B's Note - Another drabble around a prompt - "my muse will react to finding your muse with them and then remembering that your muse died a long time ago." I have some rare pairs and this is one of them. (BartolomeoxRobin)
They were partners for ten years, longer than most in the Strawhat family. To be honest, they struggled with dealing with each other for the first four years of this partnership. It turned a bit more than they thought, but it worked with their crazy lifestyle. Weekends of snacking on some wayward bodies Barto brought home, to her fretting when he went on solo missions. He never told her that he got worried when she had stealth missions, not vocally anyways.
Robin always waited in the kitchen for him to come home, it was a strange habit she had come to have. Though he never minded, it meant kisses and talks about dinner. So like any other day he got sent out on a job, she waited. Glancing periodically to the door, she swayed in place. This was taking much to long for his job, from how it sounded in the few messages before he went to start it it should have been done by now. Worry was starting to set in and she moved to the door, poking her head into the hall.
Stepping back into their place, Robin shut and locked the door. Walking to lay on the couch to wait for him. She always did this if he was late, try and stay awake to greet him because it made him happy. A voice broke her thoughts moments later, "'ey doll, sorry 'm late." Robin opened her eyes and smiled at him leaning over the back of the couch at her. Shifting to sit up she leaned against his arm as it felt like him kiss the top of her head. "Did you get lost or held up by grunts again?"
Bartolomeo laughed, "Bit a both, brought snacks home though." Robin hummed in response, reaching for one of his hands she interlaced their fingers rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. "Maybe later, I got worried about you…." The raven shifted to sit on her knees and look up at him. "Could you message me next time?" He chuckled, and squeezed her hand.
" 'ey doll? I love you."
It felt like he bumped his forehead to her's so she closed her eyes. They always bumped foreheads like this, but when she opened her eyes and saw he wasn't there her heart broke again. It completely felt shattered as she remembered losing him four years ago. Tears welled up in her eyes and she buried her face against her arm, wanting to scream but not disturb the others on compound near her place.
Gods why did it hurt so much, Robin didn't stop the tears. There would be no more late night snacks, no more sneaking out for divine hands, no more indulgences. Nothing, just a broken woman who lost her cannibal and refused another to replace him. No one could replace him, not now and not ever.
She stayed on the couch all night, the bed was too big now and much too lonely. "I miss you so damn much."