The Wish Box

Chapter 13: Push

"Wow! So cool! How did you figure it out Franky?"

It was breakfast the next morning. He felt tired and sluggish but somehow slightly refreshed. He knew where he stood in this crew. Second to Luffy, and it didn't hurt at all.

Okay it was a fucking knife to the chest, but he was going to handle it like a professional. Clean, short, and to the point. It was just like how he was. It wasn't like his personality changed overnight. He took another swig of alcohol and wished that he was drunk already.

The worst part was, he couldn't even be mad at Luffy. Luffy was his captain. Luffy was the one person he would give up his dream for so that Luffy could pursue his. Not that he had given up his dream… he just modified it. He fixed it so that Luffy's came first.

And he couldn't even be mad at Nami. Of course she would pick their captain over him. It was Luffy, the man who would put everything on the line for everything he did. Luffy might be slow but Nami wasn't a bad teacher. She could coach him to be the perfect lover.

He took another swig from his bottle refusing to let his thoughts go any further with that.

Franky was busy retelling how he figured it out to Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp. Sanji was fixing breakfast but it was clear he was listening to the story intently. Robin was flipping through a book (shocker) and Brook was laughing gaily and interrupted randomly with his stupid jokes. A typical day with the Straw Hats. Only, of course, Nami had yet to enter the room. It would have normally been unusual but now was becoming common to have Nami enter later. Ever since she made that wish she seemed to prowl around the ship in the mornings, checking to make sure everything was perfect before she came to eat with them.

"Umm Zoro?" Chopper was at his side with a stern look on his face. He grunted his acknowledgement and made sure to take a large sip of his drink. Chopper wrinkled his face in displeasure.

"You shouldn't drink so early Zoro!" he scolded. "It isn't like you!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I drink all the time!" he protested.

The tinkling of laughter from Robin interrupted them. Zoro shot her a glare.

"Maybe something is troubling him, Chopper?" she offered, not even looking up from her book.

"What could be bothering Zoro? He doesn't care about anything," Chopper said evenly.

"HEY!" he growled and went to bop the small doctor upside the head.

"Maybe that something is a someone," Robin said quietly, her gaze meeting him just barely from the top of her book.

His cheeks flushed and he growled lowly at her but her attention was already back on her book. Her eyes turned up in a mocking smile. Chopper studied him with a look of interest for a moment before shrugging and returning to his breakfast. Well, he shrugged and returned to his breakfast after he wrestled the bottle from Zoro's hands.

The door swung open with a loud bang and everyone's eyes shot to the door. Except his, he knew who it was. He kept his eyes trained on his plate.

"Sorry about that everyone. The wind is pretty strong today," her voice sounded level and normal and the small laugh she gave was normal. She sounded normal, unaffected. Good they were both being professional. She wouldn't hold this over his head. Besides he hadn't exactly said it out loud, and the fight they would get into would undoubtedly be ugly.

Still the conversations resumed and he didn't hear a word anyone said. Just her voice seemed to stick out as she offered Luffy his hat back.

He lost his appetite.

He quickly finished his plate and pushed it away.

"Do your dishes you spring fig," Sanji said lazily as he sat next to him.

"Spring fig? Are you out of insults, faggot?"

"What did you just call me?"

"A faggot. Are you deaf now too?" he hissed.

"Will you two knock it off?" Nami's stern voice cut into their argument. "I'm trying to eat."

"Yes, Nami~swaaaaaan!" swooned the love cook. Disgusted that he couldn't even pick a fight Zoro stood up and left. The door might have closed behind him loudly. He could blame it on the wind as well.

()()()()()()()

"What the hell was that about?" she muttered (mostly) to herself. She wouldn't mind if someone answered her question but she also knew that she was a large part of why their resident swordsman was acting odd. Sanji just shrugged next to her. He was sitting in-between her and Zoro and she really wished he hadn't been there. Luffy was to her right at the head of the table and he glanced at her curiously.

"Zoro's upset about something," he said simply and shrugged. He went back to eating, (not that he had ever stopped) and sent her a sympathetic glance.

She wanted to ask what. She knew what though. Zoro, strong, mighty, independent Zoro, felt something besides friendship with her. To be honest it scared her, and she wondered if he had told any of their crewmates about what happened last night after they all went to bed. She shifted in her seat restlessly.

"Are you okay Nami? Something seems to be bothering you too," Robin asked from across the table.

"Yeah I'm fine," she whispered as she picked at her food to distract herself.

She was just being herself. She was running away from something new and unfamiliar, and although she had craved for it, wished for it even, she was still scared of it and afraid to accept something more. She had told him over and over again that she just wanted things to be fixed, for things to go back to normal…

She didn't want to upset her captain and get kicked off the crew because of something she was feeling. Again it was an irrational thought, but it was something she couldn't shake. Luffy didn't exactly understand this type of emotion, he understood love but not this type.

She swallowed loudly and let her head fall against the table roughly. From the way Zoro was talking last night she knew he felt the same. Hell she felt the same. She was just too scared to actually do anything about it, so she ran. She was good at running and hiding, if she really wanted to.

"Nami?"

Everyone was looking at her oddly and Chopper was at her side examining her head.

"I…" she needed an excuse. She had to leave the room. It felt like everyone knew her secret and that the walls were closing in. Sanji was looking at her knowingly, Robin was smirking, even Franky and Brook had some type of expectant look. She swallowed again and took a deep breath. She groaned and let her head bump the table again.

She stole every fiber of courage in her soul and sat up and looked directly at Luffy.

"I love Zoro."

There she said it. Loudly, and for the whole crew to hear. She didn't pay attention to the small gasp that only escaped from Usopp. Everyone else was smiling (or in Sanji's case weeping silently). Luffy smiled and laughed at her.

"So why are you letting him be upset? Go fix him," Luffy said laughing. His stupid rubbery arms wrapped around her and pulled her out of her seat. With a stiff push she was out the door of the kitchen and onto the deck.

She ran.

She was running but this time she wouldn't run from him.

()()()()()()()()

"Zoro!"

Great. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe she would lord this over him too. He pretended he didn't hear her and kept pushing the weights over his head. It was the perfect workout that required him to concentrate but let his mind wander at the same time. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her anyways. He just wanted to be by himself.

"Zoro!"

She just wasn't going to leave him alone was she? Her voice was on the ladder and ascending towards him. She would be in the gym in about a minute. He had a minute to brace himself.

What did she want? It wasn't like they talked about this. She had just said sorry and then ran away from him. She was picking Luffy. She didn't have to explain herself to him. He could understand, and he'd be damned if she thought he was weak and couldn't handle it. He could.

The door banged open as she chambered into his sanctuary.

"What the fuck?!" she hissed. She was angry? She was fucking angry? How the hell could she even justify being angry with him?! Although it was Nami, she was probably pissed that he hadn't come running when she called for him.

"Why didn't you just tell me you were in the gym? I know you heard me calling for you!"

He rolled his eyes.

"What do you want, Nami?"

"I want to tell you something…" she said. Her voice shook slightly and she looked nervous again.

"You don't have to tell me anything. I know," he snapped and picked up his weight again. A few more reps while she was here wouldn't kill anyone.

Silence greeted him for several long moments and he chanced to actually look at her. She looked confused and a little hurt but he tried not to care about that. She even said last night that she wasn't his problem anymore, that she wanted to 'fix this' and that thing about Luffy. He growled.

"So what do you want?" he snapped.

"I want to say sorry," she snapped right back.

"Don't. Apologizing doesn't suit you," he said evenly. He had said the same thing a few nights ago, back to the night when he had kissed her. When he first realized that she was more than a friend, and that coming out of this things wouldn't be the same between them. He knew it deep down all along.

She was smiling as if she was lost in the memory with him and she took a step forward.

Suddenly the room wasn't big enough. She was too close and yet he wanted her closer. He wanted to back against the wall and run himself but he was braver than that. He met her gaze and practically snarled.

"What about Luffy?"

"I told him," she said stiffly.

"You told him?"

Okay, maybe he had misread something. If she had told Luffy her feelings then shouldn't she be with Luffy? Unless their captain rejected her or maybe she had feelings for Luffy but lusted after him. She did make a wish that involved him.

"Yes," she said grinning. "I told Luffy and he wasn't mad or angry."

"What did you tell Luffy?" he asked quietly. She took another step forward, a wicked grin on her face, one aimed at him. He was her prey and he didn't mind. She was standing in front of him now, and dully he realized that he had dropped the weight down. Her hand slithered behind his neck as she leaned forward. Her lips rested on his ear.

"I told him my wish," she purred.

He growled. Not the mad growl, or the disgruntled growl he normally did but growled in a frustrated, exasperated, completely in love way. She had told him she would never tell him what her wish was. As if she knew what he was thinking she laughed. Her breath still tickling his ear as her other hand encircled him.

She was hugging him.

It took him a second to actually process that fact before he hugged her back tightly to his chest.

"So what do we do now?" she asked quietly as if she was scared that their entire world would change. Her face was still buried in his neck and his face was buried in her hair. The sickly sweet scent of her tangerines met him and he never realized how much she actually smelled like them.

"What do you mean?" he asked pulling away from her slightly to look at her.

"I…" she shrugged looking hopelessly lost. "I've never been in love before. I don't know what to do."

To say that he didn't feel anything would have been a deep and dark lie. To say that what they had was purely physical and based off a wish would be a lie too. They had always been on this road. The wish just pushed them together. Because although Nami might not have been in control the whole time, it was something she wanted. Something she craved.

He couldn't stop grinning as he gently tilted her gaze up to meet his.

"We keep on sailing. We keep on fighting. We keep on being friends," he told her.

"Can we keep on kissing?" she asked smugly. Her eyes glinted with lust.

He didn't really need to answer that one, except with a kiss.

A/N: Sooo that's it. This has been one of most interesting stories that I have written. I was going to torture you guys for a few more days but ... eh screw it. I'll give it to you now. I'm in the midst of writing another ZoNa so keep you're eyes peeled if you are interested. I want to thank everyone for their support with this story! Much love,

Oceanwind~