AN: I had a review after the first chapter that said that Zoro knew too much about Robin. This chapter now explains why he knew. Also I have been asked to have some drama possibly involving Trafalgar Law; but I don't know enough about him to play around with with character. I have added some drama in this chapter, but it does mean that some things had to be skipped... sorry in advance for that.
I need to make a note that I have used Robin's eye colour in the anime and not the manga so that the gift Zoro gives her matches her eye colour.
Nico rolled awake on Saturday morning cursing her stupidity of going to bed at three in the morning as the after party at The Going Merry just kept going on and on. She opened her mouth and wet her lips, her mouth dry like sandpaper from the beer that she had drunk. After she had sat up in bed she raised her hand to her forehead hoping that the pressure of it would keep her brain from rattling inside her skull as she tried to get ready. Standing she noticed there was a blinking light on her phone and checked the message that was there. Opening it she saw it was from Roronoa and couldn't help the smile that curved her lips at the sight of his name.
Good morning beautiful, I have tickets to a matinée and then reservations at a restaurant outside of town, so wear something nice. (Not that anything you wear is anything less than amazing).
When she had finished the message she felt her stomach do a little flip and the starts of the hangover evaporated like the early morning dew in the summer sun. Before her shower she flicked through the items in her wardrobe trying to find something appropriate even though she knew no one made an effort to dress up for the theatre any more. As she thought about it she loved the idea that he was making an effort.
An hour later she was sliding the last pin in to her hair sweeping it off her face when she heard her doorbell ring. When she opened the door her mouth went dry for a second time that day, but this time it had nothing to do with the hangover she almost had. Zoro was stood on her door step his broad shoulders encased in a perfectly cut suit jacket, his long legs made even longer by the tailored trousers and dress shoes. The collar of his shirt was left open which made the whole ensemble look laid back and relaxed; while still being breath taking.
"I have a tie in the car," he said as if he thought she was insulted by the fact that he had left his tie behind. Nico felt herself wet her lips as she absently nodded at the remark. She had no idea what she had been expecting, but this was not it. The bad boy image she had always had of the perfect gentleman she was opposite went up in flames as he offered her his arm as she slipped her feet in to her sandals.
"You look beautiful, by the way," he told her as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Nico looked down at herself and felt underdressed stood next to him in her tea dress that was turquoise and grazed her knees. After getting out of Baroque Works she had always chosen clothes that were understated. Her days of Miss All Sunday were behind her for good. The dress clung to her figure and as she looked at Zoro again that was the only thing she could think of that matched up to the perfectly polished man she was stood next to.
"Stop worrying," Zoro murmured as they walked out on to the street heading for a sleek black sports car, "You look perfect," he placed a hand on her hip and brought her to him so he could kiss her, "The colour really brings out the blue in your eyes and no man is going to be able to look away from you." He flashed her a cocky grin, "We will be making a lot of people jealous." He kissed her again softly, and reiterated his original comment, hoping that repeating it would make her believe him, "You look beautiful," he stared in to her eyes until she looked away a gently blush on her cheeks. He tugged on one of the frilly sleeves that stopped at her elbow and a lazy smile took up residence on his face. "There is one thing that is missing though." He brought a small box out of his back pocket and handed it to her, her throat closed up and for a second she couldn't speak. When she finally found the words her voice was small and hoarse.
"I can't accept something like this," she managed and Zoro's eye brows shot up his forehead in bemusement.
"You don't even know what it is." He opened the small crushed velvet box and inside was a set of pear cut earrings. The gem was in what Nico could only assume was white gold, she glanced up to Zoro and felt the prickle of tears in the back of her eyes. She looked at the floor blinking rapidly so the tears that were gathering in the corner of her eyes now, wouldn't fall down her cheeks. Today was supposed to be a good day. She couldn't cry.
"It's blue topaz," he told her his voice soft and holding a meaning that she didn't understand. "I was going to get the amethyst ones, but you always wear purple." He cupped her chin with one of his large warm hands and made her look at him. "When I saw these I thought about your crystal clear eyes." He placed the box in her hand his actions, voice and demeanour so gentle that she couldn't refuse them. "Wear my birth month." He added with a smile. She swallowed hard and took the earrings out of the box one at a time threading the fish hook through her lobe. She felt the delicate gems moving against her skin as she turned one way and then the other. The white gold warm against her skin. As she looked at Zoro again she smiled and closed the gap between them pressing her lips to his as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Thank you," she whispered her voice breaking as the tears broke free and made tracks down her face. "They are beautiful," she choked. Zoro laughed rubbing his hands up and down her back,
"Nowhere near as beautiful as the woman wearing them." He told her with such conviction she could do nothing but believe him. When she had calmed herself she stood back from him and asked the question that hadn't come to her before,
"What did you mean wear your birth month?"
"I had to do a little bit of research, but topaz is one of the birth stones for November," he cracked her a grin, "February is amethyst," he shrugged as if it was something everyone should know. She was going to ask how he knew that her birthday was in February, as she could never remember telling him that, but thought better of it. Luffy would have told him. She was sure of that.
He opened the passenger door for her and she slid inside the plush leather interior. He closed the door gently behind her and walked around the nose of the car and slid in to the driver's seat.
"I'm sure topaz is normally yellow," Nico mused as Zoro put his key in the ignition making the car purr to life. He looked across the small expanse of car to her and smiled,
"I knew I couldn't fool you," he chuckled, "It usually is, that or grey, it can naturally form as a blue gem, but it is very rare." She felt the heat of his gaze on her, "Just like a woman I know." He told her softly before putting the car in gear and pulling away from her block. She wanted to respond to his final comment, but she was taken so by surprise at the honesty in his tone that all words died on her tongue.
A little while later after a silent, but comfortable journey Zoro pulled up at the theatre and Nico was surprised that it looked empty; there were no screaming advertisements of the show they were going to see and she felt a small amount of dread start to churn in her gut. She watched as Zoro threw his tie over his head and let the knot rest haphazardly beneath the last open button of his shirt and she felt herself grin. after checking the position of his tie he got out the car and walked towards her door.
He opened her door for her and held out his arm to help her out of the car and the dread eased a little, she went to ask him what they were going to see when she saw more people walk to the entrance and she relaxed. Zoro not noticing her discomfort or ignoring it altogether to not make her feel awkward walked her up the steps and told her,
"A friend of mine is performing today; he says it is his maximum opus." She shook her head knowing he had the wrong word, but not wanting to correct him as he scratched at his nape with his free hand. "With a little help I got us the best seats in the house." When she glanced over to him she saw the small blush on his high cheekbones and bit on her lip so as not to laugh at his embarrassment.
When they got to the door he opened it for her and let her go in before him, she thought he was playing the perfect gentleman until she felt his heated gaze on her. She reached the usher and turned to Zoro who had the tickets ready; he handed them over and they were directed to their seats. Zoro sat on the outside of the isle and put his hand palm up on the rest between them, he left it there for a few minutes and Nico didn't respond. Feeling a little self-conscious he turned his hand over trying not to grip the rest to hard. Nico finally noticing what he had done lay her hand on top of his and entwined her fingers with his. They sat in silence as the theatre filled with people all the audience seemed to be in high spirits chatting amiably about the performance that they were going to see. She kept hearing words like masterpiece and a ballet of the age and with each hushed comment she felt the anticipation rise within her like champagne bubbles.
As the house lights went down, Zoro leant over the arm rest to whisper in her ear,
"I'm sorry if the show is terrible, but my friend was so happy that I wanted to come to the theatre that he insisted. He also wants to see us back stage after the show." He looked at Nico his eyes almost pleading, "If that is okay, I know I promised it would just be the two of us, but he'll only take a minute," Nico smiled and nodded kissing him on the cheek.
"Thank you," she told him as the safety curtain began to rise on the stage, "No one has brought me to see a ballet before," Zoro looked a little sheepish and brought her knuckles to his lips.
After the safety curtain was fully up the music swelled from the orchestra pit and Nico felt the hairs on her arms and neck rise to attention as a shiver flowed over her skin. Thinking that she was cold Zoro removed his jacket and draped it around her shoulders taking in the theatres chill as he did so and felt stupid for not noticing it earlier. Little did he know that it had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with the fact that the opening suite of Swan Lake was to blame. Tchaikovsky was her favourite composer and as the music reached its high point in the opening scene she could feel tears burn at the corner of her eyes and as the ballet dancer finally took the stage she was mesmerised by his skill and fluidity. She quickly realised that he was dancing multiple parts with the ease of a skilled master. As he moved from one part to the other his facial features seemed to melt in to another character accented by a different mask or accessory. When the first act was over Nico could barely take a breath as it was such a feat to accomplish and the dancer had managed it with aplomb. As the house lights came up at the interval Zoro glanced across at Nico and cleared his throat softly garnering her attention, he looked a little worried as he asked,
"Are you enjoying it? I have no idea what is happening so if you hate it, we can leave." Nico shook her head vehemently, and laughed,
"I love it," she told him her eyes shining. "If that is your friend he is really talented," for a moment Zoro looked panicked and the grip of his hand became momentarily tighter before he loosened his hold again and in that moment Nico thought there was something more to this date than she originally realised and her feeling of dread came back momentarily. Though her worries abated when he stood telling her he was going to buy some ice cream and left Nico to her thoughts. When he came back he gave her a choice of green tea ice cream or pistachio; telling her with a frown that they were all that were left, at his honest confusion and concern the final nagging feeling that it wasn't all as it seemed vanished as she took the pistachio ice cream opening the pot and taking in the scent of the nut.
"I would like to try some of yours though," she told him making him swallow as he handed over the pot. Nico took her spoon from the lid and ate a spoonful of his ice cream before handing it back. As she swallowed she smiled at the intense yet still subtle flavour feeling like she had just eaten a cup of green tea. Zoro swallowed again and Nico watched as he tightened his fist as if trying to fight his need to touch her and ate his ice cream without looking at her. When the safety curtain was raised again and the second act began Nico saw that Zoro had started to fidget out of the corner of her eye. He was still holding her hand, but his knees kept jumping as if he was tapping his feet in impatience. She managed to ignore him as she got swept up in the dance again when it came to the crescendo she was sat forward in her seat Zoro's hand forgotten as the tears leaked down her face. The orchestra quietened as the performance ended and the dancer came to the front of the stage he received a standing ovation for his sheer force of will to perform a two-hour ballet on his own. Nico understood why people had been calling it a masterpiece before they had walked in. Even with the training she had done and her secret love of dance, she would not have had the courage to do something like that. As the house lights came up for the final time Zoro seemed to have relaxed again and Nico let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"Do you want to meet him?" Zoro asked scratching the back of his head a little uncomfortable again. Nico nodded a huge grin on her face glancing back to the empty stage wishing she had the courage and the talent to perform Swan Lake solo. Zoro took her hand and led her with a nod at an usher to the back door.
He walked her through all of the backstage area to the dressing rooms seeming to know exactly where to go as if he had been there before. For a man that she knew got lost on campus she was surprised; and then she thought that his nervousness throughout the second act had been because he was worried that he would never manage to get her to the dressing rooms.
They reached a door that was plain and paint chipped; it didn't look like anything special. Nico had always thought that the star of the show had a room that was the best of everything and would be noticed at once, but as Zoro knocked she realised that maybe that was a fantasy and that it just wasn't true.
"Zoro is that you my love?" A male voice asked from the other side of the wood, Nico shook herself for a moment, she knew that voice. It was so familiar, but she couldn't put a finger on why, Zoro cleared his throat and Nico noticed that he was shuffling his feet before he spoke,
"Ah," he simply replied and the door swung inwards. As soon as the towel had been removed from the face of the dancer as he removed the sweat form his brow, she knew who he was and she froze.
"Hello Robin-san." The owner of the voice said as he wrapped the towel around his shoulders with his hair standing on end.
"Mister… M…M…M…Mister Two," she stammered, stumbling back from the door. He smiled a little at her as he shook his head,
"I go by Bentham now," he told her softly as his eye makeup ran making it look like he had large green eyelashes. "Like you are no longer Miss All Sunday." He glanced at Zoro and embraced him. "It's been so long friend," he told Zoro his voice wavering, "Thank you so much for showing me that my sacrifice wasn't in vain," Nico could feel herself shake as she stared at a part of her past that she thought she had escaped, how could he be here?! All of Baroque Works had been imprisoned, it was only a miracle that she had managed to not be jailed too. She looked at Zoro at the beautiful man that had brought her out of the darkness and saw the shame and pity in his normally solid gaze and it hit her. She was cold all over and she couldn't breathe.
"What sacrifice," she spat, "You stood by like I did and watched the world burn!" she shook her finger at her former colleague, before rounding on Zoro, "And you," she stopped, there were so many things she wanted to say, but no words would come, instead she barrelled past him and ran out of the theatre. She stood on the roadside for a few seconds before she remembered that she was wearing Zoro's jacket still. Fumbling in the pockets she found what she was looking for. The cold metal warming her cold skin. She took out the car keys and ran to his car unlocking it as she reached the door, she slid in and put the key in the ignition in one fluid movement. Glancing up at the theatre she saw the doors were still closed and that Zoro hadn't followed her. Taking a deep and steadying breath she put the car in gear and drove off to the only place she knew would calm her down.
"Well we didn't think about that very well did we Zoro-kun," Bentham pondered as he invited Zoro in to his dressing room. Zoro shook his head and stood on the threshold glancing at his friend.
"I have to tell her the truth," he told the ballet dancer who just smiled at him in return.
"Do you really want to break the charmed life that she has been living thus far?" he asked performing a pas de deux as if he hadn't just come off stage after two hours of intense showmanship.
"She will hate us more for the lie." He said rubbing his eyes. He looked up at the older man, "You left Bon Clay behind; I don't think she ever stopped being Miss All Sunday," Bentham stepped across the space between them in one panther like pounce he hugged Zoro tight,
"She needs to feel loved Zoro-kun," he looked at Zoro as if he was trying to impart some important information and then patted him on the shoulder before turning back to his dressing room. "Get Luffy to see my show will you, he keeps telling me that he is too busy or flat out refuses me. I can't refuse his refusal forever." Zoro smirked at the man that had once been an enemy, but now he grudgingly called friend.
"I will," he told the other man with a small bow and then walked out of the theatre.
He scanned the street and wasn't surprised to see that Nico had taken his car. He stood for a moment thinking where she would go and smiled knowing exactly where she was. Hoping that his failing sense of direction wouldn't send him to the wrong place entirely he took off at a run as the sky opened and rain started falling in a torrent. He looked up at the sky thinking it was obvious that it would happen on a day that wasn't anywhere near the rainy season. He felt the water instantly soak through his shirt and run down his back. He pushed the rain out of his eyes and kept running his muscles screaming at him to stop, but he ignored it and ran on.
He managed to reach the University campus only getting lost twice and sprinted in to the library, in his haste he forgot to change his shoes and skidded across the parquet floor water following in his wake.
He ran across the library ignoring all the pointed looks he was receiving for breaking their quiet on a Saturday and his lack of common decency for not changing his shoes, his destination clear in his mind.
He found her in the stacks curled up on the floor in a ball. He didn't have to get close to know that she was sobbing. He knelt down next to her conscious that he shouldn't touch her as he tried to work out how to begin. Talking had never been his strong suit, but when it came to Nico he had never had trouble, but as she was now he had no idea how to approach her.
He sat down next to her and stayed quiet for a moment rubbing the rain out of his hair as the water ran in to his eyes.
"Why do you think that I knew so much about you?" he asked, "You must have thought it was strange that I knew more about you than you could ever know about me." He heard a shuffle and Nico sat up her bloodshot eyes staring in to his.
"The rumours, everyone made up so many that at some point they had to touch on the truth." Zoro shook his head a smirk curving his lips,
"You thought I listened to rumours." He reached out tentatively and laced their fingers together; Nico didn't flinch away from him, but held his hand as if her life depended on it he dropped the smirk and cupped her face with his free hand.
"Luffy met Vivi, the daughter of the CEO of," but before he could finish the sentence Nico choked out,
"Alabasta Arts,"
"Yes," he told her his voice and gaze gentle. "She met him in a chat room for hackers and asked if we could be of service to stop a man that was trying to take down her father's company by making his funding dry up so to speak," He glanced away and then looked back at her, "When Luffy found out the extent to what Crocodile had been doing; he agreed." He shook his head laughing, "A few weeks in to our information gathering we were at The Going Merry and as we left we stumbled over someone on the door step. He was dressed in drag and had been badly beaten, it was Mister Two, Bon Clay." He dropped his hand from her face and ran his free hand through his hair, "He was our in, Sanji and I found the men that hurt him and he helped us find a back door in to the organisation. We told him to go to the police as Luffy has what he calls a friendship and what I think Smoker calls an annoyance and blow the whistle on Baroque Works. He did and got a shorter sentence. Smoker requested Luffy set up a sting with links to banking fraud and we did that. Before Smoker ran in to the organisation Bentham had one request that Luffy granted without looking back or asking a question of his friend. He asked that one of the workers have her records expunged because she deserved to have a life after Baroque Works; that she had suffered enough. When I saw who the person was I was glad, because I had already fallen in love with her." Nico sucked in her breath, she couldn't believe what he was saying. "We all knew each one of your files and I had been sent to do recon on you. Thinking back on it that was a little bit stalker like. Not even Sanji is that bad." He shook his head again as if to clear it. "Bentham sacrificed his freedom for yours, he spent eight months in a high security prison before he got out on parole, he has been clean since. Luffy offered to clear his record, but he had yours done instead."
"I did horrible things,"
"To horrible people," Zoro told her, "I know each and everything you ever did since being brought in to Baroque Works and I don't love you in spite of them." He took a deep breath, "I love you because of them." He kissed her cheek softly and heard her hiccup. "There is a strength in you that is unlike anything I have ever seen. You are beautiful and smart, funny and broken, but even with everything that had brought you down you fought on." He let go of her face and looked at the book shelf in front of him. "When I saw you walking in to the library I knew you had picked yourself up again and it made me smile. I got Luffy to hack your records and saw that you were going in to Archaeology like your parents. You surprised me more than I ever thought possible." He leant his head back against the books behind him, "But I knew I couldn't make the first move; if I pushed you I would back you in to a corner and you would then run away while scratching my eyes out like a scared animal. I waited, I knew the day you first noticed me and then I watched you develop and interest. So the day that you looked at the clock thinking I was leaving, I knew it was time." He glanced at her; his eyes soft, "I'm sorry I lied." Nico looked at him and noticed that he was soaking wet,
"You are all wet," she said her voice shaking, Zoro laughed,
"Yeah, it rained as I ran here,"
"Ran?" she asked finding whole sentences difficult to manage, he just nodded. They were both quiet for a moment, Zoro worried he had ruined everything that he had tried so hard to build with Nico and Nico trying to understand what he had told her. "You saved me." She said softly blowing out her breath,
"Not just me," he told her a cocky grin on his features. "I have a lot of friends," she leant her head on his shoulder and hiccuped again,
"Did you mean it?" she asked her voice still hushed,
"Did I mean what?" he asked as he looked down in to her eyes,
"The words you said just now,"
"Which ones exactly?" he asked her in return and she could hear the teasing edge to his words. Nico glanced away and murmured the words she was questioning, Zoro chuckled and turned her face towards him. "Sorry you'll have to repeat that," Nico blushed and Zoro could feel the heat under her skin.
"That you…" she paused a second before continuing, "love… me?" she whispered the blush now reaching her neck and ears. Zoro chuckled again bringing her lips to his.
"I meant every single word," he told her, "Can you forgive me?" he asked his voice unsure once again. She looked in to his eyes and smiled,
"Thank you," she told him before she closed the distance between them, "You set me free." He tilted her head to the side and kissed her softly,
"I'm sorry about our date," he told her, "Bentham was really worried about you, so I thought that he should see how well you were doing. I didn't think it would end that way." Nico shook her head as if she forbid him to say anything else.
"Rain check?" she asked and Zoro laughed,
"I promise to make this up to you," he told her and she straddled his out stretched legs,
"I hold you to it," she told him with a smile as she kissed him this time holding his wet body to hers in a crushing embrace. "You have a lot to live up to after this date." Zoro laughed kissing her neck softly,
"Aye, aye Captain," he mumbled and left her laugh shake her frame in his hold making him hold her tighter.
"We need to get you dry," she said absently after a few minutes,
"If you don't mind," he said his lips on her ear lobe, "I want to stay here a little while longer," Nico gasped as he nibbled her lobe between his teeth,
"I can't think of anything better to do," she replied with a shaky breath sinking her hands in to his short, wet hair. As his teeth grazed her neck she sighed out again heat burning all her nerves. "Nothing at all." She moaned as he kissed her collar bone his lips hot on her skin,
"Good," he told her brooking no argument, "I think we have time to make up for."
