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He wakes up just as the first light of dawn peeks through the ajar window. He grumbles lowly as his dulled senses, his muffled brain gradually awake, reminding him that another day of endless hard training awaits him. His eye opens groggily, yet he does not stir.
The light--how can morning light be so bright?-- has seeped into the room, illuminating the figure next to him, showering her sleeping form with a glimmering blanket. Still not moving, he stares at her, intently.
You're in a deep sleep, your breathing deep and rhythmic--your chest rises and falls in a pattern, like the endless seas you have all traversed so far. Your expression serene, features evened-out by the hazy land of sleep. Lost in your rest. He aches to raise his hand and touch you, to confirm that you are indeed real and by his side, but he does not yet dare to.
Not for fear of waking you up. But for fear of shattering this image; this woman bathed by the sublight, peaceful, as though a goddess happened to morph and slumber on his bed. He does not want to break this--illusion perhaps. Beautiful, he thinks.
You're wearing a lace nightgown that suits your soft skin perfectly, revealing with its diaphanous fabric the outline of your breasts. Your locks are spread elegantly upon the white pillow case, reminder of colourful trails splattered on virgin snow. Your lips are half-open, invitingly pink, and along your stark black eyelashes there's a glittering line; a careless but persistent ray's caress.
Zoro is not a poet. He's rough and blunt. His heart is stony, like his ruthless and fearless fighting style, but none of that means he has no capacity to love. He loves intensely, and from the bottom of his heart, his devotion is unrelenting. Like an ocean. He might raise walls and boundaries, he might bear a constant disgruntled expression, but he listens, he observes, he cares . For his nakama, he would walk through hell and back.
For his love, he'd go even further.
Silently, Zoro recognises beauty. He sees it. He sees it clearly and harbours its radiating sight and warmth in his armoured heart. Your warmth, your sun, your kiss, your smile. Your love .
The woman beside him has humbled him. Your way of loving is one he had never fathomed before--with his distant and laconic countenance. You love through gentle gestures, through thoughtful expressions that show you care, showering the crew with your quiet acts of service. Ever since they'd met you, you had silently but unwaveringly shown your loyalty, your sweetness and support--your love to them.
He admires that beyond words. He lives it everyday even more closely, ever since your opened up about your feelings for one another. You never fail to show him how much you care about him. You warm him so much he thinks his heart will melt one day.
You...he looks back to when the crew first met you, a frowning girl in grave trouble, and he thinks of you now, how much you have grown, how you spread your wings and discovered your potential along with them. He muses how he could have never fathomed, back then, when glancing at the frightened, struggling woman, that one day he would fall for her, that he'd come to love her so much, and that she would happen to return those feelings and become his.
He had never believed he would feel this way about a person. But you...you had won him, against all the odds of his heart. You vibrant personality, your energy, your cleverness, your sweetness, your devotion, the way you give your heart... How could he have guessed it, years ago?
That he'd fall so hard for you. That he'd swear to himself that he would protect you and make you happy, keep you close to him, when his dreams had never encompassed such a plan, about anyone else.
But he had gotten closer with you, as time had passed, especially when the crew had reunited, stronger than ever. From simple respect and like for you, he had grown to know you, spend time with you, listen to you talk excitedly about your dreams, your thoughts, your life...and you had listened too. To him. He'd talked to you, like he hadn't talked to anyone before. Opening up, handing over his heart and most earnest hopes and fears had been unfathomable before. But you had held his heart so well. So carefully. With such...yes. Warmth.
To Zoro's mind, you are the bravest and most graceful woman he's ever encountered. All you have endured you have done so with a smile on your face, and rarely does a complaint slip past your lips...you remain patient and hopeful, even though he knows you've been through so much. When he is reminded of that, in the darkness, he gets irrationally angry. He wasn't there, he hadn't known you in the past, he couldn't have saved you from your troubles...but the thought of you suffering aches him strangely in the chest. Makes the sight of you all the more beautifully real, his heart swelling with a painful, all-consuming love.
Zoro. The king of hell. He feels like this, he's brought to his knees by the elegance and gentle, persevering grace of one woman. And, surprisingly, he accepts it. He embraces it. He embraces this new-found version of love you have awakened within him.
For he does not want to lose it. Ever.
His loyalty is like his swords. Unbreakable. His love is unbreakable.
You suddenly stir and sigh in your sleep, bringing him back to reality, grounding him to the moment. To the gentle rocking of the Sunny, the bright morning light surrounding him. You turn on your side, facing him and he is no longer able to contain himself. Overcome by a rare wave of emotion, he slowly raises his hand. He first grazes your arm with his fingertips, ever so lightly, tracing a careless, loving line. Then, to your face. He palms your soft cheek, as gently as he can muster. He probably fails, because you shift a little at his touch and open your eyes sleepily.
Eyes that shine. You don't say anything, but you smile. The most beautiful, meaningful smile in the world. For all he is, for all he has done in this life, he is so lucky to have this.
He chuckles and scoots closer, his expression radiating a calm happiness. He squishes your cheek, while you look at him through half-lidded hypnotised eyes, still not fully awoken. He brings his face close to yours, noses and lips barely touching, emanating a warm, tingling sensation. He smiles.
"Good morning, love."