Title: Robin's Choice
Rating: T
Characters: Franky/Robin
Chapter: 4 of 4
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
Warning: Spoiler warning through the Enies Lobby arc, which ends around episode 324 or so.
CHAPTER FOUR
Franky stood in front of the run-down house, panting heavily. He pressed his ear against the door, but the only sound he could hear was his own heart hammering in his chest.
I might be too late, he panicked.
After hesitating for an instant, he finally opened the door and stepped inside.
The house was small. The front door opened into a cramped living room that was bereft of any furniture except for a broken down table, two rickety chairs, and a threadbare sofa. There was an archway that led to what he assumed was a kitchen, and a single closed door. As he approached it, he heard the low rumble of a man's voice that had to belong to Aokiji.
With no further hesitation, Franky walked toward the door and slammed it with a powerful fist. The door practically disintegrated, and countless splinters burst forward. Franky grimly stepped inside, his eyes rapidly sweeping across the room, looking for Robin. When he saw her, he was instantly filled with rage. With a shout of anger, he poised himself for battle.
Robin was laying on her back on an old bed, her shoes discarded on the floor, and her shirt partially unbuttoned. Aokiji was leaning over her, straddling her, his mouth pressed against her neck. Her head was turned to one side, her joylessness apparent. Her eyes were closed tightly, her mouth distorted into a grimace. Although she made no effort to stop his advances, she looked miserable.
The marine transitioned from his position on top of Robin to his feet almost instantaneously, but the image of Aokiji mounted over Robin was already burned in Franky's mind. The blue-haired man clenched his jaw, boiling with anger, and sent his right fist speeding toward Aokiji's head while bellowing, "Strong Right!"
Before he could feel the satisfying connection with the marine's face, however, a wall of ice appeared, blocking his way. The weight of Franky's fist cracked the surface, but did not quite break it down.
"Fresh Fire!" Franky yelled, taking a deep breath and blowing a stream of flames toward the ice. Then he punched it again, and this time, the wall crumbled.
"Franky, stop!" Robin screamed, now sitting upright on the bed, her hands clutching the side of the mattress tightly. "You're no match for him!"
"Hah, you think I didn't know that?" Franky shouted back at her. He stared at Aokiji, who was nonchalantly leaning against the wall as he sized up his opponent. The admiral was not even threatened enough by his attacks to strike a fighting pose.
"If you know you can't beat him, don't do this!" she cried, her knuckles turning white from grasping the mattress so tightly. "You need to go before you get yourself killed!"
"Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere," Franky said calmly. "I may not be any match for him, but that doesn't mean I can't defeat him."
"But it does," Aokiji rumbled, his face expressionless.
"I've got to win, because I owe it to Nico Robin. I'm gonna show her that you're not the only man who will ever see her," he sneered. "A man doesn't need to make a feel woman feel like she's worthless to get her to fall for him."
Aokiji's expression darkened. "I see you're here to put this woman through further distress, then."
"What do you mean by that? I'm here to tell her that I—"
"Stop," the admiral commanded with such force that Franky could not help but obey. Any trace of apathy had disappeared from Aokiji's face, and was replaced with wrath.
He stepped toward Franky, and the blue-haired man raised a fist, as if threatening to hit him if he came any closer.
Suddenly, Franky became aware of movement in his peripheral vision. He glanced in Robin's direction, and realized a wall of ice was forming between them, separating him from her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Franky shouted angrily.
"Preventing her from hearing any careless words," Aokiji replied. "That woman has been through too much suffering, and I won't let her endure another moment of it."
Franky looked at him with repulsion. He had never had the desire to pummel someone so deeply. Without further hesitation, he unleashed an attack with all his might—but against the wall of ice, and not Aokiji. "You think you're gonna protect her by not letting her hear what anyone else has to say? That's just selfish."
He bashed the ice as fiercely as he could, and at the end of his assault, the ice wall crumbled enough for Franky's voice to reach Robin again.
"Nico Robin," Franky shouted, and she rushed toward the opening.
"Please, Franky, leave here now, before this gets any worse," Robin called out to him. "You have to go—"
"Robin, I'm in love with you," he shouted at the top of his lungs, drowning out her warning. Knowing that Aokiji would silence him at any moment, Franky continued shouting everything on his mind, without hesitation or restraint.
"If you really want me to leave, then I'll go, but whatever this guy had told you—it's lies. There's nothing about your past that can't be forgiven, especially if somebody loves you. If you're in love with this guy, then I'll let you go with him without another word." He said the last line through a clenched jaw, as the words were difficult to say. "But if you're doing this because you feel like he's the only person who's ever gonna see you as a woman, you're dead wrong."
Franky had felt Aokiji's attack as he spoke, and as he finished his confession, he knew it was too late. Cold seeped into his body from his feet upward. He looked down and saw that his lower half was already completed encased, and the ice was rapidly threatening to cover the rest of his body.
It didn't matter though; that his words had reached Robin was far more important than a counterattack. He futilely attempted to use his Weapons Left attack, but the ice reformed too quickly, and soon both arms were covered.
"Please, just let him go, Aokiji," Robin shouted. "He said he'd leave!"
The admiral ignored her plea, his frigid gaze locked on Franky.
"Aokiji!" she shrieked again.
Franky struggled, but he could no longer move his body. In a few seconds, he would be completely covered. He tried to get one last glimpse at Robin, but her back was turned to him. She was rushing toward a white coat hanging in the corner of the room. Although the ice distorted his view, he could make out the yellow shoulder pads and bold, black text on the back—Aokiji's admiral coat.
Robin grabbed something from the inside of it, and ran toward Aokiji.
"Kuzan!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, one arm raised near the side of her head. Franky could not quite tell what she was doing.
"Stop it, right now," Robin screamed again, "or I'll-!"
The ice finally encased Franky's entire head, and he missed the rest of what Robin said. But suddenly, the ice stopped forming, and began to crumble away from his head.
"No!" he heard Aokiji roar, his voice booming like a thunderclap. It was the most inflection Franky had heard in his voice. "I'll release him, just please, put it down."
Franky felt the tight coffin of ice around his body loosen, as though it were being peeled off of him. When he could move again, he turned toward Robin, and saw that she was holding a pistol to her temple. Aokiji's marine pistol. Franky felt his chest tighten.
But as soon as Robin saw Franky was free from the ice, she lowered the gun unsteadily, her hand trembling.
Aokiji slumped back against the wall, sliding downward until he fell into a sitting position. Franky could not quite tell if it was in relief or defeat.
"What does this mean?" Aokiji asked dejectedly, staring down at the floor between his feet.
Franky rushed toward Robin and pulled the pistol out of her hands.
"I couldn't let you do it," Robin stammered, staring at Aokiji helplessly. "I couldn't just sit here and let you kill him."
Aokiji squeezed his eyes shut. "I thought I was doing what was best for you. All these years I've watched you, I came to love you. But I saw how much damage the unkind situations you've gone through have hurt you, and I thought I was the only one who could free you from all that. I wanted to help you overcome all of the trauma that's been built up over the years. And I thought one way to protect you is to stop this man from lying to you—"
"What I said wasn't a lie," Franky interrupted forcefully. He glared at Aokiji, who was still slumped on the floor. "I understand exactly what you're saying. I've had a lot of thoughts like that, too. But see, the difference between you and me is that I'm going to give her a choice."
He grabbed Robin's hand and looked her in the eyes. "I know you've been though a hell of a lot, and you don't want me or anybody else to know about a lot of it. But if you ever want to—well, I'm in love with you, Nico Robin, and I know that's not gonna change no matter what say.
"I know that me having these feelings has got to be hard for you. I kept telling myself to stop, to ignore it, and I just can't."
Franky looked at her face the entire time he spoke, but she could not return his gaze. Though she stared at the ground, he could see that she was listening carefully, so he continued.
"I'm hoping you'll come back—whether it's to be with me or not, at least to return to the crew… I'd like to just be near you." Franky glanced at Aokiji for a moment. "But if you love this guy, and he's who you want to be with, then fine—even if it kills me inside, I won't stop you." He gently brushed the hair back from her face. "It's your choice."
He started at her face a moment longer, praying that it would not be the last time he saw her. Then he turned away and walked toward the door.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going with him," Robin choked. Franky stopped when she spoke, his back to her, and felt his heart sink. He could not respond right away, as he tried to hold back the tears filling his eyes.
Then, to his surprise, Aokiji responded to her.
"Is that really your response, Robin?" he stammered, unsuccessful at masking the tremble in his voice.
Franky whirled around in surprise, and realized that her tearful apology was directed at the admiral, not at him.
"It is," she replied, a bit more forceful than before.
Aokiji sighed dejectedly and stared down at the ground for a moment. Then he reluctantly pulled himself to his feet. "Very well, then."
He looked at Robin with a profoundly tragic expression on his face. "This doesn't change the feelings I've come to have for you. If you should ever change your mind..." he trailed off.
His gaze shifted to Franky, and any warmth he had toward Robin vanished, replaced with animosity. His cold stare bore into him, and after a few moments, Franky nodded with understanding. Aokiji did not need to speak for him to understand the warning behind his intimidating gaze.
With that, Franky and Robin left. Although Franky had a flood of thoughts and emotions he wanted to convey to her, he remained silent, and they barely spoke on the long trek back to the Thousand Sunny.
"Robin!" Chopper cried out happily, as she and Franky stepped into the dining hall. Everyone was just sitting down to dinner.
"Robin-chwaaaan!" Sanji called out, popping out of the kitchen entryway. "Let me get your plate right away! I saved one of the best portions for you."
"You two were gone an awfully long time," Nami commented. "We were starting to get a little bit worried."
Robin laughed lightly. "I just lost track of time while wandering around the town."
"Well, it's not like you're the only person who was missing for hours on end." She shot an irritated glance in Zoro's direction. "We just found him a little bit ago. He never even told anyone he was leaving."
The dinner went on, as normally and cheerfully as ever. As Franky left the dining hall, he passed Sanji, who was clearing away the last of the dishes.
For a moment, Sanji made eye contact with Franky, and acknowledged him with a nod. He said nothing, but Franky knew that Sanji understood that something more had happened.
Then Franky went to his workshop. His body was exhausted, but he could tell it would be awhile before he was able to get any rest. As much as he wanted to wander around the ship, in hopes that Robin would also be unable to sleep, he resisted. She was probably even more exhausted than he from the events of the day, and even though she had decided not to leave with Aokiji, it did not mean that she necessarily reciprocated Franky's feelings. He had no idea where he stood with her.
The hours ticked by, until at some point, Franky became aware that he was being watched. He turned around uneasily—and there Robin sat, seated in her usual chair near the corner of the room, watching him intently.
He met her gaze. "Nico Robin," he murmured.
"Franky," she responded, an apprehensive smile fluttering across her lips.
After a few moments, when it was too intense for him to keep looking into her brilliant eyes, he cast his gaze on the floor. "I'm glad you came," he said, breaking the silence. Slowly, he stood up and walked toward her, until he was only a few strides away.
"I had been sitting on the deck for quite some time, hoping you would come," she told him. "But after awhile, I realized perhaps I should come to you first, to let you know that it's not my desire for you to avoid me."
"I'm glad," he smiled nervously.
"I'm afraid this is as bold of a move as I can make right now, though," Robin said softly. "The rest is up to you."
Franky looked at her hesitantly, and tried to figure out what she wanted him to do next. Her expression was unreadable. Slowly, he took a few more steps until he was standing right in front of her. Then he knelt on the ground before her, and grasped her hands in his.
"I'm so glad you're back," he whispered. He pressed his forehead against her hands, and held them there, so that his head was almost in her lap.
"I'm an idiot for not realizing what was really up when I first heard that idiot marine talking to you. And I'm an even bigger idiot for the way I had to tell you about how I feel about you—but I'm just so relieved you're here." He squeezed her hands tightly, not wanting to let go.
She leaned down until her face was right next to his, her cheek just barely touching his. He let go of her hands, and reached out toward her, pulling her close to him. After a long embrace, he pulled away slightly so that he could look at her.
"I hope you're not too angry with me," he smiled.
"Angry for what?"
"For… for the stuff I said earlier."
"You said a great deal of things to me earlier. Is there something specific you're referring to?" She smiled playfully, cocking her head to one side.
He chuckled. He was happy that even after everything she had been through, she still had it in her to be coy.
"Well, I was talking about saying I love you… But come to think of it, I kind of hope you're not mad about anything I said."
Robin smiled. It was a bit apprehensively, but it was a smile nonetheless. Franky started to lean in toward her without realizing it. He stopped just inches away from her lips, not wanting to upset her. Her smile had faded, but he noticed that her lips had parted just slightly, as though she was expecting the kiss. Hesitating no longer, he leaned in further, until his lips were against hers.
It was filled with the same electrifying feeling as the first time. He had never felt such an invigorating kiss. Maybe it was love, or chemistry, or a byproduct of the stressful events of the day, but whatever it was, he hoped she felt it too. At the very least, this time, she didn't pull away.