Held Tight

BW: With this, I'm officially a Luffy/Nami shipper. I was inspired by a dream I had about them getting together. I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to write it all out. Anyway, this takes place after the Arlong Park arc and before the Longtown arc.

(I don't own One Piece)

It's a very starry night, and all of the Straw Hats were fast asleep, expect for Nami, who was out on the ship deck, looking up at the stars that filled the night sky, with her arms leaned against the railing. Barefoot, and covered with a single blanket, Nami looks back on her past adventures, starting with her first meeting with Luffy and Zoro, to meeting Usopp and Sanji, and finally, what happened in Cocoyashi village.

She remembered everything that happened in village. Everyone in the village preparing to fight and die for her sake, her crew fighting in their place, and Luffy giving her his precious hat, and then going to defeat Arlong and destroying his empire. Best of all, after his victory over the Fishman, Luffy declaring that she is a member of his crew, to which she happily agreed, now finally free of her torment, free from Arlong's grasp. Free to live her dream of drawing a map of the entire world.

She still couldn't believe it's all over. She smiled, filled with joy and freedom.

"That's a nice smile." said a familiar smile. Nami turned and, to her surprise, saw Luffy walking up to her. "Yo." he greeted with a his characteristic grin on his face.

"Luffy? What're you doing still up? Morning isn't until a few hours." said Nami.

"You aren't asleep either." Luffy countered.

"Hehe, good point." Nami chuckled, leaning her back against the railing.

"Do you miss home already?" asked Luffy, now standing next to her.

"Kind of. But, I have home with you guys too." Nami smiled, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with you and everyone else."

"I see. That's great-ah!" Luffy was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind, which blow his hat off his head.

"Ah!" Nami gasped.

"MY HAT!" Luffy cried, preparing to jump after it, only to be surprised by Nami leaping forward to catch it instead of himself. Her blanket flying off her shoulders, she reached for Luffy's straw hat, his treasure. Luckily, she was able to catch the straw hat before it got too far, but she had nothing else to grab onto, and would plummet to the ocean below.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted, using his stretchable arms to catch his navigator before she fell into the water. Hands clasped around her waists, Luffy wastes no time pulling her back to the ship, however, he didn't exactly plan to have her land on him and being knocked back by the impact. The both landed on the deck, with Nami pressed up again Luffy's body.

There was long pause before either of them said anything.

Nami felt Luffy's heart beating incredibly fast behind her back. She naturally assumed Luffy was pretty scared of losing both her and his precious hat. She knew about the promise he made with his red haired friend Shanks and the hat is a gift from Shanks to Luffy. And then, there's Nami herself.

Luffy and the rest of the crew would be in deep trouble without Nami to guide them through the sea and to the Grand Line, but there's more to than that. Nami is part of the crew, and a precious friend he and the others risked their own lives to save.

To Luffy, Nami is more than just a friend and navigator. He had an instinctive impulse to protect her, and that's what led him to save her before she feel into the water.

"Nami, are you okay?" Luffy asked, with concern in his voice. He still had his arms wrapped Nami's waist, and he didn't intent to let go until he knew for sure that she was okay.

"Here's a better question, is your hat okay?" Nami grinned, placing back on the head of its owner. "It's important, isn't it?"

"Yeah… thanks, Nami." said Luffy, "My hat is important. Every bit as important as my crew."

"I know. It's important to me too." Nami said, remembering how he gave it to her during her broken state back in the village. Just as that straw hat meant so much to him, it means just as much to her as well.

"And I thought I was the reckless one." Luffy said, "Don't do that again, okay Nami?"

"Okay. I'll just leave the dangerous stuff to you." Nami replied. She was about stand up from her captain, but she found herself unable to. In response to Nami attempting to stand up, Luffy tightens his grip on her waist, pressing her back further again his body. She's now being held very firmly by her captain.

"H-Hey, Luffy…" Nami blushed slightly.

"Sorry. Can we stay like this for a while?" asked Luffy, "Can I keep holding you like this…?"

"Why?" asked Nami.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just scared to let you go." Luffy replied.

Nami found herself chuckling by what he just said. Is he worried she might leave the crew again? "Don't worry so much, Luffy. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going stay here. I am your navigator after all. It's my job to guide you guys, since you're utterly clueless about navigation."

"You're right. I can't imagine this crew without you." said Luffy with a small smile.

"And I couldn't possibly imagine my life with you or the others too." Nami said, leaning further in until her head rests again Luffy's right shoulder. This pretty much means that she wants to stay like this too.

Another period of silence ensued. This is the first time Nami and Luffy had a moment like this. Luffy is a strange man, but a lovable one too. Asking her if he can hold is out of character for him. Strangely, Nami didn't mind. In fact, she found it comforting to be held in Luffy's arms. She looks at Luffy's hands and notices how big they are. She knew of his immense strength, but she never realize how big they were compared to hers. She never knew.

"Nami…"

"Yeah, Luffy?"

"You smell nice." he replied, catching a whiff of her perfume.

"Huh? What're you saying all of sudden?" Nami asked, blushing by that compliment. She hoped it was her imagination, because she could have sworn that she felt Luffy's lips briefly on the nape of her neck, while his nose is next her hair.

"Well, since I like you so much, I like the way you smell." he admits.

"Eh…?" did he say he "likes" her? She didn't have to wait very long to get confirmation of his words.

"Nami, I like you." Luffy whispered into her ear.

"Wha… Y-You idiot! Why are you saying something so awkward?!" Nami stuttered. She immediately felt her face heat up in that moment. She always thought Luffy had no interest in women, because of his ignorance and short attention span. Does he even know what he's saying?

"What's wrong with saying it?" Luffy asked.

"Nothing… I guess. But, there are different meanings behind liking someone…" Nami tries to explain, but she found herself being shy for some reason.

"I know. You might think I don't know, but I do. You might even think I like you like a friend, and I thought so too, but when I saw you crying in despair, that room where Arlong forced you to draw up those maps and charts… the minute I started trashing the place, I finally realize how special you are to me, Nami."

"Luffy…" Nami mumbled.

"So, when I say I like you, Nami, I mean I love you." he confesses, tighten his arms around her again, and leaning against her.

Nami couldn't say anything. She never thought Luffy would say something like that to her. Behind her back, she felt his heart thumping in his chest. Her heart began to beat as well. That's when she realized that she loved him too. He saved her from a life of never ending sadness and torment. He can be a complete moron, and he can be manly too. Those are an odd mix of traits in Luffy, but maybe that's why she found it endearing, but now she loves those traits, as well as the one trait that changed her mind about pirates. He cares about his friends. He cares about her. For that, she felt happy to have known him and to have fallen in love with him.

She couldn't say anything, expect this, "Thank you, Luffy… I do too. I love you."

"YEAH! OUR FEELINGS ARE THE SAME!" Luffy yelled suddenly, throwing his arms high in the air.

"You don't need to yell so loud the world can hear!" Nami retorted, turning her head to face her idiot of a captain.

"Nami! When I become King of the Pirate, I want you to be my Queen!" Luffy declared.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself a bit, Luffy?" Nami blushed.

"So, will you be my queen, Nami?"

"Figures. All you care about is my answer…" Nami groaned. But, she soon smiled again, "I accept."

"YEAH! NAMI'S GONNA BE MY QUEEN!" Luffy yelled.

"Stop yelling already! It's embarrassing!" Nami protests. Suddenly, Luffy pushes himself down on top of her. "Kya!" she squalled.

"Sorry. I'm happy, that's all." Luffy grinned happily, "The girl I love accepts my feelings and my proposal. I can't help but be happy."

"Luffy… you're saying and doing a lot of embarrassing things." Nami muttered, embarrassed.

"But, aren't you happy?" Luffy asked, still grinning like a fool.

Nami wraps her arms over her future king. "Of course I am. It's all thanks to you, Luffy." she said, with the sweetest smile Luffy has never seen on her.

"Ohh…! Nami, I love you!" Luffy declared, and without any warning, locks his lips with Nami's. Though initially surprised, she doesn't protest at all. She hugs his back, pushing him down bit toward her.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the newly made couple, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji watched the whole scene from a crack in the door.

"Those idiots. They made so much noise, we woke to see this." Zoro muttered, a small smile appearing on his sullen face. He wasn't much of a romance man, but he had to admit, this is a nice scene.

"I always thought that Luffy was an idiot, especially when it came to women. But, I never thought he could even put the moves on Nami." said Usopp, "I wonder if I can do the same thing with Kaya…" he wondered with a goofy smile. He imagined himself and Kaya in the same position as Luffy and Nami.

"Keep dreaming." Zoro said, dropping his smile.

"Luffy…" Sanji growled with bitter jealousy. There's fire in his eyes, and all around him. Being a devoted man to Nami, he has no choice but to accept that Nami has become the captain's girl now. But, that doesn't mean he'll like it. No sir, he won't like it at all. "If you don't take good care of Nami and make her happy, I swear I will kick your ass all the way to hell!" Sanji seethed.

Zoro and Usopp sweat drop from seeing Sanji.

"I think we should go back to sleep." Usopp suggested to Zoro.

"Yeah." Zoro agreed. The two ducked back in the cabin before either Luffy or Nami noticed them, with Zoro dragging the seething cook along with them.

For the rest of the night 'til morning, Luffy and Nami sat together, watching night sky slowly turn to day, while hold each other's hand, both happy to be in each other's company

BW: The end. Yeah, this is a one shot, so no continuing chapters. I hope you enjoyed it.