rin!

RIN'S MASTERLIST!

[6.28.2026] a full list of all my works! will be updated further if i exceed the link limit works available for: one piece, my hero academia, across the spiderverse you can soon expect: demon slayer, attack on titan, jujustu kaisen, haikyuu!!

| LIKE A REBEL | RORONOA ZORO

summary: roronoa zoro has always believed love was fickle and stupid - until he saw the local flower capital rebel and thief vaulting clean over six foot walls, laughing at the people she left behind. pairing: wano thief! reader / zoro wc: 4k tags: strangers to lovers, fluff, f! reader, no use of y/n, fake dating trope, wano spoilers and slight canon divergence (zoro finds out who ushimitsu kozo is early), you're a thief and part of the rebellion, you're connected to ace just like everyone else in wano, robin hood themes, zoro in the flower capital before he blows it all, zoro is shy and inexperienced

Life as an undercover ronin in the flower capital was pretty easy, if Zoro had to describe it. He wandered from shop to shop, spending his day sightseeing and listening to idle gossip. It was rare that anything actually exciting happened.

Except, with each passing day that he waited for his captain to show up, he started hearing more and more about the midnight thief that stole from the rich in the capital, and distributed goods to surrounding labor towns that were on the verge of starvation and collapse.

Rumors of a beautiful kunoichi, sneaking in through windows and leaving at the break of dawn, houses and mansions robbed clean with a silly little note left behind - almost a mockery of wealth in such dire times.

Interesting. He'd thought. But rumors were aplenty in Wano Country, and he'd always think of stories as fake until he truly saw proof of it.

"Catch that woman!" A shrill cry rang through the street, drawing vendor attention as soldiers of the Shogun ran about. "Where did she go?! Where did that damned kunoichi go?!"

Kunoichi? Zoro blinked. Surely not. Surely not the kunoichi everyone had been talking about.

His senses flared, eye darting to the back street behind the acclaimed dango store. Quiet, rapid strides, elegant and arrogant.

"She's over here!" A woman screamed in the back alley, clearly interrupted from whatever she'd been doing. "Goodness, someone catch her!"

"Uh-oh." You laughed, darting into the main street with a large burlap of goods on your back, squinting at the sun. "Oh, no." You murmured again, seeing the soldiers hot on your heel.

Zoro chuckled lowly at your panic - or was it humor - and gently leaped upwards, sitting on a roof for a better view. You locked eyes with him, squinting at the swordsman in silent aggravation.

Oh, you're enjoying this, are you?

Yeah. He was.

"Close the gates!" The head of the squadron yelled to the men guarding the city's entrance. "Now! Close them!"

The large stone gates began to shut slowly, tall and unbreachable. You sighed, adjusting the sack on your back as you moaned and groaned at the inconveniences bestowed upon you.

What now, kunoichi? Zoro grinned, chugging his sake. He blinked in astonishment as you crouched, before making a mad dash towards the gate anyways.

"She has nowhere to go! Stop her!" The guards at the gate pointed their swords at you, brandishing them in warning.

You got on your haunches, squatting deep as your legs flexed, before leaping high into the air. At least six feet, jumping clean over the guards, the wall, and straight out of the capital.

The guards chasing you skidded to a halt, shouting at the soldiers above the gate to open them once more. The soldiers shouted back, desperately trying to reopen the gate - but just like it closed, it opened slowly too.

By the time the gates were open, you were gone. Not a single trace of you. Zoro sniffed the air.

Even your scent was gone. The smell of cherry blossoms - like you spent time lingering in a cherry tree, watching the bustle of people below you. The smell of food and booze, no doubt what you were hauling on your back.

Gone.

He scoffed, downing his liquor once more, eye scanning over the uselessly open gate. He wondered if he'd see you again.

"Did you hear?" The drunken man sat beside him attempted to whisper to the bartender - though he was, in reality, hollering at the top of his lungs. "That woman who thieves in the night - she's teamed up with Ushimitsu Kozo!"

"You're kidding!" The man to the other size of Zoro huffed, leaning across the counter to look at the man who spoke originally. They both had comically sunken eyes, hair frazzled from days upon days of drunken stupor. "As if they weren't already problems on their own! Those damn thieves, stealing from us to hand off to Okobore Town, Amigasa... And Ebisu too!"

The swordsman clicked his tongue, frowning upon the conversation as the two men practically leaned into him to speak to each other. "Take this elsewhere."

Intoxicated and woozy, they ignored him, continuing to babble on about the injustices you and Ushimitsu Kozo were committing - and don't even get them started on the Mount Atayama thieves and Shutenmaru.

"I recognize you." A voice from behind him spoke. He turned ever so slightly, eye widening.

"You." He blinked. "You're-"

"Shhh." You grinned, finger over your lips. You'd ditched the discreet outfit you'd had on the other day - not that the outfit had done much to avoid you drawing attention to yourself. "Surely you don't think this is the best place for that?"

He glanced at the men beside him, still deeply immersed in their own conversation about the wealth being stolen from under their noses. "...I guess."

You turned on your heel, walking outside, and for reasons unknown to him, he followed. Even as you walked quietly, without uttering a single word, he followed. Even when the landscape changed from the flower capital to the freezing environment of Ringo - a place he found strangely connected to - he didn't complain, and merely followed you and your footsteps in silence.

When you reached the Northern Cemetery, you knelt down in front of the graves, seemingly unbothered by the cold and the snow that soaked into your knees through the kimono.

Zoro mimicked your actions, setting his swords beside him and kneeling silently behind you.

"So, Pirate Hunter." You began, bowing deeply to the graves in front of you as you spoke. "What brings you to the land of Wano?"

Zoro froze, eye scanning over you as you murmured prayers to the dead, forehead buried in snow. His fingers twitched towards his swords.

"My mother was born and raised in Wano." You continued, ignoring his apprehension. "But my father took me out to sea with him, and we traveled the world when I was young."

You unbuckled the sword sheath from your side - one that seemed rarely used and untouched, laying it in front of you as you sat straight up. "We returned when I was five, twenty years ago - just in time to see Kozuki Oden die. After that, I set out to sea once more, and only returned a year prior to find my country in disarray."

He listened, fingers no longer reaching for his sword, now buried in the snowy ground.

"You are the moon unaware of the dawn. May your purpose be fulfilled, and cast nine shadows on the night woven of twenty years, and you shall know the brilliance of the dawn." You quoted, staring at the grave in front of you. You took the sword out of the sheath, standing, before plunging it into the gravestone. "Those were Oden's wife's last words. This year marks the twentieth."

Your fingers grazed the stone. "And this is my father's grave. He was a vassal of the former Daimyo of this region. I'm sure you've heard of the tradition the swordsmen here have with their swords when they're laid to rest."

"Yes, I've heard." Was all he could muster. He found himself strangely enamored with your story.

"While I was out at sea, I met your captain's brother. Fire Fist Ace." You chuckled at the memory of a fiery fight and an attitude to match. "But two years ago, I was too late to save his life. I returned to Wano to train some more, hoping that in a year your captain would arrive in Wano. Ace had promised me his brother would be the King of the Pirates, after all - and there would never be a King that wouldn't stop by the Land of Wano first."

You fell silent now, pressing your forehead deep into the snow once more in front of your father's grave.

Zoro watched, and waited for you to be done paying your respects.

"We're here to kill Kaido." He stated, when you sat upright once more.

"Good." You laughed, standing and dusting the snow off of you, turning around once more to look at him. "Someone has to. And where's your captain?"

"Late." Was all he could offer. He hadn't a clue where Luffy was, or how long it would be until the shitty cook was back.

"That sounds like him." You smiled, as if you'd known Luffy for a lifetime. "So you're biding your time until he arrives, then?"

"I'm keeping myself out of trouble."

"And doing a fine job, from the looks of it." You retorted. "You left me to die, you know?"

"You handled yourself just fine." He shot back, crossing his arms.

The two of you laughed lightly, snow falling all around you. Neither of you seemed fazed by the cold.

"So, what's with the stealing thing?" He asked, fishing around in his robe for his jug of sake.

"Isn't is self-explanatory?" You snorted, arms raised to the sky. "This country is failing, and it's all Kaido's fault. People only matter for labor, and they eat just enough to sustain themselves to work. What a miserable life that is."

"And Ushimitsu Kozo?" He prompted.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that part." You smiled sadly. "How prying of you, Pirate Hunter."

"Let me help you, then." He offered, reaching out a hand. "I don't know how long it'll be till Luffy arrives. I might as well do something."

You chuckled at the superficial reason, but took his hand anyways. "Alright."

He asked for your name, and you gave it to him. He said it over and over, as if testing how it felt leaving his mouth.

He decided he liked it.

"Did you hear?" The drunk man gossiped in the bar, catching the attention of other drunkards around him. "A ronin has joined the thieving with Ushimitsu and that kunoichi!"

"Another thief to worry about?" A man exclaimed, slamming his hand on the counter. "How bothersome!"

"Actually," the drunkard said, prodding his friend, "do you remember that ronin who sat next to us a couple weeks back? In between the two of us, the brooding green-haired one."

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Look!" He exclaimed, pulling out a wanted poster from his pockets, pointing at the drawing. "Didn't that guy look just like the slayer on this poster?"

"Huh..." His friend said, squinting at the poster, before his eyes bulged out of his head. "He did! Zorojuro?!"

"What if he's the one that's also stealing?" The drunkard wondered.

"No way." Everybody in the bar burst out laughing. "He'd be getting into more trouble than he could handle!"

"Hey," a man in the corner of the establishment began, "Where's my coin pouch?"

"Huh? Mine's gone too!"

"Shit! We've been robbed!"

"Drunkards aren't very observant, are they?" You laughed from the roof of the building, shoveling coin pouch after coin pouch into a large burlap sack.

"You're mean." Zoro hummed, sake jug fully refilled.

"No, actually." You shrugged. "This is for the good of the common folk."

"Yeah, you tell yourself that. You just like stealing." His eye squinted at you humorously.

You gasped in offense, but continued to shovel the money into the sack, before standing up, head nudging towards the oh-so-familiar gate. "Come on. We've got places to be."

Days turned into weeks, and time flew by just like that. Zoro started taking up residency in your small house in middle-of-nowhere Ringo. His days started by watching you pay respects to your father, eating a hole through your pantry and drinking your alcohol cellar dry, before going along with whatever plans you had for the day.

Other days consisted of running from law enforcement, whether they recognized you or him, for thievery or for murder, and you'd always end up back in Ringo, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

The pillow that'd been placed between the two of you as a cautionary barrier during sleep slowly got kicked away over time, Zoro's arm ending up slung over your chest or your leg ending up sprawled over his on the futon, as the cold of Ringo seemed to only affect the two of you in your sleep.

Both of you eagerly awaited Luffy's arrival, but until then there was nothing to do but steal and give.

"Can we have some form of identification, please?" An officer asked politely with an outstretched hand. You and Zoro had gone through the trouble of putting on disguises today to do some much needed grocery shopping - but leave it to the two of you to somehow bungle even that.

"What for?" Zoro huffed, carrying your vegetables. You smacked him lightly. "I mean - officer, we're just trying to do some shopping here."

"I understand that, and I apologize for the inconvenience." He bowed in true apology. "However, the two of you look strikingly similar to two criminals running amok in the capital."

You and Zoro blinked, Zoro's graying hair rustling in the wind and your bright pink hair and purposefully overdrawn lips gleaming in the sun. "Are you sure?" You laughed, signalling at yourself and him. "Like, really?"

"It's the face shape, miss."

"Listen, man-" You elbowed Zoro again. "I mean - sir. We're here just trying to do some shopping. We didn't bring any identification because we just didn't think we'd need it for something so trivial. I'm sorry, but we have nothing to give you."

"I see." The officer hummed. "An entirely valid pretext, but I'm afraid I really just need some proof that you are who you say you are."

"And I'm afraid we don't have any." You replied calmly, gesturing to Zoro, who looked nothing like himself and was still holding your groceries. "We're husband and wife, and we're picking up vegetables so we can eat tonight."

Zoro blinked, before his head slowly turned to you, practically creaking. "...Right."

"I see." The officer sighed. "Well, I'll follow you home then. You can give me your documentation then."

You clicked your tongue, annoyed. Glancing at Zoro, you squinted.

Play along and I'll explain later.

Zoro rolled his eyes, shrugging.

"Alright." You hummed, turning on your heel and walking to a very specific area of the capital. "But I warn you, officer - you're going to get in trouble."

"Huh?" The officer fired back, suddenly aggressive. "The hell does that mean?"

"Wait and see." You replied, walking down the main street until toil and construction turned to laughing and music. "Just remember that you're the one that made both of our lives difficult."

Arriving at a familiar pleasure house with the noise of a shamisen playing, you shouted upwards towards the balcony. "Kyoshiro!"

"Hah?" A voice replied from above you two. A drunken man peered over, light blue pompadour rustling in the wind, blinking at a disguised you. "Oh! It's you. What've you got an officer with you for?"

"K-Kyoshiro-sama!" The officer stammered, hands in the air. "I- Well - These two people seemed very similar to the two criminals on the wanted posters, so I wanted some identification-"

"There's no need for that." The money changer waved him off. "They work under me - can't you tell it's clearly their day off? Who in the world carries identification with them to get groceries?"

"I understand that, sir, but-"

"Hey." The yakuza boss glared. "Do you want me to tell the Shogun about this? I already told you to drop it, didn't I?"

"Yes!" The officer shrieked, bowing deeply. "I'm very sorry, sir!"

Kyoshiro narrowed his eyes at you, pompadour practically falling apart from what you assumed to be hours of dancing. His gaze slid suspiciously to the man next to you.

"Well, come up, then."

You tugged on Zoro's sleeve, and he hesitantly followed you as you traversed the pleasure house as if you'd been here thousands of times before. Pushing past courtesans who were rushing downstairs, you could only assume Kyoshiro had sent everyone away.

You knocked on the door of the room you'd just seen him in.

"Yes, come in."

You slid the door open, dragging the wig off your head and tossing it to the money-changer. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." He replied, puffing his pipe as his gaze fell on Zoro once more, who was following your lead and pulling his disguise off this head. "You... Oh, gods. Kunoichi, don't tell me-"

"Kyo." You smiled mischeviously, waving your hands in a "ta-da!" motion towards the unamused Zoro, who was setting your groceries down on the floor. "This is Pirate Hunter Zoro!"

"This is the backup you were referring to?" Kyoshiro grumbled, pressing his fingers against his temples. "I mean, honestly. This man is in serious trouble here in the capital, do you know that? They're saying he's killing people in the streets!"

"I'm not." Zoro offered, as though that was any true proof. "I've been stuck with her for weeks now."

"You've dragged our saviors into stealing!" Kyoshiro gasped, the angry look on his face settling into a comical disappointment. "Honestly, what is it with people from Wano who leave to travel the world? You, Oden, probably Izou - even Dogstorm and Cat Viper from Zou - you've all become strange! Where do you get the nerve?"

"I thought you were Orochi's money-changer and bodyguard." Zoro squinted, leaning close to Kyoshiro. "Unless there's something the ninja girl hasn't told me."

"There's much the ninja girl hasn't told you." Kyoshiro shot back, glaring at you. "Much she wasn't supposed to tell you."

You'd thought that explaining Kyoshiro's real identity as Denjiro, one of the Nine Scabbards, as well as Ushimitsu Kozo, would be a big deal. Evidently not, because by the end of the story, he'd merely shrugged and asked Kyoshiro for a bottle of his finest sake to take back to your house.

He received a laugh of disbelief, and a bottle nonetheless, with Kyoshiro jokingly patting him on the back, telling him to take care of you and never hurt you.

Zoro had just shrugged, brushing the man off before hauling your groceries again.

It was late that night when Zoro finally finished the bottle of sake, tucking into the futon beside you, shirtless and reeking of liquor and sweat.

"You should really get into the habit of showering more often." You mumbled, eyes squinting at your book as the lantern flickered beside you. You flipped the page, laying on your stomach.

Zoro's hand landed on your lower back, and you stiffened ever so slightly, eyes leaving the pages in front of you to stare at the tipsy swordsman beside you. "...What's that look for?"

"What look?" He murmured, tracing circles into your back. His eye darted around your face, mouth curved in that mischevious smile he always had when he was thinking of you.

"Zoro." You huffed, receiving a hum in response. "You're drunk."

"I'm not." He retorted, pinching you gently and smiling as you laughed. "Seriously, I'm not."

"What are you doing, then?" You closed your book, setting it aside as you leaned your chin on your hand, watching him.

"Just taking you in, that's all."

"Are you getting soft on me, pirate hunter?" You teased, leaning towards him with a smug grin. "The long weeks are getting to you, is that it?"

"Don't do that." He warned, hand leaving your back to poke your forehead.

"Why?"

"Don't act coy, woman. I know what you're doing."

"Oh?" You scoffed, leaning closer. "Wasn't it you that started cuddling me while you slept? And wasn't it also you who started touching me like it was normal?"

"You called me your husband today." He grumbled, arm splayed across his pillow as he buried his face in it.

"I did." You affirmed, reaching a hand over to run through his hair. He buried his face deeper into the pillow, though the flickering lantern light showed his bright red ear, hot to the touch. "I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable."

"It didn't." He clarified, eye peeking out of the pillow to watch your smiling face. "It's just, y'know.."

"What?" You laughed, face inches from his.

He sat up suddenly, large hand cupping your face. His pupil was blown wide, face flushed as his nose grazed yours. "Tell me to stop."

"What?" You whispered, blinking in confusion.

"Tell me to stop, and I will." He said, as he leaned in further. "Otherwise, don't be surprised that it ended up like this."

His lips met yours, and you melted into his touch, hands splayed across his warm chest. His teeth nipped at your lower lip, and you sank yours into his in return, as if doing it out of spite.

"Ow." He mumbled into your mouth, one hand gripped firmly around your waist.

"You did it first." You replied, pulling away. He groaned in complaint, face chasing yours, and you laughed as he buried his face into your neck, peppering kisses all over.

"Will you stay in Wano, after we beat the shit out of Kaido?" He asked, voice muffled by your skin. His grip tightened, as if you would disappear if he let go.

"No." You hummed, nails tracing his spine. "I was going to set sail again, and visit Ace. I never got to visit his grave after Red-Haired Shanks buried him."

"Why don't you come with us?" He asked, still not meeting your gaze.

"Shouldn't you ask your captain that?"

"He asked a dog and a cat to join our crew the last time I saw him." Zoro huffed. "He won't give a damn about a kunoichi joining."

He paused, hand drifting to your back again. "Especially not if... well, you know."

"I don't." You shrugged, playing dumb.

"You know, if, like..."

"Huh?"

"If you were my girlfriend." Zoro blurted, eye meeting yours, head still spinning from the kissing - and probably the liquor too. He cursed himself for being so stupid, so bad with words. You were probably laughing at him-

"Are you drunk?" You snorted.

"No!" He groaned, raking his hands down his face. "I promise I'm not drunk, alright, I'm serious! I've wanted to be with you for weeks now, come on!"

Stunned by his sudden confession, you sat there, blinking at him, as he tapped his fingers on his knee, waiting for you to say something - anything.

"Hello??" He asked, waving his hand in front of your stunned face.

"Oh. Yeah. I'd like that too."

The two of you had a knack for romance, clearly. You sat in silence for a little longer before Zoro practically pounced on you, heavy as a brick and crushing you into the futon.

"Oh, god! What the hell-" You shouted, wheezing as you hit him on the shoulder before he shut you up again, kissing you over and over.

"I wanna spend time with my girlfriend before my captain arrives."

Zoro wished those days had lasted forever. But inevitably, Luffy did show up - and so did the shitty pervert cook.

"GIRLFRIEND?" The cook shrieked, falling to his knees in front of you, Nami and Robin shaking their heads disappointedly behind him. "A GIRLFRIEND?! We leave him alone for a month and he somehow manages to scrounge up a beautiful girlfriend from god knows where! Cher, please do believe me when I say that there are many a better option for you out there - like me, for example-"

"Shut the hell up, pervert cook." Zoro frowned, thumping his fist on top of Sanji's head, resulting in them scuffling.

"Wow! Zoro somehow got a girlfriend!" Luffy exclaimed, laughing. "That's super funny! Hey, miss, whatcha do here in Wano?"

"I steal things." You smiled, before digging into your pocket and pulling out a few items. "These are for you."

A pouch full of berries for Nami, a history book for Robin, a coupon for ten free meals at a restaurant for Luffy, a sashimi knife set for Sanji, a Wano-exclusive book on herbs for Chopper, a shamisen for Brook, and a toolkit fully forged by a local smith for Usopp and Franky to share.

"Wow!" Nami gasped, hugging you tightly. "Zoro's kunoichi is totally cool!"

"This is very kind of you." Robin smiled, bowing appreciatively as the rest of the crew fawned over their gifts.

| SILENCE IS LOVE | SIR CROCODILE

summary: you and sir crocodile have gotten used to speaking in silence, as it seems to be the safest option in a room full of nosy businessmen. unfortunately for you, the cross guild has a master of silence that seems to know your secret language inside and out. pairing: assassin! reader / sir crocodile wc: 1.6k tags: established relationship (married), f! reader, fluff, crocodile down bad, cross guild dynamics, buggy is nosy but mihawk is nosier, you like to pretend you don't like crocodile but he knows otherwise

Prior to the Cross Guild's creation, you'd had a pretty carefree life as an assassin, taking on jobs here and there for various organizations that needed extra hands. You'd worked with Sir Crocodile before when he founded Baroque Works, taking up jobs that were simply too difficult for the Millions or Billions when all the Number Agents and their partners were occupied.

Crocodile admired your work. You delivered quickly, flawlessly, and silently. You never pried, as long as the price was right - yet you also held to your morals, unwilling to harm children or have a hand in his starvation of Alabasta.

A few years passed, and his mission to entirely usurp Alabasta was nearing fruition. Taking on difficult jobs, your bounty slowly climbed upwards, subtly nudging the one hundred million mark. He finally made up his mind to ask you for the pleasure of an evening meal with you once it was all over - and was pleasantly surprised when you calmly accepted.

Though, we all know how that went. You, Daz, and Crocodile were all imprisoned in Impel Down, with Daz being stuck on Level 4 for boiling manual labor, Crocodile on Level 6, and you stuck in between, freezing away on Level 5. Months withered away as the three of you bided your time.

Then, Straw Hat Luffy showed up again and upheaved everything.

"How'd it go?" A familiar, deep voice spoke behind you, a heavy warmth draping across your back smelling of cigar smoke, expensive cologne, and seawater. A few ashes fell on your lap, and you brushed them away calmly.

"Fine, as always." You replied, attempting to look upwards, only to be foiled by Crocodile's chin resting on your head. You sighed, pointing to the papers sitting just out of arm's reach on your desk. He picked them up with his hand, metal hook resting territorially on your lap as he sifted through them.

"Perfect." He hummed, pressing a light kiss to your hairline. "Excellent work. I would never expect anything less."

"HELLOOOOO!" A voice screeched, before busting into your office. Crocodile groaned, separating himself from you, but standing behind you nonetheless as Buggy grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at the two of you. "Well, well, lookie here. Lovebird one and two, congregated in one spot!"

"Where else would they be?" Mihawk murmured, trailing in behind Buggy with a few papers in hand, forking them over for you to look at. "Hello. There's more recent news on the Red Force, if you were interested-"

Buggy quickly snatched them out of Mihawk's hand, pretending not to see your outstretched hand waiting for the papers. Your eyes slid to Crocodile's, who was standing beside you now, as if to say -

Are we serious?

Crocodile's eyes glinted in amusement as he released another puff of smoke and shrugged.

What did you expect?

Mihawk observed the two of you, eyebrow raised upwards. It was never a secret that you two were romantically involved - but your thoughts were always more obvious than the two of you believed.

There is no hiding from Hawk-Eye Mihawk.

As Buggy scoured his papers, Mihawk reached into his inner coat pocket and passed you another copy of the same newspaper. You huffed, glancing at Crocodile again.

He couldn't have just handed the first one to Buggy per usual?

Crocodile scoffed.

"He would've lunged for it anyways." Mihawk said, blinking at you. You blinked back, clearly unsettled as you tentatively reached for the paper.

"Right..."

"Goodbye. I will see you all at the meeting later." The greatest swordsman turned on his heel and walked out without a care in the world.

You and Crocodile watched him walk out, aggravated and thoroughly fed up as Buggy continued to scan over the newspaper, grumbling random words and slinging expletives as if both Straw Hat and Red-Haired Shanks were in the room with all of you.

"Buggy." You and Crocodile began, glancing at each other when your voices overlapped.

Go ahead. He gestured, eyes droopy as he waved at you, walking out the door.

"Buggy, do this somewhere else." You finished, staring at your (technically) boss. "I don't want to be part of the weird rivalry you have with people that wear hats made of straw."

Buggy walked out of your office, eyes glued to the paper he was holding the whole time, blindly fumbling for the door handle and slamming his shoulder into the wall on his way out.

You sighed heavily, leaning back in your chair and setting your feet on top of your desk, opening the newspaper Mihawk had handed you as Crocodile made his way back to you, a familiar weight landing atop your head as his hand continued to flip through your completed bounties.

The two of you soaked in each others' presence as you worked, Crocodile occasionally grabbing the pen you were using to mark the newspaper for himself, jotting down notes in the sidelines of his documents.

"You have an office too, you know?" You huffed in amusement, burying your face into his coat, which was surrounding you. The warm fur shifted as he pulled you closer, small specks of sand gently blowing past your face to prevent the ashes from collecting on you.

"I see you more in the office than I do at home, nowadays." He murmured, setting the papers down on the desk again to wrap his hand around your waist.

You pushed him off of you gently, glancing at him - not with any ill intent, but with just a bit of scorn.

You and Mihawk should assign me less work, then.

His eyes closed in slight apology, creasing warmly. A sigh escaped his mouth as he pressed a kiss to his forehead, ignoring how you squirmed in pretend contempt for him.

I'm sorry. But really, it's Buggy's fault for not carrying his own weight, so can you blame him instead?

"It really is Buggy's fault, you know?" Mihawk cleared his throat from the entrance to your office, more papers in hand. Bounties for you, most likely.

Your eyes shut, already exhausted halfway through the workday. Crocodile watched you, clearly worried.

You're overworked.

You opened one eye, squinting at him.

And whose fault is that?

"Buggy's." Mihawk chimed in, setting the papers in front of you and pointing at one specific face of a vide admiral. "This one needs to be taken care of by the end of the week, please."

"Mihawk, you're nosier than you let off." Crocodile commented, still holding you tightly. There was never a point in hiding anything from Mihawk, who watched everything with a careful eye.

"Try harder to hide, then." He retorted, pouring himself tea from your drink station.

"When everyone already knows we're together?" You scoffed. "You, of all people, should know that both me and him have better things to worry about than how obvious we appear. It's just weird that you know what our glances mean."

"Context clues and inference." He hummed, sipping the piping cup. Again - your tea. For someone that appeared so cold, he was awfully open to using all of your things. He caught your stare on his hand, and waved you off. "Oh, please. I'll be washing it once I'm done."

"Like that." You pointed at him accusingly. "You shouldn't know what every glance I give means."

"It's not as difficult as you make it seem." He shot back, watching Crocodile gaze at you adoringly. "Really, it isn't."

"Can you leave?" Crocodile sighed, burying his face in your neck. He was still hunched over you awkwardly, like he couldn't just sit down beside you. His spine was practically snapping in half.

"I'd like to finish my tea."

"My tea." You grumbled. "Just take it with you. Bring the cup back when you've washed it."

Mihawk's eyes slid over the two of you. "I'll leave you to it." And shut the door behind him.

"Nosy bastard." Crocodile breathed in your ear, cigar in the ashtray and long forgotten. "Won't you come home tonight?"

You looked at him pointedly, pointer finger tapping your desk where the paper Mihawk had left you just minutes ago sat.

Needs to be done by the end of the week, remember?

Crocodile groaned, hugging you ever tighter. "Please, just leave it for tomorrow. It's been so long since we had a proper meal together, without Buggy wailing away in our ears. In the comfort of our own homes."

"As my boss, you really shouldn't be encouraging me to slack off, you know?" You laughed, standing up and forcing him to get off of you. He looked positively miserable - scar creasing as he wrinkled his nose at you, unamused. You beckoned for him to lean down, pressing a swift kiss to his mouth and ignoring how he leaned in heavily, drinking you in and enticing you not to pull away.

"As your husband," he began, leaning in once more and kissing your fingers as you held your hand across your mouth, preventing him from kissing you again, "I encourage you to spend time with me rather than allowing your job to encapsulate you."

"Tempting." You replied, pushing his face back gently. "But I have two other bosses that would like me to do my job, you know?"

Crocodile's ringed finger jutted out, pointing at a little note Mihawk had left you. "I beg to differ."

You can get this done in two days. Crocodile seems to miss you.

"Bastard." You grumbled.

"Careful." Crocodile sneered. "You're starting to make it seem like you want to work instead of see me."

"Now you're acting petty." You huffed, kissing him again. His hand found your waist, tightening, and you laughed into his mouth, but you pulled away nonetheless. "Fine, then. Will you cook for me?"

| WHEN IN NEED OF HEAT | PORTGAS D. ACE

summary: ever since ace opened up to the whitebeard pirates, the two of you hit it off instantly. best friends are best friends - until suddenly, time spent on a winter island ends up with you crawling into his bed for warmth. pairing: whitebeard pirate! reader / ace wc: 2.8k tags: f! reader, best friends to lovers, fluff, suggestive themes, ace tries to make you fold but he ends up folding first

The moment Ace stopped running his mouth and pretending he hated life on the Moby Dick, the two of you hit it off. Safe to say, if you were nowhere to be found and Ace was off on a mission, everyone - Whitebeard included - knew that you must've sneaked off the ship to tag along with him.

The two of you were practically attached at the hip, confiding in each other constantly, sitting next to each other during meals, napping together.

You'd never regretted your time with Ace - he was your closest confidante, and the man you knew you could trust with your life.

Until now.

"You're joking, right?" You stared at the borrowed ship - Ace's typical rider was under repairs back on the Moby Dick, but he'd refused to wait for it and went about borrowing someone else's. Said borrowed ship was currently in flames.

You sat on the shore of the winter island, eyes glaring down at the bashful man who was rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, foot nudging the unsalvageable wreck.

"Well, you know." Ace cleared his throat. "It's hard for me to remember that not everything is fireproof."

"Pops is gonna laugh at you so hard." You groaned, burying your head in your hands. "Who the hell did you borrow this from?"

"Borrow?" Ace blinked, scratching his chin. "Um. I stole it."

You stared at him in disbelief. He was always like this, reckless, doing whatever he wanted on a whim. "You're kidding."

"Well, good thing I have my trusty shipwright with me!" He laughed heartily, smacking your back. You shot him a dirty look, and he withered a bit. "I'm sorry."

"You're lucky I love you, Ace." You grumbled, poking at the dying flames, unable to see how red his ears turned as you focused on the pathetic excuse of a ship in front of you. "This will take ages to fix. I'll pretty much have to rebuild it. Maybe a week or so, I can just make a little rowboat and we can try to meet the Moby Dick halfway."

"Good call." Ace said, fanning his face behind you despite the cold surrounding you two. "Not the best idea to try to build a huge ship from scratch, especially when the mission's already done. Pops will be wondering where we are. I'll call him, ask him to pull up to the nearest island."

You mumbled a string of expletives that Ace pretended not to hear - your swearing was an outrageous habit, one that he promised Whitebeard he'd get rid of because your language was honestly mortifying. Not that pirates should care, but you? If this was a show, half the things you said would be censored.

He did feel bad that you'd have to work so hard and make a ship to help the two of you get back - but maybe it was your own fault that you'd tagged along to begin with, considering the fact that this wasn't a mission even remotely concerning you.

You yawned, rubbing your eyes and kicking the remains of the ship. "Tomorrow, we'll collect some lumber from the woods and dig around the town junkyard for any spare metal. I'll see what I can do from there."

"Why don't we just ask the townspeople for tools-"

You cut Ace off with a fist to the top of his head, thumping him harshly. "It's bad enough that we're digging through their trash, and you want to steal good tools from them too?! You're a barbarian, you absolute-"

More expletives exited your mouth as Ace rubbed his wounded head, groaning. You'd always been picky about asking people for help - though he guessed that was a trait you two shared - being stubborn.

If you weren't willing to ask the townspeople for help, then he should've known you wouldn't be willing to ask for lodging either. It didn't really come to him as a surprise, watching you unfold the tents you always kept with you and setting one up under a thick tree, eyes droopy and tired.

"This one's for you." You said, tears collecting in your eyes as you yawned, shambling over to the next tree to set up your tent.

Ace's eyes narrowed. To anybody but you on the Whitebeard crew, it was blatantly obvious that Ace had been in love with you since the day he'd become part of the crew - one of Whitebeard's sons.

Maybe you were just blind as a bat. That had to be it, he was convinced - watching you set up your own tent while still mumbling, pretending to be annoyed about him.

It was no secret to your crew that you had a soft spot for Ace. Your natural place was always beside him, whether sleeping, eating, doing chores, folding laundry; the two of you were almost always side by side, only ever truly inseparable during missions that were taken at the same time but led to different places.

You convinced yourself that the soft spot was just because he was your best friend.

"Goodnight." You grumbled, opening the tent and cocooning into your sleeping bag. Ace hummed, taking his shirt off and hanging it on the outside of his tent before crawling inside. You gaped at him, hand on the zipper of your door. "You're not cold?"

"Um?" He laughed, pointing at himself, bicep flexing. "Flare-Flare fruit eater, hello?"

Your eyes drifted to his shoulders, raking over his tattoo, before you realized he was still waiting for an answer, looking at you expectantly. "Right. Yeah, of course. I'll see you tomorrow, Ace."

For you, falling asleep cold was ideal. It was easiest to fall asleep when it was chilly, your body warmed by a blanket and your face cooled by a night breeze.

There was a difference between cold and freezing. You were curled into fetal position inside the sleeping bag, trying to circulate your own body heat. You cursed at Ace inside your head for having such a convenient power - the same power that'd set the damn ship on fire to begin with.

You could always just go to his tent. A voice in your mind whispered. You paused your cold exhale, your breath showing a cloud inside the dark tent. You considered it. Then considered more.

Then banished the thought. That was ridiculous.

Why? You guys nap together all the time. The voice pestered.

Napping is different from sleeping. Napping happens when you're just doing something and you get tired. Sleeping happens when you decide to fall asleep next to someone, no matter the purpose.

But you're cold. He'd warm you up.

It would be wrong, you decided. It would cross a boundary that's been carefully refined over years. One you couldn't cross. So you curled back into yourself, hoping that sleep would wash over you.

On the other side of the clearing, Ace stared at his door. Stubborn you. He knew you wouldn't come, but some part of him had hoped that maybe, just maybe, you'd give in and come find him. The best part about having a best friend that ate the Flare-Flare fruit is...

Uh, dude. It's a winter island and he's a heater. Are you serious? He was practically fuming, hands raking down his face as he flailed around in the tent, aggressively pointing at the door as if you were standing right by it, pretending to yell at you without really saying anything. God, you were so stubborn.

He relented tonight, arms folded behind his head as he flopped onto the cold floor of his tent. He expected you in here by the end of the week.

The next day, he woke up surprisingly early, yawning and squinting at the sun, fully rested. Wondering if you were up yet, he opened the door to your tent just a little bit.

There you were, still curled into a ball inside the bag, jaw clenched and teeth chattering. He frowned, taking some pity on you. The sun was only just rising - he decided to be nice (not that he thought you'd encourage it) and crawled inside your tent quietly, opening up your sleeping bag.

Immediately, you frowned, curling up into an impossibly tighter ball, wrapping your arms around yourself. He laid a gentle hand on your back, pushing you into his warm chest, and did his best not to laugh aloud at how you immediately melted into him.

Still asleep, you buried your face into his chest, freezing cold hands flying around his waist (he had to stop himself from yelping in surprise), legs tangling with his. He sighed. He'd meant to give you some heat and leave a bit later, but there was no way he could leave now.

He'd better sleep some more while he could. God knows he'd be getting an earful when he wakes up.

You couldn't bring yourself to look at Ace. You'd woken up toasty and warm, like someone had brought you a heater in the night. Still half asleep, you hugged the heater tighter, before you felt the heater's breath catch and squeak a bit.

Looking up, you were met with Ace's bare chest and his flushed face. He'd grinned sheepishly at you, waving a little 'hello', which had resulted in you unzipping the tent at a rapid speed and creating a snowball to throw at his face, which he swiftly caught and melted.

He'd tried explaining himself, saying he'd come to wake you up only to see you shivering, so he thought he’d help you out. Your ears were a furious red, your speech incoherent as you pointed at him, stammering out words that weren't even real, before giving up and wandering into the woods to gather some lumber and get started on your rowboat.

Halfway through the day, when Ace brought you the third stack of wood, you were still cursing at the sea. You knew you had nothing in particular to be mad about - this was a scene you'd woken up to countless times, being wrapped around Ace like a koala, and yet there was something different about it, sharing his body heat, relying on him for warmth. He'd only wanted to help, but something had changed.

The boundary had been crossed.

He made you lunch and dinner to apologize for it - though it didn't really help that he was an abysmal cook. You ate it anyhow, begrudgingly and glaring at him all the while. He kept apologizing over and over, and you'd just respond with curses.

Ace feared you'd never speak to him again. You'd never been mad at him for more than an hour - truly mad, at least. He skulked around the camp like a kicked puppy, bringing you whatever tools you needed as you huffed by the shore, banging away on what was shaping up to be a well made rowboat.

As night fell and you forced him to boil water for you so you could shower in the woods, he stared at where you'd walked off to and did nothing but fret, leg bouncing on the dirt as he prayed you'd speak to him before you went to bed.

Imagine his shock when you came back from your shower, hair wet and beginning to freeze, and crawled into his tent, leaving the door open.

His tent. Not yours. He stared at the tent until he thought his eyes were going to fall out of their sockets, before he started walking to your tent, assuming that you'd made a mistake and mixed up his tent with yours.

"I'm cold." Your voice said meekly from the tent, clearly trying to stop your teeth from chattering.

He tugged his shirt off immediately, diving into the tent and ignoring how you cursed at him for landing on top of you.

The next few days were unfamiliar, but not uncomfortable. He'd wake up a bit before you, watching you drool on his chest and bury your face into his neck, as if it was something you'd always done. He'd watch you work on the boat, bringing you things whenever you asked for them. He'd make you meals, taking your criticisms into mind as he adjusted whatever little seasonings he had.

All things he'd done before - but there were things he hadn't done, too.

He'd heat up the water for you at night, and tease that he could stay close by in the woods in case you needed a reheating. He'd expected you to scoff at him, throwing something at him and cursing up a storm, but you'd only shrugged, tugging your shirt off and heading into the woods - neither a yes or a no.

Obviously, he'd followed.

He started sleeping with no pants on, only boxers, when he realized that late at night and early in the morning was when you'd cling to him tightest, rubbing against him just the slightest bit as if getting situated, but he knew you were up to something.

He fell asleep with a hand on your back and woke up with a hand on your ass instead, and you started falling asleep next to him but waking up fully on top of him, panties slightly wet, him having boxers to match, though neither of you complained when you continued whatever activities you might've been up to before you'd woken up.

The extra tent you'd set up was quickly forgotten and neglected, your sleeping bag no longer used. He'd tease you about how soft you'd gotten - obviously, he was responded to with expletives - but no matter how much you cursed, you never denied it. You'd always been soft for Ace, but you were more open about it now.

More honest.

The day the rowboat was finally done and Whitebeard confirmed the Moby Dick was docked at the nearest rowable island, Ace caught your wrist right before you packed everything onto the ship and kissed you - something he'd done many a time over the past few days.

"What are we?" He'd asked, grip tight on your wrist. He felt like the past week was a dream, but he wanted it to be real. He never wanted this to end, he wanted to be with you.

You raised a mocking brow, responding, "Gee, I wonder." Ace frowned, and you sighed. You never liked seeing him upset. Your hands wandered under his shirt, going up, up, ever higher, resting on the chest you were now so familiar with as he leaned closer to you, desperate to hear the answer he wanted to hear. "You're mine, Ace. And I'm yours. It's that simple."

Ace broke into a wide grin, hands on your ass as he lifted you up, kissing you again. "Good. I just wanted to check."

You kissed him back, but mumbled expletives into his mouth. "I love you, but we need to leave."

"You love me romantically." He clarified, letting you down as he peppered kisses all over your face.

"Yeah, whatever." You grumbled, standing there and taking what he gave you. "Come on, Pops is waiting."

Ace hummed, finally relinquishing you and tossing the equipment into the boat and hopping in, one hand outstretched for you. You took it, carefully stepping into the rowboat and sitting down. Ace took a familiar stance, like a surfer on a surfboard, and you shot up, smacking him down.

He whined, rubbing his head and flailing about as you shoved the oars in his hands. "It's a wooden boat, Ace. Row."

"Yes, ma'am." He sighed, obeying. "I feel like I'm being used."

"Sorry, who just toiled away for a week building a new ship because of you?" You scoffed. "Of course I don't want you to burn down this one too."

"I wouldn't mind one more week on the island." Ace shrugged, rowing heavily, arms flexing.

You leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, causing his rowing to stutter just a bit. "I'll still sleep with you when we're back, you know."

"Promise?" He grinned.

"Obviously."

"You two look cozy." Whitebeard rumbled from his seat, a tanker of beer in his hand as he observed you two.

"We're dating!" Ace replied cheerily as you shrugged, writing out an apology letter to Izou, who was apparently the victim of Ace's thievery as he visited the Moby Dick, now stranded. You'd have to make him a new boat to return, and quick, too.

"Oh?" The captain chuckled, smiling. "About time. I believe Marco owes me some money."

"You bet on us, Pops?" You raised a brow, unamused. You withheld your curses - you'd never curse at the old man. "Ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is the two of you playin' 'Ring Around the Rosy'." Whitebeard huffed, downing his beer before directing his words to Ace. "Go on, then. Tell Marco to bring me my berries, and help your girl there repair the chaos you've caused. That poor boy, Izou."

You shoved a to-do list in Ace's hands, at the very top starting with "APOLOGIZE TO IZOU" and at the very bottom ending with "BUY IZOU SHIP SUPPLIES AND BRING THEM BACK". He groaned at the extensive list, frowning at you, but you were already walking away to your cabin.

You threw a look over your shoulder, grinning at his pouting, and only shot him a thumbs up. "You know where to find me."

Ace couldn't stop himself from smiling. He added one more item at the bottom of the to-do list.

| ANYWHERE BUT WORK | SIR CROCODILE

summary: as both a former warlord and headliner of the cross guild, sir crocodile has appearances to keep up. despite that, he has one major soft spot - his wife. that's why during work hours, he has to pretend he barely knows you, lest he show you the affection he so desperately yearns to. pairing: crocodile / secretary! reader wc: 2.0k tags: f! reader, fluff, crocodile loves his wife, soft crocodile, i'll stand by that agenda forever why would he marry you if he hates you and neglects you, he pampers the shit out of you, mihawk comes thru for the clutch

"Good morning, sirs." You greeted your three bosses as they walked into work together towards the conference room, sitting at the desk just outside.

"Goooood morning!" Buggy chirped, flashing you a thumbs up. "Keep up the good work today!" Mihawk inclined his head slightly towards you, a silent show of respect for both your hard work - and, more likely - putting up with Buggy all the time.

"Meetings." Crocodile asked shortly, taking his cigar out of his mouth and hiding it behind his back as he caught your glare towards him.

"Certainly, sir." You said calmly, eyebrow twitching just the slightest bit. You'd told him to cut down on the smoking, especially indoors. "The three of you have your bi-monthly bounty hunter meeting today, so please be sure to have new bounties on Marines prepared by noon. Aside from that, standard operations."

"Thank you." Mihawk said, walking towards his office, likely to grab his documents per your instruction, as the meeting was just a few hours away.

"What should I do until the meeting?" Buggy blinked, pointing at himself.

"Prepare?" Crocodile's deep voice rumbled, as he scoffed in disbelief. "Do you need to be coddled every second of your day?"

"I was just checking if there was anything else I needed to do!" Buggy exclaimed, pointing at you. "Our cute little secretary has all the info I need!"

Crocodile crushed his cigar in his hand, still behind his back. The ashes fell to the floor. "Just get the papers."

A bead of sweat rolled down Buggy's face, collecting pale makeup as it reached his chin. "I sense I've done something wrong." He turned on his heel and fled into his office, locking it tightly.

Crocodile turned back to you, saying nothing. You flipped through your papers, checking through any calls that you might be expecting or need to make - likely for Crocodile himself, who was always on the lookout for new business partners.

The man began to reach into his coat pocket for a cigar, only to stop himself. He was still in front of your desk. You glanced at him for just a second, before opening the drawer of your desk and handing something to him.

"Your lunch, sir." You said, as he took it from you. "You forgot it at home again."

His jaw clenched, and he opened the container with his hand, peering inside. His favorite, grilled crocodile over rice. Some vegetables with teriyaki sauce, some fruit for dessert. A note stuck to the lid, saying "Do your best today!"

He tucked the lunch container into his inner pocket, and his hand flexed as if to reach for you. Your eyes shot to his, before sliding behind him. A warning.

Crocodile followed your gaze, sighing as he saw Mihawk's piercing eyes observing the two of you from his office window. He blinked once, before flicking his wrist to roll down the curtains, likely returning to his paperwork.

"Be careful, now." You said, jotting down notes for your call at two. "Best to follow the rules you set."

You held no grudge against your husband for the decision he made. It was likely best for you, too, if he pretended to only know you in a coworker capacity, lest people begin to think you didn't work for the position.

Plus, had he not set the rule for the two of you, it was likely that he'd be attached to you all day until you both went home together - and he'd be attached to you then, too.

"...Yes." He muttered, watching you work. He began walking away, but paused right as he reached his door, turning just the slightest bit. "Do your best today."

You smiled, stopping your notetaking to meet his eyes. The moment your eyes met, he looked away, as if he couldn't bear to see you any longer. "I'll see you after work, Sir."

Each day was just like that. Absolute torture. He wanted nothing more than to sit in the same room as you, have you tuck into his side for hours on end, reading newspapers in silence and discussing any new developments in the world.

A domestic life, like a normal husband and wife. His time in Alabasta with you was rather close to that, before that damned Straw Hat came along. But now, Straw Hat wasn't even the problem.

The Cross Guild was formidable, to say the least. All former warlords, all incredibly strong pirates, all (except, perhaps Buggy - though maybe Crocodile could be nice and give it him the credit) capable of toppling the power structure of the sea.

Yet, that wasn't the issue either. Power was not the issue. The issue was that his coworkers - your coworkers, were incredibly nosy. Buggy was much more perceptive than he let on, he had to know something was going on. Of course, then, he spent his free time teasing Crocodile purely for the sake of it, just to get a reaction out of him.

Mihawk never gave an indication that he knew anything. But he didn't have to, because both of you could always feel his eyes on you, observing every move, every gesture, the slightest touches.

So you both agreed to pretend not to know each other outside of a coworker capacity, for the sake of reputation and for the sake of work. You were the Cross Guild's formidable secretary, efficient, quick, and diligent. You didn't want that spoiled for you, nor did Crocodile want to appear soft.

But god, was it hell. When you had free time, you would run their errands. Bring Buggy news on Straw Hat and Shanks, bring Mihawk the newest books he wanted to read (and secretly, updates on Zoro and Perona), bringing Crocodile more cigars and the freshest newspapers.

Buggy would always try to keep you longer than needed, making idle chit-chat. You'd entertain it, because at the end of the day, you had three bosses and he was unfortunately one of them - plus, he was actually quite good company and very funny to listen to.

During times like this, you could always feel Crocodile's temper simmering behind his door.

Mihawk never caused problems like that. He would nod in appreciation, perhaps occasionally ask you for a wine catalogue, but he'd never pry, and you'd typically be on your way within a few minutes.

For some reason, visiting your husband was the most awkward. The two of you would broil in silence as you darted around the office, ensuring that everything was in order, sometimes handing him yet another meal if he was working late.

He'd do his best to make normal conversation like the two of you did at home, but he had immense difficulty doing so without eventually doting on you.

He'd always start missing you most around midday, because there was typically enough work in the morning that he could busy himself with paperwork and distract himself from his wife, who sat just outside his office working herself.

But at midday, it seemed like it was more than just four hours - more like four days, since you'd woken up just a bit before him, wrapping your arms around his waist and tucking your face into his chest, peppering kisses all over him before you went to get ready for work, going in a hour before he did.

Instead of lying in bed to catch an extra hour of sleep, he'd watch you get ready, smiling when you put your work outfit on, whether it be skirt or tights, pants or dress. If you allowed it, he'd comb through your hair gently as you did your morning skincare routine. If you had extra time before leaving, you'd help him slick back his hair, checking his hook for rust, and fluffing up his coat.

You'd both put your wedding rings on a discrete, thin chain around your necks, letting it hang like a necklace during work hours and still keeping it on you. It was likely easier to just leave the rings at home, but Crocodile would rather die than leave the strongest sign of your bond behind.

So you can imagine how tiresome it was for him to have to go into work and pretend the two of you had nothing.

"Your wife seems a bit upset." Mihawk said, face covered by a book and his outlandishly large hat. His body was leaned back deeply into his chair, the late night getting to him. Buggy had gone home for the night, but Mihawk and Crocodile were still in, having an actual job to do.

Crocodile stiffened in the chair across from Mihawk, eyes automatically sliding to your desk outside where you looked exhausted, arguing with someone on the Transponder Snail as you rubbed your temple with your free hand. You felt his gaze, smiling at him weakly, before turning your attention back to the snail.

Crocodile sighed. There was no point in lying to Mihawk - he wasn't the type to initiate conversation, especially not about a topic he wasn't sure he was knowledgeable about. It was a long time coming, him addressing your relationship.

"It's our anniversary." Crocodile responded, voice deep and exhausted as he flipped through the newest bounties he was going to put out, ensuring that the values were correct before they were released. "Neither of us would prefer to be working so late today, but it can't be helped. It isn't as if our so-called 'President' will be much help when it comes to proofreading."

Mihawk calmly closed his book, looking over to your desk. Of course, you noticed this too, shooting him a strained smile as you leaned back in your chair, face getting gradually more agitated with whoever was on the other end of the call. His eyes slid back to Crocodile, whose cigar was whittling away in his mouth, ashes uncharacteristically falling all over his lap as he rubbed at his eyes.

"Just this once." Mihawk said, reaching his hand out for Crocodile's papers. The man looked up inquisitively, puffing out a large cloud. "I'll cover your workload, just this once. Go home, and spend time with your wife."

"There's no need." Crocodile protested. In all fairness, there's nothing he'd like more than to go home now, but he'd never want to owe Mihawk a thing, nor would he want to seem less capable. It was bad enough that Mihawk knew of your relationship.

"Don't think of it as a favor." Mihawk sighed, standing up slightly to pluck the papers out of Crocodile's hand, before sitting back down and starting to read. "You and your wife stay after hours the most out of any of us. In a way, I'm paying you back - so leave the papers with me and go celebrate your anniversary."

Crocodile put out his cigar in the ashtray next to him, staring at Mihawk. The greatest swordsman in the world merely ignored him, eyes focused on the papers intensely, determined to do the job right. Plus, he had a point, and Crocodile knew it. It was you and him that stayed late the most often.

If there was one day you two could slack off, it should be this one.

Crocodile slung his coat over his shoulders, heading for the door before pausing, hand on the handle. "I appreciate this, Mihawk."

"Don't mention it." He shrugged, sipping his wine and yawning a bit. "Just ask your wife to bring me the newest wine catalogue tomorrow."

Crocodile nodded, swinging the door outwards and walking to your desk, gently taking the receiver out of your hands and hanging up the Transponder Snail.

Clank.

You blinked at him, eyes weary and inquisitive. Before you could ask, he slung his coat over your shoulders and helped you out of the chair, pushing it into the desk. Then he lifted you up, a warm hand holding your shoulders, cold hook carefully circled around your thigh as he walked out of the building.

"We're going home, love." He smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. "Good work today."

You relaxed in his arms, practically melting. "Mihawk felt nice today, did he?"

He pressed another kiss to your cheek, making you laugh. "Certainly. Please bring him the newest wine catalogue tomorrow. Perhaps we should gift him something, too.

| SEAT BY THE WINDOW | TRAFALGAR LAW

summary: as a medical student, trafalgar d. water law finds himself constantly exhausted and in need of caffeine. somehow, he stumbles across a cafe near his university that just so happens to be open at all hours of the night! and it just so happens that the owner is cute, too. pairing: med student! law / barista! reader wc: 5.1k tags: modern! au, f! reader, fluff, law wants you so bad, both you and law are tired and have bad sleep schedules, awkward law, law is tall but we always forget because one piece characters are the size of mountains a/n: i love law so much

Law liked to lie to himself and insist that the Keurig Classic coffee maker he owned was enough. Despite the fact that he felt compelled to get his coffee during the day from a cafe, and only used the machine at night when everything was closed, he insisted it was fine.

He would force himself to drink the bitter coffee made from a pod, waving his roommate Bepo off when he offered to brew him coffee from ground beans, saying the Keurig was perfectly fine.

It wasn't like his face twisted every time he took a sip from the piping hot cup, wasn't like he preferred his coffee cold but couldn't put ice in the homemade brew without it tasting like watered-down shit, and it wasn't like it was a big deal.

Until one day, Shachi and Penguin showed up to his apartment, claiming they had a cure for all his problems.

"You're paying my med school bills, or what?" Law asked, bored and hunched over a table. "That would definitely solve a lot."

"Let's not get too crazy." Shachi snorted, before sliding Law his phone. "Look! This cute new cafe's opening a block away from you, and they're open 24/7. You should go try it out!"

"Coffee's probably shit." Law shrugged, barely glancing at the phone. "Anybody who has that much time on their hands to keep themselves open all day and night probably has low quality beans."

"I think you're discounting it too fast." Bepo scolded his roommate, washing dishes from the kitchen. "They could be perfectly fine, and maybe even your new favorite. There's no harm in giving it a try."

Law frowned, glaring at his textbook. Every morning, he got a cold brew from Nico Robin's cafe downstairs. Then, he'd get another one after classes in the afternoon. They closed by five, which was already pretty late for a cafe on the university campus, which meant that at night, his best friend (enemy) was the Keurig.

"Twenty four seven..." Shachi whispered, wiggling his fingers and getting closer to Law. "And they even have pastries. And seating. And wifi, and there's probably nobody there to bother you in the dead of night."

"When do they open?" Law sighed, shutting his eyes and rubbing his temples, doing his best to ignore how Shachi and Penguin high-fived each other behind his back.

"Today! Or actually-" Penguin peered at his watch, checking the time. 1:04 a.m. "I guess yesterday."

"Any reviews so far?" The med student mumbled, closing his textbook gently.

"Five stars!" Shachi said gleefully. "Me and Penguin went after class in the afternoon, and guess what - the owner of the place is super cute!"

"What does that matter?" Law peered at them, annoyed. "Tell me how the coffee was. Or the food."

"Oh." Shachi and Penguin pouted simultaneously, crossing their legs before Penguin spoke. "Well, I thought the coffee was good. Shachi really liked the food - they have some instant ramen options, a lot of pastries, stuff like that. Some quiche, too."

"Quiche." Law repeated, unamused. "You're telling me about their quiche."

"I'm just telling you, in general!" Penguin groaned. "I don't know what you have against quiche - it was really good! Seriously, I think we should go."

"I will go." Law said, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair, tucking his laptop into his bag, and standing up. "You will stay here, with Shachi and Bepo. As for the quiche, I've never had a quiche that doesn't taste like slop and vomit."

"That's just because Bepo's cooking is shit." Shachi said, pointing at Law's roommate, who bowed in apology, murmuring "I'm sorry" and "I'll do better."

"Stop bullying Bepo." Law sighed, patting his roommate on the shoulder. "Your cooking is fine. I'll be back soon."

Shachi and Penguin frowned from the couch, shouting objections about how they wanted to go too. It was too late - Law was already out the door, slinging his coat over his shoulders.

Just as Shachi had said, the cafe was only a block away from Law - incredibly close, and not very hard to find considering most stores had all their lights off already. As he approached, he heard soft jazz flowing from the store, and as he breathed, he couldn't help but sniff the air more.

Chocolate chip cookies. And they smelled fresh, too. Pushing open the door to the cafe, he heard a tired "Welcome in!", and he hummed in acknowledgement.

"Hi there." You greeted him kindly, yawning a bit. "Since it's still our first week open, we're punching membership cards twice the normal amount to encourage customers to keep coming back. All you have to do is make a purchase and let me know what you think!"

"Sounds good." Law mumbled, eyes scanning over the menu. "Just a large cold brew and -" his face twisted, already annoyed with himself as he thought about Shachi and Penguin's nagging, "-a quiche, please."

"Well, don't force yourself." You laughed. Law peered at you, just a little bit annoyed. He couldn't help but agree with his friends - if you were the owner, you were pretty. Your laugh was infectious, and despite how tired you seemed, you appeared happy as could be. "What kind of quiche would you like?"

"...The Florentine quiche sounds fine." He sighed. He'd force himself to try the quiche. And if it was shit, Shachi and Penguin would be hearing from him. "I know you have chocolate chip cookies in the display, but I smell some freshly baked. Would you mind if I had the new ones?"

"Not at all." You hummed. "Good to make first impressions for opening week."

"Very blunt of you." Law snorted. "That a good marketing strategy?"

"Honesty is more important than marketing." You shrugged. The register dinged, showing that Law owed fifteen bucks - not a bad price at all for a large drink, a meal, and a sweet treat. You punched a brand new membership card for the man, filling up four out of seven stamps, and handed it to him. "I'll call your name when it's all ready, Mister...?"

"Just call me Law." He replied, nodding. "I'll just go sit down and wait, take your time."

He chose a seat by the corner, two windows on each side of him as his body sank into a plush chair and opened up his laptop on the desk. He blinked, realizing that he didn't know the Wifi password to what he assumed was the cafe's network - 'Sunny Cafe Network :)'.

Just as he was about to get up and ask you for it, he realized there was a small laminated sheet glued to the table, with the Wifi password, separate menus for different times of day, and a little QR code for any feedback.

Law hummed, nestling back into his chair as he typed the WiFi password into his computer. He couldn't help but feel grateful for the effort the owner put into each area - he hated going to new places and asking for things like the Wifi, or god forbid a key to the bathroom.

He tried to do a little bit of work, appreciating the soft music flowing through the cafe. He wondered if your opening day was really busy - and he was a bit shocked that nobody else was here at this hour. After all, this was a university campus filled with sleepless students, though they were probably out drinking and partying anyhow.

"Law?" You called from the counter, pushing a tray out. "Here you go!"

He got up from his seat, meandering to the counter with his hands outstretched to take the tray to his seat. "Wait!" You said, hands in a silly 'X' in front of him. He paused, blinking at you. "You have to let me know how everything is!"

"I will." He said, going to reach for the tray again. You cleared your throat, shifting from foot to foot behind the counter. He sighed. You really were pretty - you looked exhausted and worn out, but nevertheless excited for feedback. He couldn't turn you down. "Fine."

He reached for the cold brew first, turning slightly away from you so he wouldn't have to see your excited face in his periphery. He took a sip. "This... Is really good."

"Really?" You beamed, hands on the counter.

"Yes." He affirmed. "Did you add any syrup? It has notes of like..." He trailed off, taking another sip. "Chocolate? Cherries?"

"No syrup!" You grinned, crossing your arms proudly. "The blend I used for your cold brew was a mix of beans from South America and East Africa! African beans are known for giving off some floral or fruity flavors, while South American beans are known for sort of tasting like chocolate, so I blended the two!"

He hummed, clearly satisfied, before reaching for the quiche and the fork. He grimaced, clearly hesitant to take a bite.

"Do you not like quiche?" You wondered, laughing a bit at his face. "You didn't seem happy to order it either."

"Not really." He frowned, glaring at the pastry like it'd offended him. "But my friends came here earlier, and they said it was really good."

"Shachi and Penguin, right?" You smiled at his shocked face. "Yeah, they came in the afternoon, saying they'd try to get their grumpy friend to come on down. Med student, they said."

He clicked his tongue, taking a piece of quiche onto his fork. "Yeah. That's me."

"Anything you wanna be in particular?" You said, giggling as he kept glaring at the quiche.

"A surgeon." He shoved the quiche in his mouth, as if he felt like it was going to grow legs and run away.

"That'll be hard work." You laughed, watching him chew the pastry like he expected it to be his worst enemy. His face turned into a surprised, pleasant acceptance. "Good?" You asked, chin resting on your hand.

"...Yeah." He stared at the tart. "It's pretty good."

"I'm happy to hear that." You smiled, pushing off the counter to begin wiping down the equipment. "I work the afternoon to morning shift. I hope I'll see you again, Law. Make sure to bring that membership card in for some free stuff!"

"Okay." He blinked, watching you grab a rag and start cleaning. "Do you have LinkedIn?"

You paused, rag dripping with water onto the quartz counter. "Why??"

Law cringed at himself. He was twenty-six and still didn't know how to properly ask for something. "No, I mean like, uh..." He stared at the quiche. That damn quiche. "Somewhere I could find you?"

You grinned, pointing at the poster by the register. "The cafe has an Instagram!"

Law withered. "Right. I'll be sure to follow it, then."

You laughed so hard your side started cramping - it was painfully obvious what he wanted, but it was funny how incredibly bad with words he was. "Hand me your phone, Law."

He stared at you, confused, before realizing you were still waiting. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and bashfully handed it to you. You clicked around on it, and he just watched you the whole time.

Your hair was a little oily. There was a smudge of espresso remnants on your eyebrow. A strand of your hair was in your face, and you kept crinkling your nose every time the hair came in contact with it.

Jesus, you were pretty. He was never going to admit to Shachi and Penguin that they had, for once, made an accurate and compelling point as to why Law should've come.

"Here you go, Law." You handed his phone back with a sly grin. Pretty barista, you'd saved yourself as. Even taken a selfie for the contact picture too. "I hope I'll see you again."

"I'll be back tomorrow." He promised, watching your features - exhausted yet happy as possible - smiling kindly at him. "I'll try your whole menu."

"Will you now?" You chuckled. "Well, I'm looking forward to it. Looks like I got my own personal taste tester." You pulled out a notebook from under the counter, flipping it open and showing him the wrinkled pages. "Well, good. The menu's still pretty small, and I have a lot of ideas to expand it. I'll never turn down an extra palette."

If he was any less restrained with himself, Law could've been jumping for joy. Maybe it was the night speaking, the long hours getting to both of you, but he'd take any opportunity to help you however he could. He found himself undeniably drawn to you, to your tired demeanor and your willingness to work.

"Can I ask why you chose to open your cafe here?" He inquired, flipping through your recipe book. Blueberry muffins, many different flavors of macarons, brown sugar toffee latte. He couldn't wait to watch you make all of them.

"I went here for my bachelors, actually - for Business Administration. Very boring. But I always complained about how early the places closed! I'd get my coffees from Ms. Robin's place, but-"

"She closes at five." Law added. You blinked at him, but nodded, surprised. "Yeah, I know. I get her drinks too."

"That's too funny." You said, taking the cookbook back from him. "Ms. Robin actually helped me open this place. She's really nice."

"Yeah, well." Law shrugged, biting his cookie and humming contently. "So are you."

"Thanks, Law." You replied, watching him. Your eyes crinkled, trying not to laugh aloud at his slightly sad attempt at complimenting you. "Is it good?"

"I know I'm your taste tester now, but I really don't think that should even be a question." Law huffed, shoving the rest of the cookie in his mouth and speaking with it full. "Yesh, itsh good."

"I'm happy to hear that." You grinned. "Well, I'm going to get back to baking cookies for the morning shift. It was nice to meet you, Law." You took his tray.

"No, the pleasure's all mine." He replied, shaking his head.

"The pleasure can be both of ours, you know?"

Unfortunately, his friends caught on awfully quick. Within a week, it was no secret that Trafalgar Law had a massive crush on the owner of the Sunny Cafe. From midnight to three, all his friends knew - if Law wasn't in his apartment, he was going to be at the cafe down the block.

Ms. Nico Robin, too, was also fully aware of this fact, having come to check in on your business after the end of the week. You joked that Law was single-handedly keeping your business open, before clarifying that you were joking and that business was stellar.

Law had only grumbled at this, suddenly very glued to his textbook and the task of memorizing the brain. You always had a new pastry or drink to give him, and he was always willing to try whatever you had to offer. For someone who was evidently fearful of quiche, he didn't seem to mind eating all your different variations at all.

Sometimes you'd see Law in the afternoon too, at the start of your shift, being dragged to your cafe with his two friends you were already familiar with, and another who he later introduced as his roommate. They'd tease him the whole time they were there, throwing out comments like "Isn't the owner looking cute today?" and, "Aw, look, his face is all red! Law and the owner, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Grown ass men, by the way.

Of course, this would always result in Law leaving abruptly and texting you an apology, to which you would always say you didn't mind and you actually found it rather cute. He always left you on read, but that was mostly because he hadn't a clue how to respond and was honestly embarrassed that you thought someone like him was cute.

Tattooed, dreary, tired Law. Cute?!

When he came alone, he'd always sit in the same seat he'd sat in the first day he came in. Right in the corner of the shop, a small plush seat for one.

Whenever he came in with his friends, he'd be dragged to the closest 4-seater to you - a table nobody else would willingly take because everyone was bustling around the area.

They'd sit there nonetheless, Law tucked into the seat with the least people shoving by him as he glared at Shachi and Penguin, who would wave at you flirtatiously as Bepo stole off his plate.

"I wanted that." He'd say.

"The quiche?!" Bepo gawked at him. Law, quiche?! "I'm sorry."

It became even more normal for him to text you late at night after he came in one particular night and it wasn't you working. Don't get him wrong - the barista named Sanji was perfectly kind and hospitable, but they just weren't you. Plus, he was strangely much kinder to the girl who came in after Law than he was to Law himself.

L: How come you're not in tonight?

Y: I should've known you were going to text me! I had to call out, my cat was still lying on my chest when I wanted to leave.

Law blinked at his screen. Maybe this was the pros of owning your own business, having the ability to call out to love your cat.

L: Can I see?

Y: I just said he was lying on my chest! What're you getting at?

L: Man let me see the cat

He huffed, ears red as he stared at the phone, huddled in the corner of the cafe as Sanji continued to feed free samples to the girl trying to place an order.

Y: [video]

A video of you, taken from around your stomach, with your cat nuzzled into your neck as the rest of him laid on your chest. You were smiling, sticking your tongue out before kissing your cat on the head multiple times, saying "Pretty boy!" over and over.

Law wished he'd been born a cat.

From then on, he'd texted you pretty much every night, checking that you were going to be the one working. Luckily, your cat had only decided to pull that stunt the one time, and Law never had to watch Sanji flirt again.

You never pointed out how casually the two of you would interact from then on, little texts of "craving one of your scones," or "that latte saved my life today, wouldn't have been able to stay awake."

You snagged small, intimate moments with Law here and there, whenever you could, and he gave them to you, as if it was normal to exchange little bits of unseen affection with someone you'd met a week or so ago.

Not that either of you minded.

He'd taste test for free, get free snacks from you late at night if nobody else was in the store, help you behind the counter if you were particularly tired.

You started asking how his exams were going, wondering where he was looking to go for residency, asking about his friends. He found himself sharing every part of his life with you, even the little things. With time, he learned more about your life, your childhood, the friends who dropped in to see you in the cafe.

Months and months passed, and relentless teasing from his friends began to stack. Shachi would poke fun at him, Penguin playfully badgering you for your number as you kept shaking your head, smiling, pointing at the flyer with the cafe's Instagram on it. Bepo would always ask if he'd asked you out yet, to do anything at all, go anywhere.

Law knew he should - but he just didn't know how.

"She likes to read." Nico Robin prompted as you handled other customers, sitting at a table in front of Law with a stack of books herself. "I believe going to a bookshop would be quite a safe option."

"I didn't ask for advice, Miss." Law grumbled halfheartedly. He couldn't ever bring himself to be angry with the other cafe owner, who had treated him so kindly the many years he went to her cafe.

"I know." She hummed, flipping a page and glancing at him. "It seems like you needed it, though. You haven't been to my cafe in months - figures you would be here."

"Sorry for swapping." Law shrugged, glaring at his iPad, internal organs staring back at him. "She's just-"

"Open all day and night." Robin smiled. "No worries. I was just teasing you. Though, if it's been months, one would think you two would've gotten somewhere by now."

Law flushed a gentle shade of pink, tattooed hand running through his hair. He twirled the stylus in his fingers, chewing on his lower lip.

"She doesn't need big actions." Robin said, eyes skimming the page - The Killer Angels, she was reading. "Maybe a craft day - bookmarks?"

Law wished he could say he already had an idea what to do with you - but in truth, he had too many ideas. He didn't know where to start, how to pick just one gesture to win you over. Too many ideas of how to spend time with you, see you, touch you, hold you.

It took a few more days before he decided to just take Nico Robin's advice.

"I remember you mentioning you wanted a new book a while back." Law prompted. It was a Friday - a long day for Law, as he had an eight a.m. class immediately followed by hours of shadowing at the hospital, then working as an EMT until seven p.m. when he finally got time for himself. It was midnight now, and yet he still continued to visit your cafe without flaw. "Would you want to go get it tomorrow? There's a nice bookstore that's also a jazz bar a few blocks from here."

You pulled a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven, sliding one off the hot baking sheet and onto a plate, handing it to Law with a grin. "Are you asking me on a date, Law?"

He flushed again, the only indication of his nervousness. "Yeah. If you'd want to go, I mean." He took the plate from your hands, grazing yours just as they did every day.

"I've wanted to for months." You smiled, leaning over the counter to peck him on the cheek. You smelled like chocolate chip cookies and espresso, hair a little damp from a day's work. "So of course, yes. I'd love to go on a date with you, Law."

When Law went home that night, he found himself unable to sleep. It's not like this was irregular - his sleep schedule was constantly unstable, and he was bordering on becoming nocturnal soon.

But this was different. He couldn't sleep because his heart wouldn't stop pounding in his chest, and he tossed and turned thinking about you. Intertwining your fingers tomorrow, brushing hair out of your face.

He forced himself to take some melatonin, lest he show up to your date groggy and half-alive in the afternoon.

As he started to sleep, he could only hope he'd dream about you.

Reluctantly wearing an outfit Shachi and Penguin had picked out - baggy jeans, a purple sweater that screamed "Casual, but not nonchalant" in Penguin's words, Law tapped his foot nervously as he waited outside the bookstore.

The bustle of the street was drowned out by the thumping of his own heart, and he continued to gnaw on his lip as he waited for you to show up outside the bookstore.

"Hi, Law." You greeted from behind him. He jumped, not expecting you to approach from that direction, and you laughed, looping an arm around his. "You look nice."

He cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Thanks. So do you. I like what you did with your hair."

You squeezed his arm, and he nearly jumped again. "Wow! This sweater is very soft, Law! Where'd you get it?"

He squinted at the sign of the bookstore, trying to ignore how you were basically just squeezing on his bicep. "I knitted it."

Your jaw dropped. "No way! I didn't know you knew how to knit!" You continued running your fingers over the fabric, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the handiwork. "This is really good, Law. Wow."

"Not a big deal." He managed to squeak out, finger shakily pointing at the bookstore. "Do you want to go inside?"

You removed your arm from his, laughing a bit at how he seemed to curl into himself at the loss. You intertwined your fingers with his, watching as he visibly brightened a bit, letting you tug him towards the door.

The bookstore was warmly lit and dark, the owner greeting you kindly from behind the desk. You immediately wandered to the back, Law following you as you set out in search of your favorite genre.

"What're you looking for again?" Law asked, hand warm against yours and not letting up anytime soon.

You peered at him from the corner of your eye, rubbing your thumb against the back of his hand. "I'm seeing what might catch my eye. I've been meaning to buy a book called Pachinko for a while though - it should be in the historical fiction section."

Law hummed, eyes skimming the bookshelves to help you look. "That one? With the light blue spine?" He pointed at the top of the historical fiction shelf, a gently worn book spine glinting back at you.

"Yeah, I think so." You said, squinting at the book. You walked up to the bookcase, up on your tippy toes to try to reach for it. You grunted a bit, arm fully extended as you fumbled for the book.

Warmth enveloped your back as Law pressed against you, a soft "Excuse me" coming from his mouth. He gently pushed your hand downwards, grabbing the book for you with ease and handing it to you. "Is it the right book?"

"Yeah!" You said, reading the author's name. "Thanks, Law. How tall are you? That book was super high up."

Law cleared his throat, thankful for the store being dark enough that you probably couldn't see his face turning red again. Down bad, Shachi had called him. "I'm six foot three."

You whistled, intertwining your fingers again. "Built like a tree."

"This tree helped you reach a book, you know." Law teased, finger playfully pushing against your forehead. "Could be a good thing."

"Didn't say it was a bad thing." You shrugged, tugging him towards the cashier. "You're just my type."

Law's hand tightened around yours, and you laughed a little. You greeted the cashier, reaching for your wallet when she said it was only ten dollars since it was an already used book.

Law beat you to it, tapping his phone against the card reader. The owner smiled at the two of you, wrapping your book for you and handing it back, both of you waving goodbye as you left the store.

"I could've paid for myself, you know." You frowned, bumping shoulders with Law. "Shouldn't you focus on paying for school?"

"I spend at least ten dollars at your cafe every single day." Law replied, shrugging and reaching his free hand out to carry your book for you. "Spending another ten because I want to do something nice for you isn't a big deal."

A small smile graced your face, leaning your head against Law's shoulder. "Okay. If you're sure, then."

"Couldn't be more sure." Law replied, leaning his chin on your head. The two of you stood there, outside the used bookstore, holding each other and watching the city bustle around you. Law smelled like coffee and pine, warm and comforting.

"I'd like to see you again." He prompted, arms tightening a bit around you, burying his face in your hair. He did his best to ignore how your face was very clearly purposefully pressed into his built chest.

"Law, you have a sleeper build!" You laughed, voice muffled from where you were. His heart raced faster, and he was sure you could hear it, because your shoulders still shook with laughter, even as you looked up at him, forcing him to stop leaning on you. "Yes, of course I'd like to see you more too, I had a really good time. Even though I'm sure I'll see you later tonight when I work anyways."

"You will." Law promised, brushing your hair out of your face. He knew you didn't like it when it brushed against your nose, even accidentally. "And I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today."

"Won't you ask me to be your girlfriend?" You teased, pinching his waist and watching him flush.

"I thought it might be too fast." He replied, hands tightening around your arms. "I didn't know if you liked me enough."

"If I didn't like you," You said, hugging him close, "I wouldn't have given you my number the first night we met. You took a while to work up to it, Law."

"Well." Law huffed, looking away. "I thought maybe it was another clever marketing strategy from you."

"Could be a smart move." You hummed, starting to walk away from the bookstore. "Maybe I should start giving my number to every guy that comes in."

"No, maybe not." Law grumbled, grabbing your wrist and looking at you. He ruffled his hair, golden eyes swimming with apprehension, though it was clear he was mulling things over. "I really like you. I enjoy spending time with you, and I want to have you in my life every day."

He paused, eyes skimming over your face, reading your every expression. Your cheeks were flushed with the spring breeze, smiling at him as you watched him talk. "Please do me the pleasure of letting me be your boyfriend."

Your smile grew ever wider, pulling him in tightly for a bear hug. He choked a bit, surprised at the gesture and your strength. He wheezed, gently and awkwardly patting you on the back. "Can't breathe. Can't."

You released him, gesturing for him to lean down. He blinked, but listened to you anyways, leaning towards you. Your arms wrapped around his neck, lips meeting his, smiling as you kissed him.

Law froze for a second, mind blanking, before cupping your face with his free hand and kissing you back. His ears felt hot as he kissed you with desperate fervor, before pulling back, face red as a tomato.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Law." You said happily, stealing your book from his hands and checking your phone. "I have to clock in soon, but I'll see you tonight?"

"Uh, yes." Law replied after a beat, blinking at you, still breathing heavily. "Yes. I'll be there."

| WARDING AWAY EVIL | MONKEY D. LUFFY

summary: when your adopted brother, black leg sanji, decided to leave baratie for the straw hat pirates, you followed because he made you. the only downside is, the strawhats only need one cook - so when you're not fighting, sanji thinks its funny to leave you in charge of fridge duty. pairing: strawhat! reader / luffy wc: 1.2k tags: f! reader, fluff, luffy is frickin fat, luffy sleepwalks to the fridge, luffy wants the food, sanji genuinely puts you to work

When Sanji decided to leave Baratie for the Going Merry, and then the Thousand Sunny later, you warned him that you shouldn't go with him. The Strawhats already had plenty of competent fighters - Sanji and Zoro at the time, but even Nami, now equipped with the Clima Takt, Usopp, Robin, Franky, Chopper, Brook - a whole crew of strong people. They didn't need a second kicker on the team.

Sanji couldn't give less of a damn. As his younger sister since he was taken in by Zeff, you were going where he went, whether you liked it or not. You would never admit to him that you were relieved he'd dragged you with him, but home was on the Thousand Sunny now.

Except you did have one qualm. The only thing you did on the team was fight - this was not the issue. The issue was that Sanji claimed you weren't doing enough, despite Nami and Robin's objections that you did plenty.

His solution was to put you on fridge duty. You wanted to read a book with Robin? Well, you can read it while you sit by the fridge. You wanted to draw the sea? You can draw it, by the fridge. You wanted to watch Zoro train? No, you're going to be by the fridge.

The reason for this was that you had a particularly greedy captain who would inhale food the moment he saw it. You would never forget the moment you visited Luffy in the infirmary after Alabasta and watched him inhale an entire cart of fruit in one bite and claim he was still hungry. You understood your brothers' qualms, and you wanted to appear useful, so you reluctantly agreed.

Not that you were really good at being in charge of the fridge. The issue - one that Sanji was entirely aware of - was that you had a huge, huge soft spot for Luffy. He'd wander into the kitchen, whining about being hungry right before Sanji was going to serve a meal, and promptly be kicked out by Sanji.

Despite that, you'd always sneak away from the fridge with a snack, and promptly bring it to Luffy, making sure to tide him over (for literally five minutes) until the meal was served. He'd grin in the same way he always did, laugh and ruffle your hair, and stuff his face right in front of you.

"Thank you, thank you! Wow, you're always so nice to me, mini-Sanji! Wow, this is so good. Your brother's a really good cook. Gee, thanks for bringing me this!" He'd always laugh at you, smile as bright as the sun, before complaining just seconds later that he was still hungry. You'd sneak off to bring him more food, but then he'd stop you. "No, wait, it's fine! I'll do my best to wait until Sanji calls us. Just sit by us, let's watch the ocean!"

You spent more time next to Luffy than anyone around, and that's why Sanji should've known better than to put you in charge of watching the fridge. Even though he knew you were absolutely not cut out for it, he kept telling you to do it for one sole reason.

He swore to god that the two of you were daft idiots in love with each other. Maybe he was crazy, but when Nami and Robin made the same observation, he knew there had to be some weight behind the thought.

There were many incidents where Sanji would wake up early to prepare breakfast, only to find the two of you tightly interlinked in front of the fridge. Both of you were always snoring soundly, not a care in the world, as Luffy sprawled his body over you and drooled on your shoulder. Your hand would rest on his back as if he was your blanket, holding him until your brother finally poked you awake and forced you to get up and haul Luffy back to his quarters. Sanji would check the fridge for ingredients - but of course, it was empty, and he could only blame himself.

Your captain would wake up a few hours later, and immediately go to stare at you in front of the fridge. "Hey. Why'd you move me?!" He'd ask, pointing at you.

You shook your head, pointing at your brother by the counter. "Blame him! He woke me up and made me lug you back."

"Sanji, food! I'm hungry!" Luffy would complain, and you'd sigh. He'd entirely forgotten what he was complaining about to begin with.

At a certain point, even Zoro of all people started noticing how close you were to the captain. He'd only sit next to you during mealtimes, and if Nami was already by you he'd wiggle in between your two bodies like that was something entirely normal to do, and steal off your plate.

Sanji knew everything was over the night that you were all eating dinner and you said you were still hungry. Instead of getting up and getting you another plate like usual, Luffy slid you a quarter of his plate.

The table fell silent, staring at the two of you.

"Hey, are you serious?" Zoro broke the silence, pointing at your plate. "His food. He gave you his food. Our captain gave you HIS food."

Nami dropped her fork, staring at the two of you, stammering out incomprehensible words.

"What?" Luffy shrugged, shoveling food into his mouth. "I can always steal from Zoro's plate."

"You can not!" The swordsman shouted, shoving his food in his mouth. "Get seconds from the love cook!"

"Well, yeah, I can do that too." Luffy smiled, slinging an arm over you. "She's my girlfriend! So it's normal for me to give her some food."

"Huh???" Sanji yelled, whipping around from the counter. "What the actual hell are you talking about?"

"Ace said that people become boyfriend girlfriend when they drool on each other." Luffy blinked. "I've been drooling on your sister since you started putting her on fridge duty."

"Luffy, literally none of what you just said is true." You butted in, eating the food he put on your plate. "That's not how people start dating. And you drool on me because you sleep like a pig, not because you like me!"

"Yes, I do." He refuted, swiping Usopp's food and ignoring his complaints. "I sleep on top of you and I drool on you because it's romantic."

"What kind of romanticism is that?!" Nami yelled, breaking her plate over Luffy's head.

"So you don't want to go out with me?" Luffy frowned at you, nursing the bump on his head.

Your ears flushed pink, and you averted his gaze. "Well, I didn't say that, I'm just saying the drooling thing isn't how it works."

Luffy stole Sanji's plate of food, ignoring the foot coming flying at his head, and stacked it on top of yours. "Here. More food. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

You gaped at him, baffled, but accepting the plate anyways and picking your fork back up. "...Yes. I would."

"This is a very in-character way to ask for our captain." Robin nodded, politely dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

"You guys are disgusting." Zoro frowned, Sanji nodding in the back. "You're both just going to steal our food now."

"That's your issue with this?" Usopp sighed. "I can't believe I'm still single when that's how Luffy asks people to go out with him."

| ROOM FOR ONE IN THIS TOWN | BAKUGO KATSUKI

summary: twenty-seven year old bakugo katsuki spends his days on his farm, herding his cattle and staying away from the general populace. when he runs low on money, he occasionally goes into town, taking on difficult jobs that nobody else wants to accept. when he catches wind of a gunslinger that's giving the town a particularly hard time, he reluctantly takes on the job. pairing: cowboy! bakugo / gunslinger! reader wc: 7.9k tags: f! reader, western! au, late 1800s, no use of y/n, gore, medical inaccuracies, violence, fluff and a LITTLE bit of angst, i most indefinitely got inspired because i was playing rdr2, enemies to lovers (?), tension, i didn't study much abt how to handle cows im sorry it just wasnt that interesting i did my best

Bakugo Katsuki's days rarely changed. He woke up at 4:30 in the morning, made himself coffee, and put on his cowboy boots, stumbling out before daylight broke. He greeted his cattle, giving specific attention to his favorite cow, Lucy, who was the most well behaved and never gave him trouble when it came time for milking.

Then he moved on to his unsettled heifers, dodging their angry hooves as he checked on their condition, before shooting a glance to the two bulls he owned, flipping them both off. He restocked the hay in all the pens, before finally dropping by the calves and huffing out laughter as they meandered about. Then he let all the cattle out into the pasture to do as they pleased.

He'd make his way into his stables, greeting his horse who he refused to give a name, lest they ever need to part. She'd shove her nose into his outstretched palm, before poking around in his coat pockets for an apple she inevitably knew was there. He'd scold her for being hasty, but would hand it to her anyway, brushing her coat and on a good day, braiding her hair.

Around midday, he'd venture back inside the ranch house to make himself lunch with whatever he had in the pantry. At night, he'd usher the cows back indoors if it was too cold, shouting at the bulls and heifers who always gave him a hard time, gently patting Lucy on the back as he closed the gate behind her.

But there were days when he wasn't so lucky. Some days, the cows and heifers were especially uncooperative. Sometimes, calves got trampled. Other times, mad cow disease ran rampant. All of these scenarios left him low on money. At times like this, he'd reluctantly head into the nearby town and stop by the saloon, asking around for any jobs that others turned down - knowing full well that the pay for them had likely hiked upwards.

Unfortunately, this particular Thursday held a slew of difficulties for him - and by the end of the day, he was positively exhausted. He threw his pantry open, only to realize it was barren, and he slammed the door shut with a string of expletives. On top of having a hard day, now he had to go into town at night because he hadn't stopped to check the pantry for lunch.

Everyone would be drinking at the saloon, and everyone would bother him. He put his boots back on, throwing his door open and groaning at the moth that flew into his house before he managed to close the door behind him. He headed off to the stable, muttering about how his life was full of bothers and hassles, before saddling up his horse and slinging his leg over her back, jogging her down to the town.

Approaching the saloon, he could already tell he was in for a rough night. It was past the time he wanted to sleep, he could feel the exhaustion running through his body, and yet the saloon was as loud as ever, raucous cheering and shouting sounding from the rickety building as he hitched his horse outside.

She snorted, as if to tell him not to be long. He could only glance at her sympathetically. "I'll bring ya back an apple, girl." A huff was all he got. He swung open the door of the saloon, grimacing as someone immediately slapped him on the back.

"Bakugo!" A cheery, slurred voice greeted him. "Good to see ya, pal! What's it been, a month? How're the heifers treatin' ya?"

"Shit-for-brains." He acknowledged, slinging the man's hand off him. "They're fine. You're as rowdy as ever. Mind if I push past ya?"

"Don't be like that," the gleeful man said, bumping his hip, "Have a drink with us! The crew is here, see. We miss yer company!"

"I need a job, Kaminari." He cut the man short, frowning. "Not tryna stick around. This is an in and out situation."

Kaminari threw his hands up, resigned, before handing him the pint of beer in his hand. "Fine. Have it your way. Take this, though - on me. Catch up with us sometime, cowboy."

Bakugo accepted the beer - reluctantly - and tipped his hat Kaminari's way, before heading for the bar counter. From his periphery, he saw the man with flaming red hair wave at him, and he tipped his head.

"Good to see ya." The bartender smiled at Bakugo, setting down a freshly wiped glass. "Lookin' for a job again?"

"Soy sauce face." Bakugo nodded. "Got anythin' for me?"

Sero sighed, pouring him a glass of ice water. "Unfortunately, things have been a lil' quiet recently. Only jobs I got for ya are bounties."

Bakugo frowned. He didn't exactly mind bounties, but they were always a hassle. People had bounties for a reason - nobody that had a price on their head was going to come quietly.

"To be specific, I only have one bounty. I'm afraid yer friend came in a few days ago and swiped all the others." Sero chuckled, slipping a wanted poster across the bar. "Nobody will make a fuss if you don't take it. Matter o'fact, she's become so much of a problem that the government's been debatin' sendin' officers over."

"Just to deal with one gunslinger?" Bakugo mused, picking up the paper. "One with a pretty face, no less."

"Don't let that look fool ya." Sero grinned. "She's a killer, they say. Infiltrated a train, stopped it, then robbed all the cars clean before restarting the engine at full speed, ramming it into another train at the next fork just last month."

Bakugo whistled. "What a nasty woman." He sipped his water, glancing at Sero. "She's really the only one you got?"

Sero shrugged. "You can blame yer friend Midoriya for that one, comin' in and takin' all the other jobs. Looks like he beat ya to it."

Bakugo's frowned turned even deeper, and he took his hat off his head and set it on the counter. "This one's gonna be trouble, I can feel it."

"Oh?" A friendly voice chimed in, slinging an arm over Bakugo's shoulder. The blonde clicked his tongue, gaze sliding to the man who was now next to him. "Never knew you as one to shy away from a challenge, mister."

"Shitty Hair." Bakugo grimaced, shimmying away from Kirishima's arm like he had Kaminari's. "There's a difference between shyin' away and not wantin' the trouble. Deku not takin' it means its damn bad news."

"I actually have a word for you from Mr. Midoriya himself." Kirishima grinned, sitting down on the stool next to Bakugo. "He said if you came in here askin' for a job, I should warn you that it's more trouble than you could possibly fathom. That woman is a damn nuisance."

"I can tell." Bakugo sighed, eyeing Kirishima's pint of liquor. "But they're paying me for the trouble I'd go through. A damn large amount, too."

"A whopping $200..." Sero muttered, polishing another glass. "Haven't seen a bounty like that in years - there's been nothin' above one-twenty since ol' Nagant."

The bar silenced at the mere mention of the infamous Lady Nagant's name - a gunslinger with a special rifle from a decade ago who'd been brought down by a group of bounty hunters, who'd chased her for years on end. She'd robbed multiple banks, killed a number of government officials, and caused so much trouble that her bounty had racked up to a whopping, unheard of four hundred dollars.

"Beauties like that are never worth the trouble." Kaminari simpered from the table, receiving a whack on the head from his friend, Mina.

"It's precisely because they're beauties that they are." The saloon singer on break, Jirou, replied, slinging an arm around Mina, who nodded in agreeance. "Nobody would want to chase around an ugly gunslinger that's hard to catch, would they? At least get some reward for your hassle if ya might die."

"That's definitely one way to think about it..." Kirishima laughed nervously.

"I'll take it." Bakugo grumbled, crumpling up the wanted poster and shoving it in his coat pocket.

"Hey, now..." Kirishima warned, "We've all gone through the trouble of tryna tell ya that might not be the greatest idea.."

"Don't matter." Bakugo replied, before chugging the remainders of the beer pint Kaminari had given him and slamming it onto the bar counter, wiping his mouth. "At the rate the cows are behavin', I'm gonna be outta money till the calves grow up.

"Best of luck." Jirou hummed, glancing at Bakugo from her seat. "All I'm sayin' is, I'm not sure if you'll be able to take her in at all."

"If I die," Bakugo mumbled blearily, "At least the damn heifers won't be my fuckin' problem anymore."

It was two nights later, a blisteringly cold winter night, when Bakugo finally set out to look for the infamous gunslinger. He dreaded leaving the house - he had a warm fire going and shockingly enough, the cows were rather nice to him today.

Now he was off with his horse to risk his life. He flipped the wanted poster around, looking at the details of where the woman was last seen. Kuma Ridge. During the summer, it was a common area for hiking. However, during the winter season, it was famed for having unbelievably unstable conditions, with avalanches and rockslides being common enough to send even the most experienced hikers to their death.

Not even the most seasoned hikers or riders dared to step foot more than a mile deep into Kuma during winter, knowing full well that skill didn't matter here - it was luck that took the cake.

"Guess the lass must feel lucky." Bakugo murmured to his horse, who snorted in return, clearly antsy around the mountains they were approaching. "You'll be okay, girl. Just get us in, alright?"

The path into Kuma was narrow and tight, Bakugo's horse huffing heavily as her hooves slid against the icy path with zero wiggle room. Bakugo kept a firm grip on the reins and a soothing hand on her neck, doing his best to keep her calm. The deeper into the mountain range they got, the more unsettled both rider and horse felt, despite how the path began opening up.

It was dark, and the night wind seemed to whisper words of caution, warning the cowboy to turn back. He pulled his winter coat firmer around him, legs tense around the horse. Around the mountain bend, he noticed a warm light.

"Stop." He whispered to his horse, who slowed her gait to a halt. "Stay here." He slid off the saddle, giving her a firm pat on the neck, before grabbing his colt from the bag tied to the saddle and quietly walking off towards the fire.

He tried to ignore how the snow around his boots began seeping into his toes, how the wind bit at his face, and how much he wished to simply be home. If only money fell into his hands.

The closer he inched to the corner, the more he could hear - a woman's voice, humming a tune he'd never heard before as a horse's breathing accompanied her rhythmically in the background. Hands firmly grasped around his colt, finger on the trigger, he swung out from the corner.

Only to be met with the barrel of a gun to his head. His jaw tightened.

"Well, well." You cooed. "Look what we have here, Silvers." Your horse looked up from its resting spot, unamused, before tucking its head back on its hooves. "Ain't you a looker?"

Bakugo clicked his tongue, finger tightening around the trigger.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that, cowboy." You said, nudging the metal closer on his forehead and tapping the chamber with your other hand. "I'm warnin' ya, I've got six bullets in this chamber. It's not loaded for safety, see."

"Don't be rash, now." He sighed, peering up at you. "Let's talk this out, girlie."

"What've we got to talk about?" You queried, glancing at your nails. "Yer here for my bounty, ain't ya?"

"I beg your finest pardon, ma'am." Bakugo gritted his teeth, running opportunities through his mind. He could quickly reach his arm up and fire, but there was no guarantee he could do that before you simply pulled your trigger. As it was, he was almost certain he was going to lose his life. "But I plead for yer forgiveness. Ya see, you were the only bounty left in the saloon. I promise, ma'am, I just wanted a normal job, but there were just none left. I'm in need of money."

"Spare me the sob story." You snorted, slamming him on the head with the handle of your gun. He fell to the floor, hand against the area of impact, groaning in pain, gun spinning on the icy floor a few feet away. "I can sympathize with ya, truly, but nothin' matters to me more than my own life. Plus, I've heard of ya - yer Bakugo Katsuki, ain't ya?"

He paused, looking at you again as he soaked in his current situation. You'd heard of him? What the hell?

"Oh, yes, I've heard of you. You took down lil' Miss Toga a few months back, dragged her in for all seventy-five dollars she was worth. She was a close friend of mine, ya know. Now she's rottin' in jail." You sighed, looking longingly into the distance.

Toga... Yes, he remembered that name. Two strange buns on the side of her head, and a strange lunatic who enjoyed going into town and drawing blood from sleeping individuals.

"Strange girl." He replied.

"She was nice, if ya got to know her."

"I'm sure." He said drily, using his palms to sit himself back up. "Listen, ma'am - I won't bother ya again. It was a mistake to c'mere. What say you to jus' lettin' me be on my way, and we'll never hafta see each other again?"

"Well, that would be a shame, wouldn't it, Silvers?" You hummed to your horse, who ignored you. "Haven't seen a looker like you in many a month - that'd be damn disappointin', to never get to see ya again."

What were you, some kind of pervert? Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance, eyeing his colt on the ground. Getting a closer look at your gun now, still a mere inch from his face. It wasn't any model that he recognized.

"What, this?" You waved the gun in his face. "It's my own. Modified, y'see." Six rounds as usual, but a quicker firin' rate. So don't go tryin' to dodge anythin' now, it'll only make it harder on ya."

"So, what?" He huffed. "We're in some sorta standstill now. I can't take ya in, but you're not lettin' me go anywhere, 'n yer not shooting me either."

You stared at him, finger tapping against the trigger. "I'm not one to kill needlessly. The bounty on my head's high enough - it's flatterin', sure, but it's a damn hassle too. Any higher and the government's comin' after me."

Voices sounded from around the hillside, as quick, rapid steps were muffled by the snow and light drew closer. The two of you paused.

"She should be just around here!" A voice shouted.

You paused, before moving your target from Bakugo back to the mountain bend behind him. Taking the chance, Bakugo grabbed his colt, aiming it at you.

"Not a good idea, cowboy." You said, barely noticing him. "If I were you, I'd run. Now. The person that's about to come around that corner is the biggest pain in the ass, and he couldn't care less whether we're a criminal and a bounty hunter or two peas in a pod."

"Hah?" Bakugo snarled, cocking the gun to point straight at your forehead. "I'm clearly hear to gather the money on yer head. I'm no outlaw."

"It don't matter to him." You hissed, watching as the light was about to round the corner. "Just you wait, you'll regret stayin' around."

"Halt." A fiery redheaded man shouted, an altered colt named Peacemaker firm in his hands. "Yer under arrest, gunslinger."

"The government?" Bakugo queried. Clearly, the bartender's information was a bit out of date. "That's Todoroki Enji!"

You grunted, aggravated. Sure, your bounty had gotten high, but you didn't think it'd gotten so out of hand they'd send the government after you, just like old Nagant. "I told ya, you should've left."

"I'm takin' you and yer crony in." The agent stated, before rapidly firing a bullet at your foot. You moved just in the nick of time, your horse already on its feet and making an escape into the mountain range, expecting you to catch up. You glanced at Bakugo, who was clearly freezing and unaccustomed to the mountain range.

You clicked your tongue, but grabbed hold of his arm anyway, ignoring his shouts of complaint as you hauled him to his feet and dragged him after you.

"Hey! Where're you takin' me?!" He yelled, feet scrambling to keep up with you as you grabbed hold of your horse's saddle, struggling to keep up with her trot as you threw your bag over her, before jumping ferociously and leaving Bakugo behind.

You held out your hand as you rode further into the night, signaling to him as he continued to run, the government agent firing bullets after the two of you. "This is not a time to talk, Bakugo! I'm doin' you a damn huge favor, grab my fuckin' hand and let's leave!"

Bakugo groaned. His horse was still at the foot of the mountain range, waiting for him. A bullet skimmed right by his face, and he grimaced as it drew blood against his cheek. It was clear the agents weren't understanding the difference between you and him, just as you'd said.

You grunted as he caught your hand once more, and you pulled with all your might, lifting him off the ground with an arm to help him get on your rapidly moving horse. Your horse grunted, annoyed, as his weight threw her off balance, but held firm nonetheless, dashing into the night.

Bakugo peered back at the agents, some still chasing on foot and others running further away, likely to recover their horses and chase after the two of you.

"Where're we goin'?" Bakugo asked, pressing a thumb to his grazed cheek and wincing as his thumb came away with blood.

"There's a small outlet we can escape from." You said, hands firm around Silver's reins. "Most people think Kuma's a mountain range with only one entry and exit point, but there's just one more spot ya can leave from if you've got a particularly resilient horse."

Silvers snorted, annoyed. She'd traveled this path before, she knew where you were taking her - and she wasn't happy about it.

"Are they still on us?" You asked, peering over your shoulder to look at Bakugo, whose eyes were trained on you. He looked back to check for you, before facing you once more and shaking his head. "Good."

Your horse weaved in and out of the trees, careful and agile as she pranced left and right. As she approached a steep hill, you soothed her, saying "Good girl," and "Just like that sweetheart," as your fingers tangled gently in her mane, before she can to a halt by the steepest section of the mountain, letting you hop off.

You offered a hand to Bakugo, who merely waved you off, slinging his own leg over your horse and nodding in appreciation to Silvers, who ignored him. You undid the knots on your saddle, before tossing it up the hill, where it landed on top with a rattle.

"What now?" Bakugo huffed, staring upwards. "Ain't no way we're makin' it up there."

"Not you, maybe." You snarked. "Me and Silvers have experience in this kinda thing." You grabbed the rope from your pocket, before offering it to Silvers, who opened her maw and grabbed it in between her teeth. "You can do it, can't you Silvers?"

She practically rolled her eyes at you, clearly annoyed that you were making her do so much work when she had been relaxing by a campfire just moments ago. Nonetheless, she slowly and carefully walked up the steep hill, hooves intermittently slipping on the icy gravel.

Bakugo watched in disbelief as your horse walked up the barely fathomable mountain with rope in mouth, at times only having the edge of her hoof on any platform. With bated breath, he watched as your horse - Silvers - finally made the final, careful jump upwards to the top of the hill, before throwing the rope onto the ground and sitting on it, glaring down at you.

"Yeah, I'm comin', girlie. Don't you worry." You smiled, tugging the rope to ensure it was stable. Then, you started climbing, legs horizontal to the mountain side as your hands overlapped each other, pulling upwards. Eventually, you reached the top, huffing heavily and looking over the side. "Ya comin', cowboy?"

Bakugo groaned, hand over his face as he continued to think over his options. Nonetheless, he grabbed the fraying rope, climbing upwards, bones tired as could be. Right before he reached stable ground, the rope snapped, lines falling apart as he fell back.

Bracing for the worst, he loosened his body, ready to hit the hard winter ground feet below. A warm, gloved hand clasped his forearm and his shoulder rattled against the socket, making him groan as he opened his eyes.

Hair blowing violently in the winter wind, warm breath in the cold air, you pulled on his arm with all your might just as you'd already done once before that night, hauling him upwards just enough for him to push himself up on the ledge.

The two of you sat on the edge of the mountain for a bit, heaving heavily. Your eyes raked over the forest of the mountain you'd just escaped from, eyes flicking about frantically to see whether you could spot Enji once more.

You couldn't - and that wasn't a good sign.

"Let's go." You said, groaning as you stood up and headed towards Silvers. "We can't stick around here any longer."

"Go where?" Bakugo grumbled, getting to his feet to follow you, back cracking as he went. "My horse is still at the foot of the mountain."

"We'll come get her another day." You promised, re-saddling Silvers and hopping on. "Go where? Obviously we're going back to yer place."

"My place?" Bakugo snapped incredulously. "You must be out yer fuckin' mind if you think I'm harborin' an outlaw in my home."

"Hey, mister cowboy." You said, obviously annoyed. Silvers began trotting off at a slow pace, clearly willing to leave the man behind. "With all due respect, I saved yer life tonight - multiple times. You'd be dead in Kuma if not fer me. I think the least y'could do is let lil' ol' me stay in yer domicile for a few days."

"Multiple?!" Bakugo said in disbelief. "Multiple days? You've gotta be fuckin' jokin' me." Nevertheless, he ran after you and Silvers, grabbing your hand once more to hop onto the horse who couldn't be bothered to stop for him.

The ride through the forest was mostly silent, with Bakugo assuring you you were still heading in the right direction. He couldn't help but wonder how it'd gotten to this point - your wanted poster was still crumpled in his pocket, his gun still in its holster, and yet here he was sitting behind you on your horse, headed back to his home.

He peered up at the moon, partially obscured by clouds, and sighed, leaning his head back and letting himself be jostled around by Silvers. If nothing else, he had to admit you were a damn good rider. He'd never seen a connection between horse and owner like you and Silvers.

"Don't sit like that." You scolded. "You're throwing Silvers off balance, y'hear?" Bakugo clicked his tongue, but sat upright anyways, patting a 'sorry' on Silvers' behind, who couldn't give less of a rat's ass.

The forest was quiet - until it wasn't. A gunshot went off, just to the right of the three of you, skimming your neck. You shouted in alarm, and Silvers sped up, clearly startled.

"Fuck! What the hell?!" Bakugo screamed, hand on his gun.

"Don't bother." You hissed, hairs raised. "We need to leave. It's Enji again, for sure. We need to disappear." Your eyes skimmed the dark forest, and you jolted in alarm as you saw the shining barrel of Peacemaker against the trees. Grabbing Bakugo by the collar, you forced him to lean backwards, a bullet zipping right in front of his face and straight into your forearm instead.

Blood splattered into the air, just a bit onto Bakugo's face, and you shouted in pain, but forced yourself not to let go of the cowboy - if you dropped Bakugo now, it was nearly guaranteed that he'd tumble off the horse and be lost into the night. You kept as silent as you could despite the bullet lodged in your arm, legs still tense around Silvers as you silently prayed for her to stay on route and stay firm.

As if hearing your prayer, Silvers continued to dart through the forest, gaining distance between you and the government agents. Bakugo sat back up on his own, a worried glance being shot to your forearm dripping in blood.

"You didn't hafta to do that." He whispered, watching sweat bead on your face.

"Shut up." You murmured back. "Wouldn't be hospitable of me to stay in a dead mans house. Plus, who's to guarantee that I would've even made it to the right house without yer guidance?"

You glanced back at him now, the moonlight illuminating his agitated features. "You'd better take care'a me. Y'hear?"

He huffed, but nodded anyways. "I owe ya."

By the time Silvers made it to the ranch house, you were covered in sweat, clearly in pain as you kept your right arm as still as possible. Bakugo helped you off the horse, huffing a bit as you stumbled but keeping you upright anyways.

Glancing at your horse, he sighed. "Yer a smart girl, ain't ya?" The horse stared at him blankly, cold clouds forming in the air. "The stable's o'er there. Think y'can manage?"

The horse didn't acknowledge him. She simply walked away, towards the area where he'd nodded, and trotted off on her own. Bakugo would've followed her to make sure she got there, but you shivered, one arm draped over him, groaning in pain.

He helped you inside the house, pulling off your jacket and hanging it by the door. Sitting you by the entryway, he walked briskly into the kitchen, lighting a lantern and grabbing the medical kit and walking back. Under the warm light, he inspected your pale face, before bringing the light close to your arm.

"It's lodged in there pretty snug." He observed, gently holding your forearm in his hand. "Need t'clean it." He opened the medical kit, taking a small bottle of phenol and pouring it over your wound. You shouted in pain, tears brimming in your eyes as you writhed on the floor. "I know, gunslinger. You'll feel better after we get it over with."

Sweat dripped down your face, before he grabbed a pair of tweezers and gripped your wrist tightly. "Get it over with." You panted, tense.

"Relax for me." He replied. "It'll hurt. Try not to look."

You shut your eyes, groaning in pain as metal came in contact with your skin. Bakugo pried into the wound - thankfully, the bullet was visible and not too deep, but blood still oozed rapidly out of the wound and you bit on your lower lip to prevent screaming.

"Done." Bakugo said simply, metal clinking into the tin as he dropped the bullet into the tray, grabbing materials to sew the wound shut. "Good job."

You mumbled expletives, warm and ill. He pressed the back of his hand to your forehead, cursing. "Yer burnin' up, shit. Musta caught a fever while you were ridin'." He sewed up your arm quickly and bandaged it, before gently hauling you to your feet.

You did your best to stand, but collapsed entirely like a sack of bricks, crumbling to his floor. Bakugo sighed, ruffling his hair before gently scooping you up, arms under your thighs and back as he carried you to his guest room.

Sitting you upright on the bed, he tugged at your shirt. "You gotta change your clothes, lass." You blinked blearily, before taking your shirt off starting from your good arm. Bakugo looked away out of courtesy, rummaging through the closet for any spare clothes you could wear.

"Help." You called, shirt stuck on your bandaged arm, unable to move it much. Your vision blurred, eyes shimmering with pain whenever you exerted yourself.

He turned, a loose nightshirt in hand. Walking back to you, he averted his eyes best as he could to slip your bloodied shirt off, and putting his loose nightshirt on you. "Lemme know if ya need anythin'."

"Pants." You gestured, weakly raising your legs. "Don't wanna sleep with the pants on."

Bakugo sighed, but undid the buttons on your pants anyways, ignoring how you squirmed as he touched you. His thumb grazed your thigh for a fleeting second, and he paused.

"Hungry." You said, stomach gurgling.

"Jesus." Bakugo huffed, fully sliding your pants off and watching as you shimmied under the covers. "I'll go make you a soup or somethin'. Don't move."

"Meat." You groaned, eyes blinking blearily. "Want meat."

"Okay." Leaving the door open just in case you called for him, he headed to the kitchen, staring at the pantry. He'd filled it just yesterday, since he was too tired to shop or hunt the day he went to ask for a job. He grabbed a few ingredients for a simple hearty stew - enough to nourish you, and not agitate a queasy stomach.

Just as he turned on the stove, a knock sounded at his door. He paused, before grabbing his colt from the kitchen table and walking to the front door.

"Please don't shoot me, Kacchan." A soft voice, muffled, said from the other side of the door. Bakugo sighed, putting the colt away, and opening the door.

"What now, Deku?" The cowboy sighed, leaning against the doorframe as he stared at his green-haired childhood best friend. "It's late as hell, you know? Better have a good reason for this."

"She's here, ain't she?" Midoriya asked, eyes sliding to where he knew Bakugo's guest room was.

"Who?" Bakugo replied, curt.

"Ya know who I'm talkin' bout." Midoriya shot back, lunging towards his friend and rummaging in his pocket. Ignoring Bakugo's shouts of objection, he pulled out your wanted poster, shoving it in the blonde's face. "The gunslinger."

Bakugo snatched the poster back, crumpling it back into his pocket. "What about it?"

"I warned you, Kacchan." Midoriya sighed, rubbing his palm against his forehead. "That one's trouble."

"Ya think I don't know that?" Bakugo yelled, thumping a closed fist against his doorframe. "I don't want to house her - but she saved my life twice tonight."

"What?" Midoriya frowned, tilting his head.

"When I arrived, the government came too. They lumped me in with her, and she risked her behind to get me home safely."

Midoriya's frown deepened, but he nodded in understanding. "I brought your horse back."

"How'd you know where she was?"

"I knew you'd be too stubborn not to go after the gunslinger." Midoriya shrugged. "Then I heard all that ruckus about the government showin' up in Kuma from the saloon. Put two and two together, I figured somebody's horse was stuck somewhere." He sighed some more, but pointed to the stables. "She's already in there, along with that rowdy horse that gunslinger's got. Enji didn't catch a glimpse of yer face, by the way. So I'd just lay low for a week or so."

Bakugo nodded. "Right. Thanks, then." Midoriya put his hand up, waving goodbye, before riding into the night.

The next few days passed quicker than the cowboy thought they would. You were bedridden for three days - there were times when he was a bit worried that your fever would never die down, and you were blisteringly hot to the touch.

It became routine to worry about you. He'd wake up before the sun broke across the horizon, make a bowl of oatmeal and leave it by your bedside once he checked your temperature, and go out to check on the cattle and your two horses.

He'd go into the house more than he had before - two times before lunch, just to check on you and see if you needed any help. You were always awfully insistent on doing things yourself, but by the time meals rolled around you would whine about how much you missed his cooking.

By day six, you were well enough to amble around the house. Your wound was beginning to heal over, so you'd do your best to wake up and make food for Bakugo - not that you really succeeded in waking up before him at the asscrack of dawn.

You'd make lunch - not as good as he did, of course, but the sentiment was there. Bakugo was certainly grateful - most cowboys were exhausted by noon, having to herd around the cattle and, as always, wrestle with heifers who couldn't give less of a damn about him. Even if the meal wasn't particularly good, it saved him the trouble of doing anything himself.

Within weeks, the two of you settled into a normal routine. Bakugo would wake up first, and head out. You'd follow a few hours later, doing whatever you could around the house, maybe covering yourself up and heading into town for groceries, whatever you could do to help him out.

You'd eat lunch together, and when you'd finally fully woken yourself up past noon, you'd head out to wrangle cattle with him, however much you could. Whether it was rinsing down the barn, tending to the horses, or something else, you were willing to help out since he was letting you lie low in his home.

By the time you were fully recovered, you'd come to the realization that you were used to being at Bakugo's. You couldn't remember the last time you hadn't been on the move for more than a month, and yet it was slowly creeping up on a month and a half of this strangely domestic life with a man you barely spoke to.

Bakugo, too, started noticing this. You hadn't left yet - and for some reason, he had no urge to really go and ask you to leave, or even find out when you planned to.

It was normal to him now, to bring two apples instead of one to the stable in the morning. Normal to make two portions for breakfast, normal to expect lunch already made, and as a month and a half finally came around, it started being normal to fall asleep talking on the couch.

He learned more about you - the fact that you'd left home at a young age to set out west, in search for adventure and something new. You'd eventually gotten tangled up with the wrong crowd, and found yourself on the run from the law. Now you were too far in, unable to hold a normal job in a town with your face being on a wanted poster, and so you had to resort to robbing trains, people, and passerby's.

"And the people you killed?" He prompted.

"I always give people a chance to evacuate the trains I steal from." You shrugged. "If they don't leave, i can't do anythin' about it - I'm not gonna leave the train there, it's gonna keep runnin'. It's always self defense or someone else's stupidity."

"And what's the deal with Enji?"

"Fucker's crazy." You grunted, putting your feet up on his lap. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but grabbed your ankles anyway, adjusting them to be comfortable. "Met him once, a few years back. He was convinced I blew up a bank - which I didn't, if ya were wonderin'. Matter o'fact, I'd been in an entirely different town than that bank when the incident happened, but unfortunately, nobody was willin' to back up a fugitive's alibi."

"He always just shoot at whatever?" Bakugo asked, still annoyed at the fact that the Todoroki clearly had no eyes and was more than happy to shoot at anyone standing across from him.

"Pretty much." You grinned, staring at the man's face in the flickering firelight. "Though it's not everyday you meet a woman who's so wanted that the Todoroki Enji comes after her."

"Yeah?" Bakugo huffed, amused. "Should I ask ya to sign somethin' for me?"

"I'll leave a lipstick mark on yer pillowcase, if ya'd like." You winked.

"Yeah, right." The man grumbled, eyes drooping as he took another sip of his whiskey.

Winter turned to spring, and many more nights passed where you and Bakugo would fall asleep in the same room, talking to pass the time. Bakugo learned that you'd once wanted to be a English teacher, when you were younger and less, well - wanted.

On the first day of spring, you woke up to books by your bedside. Wuthering Heights, Crime and Punishment - books from this century that your mother had once made you read.

You couldn't stop your mouth from breaking into a smile. When you went down for lunch, Bakugo didn't say a word to you - but he never did, and he would never have to. Silence was prevalent in this house, but that didn't mean that gestures meant nothing.

A week into spring, the government showed up at Bakugo's door while you were washing up in the bathroom. A man Bakugo had never met before - Takami Keigo, he said his name was, greeted him with a calm smile.

"Hello." he said warmly, reaching his hand out for a shake. Bakugo declined politely, and the man didn't seem to take any offense. He rummaged in his shirt pocket, pulling out a poster that Bakugo was awfully familiar with. "I'm just following up on a cold case. We last saw this woman back in Kuma Ridge around two months ago, and we haven't seen her since. She's a wanted criminal, see, and I was just wondering if you'd caught any wind of her."

Bakugo stayed as calm as he could, fingers digging into his palm as he calmly leaned against the doorframe. "I'm afraid not. Only thing around this part of town are the animals n'me, see."

"Who's in the shower?" Takami asked kindly, hearing the water running.

Bakugo blanked for a quick second, but responded just a beat too fast - "My wife."

"Your wife?" The agent hummed. "We have no records of you being married, Mr. Bakugo."

"I'm sorry, am I under suspicion for somethin'?" Bakugo sighed, standing upright now. "My wife's family and I aren't on the best of terms, so we eloped a couple years back. We like to stay out of peoples' businesses."

"Of course, sir." Takami inclined his head slightly. "I didn't mean to offend you - I'm just trying to work everything out is all. Any kids in the house?"

Kids? With you? Bakugo tried to withhold a scoff. "No. We're content as is." He heard your steps pad down the hallway, and he prayed that you had the sense to do something - anything - to make yourself unrecognizable, hoping that you'd heard the agents in the bathroom.

When he turned, he nearly sighed in relief, seeing bandages cover your eyes as your hands gently roamed the walls, walking towards where you'd last heard the voices. Bakugo walked back into the house, gently laying two hands on your shoulders and guiding you to the door.

"My wife was in an accident when she was young, you see." Bakugo lied. "Her eyes were hurt very badly, and now she's extremely sensitive to light. Seeing normal daylight gives her terrible pain in the head."

You blindly reached your hand out, accidentally slapping Takami Keigo in the face. Bakugo had to keep his face as still as possible to prevent himself from laughing. "Oh, dear. I'm terribly sorry!" You gasped. That was nearly the breaking point for Bakugo - you didn't sound like yourself at all.

"Not to worry, ma'am." The agent grimaced, doing his best to keep smiling. "Well, if the two of you happen to acquire any information on the gunslinger, please do reach out to your local sheriff department and let them know."

"Certainly, sir." Bakugo nodded, watching the group leave.

You maintained your shy, quiet demeanor until Bakugo mumbled the all clear, and helped you untie the bandages from your eyes. "Good grief."

"Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry!" Bakugo imitated your high-pitched lie to the agent. You slapped his shoulder playfully, and he laughed heartily at you, bandages draped in his hand. "You're a hell of an actor. I thought we were fucked."

You smiled at him, closing the door. Then your smile dropped as you began thinking - they must've come to Bakugo's for a reason. Maybe they didn't recognize him, but there was no guarantee that that agent hadn't recognized you, and wouldn't just come back with more forces. It'd been a few months now, and your bounty hadn't risen, but the government never forgets.

"I should go." You said. Bakugo's brows furrowed as he tossed the bandages in the trash, facing you. Before he could open his mouth, you continued. "They might come back for you. Or me. Or maybe even both of us. I've overstayed my welcome."

"You haven't." Bakugo insisted. "You've made yerself useful all the time you were here. I owe ya my life."

"And I owe you mine!" You replied, frustrated. "I would've died if you hadn't taken care of me. I can't keep stayin' here and riskin' yer peaceful life."

"Wasn't a problem for you the past few months." He frowned, walking over to you. He loomed over you, skin tan from the sun starting to shine in the spring again as he tended to his farm. "What, now that one agent shows up, everythin's different?"

"Yes." You hissed, pushing past him. "I'm a gunslinger, Bakugo. An outlaw"

"Katsuki." He refuted, following you into your room. "You haven't called me Bakugo in months - it's Katsuki to you."

"It shouldn't be!" You shouted, grabbing your gun from the bedside table - a gun you hadn't touched since the night in Kuma. "I'm wanted. You know that. You came for my head!"

"I like havin' ya here!" Bakugo blurted out, ruffling his hair. That made you pause, breathing heavy and paranoid. You were convinced the government would come back for you at any second. "They don't know. I promise they don't know, if they did, they wouldn't have waited this long to stop by! It's a cold case. No news on you for months."

He walked up to you, gently prying the gun from your hands and putting it back on the bedside table. "You sleep here. You work here. You eat here. You live here. You're used to it." You opened your mouth, but he shook his head. "Don't lie."

You shut your mouth again, chewing on your lip. "Bakugo, I should've left months ago."

"Katsuki." He hissed. "And you didn't. Why is that?"

"I got comfortable!"

"What's so wrong with that?!" He retorted, shutting you up. "What, there's not enough action here for you? I'm boring?"

"I didn't say that-"

"Then what?!" He shouted, grabbing your wrist and pulling your sleeve back. Your scar from the bullet you took for him glared back at the two of you. "You stayed because you felt like you owed me, was that it?"

"I like being here!" You cried, ripping your arm from him. The two of you stood there, chests heaving, for just a few moments. You sat down on the edge of your bed, defeated, head in your hands. "I like being here. With you."

Bakugo stared at you. Fireside chats, early mornings, late nights, all with you. He'd never seen you look so vulnerable.

"I don't want to leave." You admitted. "But I'm a liability. And you know that."

"I don't really care." He shot back. He squatted on the ground, crimson eyes peering at you from between your fingers. "If I cared, I would've asked you to leave. And I would've done it way earlier."

He sighed, sitting with his legs crossed in front of you now as he watched you process his words. "You're useful. You're good company."

"That the only reason you want me around?" You huffed. "'Cause I'm useful?"

Bakugo was quiet for a moment, before reaching for your hand, pulling it away from your face. "You know it's not."

You did know. Months around Bakugo made sure you knew. He didn't have to make you breakfast or hand you freshly made coffee, just like he didn't have to keep buying you books. Glancing around your room, there were so many books it looked like a damn library.

You didn't have to make him meals, and he didn't have to eat them with you. Neither of you had to talk to each other late at night, but you'd find each other if you couldn't sleep nonetheless.

"I shouldn't." You whispered. Bakugo took a seat next to you on the bed, hand still intertwined with yours. "Ya know I shouldn't. We both know."

"But you want to." He said, squeezing your hand. "Isn't that all that matters?"

"It would be selfish." You blinked away tears, glaring at him.

"It's not selfish if I want you to stay too." He refuted. He watched you chew on your lip, before resting a hand on your head. "They don't know. And if they do, we can go somewhere else."

"That's ridiculous."

"It's not." He shut you down, pecking a gentle kiss to your temple. You couldn't help but lean into him when he did so, as if the action was normal and entirely expected. "I want to be with you, gunslinger or not. It doesn't matter where you are, only where you want to be."

"We barely know each other." You sighed into his shoulder.

"We have all the time in the world to figure that out." He replied, holding you. "As long as you don't leave, we can learn somethin' new every day."

You groaned. For someone who didn't talk much, he was damn good with his words. "You'll regret this."

"I won't." He replied instantly, standing up. You blinked at him, eyes still a bit damp. He took your gun from the bedside, and tucked it into the drawer. "Nothing about this decision would make me regret a thing."

"You're a fool, Bakugo Katsuki."

"And whose fault is that?" He grinned, walking to your bedroom door.

"Yer gonna blame this on me?" You huffed, getting up to follow him.

"Course I am." He laughed, digging around in his coat pocket and shoving a paper in your hands. "There's nobody else in this house I could possibly blame it on."

You couldn't help but smile as you unfurled the paper. It was your wanted poster, dated back to the night he'd gone to find you, instructions to Kuma Ridge scrawled on the back.

| SKATE 'TILL YOU DROP | VINSMOKE SANJI

summary: in the perform or die world of figure skating, you're revered for being the current best skater in the women's singles category. when your coach, nico robin, insists that she has a solution to your competitive slump, you're speechless to find out she's somehow paired you with none other than vinsmoke sanji - the best men's singles skater in the world. pairing: sanji / f! reader wc: 10.9k (holy shit) tags: MDNI (or lowk just skip the smut it’s like two tinkles long compared to everything else), f! reader, figure skating! au, friendly rivals to lovers, slowburn, fluff and smut, p in v sex, RAW RAW RAW, you're both switches but sanji is highkey submissive as fuck, you're an absolute tease, i really don't know much about skating i just like to watch it, olympic competitiveness, zoro and robin lowkey play cupid, i know no woman has landed a quad axel yet let alone in pairs but wouldn't it be awesome if you were the first, i stole ilia malinin's nickname and slapped it on you, classic overachiever burnout, sanji is a LITTLE BIT of a pervert, one bed trope a/n: i'm NOT shipping zoro and robin (like u can if u want) i genuinely just think they're goated friends and i love their dynamic, i know pairs skating is a lot more complex than i wrote it out to be but i did not want to write TWO routines let alone every turn of them i'm sorry

Your teens flew by in a flash. The moment you first stepped foot on the ice rink, you could feel it - this was the sport you'd do for the rest of your life. You worked yourself to the bone, swapping to a private school that had an ice skating club.

At sixteen, you were headed for the Olympics. Your schoolwork was entirely forgotten, as you spent hours on end in the chilly indoors of the ice rink you begged the owner to keep open after hours, who eventually gave up and just gave you an extra key to the facility.

Your appearance in the Olympics created an uproar in the figure skating community. Your first year, you took home gold for your country. Four years later, at twenty, you held two gold medals for the women's singles category, and had two gold medals for the team event overall - the only female to land a quad axel. At twenty-two, you were the only female to consistently land quad jumps in your competitive routines, aiming for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

The Quad Goddess.

"I'm tired," you sighed, leaning against the partition of your hometown rink. It was nine o'clock at night, and your coach was frowning at your words. "Really, I am. I love this sport - I think I will for the rest of my life. But I don't want to go to the Olympics anymore."

Robin's frown turned deeper as she handed you your water bottle. She watched you sip, sweat dripping down your face from hours of prior practice. "Then, what? You'll skate for fun for the rest of your life?"

"Yeah." You shrugged. "My prime has passed, you know. I've broken so many records - I've shown it's possible for women to enter the competition amongst men. What more could I do?"

You handed the bottle back, letting your hair fall out of the band to re-tie it. "I should leave it to everyone else." You said. "I've done a lot, you know. Somebody else should have a turn."

"Well, aren't you cocky?" Robin laughed, smiling as you stuck your tongue out of your mouth, skating away.

Her smile dropped again, watching as you closed your eyes to focus, standing calm and poised in the middle of the rink. She began the track for you, watching as you pranced across the ice.

My moon, my man, so changeable, and,

Such a lovable lamb to me.

Robin groaned. It was clear you were in a slump. Years of forcing yourself to work on routines made only for Olympic-level competition had drained you of motivation to skate purely for yourself. There was always something else on your mind - fans, fame, records, achievement.

Your solution to that was to just... leave the scene?

No. Robin shook her head, pulling her phone from her pocket. Looking at you finally performing a routine for yourself - just you, it was clear this was your prime. It wasn't past you just yet. Your thighs were just as strong as they'd always been, your figure just as graceful as ever, and your heart prominent in your routine.

What you needed was for the fire in you to be reignited. You still had things you could do - other categories you could change the scene in.

She knew you'd be angry if she did this on your behalf. But hopefully, you'd be able to see sense as to why she did it to begin with. Scrolling through her contact list, she prayed that she still had the number she was looking for.

Roronoa Zoro. Notoriously difficult to work with, constantly scuffling with the skater he managed, and never, ever letting somebody else reach him.

Coach of the male skater that was top of his category, Vinsmoke Sanji. She texted, hoping he'd take sympathy on her.

- Zoro.

- Robin? What

- How are you?

- What u want

Robin's brow twitched. Well, he was just as brash as ever, wasn't he?

Take it slow, take it easy on me

Shed some light

Shed some light on me, please.

Robin looked up now. Your routine had sped up considerably, sweat once against gleaming on your face. Hot puffs of air came from your mouth as you jumped, thighs tensing under the pressure.

Quad salchow. Back camel. Biellmann. Robin huffed. The absolute nerve of you to say that your prime had passed.

- How is Sanji?

- Same old. What u want

- Still doing men's singles this year?

Typing bubbles faded and returned for the next five minutes. Robin furrowed her brows - she was almost positive that he was arguing with Sanji again. Just as she was about to tuck her phone away, the blade of your skate scratched particularly hard against the already weary ice.

Triple axel-quad toe loop.

Out of your prime, you'd said. Robin's phone vibrated.

"He's not doing singles this year." Zoro's gruff voice said, tinny over the phone. "Whaddaya want?"

"You're awfully mean for an old friend." Robin chuckled. "Perhaps I just wanted to catch up."

"Nah, I know you." Zoro huffed, almost amused. "You want something. You always do."

"What's he doing, if not singles?"

Zoro paused. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head. "You're still coaching her, right?"

"Yes."

"She in a slump?"

Robin resisted the urge to hang up. For someone so dim-witted, he could be awfully perceptive at times. "Yes."

Zoro grinned, fingers tightening his hold on the phone as he watched Sanji skate aggressively around the rink, pace furious and fast. "Perfect."

That, Robin had not been expecting. "Pardon?"

"Robin, this is a one time thing." Zoro said, gleeful at his luck. "But for the winter Olympics in two years, Sanji wants to try the pairs category. He hasn't got a partner locked in yet."

"Are you serious?" Robin replied. "That's unheard of. He's swapping over?"

"Yeah." Zoro stated. "Said he's got no passion for singles skating again. Insists he's made to dance with a partner."

"Well, that does sound like him." Robin admitted, watching you move flawlessly through your choreographic sequence. "What if I had a candidate in mind?"

"I already know," Zoro responded, "So you don't have to play coy with me. Honestly, I'm in no place to argue. He's scared off every woman who was experienced in the pairs category and was looking for a new partner. Ya know him - not the easiest to deal with. He's cooled down a bit by now, though."

"What, is it his flirting?" Robin queried.

"That, and, well -" Zoro cut off along with the music of Sanji's routine, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Well, nobody can really keep up with him. I was gonna reach out to you if we had no other options, but I was really prayin' it wouldn't get to that point."

"Well, good thing I reached out first, then." Robin grinned. "Let's do it."

"You've ran this by her, right?"

"Don't worry about that. I've got it." Robin stated calmly. "I'll see you in a week, then?"

"Oi, Robin. We're not in your country-"

She hung up the phone. You ended your routine, final pose firm and resolute. "Hey." Robin called to you, grabbing your attention. You skated over, wiping sweat from your face with the sleeve of your hoodie. "Hear me out."

"That's not good." You chuckled nervously. From the years of knowing your coach, if you took away nothing else, you would always be left with this - Nico Robin was a schemer.

"Listen." Robin said, trying to placate you. "I think I've got a way to get you out of your little slump."

"It's not a slump, Robin." You sighed, chugging more water. "I'm not in it anymore. The comp scene isn't for me."

"It is." She insisted. She watched you frown, and for a moment, she almost felt bad. "No, really. Listen. I get it, I do. I was a skater too - I'm not your coach for no reason. I get how competition is tiring. But I've seen you skate at the Olympics. Yes, you're tired. But that's because you're in the same scene."

"Same scene?" You laughed. "What other scene would I be in? Mens skating?"

"Come on." Robin sighed, poking your cold thigh. "Look at you. You're made for skating. You have the strongest legs I've ever seen. When you compete, you're happy. You're tired because you're not, and you're bored because you're used to it. Nothing else you can do? Bull."

You blinked at that. Sure, there was other stuff you could do, but why?

"Pairs." Robin stated. "Try pairs."

"Are you crazy?" You snorted. "You know me - I can barely handle myself. Who could possibly handle me?"

"It's not a matter of handling you," Robin chuckled, tone airy. "It's a matter of finding someone to keep up with you." Her phone buzzed.

Two days. He's looking forward to it. Cya.

"I found someone for you." She said, putting her phone to the side. "And I guarantee he can keep up with you. And it's his first year doing pairs too, so you'll be in the same boat."

"Robin, do you hear yourself? I barely want to be in the Olympics in two years, let alone compete for a category I have no experience in."

"Please, give it a try." She pleaded. You paused - you'd never seen Robin beg for something. "If you don't care for it after the next winter Olympics, I'll never push it again. I'll quit as your coach, and I'll just stay your friend. No more comp."

"You know, for most people, training for two hard years to be on equal ground with others that have years of experience in a category is a big ask for a friend." You grumbled. You were really mulling it over now. The feeling of winning. The feeling you had when you competed in the Olympics for the first time. The feeling of taking home gold.

If you pulled it off, then you'd feel it all again. You sighed, limbs weak. "Fine. But this is it, Robin."

"Yes." She promised. "This is it."

"So?" You asked, stepping off the ice and putting your guards on. "Who is it?"

"That's a surprise." She smiled.

"You're a damn tease." You huffed.

At the very least, she'd had the courtesy to book your favorite restaurant. But whoever your partner was, he was late.

By an hour.

It seems she'd anticipated that, too, because before she sent you the details of the reservation she'd told you,

"Listen. I don't want the two of you to get off on the wrong foot, but I know for a fact his coach is going to drive him. And his coach is the worst with directions. So if he's late, please don't take it out on him. I'll yell at his coach after, okay?"

You hummed, scrolling your phone. You weren't particularly mad about it, but you sure were hungry. You'd waited thirty minutes before giving up and just ordering for yourself. The waiter looked at you pitifully, like you'd gotten ditched.

Your favorite restaurant was dark and discreet. In all the years you came here, you'd never gotten recognized. The staff were dreadfully familiar with you, the bartender being an ex (if you could even call it that) from middle school, and the owner being his father.

"Wine?" Your waiter asked kindly, bringing your mapo tofu to the table. "I can always stop by the bar for you, miss."

"A mojito, please." You replied. "If I drink wine, I just might cry."

Your waiter blanched at that, fearing the worst for your emotions. "Oh, please, I'm just joking." You chuckled. "A mojito."

"Of course." He said, walking away and stopping by the bar, your ex waving at you. You grabbed your bowl of rice, putting mapo tofu over it and taking a bite.

Extra spicy, just as you liked it.

Footsteps rapidly approached your table, as a figure entered your periphery. You glanced up, watching as a man with long strides dashed for you.

What in the world? Am I about to be attacked? You thought, bracing for the man to slam into you.

Mercifully, he stopped right at your feet, panting slightly. "I'm..." He began, before dropping to his knees and slamming his forehead into the floor. "So sorry for being late!"

You blinked, seeing mussed blonde hair against the dark carpet. The waiter stopped by again, standing behind the kneeling figure. Apprehensively, he stepped over the kneeler, putting your mojito on the table. "...Your drink, miss." The man stayed kneeling.

"Um.. Thanks..." You said. "I appreciate it."

"Are you okay...?" The waiter asked, confused at the scene before him.

"Probably." You waved him off. "Um, can you get up, please?"

"Yes, of course!" The man said, standing to his feet. In the dim light, you could vaguely make out his features as he sat across from you. "It's nice to finally meet you, miss. I'd say we're a few Olympics overdue."

"Wait, you're..." You trailed off.

"Vinsmoke Sanji." He smiled, taking your hand and kissing it gently. "Pleasure."

"You're my partner?" You gaped. "But you... You're a singles skater!"

"I could say the same for you." He retorted, flipping through the menu. "Wow, the dishes here are exquisite. What a lovely variety!"

You blinked, watching his facial features flicker in the candlelight. "Yes... This has been my favorite restaurant since I was a child. I'm glad you like it."

"I'm glad you invited me." He said, waving the waiter back over. "Hello. An aperol spritz and a coq au vin, please." The waiter nodded, filling up his glass with cold water before leaving.

"It was Robin, really." You replied, still shocked at the circumstances. "I'm sorry, I'm really confused."

"Sure, sure." Sanji grinned. "I'm a bit tired of singles skating, you see. It's lonely, being on the ice all by yourself for years on end."

Sanji was two years older than you. Despite that, you could see the sadness in his eyes as he explained his circumstances to you. Perhaps this was how you looked when you'd spoken to Robin two days ago.

"After the Olympics two years ago, I vowed to Zoro that I wouldn't do singles skating again unless I tried pairs in the next Olympics." He said, gratefully accepting his drink from the waiter and taking a sip. "After skating alone for a decade on the ice, I cannot help but feel that I might love it just that slightest bit more with a partner by my side."

"I see." You pondered, grabbing another spoonful of mapo tofu. "Does this have anything to do with your reputation as a hopeless romantic who can't land a date for the life of him?"

"Well," he sighed, a bit wounded, "I was hoping this counted, you know. This is a rather intimate setting, don't you think?" He looked at your unamused face in the candlelight. "Alright, maybe not. But no, not exactly. My passion for skating is fading, but I don't want it to. This is my final hope at making it work."

"I guess we're in the same boat, then." You smiled, chewing on your food. "Fine, then. Who best to keep up with me than the best mens skater in the scene?"

"I'll do my very best." He promised, offering his hand out to you. You quirked a brow, but gave it to him anyways. "I meant it, by the way. We should've met a long time ago, but I'm afraid I was unbelievably busy. I'm quite the fan of yours."

"Flattery doesn't work on me." You smiled, poking his palm. "But yes, I'm glad we met. You're quite the skater!"

"Only the best can keep up with each other, I suppose." He responded, raising his glass. You reached for your mojito, clinking it against his drink. "Cheers, then. Let's rock the Olympics in two years!"

You laughed heartily at that. "Sure, sure. Two newbies to the scene are about to change everything."

He grinned at you. "You never know, mademoiselle." Then he paused. "By the way... you're very beautiful."

"Oh, here he goes." You sighed.

Despite hailing from the same country, Sanji currently held residence in France - so you were rather confused on how this arrangement was going to work. Pairs was all about, well, skating in pairs. Conditioning was something you could work on yourself - singles routines only required your own presence, but pairs?

Well, both people were needed. Imagine your shock when Sanji stated that him and Zoro rented an apartment in the city nearby for the next two years.

"You don't think that it's sort of crazy to upheave your home life just for the Olympics?"

"My dear, it's the Olympics we're talking about." Sanji had laughed. "For a record-breaker like you, maybe it's not a big deal anymore, but all I've done is placed first, you know?"

He fell silent then, staring off into the distance. "For me to break a record, we need to be the first singles skaters to swap to pairs and win. That'll change things."

You paused, taking his words in. "Sure." You said lamely, unsure of how to respond. "Where, exactly, are you living?"

"Actually," he laughed, "Robin gave us the name of your apartment complex. I'm your new neighbor!"

You blinked. "You might as well have asked to live with me to save yourself a lease."

"Would you have let me?"

"Nah."

He pouted. "You wound me, mon cher."

You waved him off. "You're going to bother me anyways, aren't you?" He nodded gleefully. "Yeah, what difference does it make?"

You'd expected the first hurdle - agreeing on a song to skate to - to be a big one. You often skated to jazz or soul-like music, with slow, drawling tones that could be felt in the heart. Sanji, on the other hand, was famous for skating to classical music, his most popular routine being to the tune of Gnossienne No. 1, by Erik Satie.

Dark, brooding notes were Sanji's playground - he glided effortlessly across the ice, body contorting as emotions swelled in the track. When he was younger, Sanji had practiced a predominantly kick-based martial art. When he made the switch to figure skating, he continued his martial arts training, resulting in a balance of powerful legs and elegant poise.

Yet, Sanji was surprisingly compliant to your requests. "Cher, there's many a song that's a perfectly reasonable blend to both our styles. Plus, if there's truly a song that speaks to you for the next Olympics, I'm more than willing to acquiesce."

You smiled. "Well, it's actually less about my style, and more about..." You paused. "Well, I'm trying to make my next performance a tribute to Robin, actually. Just in case it's really my last Olympics."

"Oh." He blinked. "That's sweet of you. Come to think of it, Miss Robin's only a few years older than you, isn't she? She placed second the first year you entered the Olympics."

"Yes." You agreed. "She competed the same year that your coach quit, as well. Despite coming second to me, she swallowed her pride to coach me and improve me. I owe my career to her, and she's a friend I deeply care about."

"I had a single's routine prepared for the song I wanted." You continued. "It's the last song she skated to - the first one I ever watched her perform. In a way, it's become our song. Naturally, we'll have to scrap the singles routine and entirely rework it, but perhaps watching would give you some inspiration?"

Sanji nodded, lighting a cigarette by the side of the rink, bashfully ignoring your glare. "Certainly. I'd never turn down a chance to watch you."

You scoffed, but hit play on your phone anyways. A smooth jazz beat flowed over the speakers, before percussion was quickly swayed by saxophone.

Diamond life, lover boy~

Sanji blinked. He remembered this tune - he'd had the privilege of watching Robin perform it. The year you took home your first gold, many people (as they always do), argued that Robin had performed flawlessly and naturally deserved the gold medal.

She had. But so did you. When it came down to it, your performance was simply harder, and still flawlessly executed. You took home first - but not a day in your life did you fight the critics. In a way, Robin did deserve first, because her routine was simply beautiful.

He moves in space with minimum waste, and maximum joy.

Your arms reached outwards as you glided across the ice, calling to spectators, gathering speed. The door to the ice rink opened quietly, and Sanji turned just enough to see who it was.

"I told her she didn't have to," Robin sighed, entering with Zoro, both holding a six-pack of beer. Zoro had already snagged one from the pack, cracked it open, and was halfway through. "But she insisted."

"It was a beautiful routine, Miss Robin." Sanji acknowledged, bowing his head, before looking back at you.

No need to ask, he's a smooth operator~

Your blade snapped elegantly against ice. Triple axel. Camel spin. Foot change. Quad salchow.

"I'm afraid the scene simply changed that year." Sanji sighed, finishing off his cigarette.

"Damn straight." Zoro shook his head. "Can't feel bad about it, Robin. Your student's just damn crazy."

"Trust me, I know." Robin laughed. The day after her final Olympics, Robin faced endless berating online from fans, and many a scolding from her coaches and managers. She'd dominated the scene before you came along, only to be swiftly defeated by sixteen year old you.

She couldn't beat herself up over it. In the face of the new generation, she was in awe - and in your own words, perhaps it was time to give somebody else a turn. You said she swallowed her pride to work with you, but truthfully, that wasn't what she'd done at all.

She'd jumped ship to a better opportunity. She was proud of how far you'd come. Glancing at Sanji, she smiled.

That's why she couldn't let your career end here.

"See, at least you're not as bad as Zoro." Sanji teased. "He lost to me a few years back because he just plain stank."

"That's not true." Zoro frowned, poking him in his tense shoulder blade. Sanji groaned, reaching for his back and scuffling with his coach. "You rigged it!"

"How would I have done that?!" Sanji yelped.

"Dunno." Zoro shrugged, pulling Sanji's ear. "That's the only explanation."

"I'm just better than you, moss-head!" Sanji retorted, kicking his foot into Zoro's back. The two men bared teeth at each other, pulling at the other's hair.

"So?" Robin asked, pulling their attention away from each other. "Is the song okay with you, Sanji?"

Sanji stood upright, shoving Zoro to the floor, ignoring his loud protests of beer spilling all over him. "Yes. Honestly, even if I didn't think I could skate to this style, I would try anyhow. It's very touching, what she's trying to do for you."

"I know." Robin smiled warmly, both her and Sanji watch as your legs tensed. Quad axel. Perfect rotation. Easy as that. "I couldn't ask for a better student."

"I could." Zoro grumbled, fishing another beer out of the pack, dodging Sanji's foot that slammed into the ground.

The other hurdle, blending your skating styles, also turned out to be less vexing than you thought it would be. The moment Sanji took your hand on the ice, you began to realize what his coach had meant when he claimed Sanji believed he was made to dance with himself.

When you began trying out different aspects for your routine, it was like he could sense what you wanted to do before you even executed. Skated away from him? A new jump sequence. Grabbing his forearm? Try a lift. Holding his fingers and drifting ever so slightly away? Mirror skate.

Before you knew it, a year had passed. You got used to seeing Sanji and Zoro almost every day of the week, eating meals with the two and Robin. You started expecting Sanji in little parts of your life.

After grabbing breakfast from the cafe downstairs, you'd head to the gym in your apartment complex. Since he moved in, without fail, Sanji was there at the same time you were. He started off with light cardio, waiting to finish until you had joined him for at least fifteen minutes. Then he stretched, ensuring his flexibility, as you did the same.

Depending on the day, you both either hit legs or arms, push or pull. Even after a year, he was baffled at how strong your legs truly were. By the time the two of you were done, Zoro would wake up, arriving in the gym to lift weights, barely acknowledging your guys' existence.

Over the span of the year, the two of you began to realize being a pair meant you touched. A lot. On the rink, that was natural. Lifting meant your waist was always being held, and the performance aspect of pairs was always absurdly intimate. A touch to the face, a caress of the lip, holding each others' stares.

It became natural to you. However, from the first moment Sanji helped you stretch in the morning, he could not get the feeling of your skin off his mind.

Even now, a year later.

"Um, hello?" Your voice snapped him out of his daydreaming, and his eyes flitted back you, body contorted into a chest stand. "Is my form all good?"

He swallowed heavily. How on earth did you bend like that? "Yes. Onto the next one?"

Your legs swung over your head as you sat normally, opening your legs and reaching forward into a saddle stretch. "Yup. Push, please."

His fingers twitched, and he scolded himself mentally to get a grip. God, it'd been a year already, and he still acted like this. Nevertheless, he settled his hands on your back and gently pushed you downwards, watching as your body slowly folded in half.

"You can push more." You advised. He nodded, even though he knew you couldn't see, and you groaned a bit. He paused.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Yep." Your right hand, flat on the ground, gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I think I just cracked something. Probably just tight."

Sanji tried to stop himself from moaning aloud.

"Push."

At this point, Sanji was sweating. Nonetheless, his fingers flexed on your warm lats, and pushed more. Your chest was flush with the floor, and you exhaled, before sitting up.

"Good. Thank you as always, Sanji." You turned around, blinking as you saw him beet red, shooting you a thumbs up. "Are you good?"

"Never better!" He replied hastily, giving you a grin. "Lunch?"

Over time, Sanji seemed to get more and more comfortable with appearing at the door of your apartment late at night. You realized that somehow, you also began expecting him. He'd always scold you for being awake, and you'd retort that he was in the same boat.

He would shrug, realizing he was caught, and like clockwork, come into your kitchen, prepare you a late night snack, and plop down on your couch, watching a show with you. It wasn't unusual for you to wake up with him sprawled across both you and the couch, head in your lap, your fingers intertwined.

Neither of you would address it the next day.

Sanji caught himself looking at you more than he expected. He began frowning every time you would text Robin and Zoro for every meal, resisting the urge to ask you to call it off - just once, to eat alone with him.

You two had your year of peace. But with the Olympics right around the corner, two years later, all hell broke loose for the two of you - and your tired coaches - when the press inevitably started sniffing around the moment you landed in Milan.

All four of you realized you had let your guards down when you managed to get spotted in the airport by the paparazzi. Naturally, many of them would be camping out. Robin and Zoro groaned mentally - they should have prepared for this, but the past two years of easy living and routine had made them weak.

"So..." A nosy reporter wiggled her brows at Robin and Zoro, who were uncomfortably pushed shoulder to shoulder as the press surrounded the group. "Perhaps we can take this as a blossoming relationship between mentors?"

"We're drinking buddies." Robin and Zoro stated blandly, Zoro rolling his eyes. "Nothing more."

Just a few feet away, Sanji stood in front of you as cameras flashed violently in your face. Your hair was mussed from sleep, neck pillow still on as he held your luggage. A wet spot was on Sanji's shoulder - evidence of your drool as you leaned against him, though you'd never admit it.

"Mister Vinsmoke, we have many questions for you and the legendary Quad Goddess!" A reporter crowed, face ecstatic at catching the two of you. "But firstly, let's start off with why the two of you are getting off from the same plane? You currently live in France, do you not?"

Sanji grimaced, scolding himself. He was lucky - unbelievably lucky, that nobody had caught him in your home country the past few years. Unfortunately, now, it all had to come out. He glanced at you, frowning as he saw you rubbing sleep from your eyes, upset at the media hindering your arrival.

You met his eyes and smiled gently, shrugging. He couldn't help but smile back, shoulders loosening a bit.

"Well," he began, the crowd around him quieting, "This year, I'm actually in the pairs category."

The crowd erupted with questions, microphones being shoved in your faces. He held his hands out, pushing back against the crowd as he saw a microphone almost graze your cheek. "Please, calm yourselves!" He yelled, outraged. The crowd fell silent again. "I'm fully willing to talk to you, but you need to behave."

You laughed a bit, watching as he scolded the group of adults like a kindergarten teacher. You, too, stepped forward now, cameras clicking once more. "Oh, please. I know I'm beautiful right now, but surely you don't need that many pictures."

Sanji grinned at your cheekiness, hands adjusting on your backpack before looking back at the cameras. "We are in the pairs category this year. We've spent the past two years training together in her country, and now we're here. That's all."

Quiet, nervous scribbling. You almost hoped you could be on your way - but no, too soon, as one brave woman piped up in the back of the crowd. "You two look quite comfortable with each other."

You and Sanji tensed visibly, you chewing your lip as you saw more cameras flashing once more. It was true - you were and you knew it, but you and Sanji had never talked about the matter. Not once over the past two years.

"Training with a partner results in an inevitable trust between two people," Sanji responded, stepping in front of you once again. "The two of us, and our coaches, have spent enough time with each other over the past few years to call each other friends - and the mademoiselle here has to spend a lot of time with me to make sure I don't drop her."

A few laughs sounded in the crowd. You tugged lightly on his sleeve, drawing his attention as you jutted your chin at Robin and Zoro, who were managing to tiptoe away. He nodded, looking back at the media.

"...That's all." He finished. "I'd appreciate if you allowed us to arrive in Milan - properly. We do have dinner plans, the four of us."

Grumbles and complaints resounded, but the crowd scattered nonetheless, Sanji leading the way for the two of you as he held your backpack in one hand and dragged both of your luggages in the other.

"Nosy bastards." Zoro muttered, taking off the eye mask around his neck.

Robin nodded, stretching as she erased the sleep from her body. Reaching for her phone, she checked the status of your car. "The driver should be here momentarily. Naturally, we're all staying in the same hotel."

"I liked when you lied about us having dinner plans." you teased Sanji. "You'll have them running around Italy looking for us."

Zoro and Robin grinned at each other. Sanji swallowed, his walking slowing just a bit. "...Well, that wasn't a lie. We have dinner plans. Robin and Zoro are getting room service."

You blinked. "Huh?" Sanji was already walking on, gait unnaturally stiff. "Wait, Sanji! What?!"

He refused to say a word to you in the car, only smiling mischievously and laughing as you poked his side, trying to get him to spill where the two of you were eating. Zoro pretended to barf in the backseat, stuck in between the two of you as Robin had swiftly snagged shotgun.

As if that shock wasn't enough, you were faced with another one when Robin and Zoro checked into the hotel at the front desk.

"Hello." Robin greeted the concierge. "We have three rooms booked."

"Name?" The concierge asked kindly, taking Robin's passport.

"Nico Robin, Roronoa Zoro, and Vinsmoke Sanji."

You paused at that. "Am I sleeping on the street?"

"Nah." Zoro said, grinning at you with an evil look in his eye. "The second closest option."

"I'm sleeping with you?" Your expression twisted in disgust. "I'd rather sleep on the street."

"Why would that be your first choice?!" Zoro yelled, pointing at you furiously. "What about Robin?!"

"Sleeping with her wouldn't be like sleeping on the street." You shrugged.

"What about me?" Sanji pointed at himself, hurt.

"That wouldn't be like sleeping on the street either." You explained, pointing back at Zoro. "He reeks of alcohol. He farts under the covers. He steals the pillows even if you're not in the same bed. He kicks in his sleep. He talks."

"You can stop now." Zoro's brow twitched.

"Okay." You said, sticking your tongue out at him. "So, what, I'm sleeping with Robin?"

"No," your coach hummed, smiling at the concierge as she received the room keys. She tucked her own in her pocket, handing the next to Zoro, and the last one to Sanji, with two keys in the slip. "Me and Zoro thought that a little extra bonding time could do the two of you some good before your performance."

Your ears turned the slightest shade of pink. Nobody noticed but Robin, who was observant as an eagle, grinning at you slyly. "Now, I did mean to book two beds in one room, but unfortunately, there seems to have been a mixup, and they only have suites with one bed. Dreadful."

"Ma'am, we do have two beds if you need-" The concierge piped up, before being swiftly silenced by a glare from Zoro. "...Right. I'm afraid we're all out."

Sanji shot Zoro a look that could kill, before his gaze slid to Robin and changed into one of unamused disappointment. Robin returned his gaze with one of her one that seemed to speak words.

Don't you dare complain. I'm helping you.

Sanji swallowed heavily, turning to take your bags off your hands once more. "Well, then, cher. Shall we?" He reached his hand out for you.

Your gaze was fixed on Zoro and Robin. If looks could kill, the coaches would be slightly wounded. You focused on Robin, who was smiling at you, eyes closed.

"Schemer." You whispered pointedly. She only smiled harder, laughing ever so slightly. "Traitor."

"I'm helping you~" She said, sing-songedly. "You'll thank me later."

You huffed, before taking Sanji's offered arm and heading for the elevator. Behind your back, Zoro and Robin low-fived, the slap resounding through the lobby.

The elevator ride was awkward. Sanji kept shifting from leg to leg, avoiding looking at you at all costs. Your arms were empty (he was holding all your luggage), so they were crossed disapprovingly, an inquisitive look on your face.

"You plan this?" You asked blandly.

"No." He quickly shook his head, tugging at his tie. "I swear, I only planned the dinner."

"Right..." You trailed off, watching the number on the elevator tick upwards. "And why, exactly, are we having dinner alone?"

"...Do you not want to?" He asked, scared for your answer.

"I didn't say that," you replied, stepping forwards and stealing the key to the room from his shirt pocket. He swallowed, watching as you looked up at him, eyes examining him. "I was just wondering why we're doing it."

You flipped open the slip, observing the two keys and the room number written inside. The elevator dinged, signaling your arrival to the thirtieth floor. Room 3034, it said.

You walked out of the elevator, Sanji trailing behind you. "Well," he said softly, not trying to disturb any hotel residents with his voice in the hallway, "I just think we have some things to talk about, don't you think?"

You walked silently down the hall, head turning from side to side as you looked for your room. Stopping abruptly in front of a door, Sanji almost slammed into you, sidestepping as you tapped the key against the sensor, holding the door open for him since he had full hands.

"Yes," You shrugged, "I guess so."

It was five thirty in the evening when you and Sanji finally unpacked, music softly playing through your suite. Just as Robin had promised, there was only one bed.

"I can take the couch." He offered gently, changed into his outfit for your dinner as he watched you in front of the vanity. He restlessly tapped his foot against the bathroom tile - not to rush you, but because he couldn't look at you for more than ten seconds without his gaze sliding to your neck, your collarbone, lower and lower.

"There's no need for that." You responded. "You've slept next to me almost every night for the past year or so. Nothing different about this scenario."

His gaze slid to the king-sized bed, neat and organized with a box that said "Lovers Set!" on it, folded on top of a bunch of towels. He'd sneaked a peek at it when you were changing.

It was a bunch of condoms, lube, and other things that he had never planned on using on his Olympic trip. It didn't help that now, as you curled your lashes and slid mascara on, you looked devastatingly good.

"...You don't think so?" He asked, sweat dripping down his brow.

"No, I lied." You responded bluntly. "But I suppose until we have that conversation at dinner, I'll have to act like everything's normal, won't I?" You peered at his reflection through the mirror. You couldn't help but grin when you realized he was flustered once more, gaze lingering low enough on your back that it might as well have been somewhere else.

"I can cancel," he breathed, knowing that you were watching him but unable to take his eyes off you nonetheless, "If you want to."

"I'm just not entirely sure why you need to take me to dinner to have a proper conversation with me." You shrugged, standing up. His eyes followed you as you turned to face him, and he finally looked at your face.

So pretty. He groaned internally. You were going to be the death of him. You were in front of him now, looking at him once more. Huffing out a laugh, you undid his tie just the slightest bit and he couldn't help but whimper as your finger slightly grazed his Adam's apple.

"We're here to skate, Sanji." You whispered in his ear, tugging on his tie.

"Right." He rasped, eyes darting all over you. "I just thought that maybe, getting a bit... Closer... Would improve our performance in three days."

"Is that how you'd put it?" You wondered, unbuttoning the first button of his dress shirt. He groaned aloud now, grabbing your wrist to stop you from going any further.

"Don't." He pleaded with you, intertwining his hands with yours. "I want to do this properly."

"You were about to pin it on improving our performance." You snarked, rubbing circles into the back of his hand anyways. "Maybe you want to try again?"

Sanji stared at you, vexed, before sighing in agreement. You'd caught him. "Alright." He admitted, giving in. "Would you like me to cancel? We can order in, like always. Sit on the couch."

"Yes." You agreed, sliding the strap of your dress down. "I think I'd like that."

Sanji's fingers twitched as if to stop you - but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He watched, speechless, as you slid the dress down your body, hand trailing away from his as you stepped out of the fabric, hanging it up in your closet as you reached for your pajamas instead.

A totally natural occurrence, except for the fact that as you changed, you didn't bother to step into another room. You did it fully in front of him, as if he wasn't there. When you were clothed again, he released his breath, unaware that he was holding it to begin with, and shakily accepted the pair of pajamas you'd dug out for him from his luggage.

"So, are we going to talk now?" You queried. His eyes were still drifting, staring at your bare thighs. This was another habit of yours that drove him crazy - sleeping with no pants on. 'Freeing', you called it.

"Yes, cher. Just let me get changed, yes?" He said, holding the clothes in front of his crotch.

"Aw," you frowned, sliding your t-shirt up just a bit to scratch at your stomach. An innocent enough act - except Sanji was at his wits end. "I thought I might've urged you on a bit more than that with my earlier display."

Sanji finally snapped, pajamas forgotten as he dropped them to the ground, reaching for you. Surprised, you yelped a bit - his hands tugged your t-shirt above your head and his lips slammed against yours, groaning into your mouth before drawing back.

"You're killing me, mon ange. You know that, don't you?" He panted, one hand on your hip and the other hand kneading into your ass.

"Well," you huffed, tugging the back of his head to force him to look up. He groaned, surprised, as you held his chin, forcing him to continue staring at the ceiling as your mouth latched onto the skin of his lower neck, sucking harshly before releasing him. "You were taking a long time, Sanji."

"'M sorry." He said, hand wandering below the waistband of your underwear. The outfit was nothing he hadn't seen you in before - that didn't mean it didn't kill him every time he saw you so casually. "Please, let me make it up to you, cher, I'll be so, so good."

You hummed, releasing his hair. He lunged for you, scooping up your legs with an arm and practically dashing for the bed. He inserted himself between your legs, keeping them open with a firm palm, groaning as he saw the shape of your pussy against your underwear.

"Can I, please?" He sighed, content, as he peppered kisses into your inner thigh.

"Yeah," you said, tugging his hair as encouragement. "Yes, god, please-"

He wasted no time in sliding your underwear off, pocketing it, and stuffing his face into your folds. You moaned, legs tightening around his head as he tugged you closer, grip bruising on your waist.

"God, so good-" He whimpered. "So, so good. Better than I could've imagined."

"So you imagined, huh?" You sassed, teasing tone leaving you as soon as his tongue slipped into your hole.

He withdrew, replacing it with two fingers. "So many times." He sighed, eyes glued to how you slowly soaked the covers beneath you. "So, so many times, you have no idea."

"Sanji," you said, quads tight and tense, "I can take it."

He shook his head firmly. "I need to prep you."

You sat up then, a little annoyed at his consideration. You gently pushed his fingers out of you, whimpering a little at the loss, before flipping your positions so you straddled him. He was speechless at your movements, jaw slack as you removed his trousers and boxers with a surprising urgency.

"God," you moaned, seeing his cock, "so fucking pretty."

Sanji covered his face, fingers still wet with your slick, embarrassed at the sight of you salivating over any part of him at all. "So ready for me, huh?" You panted, sliding your thumb over his leaking pink slit. He twitched, not expecting you to touch him so firmly.

"Fuck-" His voice cracked, ears flushed bright red as he looked down at you. Your face was so close to his cock, he could feel your breath on him. You wrapped a firm hand around his base, before licking a strip from base to tip and wrapping your mouth around him. "Fuck!- Don't do that- oh, fuck!"

He moaned like a pornstar, you realized. His thighs twitched against the bed, fingers curled into the cover as one hand still covered his face. "No - you have to stop, I'm gonna cum-"

You hummed around him, taking him deeper, planting your nose against his pubic hair. His quads popped out, cramping, and he grimaced in pain, though it was quickly overwhelmed.

Fuck, he was cumming already. He moaned, planting a hand firm on the back of your head, keeping you down. You rubbed soothing circles over his thigh, swallowing what he gave you.

When his voice settled into quiet pants, you pulled your mouth off of him, licking your lips clean. "Good?" You asked.

"You're fucking crazy." He replied, staring at your cleavage. "So you can suck me off, but I can't spend a little more time in between your legs?"

"Yeah." You grinned. "I have places to be, you see."

"No, you don't." He huffed, whimpering as you straddled him again and slid your glistening pussy over his half-hard length, rocking back and forth.

"Sure, sure." You hummed, not entirely listening to him. "Whatever you say."

Sanji had had enough. He flipped the two of you again, putting you on your back with him hovering over you. Warm fingers gently played with your nipples as he grabbed your thighs, putting your legs in the air as he slid his cock in between them, bumping against your clit.

You both moaned at the feeling - a mess was collecting where your bodies met. As his cock hardened again, you couldn't help but rub your thumb over his tip every time it peeked out between your thighs.

"You've got a weird obsession with my tip." He huffed out laughter, though he was really trying to grapple with the fact that he'd really just cum in your mouth when what he'd meant to do was take you out to a nice dinner and ask you to be his girlfriend.

"I think your dick likes me." You grinned, pressing down your thumb particularly hard, watching him buck his hips, fully erect now.

"Don't say obvious things." He groaned, pulling out from in between your thighs to rub steady circles over your clit. Your thighs tightened around his hand, but he continued anyways, palm splayed over your stomach as he continued circling. "I'll make you give me one before I fuck you. I deserve at least one, don't I?"

"Yes, yes, yes-" You babbled. You really had just wanted him to fuck you, but this felt so, so good, intensity coiling in your lower stomach. "Just like that, Sanji, feels so good, fuck-"

He pushed you over the edge when he slipped two fingers inside you, unexpectedly. Your back arched off the bed, thighs clamping down on his arm as he watched your face, entranced with the expression you were making.

"Good." He hummed, satisfied. He rubbed soothing circles into your waist, smiling as he watched you keen at his touch. "How was that?"

"Good." You breathed. "Just... Give me a second." You held your hand out, asking for his.

"My hands are covered in you." He laughed.

"I couldn't give less of a damn." You huffed. He relented, intertwining his fingers with yours.

"I really did want to take you out to dinner, you know." He frowned a bit, watching as you blinked blearily at him. "Ask you properly."

"I know." You tightened your grip on his hand. "But it's okay, Sanji. I love spending my off time with you. I like to just relax around you. Things are about to get crazy, you know?"

"I know." He said, leaning over to kiss you. Just as his lips pressed against yours, your legs tightened around his waist, pressing him into you. He breathed out, voice gravelly. "As long as you're happy."

"I am." You stated firmly, legs tightening further. "But I could be a lot happier right now."

Sanji sighed. You were insatiable. He reached for a condom, frowning when you slapped his hand away. He looked at you inquisitively, only to be met with your absolutely resolute face. "Raw."

Sanji smiled, huffing out a laugh, pressing a kiss to your neck. "Deep breath, cher."

You obeyed, and as you inhaled, he slowly slid into you. The stretch was undeniable as you keened, his grip moving from your hand back to your waist, teeth gently nipping at your breasts.

"More." You said, shifting your hips further down the bed.

"Take your time." He gritted sarcastically, before deciding to indulge you and slide himself in completely. Your jaw hung slack, fingers finding purchase in the covers once more. He groaned, buried to the hilt, before slowly sliding out so only the tip remained inside you, before fully sliding in again.

Gradually, he sped up, moans and wet squelching filling the room. You reached for him, and he placed a hand under your back, helping you sit up as he adjusted. You were back to sitting on his lap, his mouth back to being firmly latched around your nipple.

"You're obsessed." You said, hands on your shoulders as you began to bounce yourself up and down. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head. "God, you feel so good, Sanji."

"I'm obsessed with every part of you." He admitted, lapping at your neck and nipping at it. His hands began pushing you back and forth, helping you bounce faster. Your lips found his again, and you tugged at his lower lip as you slid up and down his length, both of you moaning uncontrollably.

"Fuck, cher - if you keep this up, I'm going to-"

"Me too." You cut him off, swallowing his moans. "Me too, me too - please, please, please-" Sanji was almost entirely setting the pace now, forearms tensing as he helped you move, eyes heavy and lidded.

You lost yourself first, throwing your head back as your body shuddered, violently clenching around him as you moaned his name breathlessly. Watching you cum, Sanji came undone too, groaning at how you squeezed him.

His cock twitched, milky ropes spilling out inside of you as he held you close, grip still firm around your waist. Your forehead slumped against his shoulder, and your breaths slowly evened out, heartbeats slowing back to normal.

Slowly, you pulled yourself off of him, Sanji watching closely as cum slowly dripped down your thigh. You flopped next to him, tired and yawning as he laid down next to you, flailing an arm over your stomach as he laid his head on your chest.

"Pervert." You huffed.

"Cher, you called my cock pretty." He teased, pressing a kiss to your breast. "I think liking your boobs is a perfectly reasonable tradeoff."

"It was pretty." You grumbled, running your fingers through his tousled blonde hair.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to dinner?" He asked, peering up at you. You shook your head, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Too tired." You grinned. "Let's just order room service."

He nodded, before sitting up and suddenly picking you up. You laughed at the way his hands groped at your thighs and your ass, but settled down as you watched him draw water for a bath, before sitting you on the edge of the tub and soaking a towel in warm water to wipe you down.

When he ensured the water was a perfect temperature, he gently set you down in the tub, before motioning for you to scoot over. You obliged, and he squeezed himself in, the space a bit too cramped for the two of you as water sloshed over the edge. He picked you up gently, settling you in between his legs before wetting your hair and massaging your scalp with shampoo.

You grabbed his wrist, turning around, forcing him to pause. You sat on his lap, facing him this time, before splashing a bunch of water on his face. He sputtered a bit, before breaking out into a grin. You dipped your head a bit, allowing him to continue shampooing. When he was done and he rinsed it all out, you started shampooing him.

The routine continued, shampoo, conditioner, and soap, until the water was covered in suds and you were both entirely clean. It was quiet, but not uncomfortable.

He broke the silence.

"I've been in love with you for a few months now." He admitted, leaning his head back against the edge of the tub and closing his eyes. You were quiet, watching him speak. "First, it was admiration. Like I said, you're a lovely skater and a strong woman. A record breaker, an achievement setter. That's what it started out as."

He peeked an eye open, drinking in your intense expression. "When we started skating together, it turned into a crush. I've never met a skater like you - but I'm sure a lot of people can say that. The only woman to land a quad axel." He paused, returning to his habit of circling his thumb on your waist. "But when we skate as a pair, it feels like you're a part of me."

He leaned his head into you now, breathing against your shoulder as he peppered kisses into your skin. "It turned into love when it became routine to sleep in your apartment. When you opened the door one time before I even knocked, even though it was past midnight, and let me in wordlessly. When I became part of your routine."

He pressed a kiss to your jaw, looking into your eyes. "I wanted that. For the rest of my life. Training for the Olympics is how we met, but we can figure all of that out at another time." He said, kissing the corner of your mouth. "We can skate together, or we can skate separately. We can skate at the Olympics, or we can skate just for fun. Maybe one of us will do competition and the other one will just skate for themselves. I'm fine with all of it. I just want to be able to do that with you."

You smiled, and he swore it was the only sight he wanted to lay his eyes on for the rest of his life. You leaned against him, arms wrapping around his neck as you hugged him tightly.

"I love you too, Sanji." Quiet, unconditional love. "See? No dinner needed."

He sighed, laughing into your neck. "I know it wasn't needed, I just thought it would be nice."

I know." You hummed. "But you could've said this to me anywhere and I would've reacted the same."

A knock rapped at the suite door, you and Sanji snapping your heads towards it. "Hey, so, we're really happy for you." Robin said calmly from outside the door. "But we're also your neighbors. So, maybe keep it down?"

"I could hear you from across the hall." Zoro was slurring his words, a clear indication that him and Robin were doing their nightly drinking.

"If you don't actually have dinner plans," Robin laughed from outside the door, whacking Zoro lightly on the head as he groaned, annoyed, "Maybe come join us and we can order room service to celebrate! Or not, maybe you'd like to spend time alone."

Sanji met your gaze, amusement swimming in his eyes. "It's up to you, cher. I can spend time with you whenever."

"We'll be there in half an hour." You called. Zoro snickered from beyond the door. "Shut up, Zoro! We're washing off!"

"Oh, I'm sure." He snorted, voice fading away.

"Just take it easy, okay?" Robin's smile was evident in her tone. "Make sure those legs of yours can still perform for the Olympics."

You groaned, standing up in the bath. Sanji's eyes trailed over you as water slid down your skin, before reaching forward and pulling the plug in the bath to let the water drain, accepting a towel from you gratefully.

You picked his pajamas off the floor, handing those to him too. "Might actually need these."

"Yeah, yeah." He smirked. "They were abandoned for good reason, you know."

You hummed in acknowledgment, drying yourself off. As you grabbed the hair dryer, Sanji pried it out of your hands, pulling a chair over and pushing you down gently, forcing you to sit.

"I got it." He said, before clicking the hair dryer on. You sighed as he ran his fingers through your hair, gently undoing every small knot.

This, you could get used to.

"Shockingly enough, it seems this year we're getting a super cool treat!" Monkey D. Luffy, one of two figure skating commentators, boomed over the loudspeaker. His close friend, Nami, also the second commentator, clearly pinched him somewhere as he yowled into the mic, her muffled voice questioning how he got this job.

"Anyhow, Luffy certainly has a point." She stated into the microphone, still pinching Luffy somewhere. "instead of seeing our two top contestants compete separately in the mens and womens singles categories, we're getting them both in two performances together, as they've both opted to do pair skating this year! This is certainly unprecedented - reports state that they seem to have been training together for about a year and a half!"

"They're both really good skaters of their own." Luffy chimed in, desperately trying to stop Nami from hurting him as he shimmied out of his chair. "But how will they perform together?! Pair skating is an entirely different beast, and it's a bit hard to envision two skaters of incredible power maintaining their specialty moves while also incorporating the teamwork needed for pairs."

"It's important to remember that this is their second, and final performance - the free skate." Nami interjected. "Their first performance in the short program was certainly excellent, but nothing we haven't seen before, earning them a solid 78.33 points. Maybe today, they'll pull off a routine that will truly change the scene!"

Both of their mics then went silent, clearly muted, though from the commentators table onlookers could still see Nami yelling at Luffy, shocked that he'd somehow made a good point while also berating him for his informal commentating.

As you both skated onto the ice, hand in hand, spectators cheered loudly. Sanji grinned at you as Robin and Zoro clapped from rinkside.

"We've practiced for this." Sanji reminded you. "We're going above and beyond expectations."

"I'm not nervous." You replied, pinching his wrist. "So you don't have to console me. Are you nervous?"

"No." He shook his head. "I'm excited to see my girlfriend land the first quad axel in pairs skating."

"I'm excited for my boyfriend to watch me land the first quad axel in pairs skating." You grinned. "I'm excited to watch my boyfriend's big, fat butt as he carries me above his head, too."

"Gross!" Zoro shouted from rinkside. "I can hear you!"

"That's because you have freakish hearing!" Sanji shouted back, irritated. "Piss off!"

The arena fell silent then, as the signature crackle of an audio about to begin rumbling over the speakers. You and Sanji squeezed each others hands, before taking your starting positions in the middle of the rink, Sanji holding you from behind, breathing into your ear, as you posed like a swan, gently holding his fingers, about to let go at any given moment.

A smooth jazz beat you'd heard hundreds of times. Percussion, quickly overtaken by beautiful saxophone.

Your hand left Sanji's the moment the saxophone began, skating around his body as he turned, reaching for you.

Diamond life, lover boy

He grasped your fingers once more, before his skate finally pushed him into movement, fingers leaving yours. He swiftly performed crossovers, gaining speed.

He moves in space with minimum waste, and maximum joy

Triple axel. Perfect rotation. The crowd erupted as Sanji landed, right foot gracefully spinning outwards. The two of you performed the choreography perfectly as the music swelled, the act of two lovers who were never in reach.

When sentiment is left to chance,

Sanji pivoted, digging his toe pick into the ice and reaching for you. You grabbed his hand, leaning your body backwards and parallel to the ice. Robin held her breath, Zoro chewing on his lip next to her. They'd seen the two of you perform this countless times, but it wasn't any less nerve-wracking, and the arena clearly felt the same as gasps sounded from onlookers.

Maintaining your balance on a single skate, relying on centrifugal force and Sanji's firm hold, the two of you spun around with your back almost touching the ice.

Death spiral. He pulled you up in one swift movement, making an attempt to hold you though you gracefully slipped out of his efforts, doing crossovers of your own to gain speed as he mirrored you, though just one step behind.

Robin's fingers were white-knuckled on the partition of the rink as you took off.

No need to ask, he's a smooth operator.

Quad axel. Four and a half perfect rotations. Perfect landing. The arena erupted in violent cheering, Sanji's gleeful grin undeniably wide the moment your blade once again met the ice.

You melted into a layback spin, before slowly stopping yourself, Sanji's hand coming to your waist. He looked unbelievably happy for you, grinning from ear to ear as your fingertips met once more, but parted after only a brief moment.

Across the north and south to Key Largo,

Love for sale.

Sanji teasingly skated away from you, meeting your eyes before you both jumped at the same time. Triple lutz. Perfect landings. He winked at you, and you withheld a smile as you skated back towards him.

"This might shape up to be one of the most difficult routines in pairs history!" Nami said, clearly shocked and awestruck from the commentators table. She glanced at Luffy, who was clearly not going to say anything until the routine ended because his mouth was wide open and hanging on the table. "Not only is their sequence immensely hard, but it's also telling a tragic tale of two lovers constantly separated!"

You mirrored each others' movements for your choreographic sequence, gliding across the full expanse of the ice, before he lifted you, tossing you into the air effortlessly.

Throw triple salchow. The arena is vibrating with energy, shocked. The two of you were powerful skaters, undeniably - but to put it into work in pairs within just two years was unbelievable.

Smooth operator.

Your routine ended just as quickly as you felt it started, Sanji's hand on your hip, your back bent backwards as he huffed above your face. The arena burst into applause as the two of you bowed, waving as roses were thrown at your feet.

"Well done, cher." He said, pressing a quick kiss to your temple, drawing more screaming from the crowd. "Another record for you."

"Good skating, Sanji." You breathed heavily, taking his hand in yours as you skated off the ice, taking one final bow together before pressing your lips to him, eliciting whoops from everyone around you.

When you pulled back, Zoro thumped Sanji on the back congratulating him, as Robin handed you your guards, drawing you into a deep hug.

"Thank you." She whispered, tears in her eyes. "You two were so amazing."

"Nothing to thank me for." You smiled, hugging her back. "Let's wait for the results."

The four of you shuffled off to the waiting area, Sanji's arms wrapped around you to ensure you didn't catch a cold since you were sweaty in a cold arena. Robin and Zoro had draped a blanket over the two of you, staring intensely at the screen.

"Scores are in!" Luffy's voice broke the tension from the loudspeaker, gleeful. "On top of their 78.33 points from their first routine, the newest duo on the block has earned a whopping 160.78 points in their free skate, bringing their total to an absolutely shocking 239.11! Ladies and gentlemen, we've got our gold medal winner for this year's Winter Olympics!"

Thunderous roars erupted from around the stadium, Zoro and Robin cheering for the two of you. Sanji's arms tightened around you, peppering kisses to your cheek before spinning you around, dipping you deeply and meeting his lips with yours.

Cameras flashed in your faces once again, but this time you didn't seem to mind as your arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him back.

"Same time in four years?" Sanji asked, pulling back from you.

You grinned at him, then at Robin, who quirked a brow at you. "Yeah. Sounds good to me."

| MON SOUS | VINSMOKE SANJI

summary: when the strawhats pick up a sous chef from an internationally famous, highly rated restaurant, sanji is immediately apprehensive. it seems the two of you would clash from the get go - and yet, suddenly, the moment you took a bite of each others' food, your attempts at wooing everyone on board have suddenly become directed at only one person. [set somewhere post Alabasta] pairing: sanji / straw hat sous chef! reader wc: 4.5k tags: f! reader, rivals to lovers, so much bantering, you're an unbelievable flirt and pretty much sanji's counterpart, you cannot keep it in your pants, robin might have planned this all along, you guys are freaking gross, everyone makes fun of zoro, sanji folds within 3 weeks a/n: sanji come kiss me on my hot mouth, also can someone tell me if they like this post in normal font or the vulture post in small font bc i think small font is better looking but so hard to read my eyes start melting together

"Listen, Luffy," Sanji sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I am sorry, alright? I didn't mean to keep all of you waiting, but I'm seriously tired! It's hard to feed all of you so early in the morning."

The captain's eyes narrowed, clearly unplacated by the chefs words of apologies. "It's been two days in a row now."

"That's hardly anything!" Sanji retorted, whacking his head with the handle of the cooking knife. "Nothing, you hear me! I'm only one guy! You eat enough for ten!"

"Hey, pervert chef." Zoro chimed in, doing his best not to doze off on the dining table. "Where's my breakfast?"

"That's the whole point of their argument!" Nami and Usopp yelled, smacking him. He groaned, nursing the bump on his head.

Why the hell am I getting yelled at?

"Sanji, if this is proving a burden to you, I think maybe we should consider picking another chef up." Robin offered. "Naturally, we can all help you do dishes, but none of us are really experienced in the cooking field. A second pair of hands would be dreadfully helpful."

"Robin-chwan!" Sanji swooned, rushing her plate of fruit to the table, along with Nami's morning smoothie. "I'm honored to hear you worry so! But I promise, I'm fully capable of taking care of you myself!"

"No." Luffy stated firmly, picking his nose and flicking it off into the distance. "We're going to stop somewhere, and we're going to pick up a chef to help Sanji. Then, we can have double the food!"

"DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE WHEN WE'RE ABOUT TO EAT!" Nami screamed, bashing him repeatedly. "Disgusting! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Come to think of it," Robin pondered, hand on her chin, "There was a place that Crocodile and I went to a few years back, on the way to Alabasta. If I recall correctly, it was a world-renowned restaurant, famed for immense customer satisfaction and an extremely competent kitchen. Even he and I had no complaints with the meal."

"Oh-ho?!" Luffy grinned. "Full starboard, restaurant, then!"

"You don't even know what you're saying." Nami sighed, taking a sip of her smoothie. "But it's worth a try. Robin, do you remember where it was? I do admit, I think we're working Sanji to the bone."

"Not at all, Nami-swan!" He cried, rapidly bringing her a plate of strawberry-pureed toast. "I would work all day just to please the two of you!"

"Funnily enough," Robin chuckled, "I happen to have an Eternal Pose for the island that the Star Michelin is on. I enjoyed my meal there so much, that I had plans to return when I was less busy. I'll go get it for you."

Sanji brought the rest of the crews' breakfast to the table, before pausing. "The Star Michelin, huh..." He blinked, before smacking his fist on his open palm. "I've heard of that restaurant before! The old man traveled there too, when he was in the Grand Line - he said a few of his recipes were taken from the sous chef there, who was nice enough to share them."

He racked his mind a bit more, before grimacing. "But... He said the sous chef at the time was strangely enough, a little girl, and she was outlandishly brash and dedicated to her work."

"Dedicated to her work? Great!" Luffy exclaimed. "Full mast for the Star Michelin!"

"Stop throwing words around!" Nami said, stealing his plate and holding it away from him. Robin returned to the room, Eternal Pose in hand, laughing at Luffy flailing around for his plate.

She was a lot like you, brat. Annoying and hardworking, and a real pain in the ass.

Sanji sighed, remembering the old mans words. There was no way this was going to turn out well.

"Wait, Sanji." Luffy thought, stopping outside the door of the restaurant. It was obviously packed inside, voices of hundreds of conversations murmuring, and a smooth jazz flowing about the establishment. "If the sous chef back then was a little girl, she's probably as old as you now, right? Since you were a kid when you started work with Old Man Zeff."

"Yeah." Sanji agreed. "She's the exact same age as me."

"Hope she's not the same personality as you too." Zoro grumbled. "Annoying pervert cook."

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped, bickering and scuffling with Zoro as Robin pushed open the front door.

"Hello, welcome to the Star Michelin. Do you have a reservation?" The hostess asked kindly, flipping through her book.

"I'm afraid not." Robin replied, digging in Nami's bag. "However, we're actually looking for a certain chef." She pulled out the Eternal Pose, and showed the hostess the bottom.

A messy, cursive scrawl read, Come see me again, beautiful!

"Is [Name] still working here?"

"She's going to be just like Sanji." Zoro groaned.

Usopp laughed, patting his back. "Hopefully just as good a cook!"

The hostess sighed, closing her book and rummaging in the drawers of the front desk. "You're Nico Robin, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Chopper gaped at her. "Is it okay to just admit that?"

"This restaurant serves all kinds of people. Last time you came, you were with Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, after all." The hostess nodded, flipping open a new book, titled [Name]'s Guide to Attractive People She's Expecting to Return. "Let's see, Nico Robin and Crocodile... Oh, but Crocodile isn't with you, so just Robin..." She flipped to a different page.

"What a detailed book of instructions!" Nami awed. "What an incredibly hardworking woman!"

"So how come you call Sanji a pervert, but this lady is hardworking?" Luffy asked, digging in his ear.

"Please don't dig in bodily crevices in this establishment." The hostess said without looking up. "Let's see.. 'Nico Robin is free to come find me in the kitchen at any given time, and can bring one more attractive person along with her. Anybody else accompanying her can wait by the front desk.' That's what she says."

"Can the rest of us eat?" Luffy asked. "I'm hungry!"

"You'll have to ask her that." The hostess said kindly, stepping around the table to guide them.

"This [Name] sure holds a lot of sway over the restaurant." Usopp said, looking around at the dignified establishment. Every single diner was clearly ecstatic with their food.

"Of course," the hostess bowed, holding out her hand in the direction of the kitchen, "She's been a sous chef here since she could reach the counter with a stool, and she's the executive chef's daughter, after all. She's a valuable member of our staff."

"Well, Nami? I'm sure she'd love to meet you." Robin said, offering her hand to the ginger.

"I'd love to, but..." Nami said hesitantly, "Well, don't you think Sanji should be the one going? He's our cook after all."

"Nami-swannn! Are you saying I'm attractive?!" Sanji swooned, reaching towards her for a hug.

She swiftly dodged, pushing his face with her palm and holding him far away from her face. "Er, no. I'm saying maybe she'll find you attractive enough to allow in her kitchen and watch her work."

"If I recall correctly, her type is good looking ladies and gentleman who have a dignified air about them." Robin laughed. "Crocodile was a good looker, but a bit too much of a thug for her tastes. I'm sure if Sanji behaves, he can stay in the kitchen."

"Robin-chwan thinks I'm attractive too!!" Sanji cried, taking her outstretched hand, before his face suddenly fell serious. "Fine. Luffy's not gonna let up on recruiting another chef anyways, so I might as well finally see whether or not she's up for it."

Sanji hated to admit it, but on the way to the kitchen, he didn't see a single unsatisfied face. Any conversation that was being held was either people waiting excitedly for their meals, or gushing about how delicious the food was. Many people weren't speaking at all, savoring their food and looking positively overjoyed at the flavors in their mouth.

Just how good of a cook are this woman and her head chef?

Just as the hostess was about to push the swinging door of the kitchen, a woman barged out, arms raised high above her head as she stretched loudly and yawned. "Oi, old man! I've gotta pee, so you better take care of things until I come back!"

"Shut up!" A man yelled from the depths of the kitchen. "Just take yer piss already and hurry on back! There's a party of fifteen, damnit!"

"I don't want to make that stupid party's meal." The woman grimaced, eyes still closed. "They all ordered fuckin' chicken tenders and nuggets. Off the kids meal! Damnit, this is the Star Michelin! Order a real meal, fuck!"

Finally, her eyes opened, taking in the hostess and the two guests. She stood silently for a moment, gaping, before immediately snapping into action.

"It's nice to see you, Miss Sous Chef." Robin smiled, reaching her hand out for a handshake.

You swiftly ignored her, grabbing her hand and kissing it gently. "Miss Robin... Years have passed and not a single day has gone by where I didn't miss your beautiful face, your gentle fragrance.. What beautiful eyes, you truly haven't changed! The air of youth about you, how positively unmistakable - you're somehow more radiant than the day we met! Why, how can I help..."

You trailed off, looking at the man beside her. Your eyes scanned him from top to bottom, taking in his lanky figure, his dignified attire, and the cigarette in his mouth. "Smoking in a restaurant? Why, you..."

Your eyes darkened, and Sanji grimaced. He was certainly about to get an earful - wait, why were you taking out a carton of your own?!

You put a cigarette in your mouth and put the tip of yours against the tip of his, catching fire. You inhaled deeply, blowing the smoke into his face. Cigarette firmly between your teeth, you grabbed his hand gently.

"What a handsome, astonishing man you are. What a figure! I can tell that your hands are marred with days of hard work - you must be a chef yourself! Yes, what a dignified air about you, and what extraordinary eyebrows. You're positively striking!" You fawned, trailing your fingers up his sleeve to hold his cheek.

His face flushed, unable to respond. He hadn't even gotten the chance to hit on you yet! Certainly, he was a flirt, but nobody had ever returned the advances, let alone come at him first. Before he could open his mouth, Robin chimed in.

"My dear, it is lovely to see you. However, we're absolutely starving. Would you be willing to give us a meal and then sit down at the table with us? Let us explain why we've come to find you."

"Absolutely, my beautiful Nico Robin!" You swooned. "Anything for you at all - Violet, please get these guests and any company they have a seat and take their orders! On me, of course!"

You paused then, frowning just slightly. "Miss Robin... Sir Crocodile wouldn't happen to be here, would he?"

"No. It seems you haven't heard - Sir Crocodile has been defeated and arrested." She smiled, before leaning in to whisper in your ear. "By the captain of the pirates I'm here with, actually."

Your face reddened feverishly - Robin was so close to you! "I-I see! Well, good." You crossed your arms, clearing your throat. "What a brute of a man. Positively unbearable."

Your tone dropped, face twisting to mimic the former Warlord of the Sea, voice low and uncaring. "Why, you must be the sous chef. What a delightful meal. Won't you come work for me? You're quite the looker too." You groaned, stomping your foot petulantly on the ground. "I've never met someone that says all the right things in the most incorrect tone!"

Sanji chuckled lightly, finishing off his cigarette and tossing it into the ashtray right by the kitchen, which was already quite full. "Well, that sure sounds like him. Well, mon ange, won't you cook us a meal?" He smirked then, winking at you. "I'm the current chef of the crew, after all. I'm looking forward to seeing your skills."

"Oh?" You grinned then, but there was a hint of competitiveness in your look. "So, I have to impress this princely looking fellow, then? And of course you, Miss Robin! I'll make you the best dish you've ever had the pleasure of eating!"

"Don't worry, miss." Robin smiled. "I've said nothing but good things about your dishes, and to this day they're still the best I've had."

"Whaaat?!" Sanji wailed, turning to Robin. "Robin-chwan! You're breaking my heart!"

You smiled smugly, rubbing your nose. "Well, of course! Only one man can best me, after all! I'm the second-in-command at Star Michelin!"

Sanji's eyes narrowed at that. So you were competitive, huh? "We'll see."

"Sure will, handsome." You winked at him.

Crap! He thought, head spinning with fervor. He wanted to be standoffish towards you, but you were such a beautiful woman! "Yes... We will..." He stammered. "Let's go, Robin-chwan!"

He ran off, following the hostess to a table as she beckoned to the rest of the group. Robin laughed lightly, looking at you. "I think he likes you."

"You think?!" You gasped, stars in your eyes.

"Yes, I do. So don't scare him off, okay?"

"YES!" You shouted, eyes determined and ablaze. "My first lover is inbound!"

"Perhaps don't shout it that loud..." Robin laughed, waving as she went to sit at the table that was bursting with laughter and shouting.

You no longer needed a piss break - you'd entirely forgotten it at this point. You stormed back into the restaurant, pointing at the head chef. "Listen, old man. The next order that comes in, I'm going to make single-handedly, okay?! Don't help me at all! Don't bother me!"

"What about the sets of chicken tenders and nuggets for the party of fifteen?" He groaned, staring at the ticket.

"YOU MAKE IT! DON'T PISS ME OFF!" You yelled, kicking him in the back. "You know that aggravates me! God, what the hell?!"

You harrumphed, before gleefully hearing the hostess, Violet, enter the kitchen once more, carrying the largest ticket you'd ever seen. "Miss, I must warn you that the leader of Nico Robin's group seems to eat enough for five families."

"Hey, Pops." You said seriously. "I need your help."

"But the chicken tenders!" Your father objected. “You said you didn’t want my help!”

"GODDAMNIT, GIVE THE TICKET TO SOMEONE ELSE!" You shouted, grabbing the ticket of kids menu food and slapping it in front of another chef, who flinched in your presence.

Your father sighed, turning around to look at the ticket. His eyes bulged out of his head. "Goodness - all this for a table of seven?!"

"The captain inhaled the bread baskets we provided. He seems to be very hungry." Violet said. "Also, the blonde one requested your best efforts. He seems rather interested in your cooking."

"Oho?" Your father grinned slyly at you. "He, huh?"

"Old man, this meal has to be perfect." You snarled, rolling up your sleeves to get started on the massive order. "First, I'm gonna show that chef his place. Then, I'm gonna make sure he loves my food so much I'm the only chef he'll ever eat from again!"

Your father blinked, smiling warmly. You hadn't seemed so enthused in your craft in a while. "Alright. Let's get to work, then."

Fifteen minutes of grueling labor later, twenty waitstaff walked out of the kitchen, arms full with plates of Mapo tofu, Mentai spaghetti, carbonara, and various other dishes.

Luffy clapped in glee, immediately stuffing his face. "Wow, this is good! Let's make sure to get her."

"Anything is good to you." Sanji retorted, eyeing his plate of mentaiko pasta. It was presented flawlessly - simple, yet elegant. Minimal garnish, but with a beautiful layout. The smell was a perfect balance of garlic, seaweed, and pollock roe, nothing overpowering anything else. He glared at the dish with a surprising menace, refusing to take a bite until everyone else at the table had eaten.

Well, everyone had eaten anyways. Luffy was already four dishes in, Zoro quick behind with 3 plates licked clean. Nami and Robin ate their dishes quietly, but it was clear they were enjoying themselves. Usopp and Chopper, noticing Sanji's anger, picked at their food first, but the moment they took their first bite, they could no longer hold back and immediately wailed in delight, shoveling food into their mouths.

"So?" Your voice, filled with mirth, asked behind the chef. "How is it?"

Sanji's head turned just enough to see you, grinning viciously. He frowned, but picked up his fork nonetheless.

"Lady, this is really good!" Luffy said, face covered in food. "You should join us on the sea and be our sous chef!"

"That's what you're here for?" Your father asked, shocked. You, too, were baffled, turning to Robin, who smiled charmingly at you.

"Yesh." Luffy and Zoro nodded, faces stuffed. "Sanji's having trouble cooking for all of us."

"I can see why." You laughed heartily at the stack of empty plates between the captain and his first man. "Sure! I've been itching to get away from the restaurant, anyways. My pops doesn't need my help anymore, I've trained a good kid to replace me. This is perfect, I've been wanting an adventure!"

"My daughter.. is going off with seafaring criminals..." Your father whimpered. "The day has come too soon..."

"So?" You prompted again, nudging the back of the Straw Hats' chefs head.

He set his fork down silently, swallowing the spaghetti and taking a sip of his wine. Slowly, he turned around, and you braced yourself for critique.

His eyes were warm as the sun, staring at you in awe.

"Mon ange, this is like nothing I've ever had!" He swooned, grabbing your hand. "You're truly an exceptional cook, I'm positively speechless."

"And yet, he's speaking." Your father and Violet observed, grimacing.

"You warm my heart, sir." You swooned back, grabbing his wrist that was holding yours and kissing it. "Why, I can just tell you're immensely capable and absolutely wonderful at your job! I can't believe I'll be working under such a handsome man... I'll most certainly be looking forward to it!"

Sanji’s ears were as warm as a fire.

Ever since you stepped foot on board, Zoro has been having the worst time of his life. Yes, the breakfast issue was solved. Matter of fact, his meals were fresh and ready the moment he stepped foot into the dining area, as if they'd been made specifically to be piping hot once he was ready to eat. The portions were perfect, the seasoning perfect, and there were always seconds if he needed.

The problem was that there was two of Sanji. Sanji the original, and...

You. Ew.

He couldn't deny you were a damn capable chef, but he almost always lost his appetite when he entered the dining area because all you two did was flirt with each other - in front of his food!

And the two of you were touchy too. A graze to your waist, a squeeze of his bicep, a poke to the ribs, a grab of his pec - god, could you two stop?!

The two of you blinked, turning around. He blinked in return - ah, did he say that out loud?

"Hey, moss-head." You growled, flinging a handful of minced onions at his eyes. He whimpered aloud, eyes watering immediately. "I'll take your damn food away."

"Muscle-headed swordsman." Sanji agreed, slamming a pan on top of his head. "We are having a moment."

"We are, aren't we?" You cooed, dragging your pointer finger up his chest to hold his chin. Blood dribbled slowly out of his nose, he felt undeniably woozy, but he grabbed your waist nonetheless, pulling you in close.

"Oh, mon ange, you truly awe me every day. You prepare the ingredients I need flawlessly and without fail, so quickly and efficiently! Even when Luffy keeps asking for more, you're already cooking! What a beautiful, capable sous chef I have!"

Zoro stood up, grabbing his plates of food. "You guys are fuckin' nasty." He huffed, opening the door and plopping himself on the deck.

"Zoro's upset because he's got no lover." Luffy yawned, stumbling out of the men's quarters. "Hey, where's my food?"

"It's on the table already." You and Sanji said, not taking your eyes (or hands, for that matter), off of each other.

"When you're done eating the first five plates, we'll start preparing more." You sighed dreamily, hand now slipping dangerously beneath Sanji's dress shirt, thumb tracing circles on his hip.

Sanji fell over, eyes rolling in the back of his head. Multiple hands appeared from the floor of the kitchen to help you catch him. "You know... When I said not to scare him away, I didn't mean break him either." Robin laughed, stepping into the kitchen and slumping Sanji against the wall, watching you sit next to him.

"Hiya, Robin." You grinned. "You think it's working, though?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Zoro shouted from outside the kitchen, slamming a fist on the door. "He practically slips out of his clothes every time you talk to him."

"Zoro's jealous he's alone." Usopp chimed, stepping into the kitchen with Nami. He sat next to Luffy, who was already three plates deep. "You guys are gross to watch."

"Happy for you, though!" Nami grinned, wiggling her eyebrows at you. "Happy for us, too. You guys haven't flirted with us in a solid week."

"How could I flirt with anybody else when such a fine specimen is right in front of me?" You cooed, laying Sanji down in your lap. "A beautiful, dignified man who cooks spectacularly, and appreciates my skills too! The full package!"

"Far be it from me to deny you your heart's deepest desires." Robin teased, taking a bite of her morning French toast. "As far as I'm concerned, you're certainly excellent at your job."

You smiled warmly. "Robin, you're so flattering."

"I only say the truth." She nodded, sipping her smoothie. "Shouldn't you get started on the cook's meal?"

"Ah!" You said, gently lifting Sanji's head off your lap and leaning it against the fridge. "Yes, certainly! An omelet for the executive chef today!"

Since you joined the Straw Hats, you and Sanji had gotten into the habit of only eating meals made by each other. They were almost always recipes that were still in development - curry substituted with oranges rather than apples, carbonara made with cured dinosaur meat rather than guanciale.

You bustled around the kitchen, savoring the hums of content from your crew members as you prepared mise en place. Eggs, cheese, dashes of Alabasta spices - everything was laid out as you gently oiled the pan and let it heat.

Sanji stood up, wobbling, but slowly made his way over to you, leaning his chin on your shoulder as he watched you work. "What an interesting combination you're working on for me today."

You smiled gently, moving carefully as to not move him too much. "I think a spicy omelet could be interesting. Let's just hope I balance the seasonings right."

"Trial and error, mon ange. Either way, I've never had a bad meal from you." He sighed happily, burying his face into your neck.

"In front of my eggs?" Usopp groaned, grabbing his second plate.

"More!" Luffy said, bringing his five empty plates to the sink. Sanji grabbed them silently, soaking them in water and soap as he began working on Luffy's next servings.

You frowned a bit as his skin left yours, but the displeasure quickly disappeared as you saw him smile at you, watching you work as he began preparing.

"So fucking tired." You yawned, two weeks later. For absolutely no reason, Luffy had decided to throw a party on the Going Merry. Naturally, the largest victims of his sudden decision were you and Sanji.

Of course, it was a good time. You couldn't help but smile when you heard Luffy's contagious laughter flood across the deck, everyone chiming in on conversation, Zoro tucked far away from the feast later in the night with bottles of alcohol surrounding him.

Plate after plate was brought out into the dining room, you and Sanji constantly cycling through washing plates and making new dishes to fill your insatiable crew.

"You did well, ange." He said kindly, ruffling your hair.

"You, too." You murmured, rubbing sleep from your eyes. "Want me to make you something?"

"I should be asking you that," Sanji laughed, pulling out a chair next to you at the now empty dining table, stacked with dirty plates. "Your mapo tofu was what Luffy kept asking for, after all. You had to keep making more."

"I think we're out of tofu..." You laughed, blinking at him. "But I'm happy. That I'm here now, with all of you. Even if they eat more than anybody I've ever met before, I'm more than happy to provide. And..." You fell silent, staring at your hands.

Sanji blinked, watching you silently. Your face flushed, the lighest shade of red.

"I couldn't be happier that I get to cook alongside you."

The executive chef's face reddened deeply, but a huge grin split across his face. "I think I love you."

The table fell silent, and you gaped at him. He was a furious shade of red now, face so hot that you swore you could see heat waves radiating off him.

"Huh?"

"I love you." He repeated, reaching for your hand. "You're a cook beyond compare. A hard worker, an adventurer, the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on."

The shade of your face matched his now, as you took your free hand and covered your blushing face. He shook his head, taking that hand too and holding them both in his, gently as possible. He studied your hands intensely. "Years of work. Little scars from when you were just learning knifework." He smiled gently. "I love every part of you."

You stared at him blankly, but all he could do was smile. There was nothing left for him to say, as he'd already said it all. He leaned closer to you, pecking the corner of your lips. "I mean it."

You wondered when your face would cool down, if ever. "I..." Your eyes turned watery. "I love you too."

You stood up out of your chair, peppering kisses all over his face as he laughed, grabbing your waist. "God, how did I get so lucky?" You cried, burying your face in his neck.

| VULTURE | PART TWO | RORONOA ZORO

summary: after (sort of) confessing his feelings for you in the middle of the alabasta dunes, zoro now has to deal with you focusing more on the mission and the aftermath than him. in any other scenario, it wouldn't be too tough - but, when celebrations finally come around and your drinking skills make an appearance, how come you end up in his bed every night?! [set - alabasta] pairing: roronoa zoro x straw hat! reader wc: 3.3k tags: this is a part two! f! reader, enemies to lovers, fluff, filler (wandering through the desert, zoro v mr. 1, then celebration), you lowkey aurafarm, still blunt, still rude, still snarky, zoro is in DEEP, you are too but you fight so hard not to show it, suggestive undertones, slight canon divergence (he needs a little help against Mr. 1, Mr. 3 died on Little Garden), the feast for Alabasta is over multiple days, haha you have an iron fist (metaphorically) and that's funny later, you guys drink a LOT a/n: you ask and you shall receive - i will live and die by the fact that zoro is FUNNY first chapter <-

Zoro was hot and bothered.

Well, sure. Hot - he was in the desert, huffing as he lugged around the bag of berries and heavily hand-filtered water you'd tossed to him. The sun was blazing, there was no breeze, and even worse, you yelled at him for drinking water while you carried absolutely nothing, shading your eyes as you looked for more resources.

Bothered? That, too, was entirely your fault. A week, now, he'd known you. And all seven days, you were positively torturous.

"Why don't we finish this job for Vivi, and you can find me after?" The words flashed in his mind, your smug smile gleaming in his thoughts, and he stopped in his tracks, panting.

You turned around, one eyebrow raised. "Getting tired, little swordsman? We're almost at the meeting point, you know. Just hold out."

"Did you mean it?" Zoro asked, hand tightening around the strap of the heavy resource bag. Slinging it back over his shoulder, he staggered towards you, hot forehead leaning against your shoulder.

"Mean what?" You replied, slipping your hand under his headdress to check his temperature. He was perfectly fine. "You good, swordsman?"

"That I could come find you. After." He looked up at you, gaze lingering on your sweaty neck.

You snorted, pushing his face back with your finger on his nose. "What, like you know me to be a liar? Yeah, Zoro. Let's save Alabasta, and then you can come find me."

"'Kay." He grumbled, pushing his cheek against your palm. "Promise?"

"Stop dawdling, swordsman." You harrumphed, flicking his cheek and walking off towards Yuba. "We have a stupid captain to meet, and resources to split."

You looked back, a couple feet ahead of him now. He was still in the exact same stance, head lowered right where your palm once was, bag heavy on his back.

"I promise."

Zoro started walking.

Not only had you not let him fulfill the promise yet, but he also owed you. Which was almost the worst outcome possible - Nami was a hustler, Vivi made you feel so guilty for owing that you ended up owing more, and you?

Man, you were straight up mean. You'd berate him to the end of the earth. You'd challenge him to drink and make sure he woke up with a raging headache - the only person to outdrink him, the only one who somehow sniffed out liquor before he did. You'd gamble while drinking, and on top of waking up with his head throbbing, his wallet was empty. The only soul on the boat you'd ever show mercy to was Chopper, who you took care of like your own flesh and blood.

Yet, it somehow got worse. He didn't owe you money - he owed you his life.

A swordsman versus a man made of steel. A man, sharp at every point, with further reach than he, lethal through touch of any limb. When the man cut down the bridge above Zoro, rocks cascading downwards, it was you who pulled him out and to the side, rapidly avoiding the debris as you set him down gently on the ground.

He wavered in and out of consciousness, losing blood at a devastating pace. You tossed him a roll of bandages swiftly, and he caught it, arms shaking.

"My fight is with the swordsman." Mr. 1 stated calmly, pointing his jagged fingers at you.

"He's unavailable." You replied swiftly, sprinting towards your opponent. Jabs and slashes came your way, but you evaded, fist slamming on the top of his iron-hard head.

"I recognize you." The agent groaned, stepping backwards. "You worked for Crocodile, taking on temporary jobs that were too inconvenient for others. The phantom agent, [Name] the Iron Fist."

"Lame. Super lame name." You grunted, closing the distance to swipe at his face once more.

He dodged, arm jabbing at your neck. You sidestepped, dashing backwards to where Zoro was. He didn't look good - pallid, panting, sweating heavily.

"You killed Mr. 3." The agent stated. "You've carried out your goal. Why do you intervene now?"

"I have a promise to keep." You said, stepping in front of Zoro. "One that can only be carried out once this country is free."

"I'm not a good match for you. You know that. Fists cannot beat steel. You have no powers."

"Wrong. I ate the Fist-Fist fruit, which gives me the ability to shove my whole fist up your fucking ass." You snarked, before disappearing on the spot.

Mr. 1 grunted in annoyance, aggravated at your sass. The wind flowed by his ear, and he jabbed his arm forward.

Squelch.

"B-bitch..." You groaned, as Mr. 1 pulled his razor-sharp fingers from out of your bleeding shoulder. "You'd better... win..."

"Speak up." Mr. 1 demanded, stepping forward to take hold of your neck.

"Zoro... you owe me... big time... bastard..." You trailed off, eyes rolling into the back of your head.

"Yeah." Zoro huffed from behind Mr. 1, causing the agent to turn around in shock. "I'll find you. Later."

"I would really like to get up." You complained to Vivi, who was pushing your shoulder back into the hospital ward bed. "Come on, let me help repair the kingdom or whatever."

"No." Vivi warned, pushing you back. When you kept getting up, she sat on your stomach. "No! Listen here, you almost lost your whole arm! You get that? Your whole arm."

"Sure." You nodded, picking your ear. "And then I was well enough to fall asleep and miss literally everything until it was all already resolved. I think I'm pretty okay."

"No, you lost consciousness!" Vivi, Chopper, and the palace doctor yelled.

"No, I was asleep. Plus, I’m good with my fists.” You nodded firmly. "I've decided."

"It's not a matter of deciding! And you being good with your fists still has nothing to do with it!” Chopper shouted, running over to hit you on the head. "Doctor and princess' orders! Rest!"

You scowled viciously, but lowered yourself back into bed anyways, immediately falling asleep and snoring aloud.

"She fell asleep!" Vivi and Chopper's jaws dropped. Loud snoring erupted from the other side of the nursing ward, drawing attention. Zoro's mouth was wide open, drool dripping out of his mouth and onto the pillow as he slept, heavily bandaged, holding his swords. "Zoro fell asleep as soon as she did!"

"Two dolts..." Usopp and Nami sighed. Terracotta walked in then, hauling a ginormous cart of fruit for Luffy, which he swiftly inhaled. "Three dolts..."

"I'm hungry!" Luffy stated.

"You just ate everything! Wait for dinner!" Nami yelled, whacking his head.

"Now, I'm just wondering. As we prepare a feast over the next few days, we wanted to know what kind of alcohol you all prefer. Or other drinks for that matter-"

"Alcohol?" Two drowsy voices chimed. "Where?"

"They're awake!" Vivi and Chopper shouted, faces pale in shock. "Just at the word alcohol!"

"Where?" You and Zoro said groggily, rubbing your eyes at the same time. "What alcohol?"

"No, dears. I was asking what kind of alcohol you'd like for your next meals." Terracotta laughed gently. "If you had a preference."

"Beer!" You yelled.

"Sake!" Zoro retorted. You glared at him fiercely, shoving your middle finger in the air.

"Wine!"

"Sake!"

"You greedy pig." You spat. "There's multiple meals, she said. Multiple! We can have different alcohol! Lots of it!"

"Shut up!" Zoro retorted, pointing a finger at your face. "You are not drinking! You could've lost an arm! One whole arm!"

"Who are you to talk?!" You flung your pillow across the room, Nami and Usopp ducking. "Your torso's all cut up! Annoying! Stupid! Ugly bastard!"

"Hey, now... What've me and Sanji said about honesty?" Usopp sighed. Sanji threw his cigarette at Usopp - a quiet statement. I'm too tired. Keep me out of this. Whatever happens.. Side with [Name]-chwan.

"We're surrounded by weirdos!" Usopp and Nami groaned.

"Now, listen here..." Zoro growled, sharpening his eyes.

"No, you listen." You warned, eyes glinting with mischief before a smile spread across your face. Zoro flinched back, scrambling to the corner of his bed. An evil, evil smile. "Oi, Zoro. You owe me."

His face paled. Shit. You remembered.

"So, tonight. We're drinking. Everything."

"No..."

"Come on, Zoro!" Usopp said, patting his back. "You can outdrink anybody!"

"Hey, Usopp." Luffy blinked, picking his nose. "You passed out last time we drank, but it was Zoro who lost, you know?"

"What?!" Usopp shrieked, gasping in shock. "No... Zoro... Save yourself..."

"'M sorry."

"Hah?! Are you quitting already?" You burped, wiping your mouth and slamming down the empty pint of beer. "Another! Let's keep drinking! Come on, Zoro."

"Sorry..." He whispered, hand reaching across the table to grasp yours. "You got hurt... 'Cause of me.."

You blinked, grabbing another pint of beer and chugging half, before smacking his head. "Sap! Stop bein' sad and drink more."

The guards' stomachs hurt from laughing - your antics, combined with Luffy's, had utterly defeated them and they were all curled up fetal position on the floor.

King Nefertari blinked, before turning to the decently sober Nami. "Are your two crewmates over there dating?"

Nami giggled, wiggling her eyebrows at Vivi. "Are they? Well... Not yet!" They burst into laughter, getting out of their seats to dance and laugh.

You burped loudly, slamming down Zoro's ochoko of sake. "Zoro, wake up!" He snored soundly, still holding your hand, drooling on the table. "Jeez... Guys, I'm gonna take Zoro to his room!"

"Oho?" Nami, Vivi, and King Nefertari smirked, before whispering among themselves and bursting into laughter, the king now joining the dance circle. "Yes, have fun with that!"

You blinked, cheeks red from alcohol. "Okay." You walked over to the other side of the table, slinging Zoro over your good shoulder.

Passing Chopper on the way out, you felt his hoof tap your waist. Groggily, he said "...no high-energy activity while you're injured."

Your ears flushed further. "Come on, Chopper. I'm just bringing him back."

He smirked, still half-asleep. "That's what he did, too, when you fell asleep in our room."

You snorted and left. While you carried him to his room, Zoro's hand sleepily drifted to your waist, rubbing small circles into it. "Thank you... you're so nice to me..."

"You said I was too mean to you just a day ago." You sighed, pushing the door of his room open and lumbering in. You were dizzy now, floor spinning, but you managed to put him into bed anyways and stripping his shirt and pants off.

I don't like sleeping in my day clothes. They make me warm. He'd said that to you once.

"I like when you're mean to me." He said sleepily, holding his arms out. You blinked, then promptly passed out.

This cannot continue, Zoro has decided. It was rare to have your own room as a pirate, let alone a room with a good, decent bed size and a door that you alone could lock.

Yet, how is it that even with these privileges, he can still hear laughing from outside his door? Nami, of course - and naturally, Vivi too.

"Told you..." they laughed, muffled, "told you she'd sleep here!"

Who? Who sleep where? Zoro started to get up, before realizing his arms were incapacitated. Looking down - what the fuck?

You again. Snoring. Drooling. One foot sticking out of the blanket. Reeking of the heaviest, yet somehow most charming liquor smell he'd ever had the (dis)pleasure of experiencing. Clinging to his bandaged chest, his arms wrapped firmly around you.

His eyes bulged out of his head.

Come find me after. That's what you said - so how come you were in his room?! Memories came flooding back; keg after keg of beer, bottle after bottle of wine, endless ochokos of sake. You dragging him back, him silently pleading for you to say.

But you hadn't even meant to stay! You passed out. Zoro groaned at this revelation, somehow just a little upset over it. This meant that you didn't exactly seek him out - your crashing here was a total accident.

He frowned at this, brushing your hair out of your eyes. But then, maybe it was something in itself that you'd brought him back and felt safe enough to just pass out here, even with your instincts.

It made him feel just that little bit better. Gently prying your hands off his waist, he got out of bed, picking his clothes off the floor and getting dressed. He threw the blanket back over you, keeping your foot out, and headed for the door.

Opening it, his frown grew even deeper. Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Vivi, Sanji (still very upset at this development), Luffy (sleeping on the floor with a piece of meat in his mouth), King Nefertari, Igaram-! All awake individuals grinned at him once he stepped out.

We know your secret.

Whatever. He walked away.

"Hey, Zoro!" Nami whispered. "You forgot to close the door. Your girlfriend is reaching for you in the empty bed!"

He froze in his tracks, grimacing. Turning over his options in his brain, he racked his mind for possibilities.

Shit. None of the possibilities sounded as good as going back to bed. He sighed, turning around and trudging back to the room, the door locking behind him.

"He locked the door!" King Nefertari giggled.

Stupid old man. He sighed, peeling his shoes off again by the bedside. Your arms were where he was, and you grabbed at the pillow like it was his face. He sighed some more, than peeled his clothes off and got back under the covers.

"More." You said, slamming down an ochoko stolen from Sanji.

"Gods, she drinks like an endless pit." King Nefertari sighed, signaling for more liquor. Sanji ran in from the kitchen, carrying yet another bottle of wine and sprinting to your side.

Zoro appeared out of nowhere, snatching the bottle from his grasp and pouring it for you. Sanji's brows furrowed.

"What's your issue?"

"You know what my issue is." Zoro said, drinking out of the bottle when he finished pouring. "You were outside this morning, just like everybody else."

"Have you done anything yet, moss-head?" Sanji smirked, lighting a cigarette. "Or are you just going to keep hoping she wanders back to your side all the time?"

"Feelings can't be rushed!" Nami and Vivi squealed from the end of the table.

"Sanji! More dessert!" Nami added, holding her plate up.

"Coming, Nami-swan!!"

Zoro turned to you, sweat dripping down the side of his face as he saw you finish another bottle. God, you were insatiable. And pretty. Your hair looked really good. Your eyes were so beautiful-

"I tap out!" He shouted, hands slamming at the table. You were distracting. He had to get back to his room! "I'm going to bed early!"

He left the dining hall, walking at an unusually brisk pace for a drunk man. Opening his door, he untied his swords from his hip and set them gently by the entrance. Shutting the door behind him, he sighed, peeling his clothes off and flopping into bed. It was so warm, and he was so dizzy.

He knew you were going to be a problem. He groaned, feeling his face redden again just at the thought of you. Pretty. Messy. A slob. Drooler. Snorer. Fighter. Risk-taker. Violent. Brutish. Attractive.

He admitted it. He was in love with you for the strangest possible reasons. He sighed, defeated, turning to sleep on his side, before the door flung open.

"Um, hello? This is my room." He huffed, sitting up from bed - but the door had already shut. In the dark room stood a very familiar figure, wobbling side to side, approaching the bed. "You again? Jeez... What is this, some kind of curse? You only sleep with me when we're both drunk out of our minds?"

"Move, Zoro." You sniffled, pushing him to the side to crash on the bed. "I'm mad at you."

"What'd I do now?" He groaned, putting a hand atop your head lightly. "Come on, look at me, pretty. What'd I do?"

You turned to face him, eyes watering. He froze. Who the fuck knew you could cry?! Legends never spoke of evil witches crying.

"You... never came to find me..." You whimpered, a tear flowing down your face.

His eyebrows furrowed. "I was too drunk yesterday. And you were too drunk today. We are too drunk. All the time."

"Who cares?!" You shouted, hitting his shoulder. He sat there, letting you hit him for a bit, before sighing again.

"I care." He replied simply, holding your wrist and kissing your palm. "You know that."

"Could've fooled me. Sword-hoarding bastard."

"What, you want me to ask now? Impatient woman." He grinned, cheeks still red. "You're drunk. Let's go to sleep."

"No." You refused, sticking your pointer finger up his nose. He shouted, squirming. "Ask me now."

"Ask you what?" He smirked, pinching your cheeks and pulling them apart. "You know, you're cute when you're not yelling at me."

"Shtop it! Bitch!" You swatted his hands away. "You know what I want you to ask me. Ask me, and I'll fall asleep and maybe even kiss you a bunch."

"Yeah?" His smile grew wider. "Promise? And you'll remember in the morning too?"

"Yesh!" You insisted, sticking your other pointer finger up his other nostril, making him groan in disgust. "Sho ashk!"

"Alright, woman. God, you're ridiculous. Loud. Impatient. Annoying. Rude. Sloppy."

"Ask like you like me!" You said firmly, stating his side.

"I'M NOT DONE!" He retorted, swaddling you in the blanket and watching you flail. "Yeah, you're warm, aren't you? Stay like that, since you won't stop yammerin'!"

He sighed, but chuckled a bit, watching you squirm about in the bed. "But you're kind too, when you want to be. Impatient because you can't wait for good things. Loud, to fill up the silence of a room. Rude, yet honest. You live like there's simply no tomorrow. You fight next to me like there might not be one. And, honestly? I've never met a single soul that could outdrink me while stealing all my money at the same time."

You paused your squirming, looking up at his smiling face from on the bed. His eyes were warm, like looking at you was looking at a midday sunny sky.

"I love you, even though you scavenge like a vulture and make me drag around all your shit. Even though you like me and don't even let me drink water in the desert."

"Well, that would be selfish." You nodded, pondering drunkly. "We should save as much water as possible until everybody gets a share."

"Selfless, too." He grinned. "I like that."

"Ask, then."

"What do you think all of that was?!" He yelled, chopping you on the head.

"A declaration of love." You said blandly. "But you didn't ask."

He slumped into bed, hands over his reddened face. Then, he turned to face you, still swaddled. Seeing your pouty, flushed face, he smiled. In return, you couldn't help but grin too.

"You're mine. Okay?"

"That's the strangest way I've ever heard anyone ask someone to be their girlfriend." You said, rolling out of the bed and unfurling the blanket, before jumping back on to put him in a headlock.

"Grrk!" He choked rocking back and forth. "Gerroff! Gerroff!"

You laughed loudly, but released him, watching him gasp for breath before shouting when he poked you in your side. "Answer! I asked!"

"Okay!" You relinquished.

"Okay?" He blinked.

"Okay. Yeah, I am. I'm yours." You said, throwing the blanket back over the two of you. Zoro sat up, pulling the blanket back so your leg stuck out.

"Night."

"Mmm."

"So? Nami grinned mischeviously at you and Zoro, wiggling her eyebrows. "Did you make Vivi and her dad proud?"

"Why would you say it like that?" Usopp frowned. "That's totally gross."

"Bitch finally asked." You nodded resolutely, finally sober.

"Hag finally accepted." Zoro said, pinching your side.

| VULTURE | RORONOA ZORO

summary: from the moment you joined the straw hat pirates, there was always one person that irked you more than the rest. when tensions boil over, who cracks first? [set little garden - alabasta] pairing: roronoa zoro x straw hat pirate! reader wc: 3.5k tags: f! reader,enemies to lovers, fluff, backstory included, you're a tough nut to crack, you're a little dumb in the beginning, you're also very blunt, slight divergence from canon (zoro goes with you to the middle of nowhere instead of following vivi's route in Alabasta), zoro is all bark no bite, suggestive undertones next chapter ->

When Roronoa Zoro first laid eyes on you, he'd honestly found you kind of cute. Sanji, certainly, felt the same, fawning just as much as any other time he laid eyes on a woman.

Then you opened your mouth.

But there was something fierce about you. Something damn near territorial, that drew his attention when the Going Merry first docked in Little Garden.

While everyone else was split up, Sanji came across you first during their hunting competiton - not entirely looking his best, hauling a dinosaur. He fawned and fawned, but you only scowled, making a puree of sorts out of some berries you'd found earlier, stirring aggressively in a pot.

He begged you to follow him - having nothing else to do, you obliged, but grumbled the whole way, not giving him a single inch on his advances, and even giving him a foot to the face once or twice.

Then, the fork in the road merged into just one path - and there Zoro was.

When you first met Zoro, you'd honestly found him kinda cute. Sanji, certainly, could not say the same - grimacing at his face, yelling at him for not greeting you like the lady you were.

"The fuck?" You said, tone withering Sanji away. "Why've you both got dinosaurs? What kinda diet you eat?"

"Hah?" Zoro replied, glare searing. "It's the only meat on this island. I'm not a damn vegetarian - nobody on the ship is. Sanji will cook it either way, so what's it matter?"

"What's with your tone?" You bit back.

"You started it." Zoro huffed, dropping the head of his dinosaur and stomping over to you. "What are you, some kinda nomad? You look like a fucking mess."

Sanji intervened, shoving his arm in front of you and pushing Zoro back. "Oi, Zoro. That's no way to talk to a beautiful lady. She's clearly been here for a long time. She's got a useful set of skills, and I'm sure Luffy would like to have her on board."

"What could this woman possibly do for us?" Zoro sneered, tilting his head. "We manage for ourselves just fine."

"Darling! Tell him!" Sanji pleaded, taking your hand and trying to kiss it to no avail - you grabbed his lips shut and pushed him away from you.

"Don't recall you asking me to join." You scowled. The look seemed permanently stuck on your face. "I'm a scavenger. Resourceful. Berries, vegetables - shit like that, I can tell what's edible on any island. Good at making something outta nothing."

"What, like some sort of vulture? What good is that when we have grocery stores on islands? Sanji goes shopping all the time." Zoro rolled his eyes, walking back to the dinosaur and comparing it to Sanji's.

"You're not always going to have grocery stores, Mr. Pirate Hunter." You shot back, tossing him a basket. He looked down - sure enough, berries, fruits, a jar of puree that looked absolutely delightful to have on toast, though he wouldn't show it. "There's no grocery store here, is there? Plus, I recognize you guys. You're the Strawhats, aren't you? Wouldn't it be easier for you guys to not have to anchor down on a mainland every time you needed to restock?"

"Yes, yes!" Sanji cooed, swooning on the floor. "So resourceful, what a brilliant mademoiselle! What a lovely addition!"

Your lip curled, moving away from the cook. "It would be nice. If you guys have room. I'm willing to pull my fair share. Been stuck here a while."

"Why's that?" Zoro's replies were short now, only prying for crucial information.

"I left my old job. Been waiting out here until they show up. Planning to kill them."

"That's nice." Zoro sighed. "More drama for little ol' us."

"Nothing little about you," you retorted, "judging by the amount of food you're hauling on board."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He grinned, unsheathing a blade, likely to dice the dinosaur. "Little frisky for a lady I just met."

Your nose crinkled in disgust, before a loud explosion resounded in the forest behind you, turning all three of your heads. You had no idea what that was, but one thing was for sure - you really, really did not like Roronoa Zoro.

And the feeling was mutual.

The two men ran ahead towards the explosion, and you reluctantly followed. Explosions weren't common on the island, and the only noises were typically the volcanos, dinosaurs, and of course - Dorry and Broggy.

Somewhere along the way, you two lost Sanji. It was clear neither of you were particularly sad about this, though both of you were definitely not happy to be left alone. You persevered anyways, and somehow ended up stuck in a big wax structure.

"Hey, Zoro."

"Hm?"

"I know this isn't a good time, but... Who the heck is that?" The girl with ginger hair asked quizzically, while the girl with blue hair raised her hand just slightly in greeting.

"Don't know. Sanji found her." He replied nonchalantly, striking a pose with his sword.

"I'm [Name]. Sanji wants me to join your crew. I'm a scavenger. Nice to meet ya." You said, nodding. "Sorry, I look like shit. I've been camping out on this island for a week and a half now."

"Oh, it's alright, nice to meet you..." The girl said, nonplussed. "Hey, Zoro, what the hell is that pose?!"

"Well, if I'm going to be a wax sculpture, I might as well look cool." He shrugged, sword in the air.

"Yo, Broggy." You said, raising a hand in greeting.

"Yo..." he said weakly, from the floor. "Weren't you... Waiting for these people...?"

"Huh?" You blinked, looking around, before catching sight of Mr. 3. "Ah! The fuck?! What took you guys so long?"

"What?!" The three others in the wax structure shouted. "You know these guys?!"

"Yeah... I used to work here, up until like, a month ago." You said, scratching your chin, before looking to your right. "Oh, wait. You're Princess Vivi!"

She stared at you, baffled, before nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I quit my job because of you." You explained. Their shocked faces clearly showed that your explanation did nothing. "Oh, well. I felt bad. The money was good at Baroque Works, but I didn't much agree with the bringing down the whole nation bit, so I stole a little rowboat and rowed away. Then a storm came, and the boat tipped over, and I washed up here."

"You're weird." Zoro stated.

"Fuck you, mint-head."

"You're slow and dumb, too." He tacked on.

"I'm tired, jackass. I haven't slept good since I got here, and Dorry and Broggy wake me up in the dead of night with their fighting. Anyways. I'm going to go take care of my business now." You bowed a little again to Nami and Vivi, before twisting your body around and subsequently twisting your left leg with a violent crack.

Everyone - even Zoro - winced at the noise, watching as your right foot came out of the wax from the force you turned with. Your left foot, limp and useless, was pried out of the wax with your hands, before you lept off the structure and proceeded to beat the absolute lights out of Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek with your bare hands with shocking agility and power.

By the time Usopp, Luffy, and even the useless Sanji got to the scene, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine sprinting closely behind, the wax-hypnotist duo was already unconscious, blue and black, and Vivi, Zoro, and Nami were washing their clothes off in the river.

When everything was settled, Luffy took one look at you and laughed, smacking his knee. "Hey, weird lady! Join our crew!"

"Okay." You nodded, before hopping on your right leg to get up to the ship.

"Just like that?!" Everyone screamed, sans Sanji, who ran after you at a blistering pace to make you tea.

By the time your limp foot touched the floor of the Going Merry, Zoro knew you were going to be a problem.

"Hag." Zoro began.

"Bastard." You retorted, scrubbing dishes by Sanji's side, now fully clean and well-kept.

"Ugly."

"Now, that's just not true!" Sanji wailed, hugging you. "Insult each other in this game all you want, but let's not lie!"

"Okay. Ugly." You said, stealing his word and shrugging.

"Come on, now... We just said to be honest..." Usopp sighed from the corner of the kitchen, finishing his lunch.

"Bitch." You picked.

"Ain't that you?" Zoro said, one eye open whilst leaning against the door.

"Sword-hoarding motherfucker." You swore, gently putting down the porcelain plate as you lunged for the door. Zoro grinned, before swiftly shutting it - wood met your face.

Sanji dropped his dishes immediately, coming to cradle your face with suds still covering his hands (and therefore, covering you).

"Thanks." You groaned, brushing him off before wiping your face with your hands, then drying them on Usopp. By now, the crew had a cute new addition - Chopper, who you significantly liked more than anybody else.

Chopper, who also yelled at you the moment he heard the impact of your face with the door. "Hey! You shouldn't even be walking yet, you know, you totally snapped your ankle in two!"

"I heal fast." You nodded towards the reindeer, before getting in a fighting pose. "It's because I'm so good with my fists."

"What does that have to do with it?!" He shrieked. "Sanji, pick her up!"

"Yes!" He swooned, immediately picking you up into a bridle carry and swinging the door open. "Off to your bed!"

"Pervert!" Nami shouted, knocking on his head right outside the kitchen door. Unprepared, Sanji dropped you, but Nami caught your legs, and...

"Ow." You groaned, feeling a hilt in your back, keeping you upright with Nami's help.

"Think what you meant to say, was thank you." Zoro said, tone mockingly kind. "To which I would say, yes of course. Anything for our little scavenger."

"Bitch." You grimaced, pushing off the wall to stand upright.

"I thought that was you!" Luffy shouted from the head of the Going Merry, confused. "Did the rules change?!"

"There weren't rules to begin with..." Vivi sighed, sitting closer to Luffy with Karoo. "They were just insulting each other."

"He started it." You said, nodding a thanks to Nami who helped you to the closest chair.

"Damn right I did."

You lunged out of your chair again, but yet again your face slammed into something. Lightly. Opening your eyes, you realized it was once again the hilt of his sword. Wado Ichimonji, the legendary sword, tapping against your forehead, gently nudging you to sit back down.

"Convince her to rest in a gentler manner!" Nami shouted, whacking Zoro on the head. You laughed, watching him stumble into a corner to nurse the bump. "Just stay, okay? You're almost healed - and I'll admit you do heal fast, but listen to Chopper, okay? Just one more day."

You groaned, but agreed, arm flopping over your face to shield the sun from your eyes.

"Plus, when we dock in Nanohana, we're gonna send you off on your own to collect goods. According to Vivi, water will be pretty scarce the moment we leave, and we'll probably be doing a lot of trekking. Doubt everything's gonna go our way, so we'll meet up with you in Yuba. By then, you'll hopefully have gathered plenty." Nami said, patting your shoulder and walking back into the kitchen to cover your dishwashing duties.

You hummed in agreement, eyes squeezed tight from the sun, bemoaning the heat. Suddenly, a shadow fell over you. You cracked open one eye.

Oh, bitch.

Looming over your chair was Zoro, earrings dangling to the side as he cocked a brow.

"Feeling sticky, nomad?"

"You smell more homeless than I did." You said, pinching his cheek and pulling him downwards. "Calling me a nomad when you shower once a week. Stinky bastard."

Zoro yelped, swatting your hand, before dragging your chair under shade, ears slightly red. "Needy, nagging vulture."

Zoro didn't know what was wrong with him. Up in the crows nest, he chewed on a piece of wheat, swirling it around in his mouth as he looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift.

You were infuriating. You were quiet, until he entered the room. You were blunt. You were rude. You ate almost as much as he did. You drank like a bottomless pit. You slacked off on ship duties.

You made fun of him. Crassly, you slept in the mens quarters one night because Nami and Vivi were already asleep, and you, Chopper, Usopp and Luffy stayed up late playing drinking games.

You snored. Loud. You drooled too. You hugged whatever was closest, which happened to be Zoro's arm, and you clung onto whatever you grabbed first like a leech. You slept like a fucking log - he'd gotten out of the hammock to flail his arm around, and despite whipping around at rapid speeds, you somehow stayed asleep and stuck to him. So he went to sleep like that - in his hammock, with you clinging onto his arm from the floor.

When he woke up, Usopp, Sanji, and Luffy were gone. Chopper snored quietly in the corner. Outside, he could hear giggling (and a notable whining from a very annoying cook). He groaned, eyes blinking open, before clapping a hand over his mouth to prevent his shout of shock.

Somehow, in both of your sleeps, you'd crawled your way up Zoro's arm like a monkey. Still clinging to it, you were sprawled across him now, horizontally, arms and legs well hanging off the hammock, which tipped precariously.

"Seriously, how does she sleep like that?!" Luffy said, bewildered. "Not comfortable at all. Should've just pushed Zoro out of his hammock."

"She slept like that because she felt safe, obviously." Nami and Vivi laughed, giggling in the way that girls do when they gossip. "Guess despite how much of a front she puts up, Zoro makes her feel safest of all!"

"What awful taste in men." Sanji sobbed. "That crude, rude, muscle-headed bastard... What does he have! What does he have that I don't!"

Usopp sighed, patting his back. "The body, my friend. The body."

Zoro groaned, unclamping his mouth. Now what? You were still dead asleep. Everyone had seen you two now anyways, so there was no point in sneaking you out.

Gently as he could, he picked you up, swinging his right leg over the edge of the hammock to land deftly on the floor. He pushed the door open with his back, where he was met with the bright sun and the smug looks on his crewmates' faces.

"Not a word." He whispered, tone warning and low.

"Sleep well?" Nami said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Must've been hot." Luffy stated, picking his nose.

"Or maybe... Just the right temperature?" Vivi said suggestively, before dancing in a circle with Nami, giggling.

Zoro's face flushed, just slightly, but he ignored them, trudging to the women's quarters with his hand covering your eyes so the sun didn't disrupt your sleep. Doing his best to drown out the laughing behind him, he slipped you into your bed, throwing the blanket over you, before pulling it back to keep your leg out.

"I get hot sleeping on this boat," you complained, "so I stick my foot out. So it's getting fresh air."

He remembered you saying that. He groaned, smacking his forehead with his fist. What was wrong with him?!

You turned in your sleep towards him, flinging your other leg out from under the blanket. "Zoro..." you mumbled.

He froze, as if caught, before peering down at you. Your eyes were still shut.

"Come back to bed..." You huffed, tossing and turning again.

He gaped at you, baffled. He really considered it - your bed looked damn comfortable, and he'd be able to save face for just a bit before seeing his crewmates again.

No! He resolved, smacking himself in the face before leaving your quarters. None of this ridiculousness.

"So hot," you whined, despite sitting in the shade. You slipped the backpack off your shoulder, opening it to take inventory. "The thing about berries is you need to eat more to feel full. They're just not as filling. I've got about two days worth right now, but that's only for the two of us. For Luffy, I'd have to fill a whole sack."

"Fatass." Zoro snarked, snoozing lightly against the rock.

"Why are you saying it like I'm Luffy?!" You shouted, flinging a berry at his head. Without even opening his eyes, he turned, opened his mouth, and straight up ate it. "You're the fat one!"

"No." He shook his head. "You just said berries don't fill you up. I only had one, and I only had it because you threw it at me."

You walked over, smacking his head. He groaned, wincing as he rubbed the bump. "Mean. You're so mean to me."

"Why are you even here?" You sighed, looking at him as you tied the backpack shut. "Thought you were supposed to go with everybody else."

"Luffy told me to come." He shrugged.

Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at him, hands on your hips. "Liar."

"I'm not lying." He retorted, cracking one eye open now.

"You are. Luffy told me last night that I'd be going alone since I can handle myself. He asked me if I needed any help, and I said no."

Zoro froze, head turning just slightly to look at you. Your glare was piercing, but he didn't know if the heat was getting to him.

God, you looked good. So pretty. A strand of your hair, damp with desert sweat, fell over your forehead. Your skin glistened, only beginning to cool off now despite your trek that was miles long. Arms, toned and defined, now noticeable since you took the top long-sleeved layer off. Scarred, from fighting.

His eyes drifted to your hands. Callused. Rough, yet just delicate enough to know that they belonged to a martial artist who also once danced.

"So? Why are you here?" Your voice snapped him out of reverie, making him look back at your face. So angry. So confused.

If you didn't know him any better, you could've sworn he looked bashful. "...I wanted to come with you."

"Why?" You asked, leaving the backpack and walking over to him. He got up now, no longer calm enough to doze off peacefully.

"No reason. Gimme another berry." He said, feigning ignorance.

"Quit dicking around with me, Zoro. What, you think I can't handle myself? I'll beat the shit outta you if you take those swords off-"

"Why're you always talking about taking something offa me?" He inquired, grinning. "First, Little Garden, and now this."

"Why are you always taking things I say and interpreting them like I want your clothes off? If I wanted you naked, I'd ask politely."

That shut him up, a deep crimson blooming across his face. You got closer now, and a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his cheek. He convinced himself it was the desert heat.

"You can't just say shit like that." He mumbled, inching away from you.

"What, like it's wrong?" You grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at you. "Listen here, swordsman. I promise you that once we save Alabasta, I can, by all means, go straight to your face and ask you to strip. I'd have no issue with it. But, god forbid, right now, I think we have a job to do."

His blushed turned hot, feverish. You could feel the heat on your fingers.

You grinned now, cracking a smile at the panicked look on his face. "What, cat got your tongue?"

He grabbed your wrist unexpectedly, pulling you close. You lost your footing, tumbling straight into his chest that held you with no issue.

Oh, you've really done it now.

Sighing, you looked up. Zoro took your wrist, and held it close to his face, before kissing your palm. "Didn't know I was bein' so obvious."

"Do you think I'm blind?" You asked, pressing a thumb against his lips. "Or deaf? I know you let me sleep on you. I know you carried me back, too, and I know that you do a whole for me considering you find me unbearable."

"Gig's up." Zoro sighed, opening his mouth so that your thumb pressed on his tongue.

Your ears heated, and you jerked your arm back. He intervened, catching your wrist again. "No, you started it. Come on, let’s keep going.”

You pushed him back into the sand now, straddling. His pupils blew wide, hands hovering in the air, unsure of where to put them.

"Don't play, little swordsman." You sneered, tracing the scar on his chest. "If you want to play games, best believe I'll play games too."

Then you got up, dusting off your pants and once again grabbing the backpack on the other side of the rock. "But like I said, this isn't the time. So why don't we finish this job for Vivi, and you can find me after?"