Zorobin: The Little Things

Long Ring Long Island 2

Did he just say his swords suited me? Robin didn't know how to feel about this man. On one hand, he was flirting with her, and she liked that, but on the other hand, he had forbidden her from going any further. She felt frustrated that he was controlling her, and their thing for his own needs. What did they even have? A friendship? Something more? She didn't even want to consider the chance that he only put up with her for the crew's sake. She hated how it made her feel when he got injured, counteracted by the small smirk on his face as he limped to her. She loved the way he complimented her, instantly neutralized as she remembered what he had said only a week prior to her.

He limped to his captain. "Take your pick, Luffy." He said, with the beginnings of a smug smile showing on his face. He was gonna take Chopper back, then Zoro would never let something like this happen to him again!

"Yosh! I pick Shelly!" Luffy turned around with the biggest grin on his face. The old man let out a sob, shouting his thanks at the straw hat boy. Luffy just smiled and waved at him. Luffy felt a dark presence behind him.

"Oi, Luffy." Zoro said with a barely controlled rage. The larger man was cracking his knuckles. "Who the fuck. IS. SHELLY?" Luffy gulped, and said "The horse?" Needless to say, Zoro thoroughly and calmly explained to Luffy why he should have picked Chopper, and not a horse. When he was done, he turned around.

"Alright, what's the next event?" Nami looked around him at the bruised and bloody boy behind him who was laying face down. She shuddered at the thought of what he would do if Robin wasn't holding onto his swords. She spoke over Luffy trying to apologize to Zoro. "Roller Skate arena, whatever that means."

She was distracted, by sounds of loud sawing, and the banging of hammers. She turned back around to face where the pitch had just been, and there was a huge arena. She couldn't comprehend it for a second. I coulda sworn that wasn't there a second ago...

They all went inside, Luffy getting dragged by Sanji. When the guys came out of the locker room, the girls went in. Nami was getting changed, when she turned and asked Robin, "Hey, why do you still have Zoro's swords?" Robin blushed slightly, and said "Well, Mr. Swordsman said that they suited me, and he hasn't asked for them back yet." That last part was slightly untruthful, but Nami didn't need to know that. Nami got a strange light in her eyes, and she grinned mischievously. "He never lets anyone else touch his swords, nevertheless wear them! You must be special, maybe he has a thing for you." Robin blushed, and tried to change the subject.

"He got Captain pretty good this time." she giggled. "No, Robin, don't change the subject." Nami whined. "Nami, that's enough! I'm not going to talk about him anymore!" Robin shouted at her. Nami looked shocked. Robin had never shouted at her, and here she was avoiding talking about Zoro.

"Sorry Nami, I just don't really want to talk about him right now." Robin said with a softer tone, lowering her eyes. "Did something happen between you two?" Nami asked softly. Robin sniffled, and sat down on the bench, hiding her face with her hands. She didn't want Nami to see her in a vulnerable state. She felt Nami sit next to her, and let herself get pulled into a hug.

"You have to get it out of your system, keeping these things bottled up isn't good for you." Nami murmured into her shoulder. "What happened?" "He- He- He's just confusing. And frustrating. And mean." Robin hiccuped, letting her tears stream onto Nami's hair. "He said he was too young for me. And he said that he couldn't be with me."

Nami tightened her hug, and said "He never said he didn't like you." Robin stopped, her younger crewmate's words picking apart the logic she had strung together over the last week. She continued, "He just gave reasons why it was wrong for him to do so. He still likes you, likes you enough that he trusts you with his dream." Robin paled. His dream? When had he done that? "He's never let anyone else keep his swords safe, unless you count him giving them to me at the beginning of the match. I don't think he could find you, he kept looking around before he gave them to me. He was the one who let you keep them after he asked."