E - The morning after nothing

Author's note:

Hello everyone! To all of you that haven't dropped the fic in frustration with the last chapter, thank you! I hope you keep enjoying it!

I'd like to thank my beta and recommend Rexica's One Piece fanfic "Disinhibition" and the Inu Yasha fic "taming the unruly" by AKZJ / Alyah727. Both are completely different from one another but an amazing read (if you're into the fandom and or the genre, of course) and talking with both authors helps me alot with this fanfic and my other project

You've probably been wondering how the two will continue after their… not quite successful attempt at a hook-up. Here is the answer, have fun!

What the fuck was he supposed to do now? Staring at the stained ceiling he concentrated on not reacting to the soft puffs of breath tickling his collarbone. He couldn't just leave like he had done with all the hook-ups, he'd meet her again in two to three hours on the ship - depending on how much the forest barrier would change his path… damn was he sick of enchanted Forests.

Also, they hadn't even really hooked up… maybe there was a different protocol here? He wouldn't know, this was the very first time he had actually just slept with a woman... in the sense of sleeping, side by side. Maybe he should buy her breakfast? This seemed more like a relationship kind of situation after all. Does one eat breakfast together after sleeping? Whatever, the fuck would be the big deal anyways, why was he worrying about breakfast? They ate breakfast together all the fucking time! This was different though, wasn't it?

Hell, it was way different. She wanted him, she'd showed him this much with renting the room, reciting that cheesy line, and bearing her glorious tits at him. She liked him too, had actually told him. God's if he got a hold of one of those goddamn motherfuckers she had referred to, he'd rip them limb from limb and feed them their own fucking balls for what they had done to her! Deep breath, you don't want to crush her in fury, this woman is delicate. Wasn't that the only fucking reason he hadn't taken her up on her offer, that he was afraid to accidentally hurt her? Way to go, idiot, almost broke her ribs by crushing her against him. How had they ended up tangled like this anyways? And how the fuck had his refusing her - for damn good reasons he might add - ended in her drowning in insecurities? Robin, for fuck's sake, the woman was the fucking incarnation of a wet dream and she thought she was too old and unattractive… and for him of all people! If she wasn't so damn frail he would have fucked her through the walls of this shithole even if she were 30 years his senior instead of 10. Hopefully telling her about Perona had helped a bit with that issue… surely Robin knew that she was 4 years older than him, didn't she? The woman knew basically everything, she had to know Perona's age she had been an enemy after all, she had to have read up on her!

God damn it! He couldn't handle this sort of shit, that was all Sanji's domain. How had he gotten tangled up in this mess? Same way he had ended up tangled in Robin's endlessly long legs, he supposed. Should have worn a fucking shirt under his robe yesterday, but how the fuck could he have known that he would wake up with a pale, dainty hand caressing his rough chest?

Fuck, was she awake? He hadn't even figured out how to react! No, her steady breaths still puffed against his clavicle. Woman had a damn deep sleep for someone being terrorised by nightmares. Hadn't had nightmares for quite some time… maybe it was him? Yeah, ya wish. He really did. Could this even work? They were wanted criminals, the marines would jump on a weakness like this. Bullshit. With the crew, their friendship and love for each other had always made them stronger, not weaker. Why would it be different for another kind of love? Love… she had said she liked him and he was thinking love. Had she said it though? Did it count as an admission if she said it like that? 'Go ahead and hurt me since I don't hate you'? Just how fucking desperate was he if he took such a statement as an admission?

Of course she loved him as family. As a younger brother or even son, since she was so hung up on that ridiculous age gap. And of course she loved him as a friend. Maybe a friend she wanted to fuck? Maybe? Obviously! Why else would she have rented that damn room?

He didn't want her like that, he knew, and with her incredibly soft body pressing against him he could admit that it wasn't because she was Nakama and all that bullshit. Fuck peaceful life on the Sunny, he wanted her and he wanted her whole, he didn't do half assed. He was an all or nothing kind of man.

He was First mate of Monkey D Luffy, future king of the pirates, not prince or whatever came second to a king; He was Roronoa Zoro, who would defeat Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk and become the world's greatest swordsman, not the second best; and he would have Nico Robin as his woman, not only as his friend. She probably needed time for that, she did have issues after all, but that was alright, all his goals were long term and he could be patient if the result was worth the wait and the woman stirring in his arms definitely was!

Fuck, she was stirring? Fucking fuck, what the hell was he supposed to do now? Dash? No… Breakfast? Maybe…? Probably should go with breakfast since, yes, it did seem like the relationship thing to do and he did want that, didn't he? Yes he did, probably. How do you treat a woman if you want a long term thing? You don't fuck right away, you treat a lady to dinner and what the fuck other things curly brow rambled off whenever he got in one of those moods. Good. That would give him plenty time to practice restraint. Now what should he say? Something nice, reassure her that he did find her attractive despite her age - no! No mention of age at all! Under no fucking circumstances! You fucking stupid? Tell her that he would …. No, can't be too obvious, wouldn't want to scare her off… but being nice? He didn't do nice. He could try being pleasant? Was it too early to drink? He definitely needed a drink! Okay, be pleasant, tell her good morning and suggest to go for breakfast, that easy. Her lashes fluttered against his skin and she stilled. A soft gasp and her hand retreated from his chest, her legs untangled from his. Fuck, he missed her heat already.

"I'm sorry, I…," she started, looking at him with her big blue eyes, even wider now, like a startled deer. "I didn't think you'd still be here, to be honest." She smiled an adorably shy smile at him and he had no fucking idea how to react to that. What was it? B … breakfast? Shit, he'd like her to be his breakfast with that blush of hers. Not helping! He opened his mouth to say something, no fucking idea what, closed it again. Stared at her, her tangled hair; her eyes, puffy and smeared from a good night's sleep; the tiny wrinkles around them, proof of how much her life had improved since she had met them; she was beautiful. How could this woman not stand in front of a mirror and think of herself as a fucking goddess? Fuck you, you idiot, quit staring and say something! He opened his mouth again, closed it. How was it he always did the fucking fish with her?

"I'm glad you stayed, would you like to join me for breakfast," she asked. How did she do that? Just talking like nothing happened? He very eloquently grunted an affirmative. Fucking idiot. Forget about practicing restraint, he needed to fucking learn to talk to the woman.