time.
"That's right," Dragon said, "He deems it as one of the worst feelings in the world. He has had that mentality ever since young."
Luffy was home-schooled and did not have friends his age until Ace arrived. He remembered it being a terrible time for his son when the boy passed.
"Friends have always been foremost in Luffy's mind. I understand that. Friends are around when you need them the most; they uplift you; want the best for you and care for you deeply. Those friends that he has on his team, I have never seen people so loyal. Each of them have their own lives, own dreams and their own reasons for following Luffy- A remarkable bunch.
Luffy has a way of dragging out the good in people, causing them to flock to be around him. When I asked about each of their back stories, I'm always left confused as to why they are so anxious to follow my son; and their answers were always the same: "He saved me."
They claim that that's why they want to help him fulfill his goal even if it means putting their lives on the line."
"...Yeah." Nami said staring at her hands.
"By the way Nami-chan, the report, Robin sent up to me, she claimed that you helped out with deciding on a location. I would like you to thank you. Those people were indeed found and returned safely home. The guys responsible were captured; all thanks to you. Good job."
Dragon nodded satisfied as he finally got that off his chest. He forgot to tell Luffy's team the good news. He closed his eyes for sleep was calling. He would not mind having her skills at his company. She was a cartographer, geographer, navigator and meteorologist. It was not everyday you came across someone with such outstanding skills; but had a hitch that Luffy would score him a knuckle sandwich to the face and he very much liked his face despite the lack of eyebrows.
"It's good news that you guys were able to get to those people on time. While we are on that topic, I'd like to join the Monkey D. Corp, especially on Luffy's team." Dragon's tired eyes popped open. " Whatever training I have to do, I'll do it and I believe that I could be of further assistance in the upcoming events of the company. I think that you have guessed by now my motive. I too want to help Luffy. If I could help him along the way with whatever effort I could contribute, I am willing to do anything I can. I'm confident about that."
She had not yet told Luffy about her plans but figured that it would be best to consult the source first. At least, that is how she would know whether or not she was qualified.
That day, Nami won Dragon's utmost respect.
To be continued