#eneis lobby

This panel is why Frobin will always be the only Robin ship I enjoy. I know the chances of them ever being canon is closer to 0 than not, but I can't just pretend their entire dynamic in Eneis Lobby didn't stand out to me. Especially since this is how we are introduced to Franky & the idea of him being part of the strawhats. He's known Robin the least out of anyone else in the crew at this point and yet Oda chose him to be right by her side through most of the arc. He chose him to be the one to have the background needed to know exactly what she's feeling & understand the type of words she needed to hear. Oda chose Franky to be the first person to tell Robin her existing in the world is not a good enough reason for the government to try and kill her.

(Also love your work, ty in advance)

hello anon! thanks for the compliment! apologies this took so long, life's a bitch.

forethoughts: this is my first time writing angst ever. be nice 😔. i tried 😭.

notes: gn!reader, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ENEIS LOBBY. LITERALLY, KEEP SCROLLING.

It was a tiring day, and you desperately needed rest. You fought with the Straw Hats to save Nico Robin from the World Government’s claps, and you witnessed the passing of the Merry, the Straw Hat’s beloved ship. You stood there on the boat aside Robin, watching the ship break apart and sink into the depths of the sea’s dark abyss. You should feel bad; You know you should. Chopper was sobbing, Nami was on the ground. Usopp (or Sogeking you didn’t really care about whatever name Usopp wanted to call himself) had tears streaming down his face, it could drown the boat all the Straw Hats was on. But despite the head of the beloved lamb sinking into the ocean, your mind was set on one thing, your heart beating out of your chest.

Holy shit Nico Robin is standing right next to me. She’s right next to me. Is she crying? Oh my god she is. Holy shit. She’s right next to me. Should I do something? No, I'll ruin the moment. Your mind was racing, fingers fiddling with the hem of your shirt as you resisted from turning your head to your right, to stare at the beauty next to you.

After the goodbye, all the Straw Hats got on board the Galley-La ship, everyone getting their well deserved rest. Except for you. You tried to sleep, you really did. But you just couldn’t. Not with Nico Robin on your mind. Ever since you joined the Straw Hats, you immediately felt a connection between you and the archaeologist. Nami always (if not everyday) teased you about the way you looked at her, the way you were willing to throw yourself in danger for her. When you heard Robin had sacrificed her freedom for your safety, it broke your heart into a million pieces, it felt like it could never be fixed. So when the Puffing Tom pulled up to Eneis Lobby, you fought like a wild animal, almost on the same level as Zoro and Sanji, fighting Marines left and right until you could see Robin with your own two eyes alright and unharmed.

You argued with your brain for a while, before finally sitting up from the hammock, quietly exiting the room without waking up the other Straw Hats. You snuck around the hallways of the ship, trying to find the room Robin was in. 

Taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door. When you heard a soft, ‘come in’ from a familiar voice, butterflies flew around in your stomach, a shot of serotonin flooding your brain. 

“Robin?” You quietly called out, opening the door. Your heart pounded at the sight in front of you, as you desperately tried to maintain your composure. Robin was sitting on a bed, wearing nothing but an old shirt, perhaps not even any pants from the look of it, making your cheeks flush bright red. Thank God it was night. She had a tired look on her face (of course she had a tired look on her face, you idiot), but regardless had a faint smile.

“Yes, Y/N? Did you need something?” She asked, her ever elegant voice making your legs wobbly.

“O-Oh, uh, no, not really. I just wanted to see if you were okay.” You responded.

Robin smiled warmly at you. “That’s so kind of you, Y/N. Thank you. I’m okay, just.. having a hard time falling asleep. After everything, it feels hard to just… fall asleep and not wake up in danger.”

“Oh.” It made your stomach churn to hear that she was struggling to sleep, but it made your heart flutter since she trusted you with that information. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Talking to you, perhaps. You always seem to know how to make me feel better.” Robin smiled at you, welcoming you to sit next to her. You swallowed. Oh my god. Okay. Holy shit. You walked over to Robin, creating a dip in the mattress.

“Why did you want to see if I was okay, Y/N? It doesn’t fit your character.” Robin casually asked. 

So maybe you were avoiding her a lot before the Merry found its way to Water Seven. You were trying to get over Robin, forget everything she had made you feel inside and how red you got whenever she complimented you. You should’ve expected the ever observant Robin to immediately notice your sudden disappearance whenever she entered the room.

“Well…um…” You tried to form coherent sentences to explain your reasoning, without the words ‘I have a crush on you’ coming out of your mouth. 

“I was busy at that time…and didn’t really have the time to stick around to talk.” You nodded your head, approving of your own reasoning that didn’t raise too many red flags.

“I see.” That was all Robin said.

There was a wave of silence that plagued the room, until you mustered up the courage to speak again. “Nami told me… the reason you decided to turn yourself in was for our safety to leave Water Seven… right?”

Even in the darkness, you could see Robin’s smile drop, her head pointing down.

“You don’t need to answer if-”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure all of you were safe and unharmed by CP9 and the World Government. I wanted to make sure you would escape their wrath.” Robin answered.

“But… to turn yourself in after running for two decades… just for us?”

“You all were the first group of people who were willing to wage war against the World Government for me. Even though you knew I was Miss All Sunday, even though Aojiki threatened you to turn me in, none of you let that affect our friendship, and well, we’re all here, aren’t we?”

You wanted to smile at that last sentence, but you frowned instead. “No threats would ever purge our friendship.”

Friendship. That word pained you to say. Friendship was the relationship you and Robin had, but that was not what you wanted.

“Indeed.” Robin murmured, looking back at you with a small smile. You tried to return it, but you just couldn’t. Not after being friendzoned. 

She doesn’t even like you. Get over it. Move on. You told yourself. That was the only option you had, wasn’t it? The two of you were friends. Just friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

Right?

It’s now or never. Ask and just move on. That’s all. 

“Robin…” You muttered quietly.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“Have you…ever thought of…being more than friends with someone?”

“You mean have a romantic interest?”

Your brain short circuited at her sudden bluntness. “Y-Yeah, that.”

“It hasn’t crossed my mind for a while. I wouldn’t think it would be a good idea to find one, since the World Government is out for my head. That would endanger the other person’s life, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You wouldn’t endanger my life…” You mumbled softly, expecting Robin not to pick up on it.

Robin paused after your mumble. Did she hear me? 

“Still,” she sighed. “I can’t seem to find it in me to want to find someone that would love me for who I am. I’m afraid I’ll ruin another life.”

“No you won’t.” You blurted out against your mind’s protest. “You’re not going to ruin some random person’s life just for being you. If they walk away, they just don’t know you well enough to appreciate who you are.”

Robin raised an eyebrow, a smirk growing on her face. “And do you think you know me well enough to appreciate who I am?”

Yep. Your entire face was definitely red, and your skin was definitely hot. You opened your mouth to say something, anything really, but something came out. It didn’t help when Robin moved closer to you, to the point you could feel her breath brushing against your ear. 

“I… do.” You finally say.

“You do? What makes you think you do?”

“Because I would sacrifice my life for you in a heartbeat. I would kill myself if it meant you were safe. I… I…” You look down, summoning all the courage, all the heartache you had bottled for months. “I love you. I love you more than a friend, more than best friends. I love you as if you are my soulmate. I want you to be my soulmate. I love you so much. W-When I heard you left… it broke my heart. I didn’t want you to go.. I didn’t want you to leave because of us. I love it when you’re here. You bring so much joy to the Straw Hats, to me. You mean the world to me, Robin.”

All the while you were ranting about your feelings, Robin was calmly looking at you, a small smile on your face. Even as your mouth continued to move, she didn’t interrupt you. She sat there, watching you pour your heart out to her, watch you express your love. As you kept talking, Robin placed a gentle finger on your chin, tilting your head towards her. Before you could react even, she leaned in, placing a soft kiss on your lips. With her free hand, she pushed you onto the bed, taking her place next to you. Robin caressed your face with her hand, running the back of her fingers against your cheek.

“You’re cute when you ramble.” She smiled. “Thank you for telling me that. I never knew you were that… enthusiastic about me.”

You laid there, no thoughts in your head. All your muscles were concentrated on trying to remember what her lips felt like. What her lips felt like on yours. It was as if you got a kiss from an angel from heaven, blessing you with infinite serotonin. 

“You kissed me.” You stated matter-of-factly after a while.

“I did.” Robin responded with the same manner.

“Why?”

“Because, my sweet Y/N,” she moved closer to you, placing an arm around your chest. “I love you more than a friend too. I wanted to see you live, even if it means I will die. Nothing matters to me more than your wellbeing, and seeing your smile.”

“You… you do?” 

“Yes. I’ve been feeling it for a while… I just never knew or wanted to ask you since I wasn’t sure you would return the same feeling. But after everything that you’ve said tonight… I think I’ve made my decision. I’m not leaving anytime soon. I want to stay with you. Live my life with you, my dear sweet Y/N.”

When you didn’t respond, Robin let out a small chuckle. “Your heartbeat is enough for me to know your response.” 

Robin cuddled next to you, placing her head on your arm as she closed her eyes. You laid there on her bed, staring at the ceiling. 

I just finished eneis lobby and I just gotta say I'm in love with a pasta machine

Even when I read other manga, I just see One Piece references.