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Zoro had been distant lately. Not that you and him were particularly close, but it was more noticeable now than ever. You couldn't particularly blame him either, you had also started to take your distance after sailing from Punk Hazard.
It was silly, really, the way your friendship with him worked. It was always you who sought out his attention, who found ways to spend time together, to train, spar, nap, or otherwise hang out, and although he didn't seem to mind, he was never the one to start any of it. Then you met that dumb marine girl, Tashigi, back in Punk Hazard and it all made sense. Of course he never sought out to spend time with you, it was obvious that the object of his attention was this one Marine. You almost scoffed when you finally joined the dots, because seriously, Zoro, a marine?.
But then you talked to Nami, and she told you all about Zoro's old childhood friend who died, his one motivation to become the world's greatest swordsman, and how uncanny it was that Tashigi of all people looked exactly like his dead friend. Oh, yeah, you guessed his infatuation made more sense like this.
So, here you were, distant, on your way to another island to fight a Warlord of the Sea. You figured if you made it to Dressrosa without having to confront Zoro, everything would be much easier then, because once you got there, there would be no time to talk at all. That thought brought you comfort.
But your comfort was misplaced, of course
You were watching the sunset from the railing, having a quiet moment by yourself as you watched the clouds paint the horizon orange as the sun tucked itself under the cover of the sea. Your peace was interrupted by a rough, calloused hand you came to know so well resting on your shoulder.
"Hey, you" Zoro said. You bit the inside of your cheek. It annoyed you slightly how he never seemed to call you by your name. Did he even know it?
"Afternoon, Zoro." You replied lazily, "may I help you?"
He seemed worked up about something. His cheeks were slightly red, the rosy hue of his skin highlighted by the crimson sun. He took his hand off your shoulder and rested it over the hilt of his swords.
"Is that... Do you..." He didn't seem to know where he was going or how to start any of his questions. "Why don't you talk to me?"
You huffed.
"Beg pardon?" You said, your tone sounded way less sassy in your head. Oops. "We're talking right now."
Zoro rolled his eyes.
"Because I came to ask you" he sounded annoyed, "I mean, why haven't you come talk to me all this time? Did I do something to you?"
You shook your head, but before you could make up a reply, he continued.
"Did that idiot cook do something? I swear, if he said something to you to keep you away I will–"
"Geez, Zoro, no! Sanji hasn't said anything about you," you said, raising a hand to stop him, "Where did you even get that from!?"
His next sentence sounded almost like a grunt.
"You've been hanging around in that kitchen of his all this time."
Yeah, now that you thought about it, that was true. In your attempts to keep your mind off of the green haired swordsman, you had been spending more time with Sanji in exchange. Not that the chef minded, he actually quite relished your attention.
"He's nice, is all. He enjoys my company, as do I." You explained simply. The sun had disappeared completely under the sea, an overcast shadow sent chills down your spine.
"Are you in love with that damn cook?"
Your eyes widened, you looked back at him. He looked furious, ready to cut a throat. Did it really bother him that much that you distanced yourself for what, a week, tops?
"What?"
"Answer the question, [Y/N], it's obvious that perverted chef wants to get under your pants, so, are you gonna let him?"
Oh now you were getting angry, too. You could feel your hands ball up into fists.
"First of all, that perverted cook is a dear friend of mine. Sanji is a gentleman and I don't appreciate the implication of him wishing to, as you say, get under my pants" You said, a lot faster than you usually spoke . He could tell you were riled up, his gaze softened into confusion. "Nor do I want him there. Sure, he's attractive , but that's not important to me. I'm merely spending time with him because he's sweet and treats me nice and doesn't need to wait until he's upset to actually call me by my name, thank you very much!"
"[Y/N]..." Zoro said, his own anger rising up his throat once again, "What's that all about?! So what if he calls you anything? He's a pervert and that's all he's ever going to be. He's all over Nami and Robin and now you too! He grosses me out, you should stay away from him."
"Is that all you have to say? He's a pervert so don't hang out with him?!" You threw your hands up in the air. The moon was starting to show its face, his features darkened, "Why the fuck do you care, Zoro? It's not like I tell you to keep your hands to yourself when you're with that pretty little marine lady. My gods, she's a marine!"
"And why the fuck are we talking about Tashigi?!" He yelled.
Oh no, he did not just yell. It was on.
"Well, you're the one who brought up wanting to get under someone's pants!" You jabbed.
"You think I'm into Tashigi?!" He ran a hand through his face, "is that why you've been avoiding me, pretty eyes?"
You bit the inside of your cheek. Of all the things he called you to avoid using your name, that one was one of your favorites, but you couldn't let that distract you now.
"Maybe."
"Damn, you're such an idiot." He groaned, "Just answer the damn question, are you or not in love with the idiot cook?"
You groaned back. It was like the whole entire discussion you just had started over.
"No, for heaven's sake."
"You said he was attractive"
You rolled your eyes, hands in your hips.
"I can admit people are attractive without being in love with them. Yeah, Sanji is attractive. So is Luffy. And so are Nami and Robin. See? It's not hard. Hell, you've said I'm attractive myself, that doesn't mean you're in love with me or anything."
He tightened the grip on the hilt of his swords, his brow furrowed even further, something that seemed almost impossible, and yet, he managed. He looked like a coil tightened to its limit.
"Except I am."
Oh. Oh. That adds up. The coil unsprung.
You couldn't't tell if the rush in your heart and the blush in your face were caused by such a bold declaration, or the heated discussion you were having. You struggled to decide whether you were still angry for all the things he said, or if his confession was enough to soothe your anger.
"What?" Is all you managed to say after a couple of seconds of agonizing silence.
"You heard me, [Y/N]." He said, his tone was still heated, as if he was insulting you instead of confessing his affection, "I am in love with you. Don't ask me how long it's been, because I don't know and I don't care. All I care about is that I love you, and I hate–" he swallowed, hard, "I hate that you, for some god forsaken reason, decided to stay away from me!"
You bit your lip, unable to believe your ears. Some love confession this was.
"And so you decide to yell and insult a dear friend?"
"THAT DAMN COOK AGAIN?" You bit your lip even harder, realizing what you've done.
"Sorry, sorry" you raised both hands, but then you remembered that you were supposed to be mad, not apologizing, and crossed your arms, "I already said I'm not in love with Sanji, geez. I'm..."
He stepped closer, looking at you expectantly with his icy gray eye. You averted his piercing gaze, your neck reddened.
"I love you too" you mumbled.
You could see his smirk from the corner of your eyes, and you hated him for it.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the waves"
You groaned. Some love confession this was.
"I love you too, okay?" You snapped at him, moving your arms in exasperation, "Which is why I was so upset with the whole Tashigi thing and why I kept my distance."
He chuckled, and you bit the inside of your cheek. He was being annoying on purpose, it had to be that.
"So you were jealous" He said, raising an eyebrow and smirking, that iconic smirk you'd learned to both fear and enjoy, he could be so threateningly charming, and he seemed to know it.
You rolled your eyes, but the smile in your lips betrayed you, although you schooled your features back into annoyance, he saw it, and it was all he needed. He finally closed the distance between you two, surrounding your waist with one arm and pressing his muscular body against yours. With his free hand, he tilted your face towards his, that devilish smirk remained.
"Yeah, I was" you were forced to admit. Not quite knowing what to do with your hands, you rest them on his shoulders. "And you were jealous of Sanji~"
Zoro snorted, looking away for a split a second, a vein on his forehead let you know just how enraged he really was.
"That pervert is gonna be fish food by the time I'm done with him"
You laughed, whatever anger you felt, it had now completely melted. The stars were lovely, and you were in Zoro's arms.
"Or not." You said.
He met your gaze, fuming.
"I already told you, however charming, he doesn't stand a chance" you reassure him.
Upset, fired up, and out of arguments, he did the one thing left to do, and trapped your lips in an intense kiss. It caught you off guard, you even let out a tiny yelp, his kiss was blazing hot, aggressive, almost demanding, you could tell he both meant to do this for a while and was trying to calm himself down. His tall frame had you completely surrounded, he was all passion and you were submerged in it. It didn't take long for you to kiss him back, your hands travelled from his shoulders to the back of his neck, and something sinister and heavy within you urged you to match his all-consuming pace, fueled by the jealousy you felt earlier, you kissed him like that alone could make him yours and only yours. It was a kiss for the centuries, almost a fight or a dance, he was dominant but you were fierce, whatever distance that had grown within you was clearly being melted by such searing passion.
When you finally pulled apart, it was almost like the world had tilted back on its axis. Almost, you still had one last thing to ask.
"Why now?"
He blinked slowly.
"Why now what?"
You sighed, drawing circles with your finger in the back of his head.
"Why did you wait until now to tell me any of this?"
He looked down, part of you wanted to laugh at the fact that he was, probably, looking straight at your boobs, which rested exactly in his line of vision, but this wasn't the right time to think about that.
"I...guess" he chewed on his words awkwardly, you had never seen him so insecure about anything, ever, it was an uncanny sight, "I might have taken you for granted, before you started hanging out with... With Sanji, you were always with me, and I didn't stop to notice it was a choice you actually made every day of your life, until you stopped."
You had to look up to soothe the sting in the corners of your eyes. It really upset you to hear him confirming your fear of being unnoticed, the again, he did notice, it only took him a burst of jealousy to do so.
"Gods you can be so dense"
He laughed bitterly, cupping your cheek in one hand to return your gaze towards him.
"Forgive me?" He muttered.
This side of him, so soft, so vulnerable, was unseen to you, and it was slightly off-putting, but lovable nonetheless. He looked like he was in actual physical pain just being this open, and you appreciated the effort.
"We are guilty of the same crime, in a way" you responded, he quirked up an eyebrow, urging you to elaborate, "waiting for a jealousy outburst to do anything."
He chuckled, and kissed you again, this time, so softly it barely registered, like a peach brushing against your lips.
"If anything, you're fucking hot when you're jealous"