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It was stormy outside, just as it was inside her head. She had been laying for hours; unmoving and completely silent with Nami by her side on the bed.
Robin loved sharing a room with the navigator, she found it delightful to have someone with her at times when she would feel the loneliest, but there were still nights like this night. Nights where she’d close her eyes and see the fire, even feel the ambers and ashes tingling on her skin, and her eyes would water at the memories of her mother, Saul, professor Clover and all the others. The horrors of that day would never be forgotten within her, and neither would the scars of a broken childhood.
It had been months since she had last felt that way. On the government island of Enies Lobby, where she’d endured humiliation and abuse, believing every word the CP9 officials threw against her.
Your existence is a crime!
She remembered vividly all the hatred those words carried, but then there had been someone else; a strident cyborg who sat on the aisle across from her.
But no matter what kind of weapon you hold, that alone is never a crime! It’s never a crime just to exist!
He had said with such resolve; like he spoke from experience, like he meant every word.
She remembered how her heart seemed to have gone still for a second, and she swore she had breathed for the first time in years. She'd felt understood.
Nevertheless, now, not even the words of her nakama and the whole ordeal they’d gone through for her would comfort her heart. The wounds she carried were too deep, still open and bleeding.
Knowing she would not fall asleep this night, Robin got up, wearing only a thin robe on top of her night-suit, and walked outside.
The cold night air and thin water droplets hit her like needles, and she bit her lip — not merely from cold, but to hold back the tears behind her eyes.
She wondered if it would ever end. If those thoughts would ever leave her completely. If she would ever be truly happy; if she even deserved that. Thoughts of a happy life for herself had always been scarce, and she was certain the ending would never be truly happy for her. It couldn’t possibly. She would never allow herself to dream too much; the fall would only hit harder when it came.
Although less constantly, she still feared the day her past would catch up with them and endanger her friends again. She wondered if they'd choose to leave her behind if that ever happened, or if she would do that herself. It wasn’t their fault, of course, but her own — she doubted herself, not her friends.
Robin knew that Zoro was usually the one keeping watch, so as she walked toward the edge of the ship, she made sure to steer clear of the crow’s nest's vision. Robin even smiled at the thought of the swordsman sound asleep up there; in a moment of clarity, she remembered how loved she was by her nakama, but it quickly waned, being replaced by harsh words.
You must not live in this world, Robin.
Your mere existence is your greatest sin, Robin!
Gripping the banister until her knuckles went white, she allowed the agonizing sob to leave her throat. I just want this to end-
“You’re gonna get sick out here in this storm.” She felt a heavy blanket around her shoulders before she heard a raspy voice coming from her side. “Nico Robin… you’re special, we can’t let out archeologist get sick.” The blue-haired cyborg said quietly, a wistful crooked smile across his mouth.
Robin didn’t answer. She didn’t even look up, refusing to let Franky see her tearful eyes (although she was quite sure he knew she was crying silently by his side).
“Can’t sleep?” He asked, not expecting an answer. “Me neither. Even switched shifts with Zoro… he wanted to go see Luffy.” He smiled a bit. “Those two are like salt and pepper…”
Robin stayed silent, but Franky didn’t seem to mind.
"Had a bad dream... more like a memory," he let out a bitter laugh. "Tom-san, my mentor..." Franky trailed off, knowing that Robin had grasped the nature of the dream that had awoken him in distress and in need of some fresh air. He looked up to the sky, letting the water smear all over his face, making his hair cling even more to it. He hoped that being open about his own demons would, perhaps, make the archeologist open up as well. “Nico Robin… you know you can count on me, right?” He was solemn, now making sure to look directly at the shivering figure of the woman standing beside him. “We… were both there; in Enies Lobby, chained together. I know what happened in Ohara, so if you ever want to talk… or even cry, or scream, I will be there.” He sighed shakily. It was hard enough to say those things aloud, but receiving no response made it even more nerve-wrecking.
“I… don’t belong here. I don’t belong anywhere,” she blurted out, more tears spilling out of her eyes as her hands went slack on the banister. “I don’t belong,” she whispered so brokenly that Franky couldn’t keep his face from scrunching into sorrow. But that sorrow quickly turned into resolve, and he held the same look he did when he made Robin breath for the first time in the train to the judicial island.
“Nico- Robin. Robin.” He called, urging her to look up, his lip twitching upwards when she slowly did. “I will never know what it was like to live the way you did. I will never know the pain you had to face. I will never see the horrors that you have seen. No one will ever know, and I am sorry I cannot share that burden with you.” Franky’s words were always sincere, never pitiful, something Robin admired about the shipwright. He would never lie, and that was what made his words weigh more on her.
“But I know some things. I know that, like Saul told you, you have found your nakama. It took too long, and you had to go through a lot to get here, but here you are, Robin. We are your nakama. We will always protect you. You will always belong here — on the Sunny, at sea. With us.” She heard all those words with a disbelieving heart. At that moment, even coming from Franky, the speech wouldn’t suffice to bring her solace.
“You can’t know that. You don’t know what the future holds, Franky. I don’t trust myself. I know I will ruin things again, my past will catch up to me and I’ll have to be alone again.” Her voice was full of fear.
Franky didn’t falter. “If you can’t trust yourself, trust us. Trust Luffy! You won't have to be alone because we will never let that happen. We saved you because we wanted to, Robin, and we would do it again in a heartbeat. We did it because you’re special, and I don’t think that anything you could ever do would change that. We would never leave a nakama behind.”
Robin blinked. She knew that. She knew all of it, and yet her brain wouldn’t leave her alone, pestering her every thought with doubts and convincing her that she would never be worthy of happiness and love.
“I…” She hesitated.
“Trust Luffy.”
“I do! I do but-” She halted. “I can’t take it.”
Nico Robin had wanted nothing more in her whole life than to be loved, taken care of, accepted - seen and understood; and when she had finally gotten all of that, she couldn’t fathom the idea of losing it. Being told her life was a sin, and she was a tool to be discarded repeatedly had obviously left a painful scar in the archeologist’s soul, and her inner child had never had a chance to heal. The cyborg knew all of that. He was the only one that knew the full story of Ohara and the Devil Child; and what that meant to Robin. Their unexpected connection through Pluton and the prohibited knowledge they held against the government created a bond between them that no other strawhat would ever comprehend.
Franky closed his eyes for a moment. He was resolute in what he would do.
Robin stood there, unwavering, even as this huge man that was almost twice her size strode towards her with a flare in his eyes.
She felt his hand cup the side of her face and a second later his lips against her own. For a moment, she couldn’t move, couldn’t comprehend the outpouring of love she was receiving, but that didn’t seem to bother Franky. He brought his other hand up, this time brushing Robin’s hair out of her face before holding it it place.
They stayed like that for long seconds, Franky only gently pushing his lips against Robin’s, ready to stop at any protest she gave. Instead, she reacted by pressing her lips back, and pressing one hand to his chin, trying to pull him closer.
When they parted, Franky looked earnestly into the archeologist’s eyes, rubbed his thumb lovingly against her cheek, and pulled her against his chest. Her harrowing sobs re-emerged violently as he held her.
“Nico Robin… you’re the most beautiful, most enchanting and lovable woman I have ever met. You are worthy of only the best of things. And if you’ll allow me, I would be over the moon to be the one to give you that.” His voice was unwavering, loud enough only for Robin to hear through the rain, soothing as a cup of tea. “I… I like you, Robin. I need you to know that this is real.” Robin knew that. Franky wasn't making any effort to hide his attraction towards the archeologist, as she wasn't hiding her attraction towards him; yet hearing him say it lit a spark inside her heart. She couldn’t see, but Franky’s face was completely red. Though he could control his voice to sound confident, his body was out of control — circuits in overdrive, all the blood going to his face, his poor heart beating out of rhythm.
Robin finally looked up at the cyborg. His hair was completely soaked by the rain, and Robin only then noticed how much of a hypocrite he was. Giving her a blanket claiming she would get sick while he wore nothing but his speedos and an open shirt. “Come here. Let’s get out of the rain.” She took his hand and dragged him to the library, her favorite spot on the ship. “I love it here. It’s so peaceful.”
Franky looked around as he nodded in agreement. “I’m glad you do. I built it just for you,” he admitted with a somewhat sheepish smile.
“You flatter me.” She covered her lips as she giggled. She was calmer now, and Franky sighed in relief.
“It’s the truth. I designed the Sunny to be the perfect companion to everybody. A library for you was the perfect addition.”
He watched her going toward a cabinet and grabbing two thick towels, tossing one at him. He nodded his thanks.
“Don’t you ever feel cold?” Robin asked after they had dried up most of the rain and sat down.
“Not really. Just the back.” He gestured behind him. "Even before turning myself into a robot, I was never cold-natured.
The archeologist then opened the new blanket she had fetched from the same cabinet and threw it around them.
Franky smiled softly. He opened his hand and laid it between them; a silent invitation for Robin to take it. She did.
“I know that I have my nakama now. But some nights still haunt me. My mind won’t stop spiraling back to all the resentment,” she confessed, pressing her fingers further against Franky’s palm. “On nights like these, when I close my eyes, I can still hear the ruckus, feel the heat of the fire. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.” Her voice broke a little.
“You won’t.” Franky stated. “Neither will I.” He admitted. “Tonight is one bad night for me too… the guilt is overwhelming against my chest, I feel like I can barely breathe.”
It took minutes of silence until Robin finally croaked her hesitant question. “Did you ever think of… giving up?”
Franky stopped, considering his answer while he chewed on the insides of his mouth. “All the time. That’s the whole reason why I tried to hold the Puffing Tom.” He sighed, now his own eyes prickling with tears. “I’m glad I didn’t, though. You know… it’s cliché but it’s true: it gets better. The pain and regret are always there, but they get pushed to the back of your mind when you have things you love, people you care about.” The cyborg looked back at the woman beside him. She was smiling. “Besides, we both still have so much to do. You still have to find out the truth about the lost history of this world, and I have to sail the whole sea with my dream ship.”
“You’re one of a kind, Franky.” She laughed, and he was starstruck.
“You should do that more often.”
“Hm?”
“Laugh. You look… beautiful doing it.” His face went red once more, this time, however, the archeologist could see it, so she laughed again.
Robin lifted one hand and laid it on his chin, urging him to look down. “You’re cute, Franky.”
The cyborg used his free hand to cover his reddening face. “You still haven’t answered my question. Will you let me be the one to show you how happy you deserve to be?”
Robin considered for a moment, watching the shipwright squirm under her gaze. Although the answer seemed obvious to her, it clearly didn’t to Franky. They both knew she had a long path to trace until she could truly accept happiness for herself and abandon her self-sabotaging nature. Franky was willing to hold her hand through it all, if only Robin would let him. No one should have to carry such a heavy burden by themselves, and the cyborg knew better than anyone how damaging that could be.
He’d spent most of his life dwelling on guilt, never forgiving himself for something that wasn’t entirely his fault. It wasn’t until Iceburg had asked him that he realized. It had become so natural for him to never allow himself happiness and to never follow his own dream.
Can’t we think about your happiness?!
Why don’t you forgive yourself, Franky?!
You can live your own dream… right?
Ta-ha! Well, if you’re a man, just do your stuff with a Don!
The words said by his family echoed in his mind, painting a smile across his lips. After years, he could finally say he was healing, and it felt so freeing to pat little Franky on the back and tell him that he wasn’t a monster.
“I was hoping you’d come to me soon.” She smirked, coaxing the cyborg’s hand away from his face. “You are not good at hiding how you feel, you know.” She giggled a bit, satisfied at just how red the cyborg’s face could go.
"I wasn't trying to. And neither are you..." His eyes were half-lidded as he spoke. "I just need to know if you are ready to let yourself live."
She didn't reply with words, only lifted her foot, brushing it against the cyborg's calf and opening a self-satisfied smile when she felt him shiver between goosebumps.
“Robin-” He groaned, but was swiftly interrupted.
“Yes.” She breathed in for the first time. “I will let you show me.” She breathed out for the first time.
The smile Franky displayed was as big as his face, and he couldn’t hold himself back from pulling Robin flush against him.
•••••
“Oh my god, finally! I was going insane with you two! The tension was tangible,” Nami exclaimed as he hugged them both. Announcing their newfound relationship to the crew had gone better than expected — although Sanji finding Robin sleeping on top of Franky’s naked chest on the library’s sofa had taken a toll at the young man.
“YAHOO!! CONGRATS!” Luffy shouted, muffling out everyone else’s best wishes and stretching his arms to encircle the new couple.
Zoro gave them an approving smile and a nod. Usopp hugged each of them, tearfully, and took the time to wink at Franky. Chopper jumped onto Robin’s arm, and then turned into his human form to trap Franky into a headlock. Sanji, though appalled by the circumstances of which he found out about their affair, did bake a cake later — his own form of wishing well.
All was well and Robin felt loved, wanted, worthy. She knew nights like last night would come again, but she also knew that they’d pass, and her nakama would be there to pull her back up, in every step of the way.
Franky took her hand proudly, a cheeky smile on display as he dragged her away.
“I will take you on a date.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise.” Robin said with a silky voice. “Dos Fleur!” She exclaimed, pulling her lover’s face down to a kiss with the help of extra hands. It was quicker than the first, but just as magical.
“I can definitely get used to that.” Franky’s voice was drowsy from the kissing (and lack of sleep), his eyes closing slowly as he relaxed.
Robin gave him a smirk before laying against his chest. “Me too.”