Work Text:
It was a peaceful morning. Everyone was still asleep except for Robin, who Nami knew was cozily tucked away with a book somewhere. The weather was calm and as far as she could tell, it was going to stay that way, a rare thing in the New World she was coming to find. It felt like old times – when they were still very much kids and every day was much more relaxing and care free.
The mood was infectious and soon Nami found herself singing happily as she tended to Bellemere’s trees, something she hadn’t done since they reunited. It was a sad song, really, but ever since she could remember, it had always been sung as if it wasn’t. She had learned it from Bellemere and she had sung it with her and Nojiko often in the tangerine grove back home.
Gather ‘round, children, close to me.
Look outside the frosted window
Out into the shining snow.
Tell me, children, what do you see?
When you open your eyes
Do you hear all the cries
Of those we left to be?
Nami had of course questioned the song the first time it dawned on her how very sad it was. Bellemere had simply smiled and asked her if she wanted a different song. Nami had frowned, offended she would think that. It was the song they always sung, she just didn’t understand why it was so sad. Nojiko had rolled her eyes, teasing her about always asking silly questions. Nami decided she didn’t need to know after all. When she said so, Bellemere had only laughed and started singing again. To this day, she still didn’t know, but she sang it anyway.
The lullaby of the lost
Echoes softly down the halls.
Can you hear the mournful calls?
Tell me, children, do you know the cost
Of living a life without a home,
Endlessly, endlessly forced to roam?
And we have left them be.
“I didn’t know you could sing.”
Nami shrieked and the basket of ripe tangerines she’d just picked tumbled out of her grasp. She growled as she watched them tumble away. Whipping her head around, she searched furiously for the idiot who’d interrupted her perfect morning.
“LUFFY!” She shouted when she located him. “What are you doing up there?!”
He was sitting in on the strongest branch of her best tree – the one she always saved picking from for last – casually peeling one of her tangerines. She could feel her veins popping. He had intruded on her private time and now he was sitting there, eating the fruit of her labors without a care in the world. She huffed and opened her mouth ready to berate him, but he spoke first.
“I woke up ‘cause I was hungry, then I heard you singing when I was sneaking to the kitchen so I came up here to listen,” he explained, popping a slice of the fruit into his mouth. While he chewed, he asked, “How come I’ve never heard you before?”
Nami was simultaneously flustered and angry now. It hadn’t dawned on her that he’d heard her until now. She started gathering her fallen tangerines to distract herself.
“I only do it on mornings like this because I don’t want anyone to hear me,” she mumbled while she refilled her basket.
“Why?”
Her irritation was quickly taking over her embarrassment now. “Because it’s private.”
He didn’t reply immediately. With all the fruit regathered, she straightened and turned to face him, a loud lecture ready on her lips. She noted that he had at least two fruits’ worth of peelings in his laps and he’d picked a third. When she noticed the frown on his face as he stared at it, however, she was once again distracted from her ire.
“What? Is something wrong with it?”
Luffy huffed. “No, the oranges are delicious.”
Nami growled, resisting the urge to correct him. “What’s with that face then?”
He looked at her then, his face more serious than she expect. Somehow, it left her feeling more flustered than ever.
“I just don’t understand why it’s private when your voice is so nice. I bet everyone else would enjoy hearing it too,” he finally responded.
Nami felt her face flush and a warmth that was becoming more and more frequent around him blossomed in her chest. Despite herself, she smiled at her captain, all previous aggravation definitely forgotten.
She popped her hip out and balanced the basket on it. “Well, I’m not going to start singing in front of everyone.” His frown deepened and he opened his mouth to protest, but she held her hand up to quiet him. “But, if you can just sit there and be quiet, I’ll let you stay while I finish working and listen to me. Just for today.”
All traces of his frown vanished as he shot her his trade mark ridiculous grin. “Thanks, Nami!”
Her heart softened some more. She felt herself folding again. She really was helpless against him more often than she’d like. “And, just for today, I’ll let you eat some tangerines for free, as long as you keep quiet about this, okay?”
“Shishishi,” he chuckled. “If it means I get to eat some more of these great oranges, I can keep your pretty singing a secret.”
Her face hot once more, she turned back to the tree she’d been working on before, starting the song over again. To her surprise, she found her voice was shaky only for the first couple of lines. It wasn’t long before she was back into her rhythm, smiling contentedly as she sang and worked. Luffy’s presence was far more comforting than she expected and when he started humming along with her, that same warmth blossomed inside her and she almost found herself hoping he’d join her next time, too.