Instincts [Roronoa Zoro x Reader]

Chapter 24

Zoro stared at you for a moment longer, hand lingering on your mask and letting his words sink in.

He didn't know if the feelings he had were better expressed like this, but you hadn't objected or pushed him away. These emotions were foreign, and all he knew was that he felt some sort of connection to you.

He pulled your mask back down fully, a bit embarrassed. "I... like you." He paused, unsure of  his words. "Not just like, as you can see, but...."

"Love?" you finally said softly.

He paused, pondering on the word. He then turned and fled, as casually as he could, closing the door behind him.

God. Damn. It. I am Roronoa fucking Zoro. I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman and this is how I confess to someone?

He hadn't wanted to say that word, but when he heard it from your mouth it seemed to confirm something inside him.

He didn't know if you felt the same way, but considering your lack of actions and your tone, at least you weren't angry. He cursed at himself under his breath, combing his hair back frustratedly.

"Are you okay there, Swordsman-san?"

Robin's voice almost made him jump. He hadn't even noticed her when he came in.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem a little red."

"Shut up!"

He realized that, yes, he was very much flustered. How he kept himself composed just a few minutes ago was a miracle.

He took a deep breath, then looked at Robin. She was sitting down with a book on her lap, looking at him with a more curious than concerned expression. A small giggle escaped her lips. He sat down across from her, setting his swords down by his side.

"Robin," he said slowly, "do you know why [Y/N] wears a mask?"

Robin tilted her head to the side, confused. "You don't know?"

"You do?"

Her expression turned to one of amusement as she smiled. "Ah. You weren't there when we were introduced to her. She told us she had some scars that she'd rather not show."

"I figured as much." He hadn't seen any scars when he lifted your mask up halfway, so he had wondered if it was something else. However, Robin's amused smile was bothering him. She let out another small giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"You might want to look in the mirror."

"Eh?" Zoro stood back up and took a different path to the bathroom, avoiding going back on deck to face you.

When he arrived, he saw his own face turn red, as he realized that there were marker marks on his face, obviously Luffy's doing. He must have done it while he was napping.

He reddened even further when he remembered that the last time he napped was right before dueling you and kissing you. How were you able to keep such a straight face—not that he could have seen it—and keep so composed with all this on his face?

I just kissed and confessed to someone with scribbles on my face.

He quickly washed away the marker, feeling like an idiot. He sighed, then smiled to himself as he considered your questioning word.

He hated how much Mihawk's cold demeanor had rubbed off on him while he was training with him. He wanted to express these emotions to you, and yet he was struggling with how.

Yes. It was love. He really did love you.

<+>

As Zoro ran away, leaving you shocked after that kiss, you immediately felt your face heat up.

He left right when you asked if he meant "love". Reading his aura, he did mean it. And he fled because he was embarrassed.

You weren't going to chase after him, either, also... embarrassed wasn't quite the word. You knew your own emotions, unfamiliar as they were, and they matched Zoro's. You did like him. No, you did love him.

Why did you even suggest the word?

You weren't sure what exactly you loved about him—he was cold and distant. He had a terrible sense of direction, and often got angry at the smallest of things. But despite that, he was loyal and caring. The others trusted him, and you trusted their words that Zoro would not judge you by your weakness.

You took a deep breath, then gathered up the courage to follow Zoro. You ignored Robin's amused aura as you headed towards Zoro's direction.

You bumped into him in the library, and you could feel his embarrassment in his aura, though he was trying to hide it. He waited for you to say something, hands awkwardly moving between resting on the hilt of his swords, his hips, or the back of his head, not knowing what to do with them.

"Hey, Zoro," you said, giggling a bit at his awkwardness. Your gut feeling usually told you that this was a bad idea. That you should not show anyone your weakness. But this time, it was the opposite. This was going to be fine.

You removed your mask, showing him your face and smile. He took in your scars quietly, speechless. You could see the cogs in his mind, as if everything had just pieced together for him.

"The reason I didn't want you to see this was because I didn't want you to know my weakness. I cared a lot about what you would think of me. More than the others, for some reason. And that reason... I realized, was because I love you, too."

Perhaps he could hide a blush, but he couldn't hide his aura. You didn't need to see to know that he was flustered as he took a moment to take in your words.

"Well," he finally said, a grin in his voice, "you look kinda like a panda."

You laughed, a weird sort of feeling of relief rushing through you. "Why do all of you say that?" As ridiculous as it was, you didn't sense any sort of pity from him. He didn't look down on you in the slightest.

"I think it's cute."

You smiled, feeling a blush on your cheeks. "My gut instincts usually tell me to not show my weakness to anyone. But I'm glad I did to this crew. To my nakama."

He slowly moved his hand to your face, stroking your scars. He didn't need to know your past to understand you. "I'm glad you did, too."

You fiddled with your quarterstaff a bit, then looked at him with a smile. You leaned forward to kiss him, returning the one earlier.

"The best thing is when my heart and gut instincts tell me the same thing."

<+>

A/N: I'm getting so many comments about this and I just want to state that no, Robin is not on the same room as Y/N and Zoro at the end :)

I spent way too much time on the canon map of the Sunny and incorporating that into a fanfic. (The layout's actually pretty cool.)

Robin is in the aquarium room, which is different from the library and is connected to the outside deck. Y/N bumps into Zoro in the library, which is under the bathroom, where Zoro fled to and found out he had scribbles on his face.

Anyway don't mind me being a total One Piece nerd and Robin probably secretly used her devil fruit to put an eye somewhere to watch things go down anyway lol