“The princess will see you,” the stationed guard spoke with a twinge of malice. Nami bit her tongue to hold back a scathing remark—he didn’t know her, to him she was just a pirate, flying in the face of the government and law. It stung, the underlying assumption that she could ahve been the kind of pirate that would have allied with Crocodile, but she couldn’t exactly stand here and argue with him. Not when the door to Vivi’s room was flung open and Nami could see the princess.
Nami decided that Vivi had never looked more like herself in that moment, she was born with the grace and radiance of royalty. She wore a long pink dress that was surely made of fabric more expensive than Nami could imagine. It only made the blue of her hair, the darkness of her eyes, stand out more.
“Hi,” Vivi waved, and Nami could see the tears welling in her eyes. It was only a moment before Nami rushed in, slamming the door behind her with little care to decorum. Her arms wrapped around the princess tightly as she felt herself sniffling too.
After what seemed like forever, tears and joyful laughter passed between them, Nami finally let go of the hug, immediately missing the feeling of the other woman in her arms.
“We did it,” the navigator beamed, her hands reaching up to cup Vivi’s cheeks as the other grinned back.
Vivi leaned forward until their foreheads were gently knocked together, “Thank you.”
“You should be thanking Luffy he did a lot of it,” Nami laughed softly as she let herself savor the feeling of Vivi’s face so near to hers. This closeness was something Nami had longed for from the first moment she met the princess. She was beautiful and brave, and filled with more kindness than anyone else Nami knew. Meeting her had set something afire within Nami, and it was an adoration that would never go away. For as long as Nami lived, she knew that she would always hold a candle for the princess that had smiled to her, the one who cared for her when she was sick, the one who had put her life on the line for justice, the one who loved so deeply and honestly.
“I want to thank you though,” Vivi pulled away and Nami felt her hands settled on Nami’s hips. She tried to steady the racing of her heart, not to leap to any conclusions. It was delicate to balance both her romantic hope and practical realism. “I couldn’t have done this without you, Nami.”
Nami shook her head, her palms still on Vivi’s cheeks, squishing them together as she returned, “Yes you could have. I think you could do anything if I wanted to.”
Through still squished cheeks, Vivi laughed, “Well then I didn’t want to do it without you.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Nami let her hands fall to the other’s shoulders, conscious now of how close they were, of how Vivi was looking at her as if Nami herself had righted all the wrongs in the world.
“Will you still let me thank you though?” Vivi raised an eyebrow and Nami knew she was done for. The princess could ask of her anything and Nami’s heart would twist for her to listen. Idly, Nami couldn’t help but wonder if Vivi knew this—knew how she had the navigator spun around her finger.
Nami nodded, lips parting with a silent gasp as Vivi’s hands squeezed at her hips. Meeting her dark eyes, she could see nervousness darting across her expression. Oh. She was balancing on this tightrope as well, wasn’t she.
She watched as Vivi took in a slow, shuddering breath before leaning in. Nami met her halfway, smiling against the softness of her lips. For some reason, Nami had assumed that kissing Vivi would make her palms sweat less, her heartbeat stop racing. Instead it did the exact opposite. Because now it was no longer an unattainable fantasy in Nami’s mind, it was real and true. The feelings that had been simmering for their entire journey had been shared between them the whole time.
The kiss only deepened as time passed, each other trying to pull the other closer, trying desperately to express their feelings through action alone. Finally they had to separate to breathe properly, both practically panting as they looked at each other again.
It was Nami who broke the silence with a loud laugh, leaning in again until her face was rested against the princess’ shoulder, “That’s a hell of a thank you.“
“Well, I didn’t know if you…” Vivi was laughing now too, her arms tightening around Nami’s waist, “But I couldn’t let you go without trying.”
At that Nami stilled, laughter stopping as she realized what Vivi had said. It made sense, of course, but still, “You aren’t coming with us.” Nami didn’t ask the question, not really, not when the answer was clear.
“I can’t.” Vivi’s voice was softer now, sadder too. She felt lips press against her temple as Vivi continued, “I need to be here for my people, they need to see that the royal family is still here and will continue fighting for them.”
“And they can’t see their princess becoming a pirate,” Nami knew she sounded bitter and cold as she remembered just moments before as the guard had treated her with the underlying harshness.
Vivi sighed, “It’s not that. You know it’s not that. It’s not about you or Luffy or anyone, it’s just….”
“I know,” Nami stood up, letting her palms come up once more to brush gently across her cheek, “It would put you in danger.”
The tears that Nami had hoped she had kissed out of the princess returned again, glazing over her eyes as she nodded. The back of her thumbs wiped away the tears as Nami’s breath caught in her throat, “Then I can’t do that. I can’t put you in danger again.”
“I—” Vivi blinked and forced a smile, “That doesn’t mean that I don’t…” She paused and gave a quick peck to Nami’s cheeks, making the navigator’s face light up red, “I still want to be yours, if you’ll have me—despite well, despite everything else.”
“Of course,” her response was immediate, because what else could Nami say? Their relationship would be unconventional, surely, but it seemed like everything in Nami’s life was like that. And if the princess she cherished so deeply, who she been pining after since the moment she saw her smile, wanted to try—who was Nami to say no.
Nami continued on, returning the kiss to Vivi’s cheek, “I’ll find a way to write to you—I promise,” Maybe it felt like too much too soon, but if they really only had a few hours left before they had to part, Nami would let her emotions consume her, “I love you, Vivi, more than I could love anyone else.”
“I love you too,” Nami decided then and there she wanted to memorize this moment, the sound of Vivi’s voice as she said those four words, the soft expression on her face filled with genuine love. She wanted to memorize the feeling of Vivi’s lips on hers as they fell into another kiss together, giggling with happiness of their confessions and sniffling with the knowledge their time together would be too short.
By the time morning came, Nami knew she would have to leave. But for now, she would let herself drown in the love and wonder of the princess who loved her so.