when one looks back to their childhood, one remembers the vivid springs of laughter, climbing trees and reaching out for the stars, and making flower crowns in fields of flowers. but when [name] looked back at her youth, it was void of those colorfu...
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chapter 69. the boy who shall wait
[ never ]
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it was cold.
the kind of cold that didn't bite all at once, but slowly seeped into skin and bone, settling there like quiet discipline. the bathwater inside the sunny's washroom tub barely stirred, thin wisps of steam replaced by pale mist clinging to the tiled walls.
when [name] had asked for a cold bath to ease the blight on her skin, she had imagined solitude.
she had not expected nami to follow her in.
now, here she was.
sitting half-submerged in the chilled water, a folded towel resting neatly atop her head as droplets trailed down her collarbone, vanishing beneath the surface. behind her, knees brushing lightly against her back, nami sat in the same freezing bath as if it were nothing more than a warm summer soak.
she didn't complain.
she didn't shiver.
instead, her fingers worked gently through [name]'s hair as she hummed a song (the one [name] often caught nami humming whenever she was doing something she liked).
[name] hesitated when she once again glanced over her shoulder.
nami's hair clung damply to her neck, cheeks slightly pink from the cold, but her smile remained effortless.
"...are you sure you don't feel cold?" [name] asked quietly. "i can handle it, but it isn't safe for you, nami."
"nonsense!" nami huffed, already massaging the shampoo into her scalp with practiced hands. "after everything that happened, you need to be washed properly, and i'm not leaving you alone in here!"
she leaned forward slightly, her voice turning playful, "and for your information, it's not cold at all. i'm perfectly fine!!"
a lie.
the water trembled faintly around her shoulders.
[name] blinked slowly... and nodded.
"...if you say so."
she lowered her gaze, allowing the navigator's fingers to continue their slow, careful rhythm. bubbles gathered in her [h/c] long hair, thick and white, growing larger with each gentle scrub until they formed an afro.
nami paused, then giggled. "you look like brook's sister!!""
[name] looked down at the water's reflection to catch a glimpse, "...soul king [name] and antheana d. brook."
