{zoro x oc} stick 'em with the pointy end

4. we need to talk about it

"Hey," a deep voice made her jump.

"Zoro," she smiled. Butterflies fluttered throughout her body.

There was a moment of silence. The crew was asleep and the only sound was that of the crackling firewood. They were camping just outside of Yuba. Ace had left them, focusing on his own task of finding a former crew mate.

"I can leave you alone. I just wanted to check on you is all," Zoro turned to leave.

"No, wait. Check on me some more," she moved over, making room for him to sit. He did. "We haven't really had a moment to talk."

"I wanted to give you space. Was that," he trailed off as she looked away from him and nestled her chin into her knees. "Was that the wrong thing to do?"

"No, you're right. I needed space. This has all been a bit too much," she whispered so those sleeping wouldn't be woken up.

They sat in silence for a bit. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was comforting for her. Zoro on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious by her silence. They thought back to their time in Whiskey Peak, the day before things had gotten challenging for Neso.

☽ ◯ ☾

"It's called Whiskey Peak!" Nami said as the island came into view.

Entering the Grand Line had been challenging and exhausting for everyone. They all needed a break from being at sea for so long. When they made their way ashore, they were greeted and promptly taken in by the residents of the island.

Neso followed behind the crew, taking everything in and trying to shake off the slump she had been in since seeing Buggy back in Loguetown. They were on their way to the tavern for food and drinks and she was looking forward to seeing the musicians play.

She jumped when a man walked up and put his arm around her immediately upon entering the bar. Zoro watched as she tried to shrug him off, rolling his eyes at the man's persistence and obliviousness to her disgust. She had grown on him over the past couple weeks. They would spar occasionally, nothing formal, just out of boredom.

She appeared by his side only a moment later, agitated.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he scoffed.

"Not funny," she met his eyes.

{ play: to stay by plum }

She held his gaze and they both started chuckling. It was the first time she saw his teeth and heard him actually laugh. A moment she told herself she would remember forever.

"Just stay here, I'll make sure no one bothers you," he passed her his mug, watching as she took a long sip of the wine. His eyes lingered a bit longer at the base of the v-cut in her shirt, the stitched tattoo separated her breasts.

She finished her sip and passed the mug back to him. His fingers lingered over hers for a moment, sending a feeling she'd never known down through her stomach.

There was a brief silence before the leader of Whiskey Peak proposed a drinking contest. Nami yelled at her and Zoro, forcing them to participate in order to win the contest money.

With each mug down, Neso started to sway and Zoro pulled her closer. By the end of the contest, Nami won the money. As she cheered and Luffy ate, Zoro and Neso sneaked their way outside.

"Okay, okay but, have you ever tried doing push ups," she hiccuped and giggled, Zoro hanging on every word, "On the top of the crows nest..." She slurred the next words, "Using only one thumb?"