Prelude to a New Arrival (One Piece, Roronoa Zoro/Nami, #22 'Cradle')
Title: Prelude to a New Arrival
Author: GinnySeta
Pairing: Zoro/Nami
Fandom: One Piece
Theme: #22, Cradle
Disclaimer: Oda is awesome. I am not.
Author's Notes: This is technically a sequel to a Christmas fan fic, Warmth, but can be read on its own. Like its counterpart, this is an AUish post series story, and gets a "That's so sweet, I'm getting cavities" warning. It is solely a fluff/romance piece.
Cross posted to greentangarine
"God damn it, woman, sit down!"
"I told you a hundred times, I want to help you out!"
"Look, don't you have a map or something to be working on?"
"Not while Bellemere's mikan grove needs to be taken care of, the map can wait." Nami said with a stubborn look on her face. Zoro grumbled and sighed, smacking his hand to his forehead.
"Listen, I think I'm big enough to handle the field on my own..You on the other hand...you're just big." He knew the minute after he had said it that he had made a deadly mistake.
"Are you calling me fat? Because you know, if it had been my choice, it would be men who go through the nine months of insanity and then give birth." Seven months into her pregnancy, and Nami already had more than enough problems to make him understand her wish to pass the pains of child birth onto the male species. In the first few months, she had been sicker than she ever had been in her entire life. For weeks on end, she couldn't keep anything down, and her body grew so weak that Zoro was afraid he might lose her all together. Chopper had made the long trip to look her over, but there was only so much he could do.
"...It's a process." He said, as he mixed up a nausea remedy. "There's only so much time that it will last." Unfortunately, Chopper couldn't stay, but he would be coming back in a bit more than a month to help prepare for the delivery.
In the months and weeks following, things weren't as bad, but she still suffered from aches, pains, and bouts of weakness - one of which left Nami with a twisted ankle, and Zoro with twisted nerves. It was good to see her out, about, and lively again, but he didn't want her doing a thing to over exert herself.
"How about this? I carry you outside, and let you watch and boss me around, while I do the hard stuff." He knew what her answer was going to be before she even said it. Sometimes, it was good to make her think she was getting what she wanted.
"Fine." she replied, wrapping her small arms around his neck as he picked her up. Even with the extra weight, she felt like nothing. He carried her into the grove, setting her down on the ground as he went to fetch the hedge clippers. It really wasn't a terrible idea having her out there to direct. She knew these fields as if they were her own children.
"Zoro?" she asked softly. "You do know that Chopper had said I might not be able to have any more after this one..."
"Yeah, I know it. And you shouldn't sweat it until after this one is born. If you can't, you can't. It's as simple as that." He wiped the sweat off his brow before setting down the hedge clippers and sitting next to her.
"It's just...what if something happens to this one? What if you want another, and I can't give it to you? This is the rest of our lives we're talking here -" Zoro covered her lips with a finger.
"Look. I'll be happy with one. Hell, I'll be happy with none, or a hundred and one. All I care is that you're with me. So stop being such a stubborn bitch when it comes to listening to me! I'm trying to keep you and the kid safe!" Zoro's look was stern, but it was also filled with concern. Nami leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine." she said with a soft smile, moving his hand over the curve of her tummy. "But sometimes I need to hear you say that."
A crack of lightning went off in the distance. Zoro stood, hefting Nami into his arms as he did so. The air was starting to grow thick with the humidity before a storm.
"Let's get home for now, I don't want you getting soaked." Nami nodded her head, nuzzling it between Zoro's chin. She closed her eyes, feeling perfectly safe in his arms. She didn't open them again until she felt him stop, right at the stoop to their house.
"Hmmm, what is it?" She asked.. Then her eyes fell on the large crate, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Roronoa Zoro. Zoro gently set her down , examining it carefully before simply prying off the top with his bare hands. Looking inside, he grinned, lifting the contents out and setting them in front of his wife.
It was an intricately carved wooden cradle, that gently swayed from side to side. On the head board was carved a pattern of oranges and swords, skillfully laid out in the wood and then finished with a rich laquer. Inside was a pillow, a teddy bear, and a note that read ‘Congratulations to the new parents, Love, Usopp and Kaya.' Nami could only smile, and glance to Zoro, who was also grinning.
It was a reminder that parents or not, they would always have friends.
Author: GinnySeta
Pairing: Zoro/Nami
Fandom: One Piece
Theme: #22, Cradle
Disclaimer: Oda is awesome. I am not.
Author's Notes: This is technically a sequel to a Christmas fan fic, Warmth, but can be read on its own. Like its counterpart, this is an AUish post series story, and gets a "That's so sweet, I'm getting cavities" warning. It is solely a fluff/romance piece.
Cross posted to greentangarine
"God damn it, woman, sit down!"
"I told you a hundred times, I want to help you out!"
"Look, don't you have a map or something to be working on?"
"Not while Bellemere's mikan grove needs to be taken care of, the map can wait." Nami said with a stubborn look on her face. Zoro grumbled and sighed, smacking his hand to his forehead.
"Listen, I think I'm big enough to handle the field on my own..You on the other hand...you're just big." He knew the minute after he had said it that he had made a deadly mistake.
"Are you calling me fat? Because you know, if it had been my choice, it would be men who go through the nine months of insanity and then give birth." Seven months into her pregnancy, and Nami already had more than enough problems to make him understand her wish to pass the pains of child birth onto the male species. In the first few months, she had been sicker than she ever had been in her entire life. For weeks on end, she couldn't keep anything down, and her body grew so weak that Zoro was afraid he might lose her all together. Chopper had made the long trip to look her over, but there was only so much he could do.
"...It's a process." He said, as he mixed up a nausea remedy. "There's only so much time that it will last." Unfortunately, Chopper couldn't stay, but he would be coming back in a bit more than a month to help prepare for the delivery.
In the months and weeks following, things weren't as bad, but she still suffered from aches, pains, and bouts of weakness - one of which left Nami with a twisted ankle, and Zoro with twisted nerves. It was good to see her out, about, and lively again, but he didn't want her doing a thing to over exert herself.
"How about this? I carry you outside, and let you watch and boss me around, while I do the hard stuff." He knew what her answer was going to be before she even said it. Sometimes, it was good to make her think she was getting what she wanted.
"Fine." she replied, wrapping her small arms around his neck as he picked her up. Even with the extra weight, she felt like nothing. He carried her into the grove, setting her down on the ground as he went to fetch the hedge clippers. It really wasn't a terrible idea having her out there to direct. She knew these fields as if they were her own children.
"Zoro?" she asked softly. "You do know that Chopper had said I might not be able to have any more after this one..."
"Yeah, I know it. And you shouldn't sweat it until after this one is born. If you can't, you can't. It's as simple as that." He wiped the sweat off his brow before setting down the hedge clippers and sitting next to her.
"It's just...what if something happens to this one? What if you want another, and I can't give it to you? This is the rest of our lives we're talking here -" Zoro covered her lips with a finger.
"Look. I'll be happy with one. Hell, I'll be happy with none, or a hundred and one. All I care is that you're with me. So stop being such a stubborn bitch when it comes to listening to me! I'm trying to keep you and the kid safe!" Zoro's look was stern, but it was also filled with concern. Nami leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine." she said with a soft smile, moving his hand over the curve of her tummy. "But sometimes I need to hear you say that."
A crack of lightning went off in the distance. Zoro stood, hefting Nami into his arms as he did so. The air was starting to grow thick with the humidity before a storm.
"Let's get home for now, I don't want you getting soaked." Nami nodded her head, nuzzling it between Zoro's chin. She closed her eyes, feeling perfectly safe in his arms. She didn't open them again until she felt him stop, right at the stoop to their house.
"Hmmm, what is it?" She asked.. Then her eyes fell on the large crate, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Roronoa Zoro. Zoro gently set her down , examining it carefully before simply prying off the top with his bare hands. Looking inside, he grinned, lifting the contents out and setting them in front of his wife.
It was an intricately carved wooden cradle, that gently swayed from side to side. On the head board was carved a pattern of oranges and swords, skillfully laid out in the wood and then finished with a rich laquer. Inside was a pillow, a teddy bear, and a note that read ‘Congratulations to the new parents, Love, Usopp and Kaya.' Nami could only smile, and glance to Zoro, who was also grinning.
It was a reminder that parents or not, they would always have friends.