AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!
So, there were some requests for a sequel to 'Ignorant or Perfect?'. I give you...the SEQUEL! 'Promises or Privileges?' is a sequel taking place over a year later, where things are really starting to move forward. The question on Tony's lips however is 'how far will things go?' as Zoro moves in with him and his mum, Robin. Will he get his wish that he told Sanji in the underground car park more than a year previous? Or will Robin fail in her promises and Zoro lose his privileges?
Please enjoy! ^_^
(Also, a note on the "Mr Franky Cutty should have been Mr Flam Cutty". There was a very simple reason that I did this. It was not ignorance, but for the same reason that someone with the name "Robert" who prefers the name "Bob" would be introduced as "Bob" (Yes, "Bob" is one of the names that "Robert" is 'shortened' to). That was literally all there was to that. Sorry if that upset anyone.)
"So, em, where should I put my stuff...?" Zoro mumbled awkwardly as he stood in the middle of the hallway with two overflowing cardboard boxes in his arms.
"Fufufufu, it would depend on what you have in your boxes, Zoro." His girlfriend replied, an embarrassingly teasing look in her beautiful blue eyes.
"Em...The top one is clothes...? I, em, the second...it's more just random things..." He grunted, looking away from her gaze, only to find her son staring up at him.
It had been over a year since he'd transferred from his girlfriend's department to her friend's and now, here he was, taking the next step. He was moving in with her. And Tony, her almost-sixteen-year-old son. He was only nine years younger than Zoro himself and didn't seem to care about that fact. Apparently he was just happy that his mum was happy. If it wasn't for how much Tony genuinely seemed to like him, Zoro would seriously doubt that what the kid kept telling him was true. How could Tony not be bothered by his mum seeing him?
"The clothes can go through to the bedroom to join the ones that you already have here." She smiled coyly, making his cheeks flush as he became increasingly aware of Tony's wide-eyed stare. "You could lay the other box with it, if you wish? We can sort through it together once we've eaten?"
"Yeah." He nodded, avoiding her gaze as he began to shuffle up to the bedroom where he'd spend at least half of his nights over the last six months – he'd practically already moved in, so why was this so awkward for him?!
"Can I help carry anything?" Tony chipped in, following after him.
"Eh, yeah, sure...If you want to put these on your mum's bed, then I'll go get my weights from the car?" He smiled back, coughing nervously as he thought about what must be going through the kid's head.
"It's your bed too now, right?" The boy frowned, taking the boxes from Zoro.
"I guess it is." Zoro smirked, ruffling the teenager's fluffy, sandy brown hair before moving back towards the front door.
Tony liked him and he was pretty fine with the whole 'strange green-haired guy staying in his mum's bed' thing. Zoro shook his head at himself, feeling like a complete idiot. He wasn't just some random, green-haired guy, not anymore. He hadn't been for years, never mind now. He'd been seeing the kid's mum for fourteen months now and Tony couldn't have made him feel more like family. Zoro wasn't entirely sure whether it was 'Dad' or 'Brother', but he certainly never felt left out.
Zoro took a deep, calming breath. Dad. He was in love with the kid's mum and he was going to move in with them. He was moving in with them at this very moment. Was he supposed to take on the role of 'Dad'? Was that what he'd been doing? Was that what either Robin or Tony wanted? He was damned if he knew.
He curled his fingers under the plastic box that held the heavy metal disks. It wasn't up to him to decide whether he was 'Dad Material' or not. Robin had let him into her life and it was up to her to decide just how well things were working. He'd already told his landlord that he wasn't renewing his lease, so if things went wrong he'd have to bunk with a friend for a while. It wouldn't come to that though. He loved her and she loved him. They were going to live together with her amazing, accepting, intelligent, adorable son.
Things couldn't be going better.
Zoro gulped his pint nervously, watching as Robin elegantly sipped her glass of shiraz. Tony sat next to him, apparently deciding that he'd prefer the seat next to Zoro to the seat next to Robin. That was a good sign, right? What if Robin thought he was stealing her son away from her? What was he even thinking?! He glanced down at Tony as the teenager's yaki udon was placed down in front of him, the dish receiving enthusiastic looks from the boy. The waiter laid the sirloin steak with garlic butter down between his cutlery and guilt churned his stomach.
Robin smiled reassuringly across the table at him as her roasted chestnut and herb pesto pasta with mushrooms appeared. He should have ordered something vegetarian. Robin had. He should have thought to do it too. He was being a complete jerk. He'd already almost given Tony non-vegetarian food a couple of weeks ago when it had just been the two of them in house. Why the hell did Robin put up with him? They were having dinner, as a family, for Tony's sixteenth birthday...and he'd ordered a blue steak. He'd ordered a blue steak at a vegetarian's birthday dinner.
"Is everything ok, Zoro?" The teenager asked, staring at the giant chunk of bloody meat on Zoro's plate.
He should have ordered something less...blood-filled.
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" He smiled back, hoping that the birthday boy didn't realise just how forced the smile was.
"You haven't touched your steak? You love steak, so I figured you weren't happy about something..." Tony frowned thoughtfully, looking up at him with those adorable doe-eyes of his.
How could he have done something so stupid that could upset such a great kid?!
"Oh, I was just-" Zoro began, cutting himself off as he realised the boy was already halfway through his meal. He glanced over at his girlfriend's plate, realising it was almost finished. "-just thinking about how lucky I am to be able to be a part of this." He grinned, meaning every word while still cursing himself.
"Fufufu, Tony, would you mind going to ask the waiter for a fresh jug of water, please?" Robin suggested, giving Zoro a very knowing look.
The boy nodded and hopped off his seat, disappearing through the room filled with tables with a quick, mischievous glance over his shoulder. Zoro breathed a sigh of relief and returned his gaze to the blood-soaked plate. He was a complete jerk and neither his girlfriend or her son cared. Tony had absolutely no problem with his love of meat. Zoro just wished he'd had the forethought to consider the idea of going vegetarian for a night. He was pretty sure Tony would have been pretty happy that he'd done that for him.
"It will have gone cold now, Zoro." Robin stated softly, sliding a hand across the table to take hold of his. "You know Tony doesn't mind."
"Yeah...Just regretting not going vegetarian for one night, you know?" He sighed, squeezing her hand as he lifted his gaze to meet hers.
"He doesn't mind that you didn't, but he will adore you even more for the thought," she replied, that wondrous look in her eyes, "just as I do."
Zoro bent down and scooped the sixteen year old gently up off the couch, tilting the boy's head so that it rested against his shoulder. He'd fallen asleep with his biology textbook again. Robin had warned him that if he didn't get to bed before midnight, Santa wouldn't arrive with presents for him. He'd just told her he need ten more minutes to finish the chapter, but that had been almost two hours ago and it was now half twelve in the morning. He'd fallen asleep about half eleven, but the two adults had decided to let him fall a little deeper into sleep before risking disturbing him. Robin had happily managed to slip in a comment about the falling asleep on the couch being his influence.
He hadn't been able to come up with a good defence.
Now he had to take this adorable birthday boy up to his bed. Zoro grinned as he realised it wasn't Tony's birthday anymore; it was their first Christmas living together. He'd bought Tony the medical dictionary that the teen had been saving up for, but he was pretty sure the kid was technically too young for it. He was doing pretty damn well in school though. He was planning to apply for university in a year's time, so Zoro was more than a little impressed. Robin had even managed to line up some work experience for her son. The sixteen year old would be starting to work in the geriatric home ten minutes walk away as of the first day of the Easter holidays.
It just couldn't come fast enough for the teen.
"I'll join you in a few minutes, Zoro." Robin smiled, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"Setting the presents out?" He replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "He alread-"
"I know he does, but he guesses all of them before Christmas otherwise." She sighed, shaking her head before kissing her son's forehead. "I am sure he's more than a little suspicious about the present you got him – he'll tell you off for spending so much on him."
"He's worth it though," Zoro grinned, surprising his girlfriend with a slightly 'encouraging' kiss, "and besides, we'll get to see that adorable little dance he does when something happens that he's happy about but doesn't want to admit to."
"Thank you, Zoro; that is a wonderful Christmas present." She giggled, kissing him back with a quick nip of his bottom lip.
"I do have an actual present for you...You can get it once I put Tony to bed..." Zoro mumbled awkwardly, feeling the unnaturally heavy box that sat in his trouser pocket pressing against his leg.
"Oh? I don't have to wait until tomorrow?" She teased, glancing back over her shoulder at him as she led the way out of the living room.
"It's already Christmas day...I, em, had, you know, planned to, em..." He fumbled, cringing as he heard the awkwardness in his voice – this just couldn't be any less romantic. He took a deep breath and adjusted Tony in his arms before moving towards the stairs. "Just don't hang around down here too long."
"I won't, Mr Roronoa." She laughed, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she slowly bent over to get Tony's presents from the cupboard under the stairs.
Zoro bit down on his bottom lip, fighting back the memory of the previous night. How was he this lucky? He had a great girlfriend who enjoyed...interesting things like he did and the chance to be the father-figure of this amazing boy in his arms. He was the luckiest man alive as far as he was concerned, even after being with Robin for a year and a half and living with her and Tony for the last four months. His life was pretty damn perfect.
He just had to hope he wasn't about to mess it up.
He carefully nudged the sleeping teenager's bedroom door open with his foot and crept across the carpeted floor. It still amused him how clean and tidy the boy kept his room and the rest of the house for that matter. It wouldn't surprise him if this place was cleaner than the actual hospital! He took Tony's weight onto his left arm and pulled back the boy's covers with his right hand, finding a stethoscope right where he wanted to lay the sleeping boy. He lifted the stethoscope out of the way and laid Tony down, pulling the quilt back over to keep him warm.
He carefully placed the stethoscope onto Tony's desk and turned back to the peaceful sixteen year old that had so eagerly allowed him to become a part of his family. Zoro smiled fondly down at him before placing a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead. In the morning, if his luck kept up, the boy he'd come to care so much about would finally get the news he'd been hoping for. Zoro swept a sandy tuft of hair back off the boy's face, smiling down at the sleeping teenager as he remembered what he'd overheard the boy say to Sanji over a year and a half ago.
"Are you coming to bed, Mr Roronoa?" A seductive voice called from the doorway.
"I was just coming." He growled back huskily, a smirk across his lips.
"Already, Mr Roronoa? Should I have warned Tony about anything? I would hate to think I had missed anything so important." She teased, causing him to start spluttering incoherently as she began to giggle. "Perhaps it is time for bed, Mr Roronoa?"
"Ye-Yeah..." He groaned, knowing he should have been able to save that...He seriously needed to get his head on straight if he was going to pull this off. "Are the presents all out?"
"Of course, Zoro." She smiled, turning to leave the room.
"Right...So, right, time to give you yours...I had planned to give you it earlier, but the right moment didn't come up-"
"Fufufufu, you're adorable when you start over thinking things, Zoro." She laughed, smiling back at him as she slipped into their bedroom. "It wasn't Christmas earlier, so it would have been inappropriate to give me it. Although, I am wondering if it would have been too adult to give me while Tony was awake?"
"What?" He frowned, following her into the room just as she slipped her dress off her shoulders.
"My present? You wanted to give me it in the bedroom?" She paused, turning to study him, the straps of her dress resting in the crook of her elbows.
He turned his face away from her as she stood in front him, her bra-bound chest escaping over the top of her dress. She really was trying to make this harder, wasn't she? How was he supposed to turn this into a romantic scene while she was temptingly half-dressed? If he hadn't ordered the damn blue steak, he would have done this in the restaurant. It wouldn't have necessarily been romantic, but it would have definitely been a family moment to remember. Now he was just standing awkwardly in the middle of their bedroom while she undressed in front of him.
He couldn't decide if he was lucky or cursed.
"Yeah...I had planned to give you it during dinner, but I managed to mess that up...Sorry...Our first family event and I ruin it..." He sighed, walking up to her and drawing her into his arms.
"It is enough that you consider us family, Zoro." She smiled, a soothing note to her voice as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Also, it was not our first event as a family."
"Huh?" He grunted as he pulled back slightly to look back at her, his nose brushing hers lightly.
"Your twenty-fifth birthday, Zoro." She mused, closing the short distance between their lips. "I believe you will find that that was our first family event."
"Yeah...I'd forgotten about that...Yours next, right?" He smiled softly, kissing her back. "Well, if I keep messing this up, at least I've got then."
"Fufufu, you haven't messed anything up, Mr Roronoa," Robin giggled, slipping her fingers into his short, green hair, "if anything, you couldn't be making things anymore perfect than you already are."
"I couldn't make things more perfect, huh?" He smirked, kissing her again.
He held her gaze as he lowered himself down onto one knee, his smirk growing as her eyes widened. He tried to slip his fingers into his pocket for the box. He blinked, frowning as he tried to pry his pocket open. His stupid trousers had gotten too tight. Between his perfect girlfriend, the box and his current position, he just couldn't get his fingers in to retrieve the box. She began to giggle as he broke their eye contact and started shifting his position to get the trapped box out. He grunted as he hauled the box out. So romantic.
He turned his flushed face to look back up at her. Her eyes were alight with amusement and that wondrous expression. He smiled up at her through his embarrassment, opening the box to show her the ring. Her amusement became open laughter. He froze, watching her laughing at him. After everything that had happened, she was laughing at him? She was laughing at him for proposing? He hadn't even had a chance to ask! She was laughing at the stupid idea of him proposing!
"Zo-Zoro- Zoro, you-you shou- should look in the- in the box!" She struggled out as she continued to laugh at him.
Zoro tried to hold his expression completely emotionless as he turned the box to face him. He was trapped, unsure what to do as he fought his urge to lash out. She was laughing at him. He'd been about to tell her that he loved her and propose to her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so humiliated and angry. Hell, she'd just told him that he kept making things perfect, but she was perfectly happy to laugh in his face for suggesting that they got married.
He snorted, barely catching his own laughter.
"I'll just be a minute..." He grinned out, suddenly feeling stupid for getting so upset – she wouldn't laugh at him for something so important. "I had to mix up the boxes, didn't I? Well, I'd thought I'd ruined the moment earlier, but this moment is completely destroyed! Hell, you'd wonder why I was suddenly handing you a set of cufflinks at dinner if I hadn't been such a jerk about food!"
He sauntered over to the dresser and pulled the drawer open to find the identical box that should have been in his pocket. He should have noticed that the cufflinks that Robin had gotten him for his birthday had come from the same jewellers. He placed the box with the triple katana design cufflinks back into his drawer and pulled out the other box. He felt her two dainty arms wrap around his waist and smiled, turning his head to look over his shoulder at her. Her lips tenderly grazed his.
"I do." She murmured softly to him, her gaze flicking between his eyes and his lips as he turned around in her arms.
"I haven't even asked yet." He mused, gently capturing her lips again.
"Zoro, I could never say no, not to you." She whispered, her beautiful blue eyes gazed dazedly at his lips. "You love my son as if he were yours and don't judge me for my flaws. You accept both of us, even with our strange age gaps. I don't need to see some expensive ring or have you tell me fancy words to know you love me, to know that I want to marry you."
"Heh, I was pretty much just a random kid when I started working for you...It's safe to say that I'm the lucky one; it's pretty great for me that you don't treat me like a kid and Tony actually wants me to be a part of this family." He replied, pushing a strand of long black hair back behind her ear before sliding his hands over her shoulders and down her arms to her elbows. "These last few months, since moving in with the two of you, have been the happiest months of my life." He continued, moving the straps of her dress towards her hands. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love you." He murmured as she complied, allowing him to finish removing her dress. "Getting to be a father to Tony is just a bonus, a bonus better than anything money could ever buy."
"Zoro..."
"Robin Nico," he began, slowly opening the box, standing wrapped in her perfect arms, "will you marry me?"
"I've already said I will, Zoro." She giggled, taking the ring box off of him to lay on top of the dresser. "I love you, Mr Roronoa." She continued as she kissed him. "I wish my present for you was as perfect...I guess I'll just have to make up for it." She finished, pushing him back onto the bed.
Zoro grinned as he watched Tony enthusiastically unwrapping his presents. Last year at this time he'd been asleep in his bed at his dad's having been summoned for the family holiday. He'd unwrapped his presents, said his thanks, and eaten his dinner before leaving for a night out with his friends. This year he got to share this moment with his own family. He got to wake up next to the most amazing woman he knows and watch the boy he adores unwrap his presents with an almost exaggerated enthusiasm.
Tony launched himself onto Zoro. The green haired man had barely managed to keep his balance, much to his amusement. He couldn't believe that Zoro had gotten him the book that he wanted! Mr Franky had got him the doctor game with the buzzer, but Zoro had bought him the book that he'd been saving up for over a year for! He coughed and pulled himself back off of his mum's boyfriend – the idiot shouldn't have spent so much money on him!
"Zoro, you jerk~! How dare you get me this book~!? I've spent thirteen months saving for it and you just bought me it for Christmas, jerk~!" He lectured, trying to stop himself from dancing in his utter joy at what his mum's boyfriend had done for him. "You better not be trying to bribe me to let you keep my mum all to yourself~!"
"Fufufu."
Chopper's head snapped towards the kitchen doorway, his mother suddenly standing in the doorway with a mug of coffee wrapped in her hands. He grinned up at her and lifted the book so that she could see it. He still couldn't believe that Zoro had gotten him it! It was such an expensive book! Even university students struggled to afford it! Well, Zoro was a working adult, so he probably had no problem affording things and he was sure that Zoro was always secretly spoiling his mum. Hardworking adults like Zoro always seemed to have kind hearts and money to spare! He still couldn't believe his luck at getting such an amazing guy to give him and his mum a chance!
"Mum, look at what-" He froze, his eyes falling on her left hand. "Mu-Mum?" He stumbled, his eyes beginning to water as a grin split his face.
"Do you like the Christmas present that I got your mum?" Zoro smirked up at him from the couch.
"Zoro thought he'd give you a new dad for your birthday, but he wished that he had chosen a vegetarian dish for dinner – he decided that a plate of blood on the table would spoil your present." His mum smiled as she began to cross the living room towards him. "So, do you like your birthday present?"
"Mh-hm." Tony nodded, fighting back his tears of joy – Zoro was finally going to be his dad! He'd wanted to be able to call Zoro dad for two years now and now the coolest guy he knew was going to marry his mum and become his dad. "Thanks...Dad."
"Right...Any idea what your mother actually wants from here?" Zoro frowned as he trailed his eyes around the giant gift-filled store.
"Huh? Mum loves books and artefacts, but I doubt she'd mind if you just got her flowers." Tony grinned back cheekily.
"Not funny, Tony." Zoro grunted, narrowing his eyes at the sixteen year old. "We agreed to help with the gift list and neither of us know what we're supposed to do...You know we're both in trouble if we mess this up, right?"
"Mum's never angry with me." Tony returned, a smug expression across his cute, round face.
"Yeah, I know..." Zoro sighed, ruffling the teenager's sandy hair. "This place doesn't have books and artefacts, so why did she send us here?"
"It's things for the house, Dad, not Mum!" Tony laughed happily, leaning into Zoro's hand.
"But we don't need anything? We've managed perfectly fine with the things we've got, right?" He frowned, pouting slightly as the teen shook his head at him. "Fine. What do we need?"
"New plates for when everyone comes over for dinner...cutlery...and I'd like new towels and Mum agreed." Tony nodded, beginning to move towards the crockery section. "Mum says you can keep the old ones for when you're training, but you're to use the new towels when you both go for showers?"
"Tony!" Zoro burst out, his face burning as he clamped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Shhhh! You don't need to tell everyone! Why do you even know about that?!"
"Know about what? It's considered perfectly normal for someone to shower and good hygiene promotes good health." Tony defended, seeming more than a little offended.
"Right, yeah..." He breathed, glad that the sixteen year old hadn't picked up on what was really meant by him and Robin 'both going for a shower'; hopefully Tony would keep his naive innocence to that sort of thing a little longer...but maybe the fact that he still had it was a sign of Robin being over protective? "So...patterns for plates...something floral but simplistic? I ain't handing out food to my friends on something that looks like it was taken straight from a pensioner's curtain design."
"Mum's not a pensioner." Tony returned, directing an almost-glare at Zoro.
"Oh, trust me, I know she's not." He smirked, before internally cringing as he realised what he'd just hinted to the boy. "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate a pattern like that either, it's just that half the floral shi- stuff you find looks like a curtain design."
Tony nodded and walked up to a white set with a simple black-outline cherry blossom design. It was created by the image of a branch that stretched across a third of the rim and spilled slightly onto the plate itself from the tree's trunk that was just out of view. The teenager lifted a plate and Zoro nodded back thoughtfully. It was actually a pretty tasteful design; it wasn't too busy and seemed like something Robin would like. He hummed as he stared at the plate, trying to decide what it was that just wasn't right about it.
"Think they'll have it in a different colour?" He frowned, his gaze moving through the crockery section.
"Like black with a white design?" Tony offered but Zoro knew that still wasn't quite right – if they were going to be stuck with the same plates as their 'good set' for several years then it had to be perfect.
"Think they'll have anything involving your mum's favourite colour?" He suggested, earning a huge grin from the teen. "Oi! You got this in purple?" He called out to the man behind the desk.
Zoro stared down at the little plates that covered the entire round two-person tabletop. Cake. He had to choose cake. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't exactly the biggest fan of sweet things, so how would the type of cake affect him? It wasn't as is if he was going to be eating it. He could probably get away with pointing out that Tony was better suited to this, but his fiancée had been adamant that this was something the two of them should do together. Alone. Without Tony. She hadn't made him do anything for the wedding without Tony so far, so why was cake tasting any different? He didn't even like cake.
"The strawberry one is too sweet and I feel that the white chocolate icing just makes it far too sickly – we don't want people vomiting and someone slipping and breaking their neck." Robin nodded thoughtfully, apparently unaware that he hadn't even tried it; he could just leave it to her, right? "Zoro?"
"Yeah, too sweet..." He agreed, hoping she wouldn't question him on his lack of enthusiasm. "Tony might like it though?"
"Hm, I'm sure he would, but we need to find something that we would like to eat, Zoro." She frowned, making Zoro flinch.
A fake laugh translated as 'say one more thing and you will be in trouble'. A frown? He was walking a very dangerous path. He'd done everything that she wanted him to. It wasn't his fault he didn't like cake. Why was she treating it like life and death? Tony could have picked out the 'nicest' cakes here in less than five minutes. Zoro knew without tasting them that over seventy-five percent of the cakes here would be disgustingly sweet.
"I'm sure you could find something you like for the cake, right?" He suggested, putting on a smile he really didn't feel.
"You really don't want this, do you?" She sighed, laying her fork down on the table.
"You know I'm not a cake person, Robin." He replied softly, laying a hand on hers, only for Robin to pull her left hand away from his touch. "What's wrong? You've been quite these last couple of weeks?"
"I didn't mean the cake, Zoro...I feel like I'm making you do things. You just have too little enthusiasm for this..." Robin smiled sadly, her eyes searching his.
"We're supposed to share the tasks." He mused, reaching for her hand again. "Like I said, I'm just not a cake person, so it's a little hard to be enthusiastic about sitting trying lots of different cakes."
"'Tasks'...You really don't want to do this then?" She returned, pulling her hand away more distinctly. "I never planned to make you feel as if you had to marry me, Zoro."
"Wait, what?" He blinked, sure that he must have misheard her.
"You don't have to marry me, Zoro. You never had to propose. In fact, you never even had to move in if you didn't want to! This whole time, you've just been trying to do what was expected of you! The two of us were doing just fine before you came along! We didn't need you to come along, to become part of our family!" She snapped, standing up from her seat.
"Robin, where the hell did this come from?! It's just cake! You haven't forced me to do anything! I asked you to marry me because I love you for crying out loud!" He exclaimed, standing up from his own chair. "I know I didn't have to do anything, but I love you and I adore your son. You'll never have to force me to be a part of your family; I feel like the luckiest man alive just for being allowed to be a part of your amazing family." He continued gently, moving to wrap his arms around her waist. "I want to make you happy, Robin...I love you, you know that." He finished, kissing her reassuringly.
"Sorry, Zoro...I don't know what came over me...I've just been so stressed with all the wedding planning...I'm so sorry..." Robin explained quietly, leaning her forehead against his.
"I know, Robin." He smiled softly, kissing her again before applause erupted through the wedding bakery.
Zoro's face flushed to the chorus of Robin's musical giggle. He coughed and took his seat again, trying to ignore the mixture of cheers and jeers being thrown at him. She'd done that on purpose, hadn't she? She'd just wanted to embarrass him in a public place. He glanced across at her, a genuine, cute little smile across her lips. No, she'd really been upset.
"Well, we can get rid of at least seventy-five percent of these." Zoro nodded, earning a noise of agreement from his beautiful fiancée. "That leaves us with the ones like dark chocolate, coffee, and I have no idea about the fruit ones? Are they normally sweet?"
"Hm, that depends on the recipe itself..."
"You definitely got the rings?"
"Yes, Dad, I have the rings." The teen sighed as Zoro asked him for the eighth time that hour.
It wasn't that Zoro thought Tony would lose them, more that he was slightly worried that something would go wrong. Hell, who was he kidding? He was terrified that something would go wrong – something always did! He was almost considering praying to a god that he didn't even believe in to try to get everything to go right. Just once he wanted things to go right.
"Do you remember your vows?" The stupid, annoying blonde called from the second row.
Of course he remembered his vows! What idiot wouldn't remember his vows?! The stupid spiral-brow was just trying to get to him! In fact, he'd just say them now to prove a point!
"I believe- believe in you and the person we will be together... 'Person we will be together'? That's not right...shi-" He grumbled, nervously running a hand through his hair before turning to his Best Man. "Em, Tony...Can you remember where I put that piece of paper I had this morning?"
"Nope, but if it had your vows on it you shouldn't need it – if you really meant what you were saying, you wouldn't have a problem remembering them." Tony shrugged, Zoro detecting the hint of a challenge to the teenager's words.
"Fine. I can improvise! I could make a list longer than your mother's legs about how much I love her!" He snorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Are Mum's legs particularly long?" Tony frowned, watching Zoro closely as he tried to work out what, exactly, Zoro was getting at.
"Yes and I could complement them all day. She's also particularly flexible, but you don't need to worry about things like that, ok?" He rushed, trying to relax as he tried to come up with appropriate lines for his vows. "Vows are promises...not complements...da- Ok, so I just need to say everything that I want for the future between us, right? Easy!"
"Do you have your vows ready?" The reverend asked him quietly.
"I'm improvising, so, yeah, I do." Zoro nodded, earning a quiet giggle from his bride.
"Continue." He prompted, gesturing towards Zoro with his left hand.
"I believe in you, the person you truly are, and the couple we will be together." He began, taking her hands in his nervously, smiling as she squeezed his hands lightly. Time to improvise. "With my whole heart, I take you as my wife, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do my many." He grinned, gazing into her beautiful blue eyes as they lit with her perfect giggle. "I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family's love and happiness my priority." He could see tears threatening to make her eyes water and smirked, pulling himself up tall and proud. "I will be by your side in times of plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are the love of my life, today and every day to come."
"Zoro..."
"Do you have your vows ready?" The reverend interrupted, clearly thinking about the people sitting on the hard, wooden pews.
"Yes." She nodded, smiling so perfectly down at Zoro that he just couldn't believe he was actually being allowed to marry someone like her.
"Then please continue."
"Zoro, these vows I make, I do not see as promises but as privileges: I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you." Robin began, an air of calm surrounding her. She paused, taking a deep breath, and Zoro gently rubbed circles onto the backs of her hands with the pads of his thumbs. "You have already accepted my addition to our family. You are adorable and kind, caring and loving, protective and snugly. I am honoured that you willingly take me to be your partner, to be the one that you wish to raise a family with."
"Now, do we have the rings?" The reverend smiled towards Tony.
"Ye-Yes." Tony stumbled, clearly nervous; even after all his excitement over the last nine months.
Zoro grinned at his soon-to-be-stepson as he took the delicate ring that was meant for the boy's mother's fine fingers. Tony's face lit up, his nerves vanquished. He just couldn't get any cuter, could he? All the teenager had ever wanted was for his mum to be happy and, now that she hopefully was, he could focus on his dream. And Zoro would get to walk by his side as he fought to achieve it. Zoro smirked at his bride as he raised her left hand. He slipped the intricately designed gold ring onto her ring finger, kissing her hand with an animalistic look in his dark eyes.
Robin bit her lip slightly, a seductive glint playing through her entrancing blue eyes, as she picked up the plain, thick gold band that was to be Zoro's wedding ring. She raised his left hand, not taking her eyes away from his. She slid the ring up his ring finger, her hands moving to hold his left hand in both of hers. Zoro placed his right hand onto their hands, squeezing Robin's and rubbing caressing circles onto her skin, not removing his gaze from hers. Zoro stared back at her, only vaguely aware that someone was speaking. He leaned forward, his right hand moving to cup Robin's cheek, as he kissed her with an intense passion that she seemed to more than happily return.
"Is that what you kiss like when you both go for a shower?"
"Tony!" Zoro exclaimed in horror, his face becoming hotter than his wife had ever managed to make it as he turned to look at his stepson.
Hope you enjoyed this! Thank you to megaME for the help on where to take this and elbowing my busy, wandering mind into a direction! XD Depending on what everyone makes of this one, perhaps we could go for a short one about "after the wedding"? Or is everyone fed up yet?! XD