'That damn baka!' She cursed mentally. 'One of these days, he'll get us in over our heads, and ...' She shuddered. 'No need to go there. Now, time to make a map.'
Nami dipped her quill in the ink bottle and began drawing the guiding lines for her current map for this section of the Grand Line. She became intensely focused on her work, failing to notice Robin's entry into their shared cabin. Capitalizing on this, Robin approached Nami silently, hoping to remain unnoticed. Seeing her stealth was a success, Robin leaned in towards Nami's exposed neck slowly.
'I can't believe I got this chance!' Robin thought gleefully. 'I've been wanting to do this for a few months now. Time to take a dive Nico!'
Robin's decent continued until he lips were less than an inch from Nami's neck. Robin was quivering visibly in anticipation. Sucking in a deep breath, Robin finished leaning forward and her lips made contact with Nami's exposed skin.
'I did it!' Robin celebrated mentally. 'I finally made a move. I just hope she doesn't resent me for this. Our friendship, if it is that, is fragile already.'
Nami, for her part, was too absorbed in her work to notice Robin literally breathing on her neck. Once Robin's lips touched her skin, it was a totally different story. Nami immediately tensed in shock and incomprehension. She slowly turned her head to see what was touching her neck. Upon seeing Robin, Nami's brain came to a screeching halt, processed for a second then tried to rewind. It failed.
Sensing Nami's distress, Robin broke the contact and tried not to cry from what she believed to be Nami's disgust. She wanted to run, flee and let the tears fall, but common sense told her to wait.
Nami, her brain still trying to reboot, stayed absolutely still. After a minute, her brain finally began to process the situation. 'One, Robin kissed her skin. Two, it felt really good. Three, it looked like Robin wanted to cry. Four, Robin crying was bad. Five, must correct three and avoid hurting Robin.' That processed, Nami rose to her feet, eyes not meeting Robin's.
Robin, seeing Nami lower her head, feared the worst. The urges to run away and cry grew ever stronger. She had realized long ago that she had fallen for Nami. No, it had happened the instant Nami had curled her arm in Robin's to express her gratitude. The shine of her eyes and the timbre of her voice had melted Robin's heart and she would gladly take on the entirety of the Marines for her. She didn't know if she could handle a rejection from Nami. And if Nami hated her, it would be enough to make Robin consider letting herself drown should she ever fall overboard.
Nami noticed Robin's increasing fear and sadness. She wanted to prevent the coming tears at all costs. She never wanted to see Robin cry. She had no idea why Robin wanted to cry, but the mere idea of the taller woman in tears or pain made Nami's heart ache. She quickly closed the distance between her and Robin and enfolded her in a hug.
"Don't cry," Nami whispered. "I couldn't stand to see you cry. It's even worse knowing that I'm the cause of your sadness."
This caused Robin's heart to leap for joy. She sniffed, the tears threatening to spill. She fought to keep them at bay, but it was a losing battle. She soon pressed herself to Nami and sobbed for all she was worth.
Nami was at a loss. She had caused Robin pain and now the woman was crying. This tore Nami's heart to pieces. She didn't know what to do. If Robin didn't stop crying, Nami would break down too. "Robin, why are you crying? Please don't cry anymore. I'm sorry if I did something wrong. Please stop crying."
"You *sob* didn't do *sniff* anything wrong." Robin said, calming herself. "You just *sniff* made me happy. You don't *sniff* hate me."
Nami was taken aback. She could never hate Robin. Robin was the woman she had fallen for ages ago. She had played the part of the suspicious navigator, but in reality, she had began to fall for the dark skinned archaeologist at first sight. "I could never hate you Robin. You're my friend, as well as my shipmate. You don't have to cry anymore. I'll always be your friend."
Robin was too happy to care about the limitations of friendship. She wanted to tell Nami everything, so she did. "Nami, I have to tell you this. It's been on my mind for several months now. It's the cause of my boldness and the reason I kissed your neck."
Nami gave Robin a bright smile. "You can tell me anything. I'll always be here to listen."
Robin took a steadying breath. 'All or nothing. I'm here now, so let's just dive in headfirst.' "Nami, I ... I'vebeeninlovewithyouforseveralmonthsnow!" She said hurriedly. She hadn't realized that it had run together, but she had said it.
Nami, for her brilliance, had only caught half of what Robin said. "Um ... Could you say that again Robin? I didn't quite catch it all."
Robin berated herself for rushing. She took another calming breath and tried again. "I ... I've been in ... in love with you Nami." 'There, got it that time.'
Nami wanted to scream to the heavens in thanks. She had heard three words that she had dreamed of hearing from Robin said to her. She was so happy that she abruptly burst into tears of joy.
Robin was now confused. She had just confessed her love in the arms of her beloved, and she had burst into tears spontaneously. It didn't make sense, at least to her it didn't. She had cried because she wasn't despised or hated, but to cry when someone confessed their love was something she never expected. So she just stayed there, baffled.
Nami took a few moments to cry her happiness out. She quickly dried her tears and pulled back from Robin. She gave the dark skinned woman the biggest, happiest, and most genuine smile she had given anyone in her adult life. She quickly showed Robin her affection by pulling her into a passionate kiss.
Robin was beyond surprised by Nami's display, but returned the kiss with vigor. The love she had held back for so long rushed forth in a torrent. It consumed her and she pressed into Nami, furthering their contact as the kiss deepened and their tongues began battling for supremacy in their mouths.
Ending the kiss reluctantly, Nami pulled back and leaned her forehead on Robin's. She was breathless and completely flushed. "Wow, that was--"
"Earth-shattering?" Robin provided.
"Yeah," Nami agreed. "Did you mean that? When you said you loved me?"
"Beyond meant it," Robin stated. "I have yearned for you. I have craved, wished, dreamed, and all other things I can for you. You are the world to me and I will show you that everyday you will let me."
Nami's eyes brimmed with tears yet again. "You have no idea how much I've long to hear you tell me you love me. I love you too Robin!"
Robin was glomped by Nami, and she only smiled. This was the life. She had friends, she had books, and she was travelling the Grand Line. She was blissfully happy. She had Nami, and that's all she had ever hoped for.