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It was a late night, the Sunny surrounded with stars that reflected on the calm waves, making the water look sparklingly alive. The crew had decided on playing some games after dinner, since no one felt tired, the past few days having passed surprisingly slowly and leisurely. It was a rare occurrence to get so much rest, given the amount of trouble the Straw Hats would usually be caught up in.
The current game was the old-time classic - truth or dare. Those with a higher tolerance, namely Zoro, Y/n, Nami and Franky, opted to spice up the game by including shots, while the others refrained from alcoholic beverages.
Many silly dares and embarrassing questions filled the room with loud laughter from the whole crew. Their stomachs were full, the cheeks of some of them dusted red from the warmth of the alcohol, their hearts were content and worry-free for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Overall, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to call the night simply perfect.
They had lost track of time, the short arrow of the clock on the wall already moving past 3. The small reindeer, being one of the most rowdy and energetic ones during the night, was the first to be lulled to sleep, snoring lightly while cuddled up on Robin's lap. Usopp wasn't late to follow right after, finding a comfortable spot to do so on the couch next to the table. Nami and Franky excused themselves and wished the rest a good night before heading to their respectful beds in the sleeping quarters, while Brook passed out next to Usopp on the couch.
Sanji, Robin, Zoro and Y/n were the only ones left awake at the table. Due to how the game had been going so far for Y/n, she was already tipsy from the shots she had taken. Her head felt heavy on her hand, as she rested an elbow on the table. The four kept playing, now primarily choosing the truth, while keeping the volume much lower than it was earlier so as to not disturb those who had fallen asleep. The late hour gave way to questions of a deeper and a more personal nature to be voiced. However, Y/n could barely follow the conversation anymore, telling herself she'll most likely be the next to head to bed. That's when her turn was up again, and the question gave her a quick slap back to sobriety.
“Who in your life hurt you the most?” Robin asked her. Taken aback by the question, Y/n’s eyes widened, her spine straightening from the shiver that went through her whole body. It wasn't something that bothered her most of the time, but every now and then the memories would keep her up an extra half an hour at night.
Now that her mind had become fogged up from the alcohol, her senses dulled, she took a moment before answering “I suppose that would be my mother” her eyes stung slightly as the words escaped her mouth, but despite being under the influence, she managed to keep the tears at bay. “She always made me feel like I had to work hard to gain her love, but even after giving it my all, she still remained indifferent. I practically spent my whole childhood convinced I was undeserving of love.” Robin nodded sympathetically, while the blond man next to her caringly verbalised his words of comfort “I sure hope you've already been proven otherwise” he grabbed her hand, placing a kiss on it before showing his characteristic demeanor “A being as perfect as you deserves a love so strong that it's able to bring down the stars from the sky for you”
The swordsman, who had remained unmoved up until this point, scoffed at Sanji’s antics, averting his eyes from the scene. Although the cook’s words brought out a chuckle from her, Y/n still exuded a dampened air around her. Noticing she was starting to get lost in her memories, she took a last shot before excusing herself, heading to the Sunny’s railings. She hoped the buzz of the alcohol, the chilly air and the night sky, adorned with beautiful specks of starlight, would be enough to soothe the running thoughts in her mind.
She silently stood there for some time, taking in the humming symphony of the water underneath her. Then, she heard someone stepping out onto the deck, joining her to gaze at the scenery without saying a word. Before even looking up, she knew who it was. His unique scent and strong presence gave it away immediately. A few moments passed before he broke the silence “You alright?” Despite the casual phrasing of the question, his tone communicated his actual concern. “Yeah, I just needed a moment to breathe” even though it was partially true, he didn't buy it. He could see the burden she was carrying, no matter how deep she had buried it.
There had been a strange dynamic between the two lately. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but there was something looming over them whenever their eyes would meet or when their hands would accidentally brush against each other, and it was getting harder to ignore with every single day that passed. Despite the growing tension, they would teasingly joke around with each other, but still remained ignorant to the actual feelings hidden behind said jokes.
They cared for each other, of course. They were crew mates, and the Straw Hats are known for their dedication and their loyalty to each member. But somehow, it felt different. Zoro’s chest tightened differently during battle when she got injured compared to someone else from the crew. And when he played tough, even after being severely injured, Y/n’s heart also swelled differently, filled with both admiration and deep concern.
Tonight however, the swordsman, also having had his fair share of alcohol, acted boldly, ignoring the usual tension between them. “Come here” he muttered, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him in a side-hug. He may be a man of few words, but he offered a kind of comfort through his actions that no one else could.
The sudden physical contact had her momentarily freezing up, but it didn't take long for her to melt into his touch. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they shared a comfortable silence. For the first time, the tension between them wasn't there. They could finally breathe easily in each other’s presence and it felt rather freeing.
Y/n turned to face him, tilting her head up to look at him. She outstretched her arms, silently asking with her eyes for a deeper hug. He cracked a small grin, accepting the request, and his strong arms pressed her frame gently against his chest. Feeling his heart rate speed up, he quickly told himself, it was just a friendly hug. Nothing unnatural for a friend to comfort the other.
Meanwhile, with her cheek pushed against him, she smiled contently, once again feeling the call of slumber. “You're a great hugger, you know” she giggled “Didn't know you had it in you.” She felt his chest vibrate with a soft laugh “Is that so?”
He thought there was no harm in going along with her comment until she spoke again “Mhmm, I could spend all day like that” The warmth of the alcohol didn't help at hiding the blush that crept up on his face “Okay, now you're getting cheesy, get off of me” his immediate reaction was to try and push her away, but to his surprise, she refused to let go, keeping a firm grip around his waist. “Not happening, I want more hugs” He tried again, though without much tenacity “Nah, let go of me” he gave her a slight, barely sensable nudge.
She pulled away enough to look up at him, her arms still wrapped around him. There was a newfound vigor in her eyes, she was posing a challenge to him “Or what?” Her face was mere centimetres away from his, her warm breath fanned over his lips. For a moment he was stunned, not used to this side of her, challenging and assertive. Adding in the closeness, the words got utterly stuck in his throat.
They held eye contact for a while, her eyes reflected the starlight in a way so hypnotic, Zoro found himself lost in the depths of them. Then, his gaze subconsciously wandered to her lips, admiring their perfect shape and color. He gulped as his mind fabricated various scenarios where he got to touch them in all kinds of ways.
He shook the thoughts away when he finally managed to peel his eyes off her, turning his head in an attempt to hide his reddened cheeks and prevent himself from getting entranced by her features again. “Fine, more hugs it is, I guess” she happily went back in for more, giving his broad waist a slight squeeze.
After about a minute, he felt her grip loosening, her breath against his chest now much slower and deeper. He quickly realised she had fallen asleep, despite standing on her feet. He pulled away, making sure to keep supporting her weight, before picking her up and carrying her over to the sleeping quarters.
Everything after that night changed for the two. It turned out to be the catalyst for the slow crumbling of the walls they had built between each other. Even some of their crew mates took notice of the increase of chatting and fleeing touches between the two.
“How much time do we give them before they get together?” Nami asked Robin, the girls watching from afar yet another interaction between the two. She gave her question some thought before answering “It's been going on for a long time. But looking at them now… Maybe a week more.” She treated the matter as if it was of great importance, her expression being one of deep concentration, while she analysed it out loud. “Or two. Those two have been insufferably oblivious even before we got separated at Sabaody. I wonder what happened after that night to make them soften up to each other” the ginger added her own thoughts, her eyes not leaving the duo, taking note of how frequently Y/n would giggle at something Zoro had said, while he wore a small but content grin as he watched her.
After her small win that night, Y/n decided to exploit her ability to make him give in to her requests. She would ask for hugs at least a few times a day, and each time, besides the quiet grumbles, he wouldn't protest much. A few days passed like that, and now she was feeling extra confident.
She noticed him napping under the mast, his swords neatly placed beside him. She went up to him and poked his shoulder a few times, earning a furrow of his eyebrows and some sort of a sleepy noise. How endearing. “What do you want?” his voice was raspy, laced with sleep. “Can I nap with you?” He barely opened his eyes to look at her for a few seconds, without saying a word. Then, he proceeded to pull her in, laying her head on his chest as she plopped beside him. Pushing aside the initial shock of how quickly he had agreed, her arms snaked their way around his waist while one of his own rested on her shoulder. “Don't wake me up to ask next time”
She listened to him and that's how napping became their new habit together. Whenever she sees him deep in sleep, she would scoot next to him. Feeling her presence in his sleep, his arm would automatically wrap around her.
It had been okay for awhile, neither were complaining and it was actually pleasant to feel the weight and warmth of each other as they slept. It was comforting. But those shared naps were reserved only for the day. So one night Zoro found himself sleepless. He opted for going to get a few drinks from the kitchen, hopeful that the alcohol will make him sleepy. Plus, he thought it'd be nice to have some time to himself.
Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't be alone for much longer. The door opened and revealed the tall, slender figure of the blond cook. Of all people, he was the last one the swordsman wanted to deal with at that moment. “Why up so late, mosshead?” Sanji took a seat across from Zoro “None of your business” he snarled back.
The two weren't known for being kind to each other, but there was no doubt that they had each other's backs at all times. Sanji, taking notice of the swordsman's current discomfort, decided he would step in and have a man-to-man conversation. “You can't sleep without her now, huh?” He openly brought up the topic. He knew Zoro isn't the type to be interested in metaphorical talk, so he had to be direct and avoid beating around the bush.
The green-haired man didn't respond right away, he looked like he was conflicted and didn't even know what the answer was. “I- I don't know” he took a sip from the glass in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. Sanji remained silent, giving him the chance to gather some of his thoughts and leaving space for him to voice them. A few beats passed, when Zoro opened his mouth to speak again “It’s weird, you know. All I did was hug her that one night when we played” his voice was low, as if he was hesitant to share this with the blond man. But he knew he needed advice, after all, he didn't know anything about such situations. “I mean it's always been a bit… uncomfortable between us. But it's like that hug took that away. And she's acting so differently now… and so am I” he couldn't help but wash down his growing nerves with another sip.
Sanji considered his next words carefully, knowing that it's rare for the swordsman to open up, he had to be careful so as to prevent him from shutting down “I think it was bound to happen at some point. What do you think was the reason for that uncomfortable feeling before?” Although the answer to his question was clear to him and some of the other crew members, it was obvious that Zoro had been running away from it. Though, the cook was sure he also knew, but chose not to acknowledge it. His silence was indicative of that. Not getting an answer, Sanji decided to slightly press further “Zoro, what do you feel towards her?”
He put down his glass “I feel…” he paused, trying to taste his next words before uttering them “... like I'm strangely pulled to her. It's like a magnet” A grin found its way to Sanji’s face as he patiently waited for more. “It's weird, I've never felt anything like that before. But she-” an airy laugh escaped from his lips, interrupting his sentence as images of you filled his mind “-she’s just amazing, you know. Her sense of humour, her gentleness, her laughter and everything about her is so captivating in a way.” The nerves were finally easing up, his face now practically glowing as he rambled about her to the cook. “And this challenging feeling that I get from her is so exciting.”
He then proceeded to explain the situation that unfolded the other night, when everything started escalating, to the blond man. “Do something about it then. You two clearly like each other. You should act before it's too late” Sanji knew Zoro needed a little push to actually make a move on her. “It’s your turn to challenge her, like she did you that night. Show her that you want her, women love being desired.”
Zoro gave thought to the blond’s words. Something he didn't think he'd ever do, especially when it came to romantic topics. “And how should I do that?” Sanji put a finger on his chin, giving his beard a small rub “Next time you guys are all cutely cuddled up, make the space between you smaller. Like a parallel to that night. Say something and then kiss her. Simple as that” he beamed at the swordsman, who slightly blushes while imagining the scenario. “Very simple, yeah” he ran his fingers through his green hair, a nervous feeling making its way through his whole chest.
Unbeknownst to the two men, the women's sleeping quarters were also filled with a similar conversation. “Ugh, why wouldn't he just make a move already? I'm making it clear as day that I want it!” Y/n dramatically plopped onto her soft bed. Although previously ignorant to her growing feelings, the two other girls also opened her eyes, similarly to how Sanji did with Zoro. Now she openly discussed her sentiments with the girls, the pent up frustration making itself known.
Nami seemed almost as frustrated as her, being a bystander for so long made her shiver with want for the culmination of a love story she had been reading for more than two years. “He's such a blockhead, honestly! Didn't expect anything else from him but it's painful to watch” she exclaimed, shaking her head.
Robin was deep in thought, as if carefully putting together a plan in her head “Maybe you should pull back a little and see how he reacts. Men are natural hunters, they like to chase, so play hard to get and that may get him to act.” The other two hummed in response “That sounds like a good plan, but maybe you shouldn't overdo it. He may take it as mixed signals and get confused.” Nami added.
“Sure, I'll try. Hopefully he'll finally do something” Y/n sighed heavily, bracing herself for the possible outcomes. The girls talked some more before deciding it was time to get some sleep. The next day came quicker than Y/n had hoped for.
She was sipping her coffee on the deck, a book resting on her lap as her eyes leisurely scanned the pages. Her mind was preoccupied with a certain green-haired man and the book was of little to no interest for her at the moment, but she had to act busy. After less time than expected, the subject of her running thoughts appeared.
Earlier, he was slightly taken aback to notice the girl wasn't circling around him as she had been doing recently, but he didn't think too much of it at first. However, it started bugging him as he caught himself looking around too frequently, subconsciously trying to find her figure. So he took it upon himself to search for her, and there she was. Peacefully reading her book and enjoying a hot cup of coffee.
He seated himself next to her, his shoulder just barely touching hers “What are you reading?” He asked, now leaning closer as if to take a look at the pages. She finally brought her eyes up from the book and looked at his face. This made her realise how close he had gotten “Just some novel that Robin recommended to me. I'm still at the start though, so nothing interesting yet.”
The man hummed in reply and watched as her gaze went back to the book at hand. He felt slightly annoyed at her attention not being on him. He got in a more comfortable position, her shoulder now pressed into his chest and his arm around her back as he rested his weight on the hand placed behind her on the ground. “Can I take a look too?” She hid the warm feeling that pooled in her chest and gave him a simple nod, knowing her words might fail her.
For a while, both of them stayed put, focused on the words on the yellowed paper. Y/n was finding it hard to keep reading, the story wasn’t as captivating and the steady breath of the man beside her made her mind wander one too many times. She would let soft involuntary sighs every now and then, something she didn’t notice herself, but the swordsman could even tell the count of. “We could think of something more interesting to do if you don’t like this book.” he suggested, feeling bored himself, however he had a certain activity in mind. He looked around for the n-th time in the last few minutes to check if the deck was still void of any other crew mates. “Like what?” she asked, the book now closed and her eyes fixated on his face. He pretended to look pensive, tilting his head slightly as if he was thinking up ideas. “Maybe… some challenge” he finally said, a small grin making its way to his face. She raised an eyebrow “A challenge?” she repeated, feeling a little lost as to what the man meant.
His plan was now in action. Something stirred in him as he watched her tense up after he got closer to her face. There was a certain feeling written in her dreamy eyes, he once again felt that pull as he looked at them. “I lost that challenge once to you that night. But what about you? Can you win?” His quiet words, said in a tone only reserved for her to hear, echoed deeply in her chest, her heart fluttering with excitement as his eyes once again found their way to her lips. This time, she was the one to feel the burning sensation on the skin of her face. She tried facing away from him, his bold intensity being too much for her to bear, but he didn’t give her that chance.
He gently placed two fingers on the side of her chin, forcing her to look at him again. He chuckled quietly, pride filling his chest “Looks like I win.” Those were the last words spoken before their lips finally met, perfectly fitting together, as if molded for one another. The kiss, although too short for both of their likings, was filled with every unsaid emotion and feeling, built up throughout the years. Fittingly to Zoro, a simple action spoke volumes the actual meaning of which could never be voiced with words. Both of them were breathless, aching for more but knew that wasn’t the right place to indulge in those wants. “Finally” she let out an airy laugh, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He joined with a chuckle of his own, wrapping her up in a hug as he felt her head rest on his shoulder “Yeah, finally.”
They shared a quiet moment of affection, unaware that a few curious pairs of eyes had watched the entire situation unfold from the little circular window on the dining room’s door. They cheered happily, entertained by the love story happening before their eyes.