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The gentle sway of the ship, paired with the sound of the waves lapping outside, was almost enough to lull you into sleep.
Key word? Almost.
You were sitting against the mast beside Zoro, who had his head tilted back, eyes closed. Following his lead, you allowed your eyes to flutter closed.
Thump.
Your eyes flew open, tensing slightly as you felt a weight on your shoulder. You glanced down and exhaled with relief. Zoro must have fallen asleep as his head dropped against your shoulder. His breath was warm against your arm, and your lips curled upwards into a smile.
Zoro didn’t let his guard down like this around just anyone. The fact that he trusted you enough to lean on you while resting brought a warmth to your chest that spread throughout your whole being.
You sighed in contentment, leaning back against the mast, shifting just enough so that he could lean more comfortably against you.
With another glance at his sleeping form, you lifted a hand, unable to resist. You ran it through his green tresses and gasped quietly. It was softer than you expected. You felt Zoro relax a little more against you and an ever-so slight lean into your hand.
Your smile grew as you continued to comb through his hair, feeling nothing but affection for your favourite mosshead.
As you continued your action, Zoro yawned and stirred, eyes blinking open. You retracted your hand immediately.
“Sorry,” you said, feeling your cheeks flush.
Zoro lifted his head momentarily to look at you. “Didn’t say stop,” he muttered, then promptly rested his head on your shoulder again. This time, it was definitely intentional.
Your face heated up even more, if that was even possible. Slowly, your hand came up again, brushing through his hair gently. He let out a pleased hum, and your initial hesitation evaporated completely.
Though you could hear footsteps padding across the deck, your attention remained on Zoro.
The warmth of him, as well as the sun shining, seeped into your bones. Days like this - peaceful, relaxed - were rare, and something to savour whenever they came around.
Feeling a little bold, you turned your head just a bit to press a light kiss to the top of Zoro’s head. He let out a soft exhale, and you took it as a sign of acceptance.
“Well, well, well.”
Your head shot up, and you scoffed when you saw Usopp standing before you, arms crossed and a ridiculously smug look on his face.
“What?” you asked dryly, shamelessly continuing your motion of petting Zoro’s hair. As for the man himself, he didn’t even lift his head.
“Looks like our swordman’s found himself a new pillow,” Usopp sang, grin widening. His gaze flitted between you and Zoro before settling on you. “Congratulations.”
You looked away, clearing your throat. “Thanks,” you mumbled, but your smile didn’t fade.
In fact, it didn’t fade for the rest of the day.
Not even when Usopp told the rest of the crew about what happened, leading to merciless teasing.
Because if Zoro trusted you? That was more than enough.